What it means when the US goes to war

[Sarajevo071]

Actually they did, MattC. Maybe not here and now but I read so much “reports” and “papers” and “studies” (latest one from the US Senate Committee on HS about “Violent Islamist Extremism and Internet) where writer spend pages and pages “proving” that Islamic extremist videos (war footage and tape attacks) with AQ messages making people terrorists. Not a word about anger of Muslims on invasions, killings and rapes… And what about those one million Iraqi kids killed “thanks” to US sanctions? Same sanctions Albright said that are “worthy” risk and “sacrifices”.

And then I see here all this smart, professional, educated and experience people talking about same things with same ideas not calculating killings, torture, rapes like big factors!? Don’t you think if some your soldiers have different attitudes and bigger morals, less racism and bigotry, all this would be different game?! Do you realize that AQ was marginal organization that Muslims ignored en mass until you start bombing and killing kids in Iraq and Afghanistan?! Until renditions, Abu Gharib, Guantanamo, tortures, rapes… In my country they say, "what one idiot can do, hundreds of smart can't fix it".

And, please, stop minimizing war atrocities insisting that those killings and incidental and in the heat of a firefight. Not all of them are. Not are all attacks by insurgency deliberate attacks on civilians (logic is if US soldiers can “by accident” kill dozens civilians then other can to, right?). Bunch of them are deliberate created by hate, bigotry and revenge. Those are war crimes by any definition.

I agree with you with your parallels on WWII and today’s war and with part media plays in it, but we are here and now and I know more about today then about war my grand father (RA) was in… I believe I read Iraqis from Basra in The Telegraph saying something like, “Brits like occupators were more brutal then US but they were more fair and respectful”. That is huge for one to understand and learn from it. I did searches and I did interrogations and I know that one can do them in different manner then how US is doing in Iraq or Afghanistan. Plus, supporting all those moronic leaders, dictators and tortures is not helping US avoid guilt for tortures in Egypt, SA or whenever… I believe that’s what US justice system calls “guilt by association”, right?

Now, when you talk about all those incident and how they were not responded in some big way… I think they were.

Look at Bosnia. Case of Bosnia (and deliberated staying on the sides by Europe and US) was used like recruitment cry and “revenge” for WTC bombing and then for recruiting some of the 9/11 attackers… Case of Fatima (raped by Americans in Abu Gharib) and her plea was responded by numerous attacks in Iraq… Case of those stupid cartoons was responded in couple different countries… Abu Gharib was respond on to and it is still in minds of many…. And almost monthly there is some more cases to remember and be angry for.

PS. Thank you for your words. I am happy is someone can understand me and be open to my words and what I am trying to say, and to be open and honest back. Who knows, maybe we all have chance after all?