May 31 2006
Haditha
America is going to be facing a tough period on the Hadith incident in Iraq. There is always the possibility in war things get out of control. After years of being attacked and seeing the brutality of the Islamo-fascists good people can crack and make tragic decisions. The one thing I want to say at this early juncture is this: don’t play demi-god like Murtha did. We don’t know the facts. We need to investigate this and do what is right. If, and this is a big if right now, something horrible was done by these US Marines then it was not in our name or with our blessing. And it doesn’t negate all the good and sacrifice done in Iraq by 100’s of thousands of others. This is a serious issue because a lot of apparently innocent people where killed. We will bring justice to this. And we should not let it taint anyone but those who lost control. This is the tough job we took on. We may have to face the fact some of us did a horrible thing. That doesn’t make us horrible. Unless of course we too throw away are system of justice and our principles and start rampantly speculating and rumor mongering. Details are coming when the time is right and the information is verified.
The less than .06% solution…I will not succomb to the babble on yet unproved and yet to be adjudicated results of this “situation”. But I will hold steadfast in the view that “if” something has had the wheels of something has horribly fell off the move forward, I have no doubt that appropriate measures will be taken.
I know that in our current mode , every last soldier and airman and sailor is being told prior to deployment in times repeating mind deadening repetition that political implications of any actions they take they must consider the overall good.
Perhaps this is an overreaction to abu gharib and the negative view it blew up into both here and abroad. But still I know this had to be part and parcel to any briefings of those deploying to the operational area where these people were going.
Still something MAY have gone wrong… time will tell. But I have no qualms that if something did go wrong that it will be dealt with. However saying that, I know that this may be satisfactory to us in the appropriate correction of any realized wrong, if it is proved to be true, the fallout will be widespread and harmful.
I am making no prior judgements here, unlike the press. I am just forward looking at potential impacts of the worst case condition.
I still say that if you assume the worse, we should still not be distracted from our overall goal of stabilizing the mideast in a reasonable democratic society. I am also well enough grounded to regonize that even a democratic form of government does not assure an effortless future with an unlasting thankful friend will be the nation of that result. The people of Iraq have thier own issues and agenda for thier future. We may be providing a vehicle for their enablement, but if any believes we are in total control of the outcome, is in my view, less than realistic. We do what we can and hope for the best. I keep my fingers crossed and look optimistically forward, but as any pragmatic person would do, I also look at the potential downside.
All those looking thru the lens of thier agenda may have a future of disappointment and teeth nashing to deal with. Well this turn of events, should it occur is on them.
Any hope of trying to get a view on this from an agenda driven press is hopeless. Even the blogs have so much reach. I can only hope and pray and rely on the greater good of the common man enablement. First hand sources are scarce and lacking. But I tend to root for the underdog. We will see what happens, it will play out in time.
I agree 100% with both AJ and Merlin0s2. I HOPE this incident didn’t happen. I also would wish that people like Murtha would just shut up until the “truth” is finally known. I feel like what he is doing is as much against the interests of America as what may have occurred in Iraq. If anyone deserves the benefits of the American ideals of innocent until proven guilty, an American Military person that has volunteered his life to insure us that benefit certainly is entitled.
Haditha Investigation Results To Be Public…
The White House says that the results of the Haditha investigation will be made public once the investigation is completed. Of course that hasn’t stopped everyone and their favorite congressman from chiming in on what happened and making definitive s….
I agree with all you guys. I just feel bad that good men will be slandered because of this.
Something bad happened at Haditha, and civilians were killed. We don’t know how many.
That’s all we know for sure. It’s enough to feel bad about.
But what infuriates me is the irresposnsible pronouncements that a massacre happened. At best, they have compromised the military justice system, at worst, they have smeared people who made horrible mistakes in the heat of a combat situation.