Missing soldiers killed, bodies found

[Qanisqineq]

no story yet, on www.msnbc.com


Edit: There is a story up now, but it doesn't have much information.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13432770/

Iraq Defense Ministry: Missing GIs killed
Al-Qaida-linked group claimed soldiers' abduction on Monday


BREAKING NEWS
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 6:44 a.m. ET June 20, 2006

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Two missing U.S. soldiers in Iraq have been killed, and their bodies found, a spokesman for the Iraq Defense Ministry said Tuesday, according to Reuters.

On Monday, an al-Qaida-linked group said it was holding two U.S. privates captive, one from Texas and the other from Oregon, and taunted the U.S. military for failing to find the soldiers despite a search involving more than 8,000 Iraqi and American troops.

The Mujahedeen Shura Council, an umbrella organization for a variety of insurgent factions led by al-Qaida in Iraq, offered no video, identification cards or other evidence to prove that they have the Americans. The group had vowed to seek revenge for the June 7 killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, in a U.S. airstrike.

The council also said it was responsible for the June 3 kidnapping of four Russian Embassy workers. The two separate postings could not be authenticated, but they appeared on a Web site known for publishing messages from insurgent groups in Iraq.

[Roland99]

1. Full Story: Iraq Defense Ministry: Missing GIs killed

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13432770/

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Two missing U.S. soldiers in Iraq have been killed, and their bodies found, a spokesman for the Iraq Defense Ministry said Tuesday, according to Reuters.

On Monday, an al-Qaida-linked group said it was holding two U.S. privates captive, one from Texas and the other from Oregon, and taunted the U.S. military for failing to find the soldiers despite a search involving more than 8,000 Iraqi and American troops.

The Mujahedeen Shura Council, an umbrella organization for a variety of insurgent factions led by al-Qaida in Iraq, offered no video, identification cards or other evidence to prove that they have the Americans. The group had vowed to seek revenge for the June 7 killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, in a U.S. airstrike.

The council also said it was responsible for the June 3 kidnapping of four Russian Embassy workers. The two separate postings could not be authenticated, but they appeared on a Web site known for publishing messages from insurgent groups in Iraq.

:(

[cboy4]

11. Things continue to go so F'ing well, don't they?

B***, Rove, Condi, Dumbsfeld, Big Dick Cheney all have more blood on their hands than al-Zarqawi could have ever dreamed of having.

[Mad_Dem_X]

32. Goddamn it

that's all I can say right now...:cry:

[qanda]

2. So sad

What can you say? God rest their souls and comfort their families.

[Jeanette in FL]

3. Oh God

How horrible. There is nothing to say. God Bless their souls.

[coalition_unwilling]

95. God bless everyone's soul who has suffered as a result

of this imperial hokum.

[benburch]

4. Oh Shit. nt

[Vinca]

5. Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn.

Our poor soldiers and their families. I despise Bush for what he has caused.

[Minnesota Libra]

6. I'm so sorry to hear this but I think we all knew this was............

....:patriot: the likely out come. :patriot: I feel so bad for the families. :cry:

[kelliebrat]

7. awww dammit

That is horrible.....my heart goes out to their families...and the rest of the 2500+ families who know the heartache.
I cant help but ask again...for what?? They died FOR WHAT?

[democrank]

8. So sad.

Rest in peace.

[Binka]

9. Those Poor Soldiers. My God The Families Must Be Crushed.

OK Fuckface do we have to rip the WH fence down to get you to listen. Bring them home NOW. I am so furious I could rip * apart with my teeth.

[wagthedogwar]

10. just numbers...says snow

poor kids

[Supersedeas]

77. too much focus -- all grieving must be in private: to hell with that!!

[Disturbed]

14. Not a bright thing to have done.

The better thing would have been to keep these soldiers for awhile and to have made a statement that they are being treated as POWs with Geneva Accords treatment. Maybe they couldn't keep them though with the massive hunt for them and $100K reward for info. Killing them was not only shameful and wrong but foolish.

[dogfacedboy]

33. They are murderous savages, just like Bush.

More blood on the hands of The Bush Regime.
May that cowardly little meatbag GWB drown in the blood of our brave troops that he has sent to their deaths.

[saigon68]

127. It is their country, the Bush Criminals are invaded and are now pillaging

[Kingshakabobo]

45. This was a surprisingly fast outcome - not fast for the families or

..victims, obviously. I'm sure those three days were an eternity but one would have expected this process to be drawn out for a much longer time. I would guess that the massive manhunt caused too much heat and forced the insurgents act relatively quickly.

Prayers for those kids and their families.

[coalition_unwilling]

98. As barbarous as the summary executions of the soldiers were,

perhaps the tactical purpose for the haste with which they were executed had to do as much with seeking to divert U.S. and Iraqi troops from "Operation Forward Together"; the diversion accomplished, there was no longer any need to keep the POWs alive.

If I recall correctly, some 8,000 U.S. and Iraqi troops were placed on the search for the two U.S. soldiers, drawn from the 60,000-some who were participating in the Baghdad security operation. Perhaps the resistance's tactical aim was to dilute the number of forces in the Baghdad area involved int he security crackdown?

[Fridays Child]

55. Their "decider" is following the lead of our "decider."

I am outraged and sad but not surprised.

[llmart]

12. Just more collateral damage according to the criminals.........

in the WH. To them, this is all a game or a big pissing match. None of them have the courage to go to war, but it's oh so easy to send someone else, preferably someone from the "underclass" as they see them.

Rumsfeld, Bush, Cheney, Rice will all rot in hell. It can't be too soon for me.

[malaise]

23. Too sad

They must be sent to The Hague.

[xchrom]

13. liberating the liberators from their burden.

hell will have special place for you one day, bush.

[dipsydoodle]

15. BBC link which includes their names

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5098186.stm

[VolcanoJen]

53. Did you read what one of the soldiers uncle said...?

Good article, very detailed.

But relatives of the men have already reacted with grief and anger.

Ken MacKenzie, uncle of Kristian Menchaca, said on US television: "Because the US government did not have a plan in place, my nephew has paid for it with his life."

That's putting it mildly.

May their souls rest peacefully. How awful. :cry:

[gully]

97. The plan was for Dick and co. to make some cash.

Silly uncle.

Tragic

[oasis]

129. Ann Coulter's wrath will be visited upon him for daring to show anger

at the failed policies that killed his nephew.

[Qanisqineq]

16. from reuters

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=newsOne&storyID=2006-06-20T105343Z_01_GEO037634_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-USA-SOLDIERS.xml


Two missing US soldiers in Iraq killed: official
Tue Jun 20, 2006 6:53am ET


BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Two missing U.S. soldiers in Iraq have been killed and their bodies were found, the spokesman for Iraq's Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

"The two soldiers were killed and they were found in Yusufiya near an electricity plant," Major General Abdul Aziz Mohammed told a news conference in Baghdad.

He did not say when the soldiers were killed or when their bodies were found.

The soldiers went missing on Friday after insurgents attacked their checkpoint near Yusufiya, an al Qaeda stronghold south of Baghdad. A group linked to al Qaeda in Iraq said on Monday it had abducted two U.S. soldiers near Yusufiya.

[LaurenG]

17. Two more families without their loved ones

I will pray for all the realtives. I can't say how sorry I am about this.

[bigscott]

18. May these men

rest in peace, and may God comfort those they left behind

may * and his cabal rot in hell for all eternity

[dbt]

19. "Bring 'em on!" squealed the Deserter Chimp.

That sorry son of a bitch painted a target over the heart of every American in uniform over there. While he reads My Pet Goat, the Mujahedeen Shura Council reads the Book Of Ho Chi Minh.

:argh:
dbt
Remember New Orleans

[Freedom_from_Chains]

27. Yeah, an just a couple of days after Cheney reconfirmed his statement

that the insurgency was on the wan.

[stanwyck]

49. Five-deferment Cheney knows so much

about war, doesn't he? Well, in theory.
I loathe these people.

[saigon68]

67. Draft Dodger Cheney getting richer by the minute

After all he's figured out a way to "take it with him"

[saigon68]

69. " BRING EM ON" shouted the DRAFT DODGING CHIMPANZEE

[onehandle]

20. We're turning a corner!.....

.....around and around in a big circle, piled with bodies.

[Lochloosa]

21. "Last Throes"

Fuckers!

[Warren Stupidity]

22. How about we get out of there now.

Before any more of our kids are killed for some damn lie.

[Amonester]

85. "Try" asking the Generals, because the BU$H mi$administration,

namely Rove, Rum$feld and the Cheney$, does't care what a majority of the people wants.

These criminal$ are directly responsible for every single one of these non-'last resort' casualties.

Urge the Generals to make them pay! (But, when??)

[sg_]

24. "Bodies showed signs of torture"

According to the sky news info bar

[stanwyck]

51. Torture is pure evil.

whether it's murderous insurgents or our operatives. We must not allow our country to fall into this abyss.
The poor families.

[RangerSmith]

73. I agree....

I also wonder why people who are so disgusted and hurt by things like this when done to our troops are supportive of doing it to others... and it's not just a "tit for tat" thing they are trying to hide behind either, IMHO. Makes no sense.

[coalition_unwilling]

101. Torture is as American as apple pie (n/t)

[eowyn_of_rohan]

128. Torture knows no nationality

...Even the "best" of countries are guilty.

[lebkuchen]

25. So much for "exuberance"

[marmar]

26. Add to that...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A parked minivan exploded in a busy outdoor market
in a Baghdad slum on Tuesday, killing four people and wounding 16, police
said.

Elsewhere, a suicide bomber wearing an explosives belt blew himself up
in a home for the elderly in the southern city of Basra, killing two people
and wounding three.


This occupation is an unmitigated disaster. NOTHING good will come of this mess. But this administration is so far removed from reality that they will never see this. We need to get out - it's going to be bad if we leave but worse if we stay. Of course, BushCo has no such plans. That's why we need a new Congress, followed by total impeachment (meaning both cheeks of this ass of a White House), followed by the Hague.

[muriel_volestrangler]

29. A suicide bomber in a home for the elderly?

That's the most bizarre thing yet.

[Botany]

28. Blessings and prayers on their souls and their family & friends

Army Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, and Army Pfc. Thomas Lowell Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore. :patriot:

:cry:

I can only hope that their captives did not make them suffer and the
end came quickly ........

God Damn you Rummy, bush, & company. How is the construction going
on the perm. bases and the 100 + acre U.S. Embassy?

[Breeze54]

31. There were three who were killed....

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/06/20/springfield_mourns_specialist/
Springfield mourns specialist
Soldier was with 2 who are missing

By Brian MacQuarrie, Globe Staff | June 20, 2006

Snip-->

On Friday, Specialist Babineau was killed in an ambush at a traffic checkpoint south of Baghdad.
The 25-year-old Springfield native was with the two US soldiers who were apparently kidnapped by insurgents.

The soldiers remained missing yesterday.

"He always talked about being in the service," said Hunter Short, a vice principal at the school.

"He was excellent in the classroom, always focused, on time, always got his assignments in.
Just a pleasure," he said.

Babineau leaves a wife, Rondi; two sons, ages 2 and 4; and a daughter, 8.
He had been scheduled to leave Iraq in May, but had his tour of duty extended, according to his mother, Dawn of Springfield.

At least 38 servicemen from Massachusetts have been killed in the Iraq war.

A farmer who said he witnessed the attack reported that Babineau died when seven masked
assailants, including one with a heavy machine gun, ambushed the soldiers' Humvee in Yusufiyah,
a heavily Sunni area about 12 miles southwest of Baghdad.
The two missing servicemen are Private First Class Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston,
and Private First Class Thomas L. Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore.
All three soldiers were assigned to Company B, First Battalion, 502d Infantry Regiment
of the division's Second Brigade Combat Team.<--snip

[laylah]

113. I pray also

they did not suffer, Botany; however, I fear Abu Grhaib (sp?) has come home to roost. Lousey freakin' assholes ru(i)nning this country!

May those boys rest in blessed peace and their families as well. :cry:
Jenn

[Qanisqineq]

30. Heard on Rachel Maddow

the bodies were found on Saturday? According to the Iraqi Defense Minister, I believe

[VolcanoJen]

60. On Saturday??

Has this been confirmed anywhere else?

[Qanisqineq]

62. yeah?

I heard this repeated again. :wtf: That just doesn't seem to make any sense. Maybe they mispoke?

[spinbaby]

34. Refusing to confirm or deny

I just got a CNN breaking news email that said:

"-- Military spokesman in Iraq refuses to confirm or deny reports that remains of missing U.S. soldiers were found."

Weird. Did they find them or not?

[Qanisqineq]

35. maybe they are waiting to tell the families

I'm sure the families have already heard about the bodies on the news, but the military will send someone to their homes and tell them. That's my guess.

[Auntie Bush]

74. The soldiers were so mutilated they COULDN'T identify them.

And they had to notify the parents and families first before hearing it on the n news. In spite of that one family did hear it on the news. How f**king disgusting.

I keep asking/wondering...how do those bastards sleep at night. I'll bet bush slept like a baby...which he IS! A great big overgrown baby who just doesn't get it...can't understand or hasn't learned that choices/actions have consequences. What a stupid f**king man/child!

I wish people would refer to him as "the man child."

[Qanisqineq]

36. family member confirms that bodies are those of missing soldiers

on CNN Breaking News Banner:

The aunt of missing soldier Kristian Menchaca confirms to CNN that the military has notified the family that his body has been found in Iraq.

[bluedog]

37. the boys were tortured......Reuters

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The bodies of two missing U.S. soldiers showed signs of "barbaric torture" when they were found by American and Iraqi troops on Monday, a senior Iraqi general told Reuters on Tuesday.


"The two soldiers were found yesterday by a combined U.S.- Iraqi force. We found they had been tortured in a barbaric fashion," Major General Abdul Aziz Mohammed said, amplifying remarks he had made earlier at a news conference.

The U.S. military declined to confirm his statement, saying it would notify next of kin before announcing any death.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060620/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[Bacchus39]

120. let me guess, not panties on their heads I bet

but actual torture??

[tuvor]

38. Iraqi: U.S. bodies showed signs of torture

BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Iraqi military official said Tuesday that the bodies of two missing U.S. soldiers showed signs of torture, and that men appeared to have been killed "in a barbaric way." Also, the umbrella group for Iraqi insurgents claimed responsibility for the soldiers' deaths.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060620/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[Kingshakabobo]

56. "in a barbaric way." .....probably means beheading? No?

Which leads me to believe the spokesperson is lying when he says they are waiting for the outcome of an "autopsy." They know damn well how they were killed but they need to play this to fit the chimperor's "bounce." God forbid anything take away from bush's mutual masturbation celebration.

[VolcanoJen]

58. They were likely beheaded by al-Muhajer...

... according to this article.

Website: New al Qaida leader killed 2 US soldiers - Jerusalem Post

The statement said the two soldiers were "slaughtered" suggesting they had been beheaded by Abu Hamza al-Muhajer. The Arabic word used in the statement, "nahr," is used for the slaughtering of sheep by cutting the throat and has been used in past statements to refer to beheadings.

This war is barbaric. Bring them home now!! :cry:

[Javaman]

39. What's asshole snow going to say about this?

That they are just bodies? (reference to the 2500 as just a number)

this whole admin is full of fucking pigs.

Those poor soldiers. The poor families.

colossal racist chickenshit failure*.

[bluedog]

40. has bush uttered a word about .any of this.????n/t

[AngryOldDem]

46. Of course not!

Because he doesn't give a shit. Never has, never will.

I had to turn off the TV and walk away when I came across the story on the networks this morning, just as I did yesterday when I heard that a 20-year-old, three months into his first tour, became the 2,500th soldier to die.

I am so hurt and angry I feel like crying and tearing something apart with my bare hands.

This has got to stop. Call it "cut-and-run" or whatever the fuck you want. THIS. HAS. GOT. TO. STOP.

WHERE is the public outrage over this?????

[Auntie Bush]

68. We should call/frame the issue "stop-the-killing"---Not "cut an run"

This sounds good...Ask, What would you rather do, "stay-the-course" or
"stop-the-killing?" The answer is simple!

[Quantess]

134. Well nothing, of course.

The * Administration wants more happy news from Iraq to be reported, because the liberal media only tells us about the unhappy news. :sarcasm:

[Solly Mack]

41. How many more, America? How many more?

How many more people must die for a lie?

A lie so monstrous in it's consequences that the U.S. government is too afraid(or too corrupt) to admit it was wrong.

For want of honesty...for want of integrity...for want of an ounce of decency

More will die...because my government is incapable of admitting it lied.

[Justitia]

90. There are "people" who think we should still be in Vietnam. No amt of blo

No amt of blood will ever satisfy their bloodlust.

I actually hear this on TV at least once a week - "we lost Vietnam because we left too early!"

Freaking insane! And what is scarier is that they walk amongst us.

For some "people", enough is never enough.

[oneold1-4u]

42. There's no immunity:DEATH

Where does this total administration believe they can go to find immunity to death themselves?
Perhaps they truly believe that "god's" vengeance will be merciful and that millions of people they have hurt and damaged with their vengeance, won't remember! They might consider that finding them will become a greater hunt than Israel finding nazis.

[oneold1-4u]

44. The islamic list

Today is any infidel that is handy, but in the years to come with the knowledge of those who dared to challenge their supremacy, they will strike many around the world. Any non islamic leader along with the whole entourage, including military, will become targets!
The information with pictures is available to all, anywhere in the world!

[satya]

75. * believes he will be "raptured" to heaven and therefore avoid death.

It's all part of his grand "plan" -- the worse things get, the closer (he believes) to the "End Times" when Jesus will come to take him away from this horrible mess he's created.

Somebody needs to tell him his foreign policy is built on false doctrine. If he read, I'd send him a copy of Barbara R. Rossing's book, The Rapture Exposed.

[lpbk2713]

43. Meanwhile .... back at the White House .....

(Now watch this drive.)

[MaineDem]

47. He was out raising $27 million for GOP candidates yesterday (n/t)

[AlCzervik]

48. F*CK! Maybe i'm an idiot but i really thought they'd be found alive

I am so sorry for these boys and their families, it's heartbreaking, it's beyond heartbreaking.

[Roy]

70. Seeing the manner in which the US treat Iraqis.....

They probably thought they could not afford to leave these men alive. Imagine if they could have pointed out a house or city where they were held, not to mention the risk of identifying any of the captors. No way these guys would risk the retaliatory actions of US troops.

Fresh memories of troops going house to house killing innocent family members old and young in Haditha and who knows how many other places, condemned these young men to death the moment they were captured.

[coalition_unwilling]

99. As bad as this incident is, there are 140,000 U.S. troops out

there who also are subject to this type of treatment. All U.S. troops now have to be looking over their shoulders, I'd guess. I expect the levels of violence to increase now, as U.S. troops will retaliate in kind for this and the cycle of tit-for-tat killings will accelerate.

[Roy]

102. So sad.... but so true... N/T

[eowyn_of_rohan]

130. Like begets like

evil begets evil...and the world turns round and round spinning further out of control

[Eugene]

50. "killed in a barbaric way"

Bodies of missing U.S. soldiers recovered

By KIM GAMEL, Associated Press Writer
7 minutes ago

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The bodies of two U.S. soldiers reported captured last week
have been recovered, and an Iraqi official said Tuesday the men were "killed
in a barbaric way." Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility for killing
the soldiers, and said the successor to slain terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
had "slaughtered" them, according to a Web statement that could not be
authenticated.

The language in the statement suggested the men had been beheaded.

U.S. Maj. Gen. William Caldwell confirmed that the remains, found late Monday
by American troops, were believed to be those of Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23,
of Houston, and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore.

<snip>

Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060620/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[EFerrari]

52. Not killed by a nice American bullet to the head. n/t

[Barrett808]

61. Almost certainly tortured with electric drills

This is the favorite torture technique in Iraq: drilling holes in elbows, knees, face, eyes.

Thanks, George.

[bluedog]

54. bushies think they "war" is a freaking "game"

Apparently all bush supporters think this is a game..........like the kind one sees on tv and theres a happy ending.

I hope now the pro bushies realize .........

These two guys are really dead. tortured......no Geneva convention applies...because bush thinks hes above it...well so do other countries now....

Their families will never see them again.

They will not grow old. And Bush is responsible. And any one who voted bush .....is responsible

[speedoo]

57. "And any one who voted bush .....is responsible"

My heart agrees, especially when I am so angry with the news of these soldiers dying needlessly, as so may others have, and will before this stupid war ends.

But the reality is that we need the votes of those who voted for *, and we need those votes this November.

[Skittles]

63. THEY NEED TO KNOW THEIR VOTES HAVE CONSEQUENCES

AND IF THEY ARE STILL SUPPORTING BUSH AFER ALL HE HAS DONE THEY ARE A LOST CAUSE

[calimary]

59. What you said, my friend. ANYONE who supports this is to blame

for this, and is responsible for this.

[Straight Shooter]

64. We can expect to see another Fallujah or Haditha as revenge.

Democracy in Iraq? Don't make me laugh.

----------------

bush hasn't addressed this issue of our tortured soldiers because Rove is busy framing it for maximum impact to stir up the emotional rhetoric.

The bush administration was warned about discarding the Geneva Conventions. Everyone told them that our soldiers would suffer. But bush, cheney, rumsfeld, rove and rice are also barbaric. They allowed this to happen by their indifference to the truth.

[coalition_unwilling]

100. It will probably happen in Ramadi, as I was reading reports

in alternative press that resistance there was expecting a Fallujah-type assault any day now.

[Southsideirish]

65. Glad to see its so much better over there since we "got" al-Zarqawi.

Ya, I see victory on the horizon, don't you?

[lwin]

87. Yeah, that 25 million bounty we paid was really worth it

to bomb Zarqawi.

How much is the US going to pay the families of these two young men who died horrible deaths? A couple grand and an empty "thank ya for fightin' the war on terra.."?

The monsters that killed these two young men infuriate me. Our monster, GWB, who created this situation and put them in harms way, infuriates on the same level. He has just as much of their blood on his hands, as the ones who did the deed.

[SpiralHawk]

66. This is another funeral that Bush will be AWOL for

He has not been to one funeral. Does not acknowldge, does not want to know, what his WMD lies hath wroght.

Commander AWOL is a major coward.

And Dick "Five Deferments" Cheney is no better.

[calimary]

71. Hey, I like that! dick "FIVE DEFERMENTS" cheney.

Needs to be said, read, and spread!

[WinkyDink]

94. If either did attend a military funeral, you can believe they'd need to

stifle their smiles.

[Massachusetts]

72. Watch the bouncing ball........

Bushit and his band of impish trolls will have moderate to heavy News Balckouts after this (imo)



MAY OUR TROOPS REST IN PEACE AND MAY THEIR RELATIVES FIND PEACE.

[imax2268]

76. R.I.P. our brave soldiers...

you did not deserve this...

You did not need to be there in the first place. The so-called, wannabe commander-n-cheif sent you where you didn't need to be and now you are gone...all for thier lust for oil and power.

My prayers to the families and my scorn at this CHICKENSHIT administration...

[mountainvue]

78. They both look so young. n/t

[paparush]

79. Think Bush** will attend these funerals????

[SpiralHawk]

80. Bush does not attend funerals for US Soldiers.

He only goes to "Counting Parties," where his Republicon Oil Cronies count up the Obscene Profits they have made from his Oil War in Iraq.

[saigon68]

81. He will however take donations from his Sheep at parties

maybe he can even "Sneak a drink or 2" at said party

[lastliberalintexas]

82. I can only hope the end was quick and painless for them

And wish that they had never been sent in the first place. I hope their families and friends can find peace. :(

[saigon68]

83. I doubt it--

Few families I know have "FOUND PEACE " with the concept that their sons and a few daughters


died for nothing in Viet-Nam

[lastliberalintexas]

86. The few I know who have were the ones who ended up

working to end the war. I've never been in the situation myself, so I can only speculate that the parents who fight to save someone else's son then perhaps feel that their child did not die in vain. Perhaps they think that their child died so that others may live and it at least gives them a "reason" for their child's death, other than for the greed of a few old men. Still a sad concept, but if that's what works for those in that situation, who am I to question it?

I also unfortunately doubt that these soldiers' deaths were painless. :(

[The_Casual_Observer]

84. "Missing soldiers killed, bodies found" is just words, 2500 is

just a number - tony snow job.

[bluestateguy]

88. I don't much like saying I told you so

But I told you so.

[superconnected]

89. I like when they show pictures so everyone can see whose blood

bush spills for oil and no-bid contracts.

[saigon68]

96. He's a few the Bush Criminals enjoy

Kill Em when they are small

They fight less that way

[Stand and Fight]

91. My heart swells, aches, in my chest.

Thse two soldiers did not have to die. Plain and simple.

Bush and Cheney should be dragged kicking and screaming out of the White House. Enough of this bullshit. Look at these two soldiers! They're kids for the love of God -- fucking kids! And that idiot and his cronies are going to get away with this because Americans are two chickenshit to hold them accountable. Every fucking Senator -- Republican AND Democrat -- who doesn't stand with Kerry, Feingold, and Boxer ought to eat shit and die. This is disgusting! Not one more! Drag the motherfuckers out of the White House and lock them up before we lose another person -- Iraqi or American. Enough!

[Qanisqineq]

104. I feel like screaming

I feel like screaming at those assholes Bush and Cheney. I feel like screaming at Rush Limbaugh and all those other "you-can't-support-the-troops-if-you-don't-support-the-war" people.

Hell, I feel like calling my born-again sister who thinks "this war is so good for our safety and for the freedom of the Iraqi people" and screaming at her -- Screw you bitch! You haven't had to worry about your husband fighting in this war. You don't pay any attention to the number of Iraqis killed, the number of soldiers, the number of people maimed. You just listen to your new messiah George Bush (that God told her would be re-elected) and believe every word he says.

:cry: :grr: :cry: :grr:

[0007]

92. Two more for the big pile

Grass Bush

Pile the bodies high in Austerlitz and Waterloo Iraq
Shovel them under and let me work--
I am the grass; bush; I cover all.

And pile them high in Gettyburg Baghdad
And pile them high in Ypres and Vedum Mossoul and Al Fallaujah

Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor:
What place is this?

I am the grass bush.
Let me work.

Carl Sandburg


Support the war - Donate a Son a daughter
The GOP working for a better America
God Bless America

[Up2Late]

93. Update: Their remains...will be transported to the US for DNA I.D.

(If you read between the lines, it sounds like the News reports and the Military a downplaying the gruesome condition these two were found in)

Two abducted US soldiers found dead in Iraq

20/06/2006 16h11

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) - The bodies of two US soldiers kidnapped south of Baghdad before being tortured and killed were recovered, and an insurgent group led by Al-Qaeda in Iraq said it had slit their throats.

(clip)

"...Coalition forces have recovered what we believe are the remains of our soldiers, who disappeared in the vicinity of Yusifiyah...,"

(clip)

"Their remains have been transported to a coalition base today and will be transported to the US for a positive DNA verification and for an autopsy to see how they died...."

(clip)

He refused to say whether Menchaca and Tucker had been brutally tortured as indicated earlier by General Abdul Aziz Mohammed of the Iraqi defense ministry. "The two US soldiers were found in the Yusifiyah area near the power station and unfortunately their bodies show that they had been tortured and then killed viciously," the general told a news conference.

(more at link)

<http://www.afp.com/english/news/stories/060620155832.vm46pasu.html>

[1620rock]

103. HEY, ANY FREEPERS LURKING OUT THERE??...

...if you voted for bush, you have blood on your hands...and sin on your souls...you will pay. You will burn and rot in the deepest pits of hell...forever!!!!! :mad:

[Tab]

105. Iraqi: Soldiers killed in 'barbaric way' (beheaded?)

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. forces on Tuesday recovered the bodies of two American soldiers reported captured by insurgents last week. An Iraqi defense ministry official said the men were tortured and "killed in a barbaric way." Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility for killing the soldiers, and said the successor to terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had "slaughtered" them. The claim was made in a Web statement that could not be authenticated. The language in the statement suggested the men were beheaded.
http://news.yahoo.com/fc/world/iraq

[partylessinOhio]

106. Yes, they were, also heard TV report-heads not found.

Mario Vasquez, Menchaca's uncle, said Army officials had told the family early this morning that the bodies of two uniformed soldiers had been found, both of them beheaded. He said the Army would be conducting DNA tests, but the family believes the men were Menchaca and Tucker.

(I copied this earlier but did not copy the url.)

[gratuitous]

107. So much more civilized to drop bombs on them

Or hold them incommunicado for years while torturing them. Or turn them over to other countries where they aren't quite so squeamish about certain methods of interrogation. Haven't we taught these barbarians anything in the last four years? But I guess Alberto Gonzales is just one man; he can't do it all for everyone.

[Maat]

108. Well-put, Gratuitous.

And certain fundie relatives of mine apparently think that it is 'fine' when we engage in these practices.

[Sadie5]

110. This is a terrible tragedy

The two Soldiers were probably young guys who enlisted for lack of a good job. Who every the culprits are need to be hunted down and made to pay for this. Yet who will pay for all of those innocent Iraqis who have lost their lives because the US crooks(bush,Rummy,Wolfie,etc) needed more oil. Those who abducted the Soldiers need to pay, but to look further it is Bush and his cabal who need to be tried for war crimes both against the Iraqi's and the Soldiers. My hope is that the dead Soldiers are at peace now.

[leftchick]

112. yes indeed, dismemberment by 500 lb bombs is so much more civilized

especially for the babies and pregnant women. :puke:

[saigon68]

126. Shooting children prevents them from reproducing

[gizmo1979]

109. I think this is one place I'd fight till the death.

No way would I want to be captured.If I had to throw rocks use a nail file maybe even a bullet to my own head.

[baldguy]

111. "The men were tortured and killed in a barbaric way."

[sabra]

114. Al-Zarqawi's successor gets the credit

http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/international/index.ssf?/base/international-31/1150813770262080.xml&storylist=orinternational

Al-Zarqawi's successor gets the credit

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — The new leader of al-Qaida in Iraq killed two U.S. soldiers whom the group abducted last week, an insurgent umbrella group said in a Web statement posted Tuesday. The statement, which could not be authenticated, said the two soldiers were "slaughtered," suggesting they had been beheaded by Abu Hamza al-Muhajer.

The Arabic word used in the statement, "nahr," is used for the slaughtering of sheep by cutting the throat and has been used in past statements to refer to beheadings.

The claim of responsibility was posted on an Islamic militant Web site where insurgent groups regularly post statements.

If true, it would be the first act of violence attributed to al-Muhajer since he was named al-Qaida in Iraq's new leader in a June 12 Web message by the group. He succeeded Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike on June 7.

[krkaufman]

115. Does anyone ever bother to point out....?

.... that "al Qaeda in Iraq" didn't exist before we invaded? Prior to that, the only organized terrorist group in Iraq was Zarqawi's Ansar al Islam, which was effectively under our protection in the Northern no-fly zone -- and which we apparently opted to preserve in order to supply a bogus justification for invading.

Bush in 2002: "We can't strategically strike and take out Zarqawi and Ansar al Islam, the terrorists in Iraq, because that would hurt our case for invading Iraq to take out the terrorists in Iraq."

[Kingshakabobo]

116. Do you have a link for that boosh quote? I would LOVE to send it..

....to my "favorite" freeper. Thanks!

[krkaufman]

117. Oh, sorry. I was paraphrasing. It's not a direct quote.

Very sorry about that.

Basically I was paraphrasing what Bush *effectively* said when denying the military's request to strike Zarqawi in 2002, as reported by Jim Miklaszewski (NBC reporter) in March 2004.

Not sure where else, but you can hear the Miklaszewski report in the 6/13/2006 Franken Show, starting at the 3:35 mark.

----------------------

More, taken from Franken's Tuesday blog...

MSNBC (March 2004) -- Bush had a chance to kill Zarqawi, but didn't pull the trigger -- three times! More from WSJ.

[Kingshakabobo]

118. No prob! Thanks!

:)

[Igel]

119. That is precisely parallel to how the Taliban treat

their captives, and always have.

Take them hostage; hold a shura in which it's clear that anybody fighting them is wrong. (We see the same rhetoric elsewhere: kill somebody responsible for some attack, during or after the attack itself, and it's not part of warfare, it's an injustice. As sheer jingoism, it's a trait shared by all sides, and per force tolerable; but in this case it's argued from principle, not simply "how dare they do that to our boys!")

Then there's the decision. I don't believe that beheading is, strictly speaking, the required outcome according to the law. But it's a fairly frequent one, especially for show purposes to show supremacy and boost ones honor in Afghanistan. Shooting and stabbing are also reported.

If the report is true it casts the killers as Islamists of a certain stripe.

[lindisfarne]

121. The US has killed some prisoners by torturing as well. We now have

an incidence of what we all feared when the US stepped back from the Geneva Conventions (and the events at Guantanomo and Abu Ghraib are surely not helping): American soldiers tortured before death.

This is awful for the soldiers and for their family. But BushCo must also bears blame for the torturing of these soldiers through their policy of allowing torture of prisoners the US takes. (not to mention, for starting the war in the first place)

[azmesa207]

122. Soldiers Tortured

Thank Alberto Gonzales he the shit head that said the Geneva Convention no longer
applies in Iraq . The truth be know they were probably dead shortly after there
capture .

[Igel]

125. Yes, but they weren't tortured and then

beheaded after being condemned by a shura, now were they?

And in few cases did the organization that the cretins doing the torturing and killing spout off how righteous they were. Let's see ... Lindy England's picture is almost certainly on the stamps we're using, and she's a national hero, awarded medals? No? Ah. There's another glaring similarity buttressing your argument. And I missed the celebratory footage run on CNN where she said she killed the infidels because she's a good Christian.

Again, I say, Martha Stewart is like Hitler; they both used a soup spoon when at table and bouillabaisse was served.

[lindisfarne]

135. Hmm we're not too sure how some of the prisoners of the US have

died, are we? You're right - they probably weren't any beheaded. But how do you know that some of the humiliation and torture that went on wasn't so bad to a Muslim that they would have preferred being beheaded?

The US's policies made this sort of treatment of US soldiers when captured far more likely by endorsing it and allowing it to happen in prisons under US control.

We never should have revised our stand on the Geneva Conventions. We never should have revised our understanding of what constitutes torture. We never should have allowed what happened in Abu Ghraib and other prisons in Iraq to occur. Guantanamo Bay should not exist. All these were steps down the road which makes torture and killing of US soldiers far far more likely.

[SeattleGirl]

123. Oh my God.

My heart goes out to those families.

I hope Mr. "Bring 'em on" is happy. I'm sure he won't shed any tears over this, the bastard.

[ladym55]

124. My heart is breaking

I keep thinking back to Mr. Berg saying that he was saddened by the death of al-Zarquawi. It didn't bring back his son, and he feared it would only add to the violence. He was so right. Now two more families won't welcome their sons home. And these families have to live with the knowledge that their children were tortured ...

What will Tony Snow say now? Just another number (shrug)?

Yep, let's ignore things like the Geneva Convention. It won't have any impact on our troops. :sarcasm:

And I can hear them all now--Coulter, Hannity, O'Reilly, and Limbaugh--trashing Menchaca's uncle. How dare he question our president? Our war?

I'm not sure if I want to cry or put my fist through a wall.

:cry: :grr:

[bling bling]

132. "Families have to live with the knowledge their children were tortured..."

I don't think I could go on living knowing that my child was tortured before death. It would literally torture me to know that. I can barely even stand knowing it happened to someone else's kid.

I, like you, don't know whether I feel more angy or sad. I don't know sometimes where to direct my anger because there's too many targets: the White House, the Supreme Court for appointing Bush, Republicans, Democrats who enable the Republicans, Americans who vote for the guy they'd rather have a beer with, the MSM for negligence....it goes on and on.

Maybe if a brave Dem would stand up and remind Americans that it was Bush who literally dared the resistence to bring it on, and remind Americans that this administration said the Geneva Convention doesn't apply, I would feel some hope. Maybe they could also remind everyone that Bush didn't bother to listen to the Generals in Iraq regarding troop levels after the initial invasion. The outcome could have been very different but for the stubborn pompous know-it-alls in the White House and Pentagon. Maybe that's what makes me the angriest, that nobody but us ever holds Bush accountable for anything. And the atrocities he's responsible for are monstrous things like illegal war and thousands upon thousands of deaths. Somehow, almost comically, the republican base STILL believes Rush and Hannity and Coulter, etc. that LIBERALS are the enemy!!!!! WTF? This country is the twighlight zone to me.

[sampsonblk]

131. Will Bush fly to Baghdad to get credit for this also?

What Beanheads these Bush supporters are. If something goes right, its all about Bush's leadership, but when disaster strikes, as it will often do when a dimwit is at the controls, then its the librul media making a mountain out of a molehill?

Where is Bush on this one?

[Rageneau]

133. Of course, the wild-eyed Freepers are blaming US for this.

Their rage is directed at the liberal and the liberal media, as if either one had squat to do with this murder. Here at DU, we know that if there are ANY Americans who bear ANY blame for these deaths, the ones to blame are conservative Republicans and the BFEE.

Iraq was THEIR idea. Torture was FINE with them.

And now the chickens come home to roost and the cowardly, self-deluding Freeper-types break their backs trying to turn around and blame the people who NEVER wanted this stupid war in the first place.

If the Freepers and the MSM had listened to us, these two soldiers, and 2500 more, as well as 100,000 Iraqis would be alive and comfortable today.

Bush is worse for Iraq than Saddam was.

[saigon68]

136. FEEL THE LOVE HERE

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1652441/posts

To: Enduring Freedom

Carpet bomb the entire village where our boys were found. Send a message to everyone that unless they start policing their own areas and turning in al quaida they will suffer more of the same treatment.

Flatten the bastards.

42 posted on 06/20/2006 8:20:20 AM PDT by Humidston (Congress is like the Mafia - NO PAY, NO PLAY.)
< Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies >


To: Lunatic Fringe
I don't care if this latest barbaric fiend did it or not.

Track him down and slit his throat till his orange juice runs down his robes.

It's called "preventative maintenance."

Leni
43 posted on 06/20/2006 8:20:20 AM PDT by MinuteGal (Mi casa es su casa. Mi pais es su pais. Mi dinero es su dinero. Mi..............)

AND THE BEST ONE

To: Parmy
It would be better when dealing with barbarians to be worse than they.

Correct. We should behead them and put their heads on pikes - but first we should execute anyone with press credentials.

And no, I'm not joking. I truly believe in summary execution for treason.
24 posted on 06/20/2006 8:13:14 AM PDT by wideawake
< Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies >

[lpbk2713]

138. Silly-ass chickenhawks like to talk big.

But put them in a uniform and send them over there and watch them shit their pants.

[newspeak]

140. it's to be expected after listening to their "God"

Rush Limpballs. He was spouting off another one of his lying tirades about going on blogs and saying those liberals are rejoicing that these soldiers are dead. This is the same scum bag who thought that torturing was no less than a frat prank and that the soldiers killed over there was small potatoes considering those who are murdered in one big city. Jeffy, oxycontin, anal cyst chicken hawk keeps spinning conflicting messages. Of course, he wouldn't personally go over there outside of the green zone to find out what it's like to be attacked, mortared almost every single day. How you must be alert at all times or your dead.....the stress of not knowing when your going to get hit--naw....it's just like being in one of our inner cities don cha know.:sarcasm: But, it's the LIBERALS that don't care about these soldiers!!!! Right Jeffy---maybe you'd better take another look in the mirror.

[Massachusetts]

137. saigon68

Don't let the BASTARDS get to you!

Definition Freeper = premature ejaculating, frustrated, cheating, treasonous, yellow bellied, chicken hawk scum.

Clear them off your radar man, they ain't worth the time, because they will NEVER understand what a true Patriot is.

[noonwitch]

139. I feel very badly for them and their families.

I knew it probably wouldn't end happily when they went missing.

What is it with Islam and beheading? Do they think it kills demons or something like that? Or is it just because they're inept with their guns?

[newspeak]

141. well, through history

a lot of countries beheaded people. England, Scotland, Turkey, China, and especially France. Now France really took beheading seriously at one time. Remember, John the Baptist, was beheaded. Why does some parts of the middle east still practice beheading? Maybe someone has the answer, cause I sure as hell don't. Now the Celts beheaded after killing their enemy or if one of their own had fallen, as they believed the head was the seat of the soul. Beheading in other countries was to display the head. If anyone has the answer, please respond. Why not just kill the person, instead of beheading?

My heart goes out to the families who lost their loved ones, may these young men rest in peace.:cry:

[mvd]

142. This is horrible, but when we tortured, we lost any..

high ground. We have two soldiers tortured and mutilated (I guess full details might be known later,) and it shows how Al-Qaeda now has thousands of Al-Zarqawis. Same kind of thing.

I grieve for our poor soldiers over there. WE care about the armed forces' well being - not them.