LAT: More ethics training ordered for GI's in Iraq

And we should start with their Commander-in-Chief.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-haditha2jun02,0,5565196.story?coll=la-home-world

"BAGHDAD — Seeking to quell outrage over allegations that Marines went on a killing rampage against unarmed civilians in Haditha, the top U.S. general in Iraq ordered all American troops in the country to undergo additional ethics training, the military said Thursday.

"The announcement came a week after Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Michael Hagee went to Iraq on what he said was a mission to reinforce the training Marines receive in following laws regarding force and violence.

"Meanwhile Thursday, for the first time since reports emerged that children, women and elderly men were slain by U.S. troops in November in Haditha, the Iraqi government took a tough stance on the deaths. The Iraqi Cabinet agreed to open an investigation of the disputed events of Nov. 19, which left at least 24 civilians dead in the western town after a Marine was killed in a roadside bombing.

"Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said that the dignity of Iraq had been trampled, and he promised to open talks with foreign soldiers to set ground rules for raids and detentions."

SNIP

When I was younger I worked for a guy who had no ethics and would steal from the company. In the beginning I worked with a pretty decent bunch of people for the most part, but the boss was quite brazen and showed little respect for the job he had or the people he worked for. By the time I finally left that place from disgust just about everyone there (all younger people, mind you) were stealing or doing other infractions that were against the rules. The boss basically poisoned a bunch of young people working there. Even though I held them accountable for their actions and got upset at them quite ofter, I knew that very little of that would have gone on if the boss hadn't been such an unethical jerk to begin with.

That's why it is easy for me to understand all of the immoral actions that have taken place throughout our military since this "war on terror" began. With no ethical leader for these troops to follow, it would be very difficult for any of them to keep their own ethical standards in check, especially under the circumstances they live with. I don't excuse them, I just understand them.

message from the very beginning. Then they scapegoat the grunts.