Do we need a mandatory 7 day waiting period on news stories?

Alright, i see that you have responded to the core question. Once again, i haven't referred to what you have written as ranting, and simply request a reciprocation of that courtesy.

I thought I had answered this earlier, un uniformed (terrorists, partisans, irregulars, etc) have always known that when captured, they face summary execution by the forces that they fight against.

So in answer to your question, yes, it is justified to shot such people 'out of hand'.

When a territory is under Martial Law, (As Vietnam was, as the 'behind the lines' areas of any military controlled area is.) then those individuals who choose to conduct such attacks should be killed for their actions, but due to the world sentiment, they can't be.

Such is life.

Let me see if I can clarify this so that the boggles can cease.

I was a soldier...
After 9/11 I attempted to re join, but I was turned away due to my age and a few health problems I had.

I come from 4+ generations of soldiers.

If I am in a combat zone as a soldier, it is my duty to conduct myself as a soldier at all times.
If I see a uniformed enemy combatant, I am allowed to fire upon him.
If I see a group of unarmed civilians run past me, it is my duty to hold fire and leave them unharmed and un molested.
The Geneva Convention sets down rules for the conduct of soldiers towards civilians.

All well and good...

The problem comes when that group of civilians runs near me.
I hold fire because it is my duty as a soldier and as a human being.
A member or two of that group pulls out weapons and begins firing at me.
I kill the armed members of the group and capture the unarmed members until higher authorities can sort out the 'wheat' from the 'chaff'
This occurs several times, over and over, where un uniformed fighters conceal themselves in amongst civilians and fire upon soldiers.
This can result in a hyper sensitivity among the attacked soldiers towards civilians, never knowing if the civilians are going to attack, and can lead to incidents where the slightest wrong move by the innocent civilians can result in accidental shootings.
This is the exact reason why un uniformed fighters are treated like they are by true soldiers, they increase the risk to soldiers and endanger any and all civilians in the area.

This is why soldiers hold these troops in such contempt.

Should all of them be shot down like dogs in the street?
Probably not.
Should we understand why the casualty figures among such troops are disproportionately high towards the Kill Column? (1)
Yes we should.
Are these un uniformed fighters causing great danger among the civilians that they hide amongst?
Absolutely!

(1) The normal proportion of Killed to Wounded in most combat engagements is 1 to 4. That is to say, for every enemy killed, four enemy are wounded. Information leaking out of Iraq is showing a 1 to 2 ratio. That is to say, for every 1 enemy we kill, we are capturing 2 wounded.

This either means, the enemy has an amazingly efficient evacuation plan for their wounded, or our troops are making SURE the enemy is dead before advancing to capture.

I, of course, have no conclusive PROOF of this, but I can read combat reports. And more to the point, can read between the lines of 'After Action Reports'.

Probably my major problem starts with the fact that we don't shoot dogs in the street here.


But nevertheless thanks for this lesson.

As I said in an earlier post,

You don't treat people with respect and dignity because of a Convention or Agreement.

You do it because it's the right thing to do; and that's what seperates you from your enemy, the fact that you do the right thing.

Cycloptichorn

The problem is, different countries had differing opinions as to what exactly was considered the 'right thing' to do with captured enemies. Every culture is different and has differing views on what is right and proper.

Thats why the Geneva Convention was put in place, to come to an agreed upon (But not always followed in practice) procedure to follow in relation to the rules of war and warfighting. This is so there is no ambiguity in the rules all sides are supposed to follow.

And that since 1864, when the first Geneva Convention laid the foundations for the contemporary humanitarian law.
(Until the middle of the 19th century all of the treaties concerning war victims' protection were circumstantial and binding only for the signing parties.)

An important effect of a free and independent press is that brutal acts by soldiers against civilian, and combatant alike are greatly curbed.

Think of how many Mai Lai and Abu Ghraibs are prevented by the press coverage of Mai Lai and Abu Ghraib.

It is clear that without scrutiny, an army ... even the US army... resorts to inhumane and barbaric tactics.

The accountablility of the free press is one of the best ways to prevent such actions by the government or soldiers of nations that have a free press.

I think our Nation and the world are much better places for this.

Fed


I agree with you that it would be nice if everyone followed the rules. But my point is, since we cannot control the behaviour of other countries, WE must ensure that WE are following the correct behaviour, not because we are abiding by the treaty, but because it is the right thing to do, inherently! It doesn't even matter if the opponent doesn't follow the rules. In fact, the more they don't follow the rules, the more we HAVE to follow them.

Bombs and bullets will never win the war on terror. It's the hearts and minds of people that will win it; and we can only take control of that situation by holding ourselves to the highest possible standards.

If we want people to believe that Democracy works, that American freedom is a better way, we have to show them the truth of that; if we stoop to the same methods as those we try to replace, we will NEVER win.

Cycloptichorn

On the topic of un uniformed fighters and the problems and difficulties they cause, not just for the soldiers that fight them, but for the people they hide amongst.

I present you a link to SANCTUARY, a somewhat long, but very well written posting about the true cost that these people are drawing from the people around them.