Proof Of Our Abusive Troops In Action

Originally posted by Agit8dChop
But those photos usually show dead insurgents, missing arms, legs or heads blown to bits.

Do I really need to post these images for you?

Oh sorry, I forgot that no one ever takes pictures that don't show dead bodies. So all the pictures that are out there, including the ones in the OP apparently, are all faked or set ups. Every single one of them.

If the parents are cleaning the clothes in the river, most are dirty.

Dirty water will still get out the visible dirt and usually any smell. It doesn't have to be as clean as what you wear in order for it to count as clean for someone else.

Being connected means jack. Majority are connected, but the supply is so unstable or limited it barely makes a difference.

Secondly, we are 6 years into a war, your rejocing over a waterplant being opened in the 6th year?

Oh you want some from farther back? Here you go:

US Builds Water Treatment Plant in Dibis, Iraq
Both Kirkuk and the town of Dibis benefit from the enhanced capacity, but the biggest winners are the roughly 25,000 residents living in 13 nearby villages and settlements who had never known the luxury of running water. Some of these communities have only 25 homes; two consist solely of tent-dwellers; and two areas are home to 5,000 internally displaced people each.

[...]

But 25,000 more Iraqi people now have access to fresh water.

USAID: Assitance for Iraq
Nationwide:
* Restored or provided new water treatment to over 2.3 million Iraqis and sewage treatment to over 5.1 million.

Baghdad:
* Expanded Sharq Dijlah water plant by 50 MGD and rehabilitated three sewage plants, which serve 80 percent of Baghdad's population, thus eliminating dumping raw sewage into the Tigris.
* Kerkh wastewater treatment plant (WTP) began operating on May 19, 2004, the first major Iraqi plant to operate at full capacity in more than 12 years.
* Standby generators have been procured and installed at 27 Baghdad water facilities, ensuring continued supply of treated water in the event of power outages.
* Refurbished existing sewage lines and pump stations serving the Kadhamiya area of western Baghdad.

South:
* Rehabilitated the Sweet Water Canal system: repairing breaches, cleaning and repairing the main water storage and settling reservoir and refurbishing 14 water treatment plants around Basrah city.
* Treated water production increased by over 100 percent, serving over 1.1 million additional people.

South Central:
* Rehabilitated two water plants and four sewage plants.
* Najaf, Diwaniyah, Hillah, and Karbala sewage plants serve nearly 1 million people.
* Water treatment plants in Najaf and Karbala serve more than 375,000residents and pilgrims near one of Iraq's holiest shrines.

North:
* Provided major equipment for Mosul Water and Sewer Directorates. Refurbished the Kirkuk WTP.

Iraq Water Treatment Plants Go Online


Edit: I somehow lost half my post... There were more links, but they were lost as well. Look it up. It's a work in process. What are they supposed to do? Pull out their magic wand and miracle some fresh water to everyone? It doesn't work that way. People have been working on bringing them all fresh water again and working to repair the plants that their old government let fall into disrepair ever since 2001, and even before then there were people working on it.

Your right.
Because when you have no drinking water your just thankful to be able to wash your clothes?

Do you understand the difference between potable water and nonpotable water? One is for drinking, the other is used for showering, washing things, watering crops, etc. Or you can take that nonpotable water and do this nifty thing called boiling it to kill off the nasty germs and make it safer to drink.

Then agian, they are hadji, raghead muja's.. who cares if we eliminate a few hundred thousand of them with poisoned water..
After all, it saves money on bullets and bombs!

Oh give me a break. There are numerous articles out there about the insurgents poisoning the water, stealing the chemicals from the treatment plants, or just outright damaging the plants so the people don't get water. You want to blame someone, blame them.

As for the rest of your post, a few people on video not handing out their water is not proof that none of them do. Art exhibits and museums are not an indication of improved life. And yes the troops have water, that they share with the people of Iraq. Or should they give every drop they have away and just all die from dehydration?

Find some proof that none of the troops hand out water, that none of the water treatment plants work or that no one is fixing any of them and then you might have a leg to stand on.

[edit on 8-5-2009 by Jenna]

SUPPORT PEACE THROUGH SUPERIOR FIRE POWER, GO U.S.A.!!!!!!!!!!

The title is the same misleading trick that I have found all over youtube lately and I was relieved to discover that.

What I as seeing is that the war is winding down. There are many areas in Iraq where the troops do not face the same level of danger that they did a few years ago. This is evident in the simple fact that more and more of them are finding it appropriate (and safe enough) to bring along their camcorder. It is more common for a squad on a particularly boring patrol to spend a few minutes of horseplay with the local kids.

Sure it can be argued that the opposite has occured, and during a more dangerous time in the war it would be expected that when soldiers are being injured and killed in daily "booby trap" attacks, that they are more distrusting. Hopefully the majority of those tense and more dangerous times are in the past as this war transitions.

While misleading I think the title is meant to be lighthearted rather than inflamatory to those who point the abuse finger toward American soldiers. My point is not to approve of abuses in any way, Rather we should all try to see that there are positve forward steps being taken in Iraq.

And troops like these are only killing time, until they can dance around like goofballs with their own kids.

Originally posted by seasoul
The average kid who enlists in many ways is no different than the average kid next door. They are just kids who are hoping for adventure, or hoping for a career,

any idea how many SS troopers the same could be said for in WW2, i'm sure there were kids like that patrolling the fence in concentration camps up and down europe, doesn't make their actions good.

lord i'm so sick of the excuses, i don't care if there are pictures of smiling kids, there are tons with crying kids too. what i know for sure is that if the soldiers have PTS then i'm damn sure there are as many iraqi kids suffering with it too, and adults. a smile for 3 secounds in front of a camera means nothing to me.

this war was based on lies, they signed up for it. i'm not saying every soldier is a sadistic asshole, some of them are just stupid and impressionable, that doesn't excuse them.

Wonderful post!

I hope you don’t mind, but I have a really hard time stomaching some of the anti-troop, anti-war, “good things can’t possibly happen in this world” comments. Terrible things happen in war (the ones you think are illegal and those you may think are justified). I know several pieces of crap individuals serving time in prison due to the injustices you mention. However, I think the OP has done a great thing by going against the grain and posted something positive.

I understand why some of you might think the pictures may not be genuine or possibly common sight throughout Iraq and Afghanistan. However, constantly focusing on the bad and evil sometimes limits our focus. Times are changing a lot over there. I think the children’s friendly faces, clean clothes (depending on the quantity of fresh water, most individuals you come across will at least be clean), and clean(er) neighborhoods are all more commonplace nowadays. By the way, mentioning Darfur as a counter example is not a legitimate argument against Iraq or Afghanistan. Darfur does have some major issues, but if someone found positive images pulled from there I wouldn’t bash him.

You will always be able to come across areas that fit your stereotypical view of a war torn and impoverished community. (I am sure it would take equal time to find areas in the United States which are equivalent if not worse.)

If you are thinking that I am mistaken or ignorant to the realities which are plaguing our world, let me back up my above statements:

I (though ignorant at the time) enlisted immediately following 9/11 and served in the US Army [75th Ranger Regiment and 404th Civil Affairs Battalion, Special Operations (Airborne) Unit]. I left the military with an honorable discharge after I fulfilled my service. I was then recalled from the IRR in 2007 for another tour in Iraq.

My missions in Iraq took me to the worst places the country had to offer. I never once had the luxury of patrolling in the “Green Zone”. I have been to Sadr City, Adhamiya, Baqubah, among many others. During my time with Civil Affairs, I was up close and personal with Iraqis on a day-to-day basis. My mission was to ensure the standard of living for Iraqi citizens was rebuilt. I evaluated sewage issues, availability of fresh water, fair governance (so one faction did not feel abused by another), local economy, security for civilians, and claims of malpractice by our troops against Iraqis. Projects were started daily to reduce the strain of our presence in the country and bring normalcy back to the citizens. No, all of our goals have not been achieved yet. However, there are good men and women over there making a positive difference in these people’s lives.

Yes, there are bad places in this world where children wear ripped and dirty clothes (I need not look any further than my own city limits for examples of this) and sewage drains from homes into the roads (I’ve seen it in Iraq as well, but it more of an exception now). Yes, atrocities committed by individuals against their fellow man (regardless of race, nationality, or creed) happen at a sickeningly high rate around the world. Yes, wars are horrible and typically fought to promote a sometimes hidden agenda behind high-level closed doors. I will not argue against you with any of these points. However, I will argue that most of the civilians in Iraq are NOT as pitiful as some of you are making them out to be.

Also, for all of the people out there who may think I am trying to spread dis/mis information:

1. I believe there is something out there greater than ourselves and;
2. I think our government and others carry enormous secrets and hide an entirely too much information from the public about the realities of this world
3. I don’t feel we had a legitimate basis for invading Iraq and feel we should never have gone there. However, after the mess we have created, I think it was necessary we did not pull out sooner and we continue to rebuild and finish what we started (unless Iraq wants us out sooner).

If the military is not your thing, I implore anyone to join a legitimate peaceful organization that will take you to the places you think are devastated and provide aide to those civilians. I guarantee…you will have a better understanding for what is really going on (that the news doesn’t depict) and you will gain the credibility needed to influence individuals like myself of such “look how bad they have it” views. Until then, I’m at peace knowing what is really going on, witnessed by my own two eyes.

What about the 1.3+ million innocent Iraqi civilians, women and children, we, our troops, have killed? Or the 4+ million Iraqis that have been displaced (homeless)?

Shouldn't we also address this topic? I am not anti-military, I would just like to know how someone can kill, and in most cases, massacre millions of innocent people?

It's great you have those photos of our troops helping the Iraqi people, and I commend you for it. Meanwhile, the entire story should be discussed here.

Originally posted by octaviameister
What about the 1.3+ million innocent Iraqi civilians, women and children, we, our troops, have killed? Or the 4+ million Iraqis that have been displaced (homeless)?

Got a source for that many dead Iraqis?

Originally posted by octaviameister
It's great you have those photos of our troops helping the Iraqi people, and I commend you for it. Meanwhile, the entire story should be discussed here.

Sure, let's discuss what the insurgents are doing for the people of Iraq. I think they are handling population control by setting off car bombs in crowded marketplaces, guarenteed to kill plenty of women and children.

Or maybe all of the legitimate atrocities you want to discuss are being discussed elsewhere on a ton of other threads. You just can't stand seeing something positive have its own thread because you think it threatens your view on life. Bravo for trying to start a debate and info awareness on a thread the OP didn't intend as such.

Take a pill...

reply to post by pieman

I don’t support war in any form. I support the individual human spirit that struggles desperately in search of the truth.

My father was a combat veteran. He served in the 10th Mountain Division during WWll. He fought the elite German Alpine troops, face to face. The trauma of his battlefield experience left him a very angry human being. My mother and my brothers all had to succumb to his violent and vicious physical abuse, year after year - day in and day out, as we were growing up.

He was a product of warfare. I remember him often saying, “there are no winners in war....”

Peace on Earth!


[edit on 8-5-2009 by seasoul]

I am not American, but in my line of work I have met some Americans you lot would refer to Ombamaites or whatnot, yeah, they are ok.

The air force personal I met when working at an International School a few years ago were, however, totally awesome! Patriots and Compassionate at the same time! Maybe being several thousand feet away from reality helps you maintain humanity though.

My concern as a foreigner is though, how many people in your military, and how many leading it, are of the Kill them all and let God sort them out variety. Xenophobic, brainwashed into believing their superiority and full of hate.

History documents various horrible regimes encouraging and indoctrinating these traits into their rank and file, and with good reason. It makes them motivated and effective killers which is a good thing when survival as a people is at stake, I certainly refrain from mercy when plugging fools in Halo. But it also puts them on a par with the Japanese war criminals in that they will treat their enemy, even if captured, as animals. Is your Military honorable or a pack of brutally effective animals? Or both? Somewhere in between? It is somewhat a mystery to me as an outsider. I have seen the photos posted here, as well as the photos and reports that this thread alluded to with it's false title (A rather immature way of promoting a thread and a popular technique on this site I might add.)

How would you behave if you were over there? Just kill or be killed, which is reasonable, or would you go a bit further? How do you feel about the "enemy?"

I love freedom, and I would love to think that the American tax payers put more to my well appreciated freedom than anyone else, just like they did for my ancestors 65 odd years ago against the Japanese.

reply to post by searching4truth


How can you say you owe the troops in Iraq anything for you having first amendment rights? I think that is an absurd argument. What, was Iraq going to invade us and overthrow our government if we hadn't invaded them? The soldiers in the military and the government are really one in the same. Who else would shuttle you into concentration camps if martial law was declared?

Wow this just makes me sick.

reply to post by Numinar


Being several thousand feet away allows you to drop bombs on villagers with very little affect on your conscience.

[edit on 8-5-2009 by thegreatobserver]

reply to post by jerico65


There are many confirmed sources. Just google it.

Even more misleading is describing "insurgents" causing all trouble in Iraq. "Insurgents" are defined as citizens of Iraq who are fighting an invading force in their country. Remember, we invaded Iraq because we were told a pack of lies.

Your post is full of misinformation and deception, and it should be noted by others you are obviously an INFILTRATOR, no doubt being paid by the government or a pro war think tank or foundation.

I refuse to further respond to you, as you are playing a game with many of us in ATS who are Patriots, (many of us are Military or Ex-Military) posting a misleading headline intentionally and providing only pro war, propaganda or Corporate main stream TV news articles showing only "part" of the story.

Jesus you people are so cynical and misanthropic its disgusting. The OP provides thumbnails of our troops actually caring about the well-being of the kids over there in Iraq/Afghanistan and all you people can talk about are the millions who dies from tomahawk missiles and kids begging for water.

These pictures are merely 'propaganda'? Your own judgment has been so clouded by the propaganda you read here everyday you can't see past American soldiers being brutal monsters.

I would call you all of you ignorant trolls out by username, but I'm not sure if that's against the T&C or not. So, I'll just issue a blanket 'Go to Hell' to nearly ever person who posted on the first page.

Originally posted by octaviameister
There are many confirmed sources. Just google it.

OK, I'll do the work for you.

You mean like these sources:

www.abcnews.go.com...

www.timesonline.co.uk...

hotair.com...

(I know, the last one is a blog, but it's where I found the link to the other sources)

Originally posted by octaviameister
Even more misleading is describing "insurgents" causing all trouble in Iraq. "Insurgents" are defined as citizens of Iraq who are fighting an invading force in their country. Remember, we invaded Iraq because we were told a pack of lies.

Fighting an invading force is all fine and good, but what about when the insurgents decide to set off a car bomb at a market or mosque? Not too many US troops there, huh? And it seems like those brave insurgents just love to do just that; pick a soft target and kill a bunch of harmless women and children.

Originally posted by octaviameister
Your post is full of misinformation and deception, and it should be noted by others you are obviously an INFILTRATOR, no doubt being paid by the government or a pro war think tank or foundation.

Oh, really? Well, let me know of some pro-war think tanks so I can get a few bucks from there. I've been in Iraq several times; how about you?

Originally posted by octaviameister
I refuse to further respond to you, as you are playing a game with many of us in ATS who are Patriots, (many of us are Military or Ex-Military) posting a misleading headline intentionally and providing only pro war, propaganda or Corporate main stream TV news articles showing only "part" of the story.

Sorry to have offended you. I guess you're not as hard as you wish you were.

These are the kinds of misleading threads that are screwing this site up, why not just come out and post the pics to remind us that there are good things happening there. However its sick that the mods let these misleading threads begin and continue just for some amusement.

Originally posted by poedxsoldiervet
reply to post by king9072

 

You say the wars overseas are illegal prove it? Here is my proof that the war was justiifed by the senate.

www.senate.gov...

You're not serious, are you?

The US government invaded Iraq on false pretenses and fabricated intelligence.

They went there for the money and oil and to appease the Israeli right wing lobby and the Military-Industrial Complex.

Wow, guess there's still people in America who think the criminals that make up the US congress is good and holy and can do no wrong