New Iraq Commander Once Said, ‘It’s A Hell Of A Lot Of Fun’ To Shoot Arab Men

[Purveyor]

Source: Agence France-Presse

---CLIP
The naming of Mattis was unlikely to skirt the issue, however, with Gates having to immediately defend an on-camera 2005 interview in which the general said: "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot.

"You go into Afghanistan; you've got guys who slap around women for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway, so it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."

Gates dismissed the criticism, however, maintaining that appropriate action was taken at the time and that he thought the "subsequent five years have demonstrated that the lesson was learned."

He added he was confident Mattis would now be able to "speak publicly about the matters for which he is responsible in an entirely appropriate way."

Mattis currently heads the US Joint Forces Command, which plays a valuable support role for the US military and also focuses on transforming future capabilities.
He previously commanded Marine forces in both theaters of war that he now oversees, according to his official biography.

---ENDCLIP

Read more: http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0708/general-hired-oversee-iraq-occupation-its-hell-lot-fun-shoot-arab-men/

[Indianademocrat91]

1. Well duh because all ARABS beat women...

:eyes:

[Pavulon]

2. These guys..Not gonna be missed. Note the round kicking up dirt

[Indianademocrat91]

4. The Taliban are monsters, 100% no way to dispute

It's just bad when he generalizes every Muslim into those actions especially since today I believe Gates nominated him to Obama for the post Patreus held before taking on Afghanistan

[USArmyParatrooper]

5. But he didn't generalize every Muslim.

He made statements that specifically pertained to al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

[Indianademocrat91]

7. You're correct, I misread what he said. I digress :) n/t

[BakedAtAMileHigh]

17. the Taliban are NOT monsters anymore than YOU are

they are people. Your dehumanization (on a cultural scale) of the Other is one of the things that allows this war to continue.

They are NOT monsters, they are human beings, with all the attendant madness, idiocy and myopic reactionary fundamentalism that entails. HUMANS kill each other and civilians on a mass scale, not 'monsters'.

I realize it may be comfortable for you to believe otherwise.

[ronnie624]

9. Very emotionally charged.

Almost enough to make a progressive forget that it's wrong to enjoy killing, and that these instincts must be reigned in if human civilization is to survive the coming century.






Almost.

[sabrina 1]

10. Those people are criminals. What does that have to do

with racism? We don't have criminals? There are no white Criminals who kill women? Do you have any photos of U.S. Troops shooting women and children in Fallujah? Drones killing civilians in Afghanistan? Are they criminals also? Or is it only criminal when a 'raghead' does it?

Wait, killing women and children is okay for us because we are fighting the great, glorious War on Terror.

But killing women based on stupid religious fundamentalism is a crime.

Can you point out the difference for me? I must be slow, I think both are crimes.

Sweeping statements about any race of people is generally called racism. Why would you try to defend that, especially in a man who has the power to kill people?

Gen. Miller told his troops to 'treat the Iraqis like dogs'. Do you have a photo to justify that statement also? They did go ahead and kill over a million Iraqi citizens. Were they all criminals, the children too?

And why is racism against Muslims so acceptable in this country? I expect if from the rabid right, but here on a democratic board?

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[msongs]

3. got a link to a vid of this guy saying that? nt

[USArmyParatrooper]

6. The title to this thread is false

He did not say "It's fun to shoot Arab men"

He said it's fun to shoot men who treat women like cattle. I haven't seen any statements where he claims that pertains to all Arab men.

[flyarm]

11. OH, NOW I GET IT..IT IS ok TO SAY IT ABOUT 1 ARAB MAN?

WOW..JUST WOW...

[USArmyParatrooper]

18. You're dodging the point

Being Arab is totally irrelevant to what the General said. I personally think his comments were unfortunate, but to to imply his comments were racial is dishonest.

[proteus_lives]

8. The title of the article is dishonest.

He's talking the enemy he's been assigned to fight, not all Arab men.

Plus, he's a Marine! I have them in the family, if they're not talking shit then they're dead.

[earcandle]

12. He is a dickhead, Gates defends this kind of post? Who is running our government? Dickheads, all!

Lets invest in the next election. 

Not with money, but intention.

[howard112211]

13. Likely the kind of guy you will find "slapping around" POWs and shooting civilians for fun as well.

[Prometheus Bound]

15. The man's a walking obscenity.

That's pretty fucked up putting a man of such ignorance in charge.

[KeyWester]

16. you know what I find a lot of fun ?

when a deer hunter is climbing a tree to 'hunt' a deer , and accidentally shoots himself in the head.

It's a hell of a lot of fun.

[northernlights]

19. the title left me disgusted and horrified

but the actual quote did not. He isn't generalizing about killing Afghans. He's very specific about killing "men" that beat up women. It is very hard for me to respect or care about men who treat women (or anyone else) like slaves and property, beat them, cut off their ears and noses, throw acid on them, kill them because they can, etc.

I would have no problem killing the "men" who intend to stone the allegedly aldulterous woman to death in Saudi Arabia. Sorry about my not getting their culture. Just a female thing, I guess. :shrug:

While I'm hopeful that not all Afghan men beat up and kill women (and teachers, etc.), and I'm sure that some of the men that get killed are not the monstrous type that do those things, I also recognize that as a soldier he has to tell himself that the monsters are who he is killing, not the innocent bystanders trapped in hell.

That said, that doesn't mean I support the war in Afghanistan or any of our wars. I'm ashamed to live in such a warmongering country. Is there any other country around that is so consistently going around the world attacking other countries?

[wmbrew0206]

20. Some many misleading things about the OP title

1. General Mattis is taking over CentCom, not Iraq. He is taking over Petraeus position and essentially will be his boss on the org chart. I doubt Mattis will be giving any orders to Petraeus and they will work in concert.

2. Mattis is known for putting his foot in his mouth. He did make that comment about killing Afghan men who beat women. He also said "The Marines have landed and now own a piece of Afghanistan" in '02. He also has another quote to Iraqi tribal leaders in '03 or '04 "I come in peace. I did not bring any heavy artillery. But I pleading with you with tears in my eyes, if you fuck with me, I will kill you all."

3. Mattis is probably one of the greatest and most cerebral generals of his generation. Here are some of his other quotes that deserve more attention than they get:

"You are part of the world's most feared and trusted force. Engage your brain before you engage your weapon."

"Demonstrate to the world there is 'No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy' than a U.S. Marine."

"An untrained or uneducated Marine...deployed to the combat zone is a bigger threat to mission accomplishment...than the enemy."

"Our fight is not with the Iraqi people, nor is it with members of the Iraqi army who choose to surrender. While we will move swiftly and aggressively against those who resist, we will treat all others with decency, demonstrating chivalry and soldierly compassion for people who have endured a lifetime under Saddam's oppression."

Despite having an occasional problem of sticking his foot in his mouth, Mattis is the most beloved and respected General that Gates could appoint to CentCom.