Bad things Our military has done...

[greblc]

in the Last 20 yrs... (This is in response to a post.)

for sake of argument

1.Recall of Inactive Ready Reserve for Gulf and Iraqi wars

[Ms. Clio]

1. This is the sort of thread title that makes Freepers froth at the mouth

But how far back should I go?

The Trail of Tears?

The Sand Creek Massacre?

Wounded Knee?


The military is an instrument that is wielded by politicians.


(spelling edit)

[greblc]

2. Were Only going 20 yrs back.

after Vietnam or so

[SilasSoule]

3. An example of military level-headedness trying to prevent a massacre

was attempted at Sand Creek by one Mr. Silas Soule

The madness of mass murderer always seemed to prevail vs. The military men with true moral fortitude and courage.



"Soule drifted back to Kansas, and then to Colorado. In December 1861, he joined Company K, 1st Regiment, Colorado Infantry. On November 29, 1864, he found himself in command of a cavalry company, on a bluff overlooking a peaceful Cheyenne village at Sand Creek, Colo. The 3rd Colorado Volunteers, under the command of Colonel John M. Chivington--a preacher turned bloodthirsty soldier--had been ordered by the politically ambitious territorial governor to conduct a punitive expedition against the Cheyenne. Chivington located the Indian camp at Sand Creek and, notwithstanding its peaceful inhabitants, decided to attack it. Soule argued against the plan, calling it outright murder.

In the end, Soule's arguments failed and one of the worst massacres in American history followed. Ordered to accompany Chivington, Soule remained steadfast in his opposition to the assault. When the colonel gave the order to charge, Soule checked his men, forbidding them to fire upon the village. Other commanders obeyed Chivington, and their soldiers killed and mutilated more than 200 Cheyenne, mostly women and children. Later, when Chivington publicly branded him a coward, Soule's men came to his defense, praising his courage in the face of Chivington's infamous order."

read his whole bio ----------------> http://afroamhistory.about.com/library/prm/blsilassoule3.htm

[Ms. Clio]

5. A real hero, so of course he was assassinated soon afterwards

by one of Chivington's men. Happy endings are pretty damn rare in real life.

[greblc]

6. That's Courage.

Under todays military laws the"order" would be considerd unlawful.

I wonder if the it was then?

[wuushew]

4. Numerous actions

Panama, bombing of Serbia, Iraqi no-fly zone, military involvement in the drug war.

[greblc]

7. I would guess these are arguable?

I wont. but explain.

[wuushew]

9. OK I will try

What authority or right does the United States have to interfere in any internal conflict or strife that does not directly affect us?

If any particular conflict is truly a global concern then the correct forum for initiating action is through the United Nations. Our intension's are never altruistic as we work to overthrow leaders that were/are anti-free market anti-corporatist. In the case of Noriega he was American stooge who who no longer suited American goals. We did not improve anything mearly we attempted to bandage a situation caused by American politicking in the first place.

Panama apparently was some sort of modern day exercise in interfering in Latin America that runs similar to the Roosevelt,Taft or Wilson doctrines that in the past had U.S. troops playing roles in choosing the governments of Mexico,Haiti,Cuba,etc. The amount of force used in the overthrow of the Noriega government was extremely excessive and though not reported widely there were significant civilian casualties.

Kosovo was a gross abuse of NATO "authority". What nations of the former Yugoslavia were NATO members? Not Bosnia, not Macedonia. The Kosovar rebels were not causing trouble in Greece. Additionally does NATO have the ability to act against a non-state entity? The Serbians were not clamping down on the Albanian rebels for the hell of it, there was a real and tangible armed insurrection on the ground. Bombing Serbia severely damaged the electrical facilities as well as transportation and navigation infrastructure. It also hardened the will of the Serbian people against the West. Let us not forget the unfortunate bombing of the Chinese embassy as well.

Milosevic like Saddam was on his way out. The man despite being well fed and provided with court provided health-care is too ill to defend himself in is war crimes trial.

The No-fly zone additionally had no legal mandate. The international mission in Gulf War One was solely to evict Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Accomplishing that no additional use of force can reasonably be argued. The basing of American military personnel just pissed the Wahabbists off something fierce and in no small part led to 9-11.

The American tradition of now stretching U.N. resolutions to justify any military action seems to me both reckless and inimitable by any nation not just a powerful arrogant ones that happen to wield veto power in the security council.

[not systems]

8. Spraying defoliants all over Vietnam causing generations of birth defects.

If you want current then how about
spaying the same defoliants all over Columbia
poisoning rivers and stream that are the main
source of water and food for the tens of thousand
of people.

Nice thing to do. Not.

The actions of moral lepers.