[TML] War rules

[Knapp]

On Mon, Jun 2, 2008 at 1:52 PM, <shadow at shadowgard.com> wrote:

> On 2 Jun 2008 at 9:43, Knapp wrote:
>
> > > Then too, at *some* point you must being on a course that will take you
> > > down.  That's the whole point of landing.  So such a "miss rule" would
> need
> > > minimum speed and distance at which it counts.
> > >
> >
> > Exactly, at some point the vector is safe or at least as safe as it can
> be
> > but other vectors are death to the planet. It was said that they
> explosion
> > is small compared to the planet but that really depends on the vector.
> > Someone really large and well armored, thrusting at 6gs right at the
> planet
> > for a long distance so that they can drop bombs with minimum exposure
> might
> > really damage a planet. This would be a war crime. Other vectors fall
> into
> > the acceptable risk category.
>
> Sorry, but no. Neither Dresden, the firebombimg raids on Tokyo nor
> even Hiroshima and Nagasaki were war crimes. Ditto for the German
> bombings of London.
>
> If it's carried out by a legitimate military force, and for a
> militarily justifiable reason (rather than just trying to
> demoralize/terrorize the civilian populace) it's *not* a war crime.
>
> If it's carried out by a non-military force, it's an act of terrorism
> and *still* not a war crime.
>
> Unl;ess the world is undefended, that ship is gonna be targetted by a
> lot of stuff. Even a few suicide ships trying to crash into it before
> it gets too close (if they can).
>
> If it gets busted into small pieces they'll mostly be destroyed
> before they hit the ground. If there are enough and they are moving
> fast enough, then the heat flash may cause some firestorms on the
> planet. Otherwise, it's just damage.
>
> But frankly, there's no *reason* to attack a planet that way. Not
> when you can do just as well by launching well stealthed projectiles
> from AU away. Being in space, you don't have to worry about stuff
> like wind deflection and the other stuff that gives artillery
> headaches.
>
> At 6 g, you can can reach 1% of c in 14 hours. Let's assume they
> detect the projectiles at 10 light seconds. That gives them less than
> 17 minutes to do anything about them. And the ship that launched them
> hours or days before was never at any risk.
>
> So why bother with the type of attack you gave above?
>
> --
> Leonard Erickson (aka shadow)
> shadow at shadowgard dot com


Wikipedia war crimes:
War crimes are defined in the statute that established the International
Criminal Court, which includes: Grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions,
such as:

>
>    1.
>       1. Willful killing, or causing great suffering or serious injury to
>       body or health
>
> Wrong vectors could come here.

>
>    1.
>       1.
>       2. Torture <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torture> or inhumane
>       treatment
>       3. Unlawful wanton destruction or appropriation of property
>
> Or here

>
>    1.
>       1.
>       2. Forcing a prisoner of war<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner_of_war>to serve in the forces of a hostile power
>       3. Depriving a prisoner of war of a fair trial<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trial>
>       4. Unlawful deportation <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deportation>,
>       confinement or transfer<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_transfer>
>       5. Taking hostages <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostage>
>    2. The following acts as part of an international conflict:
>       1. Directing attacks against civilians
>       2. Directing attacks against humanitarian<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanitarian>workers or
>       UN <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UN> peacekeepers<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peacekeeper>
>       3. Killing a surrendered combatant
>       4. Misusing a flag of truce
>       5. Settlement of occupied territory
>       6. Deportation of inhabitants of occupied territory
>       7. Using poison weapons
>
> It could be an expansion of this idea.

>
>    1.
>       1.
>       2. Using civilians as shields
>       3. Using child soldiers<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_use_of_children>
>    2. The following acts as part of a non-international conflict:
>       1. Murder <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder>, cruel or degrading
>       treatment and torture
>       2. Directing attacks against civilians, humanitarian workers or UN
>       peacekeepers
>
> Might fall here too depending on how you look at it.

>
>    1.
>       1.
>       2. Taking hostages
>       3. Summary execution <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Execution>
>       4. Pillage <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looting>
>       5. Rape <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape>, sexual slavery<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_slavery>,
>       forced prostitution or forced pregnancy
>
>

-- 
Douglas E Knapp

1. Sun Tzu said: Raising a host of a hundred thousand
men and marching them great distances entails heavy loss
on the people and a drain on the resources of the State.
The daily expenditure will amount to a thousand ounces
of silver. There will be commotion at home and abroad,
and men will drop down exhausted on the highways.
As many as seven hundred thousand families will be impeded
in their labor.

2. Hostile armies may face each other for years,
striving for the victory which is decided in a single day.
This being so, to remain in ignorance of the enemy's
condition simply because one grudges the outlay of a hundred
ounces of silver in honors and emoluments, is the height
of inhumanity.