March 05, 2008
Savages
I've watched for several days the story that has grown out of a short, grainy video that shows a Marine in Iraq throwing a puppy to its death.
The act shown in the video, whether it shows a real sadistic act of animal abuse or a Marine with a warped sense of humor throwing a stuffed animal, is sickening.
Perhaps even more sickening is the mob mentality that has overtaken some of those who have viewed the video, who took it upon themselves to post the names and home address of the Marine alleged to be in the video and that of his family members, inviting other Web vigilantes to commit violent acts against them.
It is understandable to be outraged by the act shown whether is if fake or real, but does any rational human being think that an appropriate response to such an act would be the rape or murder of innocent family members, as some have called for? As for the Marine at the center of the controversy, he is currently under protective custody because of threats against his life.
There seems to be far more outrage over this video of animal abuse than far more sadistic and frequent reports of greater acts of brutality committed against human civilians by militias, terrorists, insurgents, and criminals in Iraq. I wonder why that is.
Where are the Internet detectives on Digg when al Qaeda in Iraq shows video of a car bomb that wipes out innocent families? Why are these Youtube and blog denizens not clamoring to discover the identities and home addresses of Islamic fundamentalist thugs that film decapitations and torture?
Sadly, there is far less outrage for these human victims, and occasionally, there are even attempts to rationalize their inhuman brutality.
I'm sure that if they were asked about it today, every politician in Washington would tell you that they were "shocked and appalled" at the actions of the Marine in the video, and yet, most Congressional Democrats, including Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, would help set the stage for far worse in Iraq with a headlong, unconditional withdrawal that would make such depravity far more possible.
They seek to knowingly and willfully abandon Iraq to those would would do far worse than throw that nation's civilians down a ravine, because they think the war costs too much, or because it is unpopular with their constituents.
So many of the same people who have whipped up so much outrage over a dog are indifferent to greater depredations visited upon Iraqi women and children... and yet they claim that the Marine in the video is the savage among us.
Here's what it is: Go to a movie. Watch 50,000 Marines wiped out by aliens. "Wow! Cool!" But if one collie dies, everyone turns to tapioca.
Posted by: CMAR II at March 5, 2008 04:36 PM"So many of the same people who have whipped up so much outrage over a dog are indifferent to greater depredations visited upon Iraqi women and children... and yet they claim that the Marine in the video is the savage among us."
..........
...........the inherent truth of journalism:
80 thousand crisped at Chernobyl, or 300 torched in Chechnya is too hard to wrap the mind around..but one child napalmed, or one puppy is a personalized view of violence. THose who photograph and write these stories KNOW this--they look for ways to ignore your comment (quoted above) and graphic images (in word or pics) of the single victim.
Earlier post--heh heh...a concealed lawyer. Too ripe!
Posted by: properly scared (but southern!) at March 5, 2008 05:09 PMNow al Qaeda knows what to do: Start making videos of English-speaking terrorists dressed as American GIs killing puppies, kittens, tweety birds, koalas, and ducklings, and our entire fat-assed country will rise up and demand we disband the armed forces.
A nation of inexorable morons.
Posted by: Tom W. at March 6, 2008 03:02 AM
It's really simple, Bob.
Marines = bad.
Fighters against Boosh's military-industrial complex = good.
Most lefties don't have much more intellectual capacity than that. That's why they don't think, they emote. Takes fewer brain cells.
Posted by: C-C-G at March 6, 2008 09:39 AM"There seems to be far more outrage over this video of animal abuse than far more sadistic and frequent reports of greater acts of brutality committed against human civilians by militias, terrorists, insurgents, and criminals in Iraq. I wonder why that is."
Because those innocents won't fight back while an Al Q operative may very well chop your head off. Picking on those that won't fight back is boorish but par for course for many cowardly denizens of the interwebs.
Posted by: Dan Irving at March 6, 2008 09:50 AMNot to support threats to this guy's family at all, but how about that we hold our marines and our side to a higher standard than the sectarians and insurgents in Iraq? We actually don't expect our side to be willfully and needlessly cruel while that's what we've come to expect of the other side. Let's face it, one of the now many reasons stated that we're over there is to bring a decent, stable democracy that is kinder and more humane that the one we displaced. Acts like this, and what happened at Gitmo and Abu Grhaib, while completely different in scale, stand out because it's US doing it and we don't think we're like that.
Oh and the lefties want us to lose and are pro-terrorism bladiddy-bla-tinfoil-hat-radio-transmitter-in-fillings-bla.
Posted by: rapid at March 6, 2008 12:09 PMRapid-- how the HELL is urging physical violence against people who are SUSPECTED of being related to him "holding our Marines to higher standards?"
What kind of psychotic idiot would think the Marines AREN'T trying to find out if the video is real, and if it is, who did it?
Them: Kidnap little boys for ransom, killing the kid if it's not payed, major source of income.
Us: One idiot may have thrown a puppy off a cliff.
...
And the folks saying "there's a imbalance of outrage here" are getting yelled at?
No US MArine should never be criticized because they are better than al Qaeda.
OKay......
What, John Ryan, did you get banned from AoS and the obtuseness was set further in?
Posted by: Techie at March 7, 2008 11:19 AMIt makes one wonder if the left values the lives of animals more than the lives of humans.
Posted by: George Bruce at March 7, 2008 12:44 PMTell us rapid, what happened at gitmo? Other than the prisoners gaining 20 pounds each because of the well balanced and delicious meals?
Why is it the left will believe and support anything a terrorist says but when it comes to our Marines they never give them the benefit of the doubt?
Posted by: Capitalist Infidel at March 9, 2008 05:38 AMIn "All Quiet on the Western Front," the men get used to killing people and seeing dying men, but it rips them through and through to see the agony of wounded pack horses after an artillery barrage.
Here, the soldier has gone the other direction towards Sadism to animals.
Posted by: Tertium Quid at March 10, 2008 11:11 AM
