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The CIA’s Afghan Death Squads

theintercept.com

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Re: The CIA’s Afghan Death Squads

#21

Post by ahelwer »

eplanit wrote: post #20
ahelwer wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

American moral authority has been dead since the Vietnam war, if not the Korean war. The sheer quantity of war crimes committed was astonishing. Most people know about My Lai, but that was just an incident which managed to break through into American awareness - it wasn't unusual, it was more like the norm. Nobody ever faced consequences for any of it. I gotta be honest, the idea that things like this "damage America…

And yet more than a million people migrate here every year. They must not be good students of history.

Which side of a gun do you want pointed at you?

Re: The CIA’s Afghan Death Squads

#22

Post by jacquesm »

realjohng wrote: post #18

Actions like these damage American moral authority in the region, and frankly within the American populace as well. I often wonder where passionate distrust of the government has emerged from in recent years, and it is probably things like this which disillusion readers.

American moral authority is mostly an American thing. The rest of the world has not believed in that concept since the end of World War II, because that's when America was seen as having it, and after that they did what they could to get rid of it with a small 'up' during the Berlin airbridge period.

Re: The CIA’s Afghan Death Squads

#23

Post by jacquesm »

eplanit wrote: post #20
ahelwer wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

American moral authority has been dead since the Vietnam war, if not the Korean war. The sheer quantity of war crimes committed was astonishing. Most people know about My Lai, but that was just an incident which managed to break through into American awareness - it wasn't unusual, it was more like the norm. Nobody ever faced consequences for any of it. I gotta be honest, the idea that things like this "damage America…

And yet more than a million people migrate here every year. They must not be good students of history.

That has nothing to do with it. Economic migration does not say anything about the moral authority of the USA, it mainly says that the USA is better off economically than many other places in the world (not in the least because of the mess the USA is creating in some of those countries).

Re: The CIA’s Afghan Death Squads

#24

Post by chrisco255 »

ahelwer wrote: post #17

The USA does not promote peace nor democracy. This is not the result of good intentions gone awry. This is exactly what is intended. We really have learned nothing from Vietnam. There, too, unrestricted murder of children was justified as removing future enemies.

There's corruption in our bureaucracies and most Americans are blissfully unaware of it. Whose responsibility is it to inform Americans on this point and why have they failed to do so?

Re: The CIA’s Afghan Death Squads

#25

Post by wonder_er »

realjohng wrote: post #18

Actions like these damage American moral authority in the region, and frankly within the American populace as well. I often wonder where passionate distrust of the government has emerged from in recent years, and it is probably things like this which disillusion readers.

I was born/raised in the USA, and it's obvious that this OP is an American.

> Actions like these damage American moral authority in the region

America (well, technically, the federal government of the United States of America) has not had an ounce of credibility in 15 years, at least.

It's laughable to assume otherwise.

The USA has 5% of the global population. The rest of the 95% of the globe's population harbors no illusions about "American moral authority".

This article, and the story it contains, is abhorrent. Disgusting. Saddening. America is breeding, and paying, war criminals.

I have friends/family in the military. I don't talk to most of them anymore.

How can I pretend to be friends with people who are part of a system of global oppression, murder, and violence?

Re: The CIA’s Afghan Death Squads

#26

Post by ahelwer »

chrisco255 wrote: post #24
ahelwer wrote: post #17

The USA does not promote peace nor democracy. This is not the result of good intentions gone awry. This is exactly what is intended. We really have learned nothing from Vietnam. There, too, unrestricted murder of children was justified as removing future enemies.

There's corruption in our bureaucracies and most Americans are blissfully unaware of it. Whose responsibility is it to inform Americans on this point and why have they failed to do so?

What corruption? This is all intentional. America benefits greatly from mass murder & destruction of countries who are insufficiently deferential to the hegemony. Countries can't keep natural resources to themselves; American corporations must be let in to siphon wealth back to the imperial core. Don't like it? Enjoy having your economy destroyed & government overthrown. With a few generations' worth of atrocities just for good measure.

Re: The CIA’s Afghan Death Squads

#27

Post by spamizbad »

bostonsre wrote: post #13

It's a tough ugly war with no good options. I absolutely agree that this type of death squad summary execution crap is unacceptable. It's less reported now, but the taliban use the same type of tactics of fear to project control over the population. Leaving a power vacuum for the taliban will also lead to atrocities and medieval rules for the female population. I'm sure the military industrial complex has played some…

The US brought the practice of Bacha bazi[1] back into the mainstream with the tasset approval of the US military (basically US service members aren't permitted to interfere or discourage it). It was banned and severely punished under the Taliban.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacha_bazi

Re: The CIA’s Afghan Death Squads

#28

Post by cbozeman »

wonder_er wrote: post #25
realjohng wrote: post #18

Actions like these damage American moral authority in the region, and frankly within the American populace as well. I often wonder where passionate distrust of the government has emerged from in recent years, and it is probably things like this which disillusion readers.

I was born/raised in the USA, and it's obvious that this OP is an American. > Actions like these damage American moral authority in the region America (well, technically, the federal government of the United States of America) has not had an ounce of credibility in 15 years, at least. It's laughable to assume otherwise. The USA has 5% of the global population. The rest of the 95% of the globe's population harbors no…

Please get rid of all your cobalt-containing electronics.

You're part of a system of African child slave labor.

Re: The CIA’s Afghan Death Squads

#29

Post by [deleted] »

ahelwer wrote: post #17

The USA does not promote peace nor democracy. This is not the result of good intentions gone awry. This is exactly what is intended. We really have learned nothing from Vietnam. There, too, unrestricted murder of children was justified as removing future enemies.

[deleted]

Re: The CIA’s Afghan Death Squads

#30

Post by cryptica »

It's scary how a government with such seemingly innocent goals as maintaining the prosperity its citizens can end up doing such horrible senseless things.

It seems 100% counterproductive. It looks like checks and balances don't work that well after all.

I'm starting to see the benefits of small government. The case for a decentralized, citizen-driven monetary system is also increasingly strong. Reduction of government and monetary reform must go together or else we risk corporations or some other large bureaucratic organisations replacing the government and end up doing the same kinds of senseless things.

An economy should not support such massive and immoral waste of human lives and productive capacity.

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