01-09-2020, 11:06 PM
There have in recent decades been three ‘accidental’ shoot downs of civilian airliners. One was a while back, by a US cruiser, over the Gulf, while they were exchanging fire with Iranian gunboats. Another was apparently by a Russian proxy acting in Ukraine of a Malaysian aircraft. Recently, it seems likely Iran hit a Ukrainian civilian jet.
The US took open responsibility for their shutdown. It turns out that the USS Vincennes had earned the nick name “Robo Cruiser”, a name that implied a gung ho aggressive attitude which resulted in their being energetic and a little free with their weapons. I remember the captain and attitude getting a lot of flack after the shoot down. It is understandable, though. For them, it was a shooting war… so they shot.
It makes me have just a bit more sympathy for the other two shoot downs. Not enough sympathy. The civilians on those aircraft were quite innocent. But if a US Navy ship in a shooting peace can get undisciplined and run weapons free, can you expect Russian proxy forces and Iranian air defense to be free of a similar attitude? I suspect that the higher officials even in the autocratic states of Russia and Iran did not deliberately order the shoot downs, but they did seek out a violent aggressive attitude by those who wielded the rockets, an attitude which did not serve the big shots well. It seems the shoot down of civilians is an unfortunate but inevitable result of engaging in proxy wars.
Naturally, the autocratic states denied responsibility in public. So long as they send the guys that fired the rockets to Siberia or the desert somewhere. Autocratic regimes may not admit responsibility, but I do not doubt their ability to apply punishments.
The US took open responsibility for their shutdown. It turns out that the USS Vincennes had earned the nick name “Robo Cruiser”, a name that implied a gung ho aggressive attitude which resulted in their being energetic and a little free with their weapons. I remember the captain and attitude getting a lot of flack after the shoot down. It is understandable, though. For them, it was a shooting war… so they shot.
It makes me have just a bit more sympathy for the other two shoot downs. Not enough sympathy. The civilians on those aircraft were quite innocent. But if a US Navy ship in a shooting peace can get undisciplined and run weapons free, can you expect Russian proxy forces and Iranian air defense to be free of a similar attitude? I suspect that the higher officials even in the autocratic states of Russia and Iran did not deliberately order the shoot downs, but they did seek out a violent aggressive attitude by those who wielded the rockets, an attitude which did not serve the big shots well. It seems the shoot down of civilians is an unfortunate but inevitable result of engaging in proxy wars.
Naturally, the autocratic states denied responsibility in public. So long as they send the guys that fired the rockets to Siberia or the desert somewhere. Autocratic regimes may not admit responsibility, but I do not doubt their ability to apply punishments.
That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.