..."There was no firefight. There was no IED that killed those innocent people," said Congressman John Murtha commenting on the outcome of a military investigation. "Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."

While I appreciate John Murtha bringing this atrocity into the public spotlight, shame on him for making excuses for those murderers for that's what they are. The poor things were under so much pressure they overreacted by slaughtering women and children? In the civilian arena, such a defence would be laughed out of court, the defendants carted off to death row or a secure mental institution. Naturally, the Pentagon is outraged at the behaviour of this bunch of killers.

Or is it? Cheryl Irwin, speaking on its behalf, says the military hasn't decided what action, if any, to take against the Marines in question. An initial probe found that the Marines had not behaved maliciously and surviving family members were offered a shameful $2,500 for each of the 15 dead. Contrast this with the millions offered to families of September 11 victims. Is $2,500 the worth of an Iraqi child in Washington's eyes?...

continua / continued