More Scape Goats
Three more operators had been charged in the prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq. The three unnamed SEALs are being charged with assault, aggravated assault with intent to cause death or serious bodily harm, conduct unbecoming, obstruction of justice, assault with a deadly weapon, maltreatment of prisoners, dereliction of duty, and failure to report abuse to superior authorities.
This flabbergasts me because of the whole situation. Navy SEALs have a higher rate for bringing in actual terrorists who possess actual actionable intelligence when they go on raids. They bring this intelligence in at an increased risk to themselves. Raiding a house with the intent to capture and bring in alive the terrorists is a much more dangerous task that throwing in a grenade or hosing down the place before going in. The SEALs have a conviction rate somewhere near 75-90% while the rest of the military has a rate somewhere near 20-30%. See the difference?
So now with the fallout of the Abu Ghraib scandal where senior army officers were derelict in their duty, they are looking for scapegoats. They are looking for any situation where there may have been an inkling of impropriety. The high-profile SEALs were a perfect target for them. They are carrying out more dangerous raids, with a higher optempo and most of their detainees are living. The dead tell no tales.
This widespread cover your ass mentality from USCENTCOM, V Corps, Multinational Forces, and US Forces, only will prove t be detrimental to the morale of the fighting man as well as the mission itself. Wth the risk of being arrested later on, operators will be be less likely to take prisoners alive. They would rather kill in a deadly engagement than attempt an apprehension. They may even hesitate on the trigger. Instead of subduing a subject during a scuffle, the operator will hold back and put his life in even more danger. As the intelligence dries up because more potential intelligence sources are being killed in raids, the enemy will kill more American soldiers. The whole situation will spiral into a deadly vicious and unstoppable circle.
This only is in line with the past thirty years with regards to the United States and their sensibilitieas. The American public would rather see a good police officer go to trial and prison for a questionable shoot than to see a prisoner mishandled. We place more value on the lives who endanger our society, rather tan the brave servants who provide that nblanket of security. We see more officers being killed in the line of duty. We see a slow breakdown of law and order because law enforcement officers are fearful of public reprisals.
Why should we be surprised when this mentality moved against the military who guard our borders and execute our national security interests overseas? In the age of mass media, satellite communications and live television news broadcasts, this is the liberal weak stomached society coming full circle. Stomachs turned when eighteen rangers and operators were killed in Somalia, even though they kicked ass and took names. Our president refused to allow our aviators to fly lower than 10,000 feet over the former Yugoslavia for fear of them being shot down. Our president also refused to endanger American lives when thousands were being killed by the genocide in Rwanda and Central Africa...see the circle? See the pattern.
The liberal left actually fear ourselves more than we fear the enemy. They fear that we will win the war on terror more than they fear the destruction of our way of life. For it is no longer their way of life. Their way of life is the UN and the Global Village, with hug fests, peace marches and one big happy family. They value the World Court more than they value our own way of life. Through the degredation of all of our standards and traditions, the removal of "under God" from the Pledge of allegiance, the complete watering down of all things American, I wonder what the liberal left actually view as being American.
And now more American lives will be in danger. More soldiers will be killed as they get one hand tied behind their back. Less will re-enlist. Less will actually sign on that line for fear of the future. I do not doubt that there are many who would refuse to fight for American. But how many would fight with the knowledge that they could be charged for their actions while saving lives in a war? I wouldn't. So we will see a reverberating loss of will and reverberating lowered morale across the Military.
Tell me something, though. They call te sexually explotive pictures of American soldiers atrocities. They call the treatment of some prisoners war crimes. They call the holding of enemy combatants in Gitmo as illegal. What do they call 9/11? Have we forgotten so soon the loss that we have endured? Have they forgotten so soon what we are fighting for? Have we forgotten so soon that our very way of life hangs in the balance?
Make no mistake I don't think we should be shooting out knee caps, pulling our finger nails or forcing prisoners to endure water torture. But if the United States public cannot stomach the thought of our soldiers doing what is necessary to save lives, then I wonder if they will have the stomach to endure the trials that will be required to win this war that we have found ourselves in.
I fear that they will not.
This flabbergasts me because of the whole situation. Navy SEALs have a higher rate for bringing in actual terrorists who possess actual actionable intelligence when they go on raids. They bring this intelligence in at an increased risk to themselves. Raiding a house with the intent to capture and bring in alive the terrorists is a much more dangerous task that throwing in a grenade or hosing down the place before going in. The SEALs have a conviction rate somewhere near 75-90% while the rest of the military has a rate somewhere near 20-30%. See the difference?
So now with the fallout of the Abu Ghraib scandal where senior army officers were derelict in their duty, they are looking for scapegoats. They are looking for any situation where there may have been an inkling of impropriety. The high-profile SEALs were a perfect target for them. They are carrying out more dangerous raids, with a higher optempo and most of their detainees are living. The dead tell no tales.
This widespread cover your ass mentality from USCENTCOM, V Corps, Multinational Forces, and US Forces, only will prove t be detrimental to the morale of the fighting man as well as the mission itself. Wth the risk of being arrested later on, operators will be be less likely to take prisoners alive. They would rather kill in a deadly engagement than attempt an apprehension. They may even hesitate on the trigger. Instead of subduing a subject during a scuffle, the operator will hold back and put his life in even more danger. As the intelligence dries up because more potential intelligence sources are being killed in raids, the enemy will kill more American soldiers. The whole situation will spiral into a deadly vicious and unstoppable circle.
This only is in line with the past thirty years with regards to the United States and their sensibilitieas. The American public would rather see a good police officer go to trial and prison for a questionable shoot than to see a prisoner mishandled. We place more value on the lives who endanger our society, rather tan the brave servants who provide that nblanket of security. We see more officers being killed in the line of duty. We see a slow breakdown of law and order because law enforcement officers are fearful of public reprisals.
Why should we be surprised when this mentality moved against the military who guard our borders and execute our national security interests overseas? In the age of mass media, satellite communications and live television news broadcasts, this is the liberal weak stomached society coming full circle. Stomachs turned when eighteen rangers and operators were killed in Somalia, even though they kicked ass and took names. Our president refused to allow our aviators to fly lower than 10,000 feet over the former Yugoslavia for fear of them being shot down. Our president also refused to endanger American lives when thousands were being killed by the genocide in Rwanda and Central Africa...see the circle? See the pattern.
The liberal left actually fear ourselves more than we fear the enemy. They fear that we will win the war on terror more than they fear the destruction of our way of life. For it is no longer their way of life. Their way of life is the UN and the Global Village, with hug fests, peace marches and one big happy family. They value the World Court more than they value our own way of life. Through the degredation of all of our standards and traditions, the removal of "under God" from the Pledge of allegiance, the complete watering down of all things American, I wonder what the liberal left actually view as being American.
And now more American lives will be in danger. More soldiers will be killed as they get one hand tied behind their back. Less will re-enlist. Less will actually sign on that line for fear of the future. I do not doubt that there are many who would refuse to fight for American. But how many would fight with the knowledge that they could be charged for their actions while saving lives in a war? I wouldn't. So we will see a reverberating loss of will and reverberating lowered morale across the Military.
Tell me something, though. They call te sexually explotive pictures of American soldiers atrocities. They call the treatment of some prisoners war crimes. They call the holding of enemy combatants in Gitmo as illegal. What do they call 9/11? Have we forgotten so soon the loss that we have endured? Have they forgotten so soon what we are fighting for? Have we forgotten so soon that our very way of life hangs in the balance?
Make no mistake I don't think we should be shooting out knee caps, pulling our finger nails or forcing prisoners to endure water torture. But if the United States public cannot stomach the thought of our soldiers doing what is necessary to save lives, then I wonder if they will have the stomach to endure the trials that will be required to win this war that we have found ourselves in.
I fear that they will not.
posted by Jim at 9/25/2004 01:56:00 PM
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