Two questions need to be discussed here: what does "innocent" mean? And what happens to truly innocent people in times of war?

First, think about being innocent in knowledge, in intent and in action. Jones can choose to kill a man, and can do it himself. He can plan the murder and have Smith carry it out. He can house and feed Smith, knowing that Smith plans to kill somebody. He can listen to Smith proclaim for days, weeks, months and years that Smith's going to kill someone, and leave Smith on the loose, not even reporting him to the police. Jones is not, in any of those cases, an innocent man.

No one is suggesting that the Afghani people held a mass meeting to plan the attacks of September 11. Most of them, however, sat quietly by or added their howls of approval while the Taliban sheltered bin Laden and bin Laden plotted murder. Such people are not innocent.

What about children too young to understand what murder is, much less that it is wrong?

It is an inescapable fact that children benefit or suffer according to their parents' decisions. Until a child can support himself and make his own rational choices, he lives with his parents' choice of religion, country, housing, food, clothing. This fact of life makes it even more important for parents who love their children to be conscientious about the type of government they support.

A child's dependence on his parents does not change in time of war. As Americans, we cannot allow our reluctance to harm Afghan children to prevent us from defending ourselves--and defending our own families and friends. Consider the alternative: Hitler could have killed every Jew in Europe if he'd used newborn infants as a bodyguard, knowing his enemies wouldn't dare fire at him.