Welcome to Orcmid's Lair, the playground for family connections, pastimes, and scholarly vocation -- the collected professional and recreational work of Dennis E. Hamilton

 

Brutal Conduct: It's Not About Keeping Score

Jon Udell: The whole picture.  In a blog entry today, InfoWorld's John Udell uses a statement of Senator James Inhope arguing for parity in the depiction of abuses and brutality.  For every picture of an unacceptable action by coalition forces and civilians, Inhope wants to see a (balancing?) depiction of Iraqi brutality.

Jon wants to address the notion of authorized dissemination, balanced or otherwise, so what I am about to say is not counter to anything Jon has espoused.  It is what I want to address in Senator Inhope's statement.

In concern for our conduct in Iraq, it is important to avoid distraction by some sort of tit-for-tat, our deeds are no worse than theirs sort of justification.  Those folks who despise what they call moral relativism and situation ethics should listen up: This is not about some score sheet by which we can claim fewer faults.

We are on the hook to be accountable for how we treat others independent of the actions of those who oppose us, our ideas, and our presence.  We are accountable for the most precious reason of all: It is about who we say we are and what we stand for in the world.  Others may not see us that way, or subscribe to our approach and principles.  But we have said that we stand for something else.  We do say that.  It is now up to us to deliver, not when it is easy, now when it is terribly difficult and threatening.  We are not perfect, and how we deal with our mistakes and errors and serious failures is the genuine test of the truth of our convictions and our claims to principled conduct and integrity. 

The only question is, are we being true to ourselves? If not, what actions will we take to restore it?
posted by Dennis at 5/11/2004 07:25:09 PM