Tag: war crimes

The Houla Hoaxsters

It was supposed to be another “Benghazi moment” – an incident so horrific that it would spark Western military intervention in Syria’s increasingly violent civil war. The massacre at Houla was reported to be just such a moment: Syria’s security forces stand accused of killing 32 children under ten years of age, and more than … Continue reading “The Houla Hoaxsters”

Heroes and Villains

I was going to defend Chris Hayes, the MSNBC host whose pre-Memorial Day comments provoked the wingnut-osphere into one of its frequent paroxysms of hate. You can go here to hear his remarks, but the gist of it is he said he hesitated to call each and every one of our soldiers “heroes” because: “It … Continue reading “Heroes and Villains”

Was Afghan Massacre Linked to IED Attack?

Interviews with survivors, relatives of the civilians massacred in Panjwai on March 11, and other local residents add new evidence suggesting that the massacre was linked to the response by the U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) unit to a roadside bomb that had blown up a U.S. troop carrier three days earlier. Sgt. Robert Bales, … Continue reading “Was Afghan Massacre Linked to IED Attack?”

‘This Is Not Who We Are’ – Oh Yeah?

As if the winds of war weren’t already approaching gale force in the wrong direction for the US and its NATO counterparts in Afghanistan, contrary to Administration talking points designed to polish this turd of an Occupation, Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales went on a village-to-village, house-to-house killing spree. With whatever thought process he had … Continue reading “‘This Is Not Who We Are’ – Oh Yeah?”

George Packer and the Unfathomable

We’ve heard all about staff sergeant Robert Bales, who murdered 16 Afghan civilians – most of them children – and is now being held by the US military, although he has yet to be formally charged. We’ve heard about his alleged PTSD, his marital problems, his “good deeds,” the shock and surprise of his friends … Continue reading “George Packer and the Unfathomable”

The Afghan Curtain Falls More Rapidly

The recent “unpleasantness” in Afghanistan — the killing spree by a U.S. soldier, the burning of Qurans, and desecration of Taliban corpses — has made the quagmire there even more unpopular with the American public, thus causing even superhawks, such Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, to question the American military’s mission there. Santorum, formerly one … Continue reading “The Afghan Curtain Falls More Rapidly”

Who Are the ‘Terrorists’?

In the early morning hours of March 11, a US soldier assigned to “special ops” in Afghanistan, stationed near Kandahar, went into a local village and gunned down 16 people – including nine women and three children. At least three others were wounded. He went from house to house, in the predawn darkness, systematically murdering … Continue reading “Who Are the ‘Terrorists’?”

Jack Murtha and the Ghosts of Haditha

Nearly two years ago on Feb. 8, 2010, Rep. Jack Murtha, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, who was also a Marine Corps Vietnam Veteran, died of complications from gall bladder surgery. In what is probably a first in modern Congressional history, his untimely death was greeted ghoulishly in certain unseemly sectors with cheers and jeers. “Sufficient … Continue reading “Jack Murtha and the Ghosts of Haditha”