How much better are we than the Beheaders?

[TheWizardOfMudd]

How many dead Iraqi civilians were simply "in the way" of our military operations?

I've seen videos of American soldiers killing wounded, non-threatening Iraqi fighters.

I've seen videos of American soldiers firing indiscriminately into a crowd of innocent Iraqi civilians in reaction to gunfire.

How much better are we than the Beheaders?

[molly]

1. Considering the prison scandal - not much

[I_like_chicken]

2. I'd say we're worse

but don't tell anyone, otherwise ill be branded a traitor

[redqueen]

3. Violence begets violence

There's really nothing more to say.

Peace in the world is attainable

[bluestateguy]

4. For now, I think we should mourn the person who has been killed

There will be a time to answer those perfectly valid questions, but that time is not now.

[wurzel]

12. Perhaps this is exactly the right time.

Before this man becomes just another victim of the propaganda machine. Is there any real moral difference between what we do in the name of "democracy" and they do in the name of "theocracy"? All the moralizing about their use of poison gas fifteen years ago from a country that was dowsing people with napalm fifteen years before that. As if burning people to death from the outside in is more moral than burning them from the inside out. I'm afraid this administration has made it impossible for us to condemn these butchers. That is its real crime!

[King Coal]

5. Well, the beheaders don't have liberals

So, we have that going for us. :-)

[Must_B_Free]

6. WOuld you rather be electrocuted or beheaded?

I'd say frying to death is less humane, although it is said the head lives for 30 seconds. French beheading victims were asked to blink afterwards and some blinked up to 30 seconds, although it could have just been a nervous reaction.

[Walt Starr]

7. Or beat to death

as apparently happened to at least one detainee in Abu ghraib based upon pictures.

[truthspeaker]

20. could be worse: you could be stabbed

Centurion: "Are you kidding? Stabbing takes a second. Crucifixion takes days."

Old Man: "At least you're out in the open air."

Centurion: "You're weird."

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. What's the difference betwen beheading and bombing a wedding party?

Like the US military is doing to civilians in Iraq?

I guess the difference is that we get some stooge up in front of the cameras who "regrets" the civilian casualties and promises to investigate it.

Both are worthy of condemnation.

[neoteric lefty]

9. I do not think we capture Iraqi

workers and kill them for an impossible demand. I would like to think most of us are at least a bit better if not a lot better than these guys.

[truthspeaker]

11. you haven't heard of the Iraqis and Gitmo prisoners who died in captivity

probably while being tortured?

[neoteric lefty]

19. Both are absolutely horrible

but I still haven't seen executed prisoners... I thought they all died from extreme interrigations/torture. Maybe I am wrong.

[physioex]

14. What was Abu Gharib about then?? EOM

[Misunderestimator]

18. And the innocent children that have been killed and maimed...

by our cluster bombs... dropped by anonymous Americans from the sky? I'd say that a child dying a miserable death in their own country, in their own backyard is far worse than the capturing and beheading of a contractor who knew the risks of going to that region.... as sad and sickening as that is.

[truthspeaker]

10. When we kill prisoners we don't release videos

We just say they died of "cardiac arrest" or committed suicide.

[TexasSissy]

13. Don't count me in that "we"!

"We" are not a collective terrorist group. Some of "us" are trying to get this leader out of office.

[Redleg]

26. Damn right!

Well stated.

[Delano]

15. We - Americans - are better

Most of us still believe in fair play and following rules, even in war. Unfortunately, the scum running the White House are not much better and bend the rules any which way they can.

[thebigidea]

16. better than Hitler, maybe.

http://www.terminalproduct.com/betterthanhitler.rm

[DrWeird]

17. We're worse.

We've killed a lot more people, and we claim the higher moral ground. We're supposed to be better than the terrorists, but we're not.

Fucking savages.

[supernova]

21. We're not. We're all humanity

engaging in the worst aspects of our nature at the moment.

This argument that we westerners are supposed to be "better" than the middle easterners is nothing but twaddle that got us into this predicament in the first place.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

Since I Don't Believe In Collective Guilt I'd Say I'm Better

NT

[TheWizardOfMudd]

23. I hear ya

I wouldn't take another human's life.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

22. Since I Don't Believe In Collective Guilt I'd Say I'm Better

NT

[HalfManHalfBiscuit]

24. I'm pretty much 100% better than them

As is over 99% of the world.

[Redleg]

25. We? I don't accept collective guilt for what this admin has fucked up

Nope.

[wadestock]

27. You know it's funny....

I had the same thought when the prison abuse stuff started coming out.

Truth is...this war was a complete slaughter against a defenseless enemy. It was 10 times more lopsided than the first go around. A 2010 army against a 1970 army and no air force. Our tanks out shoot them 2 to 1 in range, helos letting off hellfires every which way.
The first go around was a duck shoot. This was a slaughter.

Right from the start I was actually pretty amazed that we approached the war as such an all out slaughter...but now in retrospect I soberly realize that W had to have the all out war to begin with....as a recipe for "support the troops" (translation: my agenda), and in order to go after Saddam's head of course. But now it's also pretty apparent that the necessary recipe to ensure a permanent military presence and base in the region was to destroy every last weapon that they had in a hells blazing no holds barred one way route to total annihilation of the army.

I truly believe that the entire mentality of the war was fought in terms of an enemy that was subhuman. You know how these things tend to form a culture and a life of their own.

The prison abuse stuff is actually much more humane when you think of it in these terms.

[TankLV]

28. Vote for bush* - Not As Bad As Saddam!

(but close!)

My how far we hafe fallen since this gang of CRIMINALS has taken over our government.

Simply sickening.

[jpgray]

29. We're the same--our atrocities are on a grander scale

And being on a grander scale, they will not match the anecdotal power of a beheading. That doesn't mean we are not equally guilty of committing atroticities--we are all humans, after all.