Posted on 05/29/2006 4:46:05 PM PDT by Coop
...
In the meantime, my column had been posted on a well-known right-wing American website, where it attracted 119 comments. Oddly, none of them displayed any hint of disquiet over the behaviour of the Marines under investigation. Rather, their outrage was reserved for John Murtha and yours truly.
One poster's reaction was to "nuke the Middle East" adding "thank you very much Dishonourable Rep. Jack Murtha". He was later to write "if you can't stand behind our troops, stand in front of them".
A few of his co-posters rushed to the website of Murtha's Republican challenger Diana Irey to donate campaign funds.
The fact that this murdering troop has the support of even those 119 posters is worrisome. Surely, nobody should defend the indefensible based on some false notion of patriotism.
Military personnel should act as ambassadors for their country and behave according to international rules of law and the Geneva Conventions that were drawn up as a result of atrocities committed during the Second World War. There should be a difference between real soldiers and ruthless thugs with public opinion the final arbiter.
If the public, as represented by the 119 posters on the Free Republic website, condones such behaviour or seeks to excuse it, then not only is its members giving their country's soldiers a license to kill arbitrarily, they are altering the fundamental psyche of their nation.
To quote a well-known rationalist intellectual Felix Adler "Love of country is like love of women - he loves her best who seeks to bestow on her the highest good."
The "Freepers" - as members of the Free Republic website have come to be known - may also like to contemplate the words of theologian Howard Thurman who said "During times of war, hatred becomes quite respectable, even though it has to masquerade often under the guise of patriotism."
In short, people who glorify soldiers who purposefully assassinate women and small children are as misguided as those who glorify the blowing up of crowded buses, trains and marketplaces.
Does the donning of a uniform render its wearer impervious to justice? The Nuremberg trials indicate not...
I wrote her and asked why she didn't interview Zarkawi about the geneva convention.
Invoking hate in the service of security has a long history. Homer mentions it in the Iliad, recounting how the Trojans sought its aid to fight off the invading Greeks.
We Christians are taught to love our enemies, but it's damned hard sometimes!
Perhaps so, but the Trojans lost, so hatred doesn't have much to recommend it in the Iliad either.
Some say the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference. I think it's an advantage to be indifferent toward one's enemies.
What I meant to say is that in combat it's probably easier to kill the enemy if emotion is not involved.
Great comment!
A Reporter's shock at the Haditha allegations:
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/05/30/damon.iraq.btsc/
'...John Murtha, a highly decorated ex-Marine, who is distressed at the unprovoked attack...'
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Someone may have already pointed it out but Benedict Arnold was also 'a highly decorated' officer.
And as to Ms. Heard, a quick look at some of past articles confirmed what we could easily guess: Anti-U.S. - Anti-Israel - Anti-Tony Blair - Pro UN - Pro-Arab, etc, etc.
As to her hurt feelings about rude comments, perhaps she should contact Michelle Malkin and learn about liberal emails and conduct!
Excellent suggestion of yours...Ms. "Heard" needing an earful from Ms. Malkin ;-)
"Why do you presume a) that an American Marine shot this innocent victim? and b) that an American Marine deliberately shot her? "
I presume an American shot her because the clean up crew understood it to be the situation.
It also corraborates the testimony of a young girl who survived the massacre - she said it was American soldiers who came into her home.
I actually haven't seen anyone claim that anyone else was responsible.
I presume the shots were deliberate because a Marine is a trained marksmen and a shot to the forehead would seem to be a very deliberate shot.
Presumption of innocence doesn't only apply to the Marines.
It also applies to the witnesses to the shootings.
Many people are presuming these people to be liars.
Here's hoping she writes about this one too, so I'll be apart of it.
What angers us so much is that the left, and Ms. Heard, is outraged at Marines who may have killed innocent people. It's that they are deciding that these Marines are GUILTY and AREN'T WILLING TO WAIT UNTIL THE INVESTIGATION IS OVER.
It's like they're drooling, just WAITING for something to go wrong in Iraq, so they can smear our troops. She doesn't even know that these troops are guilty, and she's using it as an excuse to root against America.
So should journalists. Wise up, screed hag Heard.
LOL! Yep.
Hey Linda: STICK YOUR HEAD UP A DEAD BEAR'S BUM!!!!
Did you miss this part of Heard's article?
"Since, a US government official has described the Marines involved as suffering "a total breakdown in morality and leadership". Three commanders have already been suspended, while three perpetrators may face trial for murder.
Nine others are likely to be tried for dereliction of duty and filing a false report. Moreover, photographs taken by US Military Intelligence have emerged showing the terrible barbarity of this premeditated revenge attack."
Here's something from another report:
"Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.), a retired Marine colonel, said there was clearly an attempt to cover up the incident by those involved. But he said he did not think the Marine command was slow in investigating.
"There is no question that the Marines involved, those doing the shooting, they were busy in lying about it and covering it up - there is no question about it," Kline said. "But I am confident, as soon as the command learned there might be some truth to this, they started to pursue it vigorously. I don't have any reason now to think there was any foot dragging.""
www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/ la-fg-marines27may27,0,7543928.story?coll=la-home-headlines
You guys wanna go after Kline too?
These actions, which seemed to be substantiated, are a black eye to America. It is a shame and a mistake for the Administration is leaving this to the Democrats and press to condemn; even while an investigation is proceeding there should be a statement from the Administration.
Bump
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