Morley Safer Quotes

The last thing we want to do is to go into an area and inflict unnecessary civilian casualties. One is too many.

Protecting Afghan civilians is the cornerstone of our mission.

In general our officers are humane. But in some cases they have carried on your warfare with a mixture of American ingenuity and Castilian cruelty.

I don't think you can perpetrate war crimes with defensive weapons, with air defense systems.

It is vital that Iraq and the United States together send the clearest possible signal that those who commit acts of violence against American military forces and American civilians will not be rewarded with amnesty.

The troops are therefore empowered and are in duty bound in this war to use without mitigation even against women and children any means that will lead to success.

No, the United States does not target civilians.

Police do not belong in war zones.

It seems like such a terrible shame that innocent civilians have to get hurt in wars, otherwise combat would be such a wonderfully healthy way to rid the human race of unneeded trash.

Even in matters of defense—the purpose for which government was instituted among men—no government can promise any longer that it can protect civilians and that they are not going to be harmed by war.

In sieges and bombardments all necessary steps must be taken to spare, as far as possible, buildings dedicated to religion, art, science, or charitable purposes, historic monuments, hospitals, and places where the sick and wounded are collected, provided they are not being used at the time for military purposes.

According to the laws of war, a warring party can just walk away from civilian harm that they have caused.

… the financial cost of a [military] strike isn’t a reason to acquiesce in mass murder in Syria.

In conflict zones in particular, we need personnel who wear the badge of the United States, are a part of our official military command, and are always held accountable for their actions.

Barack Obama commits war crimes - Somalia, Yemen. He commits war crimes in Pakistan, Afghanistan. Martin Luther King Jr. tried to keep a spotlight on war crimes, to keep track of the innocents killed... There is a major clash.

I know that Israeli soldiers will do everything they can in order to avoid loss of innocent life.

Hamas hides among unwitting civilians, who have no way of controlling its activities. This fact does not give Israel the right to kill innocent non-combatants, not even unintentionally. Besides, murder is not "unintentional" when you know it is inevitable.

If you are going to kill the families of terrorists, realize that there's something called the Geneva Convention we're going to have to pull out of. It would defy every norm that is America.

It is important to recognize the differences between the war in Iraq and the war on terrorism. The treatment of those detained at Abu Ghraib is governed by the Geneva Conventions, which have been signed by both the U.S. and Iraq.

I think it is tragic that a situation should arise where civilians on any side are killed. But it is almost a cliche to say that it is virtually unavoidable and this isn't unique to us alone.

The world must know that America holds to the highest standards of military conduct and human rights protections. Anything less is unacceptable.

President Bush and his commanders announced early in the conflict that the Conventions applied.

We try very quickly to show that we are not at war with the Iraqi people. We're trying to deal with the people who are indeed themselves at war with the Iraqi people.

What is the possible benefit? Can this material save lives? Can it improve the quality of life in Iraq? Can it tend to shape our perceptions of how war should and should not be conducted? Can it shape our perceptions of who should be conducting war and in what manner? And the answer to that is a clear yes.

Every war has revolutionary justice.