Stripes letter: Use of white phosphorus

Use of white phosphorus

Initially the Pentagon denied using incendiary white phosphorus, also known as Mark 77, also known as “a new and improved napalm,” for anything other than illumination purposes in Iraq, and even then, only “sparingly.”

Now, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Barry Venable qualifies the former Pentagon statement, which he describes as “poor information,” admitting that white phosphorus was “used as an incendiary weapon against enemy combatants,” but not against civilians. Venable’s comments contradict an Italian state TV report that said “the weapons were used against men, women and children in Falluja who were burned to the bone,” which begs the following questions to Venable:

1. How does an inanimate object such as white phosphorus distinguish between “enemies of the legitimate Iraqi government” and civilians?

2. How does the Pentagon distinguish between “enemies of the legitimate Iraqi government” and Iraqi citizens opposed to the U.S. occupation?

3. If this weapon is so “conventional,” why lie about its use?

4. How would the civilians of Fallujah be any more able to evacuate than the civilians of New Orleans?

5. Why is Donald Rumsfeld allowed to remain U.S. secretary of defense?

This American believes the Pentagon’s use of white phosphorus is a national disgrace, especially in light of President Bush’s justification for ridding Iraq of Saddam Hussein. That the Pentagon’s defense of its use is presented to the American people in “obscurant” legalese is all the more abhorrent, considering the horrific consequences of this weapon. Kim Phuc, the Vietnamese girl known from a famous Vietnam War photograph of a village hit by napalm, says, “Napalm is the most terrible pain you can imagine. Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. Napalm generates temperatures of 800 to 1,200 degrees Celsius.” The U.S.’ inability to learn from its past is what makes Iraq worse than Vietnam.

The Bush administration had promised to bring democracy to the Iraqi people. What the Iraqi people got instead was “shake and bake” artillery rounds of “Willy Pete.” These are sickening times we live in.

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=33436

It's time to pull Bush out of his spider hole and put his ass on trial.

Recommended.

"The U.S.’ inability to learn from its past is what makes Iraq worse than Vietnam."

and nominated

two different animals. Napalm, a form of which is used in the Mark 77 bomb, isn't used for illumination but to burn the hell out of everything it touches. WP is used for both.

Consider writing a response to the letter, providing distinctions among the chemical (or "chemical") weapons in the US arsenal being used in Iraq. From what I have read, the US has used napalm, Mark 77, and white phosphorus. Your input would contribute to drawing the public's attention to what its tax dollars are being wasted on, in more ways than one.

I wonder though. If these weapons are so controversial, why is the DoD using them at all? If they're going to use phosphorus, which is worse than the gas from WWI - why not go back to using the gas from WWI?

I don't now that you could make a convincing argument that WP was as bad as mustard or phosgene gas. Both of those were not only nasty, but extremely indiscriminate (the wind often blew the gas back on the gassers with disastrous consequences).

All should be outlawed, no doubt about it. If we can't take more care in identifying and specifically targeting the enemy we might as well drop a nuke.

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Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

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Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

GW's grandfather Prescott bankrolled Adolf's military machine up until 1942 when he was forced to stop by the US gvt.

:kick:

War based on a lie!

Weapons of mass destruction? I’m still looking for them, and if you find any, give me a call so we can justify our presence in Iraq. We started the war based on a lie, and we’ll finish it based on a lie. I say this because I am currently serving with a logistics headquarters in the Anbar province, between the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi. I am not fooled by the constant fabrication of “democracy” and “freedom” touted by our leadership at home and overseas.

This deception is furthered by our armed forces’ belief that we can just enter ancient Mesopotamia and tell the locals about the benefits of a legislative assembly. While our European ancestors were hanging from trees, these ancient people were writing algebra and solving quadratic equations. Now we feel compelled to strong-arm them into accepting the spoils of capitalism and “laissez-faire” society. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy watching Britney Spears on MTV and driving to McDonald’s, but do you honestly believe that Sunnis, Shias and Kurds want our Western ideas of entertainment and freedom imposed on them? Think again.

I’m not being negative, I’m being realistic. The reality in Iraq is that the United States created a nightmare situation where one didn’t exist. Yes, Saddam Hussein was an evil man who lied, cheated and pillaged his own nation. But how was he different from dictators in Africa who commit massive crimes again humanity with little repercussion and sometimes support from the West? The bottom line up front (BLUF to use a military acronym) is that Saddam was different because we used him as an excuse to go to war to make Americans “feel good” about the “War on Terrorism.” The BLUF is that our ultimate goal in 2003 was the security of Israel and the lucrative oil fields in northern and southern Iraq.

Weapons of mass destruction? Call me when you find them. In the meantime, “bring ’em on” so we can get our “mission accomplished” and get out of this mess.

Capt. Jeff Pirozzi
Camp Taqaddum, Iraq

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=33319

Finally a troop I can support.

Except the smartest weapon is still a dangerous thing in the wrong hands with the wrong orders.