That was pretty baffling. As far as I can tell, all they’re doing is spending my tax dollars, killing strangers, and pissing off the rest of the world. Even the middle eastern democracy schtick is heading down the tubes.
Aldebaran, your command of the English langauge and your fight against dyslexia have improved rather remarkedly of late. What’s your secret?
No, but $99 happy-snap ones surely aren’t the ones used for essential emergency ID photos?
Do you have specific evidence to prove that they do not qualify? (And that’s evidence of their state and status at the moment of capture, not at the time the photos were taken, otherwise you’re in the same pit of molasses as me at this moment…). If you have no such evidence, then they have PoW status until decided otherwise by an independent panel. That’s what the convention says.
I don’t trust the average American soldier as far as I could throw him. Which is an even shorter distance than you may think. And Simpsons insults aren’t impressive.
You’re being inflammatory, and also showing your ignorance. For the former, who says the guys in the photos are anarchists? And how did American society suddenly become the norm in Iraq?
As for ignorance, can I suggest you go and put Geneva Convention into Google, and come back with an awareness that it does not centre around the USA?
Does Godwin’s Law apply in the Pit?
No fight or secret involved.
There are a few things however that count for every language I learned:
- The practice of writing frequently a language (this one I formerly only knew by reading it when necessary). Dyslexia makes that you don’t see words as letters, but as some sort of mental pictures. You remind them better every time you use them yourself. Yo also learn the tricks (different for every language).
- Typing the words adds to building up this “pictured vocabulary” because every word pattern gets linked with the required finger movements. Especially when you type while only looking at your screen.
- use of keyboard engraved with both Arabic and Roman characters, which can be helpful for finding a letter.
- use of spell control is now also more helpful. This gives me choices between word patterns and thus I come to choose the one that I learned to recognize, over the one that is identified as wrong (can lead to mistakes with “new” words, though). Same counts when I use my online dictionary (displays also translations in several languages, which is also helpful to choose the right word)
- being overall attentive on how others spell, use syntax and grammar rules = my “feeling” for this language grows steadily.
- the nature of these online conversations most certainly puts pressure on your ability to give an instant performance of your command of the language.
Dyslex still wins easily whenever I am tired or don’t write this language for some time.
The same when I need to explain something that asks for accuracy combined with syntheses, like Qur’anic exegeses or explanation/comments on Islamic history. Writing such posts in this language is still as difficult as it ever was.
The difficulties with reading longer posts are not gone and will never be gone. I’ve never been able to read long in languages using Latin script without getting dizzy or feeling nausea. Reading from a PC screen adds to this.
Salaam. A
In order to be certain that the elucidator Conventions apply, as strictly defined, I have examined the photos. The examination was cursory and perfunctory, but barring further evidence, I have concluded that the subjects of these photos are human beings. Hence, the protocols of common decency apply.
But I am sensitive to the needs of those who do not share my wishy-washy, lily-livered concerns, and present the facts in a light more acceptable to the morally bankrupt.
The purpose of the fighting force is not simply to “kick ass” or kill the enemy. The purpose of killing the enemy is to reduce the number of the enemy, and hence, reduce the threat. Activity that results in increased recruitment does not advance this cause, but is a hindrance. Even if every one of the subjects is a rock solid freedom-hating Saddamite dead-ender from wherever, those enemies were already captured. Dead or alive, they are off the playing field.
But those photos are creating more enemy combatants, not less. More to the point, they reveal patterns of behavior that create more enemy combatants. This behavior is classified, in technical military jargon, as goddam fucking stupid.
So if you can’t behave like a human being because its right, might it be possible to do so because its smart?
So basically, we should be nice to people who are fighting us, because some friends of the people who are fighting us might get upset and they might decide to fight us also.
Bring it on baby. If anybody in any part of the world feels any sympathy for or buys into the sick ideology of AL-Qaeda, they’re free to sign up with the primitive goons. I hope they have sufficient surpluses of bodybags.
They’re working their propaganda regardless of what the USA does. The USA doesn’t need to suck up to a bunch of people who doesn’t like us to begin with. It will be their problem eventually.
I’d like some hard fast proof that the photographed bleeding man (a broken nose like you suggest almost always results in bruising, cutie) is in fact a TERRORIST. Do it. Because I can’t wait for you to say ‘they’re all terrorists’. It’ll be great.
And no response to my suggestion that we shouldn’t act like terrorists ourselves? Do you not feel we are above them on the moral ladder sir?
please.
Iraq != Al Qaeda.
If you believe otherwise, you’re one of Bush’s goons.
Look up who Zarqawi is, who has declared his allegiance to Al-Qaeda. So yes, some of them are in Iraq.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/17/al.zarqawi.statement/
Of course we are above those primitives. The day we run around in the streets like a pack of mad dogs carrying human body parts while dancing and cheering, and beheading people using the slowest method possible, then I’ll agree that we have sunk too low.
A few polaroids ? Nope, I don’t see the similarity.
I have yet to hear the headline, ‘Today, Al Qaeda terrorists punched some dude in the face…’
Besides, however superior our society is, the actual fight will of course be a unpleasant affair. Petulant foot-stomping isn’t going to change that, and could draw out the matter if the military is forced to use less-effective (but more PC) methods.
TT: The day we run around in the streets like a pack of mad dogs carrying human body parts while dancing and cheering, and beheading people using the slowest method possible, then I’ll agree that we have sunk too low.
Cripes! Is that how bad it would have to get before you’d be willing to concede that we need higher standards?
I sure hope that the military’s own Criminal Investigative Services are a tougher audience than you are.
Brutus: Petulant foot-stomping isn’t going to change that, and could draw out the matter if the military is forced to use less-effective (but more PC) methods.
When you’re fighting what is to a large extent a popular insurgency, pissing off large chunks of the population can also draw out the matter, as you may have noticed.
All I’m saying here is that the military should be expected to abide by its own rules and the recognized laws of war when it comes to handling prisoners. If we can’t manage to win a war without breaking rules that we undertook to abide by, we have no business starting a war in the first place.
Part of taking the high road, friend, is abiding by the rules EVEN WHEN YOUR ENEMY IS NOT. Beating a prisoner (who is NOT necessarily a TERRORIST) until he’s bloody and being shown in other photographs laughing and stepping on a prisoner’s neck is barbaric and sickening.
So, since they’re not “playing by the rules” why don’t we just Arc Light the bastards? Let’s get the BUFFs in the air, carpet bomb the entire country and kill 'em all. After all, they’re not playing by our rules, so we can just kill them all.
Tacitus wrote of the ancient Romans: “They make a desert, and call it peace.”
Very bad for infrastructure, and the people required to work it.
I’m sure Al-Jazera will come to the same conclusion.
Clean them up then.
You idiots think we’re against the troops? We’re OUTRAGED by this BECAUSE IT ENDANGERS MORE TROOPS. Get it?
Yes yes, they’re already endangered, people would hate them without these pictures, blah blah blah. Still doesn’t mean we should give them any further incentive to hate us.
Al-Jazeera which is pro-terrorist will surely find something pleasant to broadcast with or without these pictures. I found it extremely humorous when one of their stations got accidentally bombed awhile back.
Clean them up ? Nobody knows the circumstances behind the pictures. Troops are there to defeat the enemy, not to play nurse with a bunch of goons. They’re bloody for a reason I’m sure.
And all this talk about them hating us, and how we need to suck up to certain people is a load of crap. War is hell, certain things and incidents are going to happen regardless. We shouldn’t apologize, we shouldn’t feel sorry, we should just move on, because we have a lot more work to do in defeating the islamic fundamentalists and the wacko terrorist organisations these people create. There’s plenty of those sickos around even with zero incitement from anybodys part. They’re on a mission from allah, they don’t need our incitement to help them along. They’ll have plenty of reasons and crappy justifications for the sick and perverted things they are fond of doing regardless.
I’m so glad that you are 100 percent sure that the guy in these photos is the enemy, IS a terrorist. It clears so much up. I mean, for a while I was wondering if there was a chance he was just a iraqi soldier. oh wait, are ALL iraqi’s terrorists? Because Zarqawi said so?
Seems confusing. And in fact, if you read the Geneva convention YOU ARE to be in the business of nursing your prisoners.
If he’s an Iraqi soldier, I’m sure he has a uniform that he’s wearing. Either way, he’s the enemy. There’s various enemies in Iraq, and people trying to kill American troops. (Disclaimer for any dumb as shit Canadians: When I mean American I mean US soldier)
And regarding the Geneva convention, there’s also something called common sense and real life facts. If you’re my enemy, and I just wounded you in a battle, it might take awhile before you get attended to. You might even possibly die, if there’s other more important business to tend to first. War is a nasty business afterall, and the top priority for US troops should be to look out for themselves before anything else.