Blog Me No Blogs: WAR IS HELL

WHAT PART OF THAT DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?

How Can We Really Be Shocked By Anything That Happens In Iraq?

It's insane to send young kids, or old farts, for that matter, into a situation of utter chaos, where it's kill or be killed, and still expect perfectly civilized behavior from all parties at all times. These Marines did not create this situation. They did not start this war. But it's their asses that are in it now. If you don't like this sort of thing, don't make war. Don't allow your country, or your kids to go to war, without true, direst reasons. Ever.

The Hague and Geneva conventions are bullshit. Like declaring Marquis of Queensbury Rules in a street-fight. They're bullshit because of the vicious pretense that one large group of men, and women now, can ever go out to war, with the expressed intention of killing and maiming as many members of another large group as possible, and carry on like civilized people. War is the opposite of civilization. Either you stop it, and never do it again, or you go on as we always have, slaughtering each other. No way to make it any nicer. Hell is Hell.

Modern warfare is, in fact, far worse than Henry V's kind. Civilians are targets, intended or not. Total destruction is the goal. And we have the technology to make it so complete, so devastating, that everyone might actually be killed, on both sides. Hell on Earth. Get it?

The blame goes to those on top. Especially in this war. It was unprovoked; against a vanquished enemy we duped into attacking an ally in the first place. It was excused with blatant and indefensible lies about WMDs, which never existed. It was primed by ruthless exploitation of the tragedy of 9/11, with which we always knew Iraq had no connection. It was carried out in the sloppiest and most irresponsible manner, with no regard for the consequences. And this murder in Falluja is an inevitable consequence of all that.

The Marines responsible, the shooters, may well be shot, themselves. Perhaps they should be, if they did it, without lawful reason. And some lowly sergeant or lieutenant may see his career end. But no Generals, no Under-Secretaries of Defense, no one in the White House will lose a minute's sleep, an hour's pay, or a day's liberty. Certainly not that great moral leader, and professed Christian, George W. Bush.

In this war, the Hague and Geneva Conventions will be enforced only against low-ranking troops. Those giving the orders, making the policies, sitting at the top of the chain of command, will get away scot-free. Reichsmarschall Goering waddles away free, and Feldwebel Schultz goes to the hangman, at Nuremburg. Our "leaders" have declared themselves to be above the laws of war. They have refused to recognize the jurisdiction of any international war crimes tribunal. Now you know why. The Law will have to be content with lowly lance corporals, and a sergeant or two, in this war's atrocities. And THAT is a crime.

THAT is propping open the gates of Hell. That is giving the strongest nations' leaders complete immunity for all of their crimes, no matter how heinous; carte blanche to do whatever they like, and to kill as they will. Any nation. Not just us. We could be the target, some day. And we just threw out the rule book. Civilization is over, my friends. Mark your calendar. The rule of law died today. Unless you are a lowly soldier.

So, yeah. There's no need to worry. These Marines, like those soldiers at Abu Graibh, will be punished. And they deserve it, if they did it. But our laws say that the military commanders, and even the political leaders, are responsible, too. But nothing will ever happen to any of them. And, as we used to say during Vietnam, "The whole world is watching."

"The whole world is watching." It may be time to start chanting that in the streets again. Lest we all become complicit in these crimes. This is a democracy, you know; or it used to be. And that makes each and every one of us responsible for this war, and those atrocities. Whether we like it, or voted for it, or not. Because, like those good Germans in the 1930s and 40s, we just didn't do enough to stop it. We let it go on. And on. And on. So, think, before you condemn these Marines. You may be guilty, too. In the eyes of the world. And in the eyes of history.

reposted from Ratboy's Anvil

"Amnesty Calls for ‘Unequivocal Orders’ to Prevent War Crimes in Iraq"

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