Poll: 1 in 3 Think Incidents Like Haditha Are 'Common' in Iraq -- But Not

[sabra]

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002690031

Poll: 1 in 3 Think Incidents Like Haditha Are 'Common' in Iraq -- But Not 'Criminal'

NEW YORK Buried in an NBC/Wall Street Journal Survey released on Friday -- which mainly covered more general questions about President Bush and his policies -- were several questions about the November incident at Haditha, in which U.S. marines are said to have killed at least two dozen Iraqi civilians.

A major New York Times article on the alleged massacre appeared Saturday, airing fresh evidence.

One surprising finding in the poll: nearly one in three of the respondents (32%) said they believe such an incident was a "common one" in that war. Some 57% called it an "isolated incident" and 11% said they are "not sure."

In another finding, almost half (49%) agreed that Haditha was just something that "happens during war" and the marines should be "reprimanded but not brought up on criminal charges." One in three said that it "should be treated as a criminal activity."

[Bill McBlueState]

1. not that surprising

Most Americans are trained from birth to think of Middle Easterners as not quite people, so it's no surprise that they're okay with massacring Middle Eastern civilians.

[RaRa]

2. Oh, but "those" people hate us for our freedom!

:sarcasm:

[Zhade]

3. "Not criminal".

Then those people are "not human".

Sadly, I've heard "it happens in war" even from decent guys I know.

[Smarmie Doofus]

4. "Not criminal' when 'decent guys' do it;

"War crimes" when the decent guys are working for Saddam, Zarqawi or anyone our gov't tells us is evil.

And so it goes.

[bread_and_roses]

5. "Not criminal" to shoot infants? Do they call themselves christians? (n/t

[FiveGoodMen]

7. Unfortunately, they DO call themselves Christians.

It's time that the few-and-far-between Americans who actually try to follow the teachings of Jesus (as recorded in the first four books of the New Testament) pick a new name for themselves.

Like it or not, "Christian" has come to mean torturer, war monger, supporter of liars, thieves and corrupters. I don't think the name can be saved.

[Placebo]

6. And in other news...

most Americans have no idea what is really going on in Iraq, or the world at large.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

8. It's only criminal when they do it..... or haven't you been paying

attention?? Applying this rule, Zarqawi was just following orders too..... jeebus kris.

[pansypoo53219]

9. 9/11

made us assholes.

[xchrom]

10. american exceptionalism made us assholes.

and we will continue to be so until that idea dies the ugly death it deserves.