Iraqi women and children murdered by US troops 'on a rampage'

Iraqi women and children murdered by US troops 'on a rampage':

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2103695,00.html

Also, here:

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/03/23/152259

discuss.

They deserve a medal!!!!

Always Impersonated

-Klambutt Douche

I'm not excusing the actions of the soldiers but this looks to me like maybe they have been there too long. Eventually, everyone reaches their breaking point. They have to fight an enemy that blends into the scenery well. Contrary to what Bush thinks, all bad guys don't wear black hats. Spending months watching your back 24/7 and seeing your friends killed every day will get to you. Also, if I recall correctly, these soldiers lost one of their own earlier that day to an IED.

This event is really a good argument for bringing our people home. Events like this show that the presence of American troops is beginning to do more harm than good. For those who think otherwise, go to the end of the article and read Mr. Rahman's final comments.

amen

Yep. I think we're all insane.

Oh well. next thing you know those soldiers will have PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) and start going insane and be on medication for the rest of their life.

FAN-fucking-tastic Eh

so many acronyms... every time I hear the term IEDs my brain keep trying to hear it as IUDs... which makes for some strange imagery

Has this not been getting much attention in the US press? Because it's been pretty widely discussed over here and I expect in a lot of other countries.

Oh wait, I think I know the answer to that one.

I hope that some day the US Government adheres to an international court to make it more interested in avoiding behaving (in the eyes of everyone who is not American and in the eyes of many Americans) cruelly, visciously, and illegally.

Not only should we not be in this war but

*US papers should be reporting this kind of disgusting travesty
*US radio and television media should be reporting (Wonder why they aren't???)
*US military and government officials should be held accountable for the way their troops are (obviously) running amok and killing kids

I know for a fact that many US soldiers serve with honour and dignity. I also know that killing civilians (as young as 6 months old! What, did they think the baby was armed?!?) is evil.

I have heard this story on the radio for several days, but then I listen to that evil commie NPR news.

Damn hippie

And what's today's "cover story" on US Yahoo? ::drumroll::

YES!!!!! An SUV got swallowed by a SINKHOLE!!! Must be a lot of people reading that story - it's taking it forever to open for me...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060327/ap_on_re_us/brf_road_collapse_2

Thats right bad things should never happen in war.

No judgement here. Just as a hypothetical. Imagine the incident went down as described. You're one of the soldiers ordered to pull the trigger on unarmed women and babies. Who here would follow that order?

Jake, why don't you go first.

How do you know those babies aren't carrying a holdout in their daiper?

rampage?

Not content with keying SUVs, ECO-TERRRISTS are now collapsing roads under them! Quick! Add another billion to the Homeland Security budget!

Gah you could be arrested for images like that! Careful Zuzu! Maybe soon for even THINKING about images like that!

Sometimes, things happen that can grant us some perspective. The events don't have to be big. We just have to be open to what we can learn from the situation.

This morning, one of my dogs got trapped under the bed. She's a big, old dog. Not real bright and not that mobile anymore. I think she was trying to retrieve a ball that had rolled under the bed. I was lying in bed and I heard her whimpering. I looked down and I saw just her poor head sticking out from under the bed. The rest of her was trapped. She was lookin at me with a look of doggy desperation.

The bed is too heavy for one person to to move. Also, I was afraid she might get injured if I tried to move the bed. I had to help her get out from under there.

I encouraged her to lie on her side and try to scootch out. I had to reach behind her and push her from behind to help her. She doesn't like anyone touching her back under normal circumstances, so she wasn't liking the pushing. But I had to do it.

She was scared (of course), so she was growling and snarling. She never once tried to bite me, though. She's a good old dog. I wasn't afraid of her. I was very calm and talked to her in a soothing voice. I just pushed her a little at a time, trying not to scare her too much.

She finally got out from under there. She was so happy. I was, too. We went outside and played ball.

The whole incident got me thinking. About how I felt when she was trapped and about how I handled the situation. About how she behaved when she was trapped.

While I was trying to get her out, I felt a great calmness come over me. I felt loving and strong. I wasn't afraid of her at all. I wasn't mad at her for growling and snarling. I knew she was just trapped and afraid. I remember thinking at the time, "even if she bites me, I won't get mad or afraid. I will still help her."

To quote Evie Hammond in V FOR VENDETTA, "I felt like an Angel."

<digression> This line is the number one most crucial line in the *entire* V story. It's the soul of the story. It's the reason the story exists. And the line was mangled in the screenplay. I sat there in the theater WAITING for the line and then Natalie Portman blew it. Sigh. Read the graphic novel for the real line.
</digression>

I don't usually react very well to crisis. I tend to panic or assign blame. I'm not very useful in tough situations. But this time was different. This time, I found the strength and love to make a difference. I felt like an Angel. Imagine. Angels must feel like that all the time.

I offer all this as an apology to anyone I may have hurt or offended in this thread. To Jack, specifically. My comment to you was snarky and hurtful. I don't know you. I shouldn't be making judgements about you.

This is difficult to sum up. Some of you may not get it. That's ok. Perhaps I haven't communicated my point very well. Perhaps the point is emotional and can't really be understood outside of a similar experience.

But, the perspective I gained from having to free a trapped animal is that we all get trapped. We all get scared. In desperation, we sometimes hurt each other. Sometimes, we do the most damage to the people who try and help us.

Sometimes, rescuers are trapped as well as victims. No one gets rescued. Everyone loses.

We are all trapped by this war. There is no glory. Only survival. Only pain. I'm truly sorry that anyone has to be involved in it. And I offer my heartfelt prayer that everyone involved, soldiers as well as civilians, can find the strength to survive every day and rise above the horror.

As the situation worsens, as I'm afraid it will, I pray that we can all find the strength and love to rescue each other instead of turning on each other.

May we all find sanity and compassion in our hearts. May we all be Angels.

They can have my gun when they pry it from my cold dead infant.