Wednesday, July 21, 2004
I've heard that one before . . .
There were many American casualties in post-war Germany. Some were due to the actions of the Nazi guerilla units known as Werewolves. Some were the usual amount of casualties incurred by military units during normal operations. Casualties from accident and crime is one very important aspect of the casualty figures from Iraq that is omitted by the media in their zeal to portray this war as a horror is the casualties not related to the war.
Criminal behavior, including vandalism, theft, and rape, occurred at epidemic levels in Germany. Despite former Vice President Gore’s contention that the criminal behavior of some Americans in Iraq is directly the result of George Bush’s policies – criminality by military forces is not unusual. In fact, I have written about the increases in crime in post-war societies for an academic journal.
Just as the conduct of American troops in Iraq is comparable to their counterparts in World War II Germany so is the conduct of the media. The modern media’s vitriolic condemnation is nothing new. In January 1946, the New York Times editorialized that the U.S. zone was far worse than the Soviet controlled zone and that "every newspaper dispatch coming from [Germany] is a further recital of what must be considered a failure."
The Times was not alone in its invective. Colliers in October 1946 wrote an article called, "Failure in Germany," and how this an article by Edward Morgan entitled, "Heels Among Heroes."
John Dos Passos, a communist, wrote in Life magazine in January 1946, "Americans Are Losing the Victory…. Never has American prestige in Europe been lower,” a phrase oft repeated by former Vice President Al Gore when speaking about Iraq.
Criminal behavior, including vandalism, theft, and rape, occurred at epidemic levels in Germany. Despite former Vice President Gore’s contention that the criminal behavior of some Americans in Iraq is directly the result of George Bush’s policies – criminality by military forces is not unusual. In fact, I have written about the increases in crime in post-war societies for an academic journal.
Just as the conduct of American troops in Iraq is comparable to their counterparts in World War II Germany so is the conduct of the media. The modern media’s vitriolic condemnation is nothing new. In January 1946, the New York Times editorialized that the U.S. zone was far worse than the Soviet controlled zone and that "every newspaper dispatch coming from [Germany] is a further recital of what must be considered a failure."
The Times was not alone in its invective. Colliers in October 1946 wrote an article called, "Failure in Germany," and how this an article by Edward Morgan entitled, "Heels Among Heroes."
John Dos Passos, a communist, wrote in Life magazine in January 1946, "Americans Are Losing the Victory…. Never has American prestige in Europe been lower,” a phrase oft repeated by former Vice President Al Gore when speaking about Iraq.
