Reply #54: It is possible to make distinctions if one tries

[14thColony]

No, it's "good" (as good as war can be anyway) because a) it's hard to deny that Ghadaffi is perfectly happy to massacre his own people, and has said so more than once, b) he's actually doing it and not just talking about it, c) he's made it clear he's going to keep doing it, and d) Chapter VII of the UN Charter has allowed for the judicious use of force in situations such as this for over 60 years -- it's one of the original safeguards designed into the UN system to protect international peace.

Consider this a strawman if you will, but I suspect many of the people lamenting this terrible and unprovoked aggression against Libya are some of the same ones who loudly denounced the failure of the international community to stop a slaughter that eventually cost 900,000 lives in Rwanada. I suppose they think they can have it both ways. Or maybe we should only intervene in retrospect, after it's too late. In which case get rid of Chapter VII and put the world on notice that no matter what, we're all on our own.