War On Terror War On Crime

War On Terror War On Crime

War has ordinarily been understood to describe hostilities between Nations. Combatants acted with the endorsement of their Country, and it was insisted that they be identified by uniform. Being out of uniform in a combat zone was considered sufficient grounds to be summarily hanged. If Civilians wished to warrant the protections of the Rules of War, then they had to follow their own share of these rules. Simply stated, Civilians were not to participate in the conflict, not even as ‘Resistance Fighters’. Likewise, soldiers could not slip their uniforms and go off and hide, not unless they were careful never to be caught, as their own Side would hang them as deserters, or the Other Side would hang them as spies.

So if War is to be defined by hostilities between States conducted by uniformed personnel, then what is to be made of Wars against, well, private organizations and individuals whose only concession toward wearing uniforms is use ammo belts for carrying their ammo? One would think that the ordinary laws would apply where Mighty Nations were merely going after individuals and, well, Militias, that is Social Clubs with guns. Weapons charges could be pressed against these offenders. There could be conspiracy to murder charges. Treason. Found on foreign soil without the correct travel documents, then these people could even be tried and then hanged for espionage. No one really has to declare ‘War’ against these rag-tags.

But look at the advantages of declaring War! When the Laws apply, then there needs to be some good faith efforts made to arrest the suspects, and almost any ‘collateral damage’ or extraneous casualties would be cause for serious inquiry, demotions and even prosecutions against the offending police officers. But in “War” then suddenly it is okay to target individuals with missile bombs from unmanned airplanes circling miles above. Cars full of people are targeted if they think one important person might be among them. Complete Weddings or Funerals are bombed, destroying entire families, if they suspect their might be one bad Guest. Huge body counts are logged in without inquiry as long as they are all reported as being ‘terrorists’ or ‘combatants’…even when there are dead women and children! No evidence is ever required. And since it is War, all the facts are typically classified anyway. Everything worth knowing becomes “Secret” and so can’t be spoken of. Continuously we hear on the News of the Americans or the Israelis being perfectly willing to submit themselves to Open Public Inquiries except for those pesky concerns for National Security. Now you can only make those kind of dodges if one is at ‘War’. If only Law Enforcement had the same Powers and the same release from any effective regulation or constraint!

Imagine a War on Crime on the same scale as the War on Terror. There would be no more expensive Trials or costly prisons to maintain. Simply drop bombs on all of the suspects.

Oh, wait. In the War on Terrorism they DO in fact take prisoners. They don’t kill everybody… not immediately anyway. Some they keep alive in order to extract information and I suppose they keep others alive in order to encourage the rest to likewise surrender. Its always been part of Military Wisdom to give one’s enemy some other choice besides fighting valiantly to the death. Leave an open line of retreat, or publicize an almost luxurious concern for the welfare and comfort of prisoners, then many a pitched and costly battle can be avoided. Bravery aside, a great many military objectives are willingly traded away if it will make the battles easier and less deadly for the Victors. And so it is with Crime. Retreats are left open, that is, slick lawyers are provided that nearly always provide escape for the Criminals that would otherwise be the most dangerous. And for the rank and file of the common criminals, cozy prisons are promised to those who lay down their arms instead of standing to fight.

Of course, we then have Enemies and Criminals coming back to fight another day.

The problem is probably with Human Soldiers and Human Police with their Human Weaknesses and vulnerabilities. After all, we need to keep in mind that a job is just a job. Soldiers and Cops would naturally hesitate to put themselves into constant danger, and would of course arrive at methods and procedures that would prioritize their own wellbeing, even if such means also served to insulate their enemies from any decisive disposition of their Fate. Given such huge procedural limitations, there can never be any really decisive Battle, where the retreats are all blocked off and the enemy annihilated to the last man…with them shooting back the entire time!

Oh, it is cynical to say so, but maybe both Cops and Soldiers care enough for their own Job Security that they will never seek out any Absolute Victory. They do not want War to end. They do not want Crime to end. It is perhaps like the way that the CIA never captures Bin Laden, so that it can never be argued that the War on Terror has come to an end. They keep the conflict going so they will always have a Job to go to each morning.

The answer to our problem here may consist in automated information gathering, and robotic weapons systems. Identify the enemy. Tag them. Then destroy them. If Human Beings are not assigned the dangerous job of going after the criminals or the enemy, then there is no opportunity for them to shirk their duties in trade for their safety and comfort. Machines would truck on to the end. And Machines never worry about Unemployment.

Yes, they are even now beginning to implement some first stirring of an Automated Weapons System, but it is still so, well, traditional and military – crude and blunt. Huge bombs are used. Its all quite ridiculous’, considering the scale that is used versus the scale that is actually required. One does not need hundreds of pound of high explosives to kill a man. A 22 caliber bullet can kill a man. A micro-dart tipped with a nerve toxin can kill a man. The same Drone Planes that now release hundred pound bombs to wipe out complete cars and even buildings in order to get one or two guys, well, these same Drone Planes could release relatively tiny gliders or electric motor model airplanes that could carry simple small-caliber guns or dart shooters that need to be able to fire just one or two shots. These little machines gliding in with the sun behind their backs would be virtually invisible during the day. At night they would be entirely indetectable. They could deliver their deadly sting and then fly back up to latch themselves back upon the Mother Ship. The missile bombs they now use cost tens of thousands of dollars and can be used only once, and innocents more often then not are killed along the way. The Little Sting Model Planes would be cheap, clean and reusable. In a few hours I could draw up plans to build such a thing using common ‘on the shelf’ commercial electronics. And I am not even Japanese!

Just think about it… how much Crime or Terror would we really have to deal with if Criminals and Terrorists could be made to perfectly understand that no retreat would be left for them, no lawyers provided, and no surrenders accepted. Just set up the Algorithm for the Auto-weapons, load up the little machines with their precision bullets or poison darts and turn them loose. They would work even better and be even cheaper to produce if they did not have to be built with an OFF button. Then we would have nothing else to do but await the Golden Age of Universal Peace and Honesty.

As long as you are not a Criminal or a Terrorist you would have nothing to fear.