Ethics Training For Murderers

[Pangloss62]

(CBS/AP) In the wake of the Haditha investigation, the U.S. general commanding coalition forces in Iraq on Thursday ordered his military commanders to conduct core values training on moral and ethical standards on the battlefield.

If this stuff weren't real, it would be a tragic comedy. What one thing about this war was "ethical" in the first place?

[Pie]

"Do as I say, not as I do"?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Way of the world......every time a Boeing big shot making millions fucks up, I have to go to hours of mandatory ethics training.

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Way of the world......every time a Boeing big shot making millions fucks up, I have to go to hours of mandatory ethics training.

Well so do the big executives. Fortunately for them, there's booze and hookers at theirs.:p

[Pangloss62]

I had to take some very important IT Security Awareness Training over the internet. Once I put in all my top-secret identity info and passwords, I clicked on the "Proceed to Training" button. A little pop-up message then appeared and declared: "You are about to be sent to a non-secure site. Do you want to proceed?"

What the *&^%!

[9th Engineer]

I'm torn on this. On one hand there is no excuse for this, our soldiers are trained professionals, we do not stoop to the level of the pathetic sadistic meatbags we're fighting over there. But on the other hand after hearing report after report about Iraqi civilans either attacking crews of downed helicopters or calling in armed insurgents to kill them I'm finding my sympathy drying up very quickly.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Pangloss62

I had to take some very important IT Security Awareness Training over the internet. Once I put in all my top-secret identity info and passwords, I clicked on the "Proceed to Training" button. A little pop-up message then appeared and declared: "You are about to be sent to a non-secure site. Do you want to proceed?"

What the *&^%!

The training is not secret, only who to charge for your training.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Originally Posted by Pangloss62

(CBS/AP) In the wake of the Haditha investigation, the U.S. general commanding coalition forces in Iraq on Thursday ordered his military commanders to conduct core values training on moral and ethical standards on the battlefield.

If this stuff weren't real, it would be a tragic comedy. What one thing about this war was "ethical" in the first place?

Simple, Pangloss, though it doubtless flies directly in the face of your belief set, which your remark suggests is an anti-democracy one -- is it? -- it is inherently right to depose dictatorship and replace it with a social order that is more free: a democracy. Examine Augustine of Hippo's writings on just wars for support of this idea dating back to the fourth century AD (and where's your thinking been on this, young man?). Democracy is not unique to the West, even though the West was the place it first flourished. Nor is it antithetical to Islam. Who opposes democracy in Islamic lands? Fascistic donkey dicks who think about as well as tertiary-syphilis cases, and believe their lives will go to smash once deprived of the privilege they've grown accustomed to. Trouble is, allocating privilege destroys economies, and impedes the economies it doesn't destroy. These people are so consumed in fighting like dogs for power and privilege that they never consider that as one door closes, another opens: economic liberty and political liberty are a rising tide, which lifts every boat, even ones that are rather leaky.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Rich, post #13 is one of the better posts I've seen out of you. I hope you'll do more.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I strongly recommend reading Micheal Yon's take on Haditha.

Actually, I recommed reading his whole website.

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

I strongly recommend reading Micheal Yon's take on Haditha.

Actually, I recommed reading his whole website.

It's pretty sobering stuff.

Of course, this is a two edged sword. The only possible justification for civilian casualties is that Iraq remains a war zone, something that some sectors of the public have a hard time admitting.

Consider these folks.

The points of reference are surveys conducted by Zogby International between 2002 and late 2005 in six Arab countries: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. In Iraq the views have been measured by the International Republican Institute, the Gallup Organization and Oxford Research International.

In the six nations surveyed, 77 percent believe Iraq is "worse off after the war," and only 6 percent disagree. But in Iraq, most of those surveyed approve and consider their lives better in post-Saddam Iraq, by a margin of 52 percent to 29 percent. By a margin of 48 percent to 18 percent they expect their lives to improve more in the next year.

To the question, "Thinking about any hardships you might have suffered since the U.S.-Britain invasion, do you personally think that ousting Saddam Hussein was worth it or not?" 77 percent say yes. That figure includes 91 percent of Kurds surveyed and 98 percent of the Shiites.

Now if you look carefully, three polling organizations are listed, but only one set of results. Whose results are they, Gallups or the International Republican Institute?

[AlternateGray]

Combat stress? BULLSHIT. I was horrified when I read about Haditha. And ashamed. Hell, half the reason I joined the military was because of Bosnia- we're supposed to be the ones STOPPING that kind of shit. In my opinion, it's not just a matter of extremely poor discipline, there's something severely wrong with the unit those marines were in. And the leadership. There is no excuse. Fry 'em. Especially the ones who stood by and did nothing. Combat stress exists. But in my OPINION, there had to have been a truly f*****-up unit-bred mentality in place for that to happen.