By: Gary D. Barnett
“The joy of killing! the joy of seeing killing done – these are traits of the human race at large.” ~Mark Twain, Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World
Why do men gain delight in killing? Why do they not question their actions before it is too late? Why do some men kill and then regret it, while others revel in it? While those who murder are always wrong, some are lied to by the state, and are fooled into believing in a false cause. But those who continue to kill, and justify this killing due to the orders of others, are evil. Those who do so without conscience are soulless.
The news today is that another American soldier charged with murdering a captive during an unconscionable war of aggression, has been acquitted and released. This is an ever-present truth concerning those who kill for the state. While they are certainly murderers, the general public at large, those pathetic and ignorant enablers, consider them heroes. This is a travesty that belies any notion that Americans are the “chosen” people or exceptional, as the slaughter of innocents continues.
Edward Gallagher, a Navy Seal on his 8th “tour,” was charged with murdering a wounded 17 year old boy in the city of Mosul in northern Iraq. The circumstances surrounding this killing are telling, as the accusers are men from his unit. This was not an isolated event for Gallagher, and it was not the first time that he has been accused of atrocities, but this time he was charged and bound to face a jury. Of course, the outcome of this trial supports the state narrative that all deadly force by the military, regardless of how heinous or immoral, will be allowed in order for the state to support its lie called national defense in wars of aggression.
The irony of this atrocity is the fact that the real terrorists are the ones supposedly prosecuting this illegitimate “war on terror.” Torturing, maiming, raping, and murdering civilians is an ongoing occurrence for the U.S. military, and has been for many, many years. Most of this heinous behavior is overlooked or ignored, and almost never prosecuted. This is not a surprise to this writer, as murder and mayhem is not only allowed, but promoted by the military establishment, and condoned by the general American population. There is nothing exceptional about such depravity.
The circumstances surrounding this case are literally bizarre. Gallagher is a medic, and also a sniper, which obviously is an enormous contradiction. How can one be charged with saving lives and murdering them at the same time? The tainted logic necessary to affect this madness is that he is responsible for saving only Americans while he kills all others. For any normal moral human, this would be the impetus for massive psychological damage, but for any conscienceless soldier, this would not be a problem.
The prosecution’s claims, claims supported by Seals in Gallagher’s unit, were damning:
– War crimes including murder, attempted murder, obstruction of justice, conduct unbecoming of an officer
– Gallagher was an unhinged 19-year veteran on his 8th tour who thought he was above the law
– SEALs testified that he shot indiscriminately at Iraqi civilians including an old man collecting water and a girl
– They say he boasted about killing ‘hundreds’ during his tours and was blood thirsty
– When he was indicted, some of the SEALs said they spent more time protecting Iraqi civilians from Gallagher than they did fighting ISIS
– They claim Gallagher plunged his knife into ISIS fighter’s neck twice and his side once in a sudden attack
– Afterwards, he justified it by calling him ‘just another ISIS dirtbag’
– The SEALs say they had to speak up against him for others’ safety
One after the other testified as to Gallagher’s guilt and past brutalities against civilians, but to no avail. Eyewitnesses can be marginalized when support from high level politicians, and from the military protector in chief himself, President Trump, are evident. Had he been convicted, he most likely would have been pardoned by a corrupt Trump. As reported in The Daily Mail:
“The case not only made waves in the armed forces, it also caught the attention of prominent politicians and even the president.
Before he went on trial, Trump who intervened to free Gallagher from the brig, the Navy equivalent of prison, and give him better bail terms while he awaited his day in court.
‘In honor of his past service to our Country, Navy Seal #EddieGallagher will soon be moved to less restrictive confinement while he awaits his day in court,’ the president
‘Process should move quickly!’ Trump tweeted.
Two months later, it was reported that he would consider pardoning Gallagher should he be convicted.
His interference was the culmination of requests from Republicans to let Gallagher spend precious time with his family, at home, before potentially being jailed for life.”
I was not in Mosul, and cannot say for certain exactly what happened, but the evidence presented was overwhelming. I can say that the outcome of this trial was no surprise to me, as rarely is any atrocity committed by U.S. forces prosecuted, and those few that do go to trial normally have extreme outside interference and very questionable tactics used that in any normal situation would be not only scrutinized, but disallowed.
This case had all that and more, including the final ploy to make sure that Gallagher was set free. Special Operator First Class Corey Scott had agreed to testify against Edward Gallagher for murdering the boy in Mosul, but once on the witness stand, he changed his story entirely to protect Gallagher. This was suspicious beyond reason.
Scott actually stated that he saw Gallagher stab the boy, but later claimed that he had actually killed the captive himself by blocking his airflow as an act of mercy. He did this only after he had been granted immunity for any of his own war crimes in exchange for his testimony against Gallagher. That is a very convenient maneuver, and was enough to gain a jury acquittal for Gallagher, albeit a military jury. He was only found guilty of posing in pictures with the dead boy’s body, and in a manner of delight. That will be time served punishment; in other words, no punishment at all.
Now Scott has been threatened by Navy prosecutors with perjury charges, but even if he were to be prosecuted, and I do not believe he will be, all war crimes associated with this group of mercenaries will be swept under the rug as usual, and forgotten.
This is the military that is celebrated by the American sheep, the military that is lauded by the politicians and the press, and is held out as heroes. It is disgusting, and should turn the stomach of any who retain even a modicum of decency and morality. So long as the U.S. government and its controlling interests are allowed to prosecute wars of aggression in order to gain power and money, the American people will have the blood of innocents on their hands. No mercy is due those who do the killing or those who support it.
While murderers of innocents walk free, those like Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning, and others who expose their crimes are prosecuted, tortured, and imprisoned. We now live in a country that protects real criminals and destroys real heroes. In a world this backward, evil has the upper hand.
Reprinted with permission from LewRockwell.com
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