U.S. Vows Investigation of Incident With Corpses!

[Jake Martinez]

How convenient that this video comes out now!

Posted on US Today-By James K. Sanborn and Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY-On January 12, 2012:

“The Marines and the Obama administration promised a full investigation into a video that purports to depict four U.S. Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters, images that could be used as propaganda by America’s enemies, experts say.

“The behavior depicted in the video is wholly inconsistent with the high standards of conduct and warrior ethos that we have demonstrated throughout our history,” said Gen. James Amos, the Marine Corps commandant.

Amos requested that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service pull together a team “to thoroughly investigate every aspect of the filmed event.”

STORY: Video allegedly shows Marines urinating on dead Taliban

STORY: Taliban: Afghan talks won’t mean end to fighting

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta phoned Afghan President Hamid Karzai and promised a full investigation. Panetta said such behavior is “entirely inappropriate for members of the United States military” and those responsible will be held accountable. Karzai called the actions “completely inhumane.”

At least two of the four men have been identified as Marines based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., the Associated Press reported, citing a Marine official who spoke on condition of anonymity because there is a criminal investigation. It was not clear when the video was taken.

The images may be used by the Taliban to convince Afghans that Americans disrespect Islamic traditions, said Richard Kohn, professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina and a military historian. But the effect will probably be limited, particularly among the American public.

“These things happen unfortunately,” Kohn said. “These are young kids under stress. They do stupid things and don’t realize the consequences. The American people have a great deal of affection and respect for the military and understand that bad things happen in war.”

The act violates the Geneva Conventions governing conduct in war, said Michael Newton, a law professor at Vanderbilt University. The conventions outlaw the desecration of war dead.

“The law of war has long made this a war crime in all circumstances during all types of conflicts - and we prosecuted people after World War II for situations like this,” Newton said.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said, “We strongly condemn this inhumane action by the wild American soldiers.”

The incident is common in war, especially in units that lack strong leadership, said Andrew Exum, a military analyst at the Center for a New American Security who led Army units in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Politicians and average Americans think the world of U.S. Marines and soldiers for good reason,” Exum said. “But they need to see war as it is, not the sanitized version” portrayed in Hollywood films.

Young troops in a foreign country who don’t understand the language or culture, experiencing combat stress and lacking strong sergeants and officers, “will do stupid things,” he said. “There’s no excuse for it.”

The video shows four men in Marine uniforms standing over bloodied corpses and urinating on them. One man says, “Have a great day, buddy.”

Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said he was “deeply disturbed” by the actions depicted in the video.

“Actions like those are not only illegal but are contrary to the values of a professional military and serve to erode the reputation of our joint force,” he said.

There have been other highly publicized incidents of misconduct involving U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The most damaging occurred at the prison in Abu Ghraib in Iraq in which U.S. troops took photos of prisoners being humiliated and abused.

In Afghanistan, a rogue group of U.S. soldiers killed unarmed civilians and cut fingers and a tooth from the corpses for souvenirs in 2010.

The leader of the group was convicted of murder in November by a military court.

Atrocities by U.S. troops against their enemies in World War II have also been documented, Exum said. Those received less attention at the time, in part, because communication technology didn’t exist to rocket images around the world in an instant.

The video of the Marines will probably have a minimal effect on the war in Afghanistan, Exum said. The Taliban has spread worse falsehoods about U.S. troops and seems interested in entering peace talks.

“I don’t think it’s going to endanger the war effort,” Exum said. “The die is cast.”

Amos said he has assigned a Marine general officer and a senior attorney with extensive combat experience to head a preliminary inquiry.

“Rest assured that the institution of the Marine Corps will not rest until the allegations and the events surrounding them have been resolved,” Amos said.

A caption beneath the video identifies the men as members of a scout sniper team assigned to 3^rd Battalion, 2^nd Marines, out of Camp Lejeune. That infantry battalion returned to Camp Lejeune in September and October from a standard seven-month deployment to Afghanistan’s Helmand province. Its Marines saw intense action in and around Musa Qala, a violent district in northern Helmand.

Sen. John McCain, a Navy veteran who fought and was held prisoner in the Vietnam War, said the incident “makes me so sad.”

McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the Marine Corps one of America’s strongest institutions and said its image has apparently been tarnished by “a handful of obviously undisciplined people.”

Source:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/story/2012-01-12/marines-tali...

Question:  Does the Geneva Convention Treaty apply to terrorists?

The Third Geneva Convention explicitly states that parties need not apply it to all conflicts, especially when the foes are not parties, and when enemies do not abide by its terms.

No terrorist group is a party to the Geneva Conventions.

They have not signed, much less ratified, those treaties.

Moreover, it is evident that Hamas, Hezbollah, and members of the global Al-Qaeda network spurn both the spirit and the letter of international treaties designed to ameliorate the cruelty of war.

Continue Reading:

http://weroinnm.wordpress.com/2009/05/07/does-human-rights-law-appl...

Note:  The following eye opening article and/or blog post reveals a George Soros funded unincorporated association by the name of “Peace and Security Funders Group (PSFG)”, which was established in 1999 and consists of more than 50 private and public foundations that give a portion of their $27 billion in combined assets to leftist organizations that undermine the war on terror in several interrelated ways, to include one that steadfastly defends the civil rights and liberties of terrorists whose ultimate aim is to facilitate the annihilation of not only the United States, but all of Western civilization-You Decide: 

Funding the War Against the War on Terror!-Posted on FrontPageMagazine.com-By: John Perazzo –On October 6, 2006:

http://archive.frontpagemag.com/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=2309

Note: The following articles and/or blog posts relate to this disturbing issue-You Decide:

I. SAVAGE RIPS ‘COWARDLY’ CONDEMNATION OF MARINES IN VIDEO: ‘’The Taliban are barbarians, they cut people’s heads off’-Posted on WND.com-On January 13, 2012:

http://www.wnd.com/2012/01/savage-rips-cowardly-condemnation-of-mar...

II. Allen West on the Marines Incident: ‘Shut Your Mouth, War Is Hell’!-Posted on The Weekly Standard-By DANIEL HALPER-On January 13, 2012:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/allen-west-marines-incident-shu...

III. Outrage at Video of Marines Urinating on Taliban Corpses: A Veteran’s View!-Posted on Yahoo! News-By ALEX LEMONS | Time.com-On January 13, 2012:

http://news.yahoo.com/outrage-video-marines-urinating-taliban-corps...

IV. Marines face trouble for Taliban pee video!-Posted on The New York Post-By CHUCK BENNETT, Post Wire Services-On January 12, 2012:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/you_are_relieved_guJ1vyTEQQYE...

V. Navy Vet: The Only Thing I Support About Obama Is His Impeachment!-Posted on PJStar.com-By Mike Schwerer-On January 7, 2012:

http://www.pjstar.com/opinion/spotlight/x1266412353/In-the-Spotligh...

VI. The Top 5 Reasons Obama Must Be Removed as Commander-in-Chief!-Posted on American Thinker-By Stella Paul-On January 9, 2012:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/01/the_top_5_reasons_obama_must...

VII. The Shocking List Of GITMO Detainees Obama Plans To Release In Deal With Taliban!-Posted on The Blaze-By Tiffany Gabbay-On January 9, 2012:

VIII. Gutting defense: ‘O’s lame claims that we’re safer!’-Posted on The New York Post-By JAMES JAY CARAFANO-Updated on January 6, 2012:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/gutting_defense...

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/the-shocking-list-of-gitmo-detainee...

IX. Obama Discovers New “Rights” for Terrorists-Posted on Floyd Reports-By Guest Writer-On March 31, 2011:

http://floydreports.com/obamas-obama-discovers-new-rights-for-terro...

Note:  My following blog post contains numerous articles and/or blog posts and videos that relate to this disturbing issue-You Decide:

Does Human Rights Law Apply to Terrorists?

http://weroinnm.wordpress.com/2009/05/07/does-human-rights-law-appl...

The Military Pays the Price for Obama’s Agenda!

http://weroinnm.wordpress.com/2010/08/11/the-military-pays-the-pric...

Veterans and members of our Armed Forces under attack!

http://weroinnm.wordpress.com/2010/05/23/veterans-and-members-of-ou...

Treason in America: Move Over ‘Hanoi Jane’!

http://weroinnm.wordpress.com/2010/10/16/treason-in-america-move-ov...

What are CAIRs obstructionist goals?

http://weroinnm.wordpress.com/2011/03/06/6951/

Is it important to understand the Marxist assault on the foundations of our system?

http://weroinnm.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/is-it-important-to-underst...

Note:  If you have a problem viewing any of the listed blog posts please copy web site and paste it on your browser. Be aware that some of the articles and/or blog posts or videos listed within the contents of the above blog post(s) may have been removed by this administration because they may have considered them to be too controversial.  Sure seems like any subject matter that may shed some negative light on this administration is being censored-What happened to free speech?-You Decide.

“Food For Thought”

God Bless the U.S.A.!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q65KZIqay4E&feature=related

Semper Fi!

Jake