Iran must pay $2.65 billion to the families of the 241 U.S. service members killed in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, a federal judge declared Friday
I know I shouldn't be flip, but my first thought was, "I wonder if they'll pay it all in pennies."
Of course Iran isn't going to pay anyway. They've never taken responsibility for the bombing and they've ignored the trial.
The ruling allows nearly 1,000 family members and a handful of survivors to try to collect Iranian assets from various sources around the world. Finding and seizing that money will be difficult, however, and the families are backing a law in Congress that would make it easier for terrorism victims and their families to do so.
And as much as I think countries should be held responsible for acts of terrorism, the idea of monetary restitution doesn't hold much appeal.
It seems very primitive, harkening back to the days when a criminal could pay a "blood price" for murder or maiming and avoid punishment. And it reduces human life and suffering to a dollar figure.
I do see the need for restitution to help families recover from the loss of income caused by the murder or injury of providers. But it's not punishment and shouldn't take the place of punishment. Especially when it's on the grand scale of terrorism.
I suppose it's something. And in cases of terrorism, it's hard to pin down the true perpetrators.
Courts can pass sentence, but they can't force introspection or regret on the part of the perpetrator. Court mandated "apologies" make me grind my teeth. Without true repentance, it's just empty words. I'd sooner the judge sentence someone who's wronged me to wear a diaper and sing "I'm a Little Teapot" in a very public place. At least that would give me a good laugh.
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