Founts of inanity

Over at And Rightly So!, Kim is having a little hissy fit because a Marine Corps unit has been ordered to leave Afghanistan in the aftermath of the killing of eight civilians:

Marines kill. If the General expected less, he should have called upon the Army SpecialOps. Even under another’s command, Marines KILL. Every Marine is elite, not just those who are titled Special… and every unit is trained. To Kill.

Everyone knows it. Enough with the sappy bullshit. We can bet this will turn into a political hot potato. Leave the Marines alone. They were doing what they do best.

Apparently Kim believes that what the Marines do best is kill civilians — especially those of the Terrifying Brown People™ persuasion. if someone in the military command structure entertains thoughts that Marines should be, oh, I don’t know, fighting the enemy instead of killing civilians, well, those pantywaists are just engaging in “sappy bullshit”.

Now, far be it from me to instruct Kim in the finer points of online warmongering, but there are a few questions I would have asked myself before posting such tripe:

• If the marines can be trained to kill, can they not also be trained to distinguish between hostile targets and civilians?
• Aren’t Marines already trained to distinguish between hostile targets and civilians?

• Do we want soldiers who cannot stop themselves from killing civilians? Do such soldiers really serve the best interests of the United States?

  This is the kind of simplistic, jingoistic thinking that got us into the current mess we are in. We need less of it, not more… but if you’re the sort who enjoys this sort of hogwash, Kim and her buddies at And Rightly So are veritable founts of inanity.