Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2004 13:34:04 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: the shot heard 'round the world


On Tue, 16 Nov 2004, roger wrote:

> that little episode, in
> front of a fucking camera for shit's sake, created more militants, and
> in the end will kill more amerikans, than all the friday prayers in
> ramallah.  the reaction here will be rather muted.  after all it was
> clearly self-defense:  the old fart was planning to bleed to death all
> over that marine.  you'd think after two or three tries they could get
> a simple thing like offing a guy right.  well, i hear it takes a few
> whacks to behead a guy, too.

I'm not sure it is the Marine who should be condemned. He was in combat 
and as far as we know he had not been int he building yet.  If he was told 
the people there were dead and he saw someone move it is a very normal 
thing to do what he did.  The shock comes from people who don't realize 
that stress levels in that situation are so high that anything might 
happen.   I do not think there is a comparison between shooting someone in 
fear that is audible and cutting someone's head off.  I do think the 
beheadings are overblown and I htink this shooting is overblown.  the US 
just leveled a city and killed thousands of people and the only one that 
gets noticed is the one on TV?

The real criminals are the ones who sent him there to do that job.  True, 
he had an opportunity to go AWOL but maybe he hasn't been educated yet as 
to why that is a preferable outcome.

I don't think the US should nuke the place nor do I think the US should be 
there trying to impose a colonial will on the people.  I think condmning 
the pawns for the moves of the king is misguided.



carp