U.S. Marines may face murder charges over killings in Iraq

[Elind]

So the kid should have got a life sentence for hiding in her room? Are you serious?

No of course not, but that information came from parents who had choices and I have suspicions about what their involvement might have been. If they knew of the IED and weren't the trigger, then what kind of parents would leave their children in a house with a bomb outside the door, never mind if they wanted Americans killed (but that's another story). Think the Marines would have noticed if they had slipped out the back door?

Did the girl say someone was holding a gun to their heads?

 

[Wudang]

You may have all the suspicions you like. Can you say "due process"?

 

[Elind]

You may have all the suspicions you like. Can you say "due process"?

Yeah I can say it. I can say smart as too. We were exchanging opinions. You think that can only be done in court? Go away.

 

[Wudang]

Yeah I can say it. I can say smart as too. We were exchanging opinions. You think that can only be done in court? Go away.

(shrug) You're the one who brought up courts.

 

[zakur]

US troops to get ethics training after Haditha massacre

Training? Soldiers need to be trained to not kill innocent civilians?

Well, it appears that one soldier (in a different incident) is using his lack of training in such matters as a defense for not reporting such activity:

Source
At Monday's hearing, Pfc. Justin Watt testified that Howard told him before the incident that Green, Cortez and Barker had planned to rape a girl, and Howard was to be the lookout.

"There's nothing I've read that says what to do if your buddies have raped and murdered a family," Watt said.

Wow. The guy needs specific instructions on what to do in a case like this. Is the military so strictly "by-the-numbers" that a trooper can't figure out what to do in a situation that isn't covered by a specific procedure/rule/regulation?

ETA: I stand corrected. In further reading, I found this longer article from NYT, which shows that Pfc. Watt was not directly involved but was able to piece together what happened and eventually reported what he found out. This "in contrast with several other soldiers in his unit, who knew or suspected wrongdoing but kept quiet."

 

[Elind]

(shrug) You're the one who brought up courts.

No, you said "due process". What does that mean to you?