By Frank Erickson
“Your Intention is not to kill civilians?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“But you ”˜war”' in a manner that does kill civilians”¦but you are not intentionally killing them?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Do you feel that your freedom to kill civilians has your troops fighting in a way that will endanger and kill civilians?”
“No.”
“So ”˜war”' gives you the freedom to kill civilians and this is not intentional, it is part of the process of ”˜war”', it is not you killing them?”
“That is right, in ”˜war”' there will be civilian casualties.”
“Members of your family?”
“No, no, no, none of my family members will be civilian casualties of the ”˜war”' in Afghanistan.”
“Why not, why not move your family to the ”˜war zone”' while you fight this war in Afghanistan?”
“Why would I do that, that would be crazy.”
“Because if ”˜war”' produces civilian casualties, why not provide a few possible civilian casualties, kind of a ”˜war”' contribution, instead of buying ”˜war”' bonds, you could provide civilian casualties.”
“I find that very disrespectful to me and my family.”
“Sorry about that, Commander”¦you call the entire country of Afghanistan a ”˜war zone”', but this is an area where millions of people call home and live, isn”'t calling their homeland a ”˜war zone”' intentionally putting them in your cross hairs?”
“No, our intention is not to kill civilians.”
“But you believe you have the right to ”˜war”' where they live, which in turn endangers them and gets them killed.”
“Again, I will say, our intention is not to kill civilians.”
“Yet you appear to show no respect for their lives, their very existence, putting them in danger by turning their homeland into a ”˜war zone”'”¦which is somehow not intentional, Commander. NATO killed two boys in southern Afghanistan, the Associated Press on March 2 said you ”˜accidentally killed”' the boys. Can such reckless, irresponsible, and lethal violence be defined as accidental?”
“This interview is over.”
“Commander, wait, your hat!”
