Comments on: PBS and NBC’s symbiotic sins of omission

By: Dan Gambiera

Dan Gambiera — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:15:20 +0000

War is evil. Civilians get maimed, killed, thrown out of their homes, raped, enslaved and robbed. This has been the way of war since we first began waging it. The only difference is that for a brief shining moment a few nations decided to say that it might be a nice idea if we didn’t do all that. Then people put their heads back down and got on with business as usual.

By: Brad Jacobson

Brad Jacobson — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 05:14:11 +0000

Yup. The fire-bombing of Dresden was no picnic with slaw either. And that of course was before the surrender and occupation. Dresden was a cultural center filled with citizens, not a viable military target. Kurt Vonnegut, from whom I first learned of these bombings through reading Slaughterhouse Five, discusses his experience of the aftermath here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1426772

By: Russ Wellen

Russ Wellen — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:23:56 +0000

Thanks for correcting me, Nebris. I forgot that “allied” includes Russia. I’m looking forward to reading that book.

Send my regards to Sister One.

By: Nebris

Nebris — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:17:23 +0000

Hundreds of thousands of women raped; hundreds of thousands of Germans died in deportations; a million German prisoners of war died in captivity.

The vast majority of the above was the result of Soviet actions…not that we’re any angels. The point here IS to keep the facts straight.

And one could make a case that the Germans had reaped what they had sown…

By: Russ Wellen

Russ Wellen — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:25:15 +0000

Lack of concern for "collateral damage" is an American tradition. We don't do empathy, sympathy, compassion -- none of that stuff -- for civilians in countries that have been deemed enemies. Never mind Arabs, that even applies to Aryans. Heard about this new book, After the Reich: The Brutal History of the Allied Occupation by Giles MacDonogh? Writes Paul Craig Roberts at Antiwar.com:

MacDonogh's book, After the Reich, dispels the comfortable myth of generous allied treatment of defeated Germany. Having discarded all moral scruples, the allies fell upon the vanquished country with brutal occupation. Hundreds of thousands of women raped; hundreds of thousands of Germans died in deportations; a million German prisoners of war died in captivity.

Happy 4th!

By: Brad Jacobson

Brad Jacobson — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:41:02 +0000

Aaron, you’re correct. Thanks for the catch! Will edit to correct.

By: Aaron Golas

Aaron Golas — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:24:15 +0000

. . . in the first half of this year, for every three militants killed by U.S. and coalition forces, one Afghan civilian was killed.

Worse, it’s actually for every two militants killed, one civilian was killed. (Or, of every three people killed, one was a civilian.)