The Insanity of the U.S. Military's Rules of Engagement

[Adam's Apple]

How much more stupid can this country get? These guys are fighting a WAR for goodness sakes! Anyone happen to see Luttrell's interview on Fox cable this week?

Death by Rules of Engagement
By Diana West
August 17, 2007

Now that Marcus Luttrell's book, "Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10," is a national bestseller, maybe Americans are ready to start a discussion about the core issue his story brings to light: the inverted morality and insanity of U.S. military rules of engagement.

http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/DianaWest/2007/08/17/death_by_the_rules_of_engagement Scroll down to Diana West

 

[ReillyT]

How much more stupid can this country get? These guys are fighting a WAR for goodness sakes! Anyone happen to see Luttrell's interview on Fox cable this week?

Death by Rules of Engagement
By Diana West
August 17, 2007

Now that Marcus Luttrell's book, "Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10," is a national bestseller, maybe Americans are ready to start a discussion about the core issue his story brings to light: the inverted morality and insanity of U.S. military rules of engagement.

http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/DianaWest/2007/08/17/death_by_the_rules_of_engagement Scroll down to Diana West

It is an unfortunate situation, but I agree with the rules of engagement. I don't think it would have been appropriate to murder "three unarmed Afghan goatherds, one a teenager... [who] would probably alert the Taliban to the their whereabouts." Maybe it is just me, but I am squarely against murdering innocents when it can be avoided. Also, as a practical matter, I can't envision winning the Afghan population over if we start murdering (not just killing through unavoidable collateral damage) their unarmed civilians.

 

[Ruby]

Is this where we start trying to rationalize cold blooded murder and targeting innocent civilians?

Disgusting!

 

[dilloduck]

Is this where we start trying to rationalize cold blooded murder and targeting innocent civilians?

Disgusting!

No---that was already done by bin laden and his cult and approved by everyone who even slightly insinuates that his victims on several continents "had it coming".

 

[ReillyT]

No---that was already done by bin laden and his cult and approved by everyone who even slightly insinuates that his victims on several continents "had it coming".

That was kind of random.

 

[Ruby]

No---that was already done by bin laden and his cult and approved by everyone who even slightly insinuates that his victims on several continents "had it coming".

The article is attempting to make a case for deliberately murdering innocent civilians who get in our way.....and instead of dealing with that, you just come up with nonsense.

Again, you fail to deal with the actual issues and use some strawman argument for your own convenience. Its transparent.

 

[Larkinn]

No---that was already done by bin laden and his cult and approved by everyone who even slightly insinuates that his victims on several continents "had it coming".

Ah so bin laden did it so we can do it? What fabulous morals you have there.

 

[dilloduck]

The article is attempting to make a case for deliberately murdering innocent civilians who get in our way.....and instead of dealing with that, you just come up with nonsense.

Again, you fail to deal with the actual issues and use some strawman argument for your own convenience. Its transparent.

I understand fully---innocent civilians were in bin ladens' way. He murdered them. His apologists, Ward Churchill and you, seem to believe that these civilians are victims or US foreign policy. Al Qaeda and other extremist use the old "kill all the innocents" quite frequently in Iraq SIMPLY FOR THE FEAR AND OUTRAGE it causes. The problem is that people don't hold them accountable. Why do you give them a free pass to kill innocent they feel like killing ? Why to you try to expalin that when they kill innocents it is the natural result of something the US did?

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Is this where we start trying to rationalize cold blooded murder and targeting innocent civilians?

Disgusting!

What? According to you we already do that, even though it is perfectly clear we do no such thing.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

The article is attempting to make a case for deliberately murdering innocent civilians who get in our way.....and instead of dealing with that, you just come up with nonsense.

Again, you fail to deal with the actual issues and use some strawman argument for your own convenience. Its transparent.

I repeat, you already claim we are doing just that. Which is it?

 

[dilloduck]

I repeat, you already claim we are doing just that. Which is it?

Al qaeda---rape and pillage---good
America---rape and pillage---bad.

the logic is really pretty simple RGS

 

[Diuretic]

Al qaeda---rape and pillage---good
America---rape and pillage---bad.

the logic is really pretty simple RGS

Very simple indeed.

 

[Ruby]

I understand fully---innocent civilians were in bin ladens' way. He murdered them. His apologists, Ward Churchill and you, seem to believe that these civilians are victims or US foreign policy. Al Qaeda and other extremist use the old "kill all the innocents" quite frequently in Iraq SIMPLY FOR THE FEAR AND OUTRAGE it causes. The problem is that people don't hold them accountable. Why do you give them a free pass to kill innocent they feel like killing ? Why to you try to expalin that when they kill innocents it is the natural result of something the US did?

While our own foreign policy is definitely one of the root causes of the violence and conflict that dosent mean that Al quada or any group have a right to target and kill innocent people.

Find for me any statement that I made that says Al quada were within their right to commit any of the terrorist acts they committed or Forgotten. Let me know when I said ANYONE has a right to target innocent people and murder them.

The fact that you need to lie is a good indication on the weakness of your position.

 

[Ruby]

What? According to you we already do that, even though it is perfectly clear we do no such thing.

Yes we do. I dont know how you can say bombing residential areas isnt murdering innocent civilians.

We do try to spin it because our morals tell us this is wrong, this is our standard. Instead of moving to an open acceptance of a new moral that ALLOWS us to kill innocents I would rather we FACE what we do and actually feel the right sense of remorse and horror and STOP doing it.

 

[Ruby]

Al qaeda---rape and pillage---good
America---rape and pillage---bad.

the logic is really pretty simple RGS

Please show anyones statement that says Al qaeda can rape and pillage and its GOOD. Then after you have done that, you can take it up with that person.

Or maybe you just lie and create arguments no one ever made so you can knock down those fictional arguments in some lame effort to appear "right". You know.... your normal lying and strawman tactics.

 

[eots]

Immortal Technique

if another country invaded the hood tonight
It'd be warfare through Harlem, and Washington Heights
I wouldn't be fightin' for Bush or White America's dream
I'd be fightin' for my people's survival and self-esteem
I wouldn't fight for racist churches from the south, my nigga
I'd be fightin' to keep the occupation out, my nigga
You ever clock someone who talk shit, or look at you wrong?
Imagine if they shot at you, and was rapin' your moms
And of course Saddam Hussein had chemical weapons
We sold him that shit, after Ronald Reagan's election

 

[dilloduck]

While our own foreign policy is definitely one of the root causes of the violence.

bullshit-----Our foreign policy didn NOT cause Bin Laden and his cult to kill innocent civilians. He and his "followers" are responsible for what they do---again, you make excuses for his murderous behavior.

 

[dilloduck]

Please show anyones statement that says Al qaeda can rape and pillage and its GOOD. Then after you have done that, you can take it up with that person.

Or maybe you just lie and create arguments no one ever made so you can knock down those fictional arguments in some lame effort to appear "right". You know.... your normal lying and strawman tactics.

you won't even hold them responsible;

our own foreign policy is definitely one of the root causes of the violence

 

[ReillyT]

bullshit-----Our foreign policy didn NOT cause Bin Laden and his cult to kill innocent civilians. He and his "followers" are responsible for what they do---again, you make excuses for his murderous behavior.

Islamic terrorists' extremism doesn't have a single cause, and I am quite sure that Ruby has never suggested such.

You are confusing "making excuses for" with attempting to explain the reasons for. Nobody is saying AQ was justified in their actions, but to pretend that previous US foreign policy has absolutely nothing to do with extremist attitudes against the US is silly. Even if one feels that US policy has been correct in the past, that doesn't mean that some of its unitended consequences might not include the increase of hostility by Islamic terrorists towards the US.

 

[dilloduck]

Islamic terrorists' extremism doesn't have a single cause, and I am quite sure that Ruby has never suggested such.

You are confusing "making excuses for" with attempting to explain the reasons for. Nobody is saying AQ was justified in their actions, but to pretend that previous US foreign policy has absolutely nothing to do with extremist attitudes against the US is silly. Even if one feels that US policy has been correct in the past, that doesn't mean that some of its unitended consequences might not include the increase of hostility by Islamic terrorists towards the US.

Attempt to rationalize the intentional killing of civilians is nonsense. There is absolutely nothing that makes this behavior tolerable.