I can understand why this happened, I can't understand why it was recorded on video. In both cases it is conduct I cannot condone.
I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you.
"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the Government take care of him; better take a closer look at the American Indian." - Henry Ford
Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges; When the Republic is at its most corrupt the laws are most numerous. - Publius Cornelius Tacitus
otisptoadwater wrote: I can understand why this happened, I can't understand why it was recorded on video. In both cases it is conduct I cannot condone.
That was pretty much my take on this.....I can understand the spontaneous need to let out the anger, frustration etc of war......I think it's a total lack of discipline and inexcusable , but yes, understandable. But why the video?.....that makes it almost seem planned, and some of the conversation on the video leads me to believe that if not planned, the video was encouraged. That, is pretty disgusting.
In general when there have been conversations of military topics I have not felt that if you have never been in the military you are not entitled to a position.Although I would value the opinion of a vet over a civilian if his service was relevant to the discussion.
In this case I think it unlikely that the Marines stumbled across these bodies why taking a hike across the field. I think it likely that they killed them in a fire fight.
I withhold an opinion and give zero weight to anyone's opinion who has not been a similar circumstance. All of which is not to say you are not entitled to have and voice an opinion, but I mean come on, really?
I can see your point NC. When service men and women say you don't know what it's like over there.....they are absolutely right. My brother and I used to have long talks into the night about his service in Viet Nam, what he saw and what he felt in his 3 tours as a helicopter pilot. As close as we were, and as hard as I tried, his experiences were so far out of my realm of understanding that we might as well have been speaking two different languages. I'm sure he sanitized the war for me to some extent.....but when I read a story like this one, I try to use his experiences to help me understand this war. Not the same? probably not. But if we don't try to understand, even a little, we will never really appreciate what their lives are like fighting in this war and what they are doing for this country.
Soulshiner wrote: Isn't it against the Geneva Convention and US Military law to desecrate bodies of people killed in war?
Yes... And don't be surprised if charges aren't filed. This isn't just "bad form"...It has the possibility to have a major impact on the diplomatic and peace processes....
I wonder why no one here has mentioned that several of our troops'/civilians' bodies have been mutilated and/or dragged through the streets. If this urination truly happened, I can understand the behavior, while not condoning it.
However, looks like many of the Arab world is of the ilk, don't do what we do, do what we say.
2wlady wrote: It's the Geneva ConventionS, plural.
I wonder why no one here has mentioned that several of our troops'/civilians' bodies have been mutilated and/or dragged through the streets. If this urination truly happened, I can understand the behavior, while not condoning it.
However, looks like many of the Arab world is of the ilk, don't do what we do, do what we say.
Er... maybe because mentioning that doesn't change squat. Tell me... how does mentioning "that several of our troops'/civilians' bodies have been mutilated and/or dragged through the streets" makes what just happened any less wrong (or right). That's a Tu Quoque fallacy... something a freshman in high school tries to do in Debate 101. Leave the Tu Quoque statements to our liberals.
The whole incident was wrong... period... there's no other maybes, well they did this, well they didn't do that... it's wrong.
