“When these investigations come out, there’s going to be a firestorm,” said retired Brig. Gen. David M. Brahms, formerly a top lawyer for the Marine Corps. “It will be worse than Abu Ghraib — nobody was killed at Abu Ghraib.”
‘Worst war crime’ committed by US in Iraq
John Kline, the Republican Congressmen for Minnesota who is a retired marine colonel, was briefed on the findings. “This was not an accident. This was direct fire by marines at civilians,” he told the New York Times. “This was not an immediate response to an attack. This would be an atrocity.”
When the Lynndie England case first broke, a friend who was wounded in ‘Nam said, ‘that little girl didn’t do that on her own, she’s a private, they don’t do anything on their own. Someone ordered her to do it.’
The commandant of the marine corps, Gen Michael Hagee, flew to Iraq on Thursday to instruct his troops that they must abide by the Geneva Convention and the US military’s own rules of engagement.
This ranks up there with Ken Lay’s slimy, santimonous proclamations that he was innocent. Hagee is either covering up or incompetent. Regardless, ultimate responsibility for the atrocity is his. He should resign or be relieved of duty. Then be indicted for war crimes.
Were the world of D.C. and the Pentagon not so awash in imperialist bloodlust and greed, it would be a given he would resign in disgrace. But given the current climate, he’ll probably be quietly forced out then make $500k a year working for a defense contractor.
It’s the system that is corrupt. It’s the system that must change.
This “nobody was killed at Abu Ghraib” line is an absolute lie. See my post on the subject here.