U.S. launches probe into video of U.S. Marines urinating on Afghan corpses

[Jingthing]

I think there is universal agreement they should have urinated elsewhere! Now, that was easy. Can we have peace now?

[Scott]

Several trollish, off-topic and inflammatory posts have been deleted.

Please stay on topic.

[transam]

I think there is universal agreement they should have urinated elsewhere! Now, that was easy. Can we have peace now?

Think you will not.

If the boot was on the other foot and a USA wife saw a video of her loved one killed in action and then pissed on, hmmmmmmm.

War IS a terrible thing but USA & any countries who are fighting for RIGHT, should show the road to being RIGHT.

[Jingthing]

I think there is universal agreement they should have urinated elsewhere! Now, that was easy. Can we have peace now?

Think you will not.

If the boot was on the other foot and a USA wife saw a video of her loved one killed in action and then pissed on, hmmmmmmm.

War IS a terrible thing but USA & any countries who are fighting for RIGHT, should show the road to being RIGHT.

Call me old fashioned but getting pissed on, dead or alive, is NOTHING compared to being blown to bits.

[MrMuddle]

According to the BBC tonight, all four soldiers have now been identified. IF they have committed these acts, ( and nothing is proven yet), they should have the book thrown at them. It doesn't matter what others do, if you claim the moral high ground, as the US and it's allies do, then you have to behave accordingly.

[koheesti]

According to the BBC tonight, all four soldiers have now been identified. IF they have committed these acts, ( and nothing is proven yet), they should have the book thrown at them. It doesn't matter what others do, if you claim the moral high ground, as the US and it's allies do, then you have to behave accordingly.

Certainly the moral highER ground at least.

[Wallaby]

I think there is universal agreement they should have urinated elsewhere! Now, that was easy. Can we have peace now?

What's with the new avatar, have you turned 60's hippie on us?

[Naam]

Much ado about nothing. A stupid prank by a few nitwits, but urinating on dead terrorists is nothing compared to the egregious acts of violence perpetrated against women by the Taliban, including rape, abduction, and forced marriage.

brilliant logic of a well known apologist: Taliban mistreat women = it's ok to desecrate a human corpse (a crime in any civilised jurisdiction).

[Credo]

Of course such behavior is reprehensible, but it is not uncommon. After the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the bodies of the soldiers were mutilated. Many will remember a humanitarian mission in Africa that had a serviceman's body being desecrated. Beheading is more than just a form of capital punishment.

As we see with posters on this forum, how outraged we are depends on how much we dislike the perpetrators of the desecration. How apologetic and forgiving we are depends on how much we support those doing the desecrating.

Those that hate the US military and it's actions will be more offended. Those that hate the Taliban will be more understanding. Will the Afghani's hate us more? I doubt it; they already don't like us very much. It's those relatively neutral people that will swing one way or the other.

I see desecrating the bodies as aiding the enemy in a way.

[midas]

I think there is universal agreement they should have urinated elsewhere! Now, that was easy. Can we have peace now?

Think you will not.

If the boot was on the other foot and a USA wife saw a video of her loved one killed in action and then pissed on, hmmmmmmm.

War IS a terrible thing but USA & any countries who are fighting for RIGHT, should show the road to being RIGHT.

Call me old fashioned but getting pissed on, dead or alive, is NOTHING compared to being blown to bits.

unbelievable attitude ! I would like to see the response you would generate

to that line of thinking even here in Thailand .

[Steely Dan]

As we see with posters on this forum, how outraged we are depends on how much we dislike the perpetrators of the desecration. How apologetic and forgiving we are depends on how much we support those doing the desecrating.

There it is in a nutshell, do you support secular democracy, which for all it's faults gives people freedom of conscience, expression and puts faith in science and progress or do you support totalitarian regimes which have contempt for human rights, stifle expression and are retarded by archaic belief systems and poisoned by hatred.

Thanks for putting it so clearly, the moral indignation shown by some is just a smokescreen to hide the pom poms they are waving.

[Wallaby]

As we see with posters on this forum, how outraged we are depends on how much we dislike the perpetrators of the desecration. How apologetic and forgiving we are depends on how much we support those doing the desecrating.

There it is in a nutshell, do you support secular democracy, which for all it's faults gives people freedom of conscience, expression and puts faith in science and progress or do you support totalitarian regimes which have contempt for human rights, stifle expression and are retarded by archaic belief systems and poisoned by hatred.

Thanks for putting it so clearly, the moral indignation shown by some is just a smokescreen to hide the pom poms they are waving.

Ones political views have nothing to do with it. Do you support people who are humane and do the right thing or do you try and justify the bad things people do because you think the ends justifies the means.

[metisdead]

A post in bad taste as well as vulgar has been removed.

[Jingthing]

I think there is universal agreement they should have urinated elsewhere! Now, that was easy. Can we have peace now?

Think you will not.

If the boot was on the other foot and a USA wife saw a video of her loved one killed in action and then pissed on, hmmmmmmm.

War IS a terrible thing but USA & any countries who are fighting for RIGHT, should show the road to being RIGHT.

Call me old fashioned but getting pissed on, dead or alive, is NOTHING compared to being blown to bits.

unbelievable attitude ! I would like to see the response you would generate

to that line of thinking even here in Thailand .

I actually don't understand what you're on about. Be rational. Which would you prefer yourself? Being blown up or being urinated on?

[Wallaby]

I actually don't understand what you're on about. Be rational. Which would you prefer yourself? Being blown up or being urinated on?

You'll probably find they were killed first. So a double whammy if you like. I also don't understand your post. If they weren't killed but only pissed on would that make it all ok.

They desecrated a dead body, illegal, abhorrent, simple as that really.

[gopnarak]

As we see with posters on this forum, how outraged we are depends on how much we dislike the perpetrators of the desecration. How apologetic and forgiving we are depends on how much we support those doing the desecrating.

There it is in a nutshell, do you support secular democracy, which for all it's faults gives people freedom of conscience, expression and puts faith in science and progress or do you support totalitarian regimes which have contempt for human rights, stifle expression and are retarded by archaic belief systems and poisoned by hatred.

Thanks for putting it so clearly, the moral indignation shown by some is just a smokescreen to hide the pom poms they are waving.

I can see only people who make excuses for war crimes and those who not excuse these war crimes.

[Credo]

Urinating on a body is not a war crime.

[midas]

Think you will not.

If the boot was on the other foot and a USA wife saw a video of her loved one killed in action and then pissed on, hmmmmmmm.

War IS a terrible thing but USA & any countries who are fighting for RIGHT, should show the road to being RIGHT.

Call me old fashioned but getting pissed on, dead or alive, is NOTHING compared to being blown to bits.

unbelievable attitude ! I would like to see the response you would generate

to that line of thinking even here in Thailand .

I actually don't understand what you're on about. Be rational. Which would you prefer yourself? Being blown up or being urinated on?

next you will be asking what would you prefer a little bit of torture or dying ?

Edited January 14, 2012 by midas

[Jingthing]

I have made it clear I think the soldiers should be punished for totally unacceptable behavior. Cheers.

[midas]

Urinating on a body is not a war crime.

according to who ?

[kerryk]

Urinating on a body is not a war crime.

according to who ?

I been in a couple of wars. I don't think it is a war crime. It is not really a "Remember the Alamo moment."

[Jingthing]

It's seriously not nice and as we can see, very bad PR in the age of youtube. So stop doing it soldiers. Just keep killing people instead. Then everyone is happy ...

[kerryk]

Since this thread is about soldiers I think a soldiers viewpoint is valid. There must be some others soldiers who read this forum. I really never worried about someone peeing on me after I was dead. I worried about lots of stuff but that was one concern I never had.

Tell me are there any other soldiers who have ever worried about getting peed on after you were shot. Did it ever come up? I mean, you are there in combat with bullets and explosions and all kinds of mayhem; did you ever think about getting peed on after you died?

I know it is for armchair generals to decide this stuff; what is bad and what is not but do you really think it makes any difference to a soldier? Are the Taliban sitting around campfires discussing what happens to them after they die?

Edited January 14, 2012 by kerryk

[Ulysses G.]

As we see with posters on this forum, how outraged we are depends on how much we dislike the perpetrators of the desecration. How apologetic and forgiving we are depends on how much we support those doing the desecrating.

There it is in a nutshell, do you support secular democracy, which for all it's faults gives people freedom of conscience, expression and puts faith in science and progress or do you support totalitarian regimes which have contempt for human rights, stifle expression and are retarded by archaic belief systems and poisoned by hatred.

Thanks for putting it so clearly, the moral indignation shown by some is just a smokescreen to hide the pom poms they are waving.

Of course. These are the same types who routinely ignore the atrocities committed by rogue nations and terrorist groups, but condemn Western democracies for much lesser.offenses.

The bodies were already dead. It is absolutely ridiculous that this stupid prank by a few teenage soldiers is causing so much fuss..

Edited January 14, 2012 by Ulysses G.

[gopnarak]

Of course, there is no doubt that those who do something like this are probably capable to do other war crimes which are far worse. No question.

But still, if you look at this case and all these tries to find excuses for it - shameful.

[Steely Dan]

I see desecrating the bodies as aiding the enemy in a way.

Here I'm not so sure, granted the marines who carried out the act fell far below the idealized standards we would expect and give the enemy's apologists something to get worked up about, however I sincerely doubt that it acts as a recruiting aid for extremists; they were out to kill us anyway.

Just imagine for a minute a rogue jihadist standing trial in the U.S some years from now explaining how the shameful act by the marines urinating on corpses radicalized him. How then he saw the just path to follow was that of the suicide bombers and stoners to death of adulterers and apostates. I suspect the Taliban are indeed having a wry smile at the moral indignation being displayed on their psychopathic behalves.

[Credo]

I am not referring to serious aid to the enemy. I am talking about helping their cause. It certainly doesn't do anything for the US military cause. And I am not talking about the legal definition of aiding the enemy.

Hey, at least I am not as deluded as a poster who thinks it's a war crime!

Edited January 14, 2012 by Credo

[Steely Dan]

I am not referring to serious aid to the enemy. I am talking about helping their cause. It certainly doesn't do anything for the US military cause. And I am not talking about the legal definition of aiding the enemy.

Hey, at least I am not as deluded as a poster who thinks it's a war crime!

Yes indeed, I can imagine the defendants at Nuremberg being in even hotter water if they were also up on a piss rap.

[gopnarak]

I don't think it upset the taliban at all or does it comes to their big surprise. for the taliban they aren't the good guys anyway. I think the taliban already know that the soldiers from these secular democracies do these things and other acts too.

But it is still a war crime in the book and the soldiers are likely to face a court martial.

[bonobo]

Of course, there is no doubt that those who do something like this are probably capable to do other war crimes which are far worse. No question.

But still, if you look at this case and all these tries to find excuses for it - shameful.

I am not quite sure how you can make that leap. Do you know these Marines? You might as well assert that someone who shoplifts a beer from a convenience store is also "probably capable" of murder.

But to answer some of the posts here, urinating on a dead body, while not specified, could probably technically considered a "war crime" by the Geneva Convention, which prohibits desecration of the dead. However, other acts which could also be considered desecration are common place by both sides of the current conflict and which never are brought forth for possible persecution. On a strictly legal standpoint, this is a non-starter.

However, from a PR standpoint, this is bigger, and these Marines will certainly face disciplinary action. From a military point of view, I would imagine that most military men and women are upset at their stupidity, but the act itself barely registers. Death tends to trump a little urine to those who have faced combat.

To answer kerryk, I doubt that I have ever heard one person worry about what happens to their body should they get killed, other than to be returned home to their loved ones. I certainly never worried about getting urinated on should I be killed. I did worry about getting maimed or captured and made into the latest beheading video more than just getting killed outright, but I never once was concerned about having my body desecrated.

To be honest, I am rather surprised at those posters who have taken issue with Jingthing on this. Does anyone really think that getting urinated on after death is at the same level of the death itself?