[extropy-chat] IRAQ: Weapons pipeline to Syria

[RobKPO]

Yikes, can't wait for the US election to be over...

In an environment of an pre-existing violently oppressive/criminal 
government being confronted and then engaged in open and urban conflict, how 
do you determine the circumstance of who was killed an by whom. Both sides 
were shooting and the US/Coalition forces have much more C2I then the 
Iraqis - not to mention an actual effort of adherance to the Geneva 
convention. These day's the insurgency style conflict clearly has Iraqi's 
killing Iraqi's.

If Iraq were a peaceful people invaded by a giant army then you could count 
the deaths and blame the invader's but that is purely fantasy.

Deliberatly supporting information that effectively is enemy propaganda 
(whether correct or not) will always get most people upset during a war, 
moreso if it is wrong, even more so if it is blatantly wrong.

What is accurate? I don't know but that figure seems awfully high for how 
the invasion/liberation was prosecuted, and very open to inaccuracies based 
on reports I've read from Iraq tactics regarding their style of fighting and 
use of civilian's....

Blaming your leader because their is a war might make you feel good but it 
is hardly a positive effort for personal growth.

How about accuracy, empathy, and awareness that the public will not be told 
everything regarding strategic decision making. The office of President is 
probably something that is quite effective in the long run despite the 
personal cost many decision's might cause but it is not a public decision 
forum - the public only get's to vote who is in that position.

So is enemy propoganda during a war considered part of free speech in the 
US, and I wonder what the US government should do to limit misinformation 
that incite's internal anti-US influence's during time of war and subsequant 
insecurity of benefit to enemy intent?

Rob KPO