Assuming the story is true, it’s worse than that. We didn’t just ignore it or do nothing. We actually empowered the rapists and afforded them the sanctuary of our bases (where many of the rapes were alleged to occur).
What shocks me is that only one of our troops had wherewithal to contact his Congresscritter, and this happened only after being drummed out of the military. Hell, I got Congressional Complaints almost monthly as a doc in A-Stan for refusing to refill soldier’s prescription narcotics / sleep aids in theater, or refusing to evacuate Pvt. Snuffy for chronic back pain. And it wasn’t just the soldiers who would write letters to Congress - their stateside family members would also complain to their representatives. Yet, nobody thought to tell their congressman when the COC fails to act on children being raped on US posts. Out-frick’en-standing…
Funny how those of us deployed in Central America would have been drummed out for turning a blind eye to rape and human trafficking, but it’s ok in an Islamic Society.
We need to leave that shit hole and let the Taliban and A-Q duke it out.
You lost me there. So, it’s OK for the military to turn a blind eye to child rape because the Catholic Church did/does? Last I checked, pedophile priests operated in the shadows and most of their crimes didn’t come to light until decades after the fact. What is described in the article is very public and open with boys heard screaming at night on US bases. I never heard of a Bishop or Cardinal keeping a boy on a leash in public like these Afghan warlords.
Merely proves a point that it does not only happen over there and it is not restricted to a certain religion.
Further more, the fact remains it is not our country not our rules. Perhaps we need to focus cleaning up our own house before trying to tell others what is right and wrong.
I fail to see why we should turn a blind eye to this because of where it happens? We ruined careers and sent Jerry Sandusky to prison forever over something similar. I don’t care if it’s a Catholic Priest, a migrant worker (that TX rancher beat him to death for trying to rape his daughter and he was hailed a hero), a Muslim Imam or a Afghan soldier, I would remove a molester from a child with every ounce of force I could muster. It would take every ounce of will I possessed to not beat them to death with my bare hands. Anyone trying to stop me would probably be seriously hurt and if necessary, I would use lethal force to accomplish the task at hand.
I don’t care what country it’s happening in either. Asking our soldiers to do any less than intervene is unconscionable. We can ask our troops to sacrifice their lives if necessary, but asking them to sacrifice their immortal souls is beyond the pale.
Yes, child rape occurs in every country and in every society. That was never in debate nor is germane. However, it is our rules when it comes to what happens on our bases. I also contend that right vs. wrong is readily apparent in this case.
Excellent point. I saw the same thing as well in Central America during my time there in '84 and part of '85. The difference was we weren’t nation building as an occupier. We were running guns and inserting personnel to assist local elements. I’ve had my fill with these 3rd World Hell Holes. Whether we’re there or not, savages will do what savages do. Maybe I’ve gotten a little isolationist in my golden years. I still believe in power projection on a global scale, but occupying these places seems out of the question.
The ignoring of the problem by the higher ups is similar, just like the ignoring and covering-up of the problem by local and municipal governments in the public schools, which statistically is much worse, but the problem in the Catholic Church was homosexual pederasty. Over 90% of cases of molestation were of adolescent boys by homosexual males.
As Ann Coulter puts it.
Despite the growing media consensus that Catholicism causes sodomy, an alternative view – adopted by the Boy Scouts – is that sodomites cause sodomy. (Assume all the usual disclaimers here about most gay men not molesting boys, most Muslims being peaceful, and so on.)
It is a fact that the vast majority of the abuser priests – more than 90 percent – are accused of molesting teen-age boys. Indeed, the overwhelmingly homosexual nature of the abuse prompted The New York Times to engage in its classic “Where’s Waldo” reporting style, in which the sex of the victims is studiedly hidden amid a torrent of genderless words, such as the “teen-ager,” the “former student,” the “victim” and the “accuser.”
I suppose she will need to revisit her article and remove the “adopted by the Boy Scouts” comment.
What is happening in Afghanistan however seems to be predominantly pedophilia. Very young boys, many between 7-9 years old, are taken and held as sex slaves until they’re teenagers. And this is something the military and all of western society has turned a blind eye too for a long time. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/brinkley/article/Afghanistan-s-dirty-little-secret-3176762.php
I recall reading that one of the ways the Taliban came to power was that they would rescue these kidnapped children from their abductors, usually drug warlords, and return them back to their families so as to earn their support and the support of the people.
I just want to know what ever happened to stomping a mudhole in some deserving savage asses and walking away wiping our boots? Why do we always succumb to the urge to “help” them?
There is a growing trend toward excusing evil, criminal behavior as an illness - something that is to be treated rather than punished or destroyed. It has its roots in the moral relativism that you already confronted in this thread.
First the act is reclassified from being something reprehensible to an “illness”. After an enough time and it’s been socially accepted it’s then reclassified again as an “alternative lifestyle”, after that it’s a “preference”, then granted normality.
It wasn’t that long ago that homosexuality was first a criminal act, then diagnosed as a mental disorder. And just look at where we are now.
So the good General thinks that if it isn’t “policy”, it isn’t true? A lie by omission is still a lie. I don’t believe Campbell and I don’t believe Betraeus either.
The Dept. of Defense doesn’t have any credibility on the topic of sexual abuse. They’d do well to remember that.
