Let’s get one thing straight up front. Cpl. Jeremy Morlock and Pfc. Andrew Holmes and their “Kill Squad” in Afghanistan are a bunch of murdering thugs, who have no business being in the United States Armed Forces. They should be court-martialed and I think the death penalty should be on the table. There is no excuse for this kind of crap. None. I have absolutely no problem with our soldiers, sailors and Marines shooting the bad guys. I cut them slack when they mistake unarmed combatants for bad guys. (Without uniforms, who can know for sure?) But I draw the line at behavior that takes us down to their level, especially when it can be used as propaganda to bolster the other side. Which brings us to Rolling Stone Magazine.
Rolling Stone has long been a bastion of rebellion. I don’t know that they’ve ever printed one article espousing Conservative views (other than to mock them). You can usually count on them to carry the water for the far Left. Anybody to the right of Al Gore, Bernie Sanders, Chuck Schummer and Ariana Huffington need not apply. But, damnit, they are still Americans, right? I mean, I get that they think Morlock, Holmes, et all should be strung up by their testicles for mutilating corpses, staging scenes to cover-up the murders of non-combatants and filming their own exploits. I feel the same way. But when you allow your rage against them to endanger the lives of every other serviceman and woman who fights for our country, that puts you squarely in the category of “TRAITOR” in my book.
Here’s the deal. If they want to write editorials that decry the behavior, fine. I’m with them. If they want to lobby for these idiots to get the death penalty, I’m good with that, too (although the irony would be rich enough for me to get tested for high cholesterol and diabetes). But publish the photos? Nope. That’s over the line. Waaaay over the line. Here’s why…
Members of the military are tried in a military tribunal – a court martial. They are not subject to the civilian courts in matters such as these. As such, photographs and videos cannot be of any use to either the government or the defense. There is no way to try this case in the court of public opinion, for public opinion won’t enter into it in the slightest. There’s no jury pool to pollute. No D.A. running for reelection. And no cameras in the courtroom so “dream teams” and prosecutors can audition for their own reality shows.
Even worse, showing these photos accomplishes three things: First, they give aid and comfort to the enemy, specifically regarding their propaganda and recruiting efforts. Second, they fan the flames of discord here at home, allowing the Leftist wing-nuts to rail against the military. Third, they demoralize the troops who are guilty of nothing more than trying to defend our country. I’ve seen Liberals go off the rails at men in uniform. I know soldiers and Marines that have been assaulted, physically assaulted, just for being a member of the military.
When you add up what these pictures do for the enemy and against us, you can make a clearcut case of giving aid and comfort to the enemy. We have laws on the books to prosecute people for this. (They are the statues the government SHOULD use to go after Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.) Rolling Stone should get the same treatment. Jan Werner and his merry bunch of pranksters should find themselves arrested and held until trial, and they should be convicted of treason. Our troops – the men and women who sacrifice so much to fight for our country – deserve no less.