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The real war criminals
I guess, since I'm one of those people who have "their panties in a bunch
about the horrible conditions at Walter Reed Hospital", I felt I should
respond to "The Alchemist's" commentary, Walter Reed Hospital is paradise.
I will agree wholeheartedly that our invasion and subsequent occupation of
Iraq is illegal... I don't like calling it a war, because that implies we
are defending ourselves against an enemy that threatened or attacked us, and
Iraq did neither. Nor do I blame the citizenry for rebelling against it.
When the rest of the world decides -- because we have weapons of mass
destruction, as well as a dangerously crazy leader who engages in empire
building -- that we need "liberating" and it's time to invade and occupy the
U.S., I imagine we'll rebel and be labeled "insurgents".
So I don't blame Alchemist for being angry. Quite the contrary -- all
Americans should be outraged. But unless I'm missing Alchemist's point, he
or she seems to have broken a complex situation into an overly-simplified,
and, in my opinion, faulty equation:
The "war" is illegal  therefore the
troops that participate are "war criminals" ergo, they deserve whatever
happens to them (including, but not limited to, the poor conditions at
Walter Reed hospital).
If, to use Alchemist's example, an "All-American sausage crew" rapes a 14-year-old girl or shoots down a 5-year-old boy, then punishment must be swift
and severe. And I agree that "just following orders" is no excuse for
committing atrocities. Of course, the ones who do follow those orders are
called "a few bad apples" by their Commander-in-Chief, then court-martialed
and jailed... and the ones that refuse to follow orders are, well,
court-martialed and jailed.
But to lump all the US soldiers -- soldiers who were certain, because it is
what they were told by their superiors, that there was a tie between bin
Laden and Iraq and that they were fighting an enemy that attacked us -- into
the category of "war criminals" is, in my opinion, inaccurate and unfair.
The real war criminals are the ones who lied our troops into Iraq instead of
sending them to capture those responsible for the attacks on 9/11. The real
war criminals are the higher-ups who knew the truth, but saw the potential
financial gain in invading an oil-rich country and used our troops to
illicitly promote a business deal. The real war criminals are the ones who
tell our soldiers -- many of whom are under-trained kids, barely out of their
teens -- the rules of combat are this: "If it looks like the enemy, shoot
it." (to which one young man replied "Over here, everyone looks like the
enemy" -- but then, of course they do, since our government is financing
both sides). And the real war criminals are the ignorant masses who
re-elected this evil administration because "Bush is a good Christian man
who's against gay marriage", and are so busy following Dubya's advice to "go
shopping" that they don't know -- or don't care -- that he and his cronies are
merrily destroying this country.
I, too, have never supported the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq
(this "war of choice"); and want to see it ended, with those responsible for
lying us into it punished. I, too, hate that this administration has turned
America into a bully. I, too, hate the sad truth that too many Americans
blindly follow with, as Alchemist called it, a "sheep-like stupid docility
that the warmongers so easily manipulate" -- sheeple who are more interested
in this week's episode of their favorite TV show than what's being done in
our name around the world. But I can not and will not blame young,
under-trained, ill-equipped, overworked, frightened, deceived soldiers -- the
vast majority of whom were led to believe they were defending the country
they love, and are NOT out there raping 14-year-old girls, shooting 5-year-old kids, or torturing prisoners -- and call them "war criminals", who
are therefore not deserving of proper medical care when they're injured or
disabled.
I'm all for punishing the war criminals -- just make sure you're pointing the
finger in the right direction.
Oh, and if I want to see crushing poverty, I don't have to go to Jordan.
There's plenty of it right here in the good 'ol U.S. of A... the
Katrina-ravaged areas of the Gulf coast... the rural areas in the
Appalachians... the homeless living on Chicago's Lower Wacker Drive...
Running water? "Fuggedaboudit". Jobs? "Fuggedaboudit". Hope for the future?
"Fuggedaboudit".
Rose
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Rose says To lump all the US soldiers -- soldiers who were certain, because it is what they were told by their superiors, that there was a tie between bin Laden and Iraq and that they were fighting an enemy that attacked us -- into the category of "war criminals" is, in my opinion, inaccurate and unfair.
The Alchemist says Americans have the right, and the duty, to think for themselves, and to question our so-called leaders. Time and again they have lied us into war... Do you think that the mother of slaughtered Iraqi or Afghan children excuses our troops for "just following orders?"
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| Rose,
Thank you for your eloquent and well written response. You are certainly
not the target audience I had in mind when I wrote my screed. And you make
some quite valid points. I realize that there are, in fact, a number of
gentle Americans like yourself who are neither stupid nor
evil... Unfortunately, they (we) are in the minority by a large margin.
My attack was MEANT to be inflammatory, and to maybe get a few to question
their support of the war. And yes, the officers and those who made the
terrible, self-serving decision deserve to be first on the chopping block.
However, I am done giving a pass to any war participant based upon
ignorance. We can no longer rely on our leaders to be honest, or to have
our best interest at heart. And as so often stated, "ignorance of the law
is no excuse for breaking it".
Americans have the right, and the duty, to think for themselves, and to
question our so-called leaders. Time and again they have lied us into
war... Do you think that the mother of slaughtered Iraqi or Afghan children excuses our
troops for "just following orders?"
So, no, Rose, I do not excuse those troops one bit. If you believe the
right thing to do with your life is to take money to kill people, then you
are fundamentally flawed. You better make damn sure you are killing the
"right" people.
And lumping all soldiers, however inaccurately and unfairly, into a group
called "war criminals" (who, let's face it, will never face trial, as we
have declared ourselves above the rule of law) pales in comparison to
lumping all those mothers, fathers, sons and daughters of Islam into "enemy
combatants" or simply "collateral damage". The hand that pulls the trigger,
or launches the missile is ultimately responsible for the death dealt.
Despite the base deceit of commanders high and low, if no-one followed those
illegal orders, there would be no slaughter. A man is a man (or woman) and
is ultimately responsible for ones own actions.
Yes, they are untrained, immature, scared and confused. What business did
they have signing up in the first place? Where does one put the blame? On
the media? The schools? The parents? Believe me, if the same soldier
committed murder here in America, they would not get off so easily. And
that's what it amounts to, pure and simple: murder.
I accept that your arguments are valid, and perhaps more even-handed than
mine. I would posit that you might not feel the same if you had held your
dying child in your arms, as have so many Iraqi parents. Murder is murder.
And every American has red hands.
Peace,
The Alchemist
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