Recently three Navy Seal snipers took out three Somali Pirates thus freeing a kidnapped American Captain of a Merchant Ship.
All the world cheered. And I have to admit I did too. Those damn Pirates got what they deserved.
But I have to wonder, what kind of a person wants to be a Sniper? Obviously it's a position applied for and desired by a select few sharpshooters. It's a position that allows you to be a professional and legal Hitman. To hide in the shadows, the trees, an abandoned building or somewhere in the dark, aim your scope at some unsuspecting skull up to a kilometer away and blow his head off.
What kind of person wants to do this?
No one feels sorry for the the now headless Pirates, they probably got what they deserved. But I'll bet most "targets" are people with no other crime than being on the wrong side of a conflict.
I have to ask: Is there a lower form of humanity than a Sniper? Has anyone done a psychological analysis of these people? Are they actually serial killers that have found a legal outlet? Do they dream of the day when they'll be called on to shatter the brains of another human being?
Captain Richard Phillips actions were probably heroic. The actions of the Snipers served to free him.
But the Snipers themselves? Just plain creepy.
