The Oddities of Military Justice: Murder Misdemeanor
posted 13th December 2004 in Republicans, War and Peace by Peregrin Wood
It has long been said that the phrase “military justice” is an oxymoron. This old saying was confirmed this week by the outcome of a trial of an American soldier in Iraq accused of murder. The events are not disputed by the soldier. He walked up to the back of a truck, and found a 16-year old Iraqi boy there. The boy, a non-combatant, had suffered abdominal wounds in as the result of an American assault upon the area, and needed medical help very badly. Instead of providing that medical help, or getting someone else who could, the soldier shot the boy to death.
The soldier justified his murder by saying that he was “putting him out of his misery”. Beware, all miserable Iraqis, of American soldiers who believe that it is better to kill wounded civilians than to provide them with medical treatment.
The military sentenced the soldier to a mere three years in prison for this murder. Outside the military system of justice, there are Americans serving 25-years sentences in prison for nothing more than possessing a few ounces of marijuana.
The irony that is back here in the United States, Republicans pursuing what they call a “right to life” agenda zealously prosecute anyone attempting to engage in mercy killing. The Republican faithful regards euthanasia as a mortal sin, and so refuses to allow a husband to remove his wife, Terry Schiavo, who has been brain dead for years, from the life support equipment that keeps her artificially alive.
Dr. Jack Kevorkian is serving a 25-year sentence for administering a painless medication to help a patient with excruciating chronic pain to die. That patient wanted to die, and said so for a long time, even signing a document to confirm his wishes before the procedure.
Yet, when an American soldier coldly calculates the murder of a wounded Iraqi teenager and shoots him at close range with his rifle, the military deems that a three-year sentence is all that is required. The military deemed the murder “mercy”.
That conclusion can only make sense under the strange ideological twist that allows Republicans to declare that an unprovoked invasion and occupation of a foreign country, killing over 100,000 of its inhabitants and creating a persistent, lawless violent chaos there is an act of noble mercy.
War is liberation. Murder is mercy. Black is white. Up is down.
Tags: bizarre
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“Kevin and others; seriously, how can you value masses of human life as being below government?!?”
Comment by HareTrinity  12/16/2004 @ 7:02 pm
WOW! I must have made an impression (good or bad- probably more of the latter) on someone if my name is mentioned in a thread I have yet to participate in thus far. Now THAT’S pretty cool!
Yeehaw! Does this up my status or something???
Actually, I just knew you were a Bush supporter. Do you alternate that with every post?
Uh, if you mean, do I recycle lines of mine in different posts, I suppose I am guilty of that offense every once in awhile.
Uh, if you mean do I alternate my support of Bush with every post then I say it depends on what issue you’re talking about. I’ve said before that I don’t agree with everything that Republicans stand for, nor do I disagree with everything other parties stand for.
Uh, if you mean did I think it was strange to be mentioned in a thread I have refrained from pariticipating in, then yeah, it was a little strange…
Uh, what did you mean?
I read some of those “news links”. I saw a couple of them that referenced each other. It still seems like there is a lot of disagreement about what exactly happened. I skimmed, but I didn’t see any that actually said what P. Wood said above, but I may have missed that quote, or he may be remembering it differently. I don’t doubt that many sad mistakes have occured there, but what is the link from that story to this? That there was no justice in those either? There was no trial either, so that might be difficult. Not every statement made by an Iraqi is believable, just like a soldier.
I don’t defend any actions that soldiers do in Iraq. Nor do I defend the suicide bombers, the snipers, the torturers, the kidnappers, or the beheaders. If snipers are firing on you, that is dangerous and soldiers shoot back. Sometimes they may hit the wrong target. But if no one was attacking them, I doubt they would be strapping bombs to themselves and blowing up innocent Iraqis. That is the difference.
They are not trying to do evil things to people without first being acted upon.
Wood makes many statements subject to questioning for accuracy.
His own website partner, J. Matthew, said this about one of his
earlier Iraq war statements: “I hate it when one messed up liberal does something stupid ” That says a lot when your own people condem you for making arguments that are false, overly general, and full of hyperbole.
“News links,” in quotes? The BBC, Guardian, and Sunday Herald are “news”?
Having reread the earlier postings, I see now that there is NO link from the wedding story to the “mercy killing” story. I misread something earlier and thought that such a link was being implied. Actually, the wedding story was an example of the chaos the war has created in Iraq. See comment #16.
Oh, bother. Comment #16 doesn’t refer to the wedding thing at all, but rather Fallujah. Sorry to add to the confusion. Peregrin Wood was using events connected with the invasion of Fallujah as examples of chaos. The wedding story doesn’t actually play into this at all, except maybe as a bonus example of chaos.
For events surrounding Fallujah, I’m sure there are plenty of “news” sources you can check.
What it sounded like I meant, Kevin. It was mild sarcasm with inquiring whether or not you change your mind about whether or not you’re a Bush supporter, and if that was why you were unsure of why I asked you how you could support something as horrible as the war in Iraq.
Even indirectly. Not as if you’re actively taking part, to my knowledge.
Finding your websight was like finding a needle in a haystack.