"The pictures are to graphic to show you."

[Guest]

Well said and to the point!

 

You won the battle; will you now when the war?

 

history has a way of repeating itself. Why, because we never study history nor look at ways so as not to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.

 

Right now, people are blinded by the word "democracy". To some, killing a wounded enemy, laying on the ground is the work of a hero and is democracy 'in work' at its finest while others look at it as a reflection of a system (democratic) that has gone wrong.

 

To kill this man in the way he was killed goes against ever grain of being a US citizen, but yet many are willing to 'get rid of" the laws, customs, etc. that so many faithful people have died for so as to be able to, not express what democracy is about, but what hate and anger is all about.

[Guest]

the only way how we, the west, can justify the moral high ground with which we are always presenting ourselves, is that we act in a more human way then the others.

killing wounded enemy soldiers, torturing prisoners, and attacking unjustified other countries do make us no better then the 'enemy' we are fighting.

how can we, the west protest against incidents such as recently in the south of thailand, or the drugwar here when we are doing exactly the same things?

 

we are descending into barbarism again.

[gene1944]

torrenova said:

I do not agree. So what if a few of the other side get wasted ? You can't pussy foot around in war, worrying too much about whether to shoot or not in case you're held up on some charge......

No time for prisoners ? then get rid of them. There is a greater objective. And the CNN cameraman can go as well.

 

I agree. As brave as a person thinks they are or will be in battle, his bravery disappears when some other guy is trying to kill him. You don't consider niceties like the Geneva Convention and consequences from an eventual court martial. This GI was unlucky to get recorded by a new cameraman. Shit happens in every war, by every nation's fighters, all the time without exception.

 

Wonder if the "freedom fighters" who repeatedly beheaded innocent civilian hostages over the last year considered if their actions broke any laws of humanity before they acted?

 

Page 8 of the Bangkok Post today has story headed "Heavy Clashes in Mosul, Baquba". Accompanying the story is a graphic picture with this text in a side bar

"An American soldier lies dead on the kitchen floor of a house used as a base by insurgent fighters in Fallujah. The soldier was shot and killed by insurgent fighters on entering the room. Two other US Military personnel were wounded by the insurgents who managed to flee the area."

 

When I saw the picture of the GI lying dead with a pool of blood around his body and bullet wounds visible on his body, I wondered how that would play in the USA if the public saw the picture in their morning newspaper? Our illustrious leader doesn't even allow coffins of the dead soldiers to be photographed. Too graphic. I hope the dead GI's family does not view this picture of their fallen hero.

[Guest]

>>>Too graphic. I hope the dead GI's family does not view this picture of their fallen hero. <<<

 

 

 

hero? what makes a poor cunt a hero who died for the economical benefits of an elite whose children do not have to die such a death?

 

 

i hope many american families will get to see those "too graphic" pictures, so that they can start thinking for what they have to send their children into another unjust and aggressive war.

[Guest]

Killing an unarmed, wounded man representing the enemy is about the same as catching a person and cutting there head off with a knife. Both are wrong. It is hard to even think somebody could actually justify either act as being right, but many do.

 

 

Doing violence creates more violence. I have asked people if the US did not go into Iraq, would the world be safer? Some really think on that! Then I have countered if the US had not gone into Afghanastian, would the world be a safer place? That moves some people also. Those two wars is bringing the world closer and closer to people wanting to eliminate one religion (genoicide). Can you image being part of a genoicide movement?

 

People can not see in the news reports how the news media (controlled) is controlling the people. Have you ever wondered why the word Moslem militants is used but when Christians or Jews do the same thing, they are not labeled as militant Christians or militant Jews?

 

If the news media wants to report on such things, then ALL DEMOCRATIC countries should allow FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. If the governments who claim to be democratic do not allow this basic freedom, then the citizens should demand not just an explanation but for a change in policy to ocurr so DEMOCRACY can really exist in the land.

 

For those that would want to restrict or do away with our freedoms; "Think twice about what you are doing and remember, blood has been shed several times thru out history to give us the freedoms we now have, it would be sad if more blood will have to be shed to regain what you want to give up."

[thalenoi]

Very sad times are upon us again.

 

As a child of post WWII peace (born januari 1946) I hoped we never had to see war again. Utopia all the way.....

[MaiLuk]

Al Jazeera is reporting that the marine has been charged by the US Military with "murder and conspiracy to commit murder". I checked a half dozen other sites including AP and CNN and they say nothing about this so AL Jazeera probably got bad info. Even military justice does not move that swiftly.

 

I agree strongly with Fly's statement: "the only way how we, the west, can justify the moral high ground with which we are always presenting ourselves, is that we act in a more human way then the others."

 

I think the US is doing the right thing, they are investigating before deciding what if any charges to bring. HOWEVER, we have to be careful about sending a marine against suicidal insurgents then charging him with murder. That marine may have genuinely considered the insurgent a threat. It may turn out he was wrong, but the day before, a marine was killed and five others wounded by a "dead" body.

 

This story will turn out to be a big one. Tacttics on both sides will end up being exposed in detail at trial if that marine is court martialed.

 

Back to the issue of censorship, there are a shit load of news organizations in the US. The big TV news stations and all their smaller local affiliates seem to follow the same unwritten rule: No showing dead marines, no showing dead insurgents and no showing dead civilians. How is it that this rule was put into place and how is it enforced?

 

If freedom of the press is being restricted in the US seems to me we ought to have a handle on how its being done beyond speculation. Protecting their embedded reporters might answer the question as to the large media outlets. But any small news organization can get their hands on video of the carnage, they don't have imbedded reporters to worry about or any other contacts in the military that will be lost if they ran the video.

[MaiLuk]

Also, no pictures of dead bodies in any of the newspapers that I'm aware of.

[MaiLuk]

>>I am a firm believer that the military need to do their job takes precedent over the public's need to see what goes on. Journalists should not be in the front line.<<

 

Brings back the whole media coverage issue of the US v Vietnam war. It may be that if the media was not allowed to broadcast the carnage, the US public would have continued to support the war. Raises some interesting questions on how to proceed and how best to accomplish foreign policy objectives doesn't it?

[Straycat]

But any small news organization can get their hands on video of the carnage, they don't have imbedded reporters to worry about or any other contacts in the military that will be lost if they ran the video.

 

First off, I'm not sure there is much of such video in circulation. (As I recall one of the objections against Al-Jazeera is that they report and show civilan deaths...and they're not allowed in the country anymore)

 

Also, and strictly speaking about the U.S., there's probably not very much money or honor to be made if they run such a story or video. It would be deemed "unpatriotic", "you-hate-America" and so on and on.....