Freedom And Justice

by pessimist

The usual blather about how wonderful America is (and not about what it once was and could again be) rings out once again:

As the nation observes its 230th birthday, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff took to the airwaves today to thank the men and women of the armed forces and their families for their service.

Their 'service'? Iraqs aren't so pleased about this 'service':

Charges allege that former infantryman Steven Green and three other soldiers killed four people and raped a woman while stationed in Mahmudiayh, Iraq. The Mecklenburg County (N.C.) Sheriff's Web site lists Midland as Green's hometown.

The Texas Connection! Why does so much bad behavior come from Texas? Are we going to find out that he's a big fan of violent video games?

Whether or not he is into violent video games, he's in extreme excrement - and there's no reset button to save him from the consequences of his Iraq actions:

The former soldier faces a possible death sentence if convicted of murder.

US federal prosecutors are handling the case because Green has been discharged from the army. According to an affidavit filed along with the criminal complaint, he was discharged before the rape incident came to light.

Male Bovine Excrement! The crime was committed while in uniform. Military justice would be applied, and Green would have found himself back in the service for the duration. He's still probably under some kind of a recall order, discharge or no. That would put him back under the control of the Pentagon for trial. To take any other step is a political move, for if all that was right was in force, the trial would be held under Iraqi law - and in an Iraqi court.

"Trust us, we'll get to the bottom of this" isn't going to work after Abu Ghraib turned into such a whitewash of the US military.

Hashim Abdul-Rahman al-Shebli, Iraq's justice minister, on Tuesday condemned the alleged rape and murder of an Iraqi woman, and the murder of three members of her family by a former US soldier. Two women MPs demanded that Nuri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister be summoned to parliament to give assurances those guilty of the crime would be punished. Iraq's justice minister also demanded that the U.N. Security Council ensure punishment for those guilty in the rape-slaying, branding the attack "monstrous and inhuman."

The mayor of Mahmoudiya says local authorities have started their own investigation into the case.

"The Iraqi judiciary should be informed about this investigation which should be conducted under supervision of international and human organizations. Those involved should face justice" said [Minister] al-Shebli, a Sunni Arab.

But there is little hope of any of this coming about:

On Tuesday, Iraq's largest newspaper, Azzaman, expressed skepticism that the soldiers would be severely punished. The newspaper said in an editorial that the rape "summarizes what has been going in Iraq for the past years not only by the American occupation army, but also by some Iraqi groups."

An Eye For An Eye is declared by the resistance:

No sooner had U.S. authorities filed rape and murder charges against ex-soldier Steven D. Green than an account of the incident appeared on an Islamist Web site in the name of an insurgent group, the Mujahedeen Army. It promised "harsh punishment" for the alleged crime. The allegations also undermine public confidence in the U.S.-backed government and complicate America's hopes of reducing forces.

[A] southern governor said he was resigning amid fears Iraqi forces cannot handle security once coalition troops transfer responsibility there this month.

Great job, George! Some poor slob who you sent there is going to end up paying with his life for Green's actions, whether he's convicted or not. It isn't going to stop when the score is even, because now all Americans look like former-Texan Green to Iraqis - there have been far too many other incidents, Abu Ghraib being only the most well-known.

All the talk in the world cannot convince anyone that American behavior will change. We're going to have to prove it. The problem is that we can't until you and your neo-conmen are in the dock yourselves. We'll take away your freedom through the use of justice.

Then maybe we can reclaim our traditional image, and the world won't see American soldiers as Shutzstaffel v2.0.

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