| Author |
Message |
    
Robert Livingston
Citizen
Username: Rob_livingston
Post Number: 878
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 16, 2005 - 12:45 pm: | 
|
By Lisa Myers & the NBC investigative unit
There are new allegations that heavily armed private security contractors in Iraq are brutalizing Iraqi civilians. In an exclusive interview, four former security contractors told NBC News that they watched as innocent Iraqi civilians were fired upon, and one crushed by a truck. The contractors worked for an American company paid by U.S. taxpayers. The Army is looking into the allegations.
The four men are all retired military veterans: Capt. Bill Craun, Army Rangers; Sgt. Jim Errante, military police; Cpl. Ernest Colling, U.S. Army; and Will Hough, U.S. Marines. All went to Iraq months ago as private security contractors.
"I went there for the money," says Hough.
"I'm a patriot," says Craun.
"You can't turn off being a soldier," says Colling.
They worked for an American company named Custer Battles, hired by the Pentagon to conduct dangerous missions guarding supply convoys. They were so upset by what they saw, three quit after only one or two missions.
"What we saw, I know the American population wouldn't stand for," says Craun.
MORE
"These aren't insurgents that we're brutalizing," says Craun. "It was local civilians on their way to work. It's wrong."
Full Story
|
cjc
Citizen
Username: Cjc
Post Number: 3140
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 16, 2005 - 12:49 pm: |
|
From a lib writer at the New Yorker:
"Three months after failing to defeat Bush in our election, plenty of New Yorkers privately, half-consciously hoped for his comeuppance in Iraq’s. You know who you are. Last week, you found yourselves secretly . . . heartened—and appalled—by the stories of the Marine general who said it was “a hell of a hoot [and] fun to shoot some people” in Afghanistan, and about the possible Islamist drift of the Shiites who will now govern Iraq. When military officers show themselves to be callous warmongers, and neocon military adventurism looks untenable, certain comfortable assumptions are reaffirmed."
|
Rastro
Citizen
Username: Rastro
Post Number: 715
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 16, 2005 - 12:55 pm: |
|
cjc, but does that dispute what is being said? You're focusing on how people are reacting to it (actually, how some people might react to it), but not on the incident itself.
Does it not disturb you, if it's true? Do you have any reason to think it is not true? |
cjc
Citizen
Username: Cjc
Post Number: 3141
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 16, 2005 - 1:10 pm: |
|
No, Rastro. Us Bush right-wingers cheer on naked pyramids and applaud military brutality outside of conflict. Just ask RL. And Tom Reingold might add that after that, we look forward to seeing a rising number of homeless and seek to take away wealth from the people who don't have any for our own personal gain.
Of course I'm disturbed by it. It's something that should be looked into and when the truth is arrived at the guilty charged and the innocent compensated. I don't believe I've ever given an indication I support stuff like that. |
Rastro
Citizen
Username: Rastro
Post Number: 716
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 16, 2005 - 1:24 pm: |
|
cjc, I can only assume that from your post you intended to ridicule RL for posting what he did.
I am not surprised you're disturbed by it, and I never thought any of the above about you (Straw maybe  ). I just don't see the point of what you posted in the context of this.
By attacking the messenger, it does imply that you condone the activity. Again, I didn't really think you did, but it's part of the impression you give. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 5535
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 16, 2005 - 4:00 pm: |
|
Please don't put words in my mouth. I haven't ascribed any views to you. I haven't claimed that anyone hopes for the number of homeless to rise. I do claim, however, that too many people don't care enough.
That accusation is as baseless as the one that says that leftists are happy when the war goes badly.
You know what a strawman argument is, right? You look oh so strong when you build up little strawmen and knock them down. But don't put my name on the strawman, please. |
cjc
Citizen
Username: Cjc
Post Number: 3142
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 16, 2005 - 8:02 pm: |
|
Sorry Tom, but I was just taking the logical extension of your allegations.
As you put so eloquently on a different thread:
"Mark, I guess one right-wing rationale is that there is abuse of the system. They focus on the abuse and figure that the system is so badly broken that it should be scrapped, rather than focusing on the good that it does. In other words, if welfare (or food stamps, or whatever) is not perfect, let's have no welfare at all.
And I guess that's what gets the right winger's ire. He's doing fine, I presume, but he could be doing a little bit better because someone must be abusing the system. The fact that taking away the program could make more people starve isn't a big concern."
This in response to budget decisions that have not focused on abuse, but efficacy and duplication which IS a valid topic of debate, don't you agree? However, that isn't reflected in the bale you laid right there. You do, however, 'ascribe' quite well in saying the right wing wants to eliminate welfare -- reformed or not (it was our idea, after all) -- entirely.
Maybe it was just a slip. |
|
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page