There appears to be some confusion in official Washington circles . . . what exactly are our values?
Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland told Pentagon reporters last Monday, that the U.S. is bound by the laws of armed conflict and “at the end of the day, you know, it doesn’t only matter whether or not you win, it matters how you win.”
“We’re the United States of America and we have a set of guiding principles,” MacFarland added. “And those affect the way we as professional soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines conduct ourselves on the battlefield. So, indiscriminate bombing, where we don’t care if we’re killing innocents or combatants, is just inconsistent with our values.” It should be noted that Gen. MacFarland is referring to the issue of carpet bombing ISIS.
MacFarland’s comments remind me of the coaches who tell their players, “It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.” Of course, these coaches might be coaching losing teams and the only thing they can take pride is how they play the game.
The U.S. is the world’s bully and doesn’t have to worry about how they play the game of war, they can and have done whatever they please.
It is interesting to note that Senator Ted Cruz, Republican candidate for president, won the Iowa primary Monday night. This is relevant because he has made clear that as president, he will not hesitate to carpet bomb ISIS wherever they be.
It’s also very difficult to square MacFarland’s comments with the U.S. behavior on the battlefield and throughout the Middle East. For example, Obama’s drone war is estimated to have caused the deaths of 28 unarmed, innocent civilians for every targeted “enemy combatant” during the past 8 years.
In Libya, in 2011, the U.S., without authorization, bombed that country, killing thousands and destroying that country’s infrastructure. They continue today to suffer the consequences of those bombings.
Here is a list of countries that the U.S. has bombed since 1980: Iran (1980, 1987-1988), Libya (1981, 1986, 1989, 2011), Lebanon (1983), Kuwait (1991), Iraq (1991-2011, 2014-), Somalia (1992-1993, 2007-), Bosnia (1995), Saudi Arabia (1991, 1996), Afghanistan (1998, 2001-), Sudan (1998), Kosovo (1999), Yemen (2000, 2002-), Pakistan (2004-) and now Syria. This list is very impressive and shows why the U.S. can assume the moral high ground (LOL).
It is not only the U.S.’s battlefield behavior that must be brought into question, but their support, financially and with weapons, of Saudi Arabia and Israel, countries that are uninhibited in their killing of civilians in Yemen and Gaza and the West Bank.
MacFarland wants the U.S. to establish the moral high ground . . . we don’t do things like that, the Russians do. Yet, while ISIS terrorized Syria and Iraq, the U.S., in its “war on terrorism,” remained unresponsive; and, in fact, evidence shows U.S. and NATO support for ISIS.
It was Russia’s entrance into the “war on terror” that demonstrated how the U.S. was, in fact, supporting terror. In one short month, beginning on September 30, 2015, Russia had more success destroying ISIS assets than the U.S. and NATO accomplished in one year.
In his exuberance to demonstrate that the U.S. holds the moral high ground, MacFarland accused Russia of bombing Syria indiscriminately therefore killing innocent civilians.
White man speak with forked tongue
While the U.S. and its allies perpetrate unending violence against the world, the Western countries continue to preach against the inherent violence of Islam. Never do we recognize or admit that the violence we see throughout our world is primarily a result of the imperialism and capitalism of the Judeo-Christian world.
Those same people, who love to denounce the violence of Islam as some sort of ultimate threat, live in countries whose governments unleash far more violence, bombing, invasions, and occupations than anyone else by far. That is just a fact.
FACT: On December 20, 1989, President George H.W. Bush launched Operation Just Cause, a unilateral operation done without the sanction of the UN, to execute an arrest warrant against Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega, once a close U.S. ally, on charges of drug trafficking. During the attack, the United States unleashed a force of 24,000 troops equipped with highly sophisticated weaponry and aircraft against a country with an army smaller than the New York City Police Department. It is reported that as many as 3,000 Panamanians were killed.
Just one more reference, an historical reference, that I would like to make that accurately reflects our values. At the end of WW2, with Japan signaling a desire to surrender, the U.S. decided to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in order to send a message to the Soviet Union that we, the U.S., are prepared to take them on. We all know the devastating effects of those events.
For Gen. MacFarland to refer to our values and our respect for the sanctity of life as to why the U.S. should not carpet bomb is ludicrous. These are empty, meaningless words and nothing more than a public relations strategy.
The U.S. and NATO countries are not about respecting life and the needs of people world-wide, they are in love with finding the opportunities for making profits on their investments. It’s not personal, it’s business.
GOD BLESS AMERIKA AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMNESIA!!
Dave Alpert has masters degrees in social work, educational administration, and psychology. He spent his career working with troubled inner city adolescents.
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Upholding our values
Posted on February 4, 2016 by Dave Alpert
There appears to be some confusion in official Washington circles . . . what exactly are our values?
Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland told Pentagon reporters last Monday, that the U.S. is bound by the laws of armed conflict and “at the end of the day, you know, it doesn’t only matter whether or not you win, it matters how you win.”
“We’re the United States of America and we have a set of guiding principles,” MacFarland added. “And those affect the way we as professional soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines conduct ourselves on the battlefield. So, indiscriminate bombing, where we don’t care if we’re killing innocents or combatants, is just inconsistent with our values.” It should be noted that Gen. MacFarland is referring to the issue of carpet bombing ISIS.
MacFarland’s comments remind me of the coaches who tell their players, “It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.” Of course, these coaches might be coaching losing teams and the only thing they can take pride is how they play the game.
The U.S. is the world’s bully and doesn’t have to worry about how they play the game of war, they can and have done whatever they please.
It is interesting to note that Senator Ted Cruz, Republican candidate for president, won the Iowa primary Monday night. This is relevant because he has made clear that as president, he will not hesitate to carpet bomb ISIS wherever they be.
It’s also very difficult to square MacFarland’s comments with the U.S. behavior on the battlefield and throughout the Middle East. For example, Obama’s drone war is estimated to have caused the deaths of 28 unarmed, innocent civilians for every targeted “enemy combatant” during the past 8 years.
In Libya, in 2011, the U.S., without authorization, bombed that country, killing thousands and destroying that country’s infrastructure. They continue today to suffer the consequences of those bombings.
Here is a list of countries that the U.S. has bombed since 1980: Iran (1980, 1987-1988), Libya (1981, 1986, 1989, 2011), Lebanon (1983), Kuwait (1991), Iraq (1991-2011, 2014-), Somalia (1992-1993, 2007-), Bosnia (1995), Saudi Arabia (1991, 1996), Afghanistan (1998, 2001-), Sudan (1998), Kosovo (1999), Yemen (2000, 2002-), Pakistan (2004-) and now Syria. This list is very impressive and shows why the U.S. can assume the moral high ground (LOL).
It is not only the U.S.’s battlefield behavior that must be brought into question, but their support, financially and with weapons, of Saudi Arabia and Israel, countries that are uninhibited in their killing of civilians in Yemen and Gaza and the West Bank.
MacFarland wants the U.S. to establish the moral high ground . . . we don’t do things like that, the Russians do. Yet, while ISIS terrorized Syria and Iraq, the U.S., in its “war on terrorism,” remained unresponsive; and, in fact, evidence shows U.S. and NATO support for ISIS.
It was Russia’s entrance into the “war on terror” that demonstrated how the U.S. was, in fact, supporting terror. In one short month, beginning on September 30, 2015, Russia had more success destroying ISIS assets than the U.S. and NATO accomplished in one year.
In his exuberance to demonstrate that the U.S. holds the moral high ground, MacFarland accused Russia of bombing Syria indiscriminately therefore killing innocent civilians.
White man speak with forked tongue
While the U.S. and its allies perpetrate unending violence against the world, the Western countries continue to preach against the inherent violence of Islam. Never do we recognize or admit that the violence we see throughout our world is primarily a result of the imperialism and capitalism of the Judeo-Christian world.
Those same people, who love to denounce the violence of Islam as some sort of ultimate threat, live in countries whose governments unleash far more violence, bombing, invasions, and occupations than anyone else by far. That is just a fact.
FACT: On December 20, 1989, President George H.W. Bush launched Operation Just Cause, a unilateral operation done without the sanction of the UN, to execute an arrest warrant against Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega, once a close U.S. ally, on charges of drug trafficking. During the attack, the United States unleashed a force of 24,000 troops equipped with highly sophisticated weaponry and aircraft against a country with an army smaller than the New York City Police Department. It is reported that as many as 3,000 Panamanians were killed.
Just one more reference, an historical reference, that I would like to make that accurately reflects our values. At the end of WW2, with Japan signaling a desire to surrender, the U.S. decided to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in order to send a message to the Soviet Union that we, the U.S., are prepared to take them on. We all know the devastating effects of those events.
For Gen. MacFarland to refer to our values and our respect for the sanctity of life as to why the U.S. should not carpet bomb is ludicrous. These are empty, meaningless words and nothing more than a public relations strategy.
The U.S. and NATO countries are not about respecting life and the needs of people world-wide, they are in love with finding the opportunities for making profits on their investments. It’s not personal, it’s business.
GOD BLESS AMERIKA AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMNESIA!!
Dave Alpert has masters degrees in social work, educational administration, and psychology. He spent his career working with troubled inner city adolescents.