http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haditha_massacre

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/08/31/haditha.video/

is an Iraqi town lying along the Euphrates river in which a U.S. Marine patrol was accused of murdering 24 Iraqi civilians on November 19, 2005.

Two of those charged have now been released and it looks as though the rest may be as well on the grounds that they were only doing their duty according to prescribed military procedures when facing extremely dangerous circumstances over there.

Another argument for the defense put forth on CNN a few minutes ago is that a military drone passing over the site a few hours later recorded the destruction of buildings by rockets also without knowing the identity of any happening to be in them. So what’s the difference between killing face to face and from on high?

I think I am going back to watching the U.S. Open. There may be some kindred souls who see our entire Iraqi enterprise as constituting on-going murder en masse. But the Bushies and their allies seem to get their jollies out of killing any that they designate as being real or potential terrorists — which I guess would include those still in the womb.

My sympathy goes out both to those being killed and those doing it. The latter should never have been placed in such circumstances. No wonder so many are returning home as basket cases — killing still — both spouses and themselves.
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“A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope.” (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
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Ed Kent 212-665-8535 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
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