Atrocities In Vietnam And Iraq
I remember during the 2004 Presidential campaign Rove put out the message that Sen. John Kerry a Vietnam war hero and George Bush's political opponent was a traitor because he exposed the atrocities of our troops in Vietnam. Unfortunately the slime that the slimy Karl Rove spewed worked to defeat John Kerry.
Isn't it interesting that now American troops fighting for George Bush in the Iraq war are committing atrocities against the very people they are supposed to be protecting. I wonder if whomever tattled on these troops will be branded a traitor or if anyone who agrees that these atrocities do in fact happen will be branded as such?
Today a little bit of justice was done in connection to these atrocities perpetrated against the innocent Iraqi people....
Soldier gets 90 years in Iraq rape case
By RYAN LENZ, Associated Press Writer Fri Nov 17, 6:49 AM ET
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - A soldier who was sentenced to 90 years in prison for conspiring to rape a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and kill her and her family said he knew his actions would harm support for the U.S. military's mission in Iraq.
[clip]
In his closing statement, Barker said stressful conditions in Iraq made him angry and violent.
"To live there, to survive there, I became angry and mean. The mean part of me made me strong on patrols. It made me brave in fire fights," he said. "I loved my friends, my fellow soldiers and my leaders, but I began to hate everyone else in Iraq."
Some of Barker's fellow soldiers testified on his behalf, describing weeks with little support and sleep while manning distant checkpoints.*
"The bottom line is they were not giving the soldiers the tools, were not giving the soldiers the combat stress treatment, were not giving them enough troops on the ground to fulfill their mission," defense attorney David Sheldon said after the sentencing.
Capt. William Fischbach, the lead prosecutor, told the court that such conditions were no excuse for Barker, who led the group to the family's house, and that no one deserved such unspeakable horrors.
"This burned-out corpse that used to be a 14-year-old girl never fired bullets or lobbed mortars," Fischbach said as he held pictures of the crime scene.
The defendants are accused of burning the girl's body to conceal the crime.
Sgt. Paul E. Cortez, 24, has deferred entering a plea, and Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman, 22, will be arraigned in December. Both are members of the 101st Airborne Division along with Barker and could face the death penalty if convicted.
Pfc. Bryan L. Howard, 19, also deferred entering a plea at his arraignment in October. He does not face the death penalty.
Steven Green, 21, pleaded not guilty last week to civilian charges including murder and sexual assault. The former private was discharged for a "personality disorder" before the allegations became known, and prosecutors have yet to say whether they will pursue the death penalty against him.
In earlier testimony, Barker described in detail how he raped Abeer Qassim al-Janabi with Cortez and Green before Green killed the girl, her younger sister and parents.
"Cortez pushed her to the ground. I went towards the top of her and kind of held her hands down while Cortez proceeded to lift her dress up," he said. "Around that time I heard shots coming from a room next door."
*Several people who have visited my blog have in essence called me out of touch because I've stated our troops do not get the support they need to fight this illegal war. Ive been told I am unfeeling and uncaring...cold-blooded about the Iraqi children and our troops. They claim I'm uninformed and that I need to go to Iraq to see just how well our troops have it.
I'll admit I did not go to Iraq and see with my own eyes that this atrocity was committed against the young Iraqi girl and her family or that the troops who committed it were not properly supported and under unbelievable pressure but apparently it did happened.
I will say that I did not nor do I support the Bush administration who has caused these terrible atrocities to happen. Can these visitors to my blog make the same claim?
IMPEACH BUSH
Isn't it interesting that now American troops fighting for George Bush in the Iraq war are committing atrocities against the very people they are supposed to be protecting. I wonder if whomever tattled on these troops will be branded a traitor or if anyone who agrees that these atrocities do in fact happen will be branded as such?
Today a little bit of justice was done in connection to these atrocities perpetrated against the innocent Iraqi people....
Soldier gets 90 years in Iraq rape case
By RYAN LENZ, Associated Press Writer Fri Nov 17, 6:49 AM ET
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - A soldier who was sentenced to 90 years in prison for conspiring to rape a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and kill her and her family said he knew his actions would harm support for the U.S. military's mission in Iraq.
[clip]
In his closing statement, Barker said stressful conditions in Iraq made him angry and violent.
"To live there, to survive there, I became angry and mean. The mean part of me made me strong on patrols. It made me brave in fire fights," he said. "I loved my friends, my fellow soldiers and my leaders, but I began to hate everyone else in Iraq."
Some of Barker's fellow soldiers testified on his behalf, describing weeks with little support and sleep while manning distant checkpoints.*
"The bottom line is they were not giving the soldiers the tools, were not giving the soldiers the combat stress treatment, were not giving them enough troops on the ground to fulfill their mission," defense attorney David Sheldon said after the sentencing.
Capt. William Fischbach, the lead prosecutor, told the court that such conditions were no excuse for Barker, who led the group to the family's house, and that no one deserved such unspeakable horrors.
"This burned-out corpse that used to be a 14-year-old girl never fired bullets or lobbed mortars," Fischbach said as he held pictures of the crime scene.
The defendants are accused of burning the girl's body to conceal the crime.
Sgt. Paul E. Cortez, 24, has deferred entering a plea, and Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman, 22, will be arraigned in December. Both are members of the 101st Airborne Division along with Barker and could face the death penalty if convicted.
Pfc. Bryan L. Howard, 19, also deferred entering a plea at his arraignment in October. He does not face the death penalty.
Steven Green, 21, pleaded not guilty last week to civilian charges including murder and sexual assault. The former private was discharged for a "personality disorder" before the allegations became known, and prosecutors have yet to say whether they will pursue the death penalty against him.
In earlier testimony, Barker described in detail how he raped Abeer Qassim al-Janabi with Cortez and Green before Green killed the girl, her younger sister and parents.
"Cortez pushed her to the ground. I went towards the top of her and kind of held her hands down while Cortez proceeded to lift her dress up," he said. "Around that time I heard shots coming from a room next door."
*Several people who have visited my blog have in essence called me out of touch because I've stated our troops do not get the support they need to fight this illegal war. Ive been told I am unfeeling and uncaring...cold-blooded about the Iraqi children and our troops. They claim I'm uninformed and that I need to go to Iraq to see just how well our troops have it.
I'll admit I did not go to Iraq and see with my own eyes that this atrocity was committed against the young Iraqi girl and her family or that the troops who committed it were not properly supported and under unbelievable pressure but apparently it did happened.
I will say that I did not nor do I support the Bush administration who has caused these terrible atrocities to happen. Can these visitors to my blog make the same claim?
IMPEACH BUSH
posted by Sandy at 10:19 AM
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