Posted on 06/01/2006 1:54:50 AM PDT by RWR8189
The accelerating media feeding frenzy over the alleged killings of twenty-four Iraqi civilians in Haditha by US Marines last November is about to overwhelm American politics. Propelled by their most irresponsible war critics, the left will try use Haditha as it used My Lai thirty years ago: as a political tool to take apart America's support for the war and to shatter the legitimacy of our cause and the morale of our troops.
We don't know what happened in Haditha, an insurgent stronghold in Anbar Province. Unverified press accounts allege that members of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, First Marines, were hit by an improvised explosive device and one of them was killed. Others, according to these reports, went on an hours-long killing spree to revenge their comrade's death, leaving about twenty-four men, women and children dead. Navy and Marine Corps investigators are at work, and other reports indicate that at least three Marine officers, including the battalion and company commanders, have been relieved of duty. It's also reported that more than one enlisted man has been detained pending charges about to be brought.
No matter how quickly military investigators work, and no matter how firmly any crimes are punished, the anti-war left won't be satisfied unless Haditha becomes the lever that pushes President Bush to admit the war was wrong and set a time to withdraw from Iraq. My Lai - the March 16, 1968 massacre of about 500 Vietnamese by US soldiers - was first covered up and then exploded in headlines, courts-martial and congressional hearings. (Maureen Dowd, one of the New York Times's hyperliberal columnists, has already labeled Haditha a "My Lai acid flashback.") Screamed about by protesters, shown endlessly on television news, My Lai and the court-martial of one of the perpetrators, Lt. William Calley, provided the final political nail in the coffin of American involvement in Vietnam. We withdrew from Vietnam in 1975, abandoning our allies and hanging our heads in shame. This is the political result the left wants from Haditha, and we cannot allow it to happen for one very big reason. The Vietnam War ended in Vietnam, leaving America incapable of taking action in defense of itself or its allies for decades. The end of the war against the terrorist nations won't occur in Iraq, and we must be prepared - psychologically and politically - to continue the fight. When we lost Vietnam the enemy didn't follow us home. Radical Islamists will. If they win, we will literally lose America.
If it were up to Cong. John Murtha, Duke University rape case prosecutor Mike Nifong would be transferred to the Haditha case. Fortunately for both the victim and the accused, the military justice system doesn't satisfy media hunger for the bread and circuses of civilian criminal trials. Those who may be charged with war crimes won't be arrested after dramatic chases down Los Angeles highways, nor will we be subjected to judges and lawyers preening before the television cameras during the trial. But because the military justice system moves much slower than politics, and because of the opportunity it poses for the antiwar crowd, the Haditha incident will create three lasting effects that will carry through to November and beyond.
First, the left will use every tool at their disposal to ensure that the Haditha incident becomes synonymous with the entire Iraq war. Abu Ghraib proved a propaganda bonanza for the terrorists and nations such as Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia that want us to withdraw from Iraq in defeat. Haditha - regardless of what the facts may turn out to be - will be used ceaselessly and purposefully to eliminate American support for the Iraq war and to demonize anyone who still supports it. Haditha will become the Orwellian centerpiece of the Democrats' claim that they support the troops. "They've been there too long," Murtha and his ilk will cry. "We have to bring them home before they kill more babies." And then the Dems, feigning concern for our soldiers, will offer them psychological counseling when they return. The political fallout will be enormous, and it will damage both the ongoing war efforts and our troops' morale.
On Tuesday, CNN -- eagerly anticipating the political impact -- reported that, "Some members of Congress have been told to brace for the fallout from potential charges of murder and cover-up..." The media will take up Murtha's charge that there is a cover-up because it fits neatly into their theory that President Bush lied us into that war. If Bush lied then, who wouldn't believe the Pentagon isn't lying now, and the Marines trying to cover up the massacre of innocents?
It will be easy for the left to drive this story into a frothing political rage because they will have the field to themselves. If anyone in the military chain of command (including civilian leaders such as Secretary Rumsfeld) says anything about the case that could be interpreted as prejudging it or attempting to influence the outcome, the charges could be dismissed under the military law doctrine that prohibits "command influence." So the Pentagon is damned if it does, and damned if it doesn't. Neither the press nor the libs in Congress would be satisfied if Rumsfeld promised summary execution of any malefactors. But if he did, and the charges were then dismissed for command influence, the same critics would be demanding his resignation for blowing the opportunity to punish anyone responsible for the alleged crimes. The fact that Rumsfeld and others won't say more will only fuel more political demands for his head - and others -- to roll.
The investigation may be completed as early as next month, but in a case such as this the decision to court-martial anyone will likely not be made for weeks or months. And in that time, all the John Murthas, the Maureen Dowds, and the Seymour Hershes of the world will be screaming in print and on the air, convicting the Marines, their leaders and every American who wants to win this war before any court-martial hears a single charge. They've already begun.
Murtha, on ABC's "This Week," said, "Who covered it up, why did they cover it up, why did they wait so long?" He's not only ready to condemn the Marines, but all their leaders. He said, "We don't know how far it goes. It goes right up the chain of command." Baloney. It's quite likely that some of the Marines involved, even their immediate superiors, tried to cover up the Haditha incident. But once the Time Magazine videotape was viewed by the staff of Lt.Gen. Peter Chiarelli - the multinational corps commander -a no-holds-barred investigation was begun. No one - among the military's senior leaders or civilian bosses - ever participated or tolerated any such cover-up. Murtha's accusations are as specious as they are cheaply political.
Second, it's no accident that Al-Jazeera was headlining Murtha's accusations more prominently than other media. The Al-J headline read, "US troops killed Iraqis in cold blood." Because of the media hype here and around the world, Haditha could become a synonym for American brutality equal to My Lai and will damage our ability to fight radical Islam around the world. And third, if as now appears likely, Marines are convicted of war crimes, Haditha could be a major blow to the morale of American troops everywhere.
We have thousands of troops in harm's way around the world. We cannot allow them to believe - as their fathers in Vietnam came to believe - that Americans regard them with the same scorn as those who may have murdered innocents in Haditha. Though he didn't say so, Marine General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, may have had Haditha on his mind when he spoke at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers on Memorial Day. Speaking from personal experience under fire, Pace tried to explain how a soldier carries on with death staring him in the face: "It is the fear of not doing our nation's duty that overrides the physical fear," he said. "That somehow our actions will not live up to the legacy of those who've gone before. That somehow our performance in battle (will) leave the Marine or soldier on our left or our right in harm's way."
Just as the few disgraced the many at Abu Ghraib, the very few who may have committed murder in Haditha will place a burden on the shoulders of every soldier, sailor, airman, marine and coast guardsman fighting terrorism. Each of us has a duty to not add to that burden, and to help relieve it as well. If those few Marines killed innocents in Haditha, their conduct is an aberration, not the norm. It is up to each one of us to ensure that the events of Haditha do not tarnish the brave and selfless service of the many who came before, or any who come after. Except for the aberrant few, the Marines are always faithful to America. In times such as this, we cannot fail to be faithful to them.
Hang in there, Leathernecks! The fate of the Nation depends on you, the few, the proud!
ping
Nothing like the one I was in.
Please God, punish our enemies, foriegn and domestic, I pray!
Allahpundit has a post packed with information about the alleged massacre at Haditha by US Marines: Haditha: Marine eyewitnesses come forward (Update: Audio and video of the attack?)
UPDATE: Peter Ingemi writes that the antiwar left has made Haditha morally irrelevant: At HADITHA ROUNDUP, plus this pretty much sure-fire prediction: "The media frenzy around the actions of a handful of Marines is now building and, as happened with the illegal acts at Abu Graib, will be used to advance agendas unrelated to the allegations, agendas which trade on the slander of the American military, and which use the very rare exceptions to paint broadly, even as the enemy will." ANOTHER UPDATE: Background and video here.
Our country has more to fear from its domestic traitors than from any foreign terrorists ever spawned.
I'm tired of sitting on my butt.
I agree. The media does these things in an attempt to turn the Iraqis against us and keep our troops from finishing the job. They outright sensationalize these stories and they editorialize situations without having any real facts and trumpet it out as news.
They are more interested in making President Bush look like a failure than they are the support and security of our troops - the very people who protect the media's right to do these things.
This Haditha story is built on conjecture.
This is treasonous on their part as far as I'm concerned.
Ain't that the truth. They are working on so many levels to destroy America--family, church, schools, business, government, military, borders. I really don't see how this country can survive this disease. It's metastasized into every major organ.
Excellent piece.
I know I shouldn't take much of this stuff seriously and I try not to. But some, heck, a lot, of the bumperstickers I see when I drive around this virulently BLUE town make me wonder if I turned onto the Tehran exit by mistake.
Well, come on over. We can go storm the media HQ at the Palestine Hotel.
It'll only take two of us. Those cappuccino-drinking, loafer-wearing, lying bunch of traitorous scumbag sissies will scatter at the slightest hint of anybody coming in there and demanding accountability.
L
Even if the worst case scenario turns out to be true, it seems like our friends in the media are more concerned with this single event than all the thousands of terrorist acts by the "insurgents" since this war began. If a few of our guys were "stressed out" and snapped, it was because these terrorist scumbags created the atmosphere in which such an event could happen. The treasonous bastards in the media and the dark depths of the far left couldn't care less. To them it's all our fault, and the terrorists deserve none of the blame.
Full of America-haters, is it?
People like that would benefit tremendously from spending a year in someplace like Tehran, Pyongyang or Havana.
Those with enough brain cells left just might figure out why we real Americans consider it so importatnt to protect our way of life.
Based on a story of Marines killing innocents. I doubt there ARE any innocents in Haditha. What have the people of Haditha done to help the coalition ?
Their innocence isn't the issue here, unless they were armed or otherwise a threat. Fact of the matter is, we have very strict rules that we follow in warfare, and the enemy has none whatsoever.
There's no point in complaining about how it isn't fair. It's never going to be fair, and that's just how it is.
Notice the organizations that Google considers to be reliable media outlets for news on the "Haditha massacre".
Massacre at Haditha: how the occupation turned an Iraqi town into …
Socialistworker.co.uk, UK - 23 hours ago
… But this was not an isolated incident. The same Marine battalion involved in the Haditha massacre spearheaded the assault on western Fallujah in November 2004. …
Haditha Massacre: Iraq’s Mai Lai Aljazeera.com
The Few, The Proud, The Murderers Mathaba.Net
Haditha Massacre: Was it an Isolated Event and Did the Military …
Democracy Now, NY - May 30, 2006
We take a look at the Haditha massacre and the aftermath, which has continued to rock the military and political establishments. …
Listen to the show Pacifica Radio
Haditha: The Iraq War "My Lai Massacre"
uruknet.info, Italy - May 28, 2006
The Haditha Massacre is today being compared to the infamous My Lai Massacre that occurred in the South Vietnamese district of Son My on March 16, 1968 during …
The Haditha Massacre: War Crimes Begin At Home
BTC News - May 26, 2006
… The Iraqi civilians murdered at Haditha died because George W. Bush needlessly put them in harm’s way. … George W. Bush put them in Haditha. …
Zone 4 Tower Ad
Progressive.org, WI - 16 hours ago
… with increasing anger. It’s not a hopeful atmosphere. The Haditha massacre shows how badly things have deteriorated. For the first …
Zone 4 Tower Ad Progressive.org
Ayoon Wa Azan (The Ongoing Countdown)
Dar Al-Hayat, Lebanon - 4 hours ago
… The US forces used white phosphorus rounds in November 2004 and in the Haditha massacre in November 2005; They may be planning for a new massacre next November …
Blair has been blinded by an imperialist illusion Guardian Unlimited
Countless My Lai Massacres in Iraq
uruknet.info, Italy - 20 hours ago
Yet just like Abu Ghraib, while the media spotlight shines squarely on the Haditha massacre, countless atrocities continue daily, conveniently out of the …
Pattern of Force uruknet.info
Paul Joseph Watson/Prison Planet.com uruknet.info
Press Release: Haditha Massacre Is Iraq’s My Lai
Bay Area Indymedia, CA - May 19, 2006
… Asked by. the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War, Murtha said they were. Military sources. consulted by other media outlets have confirmed those claims. …
This Revulsion Will Not Be Televised: America Do You Think it’s …
Empire Burlesque, UK - 10 hours ago
Is the Haditha Massacre My Lai-esque enough to jolt the nation’s conscience out of its blinkered denial? America Do You Think it’s Bad Enough Now? …
A Higher Standard
Dissident Voice, CA - 1 hour ago
… committing war crimes. The most recent atrocity to come to widespread horror is the Haditha massacre. Associated Press describes …
ThinkFast: May 31, 2006
Think Progress, DC - 3 hours ago
Out of the loop: White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said yesterday that Bush learned of the reported Haditha massacre after the press did. …
Bush & Blair’s hollow words
Workers World - 11 hours ago
… all the way to 4-year-old Abdullah—suffered a similar fate. (“In Haditha, Memories of a Massacre,” Washington Post, May 28). …
Antiwar activists take struggle to Capitol Hill: Massacre spurs …
People’s Weekly World - May 25, 2006
… The Pentagon attempted to cover up the Haditha massacre but Time magazine exposed it, forcing the US Navy to launch an investigation. …
Massacre at Haditha: Return of the Bad Apple Defense
PEJ News, Canada - May 28, 2006
Feral Scholar - Stan Goff - The Guardian Unlimited ran a story today about the Haditha massacre. It called the Marines who slaughtered …
Rogue Apple uruknet.info
Awol in Iraq
Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates - May 29, 2006
… Incidents like the Haditha massacre in which 24 Iraqi civilians including women and children —as young as a 3-year-old were killed by Marines —is being …
Military Inquiry Contradicts Marines Account Of Haditha Deaths
MTV.com - 3 hours ago
… Marines have changed their story on what happened at Haditha several times … support allegations that the Americans carried out an unprovoked massacre (see "Bush …
The Iraqi My Lai? Tragically, Only Half So
Dissident Voice, CA - 1 hour ago
… The significance of the My Lai massacre in the political arena was that … movement, Americans’ justifiable revulsion at November’s events in Haditha is unlikely …
My Lai . . . Haditha . . . and America’s whitewashers
uruknet.info, Italy - May 29, 2006
… The incredible bottom line to this massacre was, however, that the only person found … the hamlets of Pinkville have given way to the streets of Haditha, and the …
My Lai… Haditha… and America’s whitewashers Middle East Online
MEDIA ALERT: SILENCE IN THE SERVICE OF POWER Media Protection Of …
uruknet.info, Italy - 17 hours ago
… It’s clear that what happened in Haditha is a … It must be assumed that more of this is going on." (Raymond Whitaker, ‘The massacre and the Marines,’ Independent …
Iraq: Horrific details of atrocities in Haditha emerge
uruknet.info, Italy - May 27, 2006
… Her article on the Haditha Massacre has made the rounds on very many blogs recently because of some of the details that emerge in her content.
"Nobody was killed at Abu Ghraib"
uruknet.info, Italy - May 27, 2006
… David M. Brahms is quoted in the Washington Post about the Haditha massacre (item below): "When these investigations come out, there’s going to be a firestorm. …
Pentagon Tries to Cover Up Massacre in Iraq
Prensa Latina, Cuba - May 28, 2006
… on Sunday denounced the Pentagon´s efforts to cover up the massacre of Iraqi … investigated by US authorities, took place in the town of Haditha, 200 kilometers …
Marines massacred civilians in Haditha, Iraq
Workers World - May 26, 2006
… Iraqi sources consider the Haditha massacre a normal Pentagon operation. That’s why so many Iraqis join the resistance. What makes …
Probe presents evidence Marines killed Iraqi civilians
Aljazeera.com, UK - May 27, 2006
… to probe whether the Marines lied to cover up the event, which included the deaths of women and children, are expected to make the Haditha massacre the most …
And this is just scratching the surface. Check out any of the sites listed. They are all vehemently against the war in Iraq.
Prison Planet, Indymedia, Democracy Now, Pacifica Radio, Cuba’s Prense Latina, the Socialist Worker, the Peoples Weekly World, the Workers World — these are all "news outlets" according to Google.
Uruknet is a site which celebrates the "Iraqi Resistance."
The BTC is a minuscule hard left blog named "Betty The Crow" productions. (Its slogan is "if it says it’s news it must be true." Apparently that is Google’s philosophy as well.)
Google even features a blog run by Jason Leopold’s partner Chris Floyd, the Empire Burlesque - High Crimes and Low Comedy in the Bush Imperium. (Floyd started EatCrowDotOrg with and for the liar Jason Leopold.)
Obviously no site is too small or too far left or too mindless for Google to ignore — as long as it smears the US.
But what else can one expect from a company that gives MoveOn.org millions and wants to see it control the internet?
http://www.sweetness-light.com/
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