Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war.
I was reading an article in Newsweek about Germany and the Auschwitz trials, and the author mentioned more recent war crimes, including "Lieutenant Calley at My Lai". I thought I recognized the name (or more likely the rank and context) from a story my father had told me. Lieutenant Calley murdered (directly and ordering subordinates to follow) hundreds of civilians at My Lai 4.I believe General Norman Schwarzkopf once said, "Isn't all war a crime?"
I think people make the mistake that when they see something like Abu Ghraib, they compare it to events like My Lai or Auschwitz and shrug it off as inconsequential. It's not inconsequential; it may be incomparable, but that's entirely different. Abu Ghraib is also incomparable to proper military proceedure and accepted international law. Killing one person is incomparable to killing 8 million. Torturing dozens is incomparable to torturing tens of millions. Neither action is ever inconsequential.
A friend of mine turned me on to Wikipedia, a community edited encyclopedia. I find it's knowledge invaluable in matters of fact and today I was able to help it become more complete: I added some information about Tiger Force, a commando unit who also committed attrocities during the Vietnam war.
Knowledge is a more powerful gift than any toy or jewelery.
posted by Lachlan @ 5:02 PM
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