Testifying at the preliminary hearing for officers charged in the Haditha case, where Iraqi civilians were killed, Marine Justin Laughner testified that he was ordered to destroy photos of the dead civilians wrapped in blankets.
Laughner said that Lt. Andrew Grayson told him to get rid of the photos so that they would not be included in a report being prepared for top-ranking officers and a Time magazine reporter. "It was wrong," Laughner said. "Somebody was asking for them, and we're not going to give them to them? It's not right."
What nice Marines we have! Someone is asking for the photos, and why not provide them? Never mind that Time could use the photos to embarass the U.S. military. Never mind that jihadists would distribute the photos in their recruitment materials. Blacken the reputation of the United States. Hand a propaganda victory to the enemy. But hey, Laughner, they did ask politely didn't they? Ask and you shall receive.
As it turns out, Laughner deleted the photos from his computer but they were still one his digital camera. So the world did see them, and they are now being used in the Haditha prosecution. My point is not that the photos should have been destroyed, but that they should have been carefully guarded and shown only to the proper authorities. If crimes were committed, there are court martials and other ways to handle the offenders.
To release the photos is to feed the propaganda machine of the cultural left, which has been recycling Abu Ghraib materials for years and couldn't wait to get its hands on something new like this. The Islamic radicals, too, need images to portray America as a savage beast. However embarassing it has been for the U.S. military, Haditha was a godsend for these folks.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 3)
1. I agree entirely.
Those photos should have been kept under wraps, to be reviewed only by those involved in the investigation.
If in fact a war crime was discovered, the men involved would be dealt with accordingly.
This is just one more example of how the American Left tries to undermine our troops and their efforts, and to give America a black eye.
Do these folks really think nobody will get killed in a war, or that there will not be atrocities?
The American Left does a pretty good job of covering up images of Americans being tortured and killed at the hands of Muslim radicals, and they also do a good job hiding images of American soldiers helping the people of Iraq. However if one American offends the sensibilities of a Muslim, let alone kill one of them, all hell breaks loose and like the old the town crier, Wolf Blitzer will be shouting the "news" from the rooftops for the next six months.
Ken Berg at 2:11PM on Jun 8th 2007
2. As usual, the right wing would much rather lie than to tell the truth....and they continue to argue that witholding the Truth is ALWAYS the Right thing to do, no matter how heinous the crime.
This attitude by Mr. D'Souza would seem unbelievable if it weren't Standard Operating Procedure for these jerks. I guess moral/ethical standards of decency have gone the same way as Integrity among this gang...right out the window. When Americans break the law, it's NOT a crime. This is an attitude that obviously starts at the 'top'...and these criminals have the chutzpah to ask--with a straight face--"Why do they hate us?"
Joe Hill at 3:54PM on Jun 8th 2007
3. Your interpretation of this event is troubling. It sounds like you are endorsing the covering up and stifling of news. What kind of "freedom" do you think these troops are supposed to be fighting for?
Giving the enemy a "Propaganda Victory"? Exactly who is the enemy? The Iraqi people? The Authoritarian right continually shifts the goal posts of this war and changes the face of the enemy. The enemy is faceless and merely a representation of a concept. Seriously, who is it? Osama Bin Laden? Saddam Hussein? Al Queida? Insurgents? Or is it the "TERRORISTS". The most vague term ever used to describe any nummber of enemies you wish to apply it to as a matter of convenience. You talk about Propaganda ... yet you ignore the propaganda filling our streets daily be the Authoritarian fascist wing in our own government.
A crime was committed. US troops were involved. It is a sad reality but are we only supposed to hear about the victories and the good things the troops do? I'm sorry, I just don't agree with your candy-coated 'Willy Wonka' view of the world. If our country is going to claim the moral high-ground in fighting evil and tyranny and treacherous acts, we had better be prepared to punish those on our side who are guilty of them as well and not stifle the truth from being heard.
Your apologism is atrocious. Your blog is one more notch in the belt for the Authoritarian right and their never ending quest to stifle freedom fo the press. I hope you don't call yourself a journalist.
Leniad Xirdneh at 3:54PM on Jun 8th 2007
4. The murders should not have happened in the first place so trial evidence should never be contained or destroyed. Be a stand up guy and do what is right and leave propanganda to the those who hide from the truth.
Jim Woods at 8:06PM on Jun 8th 2007
5. >>>
Do these folks really think nobody will get killed in a war, or that there will not be atrocities?
>>>
All the more reason NOT to go so lightly and arrogantly into an unnecessary war....people DO get killed. Ya know, people around the world are not so gullible as to accept the American myth that 'our boys' can do no wrong. Believe me, the atrocities committed by the USA are no secret. It ain't the photos, folks...it's the atrocities themselves.
Joe Hill at 4:01PM on Jun 8th 2007
6. This is to typical of leftists; twist everything around and keep running down the country.
If leftists like this had been in power during WW2 we would be speaking German.
I do not understand what the Left has against this nation.
Ken Berg at 4:47PM on Jun 8th 2007
7. Souza as well as a Ken Berg talks about the LEFT wanting to aid the enemy by showing pictures of wartime atrocities. I AM NO leftist but have to ask these gentlemen: I heard German soldiers complaining that they did not kill any civilians (at Auschwitz or anywhere else) but some did, and now each German has to pay for it. Do they also think that it was WRONG to show pics of concentration camps and starved bodies? ATROCITY IS ATROCITY WHEATHER against a million or 30 people. Or they think it is OK to kill Iraqis but not Jews?
As a Holocaust survivor I protest that view. Any Army that would condone such acts is morally guilty. And I don't want to believe that the US Army should be so branded. This left labeling is all baloney, anyway. Ideological garbage
judith marcus at 5:10PM on Jun 8th 2007
8. So what you are saying is we should cover it up? As a former Marine and Vietnam Vet I say we should print them on every front page of every newspaper.
Gen. Lewis Puller once said that every time a military "snafu" is committed every citizen should be aware. That is the only way things will be done right and/or corrected.
Besides who is the enemy here? We are not fighting an Army. We are in an urban guerilla war where winning is just a lesser degree of suffering.
You and those who espouse your "aid to the enemy" line should volunteer for service and spend time where they are doing the "killing and the dying."
Or are you like Cheney who "had better things to do" when his turn came to serve.
f cannelli at 10:34AM on Jun 11th 2007
9. >>>
I do not understand what the Left has against this nation.
>>>
Let me see if I can help you. I, like everybody else I know on the left, have NOTHING against this nation. On the contrary, it breaks my heart to see the current crop of "patriots" (who have absolutely NO idea what patriotism means) cheapening and violating every principle this country was founded upon.
This country is being destroyed by clueless 'leaders' who behave more like adolescent bullies. It's not surprising when one considers the kind of borderline criminals in charge of our government.
I can remember a time when no American with even a modicum of Integrity would think it ethical to bury the crimes committed in the name of "America's 'defense'". Integrity has now been replaced with some kind of situational ethicism that has turned us into a rogue nation in the eyes of the civilized world...unprincipled, dishonest, and cruel.
It's impossible to keep such facts secret; it's impossible to wish them away and expect that no one will notice. It's about time these wannabe 'tough guys' grew up and quit fantasizing about what THEY would do if they only had a chance to engage the enemy. Armchair 'heroics' really don't count for much in the real world; and it's hard to take them seriously when (almost to a man) these S.O.B.s did all that they could to keep their own precious derrieres safe from the Vietnam war. They are not motivated by 'love of country' or by selflessness...it seems most of them just had "other priorities" when they actually did have an opportunity to butch it up during one or another of their serial wars.
Cowardice is an ugly thing! It's particularly ugly when displayed by so-called leaders who are scared to death of the Truth.
Joe Hill at 5:39PM on Jun 8th 2007
10. The real propaganda victory for the enemy would be covering the incident up, or treating it as what it is, a case of murder.
I thought we were trying to help establish a democracy. Lies, deceit, and murder do not a democracy make.
Intentionally killing innocent civilians is not what America is about. As a combat veteran I have never found the intentional murder of civilians to be justified by war.
The honorable military conduct was not to continue participating in the coverup of murder. The order to destroy evidence was in fact an unlawful order.
Jim England at 6:12PM on Jun 8th 2007
11. Has anyone in authority stopped to consider that the enemy always knows who is his enemy, but the American GI is unable to distinguish one Iraqi from another?
I was an Intelligence officer in the Air Force. Maybe it is time for our Generals to return to their books and try to find out what they are doing wrong.
Jack Sariego at 6:28PM on Jun 8th 2007
12. With all the lies and deceit going on for the last 6 years you would think Americans would not want to hear more of the same. The terrorists are hiding in the Mountains between Afganistan and Pakistan. Yet we are funding the effort to find them and replce the drug industry at a paltry level. A year's funding for the real war on terror would not keep the Iraq war going two weeks. You wonder who we are really fighting. If we took a few billion that we are wasting in Iraq and built the industry needed by the poverty stricken peoples of the world we could create new energy sources at the same time. So many problems could be solved by the use of our resources that are being wasted in Iraq! Yet what do we hear in our news? Old lies and deceit! Supported by phony patriots who really are selling us to the highest bidder.
bob at 6:35PM on Jun 8th 2007
13. EMBARASSMENT? That little girl lost her entire family, and you're worried about embarrassment? If the US military was guilty of the alleged crimes, then it NEEDS to be embarassed, maybe then it will stop committing such atrocities. God forbid these soldiers be EMBARASSED!! How dare the Left attack the honor of our righteous, innocent harbingers of freedom!! Please. What's scary is the guy who wrote this probably has at least two doctorates, judging from his title. What a waste of an education.
David at 6:40PM on Jun 8th 2007
14. "The real propaganda victory for the enemy would be covering the incident up,..."
Bravo Mr. England. Bravo.
By all appearances, it is Mr. D'Souza who is attempting to aid the enemy.
vegastracon at 6:41PM on Jun 8th 2007
15. What I find confusing about the Iraqi war is that our soldiers are and have been killed like dogs; and I am sure that our soldiers may not act correctly when their comrades are lost. However, as citizens of the United States of America, we want to be a becon of democracy to the rest of the world. It is said that disclosing this information will give aid to the enemy. This may be true, but if these cases are disclosed and and go to trail with the proper results occurring; wouldn't that send a message of what democracy is really all about. We pride of selves of being on the right side of values for human rights, well we can't have it both ways and to continue to blame the left is just an excuse for not really standing up to our values. The surrounding neighborhood may have been part of the attack, or it may have been inoncent of any wrong doing; never the less what about the message that was sent because of these murders? I'm not sure what the answer(s) are to finish this war, but I wish we could come together to agree what is the right way to provide democracy for all of us. I am a Vietnam Vet.
John at 10:34AM on Jun 9th 2007