Why Are These Men Going to Prison?
Why Are These Men Going to Prison?
It was reported Saturday that seven members of the California National Guard have been sentenced to prison for using a stun gun to abuse Iraqi detainees.
I am going to take a very unpopular and very politically incorrect position on this matter and say that that these men should NOT be going to prison, as no one was killed or – as far as I can gather – permanently injured.
While I am not suggesting that what these men did represents model behavior, I am suggesting that – again, since no one was killed or permanently injured – there exist appropriate tools (such as Article 15 punishment, which can include reduction in rank and fines) in the UCMJ for handling this kind of thing short of sending otherwise good men to prison.
Newsflash to our civilian leadership (i.e., President Bush and SECDEF Dumbsfeld) as well as our Generals/Admirals: We are at WAR!
So, let’s quit treating our soldiers like Peoria, Illinois, policemen. Remember, these Guardsmen have watched their buddies being killed and wounded in combat during their stay in Iraq. They are not on a Peace Corps mission, for God’s Sake!
What are we trying to prove by following these Marquis de Queensbury Rules of Engagement with an enemy that does not even have standing under the Geneva Conventions?
This trying to go above and beyond in our treatment of detainees is getting nauseating. It cannot possibly help the morale of our troops to know that if they are not blown up by the enemy they still stand a very good chance of being punished by their own superiors if they do not handle all detainees with kid gloves.
What a waste! And the Army wonders why recruitment is down!
When the enemy starts playing nice, we can start playing nice. Until then, let us stop sending good men to prison because they make Senator McPain and the seditious AP reporters angry.
(Note: In this case, the abused detainees turned out not to be terrorists, but this does mean that they were model citizens, either. In fact, the news release says that at least some of them were thieves.)
It was reported Saturday that seven members of the California National Guard have been sentenced to prison for using a stun gun to abuse Iraqi detainees.
I am going to take a very unpopular and very politically incorrect position on this matter and say that that these men should NOT be going to prison, as no one was killed or – as far as I can gather – permanently injured.
While I am not suggesting that what these men did represents model behavior, I am suggesting that – again, since no one was killed or permanently injured – there exist appropriate tools (such as Article 15 punishment, which can include reduction in rank and fines) in the UCMJ for handling this kind of thing short of sending otherwise good men to prison.
Newsflash to our civilian leadership (i.e., President Bush and SECDEF Dumbsfeld) as well as our Generals/Admirals: We are at WAR!
So, let’s quit treating our soldiers like Peoria, Illinois, policemen. Remember, these Guardsmen have watched their buddies being killed and wounded in combat during their stay in Iraq. They are not on a Peace Corps mission, for God’s Sake!
What are we trying to prove by following these Marquis de Queensbury Rules of Engagement with an enemy that does not even have standing under the Geneva Conventions?
This trying to go above and beyond in our treatment of detainees is getting nauseating. It cannot possibly help the morale of our troops to know that if they are not blown up by the enemy they still stand a very good chance of being punished by their own superiors if they do not handle all detainees with kid gloves.
What a waste! And the Army wonders why recruitment is down!
When the enemy starts playing nice, we can start playing nice. Until then, let us stop sending good men to prison because they make Senator McPain and the seditious AP reporters angry.
(Note: In this case, the abused detainees turned out not to be terrorists, but this does mean that they were model citizens, either. In fact, the news release says that at least some of them were thieves.)
posted by GunJam at 11:30 PM
2 Comments:
I totally agree!
Hi, mil mom! Apparently, you and I (following Michael Savage, of course) are a "voice in the wilderness" on this issue. The press is against the military; the military leaders are gutless; and the politicians are clueless! -- gunjam
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