re: Intent vs. volume
When thousands die, the horrible effect tends to trump the intent (the victims don't care that it wasn't personal), and the impact on the society as a whole is devastating. To do that because we don't like their leader is not a clear enough cause and effect equivalence for me. Do we ignore that?
A good point. Throw in the fact that leader we don't like is also killing perhaps even more thousands of innocents with intent. That btw is not an academic point.
Yet I never recall reading that Bowser said they were better, or even admirable. Which is, of course, the point of this particular part of the conversation.
I never said Bowser said they were admirable (at least not in the post in question). Perhaps I was reading too much into his comment but to me "criminal" with qualifications ("even under those conditions") and an unqualified "crimes against humanity" do not sound balanced. The former sounds better.