The question of the day today
over at MSNBC is: Should troops ever be charged with murder during combat?
When I voted yes I was thinking of the My Lai Massacre where unarmed civilians in an entire village were systematically slaughtered. Evidently I'm out of synch with the mainstream on this: 71% voted NO and only 29% voted yes.
On further reflection I see the average Joe in combat, bullets flying, making snap life or death decisions, seeing carnage and wreaking carnage probably should not be second guessed. Yet it's simplistic to think a soldier might not go ballistic, lose all moral compass and step beyond acts of war to genocide or murder.
It's also a bit hypocritical to charge this young lieutenant with murder while letting the power crazed politicians who, despite protest the world over, invaded Iraq without just cause...to let these back-seat remf warriors completely slide.
Just one combat vet's opinion.
When I voted yes I was thinking of the My Lai Massacre where unarmed civilians in an entire village were systematically slaughtered. Evidently I'm out of synch with the mainstream on this: 71% voted NO and only 29% voted yes.
On further reflection I see the average Joe in combat, bullets flying, making snap life or death decisions, seeing carnage and wreaking carnage probably should not be second guessed. Yet it's simplistic to think a soldier might not go ballistic, lose all moral compass and step beyond acts of war to genocide or murder.
It's also a bit hypocritical to charge this young lieutenant with murder while letting the power crazed politicians who, despite protest the world over, invaded Iraq without just cause...to let these back-seat remf warriors completely slide.
Just one combat vet's opinion.
fired downrange by Greg at 10:48 AM
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