Posted on 02/08/2005 11:21:51 AM PST by NorCoGOP
MADISON, Wis. -- Pop quiz, hotshot: Who made the following statement last week? "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight, you know? It's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you. I like brawling."
A. Abu Musab al-Zarkowi
B. Osama Bin Laden
C. Saddam Hussein
D. U.S. Lieutenant General James Mattis
If you guessed D, congratulations. You now understand that one of our U.S. Marines made a comment so outrageous that he is now on par with the worst of the terrorists. General James Mattis said that, "it's fun to shoot some people" and "it's a hell of a hoot" while speaking to a group in San Diego about strategies for the war on terror. General Mattis has commanded troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, but he now has blood on his hands because by making that comment, he immediately put our U.S. troops in more danger. His service in the marines is no longer honorable.
I have a long history of military service in my family, as do millions of other Americans. My uncle ran the Pensacola Marine Base and flew both Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. He also served in Vietnam, and in Beirut he flew a helicopter to try and free the Iranian hostages. My grandfather served in World War II in Pearl Harbor at the time of the horrific bombings there. I also have a very good friend who is currently serving in Iraq.
Military service is a priceless asset to the United States of America as our last line of defense against those who want to kill us, and I cannot thank the U.S. military enough for putting their lives at risk in the most heroic of fashions so that we can continue to live peacefully in this wonderful country. But there is one virtue that 99 percent of the military holds dear to this day: They serve their country not because it's a "hoot" or a fun little game to kill people, but because in the absolute last lines of defense, they must kill to protect us. In other words, 99 percent of the military does not enjoy killing.
Lieutenant General James Mattis is not a hero; he is a terrorist. By making that statement, he instantly recruited more terrorists to murder our good men and women serving in Iraq. Like the Abu Ghraib torture situation and the Mi Lai massacre in Vietnam, General Mattis re-emphasized the negative stereotype of the U.S. Marines as "killing machines" and "evil, vindictive murderers." He should be dishonorably discharged from the military immediately.
However, thus far his superior officer General Mike Hagee is defending these indefensible, pseudo-treasonous comments by saying, "While I understand that some people may take issue with the comments made by him, I also know he intended to reflect the unfortunate and harsh realities of war." It is an unfortunate reality to have to kill while we are at war, but it is a complete lie and distortion to insinuate that the majority of our troops enjoy killing.
General Mattis' statements do two extremely dangerous things. No. 1, it will cause the death of more U.S. soldiers, as the Abu Ghraib incident did after it was exploited and played countless times on Al-Jazeera television. No. 2, it adds fuel to the fire for a small sector of the Sandonista-left in this country that see the United States military as an evil institution with evil people in it that love to kill. A caller on my radio show re-emphasized this ridiculous position on Friday, when he called the U.S. military a bunch of "killing machines" who enjoy murdering people. The other ridiculous sentiment comes from the crypto-fascist, Kool-Aid-drinking, Sean Hannity right, who believe that we can say and do whatever we want to others because we are the U.S.A., and we are a superpower.
The people with this opinion are also fools. If we claim to have the "moral high-ground" over the terrorists, then we have to act that way. We can't avoid the Geneva Conventions like these same people wanted to do with Abu Ghraib, and we can't have people in the military who say to the whole world that they get some sort of sick pleasure out of killing others.
What General James Mattis did when he said "It's fun to shoot some people" is beyond my comprehension. If you defend his statements, then you must realize you are spitting in the face of every single person in the United States military and every single veteran. Mattis is not a hero, but a terrorist and an inhumane piece of human debris. He is a Benedict Arnold in our effort to fight terrorism and is a disgrace to this country. We must do everything we can to keep the General James Mattises of this world out of the conceptual image of the U.S. military and this great country.
You are absolutely correct, DrE. Our troops operate according to Rules of Engagement (ROE). The ROE are designed to protect the individual soldier, so as soon as the rules are violated by the enemy, then they must engage in order to protect their own lives.
It must be rote response, and not "reluctantly."
That is different than saying that a soldier cannot feel remorse after the action is finished that a life, even if an enemy life, had to be taken.
Pensacola is a Navy base
and flew both Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. He also served in Vietnam, and in Beirut he flew a helicopter to try and free the Iranian hostages.
Operation Eagle Claw, the ill-fated Desert One mission, had nothing to do with Beirut. Snot-nosed Casey Hoff is most likely a liar.
Navy RH-53Ds. MH-53s weren't in service yet and the Marines left their CH-53s at home.
This guy should strap on an M-4 and show us how its done. Until then, maybe he should STFU.
Thanks for the info.
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