Coming on the heels of yesterday's failed "Webb amendment", this article provides in horrific detail the human costs of the Iraq War on Iraqi citizens and the consciences of our vets. Fair game for critics, this story discloses a methodology for selecting the 50 interviewees from anti-war Iraq military veterans groups - a seemingly small and potentially biased universe. Let the "War is hell", "freedom is not free" mottos fly, the gestapo-esque stories in this piece deserve the attention of every American in who's name this is being done. A complication for withdrawal from Iraq for consideration: What to do with these prisoners? Perhaps these are the "terrorists" in waiting Bush fears will attack us here if we leave now. I'm not ... More »

The descriptive, first-hand accounts were gripping and the presentation of the psychologies at play were accurate.

A lengthy, detailed and chilling indictment about the real costs of war.

Demonocracy on the march... graphic truth telling. It is a long read, but I read it, thinking of how long the experience was for each victim.

Can anyone say the word, "bias"? Does anyone look at the sourcing of this and think,, "stacked"? Would anyone believe this if it was a series of interviews from supporters of the war on a comparable conservative website? Does this rate well because it confirms your viewpoint, or because it is good journalism. Journalism is the key here, not single sourcing to "prove" a viewpoint. If there were counterpointed interviews, then this would be more credible. In any conflict anyone who wants to find information that will support their side can do so. I for one will believe Truthout and the Nation when they can "print" viewpoints from sources that do not slavishly follow their meme.

Does anyone here remember My Lai? Or the constant complaints in Vietnam that our people couldn't tell the good guys from the Viet Cong? Or burning 'hootches' down because they were sure VC were hiding there, or shooting farmers in their rice paddies for the same reason? So we send kids who don't know the language or the customs or the people out to make the world safe for democracy (sorry, that was about five wars ago) - what the hell do we expect!

This is the usual type of opinion piece from this source. It uses very carefully selected individuals, hardly representative of the service members who have been in Iraq, whose views are largely at the opposite pole from the few who are quoted in this piece. The reports of members of the press who actually spend time in Iraq are quite different. The careful reporting of Michael Yon should be read by those interested in the situation.

This is great reporting as it lays out for anyone who cares about supporting the troops the personal cost of enduring combat. Now that would be just as true for men and women caught up in a legitimate war fighting against units of uniformed troops in more traditional engagements. Now add the lack of a moral center which starts at the top of the chain of command. Uncertainty that comes with not knowing who or what your enemy is and who and what the mission is meant to accomplish. You then have the unravelling of the psyche as described in the book Achilles in Vietnam. If you cannot identify the enemy then everyone not in your unit is an enemy and are treated accordingly and not under Geneva. All it takes is one incident of ... More »