Christian Liberals & Progressive People of Faith

During the Iraq war, I had an on-line argument on a now-defunct talkboard with a man who believed in American exceptionalism. And not only that, he was probably the only man I have personally come across who actually advocated Schrecklichkeit as a policy. He advocated that all the imams in Fallujah be rounded up with their families, and if there was an act of resistance to the American occupation, the imam of the nearest mosque should be publicly executed along with all members of his family.

I pointed out to him that this was a war crime, and he did not care. I also pointed out that Al Qaeda said that the US was waging war against Islam, and his proposal would prove that they were right! I mentioned the Nazi destruction of the village of Lidice, Czechoslovakia in retaliation for the assassination of SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich in 1942, and his sole response was, "Did it work?" I ended by saying that taking Heinrich Himmler as a moral exemplar said nasty things about his own morals or lack thereof.