GW:
Wrong. I realize the error I made by creating an alter ego. After busted by the slanty eyed devil, I now find myself wasting time saying who I am not. As OJ is my witness, I will positively, 100% never post anything at this forum under any other name other than by pseudoname of Eddie Haskell.
I am who I am and dats all dat I am. Now with that out of the way, I would like to reiterate my position on atrocities in both Viet Nam and Iraq. During the Viet Nam War, the NVA and Viet Cong committed unspeakable treatment of American POW's as well as the South Vietnamese.
The American response to such atrocities was expected. American soldiers did commit atrocities (ie. Mei Lai). Did all of them do it? No. However, some did. Kerry testified as to what others told him concerning these atrocities.
If we are going to take the higher moral ground, we have to acknowledge that such war crimes were committed by Americans. I would be the first to say that if I was there and witnessed the war crimes committed by the NVA and the Viet Cong, I may very well have taken part in the actions to which Kerry testified.
Its human nature. Abu Girad is understandable after beheadings by the Iraqis. Kerry is not a traitor for telling the truth. Until we realize and acknowledge that we too can be vicious, again understandably in the face of the enemies atrocities, we will not advance as a civilzation.
I realize that those of you who believe in an eye for an eye will never accept my reasoning on this issue. Furthermore, those of you who consider the Muslim culture as so drastically different from western culture that they would not accept this concept of fairness, then I cannot expect to persuady your thinking.
However, I do not believe that average Muslims, the vast majority, would treat westerners much differently than the average westerner would treat a Muslim. I don not think the average Muslim is uncivilized.
Atta and McVeigh are kindred spirits. If there is a hell, they may be sharing a room. I ask that you consider we lead and conduct ourselves by example. The swift boat guys apparently cannot come to the realization that there were some who could not resist the temptation to treat the enemy and some Vietnameese civilians as some of the enemy treated them.
Remember, this was not a conventional war by any stretch of the imagination. Jungle warfare, tunnels, boobie traps, snipers, suicide missions, coupled with difficulty in knowing who was your friend (south Vietnameese) and who was your enemy (North Vietnamese) made the enemy very difficult to identify. All this cast over an uncertainty as to why we were there in the first place.
It is a lot like today in Iraq. I feel sorry for the swift boat guys as they apprantly have been unable to come to grips with what actually occured over there in the 60's. I believe that they have to believe as they do, that America was right no matte what, in order to live with themselves. Acknowledging the atrocities commited by US soldiers, to them, is being a traitor.
Quite the opposite. Acknowledging the atrocities is the hard thing to do and will help this country advance morally and as the great nation that we are. Or should I say can be. Admit your mistakes, learn from your mistakes. Dont cover them up. Kerry should be honored for both his service during the War as well as after the war.
Eddie
