Thursday, July 14, 2011

Praising Assassination

Hyperbolic rant takes the place of journalism these days as Lawrence O’Donnell calls Republicans “irresponsible juveniles” and refers admiringly to Obama as, “…a president whose reaction to hostage taking by Somali pirates was to shoot them in the head.”

For one thing, Obama did not shoot anyone in the head, and I would take a bet in any amount that he did not order anyone to be shot in the head. It is almost certain that his order was merely that “lethal force is authorized.”

Secondly, I do not find the willingness to order the death of another to be a particularly admirable quality. That’s what criminals do. Sometimes it becomes necessary for a national leader to do it, but I do not think I want to live in a nation that worshipfully adores the willingness to order killing as a wonderful quality in its leadership. Unlike O’Donnell, I am not thrilled and awed by the idea that my president would solve a problem by shooting someone in the head, other than as a last resort.

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