Wednesday, December 01, 2010

DADT, Combat Soldiers, and Sexual Sadism

Talk about moving goalposts. First we were told that society is not ready for gays serving opening in the military. Except society at large doesn't care. Then, we were told that it is the opinion of the rank and file military itself that matters. Except the military doesn't care either.

Now, we are told that the only opinion that matters is what combat soldiers think. Not all soldiers, because all soldiers don't have a problem with gays. No, only that small, special caste of combat soldiers. Yet that special caste is probably that last people we should ask about issues of morality.

Combat Soldiers Are Responsible for Most US War Zone Atrocities
Fallujah. Haditha. The gang rape of a 14 year-old girl in Mahmudiyah. Army Sgt. Calvin Gibbs who recorded his civilian kills on his flesh with tattoos. Take a look at this list of Iraq War atrocities. In Afghanistan we have combat Marines shooting civilians in Shinwar. The list is nearly endless.

Rape in (and out of) Combat
Here are some graphic photos of American combat soldiers raping Iraqi women. The habit of combat Marines stationed in Okinawa have of raping local school girls is well documented. Combat soldiers even rape other soldiers, a third of a women soldiers are raped by their own colleagues. Sometimes they rape and kill women soldiers.

That flat out sexual sadism endemic within the combat arm of the American military makes them unqualified to pass moral judgment on anybody else.

I don't mean to suggest that all combat soldiers are sadistic rapists, nor are all sadistic rapists combat soldiers. But it is true that if you want to find a profession rapists are common and sadism is tolerated if not encourage you need only seek the combat arms of the United States military. Hoorah.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

And this isn't addressed because ... ????

And they want us to wave the flag knowing this?

Someone tell us why this is tolerated and not exposed to the public?