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...
You didn't....I mean take one in the shorts for the team...and see that Ms. Heard gets the "Big O" that she needs to clear her thinking?
And muscle in on your territory, Doc? I wouldn't dream of it! :-P
I was asked to visit one of these by Mr. Silverback, whom I've pinged above, and I tell ya - I was stricken when "Bones", the Marine buddy to the guy from Mr. Silverback's hometown, told me how the grenade was tossed into their vehicle but they didn't have anywhere to throw it because there were women and children and other innocent bystanders around their vehicle.
I admit that I had the thought, "You threw it in here, HERE - you deal with it" and would have tossed it back from whence it came.
But our Soldiers, Marines, Airman, Coasties, and Sailors are taught otherwise. They are taught not to bring combat actions to the feet of civilians.
From where to do we get men such as these? (sob)
P.S., I couldn't ping "Tonk" because I can't remember his whole moniker. Anyone seen him around lately?
There are some truly amazing folks serving in our military. It's humbling to meet them, but especially those carrying the scars of battle.
68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub
Ping
"The fact that this murdering troop"...[Gee, Ms. Heard, whatever happened to the vaunted "presumption of innocence" that liberal air-heads such as you always insist on for no less than Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, his murders and his supposedly-nonexistent WMDs? These marines are already tried and convicted in your demented head, Ms. Heard. Apparently you are uncritical of "the story"...despite multiple sources of evidence that it was a phony. Jihadist 'student's' and Jihadist "reporter"...Johnny on the spot...multiple versions by a child who revealed the complicity of their own family...]
"...has the support of even those 119 posters is worrisome."
[ Ms. Heard thinks to herself, DAMNATION! These people are smart. They aren't swallowing the Kool-Aid! Blast, this is EXTREMELY WORRYING BECAUSE we are going to be SO EXPOSED as liars just like Dan Blather...we have to attack them RIGHT AWAY! Marginalize them SOMEHOW! ]
"...Surely, nobody should defend the indefensible based on some false notion of patriotism. "
Isn't it interesting how the liberal anti-patriots suddenly try to lecture conservatives on patriotism? Suddenly these people who preached moral relativism against any kind of patriotism whatsoever, and preached presumption of innocence and defended the Jihadists and Saddam Hussein...suddenly espouse the view that something is "indefensible"? In other words there is suddenly something so heinous that both moral relativism and their presumption of innocence is just "indefensible...." but only apparently when it applies to U.S. Marines.
Speaking of patriotism, I don't think Ms. Heard would know or appreciate that she is unfit to have patriotism of any kind for the U.S., false notion or otherwise...due her own putrid self-righteousness devoid of due process...or rule of law...or innocence until proven guilty...beyond a reasonable doubt.
. . .Liberal arrogance is itself heinous; cloaked in selective 'wisdom'; it is terrifying.
. . .and for sure Ms. Heard's observations re our 'murderous troops's are chilling; but not for the reason she imagines.
An incredulous bump. . .
She must be as pleased as can be that this article has garnered over 500 responses so far as opposed to the 120 or so her previous column generated.
Shockingly Ms. Heard has STILL not responded to my kind E-mail offer. :-)
If you examine the track record of the U.S. military and the terrorists, it is clear who has absolutely no scruples about killing civilians of any age, sex, confession or nationality.
As for that jerk Murtha there is no excuse. He's simply a giant windbag.
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