Shameful reactions to Haditha 'atrocity' (Whines Incessantly About Free Republic!)

Gulf News ^ | 5/29/06 | Linda S. Heard (grab your tissues)

[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...

[Mad Dawg]

Wow! This woman combines stupidity and thoughtlessness in new and exciting ways! She can't, or doesn't reason worth a darn!And clearly the last time she suffered an adrenaline dump was when something as meaningful and earthshaking as a fingernail breaking happened to her.

For some, and evidently she's one of them, compassion, understanding, and support should only be given to the enemies of the United States. Citizens and expecially those in the military, are guilty until proven innocent. Fabulous.

[philman_36]

Time to update or install firewalls?

[Txsleuth]

Yes, I do believe that Ms. Heard DID have Lt. Pantano pronounced guilty in her first screed.

[Iscool]

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."

If someone is shooting at you or maybe killed the person next to you, 'hate' would seem to be not only an acceptable emotion but a necessary one...

Obviously this person doesn't know the difference between a game of chess and a war...This is one game you don't want to lose, sweetheart...

[FlingWingFlyer]

I think Ms Heard is applying some of that Cockney Taliban justice here. That "insufferable screeching sound" you hear...

[Chesterbelloc]

The fact that this murdering troop has the support of even those 119 posters is worrisome.

I didn't read Ms. Heard's first column or any of the 119 replies to it here, but this writing of hers tells me everything I need to know about her and nothing about the incident or replies to her article that she is writing about.

Some of us just don't believe in the "verdit first then the trial" that she appears to believe in. Linda, how about we let the wheels of justice turn just a little bit and get some somewhat hard facts before coming to conclusions? Things like this is why people suspect that people like you hate the troops.

[Hacksaw]

There's another thread around where a bomb (today) took out a vehicle, killing a soldier, sever members of a news crew, and seriously wounding the reporter. Well, I'm off to work - got to put my time in to prop up the retail side of the Great Satan. (Don't ever get a history degree)

[WilliamofCarmichael]

RE: Second Lieutenant Ilario Pantano, mentioned above

From an Internet news source "Murder charges against Marine Second Lieutenant Ilario Pantano have been dropped citing a lack of any credible evidence."

Remember the pre-trial hype (and hope) of the MSM employees back then?

[MJY1288]

Add me to the ping list if you don't mind Coop

[usmcobra]

Damn I wish I had said something so contravesrsal that Ms. Heard would have found it offensive. Well here goes.

Dear Ms.Heard,

I hope that you are reading this, and are fuming at the treatment such a leper in polite society as yourself is receiving at the hands of such rough men as those former Marines that care enough about our younger brethren to at least allow them the benefit of the due process of law before they are condemned for crimes they may not have committed. We are willing to wait and see what becomes of a thorough and just investigation into what really happened. I myself believe that when the truth is revealed we will find that all the civilians killed execution still will be proven to have been killed by gunfire from an AK-47's 7.62 rounds the same type as used by the insurgents and the Terrorist group known as "Al Queda in Iraq".

I don't come to this conclusion lightly either, I believe that those attacking this countries efforts in Iraq, like yourself will do anything or say anything necessary to destroy the good we have done there by removing one of the most murderous regimes on the planet from power. They would kill women and children to make us look bad, just as you would lie about and condemn those that have not even be tried for the lies you and Muthra are telling about these young Marines.

But there is another simpler reason why I don't believe you or Muthra, the type of total lost of command and control over a Marine Unit that would have had to had happened in order for a five hour massacre to occur just could not happen, in this day and age of almost instantaneous communication No Marine Unit would be able to function so indiscriminately for so long without any questions being raised. Beyond a doubt all communications between the Marines on the ground with each other as well as between them and their commanders were recorded as well any communications of the enemy in that area. Of course, leftest twit that you are, you wouldn't realise that our military forces routinely record all signal traffic in the area our forces operate in to find and locate our enemies.

Mr.Muthra knows this all to well since during the Viet Nam war it was his duty to gather such intelligence and present it to his commander so that his Fellow Marines could go out and kill the enemy, something that over the years may have slipped his mind while he attacks these young Marines for defending themselves.

[Diogenesis]

"Linda feels that the Arabs, and even Islam, are currently being maligned
by leaders of Western powers to suit their own power-led agendas.
“Portrayals of Arabs as backward or barbaric have long been themes of Hollywood movies,”
she says, “and since September 11, the often gagged and compliant
Western media has followed suit. The truth is very different.”

THE TRUTH:

AMERICANS ON A BRIDGE IN FALLUJA BY ISLAMIC SUBHUMANS

---

================= EXHIBIT 2 ================

TORTURE OF AMERICANS BY ISLAMIC SUBHUMANS

================= EXHIBIT 3 ================

PARTIAL LIST OF ISLAMIC TERRORIST ACTIVITIES

1968 Robert Kennedy assassinated
1972 Munich Olympics Sep-5,1972 (Black September)
1976 Entebbe Hostage Crisis, June 27, 1976
1979 Iran Hostage Crisis, Nov. 4, 1979 444 days
1979 Grand Mosque Seizure, Nov 20,1979
1981 Assassination of Egyptian President, Oct 6,1981
1982 Assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister, Sept 14, 1982
1983 Bombing of US Embassy in Beirut6, April 18,1983
1983 Bombing of Maring Barricks, Beruit, Oct 23,1983
1984 Hizballah Restaurant Bombing, April 12,1984
1985 Egyptian Airliner Hijacking, Nov 23,1985
1985 Rome Airport murders
1985 TWA Flight 847 hijacked, U.S. Navy diver murdered
1985 Achille Lauro hijacking, Homacidal maniac lived in saddams Iraq
1986 Aircraft Bombing in Greece, March 30, 1986
1988 Pan Am 747 Flight 103 Bombing, Lockerbie, 100's murdered
1988 Berlin Discoteque Bombing, Dec 21,1988
1992 Bombing in Israeli Embassy in Argentina, March 17,1992
1993 Attempted Assassination of Pres. Bush Sr., April 14,1993
1993 First World Trade Center bombing, February 26th, 7 Killed, Hundreds injured, Billions
1994 Air France Hijacking, Dec 24,1994
1995 Attack on US Diplomats in Pakistan, Mar 8,1995
1995 Military Installation Attack, Nov 13, 1995
1995 Kashmiri Hostage taking, July 4,1995
1996 Khobar Towers attack
1996 Sudanese Missionarys Kidnapping, Aug 17,1996
1996 Paris Subway Explosion, Dec 3,1996
1997 Israeli Shopping Mall Bombing, Sept 4, 1997
1997 Yemeni Kidnappings, Oct 30,1997
1998 Somali Hostage taking crisis, April 15,1998
1998 U.S. Embassy Bombing in Peru, Jan 15, 1998
1998 U.S. Kenya Embassy blown up, 100's murdered
1998 U.S. Tanzania Embassy blown up, 100's murdered
1999 Plot to blow up Space Needle (thwarted)
2000 USS Cole attacked, many U.S. Navy sailors murdered
2000-2003 Intifada against Israel - 100's dead and injured
2000 Manila Bombing, Dec 30,2000
2001 4 Commercial airliners hijacked, 250+ murdered
2001 World Trade Center attacked, 2800+ murdered
2001 Flight 93 murders
2001 Pentagon attacked, 180+ murdered
2002 Reporter Daniel Pearl, kidnapped and murdered
2002 Philippines American missionary, Filipino nurse killed
2002 July 4, El Al attack Los Angeles LAX, several murdered
2002 Bali bombing - 200 dead, 300 injured
2002 Yemen, French Oil Tanker attacked
2002 Marines attacked / murdered in Kuwait
2002 Washington D.C. sniper
2002 Russian Theater attacked, 100+ dead
2002 Nigerian riots against Miss World Pageant, 200 dead, dozens injured
2002 Mombasa Hotel Attacked, 12 dead, dozens injured
2002 Israeli Boeing 757 attacked by missiles, fortunately no one injured
2002 August Hotel bombing in Jakarta, Indonesia. 12 dead, dozens injured.
2003 Rusian concert bombing
2003 Phillipines airport and market bombing
2003 Foiled SAM plot in the USA
2003 UN Baghdad HQ Bombing
on and on and on and on their terrorism has gone .........

================= EXHIBIT 4 ================

---

[proud_yank]

Thank you for your service!

The trash she writes does NOT make me think anything less of any of our brave soldiers.

It is disgusting that they can not, for one day (Especially a holiday dedicated to ALL of our soldiers, past & present), write something so demeaning and demoralizing.

Thanks again and God Bless!

[Marine_Uncle]

Coop. From deep inside. Semper Fi.

[traviskicks]

I think you and Mrs. Heard and CO would appreciate this piece:

http://www.ejectejecteject.com/archives/000125.html

I emailed it to her. :)

[concretebob]

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.

Ms. Heard
I suggest that you take that thought and marry it to an action.

Go to Iraq immediately, and DEMAND that the insurgents start adhereing to the rules of the Geneva Convention or else you'll start writing stupid columns about them.
Tell Zarqawi that he should wear a uniform and fly the flag of his country.
Oh and BTW, you might also mention that he's never signed the Geneva Conventions and that it would be a good idea if he would go to Geneva, get the original copy, and put his name on it.
There, all settled, Happy now?

[mathurine]

Who's Mrs. Heard that anyone cares what she thinks, and who is Mr. Heard and what did he do in the war? Any war?

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

She would also like to see a multi-polar world instead of one where a hyper-power is able to ride roughshod, unchallenged.

In other words, she's anti-American. 'nuff said.

[edpc]

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.

I doubt any of the comments in the Left wing blogs are coherent and reasonable. So we're not lemmings who will swallow your bilge and use every incident to criticize our Armed Forces.....how terrible of us.

[RaceBannon]

Coop is not a soldier, he is a Marine.

[CharlesWayneCT]

The funny thing is, she complained about us attacking Murtha, but she attacked him as well, and for one of the same reason I attack him -- if he IS correct, he shouldn't be making excuses for the soldiers just to score political points, he should be calling for them to be punished appropriately.

Of course, I also blame him for leaking the report just so he could score political points. War should not be politicized, and war crimes should CERTAINLY not be used for partisan purposes.