WASHINGTON - A Marine Corps general with battle awards is being counseled to watch his words more carefully after publicly observing that "it's fun to shoot some people."
Lt. Gen. James Mattis, a career infantry officer now in charge of developing ways to better train and equip Marines, also made fun of the manhood of Afghans during comments Tuesday while speaking at a forum in San Diego.
On Thursday, Gen. Mike Hagee, the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, issued a statement of regret about Mattis' remarks, saying they reflected "the unfortunate and harsh realities of war."
According to an audio recording, Mattis had said, "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. ... It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right upfront with you, I like brawling."
He added, "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."
His comments evoked laughter and applause from the audience. Mattis was speaking during a panel discussion hosted by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, a spokeswoman for the general said.
Well, I can see how those comments might upset some people, but so what? War is hell--that's why we send marines. Terrorists are scum for many reasons, and they need to be killed if at all possible. Gen. Mattis spoke the truth, and I applaud him for that. It also helps that he's a damned fine combat leader. Wish we had more like him.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil liberties group, called on the Pentagon to discipline Mattis for the remarks.
"We do not need generals who treat the grim business of war as a sporting event," said the council's executive director, Nihad Awad. "These disturbing remarks are indicative of an apparent indifference to the value of human life."
Also couldn't help but roll my eyes at this. Yeah, the Taliban really cared for the people of Afghanistan. Let the b@$%@&#$ eat lead!
He added, "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."
I love that comment.
__________________
You're only one post away from a federal watch list.
i feel that the misdeeds of others do not grant us carte blanche to act similarly, particularly while professing moral superiority.
Acting similarly? They attacked us. Being able to kill them and liberate civilians is just the icing on the cake. The Taliban needs to die. Not only to keep us safe, but keep the rest of the world safe as well.
Calling It Like It Is
