The soldiers' story: the war the video cameras do not see

[jhain]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=585070

The soldiers' story: the war the video cameras do not see
The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit has moved on from Fallujah to a bloody and largely unreported operation south of Baghdad to hunt 'the beheader' Zarqawi. Kim Sengupta found the marines combative yet contemplative, and haunted by the images that shocked the world

21 November 2004

[MADem]

1. GOOD article

The phrase that jumped out at me was this: "The general's protestations were ignored."

Anytime you make a decision to go to war, and then refuse to let the bastards on the ground have any input into the battle plan, you are asking for trouble. A bunch of well fed assholes sitting around a table with plastic soldiers and toy tanks, safe in the halls of power, making decisions, is an exercise in absurdity. Christ, what are we, a special needs nation? Didn't we LEARN this lesson already?

[jhain]

2. GOOD question

"This brings me to the question I keep on asking, but never get a satisfactory answer. What happened to the $18bn that Congress voted for reconstruction ? Why are so many contracts going to American and other foreign firms? Why aren't they going to more Iraqis? Who's deciding all this?"

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=585070

Anyone else think this guy will be home for christmas?

[Joe Chi Minh]

3. I love mavericks who

think independently and look beyond the imposed conventional wisdom.

How about that Black Watch officer who said: "They may say to you they hate Iraqis, they may say to you this is an unjust war. I'll accept that. But if anyone says 'no comment' let me have his name. Iraq is too important for people to come and serve here and not have any views."

Yossarian lives, however disciplined...

[Lerkfish]

4. or will come home at all?

I put NOTHING past this administration NOTHING