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Dave Petteys of Roxborough Park writes:

In speaking with men who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, the common theme is “We are having to fight with our hands tied". Why would this be? I experienced the same phenomenon in Vietnam.
Without a doubt it is owing to organizations like the ACLU (http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6145) , the National Lawyer’s Guild (http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6162) and a hostile mainstream media who use adverse publicity and our legal system to harass the military while it’s trying to do its job.
It’s time we recognized these groups as enemies of our democracy and our way of life. We will NEVER be able to defend our interests and yet please the lawyers and the media moguls who are working with our opponents. It’s time we stopped trying. In fact, what we need is sweeping legal protection for our troops.
We have allowed our concept of the “Rule of Law” to grow to a tangled thicket of legalisms that would prohibit even the very survival of our society. It’s time to prune them all away and restore prudent basic common sense.
There is this concept of “aiding and abetting the enemy” as treason. This is what these groups are committing. Treason Laws need to be invoked to shut down these groups and to convict and imprison its members. Ask yourself these questions: * Are these terrorist organizations signatories to the Geneva Convention? If not, why do we need to grant terrorists the rights?
What Rules of Engagement are imposed on Al Qaeda? If none, why do we impose them on ourselves to try to please our detractors?
How have these terrorist groups treated their prisoners? (Do orange pants suits and snuff videos on Al Jazerra ring a bell?)
When was the last time the ACLU or the mainstream media expressed outrage at the dozens of murdered bodies that turn up daily in Iraq?
When was the last time the ACLU and the media expressed outrage at the murder and mutilation of our kidnapped soldiers? How does their reaction compare with their outrage over Abu Graib, when prisoners merely had their pants removed instead of their eyes, tongues and heads?
It’s time the American people recognized that if this continues, the American Democracy with its precious gift of liberty and prosperity will be completely lost forever.

This letter has not been edited.

READER COMMENTS

The ACLU is "The AMERICAN Civil Liberties Union". Why does it need to "express outrage" over what happens in Iraq?

Wow! All that sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Wars are always fought with the military’s “hands tied”, and for very good reasons.
Just going at it like a savage is counterproductive, wastes effort, fouls up strategic goals, and simply degenerates into directionless butchery.

We tie troop’s hands by giving them specific objectives, not just having them roam about shooting at whatever moves.
We also require them to follow procedures so they don’t kill each other or harm friendlies. Individual troops will not know if a group are friendlies in disguise, or actual hostiles. Same goes for our own reconnaissance units.
We also require troops to follow standards of conduct and codes of warfare, because otherwise it results in a race to the bottom of matching and outdoing atrocities, and also because by the Nuremburg principle, you cannot later charge an adversary of war crimes if you also committed the same crimes.

That's funny. I haven't heard any of the troops say that. When my brother in law was back over thanksgiving, he never mentioned that. weird.

What he did mention, however, is that everyone is completely corrupt over there. Everyone wants a handout, including american contractors. Of course, the republican controlled media wouldnt want you to hear that, now, would they?

The one thing that you failed to draw attention to is that we aren't exactly fighting a war over there. It is an illegal occupation where the troops main objective (at this point) is to protect the contractors who are making billions....nothing else! I agree that the ACLU has some issues but we first need to look at why we are even there...and it is not to "fight" anyone.

This letter is a joke, right? Bush and Rumsfeld send the troops to Iraq without adequate body armor or uparmored vehicles and it's the ACLU that is betraying the troops? Funny.

Dave Petteys,

Why do you hate America?

You know who is really hampering our troops in Afghanistan, Dave? Activist judges.

Seriously, was yesterday "Give a Mouth Breather Internet Access Day?"

Sheep to the slaughter...baaaaa. All of you "experts" keep watching the news and reading each others stupid posts. It's funny to watch you morons feed off each other!

Mr Petteys ALOT of people agree with you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Most of the above posts are part of the problem. The far left agenda that is a plague on this country. They will scream the loudest when the truth is revealed. Ignore their hateful rhetoric!

The worst of America is what we are faced with from the people above who hate America and love anybody that would kill us in a heart beat. The above people bash Bush and America and expect us to fight a politically correct war and then all they do is complain about how bad we are and they give terrorists more rights then American's have. Then they get all upset when we say they aren't patriots. I guess they think the terrorists in Iraq would never think of harming a hair on an American's head. Terrorists just trained in Iraq and families of homicide bombers were given money by Saddam but they say Iraq never did anything to America (ha)

Ignore the America hating enemy loving liberals. You letter was right on.

Ok Mr.ME, and 10:00,
Let's see you deconstruct what I have posted.
I am as far left as you will ever meet and more than happy to hear this truth you claim to know.

What is it that you would want the troops to do differently, and what consequences do you expect from those actions and policies.

Come, spit it out and let's see what you have in mind.

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