Myths About Afghanistan
Victor Davis Hanson on whether Afghanistan is really the "graveyard of empires ..."
I have just left the mind of a mad man — or a man on dope (”we all live in a yellow submarine … a yellow submarine … a yellow submarine … we all live …” ahem, excuse me; I sort of zoned out). It is titled “New York Times Report from Ramadi: Evidence of U.S. War Crimes in Iraq.” It is written by Barry Grey, of WSWS. Who is WSWS, you say? Well, none other than the World Socialist Web Site. Real socialists? ThaaaaAAT’s RIGHT! You thought that they only existed on the campuses of American universities and in the democratic party leadership, didn’t you? There are actually a few left out there, although not in Russia or China (or any other country who has actually tried socialism for any extended period of time).
Well, the title of the article is telling to say the least. Mr. Grey doesn’t do any investigative work. He ascribes a position to the NYT, a position in fact which is neither taken by the NYT nor supported by anything in the NYT article. Either Mr. Grey is a liar and knowingly propagated slander against the Marines, or he was high on dope when he wrote this article. We will give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he was high. Whatcha been smokin’ Barry? Pretty strong stuff, huh?
Let’s tackle this bizzare article piece by piece. It begins as follows:
A front page article in the July 5 New York Times provides a chilling and damning picture of the daily, murderous violence being perpetrated by US forces in occupied Iraq.
Just so that you know the context, the picture is shown below.
Now then. This picture could show a deserted part of town, or a slum where homeless people live (here in the states we could certainly show photos like this of inner city ruins), or perhaps it could show how certain city blocks can become a victim of the relocations that occur as a course of war. What, exactly, it shows, Mr. Grey does not say, except to assert that “it is a damning picture of the daily, murderous violence being perpetrated by U.S. forces in occupied Iraq.”
Maybe its just me, but does anyone see a Marine perpetrating “daily, murderous violence” in the picture above? Maybe, just maybe, it’s that dope that Barry is smoking. Good stuff, huh Barry?
Barry continues by citing the NYT article (C’mon Barry, do your own investigative work):
“In three years there the Marine Corps and the Army have tried nearly everything to bring this provincial capital of 400,000 under control. Nothing has worked.
Hmmmm … strange. Seems like only a few days ago we learned that Ramadi was seeing U.S. and Iraqi patrols for the very first time (or at least, Ramadi was seeing things that they ‘rarely’ saw) in large parts of the city. But according to the NYT, the Marine Corps has tried “nearly everything.” Quite a statement of superlative, that phrase. “Nearly everything.” Oh well, don’t worry about the facts. We all live in a yellow submarine.
It just gets better and better.
Barry continues by citing the NYT article on the ethos of the Marines in Ramadi:
“One of the ‘habits of mind’ drilled into the Marines from posters hung up inside: ‘Be polite, be professional and have a plan to kill everyone you meet.’”
This is a bizzare as I can imagine. Barry seems like a child at an easter egg hunt who is angry that he found an easter egg. What does he expect? Marines who have a plan to kill people. Imagine it! Actually, the wording is quite clever, precise and intentional. It says “have a plan.” It doesn’t say to do it in all cases. And if Barry thinks that there is an ethos in the Marines to kill people who attempt to perpetrate violence against them, he has that absolutely right. I can vouch for this ethos. Its there. I’ve seen it. But since I have never attempted to kill a Marine, a Marine has never attempted to kill me. So I have not had any problems with them. Is Barry shocked that a Marine would have a plan to kill people? What did Barry’s mommy tell him that Soldiers and Marines do? Apparently this is a traumatic experience for Barry.
Barry continues:
The Times’ article is far from a denunciation of the US military in Ramadi. It has more the character of an apologia, repeating uncritically the official US line that the people of Ramadi are “caught in the middle” of a struggle between American troops and insurgents—an absurd contention on its face given the tenacity of the resistance and the well-known tenet of counter-insurgency warfare that partisan guerrillas fighting foreign occupation rely on popular support and sympathy against the overwhelming military superiority of the occupier.
So it is all about the sympathy that the Iraqis feel for the insurgents? It has nothing to do with fear of reprisal attacks? On the face of it, there is nothing to this claim that the people of Ramadi are “caught in the middle?” And Barry has not even been to Iraq and interviewed these people? Barry, put down the joint, dude. It is clouding your judgment.
Barry continues (apparently, he has not put down the joint yet):
Nevertheless, the very facts reported by the Times make clear that the US is committing war crimes, and that it is doing so in a systematic way and on a massive scale. The vast majority of these crimes go unreported, leaving the American people largely in the dark, unaware of the full extent of the horror being carried out in their name.
Ooooh. See the twist of the wrist, the sleight of hand?
The “vast majority of these crimes go unreported.” This means that we take his word for it. Yep. War crimes are happening, and on a massive scale. Want the evidence for his assertion? Well, it doesn’t work that way. Why? Because most of these crimes go unreported. That’s why. There isn’t any evidence for them. We take Barry’s word for it. Barry takes another toke and then continues:
“The inquiry into the possible executions of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha by Marines has also brought the same lukewarm response. More than three years into the war, many Iraqis say they are no longer surprised by abuses on the part of American troops [Emphasis added].”
Collective punishment, exemplary punishment, the destruction of entire civilian centers—tactics associated in the last century with Nazi barbarism in occupied Europe—are part and parcel of the modus operandi of the US occupation of Iraq.
We can only respond with a collective ‘what‘? I thought we were discussing Ramadi and looking at a picture of an empty block in the downtown area? In fact, we were discussing Ramadi. But Barry has allowed himself to lose track of the discussion and bring in elements of an incident that has no bearing on Ramadi. Besides, the investigation being only recently completed, the results of the investigation have not yet been made public, and so Barry really doesn’t know what happened in Haditha. But Barry has gotten worked up and only now reaches the pinnacle of his rant by screaming:
America’s so-called volunteer army is being brutalized and dehumanized by its involvement in a filthy colonialist war. More than three-and-half years into the slaughter, those young men and women in the military, having initially been bombarded with lies and propaganda, who have been able to retain some moral compass, find it increasingly difficult to continue to do so.
I am wondering when the draft was reinstituted since our Army is only a “so-called volunteer” Army? A filthy, colonialist war. Sounds like Marxist propaganda to you? Well, it is. Remember that this comes from WSWS — the World Socialist Web Site.
Oh well, Barry continues his ramble for a while; you can read it at your leisure. Who would actually believe this stuff? Barry’s dope dream was picked up and reposted by none other than the “Bay Area Independent Media.” Imagine that.
We all live in a yellow submarine … a yellow submarine … Oh wait, was that all about LSD rather than weed? Sheesh … my head is spinning.
Which is it Barry? What kind of stuff are you on? Care to come on over to the Captain’s Journal and tell us? Over here, we do not have protest songs, long hair or dope. You have to bring your own. E-mails:
On July 8, 2006 at 2:54 pm, John Anderson said:
A quibble in re posters with ‘Be polite, be professional and have a plan to kill everyone you meet.’
He over-reacts to it, but I think you may have missed that these are a likely form of humor, not exactly policy (although I believe and indeed hope the sentiment is indeed policy). Sort of like the ones you can buy with “Yea, though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I shall fear no evil, for I am the meanest SOB in the valley.”
On July 8, 2006 at 7:54 pm, Herschel Smith said:
Good point. Likely some part policy, some part humor, some part bluster.
HPS