To the contrary — in this case, it is certain *military* commanders (of the non-GAGA persuasion), the press, and members of the Congress who are all attesting to *genuine* atrocities in Iraq — not the first, certainly — that are coupled with the strong likelihood of an official cover-up. (The investigation of that particular aspect is yet to begin, according to the article, but it certainly doesn’t *look* good from the history of bogus “explanations” floated to the press.)

And proving a negative is a logical impossibility. All that can be deduced from this case is that this particular incident *is* being investigated; others have not been. Moreover, this sweeping generalization tactic of lashing out, a la “straw man”, at “the anti-war crowd” — as if it spoke in all one voice — for releases of information outside its control really doesn’t dignify your arguments in the least. (Need I even *ask* if you could produce a single reliable news item purportedly quoting “the anti-war crowd”, en masse?) Yes, I know we all do it from time to time. But let’s deal with the facts here, and leave the sweeping innuendo aside for now, shall we? Very little of either of these somewhat similar reports can be rationally attributed to “the anti-war crowd”, insofar as I can see.

However, there are abundant examples of such officially suppressed atrocities, large and small, throughout military history. And the US is hardly immune to such accusations. (Think Vietnam — My Lai, Tiger Force Platoon, and Operation Phoenix, to name just a few sordid examples. “Ears, anyone?”) Yes, I know — My Lai was eventually rendered a “show trial”; but the Pentagon refused to open any investigation of Tiger Force’s atrocities when they were finally revealed, and Operation Phoenix was of course officially sanctioned “US policy”.

Responding to your itemized list:

1) The Corps, or elements of its chain of command, may very well have been directly involved in the initial cover-up. The military quite typically “takes care of its own”, unless willful insubordination is involved And it’s illogical to insist that “couldn’t” be the case when that part of the investigation is not even underway yet.

2) So what? In this particular case, there were indeed about a dozen Marines (according to the reports) run amok under a Staff Sergeant’s authority, possibly even *following* his orders. In the case of Tiger Force, it was the better part of a platoon. At My Lai, it was a whole damn company, if I recall correctly. But an atrocity is an atrocity is an atrocity. And this is but one of many. If I could cite you an example of, say, an entire Division that went on a rampage, what difference would it make? You could still always say that it was “only” a Division acting in violation of “the rules of engagement” and therefore “not representative of the military as a whole”, and make no real point. What is, is! Atrocities have occurred, they are frequently covered up, and the system, as it is, readily facilitates such abuses, UCMJ notwithstanding.

3) That remains to be seen. Yes, they’re now being investigated, but the notion that “justice will prevail” ultimately is nothing more than an assertion of personal belief — one that is rather at odds with history. There have been many such war crimes incidents where justice was *never* served, due strictly to “political” considerations. Going all the way back now to the final days of World War II, a good many Axis war criminals (and possible war criminals) were simply *recruited* after the fact by the US government and granted full amnesty, simply because they “could be of use”. That, of course, was “Operation Paperclip”. Our own potential war criminals in that conflict were simply never brought to trial — “victors’ justice”. (Try as I may, I can’t recall offhand the name of the General who oversaw the US bombing campaigns, including the fire bombings of entire cities and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But he later openly admitted that, had things turned out differently, he and the others in charge would very likely have been indicted for war crimes or crimes against humanity.)

To cite a much more recent example, following the Palestine Hotel shelling (during the early occupation of Baghdad) — in which civilian journalists were killed in what was purportedly a known “no fire” zone — CentCom spokesman General Vincent Brooks issued the “standard disclaimer” that the incident would be thoroughly investigated. But as a fellow commander later revealed, NO such investigation was ever undertaken. (Moral: Don’t believe everything you hear.)

Jesse Macbeth’s assertions are but one symptom of a wider “disease”. If it ultimately turns out that his statements are indeed fraudulent, that won’t change by one iota the ugly realities of war, as the contemporaneous revelation regarding Haditha makes abundantly clear. If you personally have never been involved in any such questionable incident — and it’s conceivably somewhat difficult to do (or perhaps realize) in the capacity of an Artilleryman — consider yourself blessed. But remember, having served in Iraq does not convey the omniscience of having served in ALL of Iraq, at ALL times, in ALL capacities. Each of us has only an exceedingly narrow perspective of our world, limited primarily to our own experiences. And we cannot meaningfully refute broader, more painful allegations via personal experience and beliefs alone.

1. The Marine Corps is not trying to cover up the incident.

2. It was a small group of Marines acting improperly in violation of standing orders and the rules of engagement.

3. The Marines in question are being throughly investigated and will face serious criminal charges if it is found they acted improperly.

The anti-war crowd has been claiming that atrocities are being covered up. This incident, while completely unacceptable, proves that the military is not covering up war crimes and will investigate alleged incidents. And also important, they inform the public when they’re investigating an incident.

I suppose the following news can only support that contention, strongly reinforcing the notion that ONLY unshakeable integrity prevails within the Corps as well. Semper Fi:

Military Expected to Report Marines Killed Iraqi Civilians

A military investigation into the deaths of two dozen Iraqis last November is expected to find that a small number of marines in western Iraq carried out extensive, unprovoked killings of civilians, Congressional, military and Pentagon officials said Thursday.

Two lawyers involved in discussions about individual marines’ defenses said they thought the investigation could result in charges of murder, a capital offense. That possibility and the emerging details of the killings have raised fears that the incident could be the gravest case involving misconduct by American ground forces in Iraq.

Officials briefed on preliminary results of the inquiry said the civilians killed at Haditha, a lawless, insurgent-plagued city deep in Sunni-dominated Anbar Province, did not die from a makeshift bomb, as the military first reported, or in cross-fire between marines and attackers, as was later announced. A separate inquiry has begun to find whether the events were deliberately covered up.

Evidence indicates that the civilians were killed during a sustained sweep by a small group of marines that lasted three to five hours and included shootings of five men standing near a taxi at a checkpoint, and killings inside at least two homes that included women and children …

I can’t believe there are still some people trying to defend this fraud. The sleeves in the picture seal it for me. I know for a fact that no one in the Army would ever wear their sleeves like that for an official picture (or any other time for that matter). Just like I would have never rolled my sleeves like the Army when I was in the Marine Corps. That are absolute truths and some people just can’t wrap their heads around that.

Boy it was fun watching everyone pummel this vermin. It’s hard out here for a poseur.

I am trying to gen up a Mad City based Blogger’s ball. I will advise if I can get the corporate masters free up any funding.

Cordially,

Uncle J