Collateral Murder

Like it or not, the war in Iraq isn't ending anytime soon and we all know collateral damage is a by-product of war.  But when we hear the word war I don’t think it truly resonates with us what war is and what actually occurs out  in the field.  Today I read an article that lead me to a website called Wikileaks.  This is a whistle-blower website where anyone can submit information anonymously.  It’s a new form of journalism whereby there is no censorship.  Often times news agencies  are unable to release certain information, are unable to protect confidential sources, or simply gagged by the government or their board of directors.  There are also situations where companies and governments simply won’t release information.  These whistle-blowers aren’t your average “hey our company rips people off” sorts.  These are inside sources, moles working in the government, or people with firsthand information (and proof).  Wikileaks is non-profit and is dedicated to getting information which wouldn’t otherwise (willingly) be released to the public.

Upon visiting Wikileaks I was presented with a disturbing video of US military troops gunning down innocent bystanders two of which were Rueters news journalists, and even children.  Before watching the video I thought to myself, these guys are journalists in the middle of a war.  These journalists understand the dangers of being smack in the middle of a city presently under war.  So though it is unfortunate they became casualties I don’t think our military truly has time to discern every detail before taking action.  They have split-seconds at times to make a decision to save their life or others.  Most people run away from a war zone, not walk right into it.  But that is exactly what journalists do.  That being said, I was sadly mistaken.  This video actually moved me, angered me, disturbed me, and overall I really felt disgusted at how easy it was for these troops to kill these two reporters.  I got the sense that these guys enjoyed it, I almost felt like they made excuses to get permission to shoot them.  Comments like “he has an RPG” or “he’s armed” when the guy had a fucking camera really bothered me.  I can respect that in the wrong part of Iraq, in the middle of a war you don’t have time to determine whether someone has a gun or a camera, much like a police officer doesn’t always have time to determine if someone’s pulling out a gun, or their wallet in the middle of a heated exchange.  The difference is, these guys were firing on these bystanders from a chopper, no one was shooting at them, they had excellent visual equipment (as you’ll see in this video) and had plenty of time to further investigate whether or not this camera and strap was in fact a gun.  Add the fact that these guys [journalists] were simply walking down the street and you’ll  see why to me it seemed more like this soldier was playing a video game than saving lives.

When we hear about war, we’re desensitized to it.  We don’t visualize the actual bloodshed, we don’t react the same as we do when we hear a friend, co-worker, or family member was killed.  We' are pretty detached and shielded from the visuals.  But watch this video and ask yourself how you would feel if your entire country was being punished for the actions of a small group of individuals (ex. the Taliban).  Ask yourself how you would react to your child being shot, your brother being killed by an invading country’s troops even though you aren’t the problem (ex. Taliban). I’m really interested in hearing your feedback on the video.  Please watch every bit of it.  The end will really disturb you.  If you’re unable to see the YouTube video below, it can be found on the Wikileaks.com website under collateral damage.  The video quality is superb.  Enjoy.

Just kill YOURSELF!

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of turning on the news and hearing about some jackass who decided that just because his life wasn't worth living that hell, he might as well take a few people with him. It seems like it's a growing trend. The latest, a UGA professor who murdered his wife and two males outside of their place of employment was found shot in the head, his body already lying in a shallow grave covered with leaves and debris according to police.

Apparently the professor dug his own shallow grave and shot himself in the head in an apparent murder suicide. Wow. Now that takes some fuckin' skill. I'm still trying to figure out what kind of contraption he used to drop some debris and leaves on him. Maybe he was a physics teacher. I have this mental picture of those movies where someone trying to trap and animal digs a hole, and covers it with leaves. Maybe he just stood in front, back facing the leaves and pulled the trigger. Once he fell in, the leaves just kinda floated over top of him. Who says I didn't learn anything in school?

I mean, I appreciate all the effort he put into digging his own grave and all even going as far as to cover himself up. But is a hole in the ground covered with leaves and debris some sort of safety hazard? And did he really have to take out the wife and two innocent guys? Even if they weren't all that innocent and they were on their way to begin their afternoon orgy, killing them? Come on.

To all those contemplating a murder suicide, first remember to kill yourself and please for the sake of us tax payers who actually have something to live for do it in a way that doesn't make me upchoke my fucking breakfast while raking leaves. The last thing I want to stumble on is your dead body in the backyard somewhere.

Lastly, part of the reason you're killing yourself is because you're a selfish cunt. You're not worried about anyone else in the world but yourself. You didn't stop to think how your family, children, friends, and co-workers would feel. I mean really, who's going to super size me next time I'm in the drive thru? And you know Bill is gonna be pissed when he finds out he has to work your shift too. But the most selfish part of all, some of you murder-suiciders (is that a word) feel the need to mount up an arsenal of weapons and go postal on innocent people. I mean people are just at the mall trying to get their iPhone on, why must others suffer because you were abused as a child?

On a more serious note, for those truly contemplating suicide just remember, things could always be worse. That's what helps me make it through the day. Just think, some of you are complaining about losing your house (not that this isn't a big deal) but there are those who don't have houses at all. Worse, they live in places where they've never heard of a shelter or the type of options we have here in the U.S. Some of you are down because you're overweight. At one time (many moons ago) I was fat too. Put the fuckin' toaster strudel down, get up off your fat ass and do something about it.

Whatever your issue, you have to think, things could be worse. At that point you need to start to rationalize what your next step is. How you're going to cope with the issue, and move forward. It's a shame to think someone would kill themselves today never knowing what changes could come tomorrow. Life is about ups and downs (here we go with the corny shit), for every 3 good things that happen to you, 5 will follow. That's just the fucked up nature of things. No reason to kill yourself, and surely no reason to kill others. At the end of the day if you insist on killing, just kill YOURSELF.