Why pre-emptive invasions encourage soldiers to commit war crimes

[Indie Media Magazine]

Analysis: Diplomatic Editor Trevor Royle on the implications of shooting dead a wounded Iraqi in cold blood

Crime came to the city of Fallujah last week and it was committed under the unforgiving gaze of a television camera, giving it international prominence. When a tense and battle-weary US Marine lifted his assault rifle and fired at a wounded Iraqi, killing him instantly during mopping up operations, he was not only doing a bad thing, he was breaking the law as it is applied to the business of warfare.

Why pre-emptive invasions encourage soldiers to commit war crimes

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. I fear that rw elements in this country are encouraging this

Freepers seem to think that no one will ever capture/imprison/torture US soldiers because we're the toughest bullies on the block. And as bullies, we don't have to play by the rules. They seem to have swallowed the script of some B-movie action thriller, and don't seem to realize that this time the blood isn't fake, the participants not actors. So they egg on this type of immoral behavior because, after all, "Americans are worth more than other people". Yeah. Seems to me I heard something about Germans claiming to be the Master Race one time, and look where that got them.

[FloridaPat]

2. The people in the military are mostly just plan normal people.

War is not a good thing. To be in constant danger does not make a happy mind. These folks are in a place where they have no idea why they're there, tours of duty are longer than they're suppose to be, they can't get adequet food or water because Haliburton is supplying all that and their employees don't go into battle zones. Wars are terrible and the solders get the worst of it and go nuts. The people responsible for this are sitting pretty in Washington.

And remember, these guys and gals are coming back home someday to go back to their lives here. They are unstable now. Look what happened to the Vietnam vets. Not only is the invasion a crime against the Iraqis, but a crime against ourselves and our military.