The terrorists we are fighting in places like Fallujah are "unlawful combatants" and as such should not be afforded any of the protections extended by international law to "lawful combatants." I think it was a mistake for the Bush administration to extend such protections in circumstances that clearly did not warrant them. This young marine's case is just the latest example of why this misguided policy is a bad idea.
Simply put, "lawful combatants" are members of organized armed forces who are entitled under international law to certain protections. "Unlawful combatants," by contrast, are members of armed criminal gangs rather than members of a regular army, and they do not qualify for the same treatment. For example, to be protected under the Geneva Conventions, a soldier must belong to an organized military force. To qualify for protection, this force must have a chain of command, wear a recognizable uniform, follow the laws of war (which means, among other things, not targeting civilians), and must carry their arms openly. Clearly, the criminals we are fighting in Iraq fail each of these tests miserably.
The senior military and civilian leadership had better stand up and support this young marine. For it was they that put him in the untenable situation of having to fight an enemy that does not even pretend to adhere to the internationally accepted laws of land warfare.
Exactly. This must be hammered home as the main point, not usin excuses like "his superiors goofed and didn't he didn't realize they were prisoners" or "whatever.
I think it was a mistake for the Bush administration to extend such protections in circumstances that clearly did not warrant them. This young marine's case is just the latest example of why this misguided policy is a bad idea.
Agreed...big time. I also felt that the WMD argument was stupid on Bush's part when he had plenty of justification for going into Iraq based on UN Resolutions 688, etc. All he did was open the doors for criticism. But watch what you say here...I get the impression that any criticism of Bush is considered treason. :-( Rather than silence dissent, I wish we could learn from it.
To sum it up, let's make our sure-fire argument right off the bat, cuz the Legacy Media (aka MSM) don't let us get the chance to make more than one point. Nobody can argue that these creeps were not unlawful combatants, but nobody's listening to that argument now.
The senior military and civilian leadership had better stand up and support this young marine. For it was they that put him in the untenable situation of having to fight an enemy that does not even pretend to adhere to the internationally accepted laws of land warfare.
Couldn't have said it any better.