Of Mice and Men

I was watching the world news with Dan Rather last night and they reported on the bomb strikes in Fallujah. Specifically, they were talking about a Bradley Fighting Vehicle that was disabled and then we destroyed to make sure the weapons did not fall into the hands of insurgents. When the vehicle was destroyed, apparently an Arab journalist and people waving the flag of the insurgent terror organization were killed.

The report was written like we were at fault. From what I have gathered from the military I have talked to - IF a vehicle is abandoned with weapons intact, it is S.O.P. to destroy it. What that means is that WE HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE. If you live in a war zone, why would you expect that we were not going to destroy that vehicle? If nothing else the reporter should have known better. Professional stupidity caused his death. It is sad and tragic, but it begins to be understandable.

Has it always been like this in war, or just since the end of the Vietnam War? War is disgusting, violent and never pretty. People die. It is tragic, but we do our best to not kill civilians. In this case, it is not a standing army, dressed with uniforms that we can target, but rather a series of people that hide among civilians and use them as excuses to further their own ends.

I sound like a neo-con hawk. There is something wrong with this picture.

More later, I need coffee.