Originally posted by: Don_Vito
Originally posted by: Format C:
The saddest part of all of this is that while all the liberals and dems are having a screaming heydey playing politics with this issue, among many others, and blowing it completely out of all rational proportion they've not stopped to consider the full ramifications of their actions. After all of this hullabaloo, when given the sometimes split-second choice of kill or capture for interrogation, which do you think the troops will be more inclined to do? Now, feel free to carry on with all your hand wringing and frothing at the mouth if you wish. Know though that you're contributing to the death of more Iraqis with each outrageous assertion. Oh how distraught and full of angst I'm sure you'll all be when the new death tolls start rolling in. No doubt you'll rant and rave and wring your hands once more and curse Bush and the evil American military but we'll all know who's really to blame won't we?
You seem to be assuming that our GIs are either so stupid, or so badly trained, that they will make snap decisions to murder surrendering troops rather than capturing them as POWs (which may or may not be "for interrogation"). (And make no mistake, it is murder to kill surrendering troops.) Trust me, all American troops are well-trained on the law of war and rules of engagement (I have given this kind of training many times), and for the most part they are more than smart enough to understand.
This kind of sentiment (that is, one which appears oriented toward defending Americans and their behavior, whatever it might be) is incredibly dangerous and stupid IMO. As I said above, if we are going to engage in offensive attacks against other countries on the basis that their governments are brutal and oppressive, we can't be brutal and oppressive ourselves. Otherwise we just look like corrupt policemen.