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The Fog of War Crimes

Who’s to blame when ‘just following orders’ means murder?

By Frida Berrigan

A Marine squad was on a dusty road in Iraq, far from home. Suddenly, a deadly roadside bomb explodes the early morning calm and kills a lance corporal and wounds two other Marines. The mission: tend to the wounded and find those who were responsible … Or make someone pay? Three sleeping families awaken to the sound of grenades and… return to article

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    War is Hell. That is why sensible leader’s avoid it.
    Bad things happen in wartime. Always has and always will. Especially in a situation where the “enemy” wears no uniform.
    We in the civilian world cannot accurately second guess the guys on the ground under fire. No doubt the Payback Factor is in play.
    This all goes back to a breakdown in leadership, starting at the highest level; the Commander-In-Chief. He mandated a war that had no basis in fact. His real reason ranged from payback, one-upping his daddy, going after the oil, to just doing as the Shootist told him to do.
    Rummy shares a lot of the blame by refusing to let enough troops go in to really do the job. Tommy Franks has his share of blame for rolling over for Rummy.
    We can’t really blame the soldier. Soldier’s must follow orders. Otherwise we have an uncontrollable Army.
    There have been too many instances of rape and murder that can’t be blamed on the leader’s. Although, had the leader not placed the soldier in that region, it would not have happened.
    The legality of the orders issued to the soldier’s is another question. One that the lower ranks can’t address on their own.
    Major’s and higher ranks are expected to know the Code of Military Conduct and follow it. (All ranks have to follow it. But it is harder for anyone in the lower ranks to fight an illegal order)
    Major’s and higher would likely be dismissed from Service for calling an order Illegal. But they could fight that once they were back Stateside. Assuming that there is a Congress not beholden to Special Interests that want the war continued so they can profit from it.

    United States Posted by farmer on Jan 9, 2008 at 9:31 AM

    Here’s a useful non sequitar. Miltary suicides are on the increase...could there be a connection?

    This past week a number of civilian psychiatric patients were displaced in this area at local hospitals by a number of miltary personnel who were described as “suicidal”. I initially wondered why the GI’s weren’t sent to a VA.

    Then I remembered this story, heard earlier this week on NPR

    http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17929487

    Why is the military seeking civilian psychiatric assistance at this time? Especially as we wonder how far our current fascism has brought us closer to the court in the Hague?

    United States Posted by minerva_jones on Jan 13, 2008 at 5:06 PM

    It is an unprecedented occurrence for a civilian hospital to suddenly have to accept GI patients, particularly of the psychiatric variety, in the middle of a war, and I think this is a story worth pursuing

    United States Posted by minerva_jones on Jan 13, 2008 at 6:57 PM

    It may be time for those who pose the political questions of our presidential candidates to ask the candidates when they will begin the process of holding to account those of our agencies personnel in CIA, FBI as well as local swat teams for their outrages against numerous civilians and the deaths they have caused.  Justice is being ignored by those we elect to preserve it.

    United States Posted by chibiabos on Jan 14, 2008 at 2:24 PM
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