A speech given by one of the U.S soldiers who had to "mop up" after the infamous Collateral Murder episode in which the U.S military gunned down a few reuters reporters and some kids in the front seat of a passing van that stopped to help them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RHt9dwuJ-g (Need to login to youtube to view it as it contains some foul language)

I remember when I saw the Collateral Murder video the first time thinking that guy must've been one of the few U.S soldiers with a conscience when he picked the wounded kids up and tried (unsuccessfully mind you, since his CO rejected it) to get them some medical attention. And I was right, it seems he was a man of conscience after all, and has now spoken out against the war and the crimes of the U.S military that he was pressured into participating in.

---

A few interesting points taken from the IVAW (Iraqi Veterans Against the War) website that sponsored this talk.

Q: Why are veterans, active duty, and National Guard men and women opposed to the war in Iraq?

The war dehumanizes Iraqis and denies them their right to self-determination.
Iraqis are subjected to humiliating and violent checkpoints, searches and home raids on a daily basis.  The current Iraqi government is in place solely because of the U.S. military occupation.  The Iraqi government doesn’t have the popular support of the Iraqi people, nor does it have power or authority.  For many Iraqis the current government is seen as a puppet regime for the U.S. occupation.  It is undemocratic and in violation of Iraq’s own right to self-governance.
For further reading:
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

The Iraq war is based on lies and deception.
The Bush Administration planned for an attack against Iraq before September 11th, 2001. They used the false pretense of an imminent nuclear, chemical and biological weapons threat to deceive Congress into rationalizing this unnecessary conflict. They hide our casualties of war by banning the filming of our fallen's caskets when they arrive home, and when they refuse to allow the media into Walter Reed Hospital and other Veterans Administration facilities which are overflowing with maimed and traumatized veterans.
For further reading: www.motherjones.com/bush_war_timeline/index.html

Corporate profiteering is driving the war in Iraq.
From privately contracted soldiers and linguists to no-bid reconstruction contracts and multinational oil negotiations, those who benefit the most in this conflict are those who suffer the least. The United States has chosen a path that directly contradicts President Eisenhower's farewell warning regarding the military industrial complex. As long as those in power are not held accountable, they will continue...  
For further reading:
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0714-01.htm
http://www.publicintegrity.org/wow/

Overwhelming civilian casualties are a daily occurrence in Iraq.
Despite attempts in training and technological sophistication, large-scale civilian death is both a direct and indirect result of United States aggression in Iraq.  Even the most conservative estimates of Iraqi civilian deaths number over 100,000. Currently over 100 civilians die every day in Baghdad alone.For further reading:
http://www.nomorevictims.org/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1338749,00.html
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70A1EF73C5A0C758DDDA10894DE404482

I looked at the video many times,what i saw was a patrol,a group of locals gathered around.The gunship could have mistaken the reporter as holding a rocket launcher.Hence the attack.The driver of the van did a foolish thing having his children in the van and racing into a zone where an armed contact had just taken place.

Quote:

The gunship could have mistaken the reporter as holding a rocket launcher.Hence the attack

Not could've.... did! They murdered a coupla innocent reporters, because they were carrying cameras, and some other people who were with them.

Then they fired on innocent kids and a bystander who just stopped to help some wounded people.

Anyone condoning this must be out of their minds.


Quote:

The driver of the van did a foolish thing having his children in the van and racing into a zone where an armed contact had just taken place.

They were just driving past you mindless drone!!!

Trying to put the blame on innocent bystanders is just the epitome of inhumanity. How do you look yourself in the mirror thinking about crap like this?