Of course we know that. What I disagree with is the vapid notion that this means it’s all par for the course, that one should never look at incidents of “collateral damage” with a questioning eye and ask if the soldiers and leaders acted appropriately. We’re talking about a case where children were shot, other soldiers thought was wrong, and the investigation seems to have covered up details, as Cowicide spells out. But war, so you would have us look the other way.
Do you know why these sorts of things are less common now than in other times? It’s because good people oppose them. Kudos to Manning for trying, and shame on anyone who pretends that just because we all know war is awful, nobody is responsible for what they do after it’s declared.
