Bootstrap wrote: ↑Sat Mar 12, 2022 12:03 pm
nett wrote: ↑Sat Mar 12, 2022 11:54 am
Was I missing something?
Where would I even start?
I have been behind the Iron Curtain before the Wall opened, I lived in Berlin when the Wall fell, I have talked to many, many people about their lives before and after. I have listened to many hours of Communist propaganda broadcast on television. Sure, they don't call themselves Communists today, but the former head of the KGB is running this game. How much do you know about the Second Czechen War?
I think you are broadcasting Russian propaganda. I think you have no idea what waters you are playing in. Surely you know, at some level, that you are working very hard to stop people from sympathizing with the victims of this war and portraying the military aggressor as a victim.
I think that this reality is becoming truer in the states as well. We have so many situations where opinions are silenced. There is not however, a generalized issue of people disappearing in the states. Russia still has suicide with two shots to the back of the head falling out of a window.
I do think that people are exaggerating the war crimes and distorting why a hospital becomes a war zone. With all this said, civilians in a war zone equal dead civilians. Doesn't matter the war or who is waging it.
City warfare is really bad... you have to go building by building, block by block and suffer substantial casualties. Assuming you look before you fire, they get the drop on you and take out 2 soldiers for ever 1 of theirs. Our military suffers from trigger control issues.
(real stories)
Scenario 1:
A patrol is going through a small Afghani city. Children often will line up to get candy from the soldiers. One boy came running up towards the lead Humvee "Target right* cracked the ear piece. The top mounted 50cal gunner rotated aimed and almost fired at the boy as he threw a pinecone or some small object at the Humvee. Would you have had that level of trigger control or would you have committed a war crime?
Scenario 2:
Front gate guard sees a small child wearing a backpack running through the barricades. A gunnery sergeant at a distance yells an order "Shoot her!" and repeats it. The guard doesn't do it, the gunnery sergeant pulls his rifle to fire and the girl blows up the gate and the guard that hesitates. He saw the glint of wires out of the backpack for a remote controlled explosion.
Scenario 3:
You come across some civilians and they wave friendly like and you walk by continuing on your patrol. A few minutes later the same civilians ambush you and kill two of your men before you can neutralize the threat.
Scenario 4:
https://www.msf.org/kunduz-hospital-attack-depth
At least 42 people were killed, including 24 patients, 14 staff and 4 caretakers. Thirty-seven people were injured.
Our patients burned in their beds, our medical staff were decapitated or lost limbs. Others were shot from the air while they fled the burning building.
The attack from the air lasted for around one hour. The main hospital building came under precise and repeated airstrikes, while the surrounding buildings were left mostly untouched.
Throughout the airstrikes our teams desperately called military authorities to stop the attack.
The US military claimed they had received reports that the hospital building was holding active Taliban militia. Our staff reported no armed combatants or fighting in the compound prior to the airstrike.
This last scenario is exactly what the Russians would claim in a hospital bombing. Who is telling the truth? If you recall from ancient history and from Scriptures, there were certain area's considered sacred and to not kill within it. A church was considered sanctuary often and criminals would sometimes flee within a monastery or a church. Similarly, military (particularly untrained militia) will hide in hospitals, schools and churches to ambush the enemy. Has the convenient advantage of either being protected by the location from attack or being able to cry war crimes if you get attacked. As I said, propaganda is on both sides and our own military has paid off the media before to not release details of war crimes.
What I get from NATO myself is a careful walk trying to pretend they care while not doing too much to goad Russia into a major war.
Frankly, this seems darkly cynical to me, and I'm struggling to see how a 3rd World War would benefit anyone - especially NATO.
