Was justice done in Iraq or doesn't the military care?

I don't think you ever thought so but aside from this I'm pretty worried about the case as well. The military justice loses its credibility if any foreign party always loses the case. Also it sends the message, "to us, you're not even people." So much for winning hearts and minds.
 
The Other Guy said:
If you're in there to protect them, which we supposedly are, those Marines are guilty. No justice done.
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The problem how do you know they are guilty or innocent?

When you have a case of peers investigating each other then there will always be allegations of cover up (just look at things like medical review boards, bar association reviews, police complaints boards etc.) but that does not mean they do not do the job.
 
The Other Guy said:
If you're in there to protect them, which we supposedly are, those Marines are guilty. No justice done.
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It has always bothered me, Other Guy, that do we really care about the average Iraqi civilian? The US is going to be in Iraq for a very long time. It needs all the support it can get.
,
 
What the involvement in Iraq needs:

1) Trust. Make sure the Iraqis know the US will be staying for a VERY long time.
2) Respect. No one wants help if they're not given respect.
 
What a mess. Unfortunately it cannot be avoided when the enemy is firing from within crowds and civilian homes. But then there's no way to confirm the story of either side so I won't pass judgment either way.
 
major liability said:
What a mess. Unfortunately it cannot be avoided when the enemy is firing from within crowds and civilian homes. But then there's no way to confirm the story of either side so I won't pass judgment either way.
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you really need to watch the entire 60 minute interview. The guy said that the clear rooms by barging in and shooting everything that moves. Even my friend who is a former Marine thought that guy would be found guilty after watching the interview.

On a somewhat related note, the USMC chaptered out a Marine who threw a puppy off a cliff and apparently killed it.

I am not happy with the decision to dismiss all charges.
 
The fact remains

24 civilians (including children) were killed by US troops and there is no accountability. If it was a few you might get away with describing it as an accident, but 24 civilians is a sure lot of accidents.

My thoughts are

1. As Redneck said: the message to Iraqis "Your lives are worth nothing"
2. The propaganda created that the insurgence and al qaeda will certainly use.
3. The fate of US troops that are ever captured.
 
Either way... this is bad... real bad. At least there's got to be one guy that's got to face a demotion to private and no chance of re-up... or something of that nature.
 
Hahaha, have to disagree with you on #3 mmarsh. If you get captured over there I'm fairly certain they'd rather kill you in some gruesome way just for propaganda than use you as a bargaining chip. Can't get worse than that.
 
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major liability said:
Hahaha, have to disagree with you on #3 mmarsh. If you get captured over there I'm fairly certain they'd rather kill you in some gruesome way just for propaganda than use you as a bargaining chip. Can't get worse than that.
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Thats exactly my point, when you treat people inhumanely they are almost certainly going to reciprocate in the same fashion. Revenge in the Middle East is a common motif. Which means any US serviceman captured stands a higher chance now of being tortured to death than being taken hostage.
 
mmarsh, I don't think it would have really mattered. People have been getting executed on TV for a long time now, well before these incidents took place. Heck they even beheaded reporters.
The torture time has probably lengthened though.
 
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