Kill 'em All

The above heading was the exact formula suggested by a fellow class member in my college (religious school) International Relations class back in the mid 1960s.  The discussion at the time was the Middle East and particularly regarding the constant friction between Israelis and Palestinians over rights within the the disputed land settlements.  And he repeated it for effect.  Each time the instructor asked what might be done to solve the massive turmoil within struggling Palestine, my classmate shouted "Kill 'em all!"

Sadly, I always felt he meant it seriously.  He was not unlike many in the world, then and now, who simply see human life as expendable and someone with guts and resolve should call the shot.  George W. Bush proved his approach was not much different from this mentality.  As little as Saddam Hussein deserved to be the dictator of a country, he had as little reason to expect some other despot from a powerful nation half-a-world away to arrive with massive weaponry and armies to remove him.  But oh, wait, I have to tread softly here because a good many of my countrymen praised and will continue to praise that ignoramus for his brave stand against the horrible man in Iraq who certainly must have been developing major nuclear weapons.  Declaring an unprovoked war against another sovereign nation - the only time our own country has ever committed such a crime - well, that's just too bad.  Hussein needed to die!  Bad people in charge of other countries?  Kill 'em all!

Today's news from the Gaza Strip?  Same as in 1965.  Each side wants to kill 'em all.  Those other humans, those who disagree with us, do not deserve to live.  Let's just kill 'em all.  I suppose if one says this phrase often enough, the very word kill becomes less unthinkable, less horrifying, less criminal.

It's no wonder that so many humans on this warring planet still want to believe in an extraterrestrial supreme being; they can witness how inept we humans are at being what we are capable of being.