Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Anti-War Veterans' Group: War Crimes Are 'Encouraged'

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Anti-War Veterans' Group: War Crimes Are 'Encouraged'
RawStory


At an event in Watertown, New York on Saturday, members of Iraq Veterans Against War charged that war crimes against civilians were encouraged by unit commanders.

"The killing of innocent civilians is policy," said veteran Mike Blake. "It's unit policy and it's Army policy. It's not official policy, but it's what's happens on the ground everyday. It's what unit commanders individually encourage."

Veteran Matt Howard concurred: "These decisions are coming from the top down," Howard said. "The tactics that we use, the policies that the military engages, will create situations, create dynamics, create -- ultimately -- atrocity."

Blake and Howard were among four veterans speaking at Watertown's Different Drummer Cafe, in a preliminary event to the 'Winter Soldier' gathering scheduled in Washington, D.C. in March. Named after the 1971 event in which John Kerry read testimony from soldiers on atrocities they had committed, this year's Winter Soldier will feature Iraq War veterans speaking about war crimes they committed or witnessed.

In Watertown, veteran Jon Turner blamed himself as well as the orders he was given. "It was my decision," Turner said. "I made it. Now I have to live with the fact I see someone's eyes screaming at me after I shot them."

Others have previously questioned US attacks that have killed civilians, though not as sharply.
In 2006, a Berlin attorney filed a war crimes lawsuit against erstwhile Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on behalf of the Center for Constitutional Rights, the International Federation for Human Rights, the Republican Attorneys' Association and more than 40 other national and international human rights groups.

Germany's federal prosecutor announced in April of the following year that she would not take on the suit.

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Antiwar_veterans_group_War_crimes_are_0121.html

7 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Funny thing about ''atrocity'' stories out of Iraq is that its never the Iraqis telling them. And as a matter of ''policy'', it is not ,nor has it EVER been the ''policy'' of the United States military to kill civilians. The men and women serving are our fellow Americans, not ''terminators''let loose kill indiscrimatly. I wonder about the validity of some of these ''veterans'''. J'Mac.

4:31 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

An anttorney? No sh!t. What're doing here and why are you accusing my friend of a ''cut and patse''? Why, this is a first on the inter-net? Johnnymac.

4:32 PM  
Blogger VerityINK said...

CPA--Fair Use Terms say 200 words. There's approximately 18 lines with 10 words apiece = 180 words. Any legitimate objection to my posts would include their full name and addy--and they'd write me at my address on the sidebar. You are nothing but a Site Pest.

6:27 PM  
Blogger VerityINK said...

P.S. Mr. 'Copyright Attorney' is Les Ismore that used to post here. He not only cannot address the articles, but he's a liar and he's no attorney. Please ignore him.

6:31 PM  
Blogger VerityINK said...

Nonsense, Les, please post elsewhere if you can't address the topic at hand. You want to be a Net Nanny, hire on somewhere.

Check my sidebar soon--you're getting your own Site Pest logo.

8:21 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just can't WAIT to see the "quality" of vets they bring forth. Whattya wana bet 2/3 of them are the fakes they normally trot out?
Lesisblack is back! Hey lester, we missed thrashing you bubba! LOL!

So DONAL what's his site pest logo going to look like?

Morgan

3:35 AM  
Blogger VerityINK said...

MORGAN--Heh he he it'll take me awhile to find just the right one!

9:44 AM  

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