Posted on 11/17/2004 7:16:50 AM PST by thebiggestdog
Once again, the United States is thrown into a tumolt over an event during wartime. You know what I am talking about, the now infamous video of a US Marine putting a slug through the head of an Iraqi prisoner.
The press release from Amnesty International is entitled, "Iraq: Urgent action needed to prevent war crimes" Talk about jumping the gun. The investigation has barely started and they are talking about urgent action. Guess what Amnesty International, war itself is a human rights violation. If anyone out there can give me one example of a war where both sides played nice, and followed all the rules, I will tell you that it was not a war. War is dirty, bloody, and the only way you get to leave early is in a body bag. I don't want to see anybody die in this war, but the reality of the situation is that wars are won when the one side kills more people than the other side, and thus is able to force their will upon the loser. Period.
By reading their press release, it seems that AI has already convicted the US soldier, "The deliberate shooting of unarmed and wounded fighters who pose no immediate threat is a war crime under international law" My question is, how do they know this person posed no threat? Don't you think if the Marines wanted these five men dead, they would have finished them off the day before? Also, the Marines in question KNEW they were being filmed, so I find it hard to believe that this was done for no reason. There have been many documented cases in this war where the enemy has used a grenade or other explosive device to kill Ameicans while committing suicide.
These five guys were inside a holy place trying to kill our boys. They obviously they knew how good the Marines are, because many of their buddies were lying dead ont the grounds of the Mosque. Don't you think if you were injured and a whole bunch of big, corn fed US Marines walked through the door and started screaming that you would open your eyes and prove to them that you were no threat? These are professional soldiers we are talking about, not some neophite terrorist whose only training was taking pot shots at passing supply convoys.
I am not saying that our troops are perfect, or that no violations of the Geneva Convention have taken place in Iraq, but I stand firm in my conviction that this Marine shot this man because he feared for the safety of his fellow soldiers. If Amnesty International had their way, the Marine should have given him a cup of tea and gently asked him if he had a grenade.
So, what does Amnesty International have to say about the insurgents who fight from holy shrines, booby trap dead bodies, and beheaded over a dozen civilians? "Insurgents are also reported to have violated rules of international humanitarian law: "Commanders and fighters of armed groups in Falluja also have an obligation to respect fundamental rules of international law. Acts such as booby trapping dead bodies are also war crimes,"
It is funny how our boy is immediately proved guilty of a war crime, but the insurgents 'are also reported to have violated rules'. Is AI going to demand that the insurgents stop using mosques and other holy places as staging grounds for attacks on our forces? Higly unlikey.
So is using a civilian structure (such as a place of worship or a hospital) as a military outpost.
Amnesty International & the UN War Crimes Commission are like 2 drunks looking for their car keys under a street lamp because the light is better there.
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