Diplomacy Lady and Subcommander Guy
Meanwhile, Subcommander Guy Gates said "Our country is troubled and divided by a long and difficult war in Iraq," he said. "We want our troops to come home and be out of harm's way. And yet, most also know or at least sense that leaving chaos behind us in Iraq will bring dramatically more suffering for the Iraqis and also disaster for the Middle East and, ultimately, for us."
Chaos behind us, Chaos in front of us. Somehow, Gates thinks that chaos without us in Iraq is worse than chaos with us in Iraq, which is waht we have. At least there is none of this cakewalk, last throes claptrap. Ah, the glories of a Defense Secretary with his head only halfway up.
The BBC reports "A US survey of battlefield ethics among troops in Iraq has found widespread tolerance for torture in certain circumstances and problems with morale." More:
"The Pentagon survey found that less than half the troops in Iraq thought Iraqi civilians should be treated with dignity and respect.
More than a third believed that torture was acceptable if it helped save the life of a fellow soldier or if it helped get information about the insurgents.
About 10% of those surveyed said they had actually mistreated Iraqi civilians by hitting or kicking them, or had damaged their property when it was not necessary to do so."
The survey also said that soldiers suffering from depression are more likely to engage in this kind of unethical behavior. While I can have sympathy for their suffering, I can't support their behavior. The best thing for troops in this position is to bring them home. As for Gates' chaos, it looks like U.S. troops are contributing to it, not lessening it.
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