War. What is it good for ?
May 17, 2007 5:54 AM Subscribe
Yoooohoooo he totally shot that dude in the white car- that'll learn the fucker for not being American. He won't do that again, no siree.
posted by mattoxic at 6:11 AM on May 17, 2007
posted by mattoxic at 6:11 AM on May 17, 2007
Not really sure what I'm supposed to learn from this post. It's not at all clear what's going on in the first video other than a firefight. The YouTube headers says "Witness to War Crime" and something about unarmed civilians being shot, but what is happening in the video is just not clear. We have no context, no background, no details, no nothing. Given the information in this post, we really can't say much except there was a firefight and the Marines were pleased with the outcome. Then Chris Hedges explains war to us, which I believe he's done before in the Blue.
posted by MarshallPoe at 6:43 AM on May 17, 2007
posted by MarshallPoe at 6:43 AM on May 17, 2007
ah, any comments within the hour of posting are questions.
now go and watch Chris Hedges, the first link is an example of war, plain everyday warfare, the second link explains itself.
posted by Substrata at 6:47 AM on May 17, 2007
now go and watch Chris Hedges, the first link is an example of war, plain everyday warfare, the second link explains itself.
posted by Substrata at 6:47 AM on May 17, 2007
40 Watt - I meant the other video, which is some dude whose name I missed explaining that war is bad, and presumably about to explain why Americans love it so much.
posted by nowonmai at 6:49 AM on May 17, 2007
posted by nowonmai at 6:49 AM on May 17, 2007
Oh, it's Chris Hedges. He isn't going to get to a point. 30 minutes wasted.
posted by nowonmai at 6:58 AM on May 17, 2007
posted by nowonmai at 6:58 AM on May 17, 2007
Oh, it's Chris Hedges. He isn't going to get to a point. 30 minutes wasted.
Yeah. The guy is only a co-winner of a Pulitzer. If he were any good he would have got one on his own.
posted by srboisvert at 7:11 AM on May 17, 2007
Yeah. The guy is only a co-winner of a Pulitzer. If he were any good he would have got one on his own.
posted by srboisvert at 7:11 AM on May 17, 2007
Well, it's a nasty, dreary business, but at least we get some good poetry once it's said and done.
It seems vainglorious and proud
Of Atom-man to boast so loud
His prowess homicidal,
When one remembers how for years,
With their rude stones and humble spears,
Our sires, at wiping out their peers,
Were almost never idle.
[...]
Though doubtless now our shrewd machines
Can blow the world to smithereens
More tidily and so on,
Let's give our ancestors their due,
Their ways were coarse, their weapons few,
But ah! how wondrously they slew
With what they had to go on.
— Phyllis McGinley
posted by Firas at 7:25 AM on May 17, 2007 [2 favorites]
It seems vainglorious and proud
Of Atom-man to boast so loud
His prowess homicidal,
When one remembers how for years,
With their rude stones and humble spears,
Our sires, at wiping out their peers,
Were almost never idle.
[...]
Though doubtless now our shrewd machines
Can blow the world to smithereens
More tidily and so on,
Let's give our ancestors their due,
Their ways were coarse, their weapons few,
But ah! how wondrously they slew
With what they had to go on.
— Phyllis McGinley
posted by Firas at 7:25 AM on May 17, 2007 [2 favorites]
"Filmed by Doc,
no unarmed people were hurt
during shooting"
(Well, that's what the end credits claim, anyhow.)
posted by pax digita at 7:52 AM on May 17, 2007
no unarmed people were hurt
during shooting"
(Well, that's what the end credits claim, anyhow.)
posted by pax digita at 7:52 AM on May 17, 2007
"No unarmed people were hurt during shooting" amused me greatly, in the context of the post–Virginia Tech clamour for everybody to be carrying concealed weapons. Presumably 'Doc' is by contrast an advocate of gun control, who believes that any armed civilian is a criminal and therefore deserves to be 'totally shot [..] in the head'. Or something.
posted by nowonmai at 8:13 AM on May 17, 2007
posted by nowonmai at 8:13 AM on May 17, 2007
Absolutely NOTHING!
Good god, y'all.
Totally kick-ass live TV version.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:50 AM on May 17, 2007
Good god, y'all.
Totally kick-ass live TV version.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:50 AM on May 17, 2007
All I can surmise about "Doc" really is that he's probably a Navy corpsman (that's what they call "medics") attached to this particular Marine platoon. Medics and corpsmen are authorized (but not required) to carry weapons for self-defense and defense of those under their care; "Doc" may or may not have been himself armed, but he couldn't engage in offensive combat, so he was free to videotape the action unless and until one of his guys got hit.
"The context of the post-Virginia Tech clamour" may inform your viewing but not Doc's taping or commentary, as it was uploaded to YouTube on March 26 and the VT shooting occurred April 16.
posted by pax digita at 9:04 AM on May 17, 2007
"The context of the post-Virginia Tech clamour" may inform your viewing but not Doc's taping or commentary, as it was uploaded to YouTube on March 26 and the VT shooting occurred April 16.
posted by pax digita at 9:04 AM on May 17, 2007
OMFGLOLTROOPS!
C'mon. That video is completely without context. You can't tell what the hell is going on there.
posted by tkchrist at 9:55 AM on May 17, 2007
C'mon. That video is completely without context. You can't tell what the hell is going on there.
posted by tkchrist at 9:55 AM on May 17, 2007
Well, I can't imagine if those people were insurgents and knew what was going on they would just drive right into the crossfire .
This looks to me like two cars driving down the road completely unaware of what was going on in front of them.
posted by Flashman at 10:29 AM on May 17, 2007
This looks to me like two cars driving down the road completely unaware of what was going on in front of them.
posted by Flashman at 10:29 AM on May 17, 2007
C'mon. That video is completely without context. You can't tell what the hell is going on there.
Urm, how about the context of a completely illegal invasion and a ham-fisted occupation. That's context enough I reckon.
posted by mattoxic at 5:24 PM on May 17, 2007
Urm, how about the context of a completely illegal invasion and a ham-fisted occupation. That's context enough I reckon.
posted by mattoxic at 5:24 PM on May 17, 2007
Mattoxic is right, I'm sure if the US hadn't gone into Iraq, the successor to Saddam Hussein would have taken over in a peaceful and orderly process, and none of this sectarian violence would have occurred. /sarc
posted by BrotherCaine at 5:58 PM on May 17, 2007
posted by BrotherCaine at 5:58 PM on May 17, 2007
It's all a crock, probably an Iraqi would use stronger words.
I am an Australian and embarrassed by our government's approach to this war. Commit just enough troops to keep be able to be part of the coalition of the killing, sorry, willing, yet not enough to actually risk a fatality.
Before the invasion our government was involved in actively enforcing sanctions with the US and UK. For 10 years Iraqi people suffered- under both a brutal dictator, and crippling sanctions, which were doing nothing but further entrenching the status quo, and Saddam's grip on power- which lead naturally enough to the pathetic brinkmanship of March/April 2002.
At no stage was negotiation attempted, at no stage were other players in the region consulted- possibly with the exception of other oil players, the Saudis and Kuwaitis- who obviously have a vested interest in a weak Iraq.
I don't know if a Saddam successor would have taken over peacefully- I doubt it. There possibly would have been a bloody coup, but nothing like the bloodbath that has unfolded.
These poor people. We should be ashamed of ourselves.
posted by mattoxic at 6:14 PM on May 17, 2007
I am an Australian and embarrassed by our government's approach to this war. Commit just enough troops to keep be able to be part of the coalition of the killing, sorry, willing, yet not enough to actually risk a fatality.
Before the invasion our government was involved in actively enforcing sanctions with the US and UK. For 10 years Iraqi people suffered- under both a brutal dictator, and crippling sanctions, which were doing nothing but further entrenching the status quo, and Saddam's grip on power- which lead naturally enough to the pathetic brinkmanship of March/April 2002.
At no stage was negotiation attempted, at no stage were other players in the region consulted- possibly with the exception of other oil players, the Saudis and Kuwaitis- who obviously have a vested interest in a weak Iraq.
I don't know if a Saddam successor would have taken over peacefully- I doubt it. There possibly would have been a bloody coup, but nothing like the bloodbath that has unfolded.
These poor people. We should be ashamed of ourselves.
posted by mattoxic at 6:14 PM on May 17, 2007
C'mon. That video is completely without context. You can't tell what the hell is going on there.
Well, I can't imagine if those people were insurgents and knew what was going on they would just drive right into the crossfire .
This looks to me like two cars driving down the road completely unaware of what was going on in front of them.
It's unclear in the courtroom sense of absolute proof, but it seems highly unlikely that the one (two?) guys running from the white car would be enemy combatants. In the wrong place, at the wrong time. Against some hot-headed (as in, scared to death) soldiers.
posted by zardoz at 1:52 AM on May 18, 2007
Well, I can't imagine if those people were insurgents and knew what was going on they would just drive right into the crossfire .
This looks to me like two cars driving down the road completely unaware of what was going on in front of them.
It's unclear in the courtroom sense of absolute proof, but it seems highly unlikely that the one (two?) guys running from the white car would be enemy combatants. In the wrong place, at the wrong time. Against some hot-headed (as in, scared to death) soldiers.
posted by zardoz at 1:52 AM on May 18, 2007
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posted by champthom at 5:59 AM on May 17, 2007