Booth's Escape Route

[jonathan]

(02-07-2013 11:36 AM)J. Beckert Wrote:  It's no different to me than a sniper today killing the enemy from 1000 yards. Is that murder in wartime?

That's exactly a question I've recently had. I read and hear about the actions of military snipers, and they are generally regarded as heroes, even if the United States isn't really at war and their targets pose no threat to American shores. Understand that I'm not judging and claiming that they are not American heroes, only pointing out that one man's cold blooded killer is another man's hero. Also, don't misunderstand and think I'm calling Powell a hero, because I'm certainly not. Of course, at the time, there were people who considered that he was. I doubt that anybody here on this forum has anything but contempt for what he did, though some of us view his actions from a different perspective.

As I've said before, I have a hard time calling Powell a cold blooded killer when it seems that he was remorseful after the fact. In order to be labelled a cold blooded killer, in my opinion, one must remain cold blooded after the fact. One's blood must always be cold. That's not to say that Powell, and many many other "regular" people, aren't capable of cold hearted acts.

Also, do you think Booth and his gang would be viewed differently if they were pro-Union, and had committed their acts against Jefferson Davis and company instead?