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His brother died in the slaughter. The Pentagon named one gunman, now identified as Staff Sergeant Robert Bales. He was whisked out of Afghanistan, flown to Kwait, then to army prison at Fort Leavenworth, KS Friday.
Afghan army head General Sher Mohammad Karimi said US military officials "ignored and blocked" his attempt to investigate the incident. They also prevented Afghan officials from interrogating Bales.
In lockstep, US media scoundrels regurgitated Pentagon lies. Outrageously, the Washington Post quoted Captain Chris Alexander, Bales' platoon commander, saying he's "hands down, one of the best soldiers I ever worked with."
In fact, he like other death squad members are cold-blooded killers. The Post also quoted Bales commenting on his participation in a 2007 Iraq battle, saying:
"We discriminated between the bad guys and the noncombatants and then afterward we ended up helping the people that three or four hours before were trying to kill us. I think that's the real difference between being an American as opposed to being a bad guy, someone who puts his family in harm's way like that."
The quote's so deplorable it sounds like someone made it up, but Post scoundrels made it look legitimate to portray Bales more as hero than cold-blooded killer.
A Pentagon statement said Bales received over a dozen medals and badges for combat service and good conduct. His wife Karilyn was quoted, saying "all of the work Bob has done and all the sacrifices he has made for his love of his country, family and friends."
The Post suppressed evidence that up to 20 US soldiers were involved, or that numerous other atrocities like this occur regularly.
The New York Times was just as shameless. Cover-up and denial suppressed vital truths. Bales alone was mentioned. The article said he was injured twice in previous deployments and cited his lawyer calling his military record exemplary.
How much more blood has he on his hands? For sure plenty, but this was the first time he got caught. Moreover, The Times, like the Post, characterizes him as heroic, not villainous.
In medium security confinement, he's yet to be charged a week after the incident. The Times said Pentagon officials found no clues explaining what "motivated the killings."
They lied, saying:
"When it all comes out, it will be a combination of stress, alcohol and domestic issues. He just snapped."
Bales' lawyer, John Henry Browne, dismissed allegations of family problems and drinking. He said his family hoped he'd avoid this deployment after three previous ones. He also called him "mild-mannered."
In lockstep with other US media scoundrels, The Times article suppressed what readers most deserve to know - the full truth about death squad killings as policy, and the many thousands of noncombatant Afghans, Iraqis, and earlier victims affected.
Blaming this incident on a lone gunman suppresses the gravity of what goes on routinely and the responsibility up the chain of command to Joint Chief heads, Defense Secretary Panetta, and Obama.
