A Tale of Two Standards – Iraq style

One of these things is not like the other…or is it?

Two stories…three deaths…all in Iraq…


1) From Yahoo! News: U.S. Likely to Clear GIs in Iraq Shooting
2) From ABC News: Self Defense or Murder in Iraq? Wall Street Trader-Turned-Marine Faces Prosecution on Murder Charges

I understand that there are differences in these two cases, but it seems odd to me that one killing was an “accident” and one was not.


However, I think it is important to note a few things: There is a “war” going on. In this “war” people are being killed every day. The U.S. Government has trained its soldiers to kill “our enemies”. The U.S. Government and media have made the Iraqi insurgents out to be the worst people in the world, and our enemies. A U.S. Government trained soldier kills two accused insurgents. U.S. Government trained soldiers kill Italian (I thought Italy was more or less on the U.S. side of this war) intelligence officer. The soldiers who killed the Italian were doing their job. The soldier who killed the alleged insurgents committed pre-meditated murder.

It does not make any sense to me. But of course, murdering someone who murdered someone because murder is wrong does not make a whole lot of sense to me either.

For a very interesting and compelling Christ centered take on #2 check out from Nathan Ael