How do we get over watching a young marine justify killing 24 civilians....

[madfloridian]

and know that he was sent there based on lies. The people who sent him there bear some of the shame.

I absolutely nearly feel apart watching 60 minutes, and looking at his eyes. In his mind he did what he had to do in a scary situation. He justifies what he did.

How does a country get over this kind of thing when even the opposition party here is saying we will leave troops there to watch out for America's interests? How welcome do you think we will be after scenes like Haditha play out throughout Iraq? How do we protect that military some want to leave there? By killing more Iraqis to protect ourselves while protecting our assets? It is their country, not ours.

Is it harder for those of us who are older and remember Vietnam? I watched it unbelieving tonight. He is most likely to bear the immediate blame, but those who are saying we need to stay there bear that blame as well.

Marine: Haditha was Justified

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - A Marine staff sergeant charged with unpremeditated murder in the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha admitted firing at five unarmed Iraqi men, but said in an interview that it was justified.

Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich, 26, spoke publicly for the first time about the events of Nov. 19, 2005, in an interview with the CBS' "60 Minutes," scheduled for broadcast Sunday night.

Wuterich said he was justified in firing at the men because he had identified them as military-age males in a car close to where a roadside bomb had just detonated, killing one of Wuterich's squad. He said they tried to run from the car, instead of obeying an order not to.

Tell me how to get over the anger about this war and act like it is politics as usual. How do we cope with knowing this is only 24 in hundreds of thousands? How do we justify being there in their country?

[tech3149]

1. There is no getting over it

unless your dead. I think the best thing to do is channel the rage and sadness to do something to make a change.

[madfloridian]

2. We do all we can.

Rallying, phone calls, writing letters and emails. No one really listens.

[Dhalgren]

3. I hate to say it and I know that many here will jump all over me for saying it.

The Democratic Party does not appear to be the answer to our problems. They are attacking the Republicans and that is good, because the Republicans are the main cause of where we find ourselves, right now. But the Democrats seem to be unwilling to do what is necessary to end this unparalleled crime the US is perpetrating in Iraq. The very idea that the Democrats have suggested that we wait until Bush is practically out of office to end this murderous, illegal, occupation is enough to make me cry. We have to do something else. If the Democrats are not willing to do what is needed, then we have to do something else - something that does not include the Democrats or their Republican brethren...

[SharonAnn]

4. The Democratic Party is closer to the answer to our problems than any other party.

And, our elected officials listen and they will respond.

Change like this, being in the middle of a war, fighting the right-wing at home, having to keep what's left of our government running, holding hearings, prosecuting wrong-doing, and developing the policies for improvement and getting them passed into legislative acts is a lot of work to do. And I have no doubt they'll do it. Just don't expect it all, overnight.

Remember, the Executive Office is still holding the cards on Foreign Policy until the Legislative Branch gets a chance to participate. And they have to create that chance against a determined White House.

[Dhalgren]

5. There are always reasons for going along with the Republican jihad.

If the Democrats were, as a whole, seriously opposed to Bush's Empire, they would do more than they are doing. Every day that is wasted means more lives wasted and more innocent blood spilled. This isn't politics, this is murder...

[IndianaGreen]

7. Our political institutions have failed us. They did not impeach when the evidence demanded it.

They did not vote against the war and, once they found that Bush had lied about WMD, they failed to hold him accountable.

The American people gave control of Congress to the Democrats, and what are they getting for their trust? Excuses!

It is immoral and it is a crime to let this war go on until Bush leaves office. It is the height of betrayal to keep troops and bases in Iraq after January 20, 2009.

[INdemo]

11. Congress cannot conduct foreign policy.

their hands are tied.They are passing legislation setting a date for troop withdrawal but whats the use? It will be vetoed..
Congress can do very little except cut funding and then the Corporate media starts the propaganda campaign that funding cuts will not provide current ground troops with equipment,which is totally untrue..
Those funds have already been appropriated.
I think for the most part the majority of Americans understand what this Congress is up against.

[INdemo]

6. I believed his story .....that is ..he was told and was trained that in a

hostile situation or hostile zone,to shoot and ask questions later. If he saw men running from a car right after one of his fellow soldiers was blown to bits and he opens fire or men running into a house and he kicks the door in and throws a grenade,well thats what he was trained to do.I think his mind set was focused on what he was trained to do and being rational in a split second decision making process?......... well the training(combat brainwashing)took over and that is why he reacted the way he did.

[Dhalgren]

8. I've had combat training and I know many on this board have too.

Shooting unarmed men, following them into a house (or houses) and killing everyone inside is not combat training. It may have been fear or anger or blood-lust, but it wasn't combat training. There is never an excuse for killing unarmed civilians - it just means somebody fucked-up. If this soldier is saying that killing a house full of civilians is "ok", then he is not relying on his combat training for the "ok"...

[INdemo]

9. Where was the Junior officer that should have been on this mission?

Why was an inexperienced soldier in this type of combat situation be in charge without a Junior officer along?
True this soldier didnt have the right to shoot civilians but the men running after a bomb exploded,well he could have been ordered to react that way by his superiors..Im not making excuses for this guy but it just seems like even though they didnt pull the trigger there are officers that should shoulder some of the responsibility of this incident.

[qwlauren35]

10. Channel Your Anger.

There's nothing wrong with being angry. It's healthy. Look for ways to use it.

On the LOCAL level, get involved politically, supporting and grooming YOUNG candidates for whom you see a future that could head to Congress.

Speak to the youth around you, and encourage them to be part of the process. We need the youth in so many ways, because they use media like the Internet, that reach across state borders. Because they are mobile, and can take more risks, and can step away from school or college or a temporary job, and get involved in politics for a few months. Because they have the energy to go door-to-door, registering voters AND talking candidly about politics.

And then, talk to peers and others about responding to our youth.

I say these things because there are efforts being made that just don't seem to be working. We've tried protesting, we've tried letter writing... what we truly need is to mobilize from the bottom up, and reach out to those who feel helpless and unempowered, to show them what THEY can do.

I am convinced that the things I see that are messed up in this country will take years to fix. Some of us won't be alive to see it. But if we work with young people, we can help them take back this country for the future, and maybe we'll be able to see the pendulum swing, and the repair begun.