Karen Kwiatkowski: This Is War

04-08-2010 • LewRockwell.com

Laughing when they shoot, after they shoot, in viewing the dead and near dead, and even laughing as they drive over the bodies in a hurry to record mission success. For the most part, this isn’t nervous laughter; instead, it is the laughter of thugs, the laughter of bullies. You may also be struck by the obsession with personal safety and the reliance on technology to murder and maim from afar – a disturbing trend that air operations have known for decades. From a distance, the men and a few children appear to be scurrying insects. Except, of course, they are not. The conditioning of our soldiers in occupation operations is clear, and complete. Listen to the recording. The people are the enemy, and if they or their children die, it’s their own fault for being in a war zone. As some have noted, when these guys leave the military they often join local police and security forces. Can they turn off the hatred and brutality and self-justification when it is Americans who are congregating and scurrying?