In his own words, “millions” of soldiers have been sent to Iraq. I’m not sure if it is really millions, but certainly hundreds of thousands of soldiers have been to Iraq. The fact that he couldn’t control his own aggression means that he is one of a small percentage of “bad apples” out of many thousands. Its like me saying that all cops are idiots just because of one bad cop who thought he was himself above the law when he pulled somebody over and beat them. Or saying that because a small percentage of teachers has sexually abused children that they are all sexual abusers and creeps.
Its really easy to find one video like this and post it and focus on the few bad apples rather than finding the many instances where our soldiers helped an Iraqi child and focus on that. (Consider the source: Iraq Veterans Against the War.) Its like focusing on the one burnt chocolate chip cookie on the plate, rather than the other 35 of them that are soft and chewy.
What he did went directly against his training and purpose for being in Iraq, and he should be tried and imprisoned for it, just as the bad cop or teacher should, just as the burnt cookie that gets thrown away. Once that has happened, the other 99% of the soldiers, cops, and teachers should be thanked with grace for what they have done to secure our freedom to have a discussion like this, keep our streets safe, and educate our children.
Deja vu. A John Kerry moment. The most interesting thing is that his audience sees him as a hero of sorts for bragging about his evil deeds. This is his catharsis: if he shares his story with others and they do not condemn him, he has mitigated his guilt by spreading it to his hearers. Where does that place those who watch this video and blame anyone but the criminal himself for his actions? Does western society no longer hold the individual responsible for his own actions? When this clip is propagated without condemning the individual actions of the speaker, is it a means of transforming a criminal into a victim? Where is the outcry against such murderers of unarmed civilians?
May 28th, 2008 at 7:39 pm EST
In his own words, “millions” of soldiers have been sent to Iraq. I’m not sure if it is really millions, but certainly hundreds of thousands of soldiers have been to Iraq. The fact that he couldn’t control his own aggression means that he is one of a small percentage of “bad apples” out of many thousands. Its like me saying that all cops are idiots just because of one bad cop who thought he was himself above the law when he pulled somebody over and beat them. Or saying that because a small percentage of teachers has sexually abused children that they are all sexual abusers and creeps.
Its really easy to find one video like this and post it and focus on the few bad apples rather than finding the many instances where our soldiers helped an Iraqi child and focus on that. (Consider the source: Iraq Veterans Against the War.) Its like focusing on the one burnt chocolate chip cookie on the plate, rather than the other 35 of them that are soft and chewy.
What he did went directly against his training and purpose for being in Iraq, and he should be tried and imprisoned for it, just as the bad cop or teacher should, just as the burnt cookie that gets thrown away. Once that has happened, the other 99% of the soldiers, cops, and teachers should be thanked with grace for what they have done to secure our freedom to have a discussion like this, keep our streets safe, and educate our children.
Oh, and the other 35 cookies should be devoured.
May 29th, 2008 at 12:27 am EST
Deja vu. A John Kerry moment. The most interesting thing is that his audience sees him as a hero of sorts for bragging about his evil deeds. This is his catharsis: if he shares his story with others and they do not condemn him, he has mitigated his guilt by spreading it to his hearers. Where does that place those who watch this video and blame anyone but the criminal himself for his actions? Does western society no longer hold the individual responsible for his own actions? When this clip is propagated without condemning the individual actions of the speaker, is it a means of transforming a criminal into a victim? Where is the outcry against such murderers of unarmed civilians?