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[War] isn't a Nintendo game: There's no hitting reset and coming back to life. If you turn your head around the corner in the streets of Baghdad and take one between the eyes, your brain is gone. Maybe you turn around the corner and you take one in your chest and it'll sever your spinal cord and you can spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair. That's war! Maybe you step on a landmine and there goes your leg, you lose an arm, you lose eyesight. That's war! And we're talking about going to war. There better be a hell of a good reason for this. There better be a reason worthy of the sacrifice we're asking Americans to make. And you know, it's not just going to be Americans dying in this war; we're going to be killing Iraqis, by the thousands. I have to tell you, as a former Marine, I was involved with the worlds most efficient killing machine. We were the best led, best trained, best equipped warriors anybody's ever seen, and we are today. When we go to war we will slaughter those who oppose us, because that's what we do, and we do it better than anyone else. If you get in my way, I will kill you. You try hurt one of my marines, I'm taking you down. And I will continue to go until my government tells me to stop. We are the dogs of war and when we are unleashed there is nothing but hell. That's the reality of war. For God's sake, don't unleash the dogs of war unless there's an absolute necessary to do so.

Scott Ritter#6

IraqWarConsequencesEthicsSacrifice

About this quote

What does it mean?
The speaker describes the irreversible and devastating physical consequences of war to argue for higher standards before engaging in it.
In plain terms
War causes permanent injury and death so there must be a good reason to fight.
What can you take from it?
War demands a serious justification due to its human cost.

Where it applies

  • war debate
  • policymaking

Putting it to work

  • assessing costs
  • public advocacy

Questions to consider

  • What is a good reason for war?
  • Who pays the cost of war?

Another view

High stakes justification can still lead to war.

More from Scott Ritter

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  2. [Operation] Rockingham was spinning reports and emphasizing reports that showed non-compliance (by Iraq with UN inspections) and quashing those which showed co…

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  3. This is not about the security of the United States. This is about domestic American politics. The national security of the United States of America has been h…

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