http://thepazfiles.blogspot.com/
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The American Face...
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMy5jdXBNGXkXQ89A3WUnU6M236eEADZRWrpYHgHjCcTIw8DMf1anxUDBwiVKFRvIDi-9-TrQ0E-JU4reNQb1XM-5aGRJJrCDiYjFH0R1LYu8pyCn7N7vPky1WKwZnelFMFd3_si6WFSD8/s1600/aaaaaaaaUSAFGHAN.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 229px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719412976970819426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMy5jdXBNGXkXQ89A3WUnU6M236eEADZRWrpYHgHjCcTIw8DMf1anxUDBwiVKFRvIDi-9-TrQ0E-JU4reNQb1XM-5aGRJJrCDiYjFH0R1LYu8pyCn7N7vPky1WKwZnelFMFd3_si6WFSD8/s320/aaaaaaaaUSAFGHAN.jpg" /></a> <strong>By DUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ</strong><br /><em>The Paz Files</em><br /><br /><strong>AUSTIN, Texas -</strong> In wars past, the image that moved across oceans of U.S. soldiers in foreign countries showed them passing out candy to children in rags, offering a drink of water to war-ravaged citizens and generally providing the world with a kind face in the name of America.<br /><br />Lately, the opposite has been true.<br /><br />In steady reports, the U.S. military has brought shame to a nation that long had worked toward its reputation of being the beacon of freedom and benevolence. From Germany to Korea to South Vietnam, America's soldiers did their fighting, but never were they photographed urinating on residents of those countries, never shown burning local religious books and never did they, with the abberation that was My Lai aside, go on a house-to-house killing spree of women and children. All three happened in recent weeks.<br /><br />U.S. soldiers are said to have "inadvertently" burned dozens of copies of the Koran last month in Afghanistan, angering the local population. In January, it was that ridiculous display of shameful bravado that had young U.S. Marines peeing on the corpses of dead, presumably members of the Taliban enemy. And, on Sunday, it was a yet-unnamed U.S. Army staff sergeant walking into three Afghan villages to kill 16 civilians, among them nine children.<br /><br />So, what's this all about?<br /><br />In the case of the most recent atrocity, some pundits are blaming psychiatric problems. They say the staff sergeant may have been suffering from battle fatigue, having served three tours in Iraq before being assigned to Afghanistan. Perhaps that's why he did it. But the steadiness of these anti-Afghan killings is troubling. It could also be argued that these soldiers simply see all Afghanis as enemies, as people who should all be killed. The American soldier, himself, needs analysis. Most are young, uneducated men, some with ties to neo-nazi groups in this country. They need no reason to kill foreigners.<br /><br />The Obama Administration has promised a full investigation of the most recent murders. It must go wherever the facts go, and those responsible should be tried. If convicted, they deserve the Death Penalty. It is a shame not only for the entire Free World, but also for the staff sergeant's family. He is said to be 38 years-old, married and the father of two children. At present, his family is in the protective custody of the military at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where he was posted prior to shipping overseas.<br /><br />What's left from this mess is that, to Afghanistan, a country that is supposedly helping us fight the remnants of Al-Qaeda, we are the world's travelling terrorists. There is no question that it is exactly what this American soldier respresented to the nine Afghani children...<br /><br /><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:85%;">- 30 -</span></strong></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8418586410607151775-7923498172572521906?l=thepazfiles.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>
LINK: http://thepazfiles.blogspot.com/2012/03/american-face-abroad.html
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