Fallouja Insurgents Fought Under Influence of Drugs, Marines Say

[clem_c_rock]

Boy are they getting desparate w/ this pathetic propaganda attempt.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraqdrugs13jan13.story

<snippit>
FALLOUJA, Iraq — Although the ferocity of insurgents is generally attributed to religious fervor and a hatred of America, Marines who participated in the November assault on Fallouja say many of their foes also had something else to bolster their tenacity: drugs.

The Marines say they found numerous stockpiles of needles and drugs such as adrenaline and amphetamines while battling insurgents in the fiercest urban combat waged by U.S. forces since the Vietnam War.

In some homes used by insurgents, crack pipes were found, the Marines say.

Senior U.S. military officials in Iraq said that some of the drug caches discovered during the Fallouja offensive had an estimated street value of several thousand dollars.
</snippit>

[SnowGoose]

1. So do American Pilots.

If memory serves, it was even used as a defense in a 'friendly fire' incident.

[daleo]

16. Yes, when the Canadian troops were bombed in Afghanistan.

There may be plenty of other cases as well.

[clem_c_rock]

18. it serves you well. But you know, it was just a bunch of Canadians.

Who got in the way of freedom

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

2. War on Drugs = War or Terror

ahhh, so we invaded Iraq to keep its population safe from drugs!!!!

[RuleofLaw]

3. Can you say BS?

First, how does the military know that these houses where used by insurgents? I would imagine in a town of a little over 300,000 people, that there might be one or two crack heads. Second, I am wondering if this 'discovery" is to cover up for something else:

"Marines say the information prompted them to change their strategy.

"On the second day of the fight, word came down to focus on head shots, that body shots were not good enough," said 1st Lt. Tim Strabbing, a platoon leader with the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, one of the lead units in the assault to oust the insurgents. The battalion, known as the Thundering Third, suffered 23 dead and 300 wounded.

Strabbing said his platoon found five locations with stockpiles of needles and adrenaline. "My guys put five rounds into a guy who just stood there and took it and then took off running," he said."


The way I read this is that the order was to shoot to kill. No prisoners. Another possible war crime.

[Judi Lynn]

13. This is so transparent, from another angle!

What if they are starting to worry the home crowd is seeing them as cruel and sadistic? This quote:

"My guys put five rounds into a guy who just stood there and took it and then took off running,"

would lead someone to think, "Gee, he didn't even feel it. Guess it's not SO bad if we shoot them to kingdom come, if it doesn't hurt them, being zoned out on drugs, f'r crissakes!"

If we are living under the assumption they are all dope fiends, heavily drugged, yet fully functional in war, we might not be as tempted to feel as much sympathy for these guys we're killing for no reason at all....

[daleo]

17. Maybe the resistance got hold of body armor

"My guys put five rounds into a guy who just stood there and took it and then took off running," he said."

Body armor would be a better explanation, perhaps stolen from U.S. supplies or Iraqi allies of the U.S. forces. Or maybe taken from dead U.S. troops. The military probably doesn't want to admit to this possibility, so this drug story was cooked up.

[SweetLeftFoot]

20. Crack in Iraq ...

jesus, what a load of shite.

[MADem]

39. Yeah, my first thought too....n/t

[olddad56]

47. there could be crack in Iraq...

after all, it is the CIA that controls the import of crack into this country.

[SweetLeftFoot]

56. I doubt it

Highly

[jukes]

30. this same b/s propaganda line

was used about the moros in the phillipines, and many other groups by others @ other Xs. this has been mistakenly used to explain the US army adopting the .45 automatic as it's service sidearm.

this time it's being used to explain away the enemy's conviction and tenacity; it's because they're stoners, not cause they're RIGHT!

we've had the "baby-head bashing" story, and the "drug-crazed infidel" story; what's next for psyops, the "raped-nun" story or the "machinegunners chained to their weapons" story?

[TryingToWarnYou]

34. Couple of things to consider and remember...

One, you can shoot someone a bunch of times...if you dont hit a vital organ or cause rapid, catastrophic blood loss, they are going to keep on going until pain wears them down or they go in shock.

Two, while most of us agree that this is a bad situation over there, it is still a war. If you are being fired upon, you fire back and you are trained to kill that other person, not wound them. Wounded people can kill you.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

36. Wow! Superman is on the insurgents' side!

Not surprising really, since he's an ethical kind of guy.

[NCN007]

52. Shooting to kill an armed combatant is not a war crime n/t

[atreides1]

4. So, USAF Pilots use speed too

So the insurgents were using speed, just like USAF pilots do.
This gave them the ability to keep on fighting without rest, and when you use speed and combine it with religious fervor and patriotism, you get an enemy that will not surrender.

An enemy that will die for their beliefs, and in the process take as many US troops with them.

[clem_c_rock]

9. Very true - one point though

99% of these people are not fueled by religious ferver and patriotism. Our propaganda machine wants us to believe that all people fighting back are extremist.

Guess what, the bottom line that they don't want us to realize is these are poeple fighting to protect their homes against an invading force.

Period.

[atreides1]

19. Point Taken

But isn't part of being a patriot also fighting to protect your home and your family against an invader.

The insurgents have many reasons as to why they fight, some fight for religious reasons, some fight for love of country, some fight to bring back the "good old days". So while I disagree with your 99%, I understand what your trying to say.

[clem_c_rock]

24. So when arabs fight an occupation hit has to be linked to fanaticism?

Why do we have to keep linking fighting an invading country w/ religion?

A simple law that is as unarguable as the law of gravity:

You invade a country = people will fight back.

It will be so until the end of time.

[atreides1]

37. Not Just Arabs, Read Some History and Learn

But the reasons that people fight back are as diverse as the people fighting, why did the Zealots fight the Romans, one reason was because of religious beliefs, why did the French have so many diverse political groups resisting the Germans, love of country.

So you see, religion, patriotism, protecting your home and family, all of these are reasons why people fight back when they are invaded.

[clem_c_rock]

46. It just seems you're buying into this idea that arab=extremist

I don't buy this sh** at all. It's as stupid as saying American=Ku Klux Klan member.

In other words, the % of arabs extremist, if there were to be an accurate assessment, would be such a tiny percentage it would blow people's minds.

Now speaking of history let's look at Iraq:

1920 - British ivade Iraq w/ over 600,000 troops in the name
of oil. Puppet regime headed by King Fassel and son are propped
up and rule Iraq for the next 30+ years. King Fassel is paid up
to $800,000 a month to protect British oil rights.

1963 - Popular leader, Abel Kassem is assasinated in a bloody CIA backed
coup.

1968 - Our favorite psychopath, Saddam Hussein is fully installed w/ the
help of the CIA. The US fully supports Saddam for the next 30+
years, including the years where he gassed the Kurds.

-Then we have the Sanctions that were rabidly enforced by the US and British.

Then we have this current mess.

Now, my guess is that, a good deal of Iraqi's know their history and the Western involvement. A good deal of Iraqi's also know about Western involvement in Muslim countries.

With all this taken into account, I will still back up my original assertion 99% of the resistance is trying to protect their homeland and to get Western powers out of their lives - For Once!

Can you F***ing blame them!?

[NYC]

31. Surrender? Why would anyone surrender?

He could wind up in Abu Ghraib.

[Ganja Ninja]

5. They've tried to peddle this lie before.

It's just bullshit and why the hell is the LA Times aiding and abetting this lying white house by reprinting this crap. It belongs in the circular file in the corner.

[underpants]

6. Yes they have- they are trying to create NEW 10 foot monster soldiers

just like back in the cold war. Gee oh yeah that's right they still are fighting the cold war (per O'Niell's book) and the have an expert on board too

[Massachusetts]

10. Whoa, thats one scary picture!

[Ganja Ninja]

28. Condi needs a laxative. n/t

[MADem]

40. Aisle FIVE!!!! n/t

[montana_hazeleyes]

48. Almost every photo I've seen

of Condi she looks so disgruntled and mad. I wonder if she ever lightens up. Just an observance.

[NCN007]

53. I think she needs to get some

[Dr Fate]

7. Far out man- were they playing their "Jerry" bootlegs too?

I...see...colors...maaaaan...

[underpants]

8. LOL

Jerry? as in Garcia? Isn't he that Cuban fella?

[Dr.Phool]

11. Same bullshit they said about the Vietnamese

A drug cache worth several thousand dollars? I used to keep more than that in my bedroom before I got busted 20 years ago.

[Malikshah]

12. OOOOhhhh they're Assassins...

from the word Hashish...

ooooohhhhh.....

christ in a bucket, this is pathetic.

[LeftCoast]

14. Reefer Madness meets Lawrence of Arabia

:eyes:

[IA_Seth]

32. Reefer Madness

I have that on DVD...sure puts the past into perspective when you watch it.

Funny stuff.

[daleo]

15. Two words - Go pills. n/t

[Malva Zebrina]

21. Same in Somalia

in Mark Bowdens book, Black Hawk Down, he mentions that a leaf called "kat was chewed by the Somalian fighters just before a confrontation.

http://www.somalilandtimes.net/2003/76/7609.shtml

[SweetLeftFoot]

22. Khat

Most male Somalians chew kaht all day.

[leftchick]

23. it is so transparent...

I almost posted this story ealier today but just couldn't.It is pure Military propaganda.

[ckramer]

25. Why shouldn't they try everything on earth before they go see Allah?

Drugs, whores, wines, cheese, porno movie, whatever

[radric]

26. Maybe those 72 virgins will show up too..

[IA_Seth]

33. I expect a "/sarcasm" here?!

[bobbyboucher]

55. Don't expect it.

He thinks he's sliding under the radar, but he's as obvious as daylight.

[Seemann For Congress]

27. Next week....

Next week's quote from the White House;

"We have located their dealer and have captured stockpiles of Uppers Of Mass Destruction."

The following week's quote from the White House, following reports that no UMDs were actually found;

"Based on intelligence we recieved elsewhere, we have concluded that they did have programs of Uppers of Mass Destruction. Furthermore, we believe that they were trying to obtain materials to build a meth lab."

The following week's quote from the White House, after it's been proven that no meth labs were being developed.

"The world is a safer place without Wavy Gravy in charge of Iraq."

[shadowknows69]

29. well everyone knows crack is a black inner city problem

so it must be those terrorist crack dealers supplying the insurgents with drugs. so from here on all drug offenders in the USA will be considered enemy combatants and sent to camp gitmo for a glorious life-long holiday. Simply staggering the tripe they'll attempt to feed us.

[David__77]

35. Most armies do use drugs for combat purposes.

It can be very useful. How else is one to stay awake for three days?

[Redstone]

38. This is the lamest propaganda I've seen

in a while. For Christ's sake, couldn't our propaganda machine come up with ANYTHING better than this?

And, of course, nobody in the ranks of our All-American, sanctified, well-scrubbed, bible-totin' baby-kissin' church-goin' old-lady-across-the-street-helpin' Boy Scouts of soldiers would ever in their lives even think about using none a them illegal drugs.

Gosh sakes, no sir, not our boys (and girls), gee whillikers!

Things were pretty hairy in Viet Nam, and we sure didn't do none a them drugs over there. Nope, didn't need 'em; me and the guys would just chat about how we were Defending Democracy and Preserving Freedom for a while, and we always felt better.

It's only them crazed Mooslem fanaticals what does that. What animals.

Redstone

[Fovea]

41. I strongly suspect the crack pipe story

That is American paraphenalia, for a drug that is not widely used elsewhere, last I heard.

[hector459]

42. The native do not smoke crack in a pipe.

this story is suspect.

[Eloriel]

45. The folks who have the coke connnections are CIA, remember?

Plus why would they use crack here, with the world's biggest (and probably finest) heroin fields just right next door.

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

49. Crack ="American" thing--also Americans are given speed for combat

it's a Fact that they gave out "energy pills" to the soldiers during the initial invasion--

[punpirate]

43. Asked a friend in nursing...

... about the adrenaline bit. Concurs that there's a good possibility with self-administration of adrenaline of going into serious tachycardia. Also said additional adrenaline would cause one to bleed more quickly, hastening death if wounded.

That said, I'd believe the use of speed. As others have mentioned, our own pilots self-medicate both uppers and downers. And, lots of people had wondered how German tanks could have travelled 2-1/2 days without rest breaks in the Blitzkrieg of Poland... the supposition was that the personnel were wired on that new German wunderdrug--amphetamines.

[purduejake]

44. I'd probably use drugs in their situation as well...

And I'm not a bad person.

[shadowknows69]

50. hell yeah

anything I could get my hands on

[gardenista]

51. Hmmm... must mean new, viable allegations of US troop drug use

will be coming out soon.

[riverwalker]

54. "the ferocity of insurgents"

is how people fight when their entire families have been slaughtered in front of their eyes. Crack pipes my arse. Besides, wasn't Fallujah a city under seige? Even food and medicine was not getting into the city for weeks before the offensive. Yet they had "crack pipes"? C'mon.