Sunday, October 17, 2010

How Would You Feel-- a Thought Experiment

This is a Google Earth photo of a condo complex. It could be anywhere.

Let's assume, for the sake of discussion, that you and your family live there. You live in the unit indicated with the green arrow. It's a quiet complex, not a lot of drama. Those buildings are two stories high, the units are one level, one or two bedrooms, and there may be as many as eight units in a building and, as you can see, many of the buildings are connected. Like most condos or apartments, people pretty much keep to themselves. Like a lot of folks, you get up, get the kids off to school and you go to work.


Let's also assume that, unknown to you, a wanted man is hiding out in the complex. He is hiding out in the unit indicated with the red arrow. Maybe you think the neighbors over there are a little weird and off-putting, but there is nothing to indicate to you that one of your neighbors has a price on his head.

The man is wanted by a certain three-letter-agency. This one TLA isn't supposed to be operating in your area. So very early one morning, a drone aircraft from TLA flies overhead and shoots a missile or two into the wanted dude's hideout. That starts a fire and a couple of the buildings burn to the ground, including yours. Maybe you're lucky and you manage to evacuate your family before your home burns. Maybe you're not so lucky and you loose a child or two, along with everything you owned.

Who do you blame for this? Do you blame the wanted dude for hiding out near your home? Do you blame TLA for firing missiles into your complex? Do you blame both?

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