Thursday, August 31, 2006

Bring Saddam to Pendleton

Occasionally when working the evening shift I'll catch part of Michael Savage's radio show on the way home. While not really a fan, some of his emotional riptide issues are worth a listen.

For instance, tonight he was railing against corporations profiting off the war, something that occasionally bothers me as well. There's nothing wrong with making money, in one essense it's why we are fighting this war. And I have no problem with the occasional no-bid contract. But shouldn't we all have some sense of community here--the sense that it's just wrong to profit off the poor grunts burning their butts off in the Baghdad heat and getting shot at by civilians? We need to, because lacking those tenets this war is not worth fighting.

Savage has also taken up the cause of the eight Marines charged with murder at Hamandiya, Iraq. The father of one of the men was on the show and provided a website. From a distance this stinks. It has all the appearances of a kangaroo court designed to take political pressure off the Abu Ghraib and Haditha embarrasments and get back in good graces with the Arab street and leftist war protesters.

But bad things do happen sometimes. Savage is an emotional guy with a golden voice, and he could drum up sympathy for the devil if he tried. My jury is still out, but it wouldn't be surprising to find out these guys have been railroaded.

Coincidentally, CNN has a story on it this evening, saying miltary prosecutors will not seek the DEATH PENALTY for one of the eight. Holy crap. This is a war zone, with insurgents boiling around like roaches. To think they would actually consider the death penalty against American soldiers in a war zone based on testimony from adversaries in that same war zone is unbelievable. Maybe they should bring Saddam to Camp Pendleton to testify against them, too.

Or better yet, give the soldiers time served and let those noose happy hanging judges try Saddam's case.

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