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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TimF who wrote (162762)	5/23/2005 11:26:29 AM
From: jttmab	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Mai Lai was not the normal every day behavior of our soldiers in Vietnam. I hope you don't mind if I quote you: The first part of the article is just about the isolated incident, and even [if] it truly is isolated to one incident it does show something about the type of people... Of course, that was about suicide bombing, which is different than Mai Lai. Situational ethics. It wasn't SOP either officially, or as some unofficial behavior that was accepted as normal even if it was against the rules. You have to completely ignore Tiger Force to say that. But I'm willing to focus on Mai Lai for a bit. Mai Lai, being an isolated case where a group of soldiers led by William Calley slaughtered hundreds of civilians without provocation or cause and from reports without any hesitation. I suppose you can believe that this was the very first and only time that Calley's group slaughtered innocent civilians, but I think the callousness suggests that there were earlier incidents and they were quite used to the tactic by then. Even if you assume that it was a single passion of the moment incident, consider other events. Hugh Thompson, stopped the carnage. How long did it take for the country [or military] to recognize his act of courage? Decades. That says something. Further, Thompson and another member reported the incident and the Army didn't pursue any serious investigation until the incident became public some two years later. That says something. Then there's Calley's conviction and sentence served. A few years under house arrest/confinement and then released. That says something. That is what propaganda means [i.e., simply words or images used to persuade.] It goes well beyond that. What particular technique used may vary from instance to instance, but implicit in propaganda is the use of deception to achieve an end. Current example, is the Administration's condemnation of countries and the UN in the oil for food scandal. Failing to mention that the US/US companies account for 52% of kickbacks to Saddam and was well aware of the practice and permitted it. Immediately after the Dresden attack, Germany called it an atrocity. We called that propaganda. Though we did claim Stalin put us up to it, though he hadn't. jttmab