Putting a face on collateral damage

I've read about a dozen different news accounts and probably two dozen blogs about the unfortunate death of Jean Charles de Menezes. The accounts differ greatly on key details and there is only one point of agreement on this tragedy. Menezes is a victim in the GWOT.

One other theme stands out. Everyone who jumped on the story when it happened and pronounced this 27 year old, (and in my world that's still a kid), a terrorist, are now backpedaling to make excuses about why it was necessary and okay to kill an innocent civilian. I even read one overwrought post trying to push the meme that the fault lies with those complaining about conditions at Gitmo.

But it's fruitless to assign blame. This was a tragedy that occurred because both the kid, and the cop, panicked. Frankly I feel just as sorry for the cop as I do for the family of the victim. I doubt he's feeling very good about happened. The question now is how to avoid such incidents in the future. This doesn't help.

The Moderate Voice links to a statement announcing that it's official policy to shoot suspects in the head.

There is no point in shooting somebody's chest because that's where the bomb is likely to be. There is no point in shooting anywhere else because if they fall down they detonate it. This is drawn on the experience from other countries including Sri Lanka," London's Police Chief Ian Blair said about the way Jean Charles de Menezes was killed on Friday in South London's Stockwell underground station.

This hardly explains why Menezes died. One of the few common points in all the conflicting details is that he was already on the ground when he was shot by a plain clothes officer.

Out of all the confusion, only this is clear. If we are willing to kill innocent civilians first and ask questions later - out of fear, effectively doing the terrorist's work for them, then they have already won.

For myself, I'd rather take my chances on dying in a terrorist blast to save an innocent life, than have to live in fear of my government to save my own.