Booth's Escape Route

[J. Beckert]

Quote:Murder is murder, even in wartime.

I disagree, Rob. If there's such a thing as an acceptable time to kill someone - it's wartime. Congress gives the go ahead to do so and off we go to kill people. It's unfortunate, but a fact of life. How can someone guard against a sniper they can't see that's a quarter of a mile away? Every enemy would have to wear a suit of armor.

You stated if the highest level of U.S. Gov't approved Dalhgren's raid and he had succeeded, it would still be murder. If it's sanctioned by the Gov't, during wartime, it's killing the enemy in war. Whether it's killing a soldier on the battlefield, shooting a General off his horse or taking out the enemy leader (like was done in Iraq), it's part of war.

When a police officer kills someone in the line of duty, is that murder? No. They are authorized to use deadly force, just as soldiers are. If you'll believe for a moment that Powell was "detached" for this assignment and the plans turned to murder (as he likely believed) by orders from the CSA, he was acting as a soldier. Many soldiers were killed in even more violent ways during the war. Hand to hand combat, bayonets, limbs torn off, etc. How humanely someone is killed doesn't really apply, no matter how repulsive it may be.