The Dallas Police Department intentionally did in 2016 what the Philadelphia Police did unintentionally in 1985. In 1985 Philadelphia PD dropped a bomb from a police helicopter onto the MOVE compound.  They burned it to the ground and killed eleven people in the process. The position of bombardier on police helicopters never reached its fullest potential, after that.

Thursday night Dallas PD rolled a bomb disposal robot into close proximity of a sniper and detonated it.  I don’t know how this particular robot was equipped, but I understand many have a shotgun which is generally used to destroy packages.  Instead they packed some C-4 onto the end of the robotic arm  and sent a “Candygram” Dallas style. The robot did its job, nobody other than the shooter was hurt.

Cue the Monday morning quarterbacks, Ethical Concerns or Too Much Time on Their Hands.  The first thing you have to know about Monday morning quarterbacks is that they will never be the point man on a SWAT stack.  They don’t even know what that is. They will never deal with a violent situation except from the confines of the book lined study.  Their expertise comes from exhaustive study of one dimensional videos and  discussions with like minded individuals, equally clueless. These folks have concluded that it is somehow wrong to task a robot to kill an individual. 

I don’t think that these intellectuals have carried the perimeter for ethical behavior out far enough. Police, Military, Policy makers do not act on behalf of individuals, they act for the collective good.  This means when they do something that goes against the high standards you espouse, it’s your fault. You were quiet, when you should have spoken up.  When you did speak, you were not emphatic enough to be heard. When DPD rolled that robot up to that sniper, your hand was on the remote switch.  You activated the device. When an Israeli soldier shoots a Palestinian, it is your fault.  In Ethiopia where thousands are starving because local officials divert aid so that hey can make a profit, you profit.  The dead and dying are on you, because your ethical boundaries remain unenforced.

You don’t have to leave the house to observe the terrible person responsible for all the woes in the world, look in the mirror. Take responsibility, end the suffering in the world, only you can do it.

Next of kin let me know how this works out.