Another day, another massacre

It looks like we have another indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians in Afghanistan.

JALALABAD, Afghanistan - U.S. Marine Special Forces fleeing a militant ambush opened fire on civilian cars and pedestrians on a busy highway in eastern Afghanistan, wounded Afghans said. Up to 16 people were killed and 34 wounded in the violence, officials said.

More than a half dozen Afghans recuperating from bullet wounds told The Associated Press that the U.S. forces fired indiscriminately along at least a six-mile stretch of one of eastern Afghanistan's busiest highways — a route often filled not only with cars and trucks but Afghans on foot and bicycles.

"They were firing everywhere, and they even opened fire on 14 to 15 vehicles passing on the highway," said Tur Gul, 38, who was standing on the roadside by a gas station and was shot twice in his right hand. "They opened fire on everybody, the ones inside the vehicles and the ones on foot."

Look, I sympathize with the troops over there. Hell, I have the crap scared out of me just to be there. But, it doesn't look to me as though we are the disciplined fighting force we claim to be. Face it, this kind of indiscriminate killing wouldn't go on if we were fighting white Europeans or Canadians. It occurs because our guys end up believing these people are somewhat sub-human.

Perhaps that's the inevitable consequence of being at war. A good reason why war should be the very last option on the table.