Vets Break Silence-Plan To "Testify About War Crimes They Committed Or Personally Witnessed"

[kpete]

POLITICS-US: Vets Break Silence on War Crimes
By Aaron Glantz

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 28 (IPS) - U.S. veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are planning to descend on Washington from Mar. 13-16 to testify about war crimes they committed or personally witnessed in those countries.

"The war in Iraq is not covered to its potential because of how dangerous it is for reporters to cover it," said Liam Madden, a former Marine and member of the group Iraq Veterans Against the War. "That's left a lot of misconceptions in the minds of the American public about what the true nature of military occupation looks like."

Iraq Veterans Against the War argues that well-publicised incidents of U.S. brutality like the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and the massacre of an entire family of Iraqis in the town of Haditha are not the isolated incidents perpetrated by "a few bad apples", as many politicians and military leaders have claimed. They are part of a pattern, the group says, of "an increasingly bloody occupation".

"The problem that we face in Iraq is that policymakers in leadership have set a precedent of lawlessness where we don't abide by the rule of law, we don't respect international treaties, so when that atmosphere exists it lends itself to criminal activity," argues former U.S. Army Sergeant Logan Laituri, who served a tour in Iraq from 2004 to 2005 before being discharged as a conscientious objector.

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more at:
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41398

[mattclearing]

1. K&R. I'm surprised it took so long. n/t

[Echo In Light]

2. K&R/link

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2946212&mesg_id=2946212

[Spurt]

3. K&R

[UTUSN]

4. And can the next generation of Swift-BOTS be far behind?!1

Commendations to those speaking out.

[fascisthunter]

5. Real American Heros Telling the TRUTH!

Now THAT is a GOOD SOLDIER!

[bluesmail]

6. surprised too that it took so long, K&R

[Preston120]

7. Why aren't the policymakers indicted?

Where is our "Nuremburg" trials? If there is no accountable at the top, why should those doing the actual crime be held to a higher standard? Justice, just like charity should begin at home.

[RainDog]

8. These vets may save this nation's soul

however, if it's up to the civilian tri-part govt, they'll do everything they can to make this disappear from American minds. The media is part of the problem. Wish some of them would decide to be part of the solution.

[bdamomma]

9. those vets are the ones who can turn this whole thing around

if there are enough of them to name names.