Iraqi Kids Run For Water

[Andrea]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Zm8LFmxVWE

I saw this on another site. Decided to post it here. *sigh*...crazy. :closedeye

[Louis]

That's just terrible.

Those jerks.

[Derek The Infamous]

This is why I am NOT proud to be an American, I'm in the same country as these assholes.

[Christopher]

And that just took my last bit of respect away for the American soldiers...

[Canadian Joe]

Sick, sick, sick.

I agree with St0f here...I'm rapidly losing my respect for the American forces (and I already thought the war was a bad idea) <_<

[.Amanda.]

See, I fucking hate when people generealize. Just because these sick fucks decided to do this has nothing to do with the rest of the forces. I have family and close friends over there. Most of those soldiers are charitable, kind, respectible men and women. But that's never shown because that's not what the people want to see. The media focuses on only the negative and then exploits that to the enth degree. You never see the good in people. That's not "entertaining". And that's the sick truth.

So bite your tounges.

[Christopher]

See, I fucking hate when people generealize. Just because these sick fucks decided to do this has nothing to do with the rest of the forces. I have family and close friends over there. Most of those soldiers are charitable, kind, respectible men and women. But that's never shown because that's not what the people want to see. The media focuses on only the negative and then exploits that to the enth degree. You never see the good in people. That's not "entertaining". And that's the sick truth.

So bite your tounges.

True, but still it took my last bit of respect away for the American Soldiers.

I'm not a person&#168;who generalizes and I'm not a person who's really anti-American.
Just yesterday I wrote a paper about the war in Iraq and I think it was one of the most pro-American papers of my class.
People generally only see what the media shows them and usually that's a wrong image of what really happens.

I'm sure most of the soldiers over there are doing an unbelieveable job, which I could never do. But still what these guys did is so horrible I automatically generalize...

Sorry, if it offended you, though.

[Andrea]

Just because these sick fucks decided to do this has nothing to do with the rest of the forces.

When you put the uniform on, you are basically a representation of the rest of the soliders and America itself. It's horrible that even a video of this exists, but you can't blame people for expressing hate over this. Are we supposed to shrug it off and not care? No. It's obviously an embarrassment to our country.

[Derek The Infamous]

When you put the uniform on, you are basically a representation of the rest of the soliders and America itself. It's horrible that even a video of this exists, but you can't blame people for expressing hate over this. Are we supposed to shrug it off and not care? No. It's obviously an embarrassment to our country.

I'm going to have to agree with Andrea on this one Amanda, I'm sorry. They are representing our country..therefore they need to stop being such stupid fucks and act mature.

[.Amanda.]

Typical mindset.

One person screws up so everyone sucks.

I'm sorry but that's ridiculous.

No, actually. I'm not sorry. I'm pissed. That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

[Andrea]

You're missing the point.

[.Amanda.]

Fuck this.

Warn me if you want but this is ridiculous. I'm out of here.

[Derek The Infamous]

You are missing the point entirely Amanda. Hopefully you'll grow to see what we're talking about in time, if not then I'm afraid you may not be looking at the bigger picture.

It doesn't matter if we know that America isn't like this, how are other countries supposed to know otherwise? This is fuel for Al-Queda, this is propaganda for all those countries that ALREADY think we're assholes.

These people should be discharged from the Army, maybe even court marshalled. They are a disgrace.

[.Amanda.]

I'm not say thing aren't I'm saying it isn't us. it's the goddamn MEDIA.

Now shut up, because I don't want to talk any more and the second I see a new post I'm going to want to retort.

I smell blood.

[Derek The Infamous]

I'm not say thing aren't I'm saying it isn't us. it's the goddamn MEDIA.

Now shut up, because I don't want to talk any more and the second I see a new post I'm going to want to retort.

I smell blood.

Amanda...you're my friend but I'm about five seconds from telling you to grow up. Please don't tell me to shut up because this is a debate. If you can't handle the heat, then as they say get out of the fire.

[Chris Luke]

They maybe jerks, but I don't care quite frankly. Sure, they're "mocking" the country, sure what they did is wrong in my opinon, but me arguing over it isn't going to get me anywhere. Should they be court marshelled? No. This has been done before in the past many times. Nothing was done against it. So why start now? That's really unfair to them no matter how "cruel" what the did was, since they're job is to aid the Iraqi's.

[Chris(tmas)]

When you put the uniform on, you are basically a representation of the rest of the soliders and America itself. It's horrible that even a video of this exists, but you can't blame people for expressing hate over this. Are we supposed to shrug it off and not care? No. It's obviously an embarrassment to our country.
Everyone knows that not everyone in the US Army is like that.

[Todd]

Typical mindset.

One person screws up so everyone sucks.

I'm sorry but that's ridiculous.

No, actually. I'm not sorry. I'm pissed. That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.


That "typical mindset" is the whole god damn reason we're over there. We're over there killing innocent civilians because we've decided that every Arab is a terrorist just because a few of them are assholes. It seems the army can dish it out but they can't take it.

[Chris Luke]

Okay, this whole "vendetta against America" thing has to stop. You've all become so strung up that everything a American does, it's automatically wrong.

Let's get over it for once.

[.Amanda.]

Franny, I love you.

[Canadian Joe]

That "typical mindset" is the whole god damn reason we're over there. We're over there killing innocent civilians because we've decided that every Arab is a terrorist just because a few of them are assholes. It seems the army can dish it out but they can't take it.

Bingo.

Folks, I didn't mean to call every American an asshole. Far from the truth.


What I meant to say up there is that these soldiers are the America that Iraq sees...and they act out in violence for a reason. After seeing the video, I can understand why they're so anti-American over there - - it's things like this that just build hate. If these soldiers are over there to try to better the world (and America's international image as well), they're doing a damn terrible job (I'm talking about the soldiers IN THE VIDEO)...

[Luke]

This just makes me laugh even more at anyone who says ''God bless our armed forces''. If god exists then please present to me one good valid reason why the hell he'd bless the armed forces, especialy sick fucks such as these people. In my opinion they should be court marshelled, we punished our troops for the Iraqi prison torture scandal, why the hell should these bastards be allowed to get away with this?

[Dave+Kay]

Straying away from the whole 'Who hates America' thing, Andrea is right. When you sign up for the army you don't just go out to places, fight wars or help people, you are supposed to represent that country. It's how it is. So people who claim others are 'America hating' because of this, they're not. And sure, the media sucks in the way they portray the army, but the soldiers themselves shouldn't give the media stuff like this shit to use against them. That's just how the media works, harsh though it is.

[Mark]

Okay, this whole "vendetta against America" thing has to stop. You've all become so strung up that everything a American does, it's automatically wrong.

Let's get over it for once.

You're talking about Americans (Todd, Derek, Andrea, etc) expressing their disgust with the actions of these American soldiers. This isn't some "Let's all hate America" bandwagon from citizens of other countries, this is American citizens expressing their opinions on something that affects their country (in this case being their image) on a direct level.

But yeah, let's just sweep all the injustices inflicted on the world that we don't like under the mat.

[Anthony.]

I'm currently a civilian working for the National Defence/Canadian Forces (my second job) performing non-combat duties, and will probably join the ranks next year to perform the same tasks but in uniform. I am proud of being part of such a fine group of people, and though I know the behavior of some soldiers might sometimes not be appropriate, I support them through the good and difficult moments.

What I can tell you is that generalizing is far from being the right thing in such a context and such circumstances. First, the soldiers on the other side are under great pressure each day, being constantly at risk of an attack from civilians, whom you can't identify as an enemy soldier. They're at risk of stumbling upon an IED, be it a roadside bomb, a boobytrapped car or a boobytrapped DEAD BODY. Do you know the effects of such stress on the human body and mind? It can change someone. I condemn what these guys did and would recommend some kind of punishment, but your comments are way over the top.

We should stand by our soldiers, cause they have no say on the wars they fight; they're people like me and you, with one of the world's most difficult jobs. If a disaster happens at home, they'll be the first to help out. Please show some respect.

[Chris(tmas)]

You are missing the point entirely Amanda. Hopefully you'll grow to see what we're talking about in time, if not then I'm afraid you may not be looking at the bigger picture.

It doesn't matter if we know that America isn't like this, how are other countries supposed to know otherwise? This is fuel for Al-Queda, this is propaganda for all those countries that ALREADY think we're assholes.

These people should be discharged from the Army, maybe even court marshalled. They are a disgrace.
Well, maybe we should give the children some water, hell, lets give them teddy-bears and hopefully Al-Queda will say what a fine country the USA is and should surrender. Al-Queda already hates the USA, so it doesnt matter what you do. Every arabic/islam country thinks the USA is 'evil' and bad. The other countries who can think normal knows that not everyone in the US Army is like that.

You guys are really generalizing. Maybe you all need to grow up.

[Luke]

First, the soldiers on the other side are under great pressure each day, being constantly at risk of an attack from civilians, whom you can't identify as an enemy soldier. They're at risk of stumbling upon an IED, be it a roadside bomb, a boobytrapped car or a boobytrapped DEAD BODY. Do you know the effects of such stress on the human body and mind? It can change someone. I condemn what these guys did and would recommend some kind of punishment, but your comments are way over the top.

We should stand by our soldiers, cause they have no say on the wars they fight; they're people like me and you, with one of the world's most difficult jobs. If a disaster happens at home, they'll be the first to help out. Please show some respect.

Sorry but I don't agree. They joined the damn army, did they expect it to be table service dinners and fancy cars or something? If they can't handle the pressure they're in the wrong line of work if you ask me, using pressure as a scapegoat for such actions is not on. We all feel pressure in our lives, hell nowadays there's an overwhelming fear among people because you don't know whether on your way to work a damn bomb is gonna go off on your bus or on your train but we don't go and do such barbaric things in a reaction to knowing this. I don't support the troops in a sense that I support what they're doing but I do respect those who feel they're doing what's right and what they feel is good for themselves however I think that actions such as this shouldn't just be brushed aside. True enough, the media exagerates the bad aspects of the coallition forces but in all honesty what's good about what they're doing?

[Chris(tmas)]

Sorry but I don't agree. They joined the damn army, did they expect it to be table service dinners and fancy cars or something? If they can't handle the pressure they're in the wrong line of work if you ask me, using pressure as a scapegoat for such actions is not on. We all feel pressure in our lives, hell nowadays there's an overwhelming fear among people because you don't know whether on your way to work a damn bomb is gonna go off on your bus or on your train but we don't go and do such barbaric things in a reaction to knowing this. I don't support the troops in a sense that I support what they're doing but I do respect those who feel they're doing what's right and what they feel is good for themselves however I think that actions such as this shouldn't just be brushed aside. True enough, the media exagerates the bad aspects of the coallition forces but in all honesty what's good about what they're doing?
No offence, but soldiers have a much greater pressure than people like you and me. Soldiers have a 100% chance to get shot or get bombed. Civilians like us dont.

[Andrea]

You guys are really generalizing. Maybe you all need to grow up.

Or not. Mark pointed out something:


You're talking about Americans (Todd, Derek, Andrea, etc) expressing their disgust with the actions of these American soldiers. This isn't some "Let's all hate America" bandwagon from citizens of other countries, this is American citizens expressing their opinions on something that affects their country (in this case being their image) on a direct level.Exactly my point. Mark's Canadian and even he gets it(:lol:!). I'm sure if it was your country, Chris, you might be expressing some grief as well. :)

[Kæton]

Honestly, is anyone surprised any more? Is this REALLY so horrifying in this day and age? It seems like we've seen it all already. Now they're taunting children with water? Well, they've already been convicted of raping and torturing civilians (if I'm not mistaken), so taunting children with water isn't so bad... At least, that's how I see it, seeing they could do much worse. Of course I'd be more empathetic if we hadn't been at war for so long, but that's not the case and I really am no longer surprised at what the soldiers will do for entertainment purposes.

Now, for those who say soldiers shouldn't do this, what do you expect? War will strip any man of his sanity. Put any living thing in a box and poke at it for years, surely it will snap. Every living being can only take so much before they resort to a primal sense of behavior, not acting on moral or thought, but sheer instinct, whether it's survival or pleasure. I think this goes to show we've made little to no real advancements in terms of finding similar/solid ground that provides evidence that we're able to leave without backlash. If this continues, I see the soldiers eventually losing all sanity due to the constant anxiety of death on their minds... or sheer rebelliousness due to frustration.

I'm not saying what they're doing in that video is right, I don't condone for such actions. I however understand that these people are in a battlefield with a leader who is now being questioned a great deal. I'm saying I don't find anything these people do anymore to be surprising considering the circumstances and I do not expect it to change anytime soon. I agree though, these people should be removed from service so that people who can do the job respectively can uphold our representation in Iraq.

[.Amanda.]

I agree with Chris. 100&#37;

[Derek The Infamous]

Of course you would.

[.Amanda.]

Shouldn't you be "not talking to me" or something childish like that?

[Derek The Infamous]

*EDIT* Forget it. Screw it.

[Rachel]

I think that what happened in that video is absolutley disgusting.

I have family over in Iraq, and fuck man...even they would say they'd be ashamed to wear the uniform.

I do not hate the troops, I hate the concept of the war. Let's go nuke a place because hey, they're an Islamic nation with a former leader that tried to kill our leader's father (Bush is quoted as going "That man tried to kill my daddy."), and get some oil out of it. Even though Iraq =/= Saudi Arabia, where most of the 9-11 terrorists are from. But that's another discussion.

I live in Massachusetts, one of the homes of American freedom, thank you very much. And this sickens me. The fact tat American soldiers would do something so wrong...so disgusting.

And it's not just them.

I just read an article about a member of the Army (I cannot remember his name) who raped a 14 year old Iraqi girl, after having his comrades take the rest of the family into another room and have them executed. Once the rest of the soldiers raped her, they covered her in lighter fluid and burned her body.

And people wonder why Islamic nations fucking hate America. With shit like this, I'd hate America too if I was an Iraqi. Goddamn.

[Anthony.]

Uuh, Americans get their head cut off in Iraq. As much as I hate to say it, this is war, shit happens...

The approach you're taking right now equates to saying that because an American did something stupid, the whole nation is stupid. And God knows, stupid shit does happen in your country. In light of this, I'd take back my comments or say, as you'd like the soldiers to, that "Cause one of my buddies fucked up, we're all assholes and ashamed to be Americans!"

Come on, it seems like you guys need to open your mind and see things as they are. I remember watching a video of a convoy driving through a road surrounded by children who were throwing rocks at the trucks. I also remember the driver as saying "It happens every day, a trip through here means a windshield change." or something like that. Heck, when even the kids attack you, you may happen to freak out, no? The reality is that war over there is nothing like you guys may imagine, looking at your opinions and comments. When you join the army, you do so to protect your country's interests, but whatever your mindset you can't be prepared for a theater of war like Iraq.

http://www.bata.com/images/about_us/corporate_responsability/afghanistan5.jpg
Being a soldier ain't only about fighting, by the way. (Canadian soldiers at an orphanage in Afghanistan).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnA-GU5-xO4&#184; (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnA-GU5-xO4&#184;)
Two American soldiers and a rap video about life in "Lazy Ramadi". Sad yet hilarious :lol: .

[Testament]

that's fucking senseless.

[Tomi]

Sorry but I don't agree. They joined the damn army, did they expect it to be table service dinners and fancy cars or something?You're slightly mistaken there in thinking that all of them joined by will. You don't think they got a letter saying that they can be sent to war at any time? You can get imprisoned if you don't go to war when they tell you to. So, are some of those soldiers in the army there on their own will? No. Worse yet, how do you think their families feel?

For those of you thinking that there's only a small amount of people that are such irresponsible jerks as the ones portrayed in the video, I'll be willing to be there's a greater amount than you think. Like someone mentioned, the army will drive you insane. Which leads you to do such irresponsible things, you start to lose respect for everyone. You change completely. How easy do you think it is to stay normal after killing so many people, whether guilty or not? Thousands are killed daily. Okay, I'm not saying that everyone a crazy lunatic, as I'm sure there's those as Anthony pictured still in majority, but those irresponsible idiots are still a representation of America and what other people of many different countries will think.

No one should be surprised at what's happening. Hell, those soldiers shouldn't even be in Iraq anymore fighting. I've always been proud to be a Canadian because of our peacekeeping role. I wish America could be like that. It almost disgusts me to see that these idiots are kept in Iraq representing their countrymen as fucking irresponsible idiots.


Amanda, you can keep thinking what you think now, but I have something to tell you on something you said: "One person screws up so everyone sucks."
It's not just one person.

Only so much can be posted on the internet, but some of the worst things you'll never see. Kind of like WWI/II and how Canada's government was censoring letters and making war look good, just so people would join. What makes you think the worst isn't being censored from being shown? Look at the Bush government, how can you seriously respect such a government? Most of your money goes towards the fucking war, not more important things like health care. You know why Canada has the best health care in the world? Our government puts most money into health care, not the war. Okay, if we get attacked, we'll probably come out running with our hockey sticks, but we still have the best health. I'm thankful for that, and I'm thankful that I'm not at risk to go to war when I'm older, or suffer from some illness that I have to pay thousands of dollars for which I possibly can't afford. Canadian soldiers, imo, are doing the right thing by helping the poor and ones in need.

My closest best friend will be going to RMC after he finished high school. I doubt I'll have much of a chance to see him as often, as he'll be training towards being a pilot (can't recall specifics).

disclaimer: this is my own opinion, as i'm entitled to, so that means you don't necessarily have to agree with it. if you don't, feel free to argue anything i said, as long as you have something smart to say, otherwise don't bother wasting your's and my time posting.

[Chris(tmas)]

Or not. Mark pointed out something:

Exactly my point. Mark's Canadian and even he gets it(:lol:!). I'm sure if it was your country, Chris, you might be expressing some grief as well. :)
Why would I? Because some countries think that Holland is a bad country? I really couldnt care less about those people, and it shows how stupid those people are. A good thinking person knows that those 2/3 people are 'bad and evil', not everyone.

[Luke]

@Tomi:

Fair enough, not all the soldiers went into the middle east out of free will however it doesn't matter, they should be aware that some fucked up shit is gonna go down, it's a war for crying out loud.

[Tomi]

@Tomi:

Fair enough, not all the soldiers went into the middle east out of free will however it doesn't matter, they should be aware that some fucked up shit is gonna go down, it's a war for crying out loud.
Yes, they are aware that something fucked up will happen, but the main point is, it's not on their free will. So "did they expect it to be table service dinners and fancy cars or something?" just got thrown out of the window, as it only applies to those who freely joined the war, and as you suggested, perhaps expecting nothing serious. Right? The ones who didn't join the war on their free will know that shit's going to happen, otherwise they won't need to be forced into the war.