Well... what can one say?

[j. d. worthington]

Convicted Marine details ill-fated plan - Yahoo! News

Title: "Convicted Marine details ill-fated plan", from AP, by Thomas Watkins, datelined Fri., Aug. 10, 2007.

This is one of those things that makes my blood boil. Oh, I can understand such things happening, with the stresses of such a war, where the "rules of engagement" are chaotic at best, and with all the other strains they're under.

However... isn't this another form of the excuse for any kind of murder? And how could it be found to be "unpremeditated"? True, they didn't kill the man they'd intended to kill... but they had planned a murder and, when the intended target proved too difficult, they went for someone else... an innocent civilian, or an insurgent, or...? Who knows? But the father of 11 children is now dead because these... "men"... were frustrated in their attempt on the life of another man who they assume is guilty (rightly or wrongly; it's not evident whether or not this has been proven).

I'm sorry, but in my book, this really does put another patch of shame on our armed services that these were not all booted out of the service, given dishonorable discharges, and several sent to prison. I do have sympathy for those suffering PTSD, and from the insane conditions of a war that has run amuck. (I'm afraid, though, I have more sympathy for the victims of their actions.) I do not, however, feel that is any reason to condone or lessen a charge against those who murder someone else, unless we're willing to extend that to anyone suffering from severe stresses who commits such a crime. And at the very least, after having partaken in such actions, they should not be allowed to be a part of the service -- more especially in conditions which are likely to cause a recurrence of such actions (certainly the stresses that caused this are the very things they'll be going back into).

And at the very least, even if one can understand and forgive the actions of the individuals who have committed these acts because of the surrounding circumstances... isn't it the duty of those in charge to correct such situations, and do their damnedest to prevent future such occurrences? Somehow I doubt that the outcome here is likely to give anyone pause... and nothing is being done in other areas, it seems, to help circumvent such a thing from happening again.

I'm very much afraid that it's going to be one hell of a long time before America is looked on with anything other than contempt for the handling of this entire affair; be it the war itself, or the "incidentals" connected with it.....

[Tillane]

"I didn't want to have anything to do in killing the insurgent or whoever it might have been."

So why the hell did the guy go along and help his buddies kill someone? Why? I'm sorry; I know the US, UK and others face horrendous situations in Iraq (I have an old school friend in Basra, who has pretty well laid it out), but nothing - I repeat, nothing - gives you the right to murder innocent people. Or guilty people. Nothing gives you the right to murder full stop.

This makes me so angry I can't see straight.