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Originally posted by Displaced Flames fan+May 27 2005, 06:16 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Displaced Flames fan @ May 27 2005, 06:16 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
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Originally posted by Mean Mr. Mustard@May 28 2005, 01:10 AM
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@May 27 2005, 05:03 PM
Nice gesture by the Americans, but do you know what would have been a better tribute?# Giving the pilots involved a real punishment rather than a slap on the wrist.
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If you don't mind me asking, but why? To get a chunk of skin, to make the families feel as though someone has been punished. He will never fly again. That is punishment in itself in my opinion. To put someone in prison (and not a nice federal prison) for a mistake made in wartime would be wrong, and to a certain extent inhuman.
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I see your point, but from everything I've read on the incident he disobeyed a direct order not to drop ordinance. If that's the case, he deserves to go to prison. I'm sure he wasn't intent on killing Canadian soldiers with his actions, but orders are followed for a reason. [/b][/quote]
I agree with MMM in part, and DFF in part. I don't agree with harshly punishing the pilots as reparation for similar reasons as I don't agree with the death penalty. I'm not sure whether or not the punishment was inordinately lax based on pre-existing rules and such, but there's no point purposefully ramping up punshiment to satisfy the victim's family. It's just revenge at that point and I don't agree with it.
However: I think the pilots quite clearly fataed up and should be punished in full accordance with what the normal penalty for such a thing would be. Would the punishment have been more were it American soldiers killed? If that IS the case, then the punishment should be more in-line with that.
The memorial is a nice gesture though, I think it's a shame that it can't be received as such.