Rumsfeld on 'kill team' photos: 'Much worse' than Abu Ghraib

Can't believe this story isn't getting more attention.

Abi Ghraib received tremendous attention. News organizations sued for the right to photograph returning coffins of soldiers, but no one seems interested in these pictures or this story.

Rumsfeld:

 

It was reported on. Back in September. By NPR.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/09/20/129996953/5-soldiers-accused-of-setting-up-kill-team-in-afghanistan

And Fox News says this today.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/03/30/bogus-report-rolling-stone-troops-afghanistan-crying-bullst/

 

I didn't say it wasn't reported on at all. And, I agree with Michael Yon -- who's reporting from the war zone has been terrific -- that we shouldn't use this event to smear the rest of the unit or our millitary.

But Abu Ghraib was a feeding frenzy. The story went on and on. Every major outlet covered it -- the major papers, the network news casts, and they gave it top billing.

There were calls for Rumsfeld to resign. Bush was blamed. Congressional hearings were called for.

This story has remained mostly below the radar and the reaction to it has been muted.

 

It's partly that we've been desensitized to it. There's a lot of war porn our there now.

 

If the kill team story happened first and Abu Ghraib now, I'm sure AG wouldn't have received the same amount of coverage. Remember we were going in as liberators, welcomed and cheered by the Iraqis, we were the good guys and specifically NOT anti-Muslim. AG put a huge dent in that idea. I think Americans can tolerate or at least accept innocent lives lost in the heat of a battle or a bad location of an airstrike - it is all about intent. US forces didn't intend to harm innocents. Not saying the people in AG were innocent at all, but what happened there, and what has been reported with the kill team were US soldiers actively and purposefully doing harm outside of authority (hopefully).

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-kill-team-20110327?page=2

Above is the actual Rolling Stone Kill Team article. There's also another link there where the photos can be seen, but be forewarned, they are gruesome, avoid if at work or squeamish.

For those who've not read about this yet, this is basically about a group of bored U.S. soldiers who decided it would be great fun to start murdering innocent unarmed Afghan civilians and mutilate their corpses.

And, alarmingly, it appears the only reason this group got caught is because the morons couldn't keep their mouths shut and photographed their work and proudly shared the pictures with all their buddies back home. Makes you wonder how many others who aren't so stupid might be doing this and getting away with it, and also makes you wonder what happens when some of these dead end kids with this newly developed bloodlust come home and re-enter American civilian society.

As for why it's not getting Abu Ghraib-like attention, as others have said, it's likely because the American public and world has become jaded and de-sensitized to these stories. Abu Ghraib shocked us most because it was first. Seven years later, we're not nearly as naive.

 

I don't think it's that.

Disagree. Fist off, this is Afghanistan, not Iraq.

Secondly, when something bad happens, you're supposed to put in procedures and provide additional training to ensure it doesn't happen again.

When it does happen again, then it should be a bigger story, not a lesser one.

 

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/09/army-lewis-mcchord-platoon-charged-with-killing-civilians-091110w/

 

Are you getting at that this is an Obama/Bush/media thing? Because that's what I think it sounds like you are getting at.

 

Is this supposed to be evidence that the story was covered sufficiently?

Do you not remember the coverage that Abu Ghraib received?

New York Times, Washington Post, front page, top of the fold. Lead story on th nightly network broadcasts.

Did any of the three Sunday shows even ask gates about it this past week? Has he been asked about it at all? Have hearings been called for or held? Has anyone called for Gates to resign?

This story is very similar to Abu Ghraib, only the coverage is different.

 

You tell me. Is that what it is? I don't know.

This is pretty close to an apples to apples comparison.

 

Not at all, YF. But unlike Abu Ghraib, DoD got out in front of the story and is shaping the narrative. Abu Ghraib got out because someone flagged CNN. The military already is court-martialing these guys.