The thing that gets me about the wikileaks video

[hootinholler]

Is that this seems to be SOP. This is a routine engagement, polished even. How many others are there?

There's no real good look at any weaponry and a camera is taken for an RPG luancher at least once. How many other engagements used the same standards of threat identification?

-Hoot

[FiveGoodMen]

1. It does make me wonder...

...how many of those troops that we're supposed to support are just simple, cold-blooded murderers and nothing more?

[hootinholler]

4. I'm not ready to make that kind of judgement...

There is mass psychology to be considered and we have no idea what happened earlier in the day. I'll let the judicial system figure out charges like that.

-Hoot

[uppityperson]

2. war is Hell. Hellacious tings happen all the time. Not an excuse though.

But a reason why it should never be entered into lightly. Lossage of souls for oil? No.

[timtom]

10. It's too bad that we're not at war.

The sad truth is that we are engaged in two illegal invasions and occupations. All moral high-ground vanishes instantly.

[panader0]

3. The majority of our service men and women are kids

They were sent to Iraq illegally. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are wrong, pure and simple. Bring our troops home. These horrific incidents happen all the time. I remember the first day of the war, the "shock and awe" day, when thousands of missles bombarded Bahgdad, killing indiscriminately. Like Vietnam, every citizen is a potential "insurgent". I know I would be if I lived there, or if another nation occupied the US. Bring our troops home. These wars will never be won, and incidents like these, reported daily, continue to undermine any so called mission in the Middle East.

[jimlup]

5. This video shows standard day to day operations

This kind of carnage is normal.

[chill_wind]

6. You ask the right question.

For every one of these events that we know about, how many more are there that have been suppressed from being reported?

[spanone]

7. sadly, i believe this is how our government runs military ops

[Hissyspit]

8. Glenn Greenwald today on Dylan Ratigan Show:

"And I think the other important thing to note about it is - this is far from uncommon. I mean, just today on the front page of the New York Times, the Pentagon had to admit that claims it made about a Special Forces attack two months ago in Afghanistan were completely false, where we killed five civilians and claimed that three of them were ones that we had found bound and gagged at the time that we entered the village, when in fact we ended up killing all five of those civilians. This happens constantly, but we only learn about it when investigative journalists or sites like Wikileaks expose it."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x452032

[movonne]

9. Didn't bush let skinheads and felons in the service...

[NNN0LHI]

11. Cameras are the enemy of the military industry

Americans wouldn't support the killing if they had to see it.

Don

[damntexdem]

12. And even if those directly involved are ever punished, ...

nothing will be done about those at higher levels who allowed such activities to be SOP.

From all of the discussion, those involved were doing what they thought what they were supposed to. No excuse for them, but it does suggest that the problems reach further up to the top.

[progressoid]

13. If there hadn't been journalists involved, this would be a non-incident.

Sadly, this kind of thing happens all the time.

[TexasObserver]

14. Yep, with the typical "is that a weapon I see there?"

The cavalier attitude and lack of professionalism in firing upon completely unidentified targets was appalling.

[Rex]

15. Let us pray not.

I refuse to believe the military is that bad. It has been 12 years since I was in the Army, how has it come to this?