Ann wrote:
...if I am right about my assumption that America tends to acquit its heroes of criminal charges...
You're basing a lot of venom on an assumption, Ann. The article (which you correctly identified as an editorial piece) was more about Tony Blair's successor and his/her problems in leading Britain and keeping the US as a friend while not appearing to be a US puppet.
I can't speak to the specific incident, nor can I speak to the apparent reluctance of the British military to confirm to a young widow just how her husband died. But I can speak to your lack of knowledge of how the military chooses its targets in time of war and why live weapons are fired when they are fired.
Some friendly fire episodes are mistakes on the part of the shooters. They see a target, guess at whether or not it's friendly or hostile, and shoot. Many, however, are the fault of the ones being fired upon. The article states that the British had orange panels laid out for identification, but it does not say whether or not the Brits were where they were supposed to be. It does not address the question of whether or not the Iraqi forces were using the same type of identification to keep from being shot at. It does not say if the order to shoot was passed down along the chain of command or if the pilots in question pushed the button on their own. It does not say whether or not the Brits had laid out their ID panels correctly, or if they had reported their position to the proper authorities.
I'm not trying to defend anyone or accuse anyone involved in this incident. I don't have enough information. All I'm saying is that you, Ann, don't have enough information to condemn anyone either. But that's exactly what you did.
And I'm sorry you felt so let down by the verdict. Connie and Blair convinced the jury - and their client - that Superman was not guilty of second degree murder on the basis of the evidence presented during the trial. Have you read the statute yet? If not, maybe you should do so. Then, and only then, might you be able to determine whether or not Superman was guilty as charged.
You say you think that Superman comes across as self-satisfied and that he's completely happy with what he's done. I don't know where you get that. You're still judging Clark/Superman by a moral code which you yourself cannot define and reacting to your feelings about what should or should not happen instead of looking at the facts of the case and how the law applies to the facts.
You also wrote:
To me, this is a story about a society celebrating itself for retroactively granting Superman the right to act as judge, jury and executioner.
That's excessively harsh. And it's not why I wrote the story. Just because someone died doesn't automatically mean that someone else is guilty of murder, irrespective of your personal feelings. Your condemnation of the US justice system has been relentless in the feedback you've posted, and I don't like it. No system of justice is perfect, not Sweden's, not Great Britain's, not Canada's, not France's, and certainly not America's. But we can no more try a French defendant in a French court by American laws than we can try Superman in an American court by Swedish laws.
You say that there has been no justice done in this story and that the people are happy about it. But you're holding Superman up to a legal standard which exceeds the standard which other Americans must live up to. If I had burst into Bill Church's underground office and killed him for what he'd done in successfuly murdering over forty people and trying to kill more than a dozen others, I might not even face a trial. I'm not saying that I'd be right in doing so, but the legal system might (and let me emphasize 'might') not charge me with anything. And if I did face a trial, it probably wouldn't be for second degree murder. (Although it would depend on the jurisdiction and the surrounding circumstances. Nothing guaranteed in the legal system.)
You have every right to believe that Superman was guilty. You have every right to state your opinion on the matter. And you have every right to bring in all the off-topic stuff you want to bring in to buttress your case. But I don't have to take it lying down. I have no desire to start a fight over this, and I may get my digital hand slapped by the moderators, but I will not remain silent while my country is slandered.
I will not address any more off-topic issues in this feedback thread. And if anyone is offended by my statements, I'm sorry. But if I'm not supposed to offend people in this forum, I think it only proper that others not offend me. Not everybody will like everything written in this forum. I've found stories that I didn't like, but I don't go after the author or the central idea of the story with a club. And I feel like I've been clubbed.
Okay, I'm done ranting. That's out of my system now. And I hope everyone reads the last chapter and the epilogue anyway. Thanks again for reading and for posting.
