Crosslinked to Stop the ACLU.

Via Time:

Lawsuit Alleges Troop Misconduct

New documents released Tuesday regarding crimes committed by U.S. soldiers against civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan detail a troubling pattern of troops failing to understand and follow the rules that govern interrogations and deadly actions.

The documents, released by the American Civil Liberties Union ahead of a lawsuit, total nearly 10,000 pages of courts-martial summaries, transcripts and military investigative reports about 22 incidents. They show repeated examples of soldiers believing they were within the law when they killed local citizens.

The killings include the drowning of a man soldiers pushed from a bridge into the Tigris River as punishment for breaking curfew, and the suffocation during interrogation of a former Iraqi general believed to be helping insurgents.

I want to stop for a moment and note a few things. 

First, this story was sent to me by a friend of many years who vehemently opposes any form of torture and coercion.  He has very vocally made that position well know.

Where he and I disagree quite often is in the details.  I may buy off on some forms of coercion that he wont, but we both disagree with actual abuse and torture, much like what is noted here.

Note also that the “repeated examples of soldiers believing they were within the law when they killed local citizens” is based on reports of 22 incidents.  22.  So they looked into all 22 and found that most of the soldiers were sure they were doing OK.

Of course they were, that is the core of a defense.  They have to state that they believe they were justified to defend their actions.  So their grim pronouncement is hardly a shock, when their data is gleaned from Court Martials against people who committed crimes.

But getting back to my friend, he raised an interesting point.  he said:

Despite my concern about human rights abuses, I find it curious that

the ACLU is getting involved.  Guess they don’t have enough *American*

civil liberties cases to keep them occupied?

Uh.  Gee now that IS an interesting point.  Since when is the ACLU chartered to protect people in other countries?  The AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES Union, remember?

Since when is Iraq and Afghanistan “America”?  Since when do we afford them American Civil Liberties? And since the military had already investigated, and has obviously prosecuted the bad guys, what is the problem?  Obviously the Military itself takes this conduct seriously.

I think this is another stone in the pile of the liberal disdain for the military.  I have blogged enough of them here.  Some examples:

• Kos, the Liberals and the Military
• How Liberals think: Part 4 - War
• Todays lesson for liberals: This is what patriots supporting the troops looks like 
• Hillary begins her real campaign: wooing a reluctant Military.
• More on William Arkin: The WaPo applies some damage control
• Troops say Support us, in response William Arkin says Quit Whining UPDATED
• Rangel continues his disdain of the Military and insults my son.
• Liberal disdain for the military rears its head in Rangel
• DNC Supports the Troops…In Canada **Updated**

Oh there are more, but you get the idea.

Deal with it liberals:  the military punishes its own when they commit crimes, and often harshly.  Hard time in Leavenworth is much worse then any corresponding prison.  I know its convenient to dehumanize them as rabid dogs.

And speaking of dehumanizing them (via ST):

More on how the anti-war left plans to use the names of the fallen

… in their desperate quest to get the President to pull troops out of Iraq, via Bill Kristol:

Meanwhile, a motley crew of antiwar groups, including Iraq Veterans Against The War, CODEPINK, ANSWER, and MoveOn.org, are organizing a week of demonstrations in Washington beginning September 15. The “mobilization” will be kicked off with a “Die-In,” sponsored primarily by ANSWER and Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). As they explain, “IVAW is asking that participants in the Die-In/Funeral select the name of one of the almost 4,000 soldiers who have been killed in Iraq. You can select a family member, friend or someone from your city, town or state. Please bring a photograph of that person and a sign with his/her name on September 15.” Needless to say, the protesters who will be appropriating the names of soldiers and Marines killed in action have no intention of asking the permission of their families. But why should the families think their loved ones’ sacrifices are being exploited in an unbelievably offensive way? After all, as one organizer explains, “The die-in will be led by an Honor Guard of Iraq Veterans Against the War who will simulate a 21-Gun Salute before taps is played to initiate the die-in.”

While I suppose parading the faces of the dead, or making a hillside of crosses to display seems worthwhile and poignant, to me it is a disrespectful abuse of their identities and images and in most cases a vile disrespect of their service and what they believe.

Sure.  Anti war people have a right to free speech.  Must it be disrespectful?  Fortunately the honorable Gathering of Eagles are planning a response to this insanity. Found out the details, and how you can help, here. (Source ST)

Now to close, I am not necessarily saying the two are related.  In fact, I don’t believe they are related by any form of conspiracy or deliberate act.

What they are is connected by a clear sense of disdain that the left seems to love to show the military, even as they vocally claim to support the troops.

The point is that if you are trying to make a case that liberals don’t trust or like the military it’s easy.  Look no further then Murtha accusing the Haditha Marines of murder before any due process was done, or John Kerry’s lame joke.

If anything the ACLU is acting much like Murtha, making blanket accusations on limited examples, and the anti war wackos are like Kerry, making a mockery of military sacrifice.

  Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Is It Just Me?, Perri Nelson’s Website, The Virtuous Republic, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Big Dog’s Weblog, Right Truth, Shadowscope, DragonLady’s World, Stuck On Stupid, The Amboy Times, Adeline and Hazel, Stageleft, third world county, Right Celebrity, Woman Honor Thyself, The Uncooperative Radio Show!, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, CommonSenseAmerica, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, Church and State, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, 123beta, DeMediacratic Nation, Adam’s Blog, Inside the Northwest Territory, Nuke’s News & Views, , Webloggin, The Bullwinkle Blog, Cao’s Blog, , Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, Faultline USA, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Walls of the City, Blue Star Chronicles, Planck’s Constant, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, CORSARI D’ITALIA, and High Desert Wanderer, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

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