Posted on 05/29/2006 4:46:05 PM PDT by Coop
...
In the meantime, my column had been posted on a well-known right-wing American website, where it attracted 119 comments. Oddly, none of them displayed any hint of disquiet over the behaviour of the Marines under investigation. Rather, their outrage was reserved for John Murtha and yours truly.
One poster's reaction was to "nuke the Middle East" adding "thank you very much Dishonourable Rep. Jack Murtha". He was later to write "if you can't stand behind our troops, stand in front of them".
A few of his co-posters rushed to the website of Murtha's Republican challenger Diana Irey to donate campaign funds.
The fact that this murdering troop has the support of even those 119 posters is worrisome. Surely, nobody should defend the indefensible based on some false notion of patriotism.
Military personnel should act as ambassadors for their country and behave according to international rules of law and the Geneva Conventions that were drawn up as a result of atrocities committed during the Second World War. There should be a difference between real soldiers and ruthless thugs with public opinion the final arbiter.
If the public, as represented by the 119 posters on the Free Republic website, condones such behaviour or seeks to excuse it, then not only is its members giving their country's soldiers a license to kill arbitrarily, they are altering the fundamental psyche of their nation.
To quote a well-known rationalist intellectual Felix Adler "Love of country is like love of women - he loves her best who seeks to bestow on her the highest good."
The "Freepers" - as members of the Free Republic website have come to be known - may also like to contemplate the words of theologian Howard Thurman who said "During times of war, hatred becomes quite respectable, even though it has to masquerade often under the guise of patriotism."
In short, people who glorify soldiers who purposefully assassinate women and small children are as misguided as those who glorify the blowing up of crowded buses, trains and marketplaces.
Does the donning of a uniform render its wearer impervious to justice? The Nuremberg trials indicate not...
Want a hankey??? CBS has an opening...
Help support Diana Irey for U.S. Congresswoman of the 12th District of PA.
DIANA IREY FOR CONGRESS
600 PARK AVENUE
MONONGAHELA, PA 15063
724-258-2300
http://www.irey.com/
That woman writer makes me puke.
Linda S. Heard, may I go on record as saying that you are a sorry disgrace for a journalist. Bet you're just itching to get a Pulitzer Prize by distorting the image of our military, by ignoring the presumption of "innocent until proven guilty".
please put me on the ping list. thank you.
Google turned this up as a picture of Ms. Heard and we all recognize Mary Mapes:
Dear Ms. Heard:
The Pentagon's 'thought police'
News Media. Last Updated: Jan 11th, 2006 - 02:24:51. The Pentagon's "Media Engagement Team" has set up shop in the region. ... The Pentagon's 'thought police' By Linda S. Heard. Online Journal Contributing Writer ... Its members, consisting of military personnel and contractors approach various publications and ...onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_408.shtml - 24k - Cached - More from this site - Save
Linda S. Heard: Targeting Al Jazeera
America's Best Political Newsletter. ... producer Mary Mapes, Jordan had crossed the line by seemingly criticizing the US military, and had to go ... occupation of the Gulf? Linda S. Heard is a specialist writer on ...www.counterpunch.com/heard11232005.html - 80k - Cached - More from this site - Save
Linda S. Heard: Flying High
America's Best Political Newsletter. ... by LINDA S. HEARD. The expression "flying high" takes on a whole new meaning when viewed in the ... longtime open secret in the military - came to the notice of the ...www.counterpunch.org/heard01232003.html - 24k - Cached - More from this site - Save
Lies by any other name are just as odious By Linda S. Heard
Lies by any other name are just as odious. By Linda S. Heard. Al-Jazeerah, July 21, 2004. It was painful watching Whitehall mandarin Lord Butler read out his report last week - the fourth pertaining to pre-Iraq war intelligence. ... o Al Qaida, why did the coalition of two and the rest embark on such crass military adventurism ...aljazeerah.info/Opinion editorials/2004 opinions/July/21o/... - 19k - Cached - More from this site - Save
Don't be fooled by occupation in democracy's clothing By Linda S. Heard
Don't be fooled by occupation in democracy's clothing. By Linda S. Heard. Al-Jazeerah, January 26, 2005. Gulf News, Jan 25, 2005. Forgive me if I cannot whip up too much excitement over the coming Iraqi elections. ... on the flattening of Fallujah and supports the American military presence, so it is hardly likely he would attract a ...aljazeerah.info/Opinion editorials/2005 Opinion Editorials/January/... - 18k - Cached - More from this site - Save
Abu Ghraib: Ordinary Folk or Human Aberrations? By Linda S. Heard
Fill out your. e-mail address. to receive our newsletter! Subscribe ... Frederick and Specialist Javal Davis appeared before a military judge accused of assault, coercion and conspiracy to ...www.countercurrents.org/iraq-heard270804.htm - 22k - Cached - More from this site - Save
Arab News
... While civilian deaths and US military abuses are conveniently brushed aside by the Bush administration, and its ... Linda S. Heard is a specialist writer on Middle East affairs ...arabnews.com/services/print/print.asp?artid=54943&d=23&...+Believing - 10k - Cached - More from this site - Save
Gulfnews: Linda S. Heard: Arabs should unite to protect their interests
Last updated: 12:47 (GMT+04:00) Thursday, April 27, 2006 ... advised that America's "political and military mission should be to ensure that ...archive.gulfnews.com/articles/03/03/04/79390.html - 29k - Cached - More from this site - Save
HER OTHER EMAIL heardonthegrapevines@yahoo.co.uk
See what happens when you incur the curiosity of the Pajamahadeen?
With your track record and rather well known acquaintances, how can anyone, anywhere possibly consider your "writings" as objective?
Jack.
"My bet is that the terrorist killed innocents just to blame it on the Marines for pr attention."
My uninformed opinion is that it is, in basis, true.
That seeing a buddy walk over to a wounded enemy and then seeing both blown to pieces, has an effect.
That seeing countless dead children, killed by their own parents, has an effect.
That being in a convoy of vehicles having to drive through traffic at 60 mph to dodge rpg attacks, has an effect.
Sometimes that effect causes a soldier to snap.
It is a product of the beast of war.
It is the military's duty to deal with it as it is currently doing, and the best interests of the public are served by the MSM, and all political partisanship staying completely out of it.
There I go, dreaming again.
The fact that this murdering troop...people who glorify soldiers who purposefully assassinate women and small children...
My God, this woman is channeling John Kerry! She should talk to him, he said all troops do this. If they could, they would put the whole Military in front of a firing squad.
Trial? They don't need no stinkin' trial!
Ms. Heard,
Regretfully I was not among the 119 posters on the thread you mention. So let me add my two cents now:
THOSE MARINES ARE INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY.
Carry on.
Poisonous Pundits Demonize Moslims
Why Do Men Turn Into Monsters? (Abu Ghraib commentary)
When Seeing Is Not Believing (Heard's outrage about a Marine defending himself in Fallujah)
Heard is a total flippin' arabist.
She and others in the Media will blame it on the military .. just like they blame everything else on them
These anti americans have been yapping the sos for YEARS!
And by the looks of their ratings ... the american people aren't buying their Uncle Walters BS any more
I guess they did allow for trial L0L
Its still a telling testimomy
I want to know what this non-judgemental, caring, POS had to say when the islamists were cutting throats of innocent people in prime time TV!!!
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