Piss and Vitriol...
Offline I'm honestly not trying to be disingenuous.
How come the world gets in more of a tizzy over a group of men pissing on dead bodies that it does over those same men making living human beings INTO dead bodies?
We can shoot them, we can blow them up, we can burn them alive but there is no moral outrage until someone pisses on them in death.
Don't get me wrong, I think what the Marines did was tacky as hell, particularly in making sure that it was filmed for posterity. But I think back at some of the guys I served with, and strings of ears...
LC >;-}>
Christianity: A disgusting middle eastern blood cult, based in human sacrifice, with sacraments of cannibalism and vampirism, whose highest icon is of a near naked man hanging in torment from a device of torture.
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Just because they are enemy combatants doesn't mean we can do what we want to them. See Gitmo Bay Abu Gariab
Gitmo and Abu Garib are examples of bad things done to LIVING human beings.
I would argue, being the contrarian asshole that I am that we damned well CAN do what we want to them.
We can SHOOT them. Ever see what a high energy round does to a human body?
We can blow them up. I've done body retrieval after an explosion, you can do a lot of it with a spoon.
We can burn them to death. Nuff said.
These aren't 'enemy combatants'. or 'terrorists' or even soldiers... these were HUMAN BEINGS that we objectify to make them easier to kill.
Can anyone else see that no matter how much the subsequent act of disrespect disgusts us, that it is not morally or ethically worse than KILLING human beings in the first place?
LC >;-}>
Christianity: A disgusting middle eastern blood cult, based in human sacrifice, with sacraments of cannibalism and vampirism, whose highest icon is of a near naked man hanging in torment from a device of torture.
I don't get "respect the dead", the reaction is not coming from the dead, it is a reaction by the living to what is being done to the dead by the living. And you are right Luis, it seems sick that humans have more of a problem with what is being done to the dead, than they do to make the living become dead.
After I die, I want my body donated to science. But even as such, once I am dead I won't be able to care what is done to my body. It wont be me anymore and I wont be alive to have the ability to care. What people want for me after I am dead is actually for their comfort, not mine.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
A Viet Nam vet ? I hope you don't mind a minor digression from your OP but I've read a lot of non fiction concerning that war, it's a war that intrigued me. These strings of ears, they didn't wear them did they ? The reason I'm asking is because I read that most guys wouldn't think about actually wearing them around their necks Hollywood style because the ears putrefy quickly in a humid jungle environment, they become a source of disease, and they stink. ...and wouldn't rotting ears tend to draw flies ?
I know body parts have always been used as war trophies ( eg, the Celts and the taking of heads, the Plains Indians and scalps, etc ) but I am somewhat dubious about anyone keeping gore in contact with their skin. What did you observe ?
Most of the guys I knew kept them mostly to confirm kills. And yeah, after a few weeks they weren't really recognizable, looking a bit like blackened scabs... No, I can't think of anyone wearing them, then as now, it was against regs...
About scalping... sore subject in my predominantly native household. The native folks only started keeping scalps when the French paid for them, as proof of Englishmen killed. I think that it became a 'tradition' from that point.
LC >;-}>
Christianity: A disgusting middle eastern blood cult, based in human sacrifice, with sacraments of cannibalism and vampirism, whose highest icon is of a near naked man hanging in torment from a device of torture.
Interesting. What an experience it must have been.
Yes, the French influence. Wasn't the metal-bladed "tomahawk" actually a weapon that was conceived by the French and adopted by the "Indians" ? ( I won't hijack this thread any more, the subject matter just piqued my interest )
I see your point loud and clear, but in certain cultures, mine included, death is sometimes preferable to dishonor. Things like honor, loyalty, bravery, etc., irrational though they may be, within certain cultures they are used as currency to support status and influence. You and I have the luxury of not having to rely on such antiquated emotional garbage in order to lead a "normal" life within our society, but in many parts of the world that's simply not an option.
Personally I think those marines should be reprimanded mostly because of their stupidity. The act itself is victimless, the propaganda, however is not. You can piss on dead bodies until you dry up, just don't let the living compatriots see it. The fact that human beings getting killed is many times worse then the necro-urination is undisputed. The killing of the human beings is a despicable act done to said humans, the pissing on their bodies is a despicable act towards the living comrades.
I'll tell you one thing, if I was a border line suicide bomber. Undecided about whether or not I should put the vest on, seeing this would make me strap that baby on and blow my ass up to virgin heaven.
"Don't seek these laws to understand. Only the mad can comprehend..." -- George Cosbuc
<quote>I'll tell you one thing, if I was a border line suicide bomber. Undecided about whether or not I should put the vest on, seeing this would make me strap that baby on and blow my ass up to virgin heaven.</quote>
I agree completely...
LC >;-}>
Christianity: A disgusting middle eastern blood cult, based in human sacrifice, with sacraments of cannibalism and vampirism, whose highest icon is of a near naked man hanging in torment from a device of torture.
BINGO
Pissing on dead bodies? What's the big deal? It's not like they can feel it.
When I'm dead, You can pee on me all you want.
Not much about how we treat death makes sense to me. So many pointless rituals. Why the fuck should I care what happens to the corpse I used to inhabit when I'm gone?
The only thing we do that makes any sense to me is remembering those who've gone. But all the bs that goes with it is sheer stupidity and a waste of time and resources.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
Cremation is the way to go. It saves time, space, and money.
But it still uses fuel. Whats wrong with grinding corpses up for fertiliser? I think it'd be cool to know that you're giving life to countless organisms, perhaps even feeding other people, in death. Contributing to the food chain as we should.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.