I served as an infantry squad leader in Iraq for 12 months. War is a terrible, awful endeavor. Americans, most of whom have had nothing to do with the military since the draft ended, have this idea that modern combat is a sanitized, scientific exercise. The media exacerbates this notion the more it shows real time footage of high tech weapons in action and the more it uses terms such as "smart bomb", "rules of engagement", and "collateral damage", which have long since entered our vocabulary.
The world isn't becoming more peaceful, either. War will be with us for a long time. It was brutal during the time of Ancient Rome, it was brutal during Napoleon's rule, and it continues to be today. We are simply more efficient at killing one another, but there will always be casualties in conflict. Torture, maiming, and killing are the unpleasant truths that most people don't want to hear about. And when they do, in this country, they assign blame and try to ease the blow with investigations, policies, and other political nonsense. It's war. It can't be cleaned or sanitized by anything. Get over it.
The liberals will have you believe that America is and always will be the cause of so much unrest in the world today. We aren't. Rogue nuclear nations and terrorists without borders are as much to blame. They expect perfection in a world that will never be perfect and that is the problem of the left. This documentary magnified this. Once again, the wrongdoings of a few bad apples in the US military was highlighted for the Monday morning quarterbacks to scrutinize, while the noble deeds of American soldiers was completely ignored.
If you have never served in the military, or in a forward area, or have never worked in a law enforcement or security capacity, you aren't qualified to judge. The public expects perfection in a world that isn't perfect and expects military and police to detain the bad guys as if the bad guys have neon signs on their backs saying "Arrest me!" If this documentary disturbed you, then try walking a beat, a patrol, or guarding a prisoner for a day or two. You have your policies and you have your human side---which can potentially become more humane or more callous. If you can't relate, then you aren't qualified to judge. There is a ton of gray area that most people don't want to hear about because they are convinced that everything is black and white.
If you meet a terrorist or a criminal, then be prepared to fight and fight hard! The documentary better defined the reasons, decisions, and policies behind Abu Ghirab and other events and explained why the MPs acted as they did. I am sure that some detainees at Guantanamo were in the "wrong place at the wrong time" and I am sure that some were members of Al Queda. Again, consider the events of 9/11 and consider how difficult it is for the foot soldier to identify friends and foes in the "fog of war." Let them do their jobs as best as they can, or else there may be another 9/11.
The documentary ignored the yield of interrogations. Did they save American lives on the battlefield or at home? Did they make a difference? I personally served in Iraq and I consider myself well-versed in modern media trickery. Had the documentary given any attention to what resulted on the battlefield from any intelligence obtained, then HBO's anti-war meaning would have been lost.
Military and police work is a dirty job---but like trash collection, someone's got to do it. Pick up a rifle and stand a post and you'll better understand. Until you do, you aren't qualified to judge.
The world isn't becoming more peaceful, either. War will be with us for a long time. It was brutal during the time of Ancient Rome, it was brutal during Napoleon's rule, and it continues to be today. We are simply more efficient at killing one another, but there will always be casualties in conflict. Torture, maiming, and killing are the unpleasant truths that most people don't want to hear about. And when they do, in this country, they assign blame and try to ease the blow with investigations, policies, and other political nonsense. It's war. It can't be cleaned or sanitized by anything. Get over it.
The liberals will have you believe that America is and always will be the cause of so much unrest in the world today. We aren't. Rogue nuclear nations and terrorists without borders are as much to blame. They expect perfection in a world that will never be perfect and that is the problem of the left. This documentary magnified this. Once again, the wrongdoings of a few bad apples in the US military was highlighted for the Monday morning quarterbacks to scrutinize, while the noble deeds of American soldiers was completely ignored.
If you have never served in the military, or in a forward area, or have never worked in a law enforcement or security capacity, you aren't qualified to judge. The public expects perfection in a world that isn't perfect and expects military and police to detain the bad guys as if the bad guys have neon signs on their backs saying "Arrest me!" If this documentary disturbed you, then try walking a beat, a patrol, or guarding a prisoner for a day or two. You have your policies and you have your human side---which can potentially become more humane or more callous. If you can't relate, then you aren't qualified to judge. There is a ton of gray area that most people don't want to hear about because they are convinced that everything is black and white.
If you meet a terrorist or a criminal, then be prepared to fight and fight hard! The documentary better defined the reasons, decisions, and policies behind Abu Ghirab and other events and explained why the MPs acted as they did. I am sure that some detainees at Guantanamo were in the "wrong place at the wrong time" and I am sure that some were members of Al Queda. Again, consider the events of 9/11 and consider how difficult it is for the foot soldier to identify friends and foes in the "fog of war." Let them do their jobs as best as they can, or else there may be another 9/11.
The documentary ignored the yield of interrogations. Did they save American lives on the battlefield or at home? Did they make a difference? I personally served in Iraq and I consider myself well-versed in modern media trickery. Had the documentary given any attention to what resulted on the battlefield from any intelligence obtained, then HBO's anti-war meaning would have been lost.
Military and police work is a dirty job---but like trash collection, someone's got to do it. Pick up a rifle and stand a post and you'll better understand. Until you do, you aren't qualified to judge.