Enlisting the dead for Iraq

Increasing the pain

No greater pain can be inflicted on those who have lost their loved ones in the Iraqi war having first received condolence letters from Donald Rumsfeld that he could not be bothered to sign before there was an outcry, the troop numbers are now so stretched that they are calling on the dead to reenlist.

For those who believe in life after death, this takes the war to a new dimension; for a Ministry of Defense that has the most sophisticated computer systems not to have a very basic database of the dead to ensure that the wrong kind of communication is not sent to those who have survived the ones that have paid the ultimate price.

I would hope that the Army surge that President Bush is contemplating excludes the figures for those dead, wounded or incapacitated.

As usual, this would be blamed on computers rather than the cretins in charge who have not been meticulous in their duties.

No! Computers cannot take the rap for stupidity – garbage in, garbage out.

Shame!

Need a good joke to bury - give it to John Kerry

Education or possible cremation

Sometimes the truth is too bitter a pill to swallow. As the electioneering for the US Congress hots up and gets deep down dirty.

Senator John Kerry, the failed presidential candidate in 2004 was out campaigning and happened to be in a school where he deftly mangled what would have been a perfect criticism of the President by saying – “You know, education -- if you make the most of it, you study hard and you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq.”

Well, that does cut both ways depending on the sword and who you allow to take advantage of that weapon.

Ouch! Swing it the other way

For now, the cut which was supposed to cut down the President as being stuck in Iraq because of his inane policies is looking like the blunter edge, whilst that which portends to show soldiers being stuck in Iraq as cannon fodder because they have not been smart and well educated seems to deliver a mortal blow.

So, it has gotten downright emotive as John Kerry is getting disparaged for denigrating the service and patriotism of people serving America in an unholy war that they are not winning that has generated over 2,000 body bags and much more of the native Iraqis.

We are on the verge of trying to pull out but without the graceful means of extricating ourselves from the quagmire we willingly and consciously offered to wallow in.

Smart soldiers? Give me a break. Just a few of these smart soldiers have done well to secure the reputation and safety of our men in Iraq with Abu Ghraib and many other human rights abuses that cannot be tried by independent international courts.

The albatross of Vietnam

Well, it would appear John Kerry is not going to run into a corner and hide; he has come out firing all guns and ‘Vietnamised’ the retort.

Having expressed disgust about “Republican hacks, who have never worn the uniform of our country” [Meow!!!], now, Kerry who has served his country in uniform, with distinction and honours, he goes on to say, it is Bush and Cheney the draft ‘dodger’ who “owe our troops an apology having misled America into war”.

It is going to get awful, and it appears the first cut would probably not be the deepest, at all.

References

Bush on Kerry remark: U.S. troops are 'plenty smart'

U.S. is recruiting misfits for army / Felons, racists, gang members fill in the ranks

Less than 0.05% but still measurable

Slowly nabbing the scoundrels

Probably just 20 out of 100,000 UK troops who have been through the Iraqi cauldron are responsible for the kinds of acts we saw in those despicable video broadcasts and papers over the last few weeks.

So far, only three soldiers have been arrested out of the probably eight or so that had their kicks at those teenagers; the cameraman being the first of the lot.

Well, far be it from me to be “quick to condemn and slow to praise”, but if any structure were present in the expression of remorse for losing the high moral ground – a lot more should have been rounded up quicker and perceptions should be changing on the ground.

The problem is not just the participants; the other soldiers who walked by when that fracas developed with live commentary coming from the roof are intrinsically culpable for acquiescing to what is not the culture of our respected defenders of the realm.

Equal airing, good or bad

If there is a medal for gallantry it should immediately go to the man who gave us the opportunity to feel sick to the stomach at watching a “director’s cut” of what people get up to in our name.

If we want all our good deeds to be shouted from the mountain tops and ramparts, then we should concentrate on just doing good deeds.

I do not subscribe to the censorship of material that portrays us in bad light if we have indeed been bad boys and someone has taken time to record those events for posterity, entertainment or eventual redress.

Tough does not excuse rough

Iraq is a tough place; people are losing their lives faster than the Taliban could have replenished their “Coliseum” with human fodder – it still does no present the excuse to exhibit inhumane and barbaric activity on the people we went to liberate.

Supposedly, the base instinct of man; be they trained as our soldiers or schooled in the depravity of hopelessness is to enjoy the pleasure of pack activity like wolves gnaw at a carcass.

We do not have the luxury to be protector and oppressor at the same time just because we were victorious.

If the training of our armed forces does not include the ability to quickly if not instinctively gauge the consequences of their actions; then a good few should be on a 101 course on Military Conduct and then the Art of War back-to-back many times over.

Not good is bad

I sympathise with the Minister for Defence, but I remember reading somewhere – a little leaven (yeast) leavens the whole lump – Oh! That was prefixed with “your boasting is not good” – even if it was 0.0005% what is not good is bad, whichever way you look at it.

References

BBC NEWS | UK | Two more held over 'abuse' video

Reid to defend troops in Iraq | the Daily Mail

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Video fallout hits UK Iraq troops