The difference between Qana and My Lai is?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

"My Lai lay in the South Vietnamese district of Son My, a heavily mined area where the Vietcong were deeply entrenched. Numerous members of Charlie Company had been maimed or killed in the area during the preceding weeks. The agitated troops, under the command of Lt. William Calley, entered the village poised for engagement with their elusive enemy."

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed "great sorrow" for the airstrikes but blamed Hezbollah guerrillas for using the area to launch rockets at Israel.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. US weapons used in both

innocent women and children died in both
US hands are bloody in both
war crimes were committed on both

[NYCGirl]

2. My Lai was done face to face. NT

[genie_weenie]

3. Do you feel or think this is somehow different from

previous wars?

I'm just curious. Because I can not think of any war where civilians weren't either deliberately targeted or "accidentally" killed.

This is war.

[Toots]

5. Ain't war grand though? It will solve all the world's problems

"USA USA USA USA,, We Don't Care,, We Don't Care,,We Don't Care" Or also the Freepers say "Just give War a Chance"

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. No. Which is why I'm anti-war.

“What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy.” - Gandhi

[FloridaPat]

10. I am starting to wonder how many other wars were started because

of lies and egos.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. When Cain whacked Abel, he blamed Abel.

He was pissed off be bacause God liked Abel better.

I think that qualifies as "ego".

There hasn't been much change in the justifications for war since. An endless chorus of "But, mom, he made me do it he made me hit him."

[genie_weenie]

12. I'm always reminded of Dalton Trumbo and Smedly Butler

Did anybody ever come back from the dead any single one of the millions who got killed did any one of them ever come back and say by god I'm glad I'm dead because death is always better than dishonor? Did they say I'm glad I died to make the world safe for democracy?

War is a racket.

Of course, this is why the Regime has made their primary effort winning the War in the US. The US is the main focus.

[itzamirakul]

4. Olmert's blaming of the Lebanese for the deaths in Qana this

morning reeks. It is absolutely obscene. To place the blame for this bombing on the Lebanese is to say that they love their children less than the Israelis love theirs. It is this disgusting pissing in our faces and telling us that it is raining that makes me so angry. Otherwise, I don't have a "favorite" in this war. I just want to see a fair and lasting peace but it doesn't appear as though the participants in this battle feel the same way.

[acmejack]

7. We admitted My Lai was a war crime.

Israel & their supporters consider the killing of the women and children of Qana to be their divine right. I would say it is a substantial difference.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. Only after an effort to cover it up.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/03/98/mylai/64640.stm

It took more than a year for the shocking story of the My Lai massacre to reach the news stands.

Efforts had been made to cover up the atrocity from day one. Charlie Company's Captain Ernest Medina, who was on the ground at My Lai, realised that news of the events could cause trouble.

Despite witnessing at least 100 bodies, when questioned by a superior close to the scene, he maintained that between 20 and 28 civilians had been killed by gunship and artillery fire.

That was also the essence of a report submitted a month later by the commander of the 11th Infantry Brigade, Col Oran K Henderson. 20 civilians had been killed inadvertently, he claimed.


Not to mention the fact that whole villages were destroyed by American air-power because they were "harboring" the VC. Those crimes weren't even investigated.

[FloridaPat]

9. And one person took the blame for the whole thing. Some lieutenant.

Not the generals or the president, just some lieutenant they could put all the blame on. Keep those American tax payers happy there was justice done.

[acmejack]

13. Lt. William Calley.

Reported to, ta da, Colonel Colin Powell!

[Igel]

14. Plausibly, intent and knowledge.

The assumption--and that's all it is--is that the building was targeted knowing (or being fairly sure) civilians were there. More importantly, they'd have to know (or be fairly sure) no Hezb fighters or munitions were there or adjacent to there and had no military value.

If Israel did so, somebody's up for war crime charges.

But there's a lot of room for various shades of gray. At least one report I read about a completely different incident, in Tyre, initially said 35 civilians (or so) were killed, but which was revised to 11 Hezbollah fighters with a small munitions dump, and the rest civilians. The picture went from stark black/white to a very misty grey.

My Lai was a bunch of guys shooting people they were fairly sure weren't actually combatants.