War itself is a crime, and it is a tremendous one. The USA, like most (or all?) other great powers (and many smaller ones), has committed that crime on numerous occasions ever since its official inception in 1776. (before that the British were in charge of committing the crime)

As for techinically specific "war crimes"...well, there were plenty of those too, starting with massacring the Indians (who were themselves committing similarly hideous acts on their enemies at the tine).

The fact is, everybody who goes to war commits war crimes...whether or not they fit some lawyer's definition as such.

In a purely pragmatic sense, zak is pretty accurate in much of what he says. I think that to be purely pragmatic is to fail to be really human (in a spiritual sense), but that's a difference in basic philosophy.

I know I'm going to die anyway one day, so I'd rather die harmlessly without f*cking over other people if I can manage it. A pure pragmatist is willing to f*ck over any number of other people in order to live a little longer and under better conditions. He does not regard people of another culture or belief as being essentially as important as people of his own culture. That I call insane...and a recipe for endless hurt and disaster, but it's just a difference in basic philosophy, as I said above.

Zak's right from his side, and I'm right from mine. (sigh)

Zak, I am puzzled as to why you think the current American way of life is worth preserving? (having seen some simpler alternatives to it...)

Is life really worth living without WalMart, TV, DVDs, A-bombs, Manhattan, Hollywood, stealth bombers, football, talk show radio, the L.A. freeways, etc???? Gosh. Well, I...ummm....

Okay, I guess to you it is. ;-) I understand your position perfectly. It's so simple that a dog could understand it. Matter of fact, dogs think pretty much the way you have laid it out. They're intensely territorial and competitive.