Posted on 03/11/2012 9:02:50 AM PDT by Dallas59
Afghan president Hamid Karzai has demanded an explanation from the US after an American soldier shot dead at least 16 civilians, including nine children, in a killing spree Karzai slammed as an "assassination" that "cannot be forgiven".
The victims, killed when the shooter entered their homes in two villages in southern Kandahar during the night, included at least three women, elderly men, and a child aged just two.
On Sunday the mother of the two-year-old also spoke out. Gul Bashra told the Associated Press: "They (Americans) killed a child, who was two-years-old. Was this child a Taliban (member)?
"Believe me, I have not seen a two-year-old Taliban (member) yet. There is no Taliban here. They (America) are always threatening us with dogs and helicopters during night raids."
Another man said 11 of his relatives, including his children, had been killed at his house.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.sky.com ...
If your take on taking a hard line on dealing with these 4th century inhabitants means something akin to nuclear conflict with them, then I think it way it is better than risking the lives of our sons and daughters any more in this politically correct and apologetically pandering performance by our leadership. Unrealistic ROEs and bowing, pandering - apologizing - genuflecting - is betraying our military and the citizens of this country.
I served from 1968 to 1976, and to tell you the truth, I’d do anything - anything - to keep my son, daughter or grandchildren from serving in this military while it is under control of a madman.
Nuke it from orbit; it is the only way to be sure.
It is 1:30 now and no name released. I want to hear a name. I am skeptical, too.
If the facts are as reported
An American soldier walked off his base in the middle of the night and went on a house-to-house shooting rampage killing 16 Afghan civilians including women and children. - UK TelegraphI see no problem with that - US citizen abroad commits crime, tried by local law.
Initial articles attributed this to one soldier, subsequent ones attributed it to multiple soldiers. I do not believe it at this point.
I’m skeptical, but not to the point of disbelief that a single soldier could snap and find a way to do something like this
There is no way multiple US soldiers would do this.
This is something the Taliban would do and blame on US soldiers.
“Chemicals....to burn the bodies” - rather to hide the evidence of how the victims were really killed.
“laughing, drunk, killing etc.” is not how our soldiers would behave - but how the Taliban would say they behaved.
More contradicting elements to the story than elements that I believe at this point.
I’m calling BS. The whole thing sounds like a Nigerian pretending to be the FBI director. If it is true...at least no korans were damaged in the process.
Irrelevant to the issue at hand. Longbow1969 says we should declare war on Afghanistan which would likely lead to war with Pakistan which would VERY likely draw in India as well. That’s now three nuclear-armed countries, with Pakistan and India truly hating each other. That means nukes are flying, 100s of millions are dying, and we’re over there, too, meaning our guys are catching some of that hell.
I’m not saying our current method of pacifying the region is a winner (it’s demonstrably not), but the more Ron Paul-approved method of engagement would lead to a disaster of Biblical proportions.
200 years from now, I want their childrens childrens childrens children to cower and cringe in fear whenever they hear the sounds of jet engines overhead because their legends tell of fire from the sky.
I want them to hide in dark caves and holes in the earth, shivering with terror whenever they hear the roar of diesel engines because the tales of their ancestors talk about metal monsters crawling over the earth, spitting death and destruction.
I want their mothers to be able to admonish them with If you dont behave, the Pale Destroyers will come for you, and that will be enough to reduce them to quivering obeisance.
I want the annihilation to be so complete that their mythology will tell them of the day of judgment when the stern gods from across the sea .. the powerful Mericans .. destroyed their forefathers wickedness.
By BlueLancer
13 SEP 01
Word! True and Final.
What should concern you more, my friend, is they did not forget Vietnam. These people in power here and there will sacrifice as many lives as possible to remain in control. This truth condemns our country to the annals of history if something does not change dramatically. My military brothers and sisters, my daughter and son are being used as pawns now, just as my fathers and uncles were used then.
I disagree. Japan had several decades of engendering and embracing western legal and political systems. They sent thousands of students abroad under the ‘if you can’t beat’em, join’em premise.
They embraced colonialism to try and widen their sphere of influence and draw a wider border to keep western imperial powers at bay. That is what led to repeated clashes with the west.
MacArthur didn’t introduce democracy to Japan. The experience of firebombing and the starvation of Japan did discredit the militarist faction that led them such a point.
The situation in Afghanistan is simply not analogous to to the German and Japanese governments that led them into wars with foreign powers. The vast majority of people were fighting in Afghanistan are fighting us simply because we’re there, and for no other reason.
Given the historic enmity between India AND Pakistan, the likely country to retaliate, Pakistan, would be thinking very very hard about what her enemy, India, will do to her.
Frankly, I want us, the US, out of there, period. It can be nuked, “from orbit” as Ripley would say. And, if that should happen, I want it to happen BEFORE our pResident gives away all our secrets and destroys our means to deal with those that don’t need to exist.
This is Pres__ent Obama’s Mi Lai incident.
HA! They'll find a way to pin it on Bush.
I don’t get it. When Afghans murder our troops, Obama apologizes.
I too used to be a member of the “Kill them all and let God sort them out” clique. Not so much any more.
I came to realize that I do not care how these people live. I do not care if their women go to schools. I do not care if they buy iPads or have Android phones. I do not care if they wish to swarm around a rock in the middle of the desert.
I am not so callous as to think I am better than them. I don’t know them. I am sure they love their children. They certainly love their “god.” Good for them.
I just know that I prefer to have my friends and their children alive and in one piece. Not doing patrols out in some hell hole where the enemy are incapable of hurting me—but very capable of hurting my countrymen.
I used to believe my government. Now I do not.
I see we are paying $5 a gallon for gas because we cannot keep our fingers out of their business. I believe if we left them alone to worship their rock, that gas would drop and they would lose their power.
And I also believe that attacks on us should be responded to with disproportionate force: We leave them alone and they leave us alone. That means no free help at all. No food, no medicine, nothing. If they want it, pay for it—or trade for it. If they attack us, we respond with unbelievable carange. And then we leave them alone again.
I think that would work fine. At least, I am willing to give it a shot.
Unfortunately, I think withdrawal is about the only real solution left to us. We lost sight almost immediately as to why we were there. As someone else stated, Bush started harping on how wonderful it was that Afghani girls were going to school now ad nauseum. Who cares? That wasn’t our mission. We made the mistake of applying U.S. values to people who had never heard of them.
The Taliban could never control Afghanistan without the support of the people (see the U.S., Soviet Union, and British Empire for examples of NOT having the support of the people). I think Afghanis and the Taliban deserve each other. It was an understandable effort to try to foster a culture that doesn’t want to butcher people abroad, but it’s not going to happen, no matter how hard we force it.
So how much trouble would it be for one of the afghan ‘soldiers’ ON the base to put on an American uniform and walk out and do this? It stinks.
I’ve spoken with a couple of soldiers who spent time in Afghanistan (and Iraq)....the problem is that they see Afghanis (the rural ones) hate EVERYBODY not from there. The trick was to make yourself LESS hated than any of the other infidels.
When many haven’t ventured more than 10 or 20 kilometers from where they were born and have been brainwashed for centuries that Islam and Allah and all the needed mistreatment of others less worthy than you (not you, but the young and old farts) is divine and just, it is impossible to rise up on their ‘friend’ list.
These ignorant throwbacks don’t deserve humanity; we should get the hell out of there and then if they persist in exporting hate, violence and Jihad, nuke their asses back to the stone age. I’ll be damned if I sacrifice any of my brood for them.....
War really is Hell.
Unless you are sitting in congress on your fat white butt or in the White House on your skinny black butt scheming up new ways to help your pals gain money and power from the war.
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