These are some of the results of a study done on over 1,000 US soldiers NOW in Iraq.
CNN study of American Soldiers in Iraq
Ethics:
47% of all soldiers and only 38% marines think innocent civilians deserve dignity and respect
10% admitted abusing civilians or deliberately damaging their property
Fewer than 50% said they would report a comrade for abuse or unethical behavior
Over 1/3 say torture should be allowed
Top US military officials responded by saying this survey should be a compliment to leadership since the soldiers are not acting on the beliefs stated and they are NOT torturing. I guess they forgot that we have all SEEN THE PICTURES.
I wonder how long people think the world is going to allow this kind of tyranny...
No wonder you see innocent Iraqis being tortured and killed. How sad.
By the invaders in the ist phase and criminal gangs at a later stage, being supported militarily by a so-called Muslim country, which doesn't want peace in Iraq and Afghanistan.
not to say the study isnt real or that it isnt right, but to survey 1000 people out of 150,000 doesnt really hold enough weight to make a solid conclusion about US soldiers in Iraq. Think it about it like this it is 1 in every 150 people and who even knows what these soldiers have been through or where they are stationed
disclaimer: I am not supporting any torture or unethical acts committed by any soldiers
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."
- Bertrand Russell
"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the
enemy." - George Washington
no offense but given caroline's report you are probably correct... and not in the smug sense that you just responded to that poster.
given the issue at hand i do not think i am surprised... it is difficult to think loving and righteous things when you are in a situation where you are confused... people are trying to kill you, and you are expected to use good judgment. they are just people afterall... i wouldn't be surprised if you polled soldiers from anywhere in any war and you got similar results. this is one of the many reasons i'm completely against war... it's evil.
it seems tremendously naive to think that ones' soldiers are inhumanly righteous in a war... merely because they are your countrymen, religious brothers and sisters or even religious figures.
not to say the study isnt real or that it isnt right, but to survey 1000 people out of 150,000 doesnt really hold enough weight to make a solid conclusion about US soldiers in Iraq. Think it about it like this it is 1 in every 150 people and who even knows what these soldiers have been through or where they are stationed
disclaimer: I am not supporting any torture or unethical acts committed by any soldiers
hola MTAFFI
how is your disclaimer different from muslims who spend three pages ranting about defending themselves from the zionist occupation then close with the parthian shot 'i'm against terrorism' ??
if ultimately the purpose of your words is to look for a way to exculpate and push the issue under the rug so that it's not discussed and addressed in the open (which is embarassing)... then you ARE supporting torture and unethical acts passively.
This study has very normal results. what do you expected?? this guys are in Iraq risking their life's and a "normal person" can easily be a terrorist ready to explode! Not to say that civilians protect insurgents and weapons that killed American soldiers. This results are SO normal.
I am not saying what is correct or not, but this is a "Arabia War". Not like in Europe where the enemy could be easily target, in this case terrorist or civilian is very close. SO is very normal that the soldiers start confusing the population with the real enemy.
Even if this report is accurate as far as percentages, which would depend on the sample and the method, all that truly matters is what they do, not what they think. In any war the enemy becomes something less than human. That is really the only way to do what one has to do and remain largely sane and able to return to normal society.
"Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is."
It is not Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, and obedience to Allâh, etc.) that you turn your faces towards east and (or) west (in prayers); but Al-Birr is (the quality of) the one who believes in Allâh, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Prophets and gives his wealth, in spite of love for it, to the kinsfolk, to the orphans, and to Al-Masâkîn (the poor), and to the wayfarer, and to those who ask, and to set slaves free, performs As-Salât, and gives the Zakât, and keep their word whenever they make a promise, and who are patient in extreme poverty and ailment (disease) and at the time of persecution, hardship, and war. Such are the people of the truth and they are Al-Muttaqûn (the pious).
how is your disclaimer different from muslims who spend three pages ranting about defending themselves from the zionist occupation then close with the parthian shot 'i'm against terrorism' ??
if ultimately the purpose of your words is to look for a way to exculpate and push the issue under the rug so that it's not discussed and addressed in the open (which is embarassing)... then you ARE supporting torture and unethical acts passively.
que Dios te bendiga
I am not sure if you interpreted my post correctly, I am not defending torture or unethical acts, just as I put on the bottom of my post, and I am not saying that this report is incorrect. I challenge the accuracy of any study that is done on 1,000 men WHEN THERE ARE 149,000 MORE THAT COULD HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS... the same goes for islamic extremism, while we see 1,000 fighters or 10,000 fighters or who knows maybe 1,000,000 that is still only a fraction of the 1,000,000,000 in the world. That is all I was saying
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."
- Bertrand Russell
"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the
enemy." - George Washington
Do you have a link? I can't find anything on CNN itself. Can't find anything on Google either.
That's because it isn't from CNN, in fact, it isn't an LA Times news story either. It is from the Opinion section. For those unfamiliar with Western journalistic standards, columns printed in the opinion section of a newspaper are not routinely fact-checked by editors and are not even meant to be news stories. The informed reader is supposed to understand that such columns represent the opinions of the author. That is why the call it the Opinion section. It is designed to permit the airing of opposing points of view.
Here is the author....CHRIS HEDGES....who is the author, most recently, of "American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America."
There is some collection of troop "interviews" published in the july 30 issue of The Nation, which is sort of like the Washinton Times of the far Left.
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