US soldier throws puppy from cliff

[Regulus de Leo]

I don't think American government needs cover this event up if it was the action of an individual soldier. But I remember I have ever read some articles which described that some western armies used the way of killing animals to train their commandos "brutal", because most western kids were grown in "civilized" environment and was supposed not brutal enough to be a good soldier. They think if a soldier was not brutal enough to kill a dog or rabbit, how would they expect him to trigger his gun at the first moment as he met an enemy soldier in battle field? perhaps this soldier is not a common soldier, he is the one of those who were trained to do this without any guilty feeling to perform special assignment. This is why they posted the video on the internet and were not aware they were making trouble for themselves.

You are thinking of how Hitler trained is SS officers or how Al Quaeda trained terrorists. Can you name a Western army that currrently is involved in this practice? There is no suggestion this is part of any training is there? You are engaging in idle speculation.

[BubberMiley]

The reaction that I've sean so far appears to be quite polarized. If you care about animals you obviously don't care about starving brutalized people. I fail to see the connection myself.

The connection is the disproportionate amount of attention to this one dog over the combined deaths of thousands and thousands of people.

[AngusThermopyle]

The connection is the disproportionate

I have to wonder if it is actually disproportionate or is it an appearance of disproportion? Could it be that such things look overblown merely because of the ease with which such information can now be disseminated to a far larger audience than in the past?

What doesn't change though is the fact that because one can show compassion towards animals it does not mean that one cares nothing for people. To even suggest such a thing is to display a major disconnect from fact. It is a premise based on vapour, not the reality of the situation.

[DogOnPorch]

You are thinking of how Hitler trained is SS officers or how Al Quaeda trained terrorists. Can you name a Western army that currrently is involved in this practice? There is no suggestion this is part of any training is there? You are engaging in idle speculation.

Yes...that was a training method for the SS officer corp. Raise a dog from a puppy then kill it when it gets to a certain age. The SS volunteers were unaware of this right up until the time to do the deed.

Source: the autobiography of Peter Neumann, 'The Black March'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_March

---------------------------------------------------------------

The utmost extent of man’s knowledge, is to know that he knows nothing.

---Joeseph Addison

[M.Dancer]

You are thinking of how Hitler trained is SS officers or how Al Quaeda trained terrorists. Can you name a Western army that currrently is involved in this practice? There is no suggestion this is part of any training is there? You are engaging in idle speculation.

Whan I was in the army cadets at a summer camp, we had to kill some chickens. We hadn't raised them or anything....we just had to kill them.

Then we cooked them with some potatoes and carrots and ate them.

[AngusThermopyle]

Whan I was in the army cadets at a summer camp, we had to kill some chickens.

Were they attack chickens or just regular chickens?

[Regulus de Leo]

Whan I was in the army cadets at a summer camp, we had to kill some chickens. We hadn't raised them or anything....we just had to kill them.

Then we cooked them with some potatoes and carrots and ate them.

Sound positively barbaric. Was there no gravy or stuffing?

[M.Dancer]

Were they attack chickens or just regular chickens?

Just regular plump juicy chickens. We killed them, dressed them and roasted them with out any tools or knives to help. Baked them in a fire pit wrapped in burlap and covered with dirt.

In all a good experiance for a city kid of 15

[Guest American Woman]

The connection is the disproportionate amount of attention to this one dog over the combined deaths of thousands and thousands of people.

I think there are several reasons for your observation. Some of the attention and 'concern' over what happened to this dog, as has been pointed out, is really negative attention towards the military. It's a chance to bash the troops.

But I do think you have a point. That's not to say people can't care about animals and people, but we aren't being subjected to videos on YouTube of the thousands of deaths you refer to. I think there is a lot to be said for actually seeing something. In the book "Just War," the author, who flew bombing missions in WWII, speaks of how the effects of the bombs only really became 'real' to him after he saw the damage. I think seeing is one of the most powerful senses, and I think that's why Bush et al has banned the pictures of flag draped coffins coming back from the ME from the media. It's likely a big reason for the free speech zones. If people don't see the protestors, the lack of support for Bush, it's easy to believe it doesn't exist.

I also believe people are geared up for civilian death (ie: collateral death) in wars, and therefore are 'accepting' of it. I'm not speaking of everyone by any means, but too many; and it speaks for our societies in a negative way.

[xul]

Sound positively barbaric. Was there no gravy or stuffing?

It's kinda barbaric, but it's also these soldier's duty. I think to be these common soldier, killing a chicken is enough. But to these commandos or special forces soldiers, I mean the one who needs to stab a knife into enemy'sentinel's back or strangulate him by a rope, army officers might ask him to do more.

I read the articles many years ago when I was a college student. It was writen by a journalist and described the training of these commandos. I could hardly remember which country's commandos they were and the details of the article. But the part of the article impressed me is "commandos were put into a void small island without any weapons, food, water and fire matches except a dagger....the soldier caught and killed a rabbit and drank its blood....one soldier was chawing a rabbit eye and then spat it on the earth and said coolly it's flavourless...." Another article described marine commandos cought fish from sea and drank its succulent for supply of fresh water.

I have never enrolled army and I don't know if it is truth or just writers' fictions. But I have a feeling of they are truth.

Edited March 17, 2008 by xul

[Regulus de Leo]

What you describe isn't cruelty or disturbing at all. On a survival exercise they'd be expected to provide their own food. Much different from terrorists being trained to slit the neck of a camel in preparation for slitting the neck of a stewardess on a hijacked flight.

[jbg]

This is just sick. You all know what they say about people who enjoy being cruel (understatement) to animals:

LINK

I guess making kids chase trucks for water, and of course not letting them get any, or raping of 14 year old girls then slaying them and their innocent families just isn't enough for some folks.

What will happen when this sick twisted f***gets back to the US? Does anyone think he will suddenly become a nice person? A 'Brave and honourable' soldier - to be praised for defending democracy???

sick sick sick sick.

Throw him of a f***** cliff.

Disgusting. But 8 pages of posts to follow? When big stories and essay-type posts don't draw response?

[Rue]

Lol Buffy reminds me of Tokyo Rose from World War Two or ehr subsequent reincarnations in Korea or Vietnam.

Problem is when you try make someone out to be a villain you have to make sure you are credible to start with.

Its like those politicians who call everyone else immoral then gets caught with their pants down in a public bathroom tapping their feet or sleeping with some strange looking woman for $80,000.

There's an old Yiddish expression, "make sure you are chaste before you cry slut..."

which translated in West Coast vernacular means" before you stone someone, make sure you aint stoned".

[buffycat]

Lol Buffy reminds me of Tokyo Rose from World War Two or ehr subsequent reincarnations in Korea or Vietnam.

Problem is when you try make someone out to be a villain you have to make sure you are credible to start with.

Its like those politicians who call everyone else immoral then gets caught with their pants down in a public bathroom tapping their feet or sleeping with some strange looking woman for $80,000.

There's an old Yiddish expression, "make sure you are chaste before you cry slut..."

which translated in West Coast vernacular means" before you stone someone, make sure you aint stoned".

Bite me Rue... or on second thought - don't. I wouldn't want to catch whatever it is you have... Hypocrit much????

Whatever... I guess you support all the extraneous violence going on over there? You know, the killing of entire families, the raping of young women (and killing of entire families) the polluting of all resources (and killing of entire families)?

What fun!!

[AngusThermopyle]

Bite me Rue.

Starting to froth at the mouth a bit?

Anytime a person wishes to take a one sided view they will always find plenty of ammunition to support that view. Personally I don't agree with the Iraq war. On the other hand I can also see why it could be considered necessary. Palestinians and Israeli's? Easier. You hear a lot from certain people about the evils of Israel whilst they entirely ignore the good points of Israeli's. Its that one sided view and blindness that refuses to see the two sides of the coin and ignores the good or justified that may be done in favour of vilification. Its a self imposed blindness and ignorance in service of a personal ideology.

[guyser]

Bite me Rue... Whatever...

Like....for shore....Oh my gawd....BFF.....

[jbg]

You hear a lot from certain people about the evils of Israel whilst they entirely ignore the good points of Israeli's. Its that one sided view and blindness that refuses to see the two sides of the coin and ignores the good or justified that may be done in favour of vilification. Its a self imposed blindness and ignorance in service of a personal ideology.

Go here for more on that.