Inhumanity?

This NYTimes.com article sent shivers up my spine today. In case you don't have time to read it, here's the gist: a car with two children in the back seat, drove up to an American checkpoint in Iraq. The Americans let it through without a thorough check, I suppose because children don't quite fit the profile of insurgents or suicide bombers. The car went through the checkpoint, parked outside a school, and then the adults got out of the car and ran off, then detonated the bomb with the children still inside the car. The bomb killed the children and some other civilians and wounded a bunch of others.

Since part of my background can be described as hyper-liberal and anti-establishment, let me state here that I am aware that the US superbombs have killed tons more kids and maimed thousands others, so in the big picture, the insurgents are actually more merciful. I do understand and sympathize with that point of view. However, I can't help wondering: I assume that since the children were inside the car, the insurgents either knew them personally, or somehow tricked them into taking a ride. In any case, they must have had some interaction with the kids.

What drives people to the point where they could interact with another human being -- at close range, too! -- only to dehumanize them mentally to the point where they could simply be used as pawns to be killed?

No wonder why David said, "Let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man." (2 Samuel 24:14, ESV)

Amen!