Marine Says Rules Were Followed in Haditha

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<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/10/AR2006061001129.html>

And it sounds like short of exhumation and CSI-type reconstruction of how these people were shot, they'll get off because, hey, they FELT they were under threat, so they went to CLEAR houses, so it's collateral damage, not murder. The end, case closed, what's your problem? No one had a problem back then. Why would they? It's just aggressive soldiering.

Sounds like the only way that the clearing could be questionable is if people were mysteriously cleared via shots in the back of the head. But hey, then we'd just say, they were huddling and facing away from the door. Of course if it was just one shot each, where strays would be expected everywhere... then we have a problem.

shot and hid under the bed. This guy's story is not consistent with her story or the locals. I hope they don't get away with this and that the new Iraqi government does a separate investigation.

just the floors.

Sounds like exhumation is the ONLY thing that will help. And don't delude yourself. The Iraqi government has no legal authority to hold US Marines to account for anything. They couldn't if they tried.

Which basically says that U.S. troops can't be prosecuted by the national government of the country they are stationed in.

Let me guess: the "insurgents" who were "firing" on the Marines got away, right?



Right.

:mad:

The DNA (where did they get the DNA by the way? Are all Jordanians DNA-typed?) is a ruse! The insurgency is alive and we're all gonna die!

I unfortunately feel this story is too full of pathos for anyone to attempt to justify it. Why not just say "We fucked up?"

By lying about something that can easily be challenged in court, they're going to make it terribly difficult for even other Marines to absolve them of guilt.

Claiming stress made them fuck up would have garnered sympathy from other service men and women.

people of their command and put two people in the brigg? Murtha has been screaming about this for months....how could they have been investigating this for months and this comes out?

I call bullshit on this marine and his sleezy attorney.

hopefully, to prove they're all lying.

This may actually help seal their fate.

Sticking with the "It was the stress of battle- I didn't know what I was doing" defense might have been a better plan, instead of lying about their actions.

Just quoting from the article. I don't buy it.

produces insane and unjust results.

The real villains in this war against Iraq and its people is W and his incompetent cabinet members.

He replied with a well worn Marine hoo rah--

"You simply aim a little lower at their tiny heads"

This is a crock of shit and hope that at least one or two involved have enough morals to admit the truth.

I thought people had a right to a fair trial? Isn't that part of our constitution? I know that rules for military in combat are different but the priniciple is the same.

The situation looks dire and all indications are that a few marines may have acted either negligently or murderously.

There is additional information about Haditha. It is an insurgent strong hold. In 2005 Iraqi police were forced to abandon their station there because insurgents had such a strong presence and such support from the locals.

There has been additional information that offers a contrary view. Two chaplans who serve in Haditha said that they have been in the community and been with the Marines in question and there was no sign either before or after the event that would lead them to believe something foul had occured.

An embedded CNN reporter who worked with the Marines in question and did patrols with them for 18 months prior to the shooting said that these Marines endured IED's on a regular basis and not once during that 18 months did any such event ever trigger such a reaction from the Marines. She contacted two other reporters who had been embedded with the Marine unit and they concurred.

The manner in which the victims were reportedly killed is consistent with hundreds of killings - by insurgents.


The little girl in question has changed her story. Her first statement said that the Marines threw a grendade into the room killing everyone. Later she said that she hid under the bed and soldiers came in and killed everyone.


In addition the girl said she came out from under the bed and saw Iraqi soldiers moving the dead. She asked why they had been killed. She claims they said it was the Americans - indicating she did not see who did the killing but was told that Americans did it.


I don't know what the final outcome will be, but I believe that we should allow people to be tried in a court before we try them in the court of public opinion based on news accounts with no hard evidence.

This fair trial business.

Neither you, nor I, can put these men in prison or execute them. Our opinion holds no difference for the freedom of their physical bodies. You, and I, have a right to freedom of thought and freedom of opinion. We have no obligation to reserve judgment. Furthermore, no civilian public opinion will have even the slightest effect on the conduct of military justice, by design, tradition and culture.

Just because they're entitled to a fair trial doesn't mean that holding an opinion as our freedom enables us to do is prejudicing that fair trial, except through some kind of misplaced guilt.

which is the proper venue to try war crimes and crimes against humanity. Their military and civilian leaders should also be prosecuted by the ICC.

It is impossible for the victims of American genocide to get justice in an American court, they will exonerate the troops just as white juries used to exonerate Klansmen for killing Blacks.

If Iraqi troops had invaded my country, bombed and shot the kids in my neighborhood, I would have been proud to become an "insurgent" to try to "liberate" my country of their illegal presence.

In France, during WWII, the "insurgents" were called the "Resistance." It took years, but they chased their "illegal and immoral invaders" away...

In Vietnam, the "insurgents" were called "terrorists" and it took them years to chase their "illegal and immoral invaders" away...

Now in Iraq, it looks like it will take them years to chase their "illegal and immoral invaders" away... and they will, whether or not they are called "insurgents" or "terrorists."

Thank you for reading (and for thinking thoroughly about that).

Bring the Boys 'n Girls Back Home. (now)

The Marine said there was no vengeful massacre

A massacre is a massacre, there is not such thing as a benign massacre.