Apology denied: Once we recognize their humanity, we've lost

some deep sarcasm here. continuing...

Nothing drives this truth home quite as blatantly as America's mercenary army in Iraq, which is immune from prosecution under either Iraqi or U.S. law. And the baddest of the American privateers are the Blackwater guys, about whom a rival security contractor told Fortune magazine: "They always shoot first and ask questions later. When we're out in country, we often fear Blackwater more than the Iraqis."

Back on Sept. 16, Blackwater personnel -- not for the first time -- convulsed the people to whom we are bringing democracy with an unprovoked shooting rampage. While providing security for a U.S. embassy mission, they opened fire in the crowded square. By the time they stopped, 17 Iraqis lay dead and another several dozen were wounded. These were just ordinary people going about their lives. No one had fired at the security team first, witnesses insisted. But apparently something spooked them, and when you're not accountable under any law, why

True. Dehumanizing an enemy is often the first step of war. Once they're less than us, there's no point in talking to them, they won't be reasonable, they're fanatical, all we can do is protect ourselves and the world from them. "We don't negotiate with terrorists." And we decide who gets called terrorists, which all too often means who's got the stuff we want next.