Well why don't you park your ass in that @!$%# hole for four tours and then give us your honest opinion. Our troops are getting burnt out and this can be expected. People here in the U.S. are comitting suicide over job loss and housing loss. Just imagine if you can what our troops are going throug. The only family our troops have in a combat situation is the guy next to them . Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.

I respect the fact that the troops are burnt out and I dearly wish that we would bring them home. However, the mass murder of civilians cannot, and should not, "be expected" from our people.

Thank you for that link, Jake. Count me in. I will definitely sign it!

Lets make it the SGT because the other two choices are fairytails.

Jake, don't blame the Obama Administration for poor treatment and say Americans don't care about the troops that is bullcrap - it was during the Bush Era that the troops weren't being provided with adequate bullet-proof vests....You can't politicize this event.

Instead...consider the fact that the vast majority of troops don't commit mass murder. Look at the facts unfolding...this guy had anger issues that dated back several years, and he got a pass simply because he was military most likely.

How many times have we heard in civilian life this statement..."Oh he was so nice, this is so out of character for him/her."

Mass murder is mass murder - and the lawyer so far is denying that Bates was insane. Bad move counselor, bad move.

The only person responsible for the 16 dead Afghans is SSGT. Not God. Not Satan. Not Obama. Not Bush.

p.s. - The sequence of God Satan Obama Bush is just a coincidence!! LoL!! Peace!!

All throughout the Bush years, no matter what one objected to illegal eavesdropping, torture, rendition, indefinite detention, denial of civilian trials the response from Bush followers was the same: "But these are Terrorists, and Terrorists have no rights, so who cares what is done to them?" What they actually meant was: "the Government has claimed they are Terrorists," but in their minds, that was the same thing as: "they are Terrorists."

They recognized no distinction between "a government accusation" and "unchallengeable truth"; in the authoritarian’s mind, by definition, those are synonymous. Jsst flash it on TV anyone the want it to be it's done a terrorist. The whole point of the Bush-era controversies was that away from an actual battlefield and where the Constitution applies (on U.S. soil and/or towards American citizens wherever they are) the Government should have to demonstrate someone’s guilt before it’s assumed (e.g., they should have to show probable cause to a court and obtain warrants before eavesdropping; they should have to offer evidence that a person engaged in Terrorism before locking them in a cage, etc.).

But to someone who equates unproven government accusations with proof, those processes are entirely unnecessary. Even in the absence of those processes, they already know that these persons are Terrorists. How do they know that? Because the Government said so. Even when it comes to their fellow citizens, that’s all the "proof" that is needed.

Have the military authorities asked themselves why the suspect was allowed to leave the outpost base in the middle of the night, presumably alone? Since all NATO bases in Afghanistan are heavily guarded 24/7, the suspect should have been required to have a valid reason for leaving the base that was approved by base commanders.

The perimeter guards should not have allowed the suspect to leave without having secured such permission. What was the failure in the command structure? Those responsible for the command failure should be court-martialed also.?

That’s essentially how I hear our debates over Terrorism, and how I’ve heard them for quite some time. And it’s how I hear them more loudly now than ever before. And with those deeply confused premises now locked into place on a bipartisan basis ("no trials are needed to determine if someone is a Terrorist because Terrorists don’t have rights"), imagine how much louder that will get if there is another american successful decorated terrorist attacked and killed innocent children and women in their sleep.

No Wonder,The World loves us so much.

But in fairness to the 17th Century Puritans, at least the Salem witches received pretenses of due process and even trials (albeit with coerced confessions and speculative hearsay). Even when it comes to our fellow citizens, we don’t even bother with those. For us, the mere accusation by our leaders is sufficient: Kill that American Terrorist with a drone!

All throughout the Bush years, no matter what one objected to illegal eavesdropping, torture, rendition, indefinite detention, denial of civilian trials the response from Bush followers was the same: "But these are Terrorists, and Terrorists have no rights, so who cares what is done to them?" What they actually meant was: "the Government has claimed they are Terrorists,"as simple to flash anyone face in TV, you're done branding him terrorist but in their minds, that was the same thing as: "they are Terrorists." They recognized no distinction between "a government accusation" and "unchallengeable truth"; in the authoritarian’s mind, by definition, those are synonymous.

The whole point of the Bush-era controversies was that away from an actual battlefield and where the Constitution applies (on U.S. soil and/or towards American citizens wherever they are) the Government should have to demonstrate someone’s guilt before it’s assumed (e.g., they should have to show probable cause to a court and obtain warrants before eavesdropping; they should have to offer evidence that a person engaged in Terrorism before locking them in a cage, etc.).

But to someone who equates unproven government accusations with proof, those processes are entirely unnecessary. Even in the absence of those processes, they already know that these persons are Terrorists. How do they know that? Because the Government said so.What they do? Drones and nukes them to death. But when it comes to their fellow citizens,sorry folks that’s all the "proof" that is needed.

Have the military authorities asked themselves why the suspect was allowed to leave the outpost base in the middle of the night, presumably alone? Since all NATO bases in Afghanistan are heavily guarded 24/7, the suspect should have been required to have a valid reason for leaving the base that was approved by base commanders.

The perimeter guards should not have allowed the suspect to leave without having secured such permission. What was the failure in the command structure? Those responsible for the command failure should be court-martialed also.?

QFMFT! Alot of sheeple don't realize what actually goes on in theatre and so are sucked by this bullsh!t story and the likes of people attempting to drop the blame on President Obama (for wars he didn't enter us into) and having been deployed multiple times. That's bullsh!t and is a severe disservice to all Service Members who have done multiple tours and been through rough times and have not gone on murderous rampages and killed children and then lawyered up. Seriously people. What is the US coming to when we are willing to excuse something like this? We aren't chasing the so-called barbarians anymore, we have become them and people revel in that fact. It's disgusting and not what America is supposed to stand for.

Halle Bellee

Jake, don't blame the Obama Administration for poor treatment and say Americans don't care about the troops that is bullcrap - it was during the Bush Era that the troops weren't being provided with adequate bullet-proof vests....You can't politicize this event.

Gee, wasnt that because the DEMOCRATS wouldnt fund their supplies????????? How quickly we forget...or ignore

clearly my young jedi youngling you have not learned one basic thing from all your deployments! and that is that we could have finished the job a lot faster and with far better results if they would have allowed us to fight like we did WW2 ie no kid gloves!!

So yes the blames lays squarely on the leaderships shoulders because their A$$ is not online! Not everyone reacts the same way to PTSD........clearly this guy snapped and from the background ........I do not doubt! this made knews because it happened there! It also happens here........CNN just does not cover it!.....go figure!.......

BTW 5xAfghanistan and 3xIraq...........so yes my PTSD is as bad as any othere service members.......I just have not snapped yet!! 11Z8 out!

Gee, wasnt that because the DEMOCRATS wouldnt fund their supplies????????? How quickly we forget...or ignore

No, it was because rummy and the chimp-in-chief didn't want to fork over the money for it. It took a Specialist in a Nat'l Guard unit to make this information known world wide. And the response from yet another bush crony who has never served in any real capacity (meaning during wartime):

"You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time," Mr. Rumsfeld said.

Moreover, he said, adding more armor to trucks and battle equipment did not make them impervious to enemy attack. "If you think about it, you can have all the armor in the world on a tank and a tank can be blown up," he said. "And you can have an up-armored Humvee and it can be blown up."

The words of a coward who has never had to suffer through anything he readily committed others' sons and daughters to do in his stead.

Heart breaking tragedy it was and also mass murder...

Questions mount over US account of Afghanistan massacre

By Patrick Martin

19 March 2012

Within 48 hours of the Pentagon’s confirming the identity of the US soldier arrested for the massacre of 16 Afghan civilians, including nine children, there are mounting questions about the official explanation of the bloody events of March 11.

Nearly every fact asserted by US officials in Kabul and Washington has been challenged, either by the villagers where the massacre took place, by the Karzai government in Afghanistan, or by those acquainted with the arrested soldier, Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, 38.

The most important questions are those raised by the villagers who survived the rampage. They have been repeatedly quoted, both in Afghan government accounts and in reports published in the international press, as describing several uniformed American soldiers participating in the bloodbath, not the lone gunman described by the Pentagon…

….The Obama administration and the Pentagon want to dismiss the massacre in Kandahar province as an aberration, the action of a “rogue” soldier, someone who inexplicably carried out actions at odds with the US mission in Afghanistan. The truth is that the March 11 massacre is a concentrated expression of the role of the US military in Afghanistan, and in every impoverished country bombed, invaded or occupied by American imperialism.

Bales, if he committed the actions which he is accused of perpetrating on March 11, is a war criminal who deserves trial and punishment. But the more important war criminals are those in the White House, the Pentagon, the CIA and throughout the US political establishment who are responsible for more than ten years of war in Afghanistan, and who are plotting new wars in Syria, Iran and elsewhere….

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/mar2012/afgh-m19.shtml

why are people in the US threatening his wife and kids??? Seems like the same mentality the Sgt had when he killed those people....

The villagers in the area report seeing and hearing 3 soldiers firing.

I believe this is the result of faulty intel and he is being made to take the fall.

Other than killing 9 children and 7 women, this guy is a family man. So lets forget this minor transgression.

Democrats Plan to Withhold Funds, Force Withdrawal Debate

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3153092&page=1#.T2iJF8WPUTY

A Democratic congressman, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on behalf of the Democratic caucus, explained the political strategy of the vote to ABC News as a sort of war of attrition. He said, "The idea is to keep kicking the can down the road" before forcing Democrats to vote on whether to withdraw U.S. troops as soon as possible.

"An arbiter ordered Bales and the owner of the firm owner to pay the elderly man $1.4 million. The man told the Post he “never got a penny,” and Bales never attended an arbitration hearing in the case. "
Dude is a total scum bag, he robbed people at home, and killed them abroad.

For all of you commentors out there. Please read the comments of Recono. The people who can give you arm chair civilian soldiers the true perspective of what it is like over there are the combat veterans who have been there, done that, and like Recono said, have to deal with their own PTSD. There is no magic pill to make war go away, no amount of time will either. It is burned into your mind and you will have to deal with it the rest of your life. Every person on this planet has a breaking point, so don't think you are immune to this type of thing. Let his peers judge him, other combat veterans, not the government and certainly not the civilian population. You do a great job of that in the public forums. Support your troops, remember, the nation that forgets it's defenders is itself soon forgotten.

BTW, yes, 45 years later I still deal with the PTSD. Four tours of Vietnam spending much of that in Cambodia, Laos, and North Vietnam. All that sneaky behind the lines green beret schzt. So at least give my comment some validity.

b dune and americausedtobesmart: He as had NOT had a trial and by the constitution he is entitled to a fair trail BEFORE his rights are legally forfeited. Whether he pleads guilty or found guilty he has rights guaranteed BY the UNITED STATES constitution. If you are NOT willing to afford him those right then GET OUT of the country. I am sure China, North Korea, an Arab country might be much more to your liking. People who are willing to toss the constitution HAVE lost their way

I think we can all see that amused123 is less interested in the constitution than in having a reason to validate his/her opinion. The legal matter, however, is interesting. What rights are guaranteed to soldiers serving in other countries isn't immediately clear (no matter how much chest beating you want to do) as I can't think of a supreme court case that's addressed this question. Usually, rights are had by physically being present in the US, citizen or not. As for citizens (legally) serving in another country, it's not clear, even if there is a 'tradition' of how to handle it.

That was a nice rant there "amused"...did I say he was not allowed the opportunity to defend himself?....

Don't think I did - but thanks for attempting to put words in my mouth....that is "amsuing"!

If I'm not mistaken - I have been given some rights as well - the right to speak my mind!

Guess you feel someone gave you the power to decide which rights should be enforced and which ones you and you alone decide merits your: "Agree with me or leave the Country".

Interesting how low lifes like yourself are the first to shout "Constitutional Rights"....but demonstrate exactly how little you value them!

As for rights - whether he pleads guilty, not guilty....he will be given the opportunity to defend his actions...

My point stands - he will at least have a chance at justice - it is too late for those he murdered!

Next time learn how to read before commenting!

SSG Bales if tried by the Military the UCMJ applies and civilians must understand the rules are different. If found guilty and Death Penalty is recommended members of the military cannot be executed unless the President personally confirms the death sentence.

since that hasn't happened since 1961.......

But you two with the high moral ground (b dune and americausedtobesmart) think he should be executed without a trial, yeah I think that's what it says in our constitution, if we think a person is guilty lets just "hang them high" without a trial. And what do you know exactly about the 16 afghans killed other then what you have read in the medias? where you there? are you actually certain there was 9 children? has an autopsy been made (of course not, they buried them asap, sure according to muslim customs, which means in many murder cases they often aren't even sure the guy they execute was the killer), were the bullets removed and verified? are you certain they were all from this soldier's gun? are you sure he is the one who tried to burn the victims? have you met the witnesses? by the way, witnesses mention they saw more then one guy, what do you make of that?

I am not saying he is innocent, because I don't know whether he did kill the 16 people or not, but you sure as heck are not certain of this either. The fact that he said "I did it" doesn't mean much, he could have killed 1 guy (for whatever reason that I don't know either), and the minute he was gone the Taliban could have killed the rest of the family, I don't know what happened, and you don't know either.

Either way I am sorry for the victims' families (and all the Taliban's victims over the years, including the 40 children killed during a wedding a few months ago), but I am also very sorry for the soldier's family. Hopefully the medias will leave them alone, no matter what happened, guilty or not, its not their fault.

Thank you Amused. This is all speculation, the Afghan people don't even think that one man could have done this all by himself. So maybe he is just a scapegoat. Its not the first time someone was convicted in the media before his trial...

In Colombine (sic) two young boys killed 13 people, so, yeah, it is possible one man killed sixteen people. Sorry to burst your bubble, IYZE. And since he admitted it, there is strong evidence right there he probably had a hand in some of it if not all of it.If he didn't kill them and was set up, the only alternative to me, a general would be involved in the coverup and that, to me, is troubling, and that would bring up a more troubling question - - why?

bdune, u crying the same cry for those in Guantanimo?

bdune - "unlike the women and children who he murdered as they slept?"

Clearly you've already convicted him. Nobody put any words in your mouth.

The media is being diverted by the military. They are not asking questions about how a single armed soldier can wander off base in the middle of the night.

I asked a soldier fresh back from the Middle East and he said that was impossible according to military protocol.

1. Nobody can leave the base alone. Minimum of two people.

2. Exit requires a pass signed by an officer or an E-9 noncom.

3. The pass is bar coded which is scanned at the gate, and scanned on the return.

The incident as described would have to represent a massive failure of the base chain of command.

The media is not asking obvious questions and the military is focusing attention on the perpetrator.

This message is to inform you that US Ministry of Defense provides weapons to thousands of potential terrorists. Some part of Russian KGB uses a brainwashing technique that requires only a few hours and leads to total mind control. After GULAG KGB brainwashing, most people can kill many others and even themselves. Such crimes are nearly impossible to prove, since the brainwashed, if survive, will say only those things that were ordered them to say.

He did confess, did he not? The military has already confirmed there are no other suspects. Not that it will stop the conspiracy nonsense, or those who see this as just "what we have to expect" from soldiers on multiple deployments. I suspect for the vast majority of people this will come down to whether anything could have been done before hand to identify this one soldiers' inability to cope with the pressures he was clearly already facing and whether that'll enter into the trail to determine if there were any extenuating circumstances such as some kind of of insanity plea, that will lighten the punishment.

Those who have already tried and convicted the soldier based on flimsy details provided by the media are not better than the despotic rulers of the countries we are fighting. According to the Constitution, which, from reading many Newsvine threads, many Americans are totally unfamiliar with, guarantees this soldier due process. Mob action, lynchings, vigilanteeism-all are illegal in the U.S. As someone stated-if you want that type of law, move yourself to an Arab country. In fact, why not move yourself to Afghanistan.

Nobody sitting their butts in front of the computer on Newsvine has ANY idea of what actually happened. For all we know, this is a government cover-up, and this soldier is the fall guy. There are so many possible scenarios.

His rights and possible penalties if convicted are clearly outlined in the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice) which is the more strict legal code that all our US military at home & abroad are subject to. Since he was deployed to a combat zone, how & who prosecutes him for this crime he is accused of will be clearly outlined in the SOFA (Status Of Forces Agreement) agreement between the US and Afganistan.

HShaver, you don't need to be a jerk about it. I was just saying what I heard. I didn't hear anything about him confessing. In fact read this: I'm not saying they are right, but his lawyer says he has not confessed. Again, I will say innocent until proven guilty...

I have not read anything about a confession. Early on it was reported that he said "I did it," which hardly amounts to a confession. His lawyer has said that Bales told him that he did not remember anything about what he is accused of doing.

to all of you who find a ton of excuses for what this guy did, some even referring to him as "this poor man" or a hero, would you feel the same way if he killed your children, your family?

Again, just saying innocent until proven guilty.

Quote phoenixaz : "to all of you who find a ton of excuses for what this guy did, some even referring to him as "this poor man" or a hero, would you feel the same way if he killed your children, your family?"

Well I for one, am still waiting to see what will happen to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the confirmed 9/11 mastermind, who is still alive (last I heard) and in prison in the U.S, after 11 years. I'm sure you know that some people do consider that guy a hero.

Absolutely, IYZE... There are many questions that remain unanswered. The story out of Afghanistan dramatically contradicts what is being reported by US media.

@Anna, and your point is....what exactly? only disturbed people would consider the 9/11 mastermind a hero. using your analogy you could say the same thing about the people who call this alleged murderer a hero. i think this is an offense to all those soldiers who are are doing great things over there, but they don't murder children and women, so they never get to be called heroes.

@ phoenixaz You asked the question " how would you feel if ...", my point was that it doesn't seem to matter how we feel, whether about 9/11, or the people who murdered our soldiers after the Qur'an burning, or any other senseless killing of americans (and any other westerners), because many of these murderers are either still at large or enjoying life in prison, even the worst of them like the 9/11 mastermind.

My point is also that some people are ready to hang that guy (the soldier mentioned in the article) without being certain that he did indeed kill the 16 afghans and without even a trial, while they don't seem to care near as much about the fate of the guy who killed over 3,000 people here (and many more in other terrorist attacks in different countries), last I heard he was still alive and well. We haven't heard much indignation about the ones who killed 30 americans when they took down a helicopter either, among them were seals from Team 6, which points to an act of revenge for the killing of Osama Bin Laden.

And you say "only disturbed people would consider the 9/11 mastermind a hero", while I agree with you, I'm afraid there is a lot more "disturbed people" then you seem to think. Among others, those same people who were angry about the death of Bin Laden, consider Khalid Sheikh Mohammed a hero.

My point is also that the soldier may have killed the 16 afghans, but neither of us knows much about it, only what we read in the medias, and we should wait until he gets a trial before condemning him to death. We should also have insisted for autopsies of the 16 victims (I know the muslim custom of burying deaths as soon as possible, but since a U.S. soldier is accused of the murders, autopsies should have been required to ensure he, and only he, is guilty), right now it seems we have no way to ensure the bullets that killed them were all his, we have no way to ensure any of the bullets were his.

If he did murder them, surely it is not the actions of a hero. He did serve his country for many years tho, for which I am grateful, but it will be a shame to have ended his service in such a sad way, and we will probably all suffer the consequences, especially his family.

She is yet another victim of Bales actions

And had he been at home when he had his meltdown, she and her children would probably be the actual victims shot and immolated at her husband's hands. Bales is a family annihilator who had to make do with proxy victims. Now, like the rest of the "soldiers" who come home and kill their family members and/or girlfriends, he plays the PTSD card and all of the sentimental flag wavers buy it lock stock and barrel. What he deserves is to be handed over to the Afganis to face their brand of justice for the crimes he committed on their soil.

You don't know that.......... You don't know what he was going through..........

That is inconsequential, Pepster. He volunteered to serve in the military, not at an ice cream stand. So, by your logic, it's excusable to do something as heinous and disgusting as this if you were 'going through' something?

spikeyspider- Bales hasn't "played the PTSD card." We don't know for sure that he has said anything!

And your armchair psychological assessment of Bales as a family annihilator is pure bunk...

You say he should be handed over to the Afganis for their kind of justice...Isn't this true for those whyo have invaded their land and done the same thing to their families, the only difference is that they don't splatter it all over the headlines of the US papers,and if they did...would you care????

Well secondbrother.............. I never said that and you and spikey spider better call someone with all your bogarted information and let them know.

Clearly, he was not stable.

I woudl like to know if he was on any medication.

Or if someone slipped him something.

Revisit "Manchurian Candidate" (1962) and (2004).

Yep, at this point, we don't even know if Bales is guilty of anything. No evidence has been provided; just accusations.

How can anyone be shocked at this. Soldiers voluntarily choose a life path to become killers. A soldier's primary function during conflict is to kill the enemy.

The military is chock full of sociopaths, racists and lunatics. Anyone who chooses a path where they kill others under the guise of patriotism is a puppet at best.

Killers snap all the time!!

I heard that he had a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) even with a mild injury therre could be side affects that are not known to the medical world now. I had one (TBI) myself and found the blind rages very scary. A TBI along with other injuries, the PTSD that could come into play could have pushed him over the edge. Until the government gets a grip on the TBI effects and multiple deployment problems, there will be no answer.

The truth, Shandril, is that this guy WAS pretty much a boy scout for his entire life up until this incident. Do you want everyone to lie and say he was a bad dude all along?

Shandril, what statement has the government made referring to this guy as a boy scout? If you can give me a reference I would consider reviewing the material. So everyone who knew him says this was obviously not like him and he was a decent American up to this point. Why does this bother you? In most cases when people know someone who commits a multiple murder they state they saw it coming or that the guy was unusual or something similar. According to all the interviews I have watched this guy snapped, okay there is a problem and he will be charged with murder. What is there to gain by your anti-government ranting?

Imma agree here, as vet of the first iraq war I understand the feelings that coincide with killing and watching killing, these are lessons hard accepted. May God bless all involved

Joe. It's not the people. We all want this war over. It's who we put in office that is keeping this war going. Congress is making a ton of cash on insider info on the defense industry. Our president ESCALATED troop deployment because in his mind more is always better. you know more taxes, more spending and more troops to Afgananutsville.

Zazing, you obviously know none of the details about the current presidency. You may want to do a little research.

when was the last time you saw any one in the street complaining,when was the last time you went to a soccergame, a basketball game a foot ball game,church or anything, and heard people complaining? when my son was in afghanistan and Iraq our family and other families with kids over there were the only one worried, dont give me that crap now.

There are mind-altering drugs, prescription and otherwise, especially combined with alcohol, which can make it a way easier for one to snap than otherwise. After all, most of us do keep the "dark" subconscious at bay, most of the time. So, as I said above, I would like to know if he was on any medication.

Do you remember the movie "Falling Down" , Americans are snapping. So how can we pass judgement on a soldier after four tours was promised his service was done and he would be going home. The wolves are hungry for blood , but i think this Soldier has given more than humanly possible. You can not fight a war with some other ones mind.

And we have Miss Yankeerose here, psychologist in chief, who has never met the guy but strangely knows everything about him (and all of us too). Oh and she was there too when he killed and tried to burn 16 afghans, she is a witness so she is 100% certain that he is guilty. Lets hang him high like in the good old days, yeeehawww!

Anna-since you like lynchings, mob violence, and other illegal activities, why not move over to Afghanistan-you'll fit right in.

Quote Lou7777777 : "Anna-since you like lynchings, mob violence, and other illegal activities, why not move over to Afghanistan-you'll fit right in."

You misunderstood my post, I was being sarcastic. No I don't like lynchings, mob violence, and other illegal activities, and I am also very much against shariah law and against executing someone unless there is a certainty that the person committed the crime they are accused of.

YankeeRose- People with brain injuries often do things that are "completely out of character." The rest of your post is just psycho babble...

Anna- It wasn't difficult at all to understand that you were being sarcastic.

Hey Ron, one's service is not done, until one's time has been served. I am sure he has an End Of Time Service Date. All troops do. And, I am sure he raised his right hand to committ to those years, to defend the Constitution Of The United States Against All Enemy's, foreign and domestic.

Thanks traveler, I think if Lou reads my previous post, it will become clear to him too that I was being sarcastic.

Agreed with everything you say, Gloria. He should have NEVER been deployed there. If we had fought this war to win it, this wouldn't have been an issue.

We don't fight wars to win them. We fight them for the profits.

Bingo to HOTTICKET and Bingo to NewStart2012

And this wipes away his culpability how? He killed them. I would say if the brain injury is that serious, he needs to be in a padded cell until or if he gets it together.

HShaver brain injuries have a rotten habit of making some people do horrible things.The Guy should of been left State Side and treated for any mental problems.Because you can bet your last dollar they would of manifested themselves sooner or later!

Sending him into a war zone, was the army signing his death warrant, and the death warrant, of all those poor people who were murdered!They're all dead, and you can be sure he just may get the death penalty.

The army is just as culpable as he is, for even doing the STUPID THING of assigning him there!I honestly think they knew this guy was a walking time bomb!If he wasn't there, this wouldn't of happened now would it?

d jarus, I don't think that anyone who has posted doesn't want him to have a fair trial. Yes, he is innocent until proven guilty...but he walked back to his base and said, "I did it." He himself took ownership of his actions and his guilt.

It's not that he shouldn't have a trial.....it's just confusing in terms of what you expect to find. Assuming you don't dispute the known facts of the case, what could you possibly learn? You don't expect to find out that the children put up a fight and he had to do it in self defense.......you don't expect to find out that he was a part of a secret mission gone astray......you don't expect to find out that he was being experimented on by the government and went crazy.

In short, you don't expect to find anything at all which could lessen the guilt and sentence, so what is there to look for? There most definitely needs to be a fair trial, but I don't understand where your passion is coming from, nor what your hope that some excusable reason will surface is hinging on.

He admitted to doing it.If he killed my family, I would want him to face justice.

that's right alameda. he turned himself in. now unless someone can prove he was somehow a fall guy for this mess, he should hang

Perhaps someone gave the soldier false information such as 1. A member of the Taliban was hiding in the homes.

2. The women and children were suicide bombers preparing to make an attack.

Furthermore, do you all really think that we are hearing EXACTLY what the soldier "confessed" to? I highly doubt it.

Yep, sleeping suicide bombers. It's common knowledge, after all, that suicide bombers use their explosives as pajamas.

You assume that "I did it" means that he killed the 16 afghans, you may be right but you also may be wrong. He may have killed 1 or 2 guys (who may or may not have been with insurgent groups), and the Taliban may have gotten in there and killed the children and women in revenge, knowing the soldier would be presumed to have killed them all (assuming there was 9 children and 3 women among the victims, it is difficult to verify since they already buried them). Autopsies should have been obligatory in this case (and any similar cases), they at least could have checked if all the bullets were his. Sometimes it seems the muslim custom of burying the deads quickly seems pretty convenient, apart from the religious reasons.

Either way, eventho we think we know everything, really we don't, we just read what it says in the medias. Lets wait for the trial.

What EVIDENCE are you basing his guilt on? Because you read a couple news articles that said he was guilty... that is not EVIDENCE.

Unbelievable that you and so many others are saying he deserves to DIE when we don't even know he is guilty of anything.

brewzky23

are you seriously recommending that this murdering scumbag sack of dog excrement should go HOME after admitting to massacring sleeping women and children? and then you have the balls to insult the places these people live in and claim they were going to kill americans???! you, and this sack of sh!t soldier, are two peas in a pod apparently.

lets hope god's sense of humor doesn't invlove sending someone to massacre your family while they sleep, and then let that person go free.

do us all a favor and dont reproduce. ever. and if you already have, i feel terrible for your kids who are going to be warped by you to think as you do.

gfyourself

Brewzky23 - Exactly. A place where women and children are fitted with bombs to walk into shopping centers and kill multiple innocent people. A place where they chant "death to America".

Chill out secondbrother! Brewsky has a right to his opinion without you calling him every name in the book! Quit being so rude, it's not necessary!

*sniff* I'm sowwy...

Thank you!

secondbrother: Based on your unintelligent, uneducated, idiotic rant; your comments mean nothing. You are too quick to crucify someone who is obviously shattered mentally. Do you, and your pathetic way of thinking actually believe someone with sound mind woke up one day and said, "hmm I feel like shooting and burning a bunch of people today"? What a fool. I always look at the source of comments, and quite frankly you're not worth it.

Wow, an obvious scumbag racist like you trying to take the high ground? That's a laugh. Pretty pathetic too. Let me ask you, did anyone force him to join the military, if so, when was the draft enacted? I don't ever recall that event. Then you make the assertion that these were suicide bombers...that right there makes anything you will ever say worthless. It's also incredibly amusing that you label a certain people as being 'born and bred' to kil Americansl. It must have started in the womb, according to you. One FACT you can't seem to grasp with that pile of sh!t you call a brain is that these were PEOPLE you prick. And, as far as anyone knows, they had never done any harm to anyone, American or otherwise. Now, however, their families will have more than a good excuse to attack our soldiers vehemently and without discretion. BRAVO to human scum like you that are able to see other PEOPLE as less than that. You know who else was comfortable doing that? I'll let you take a guess.

Your feelings are understandable, but your position is unacceptable. You may not like all the armchair quarterbacking here, but that's exactly how the country was designed to operate. Our military and police forces answer to a civilian government. It is our job and our duty to judge the actions of our military, precisely because we do not have first hand experience and therefore remain more objective. If we could not, then what would be the point of studying WWII, or debating the past use of atom bombs? We must be responsible as a society. In all likelihood, your views would fit in here by blaming the failure in command which lead to someone doing 4 tours.

Univeristy of Chicago Student. You live in a bubble. When you finally grow up and leave mommies basement do us all a favor and send your happy little ass into a war one, then come back and write down that bull you posted.

I explained why any one of us is allowed to judge from our bubble, and why specifically someone not in a bubble should never be allowed to judge. I'm sorry if that's too hard for you to understand.

Further, between having nothing to add to the conversation, and insulting what you (incorrectly) guess is my income level, you spit on the founders' graves. Keep your worldviews, but don't pretend to be a patriot or a historian.

Raye03: You are right, of course, but you might as well be discussing quantum physics with a chipmunk as to attempt to interject some reality into situations like this. Those who have not served in combat, find it easy to judge something they know nothing whatsoever about. Somewhere up the discussion line, an individual said something to the effect that we can expect more of this. And I fear, he/she is righter than we know, at least right now. They have mindlessly continued sending our people back into combat operations time after time with no thought whatsoever of the effects that it is going to have on them, except for the political implications of standing up and saying enough is enough. Heaven knows what sort of gruesome harvest we may reap from that down the road, as brave men and women lose the ability to beat back the madness and begin to react to it. My brother was a brave Marine, who stayed in "Nam too long. The screaming in his head only stopped when he stuck a pistol in his mouth and blew the top of his head off, and he was not alone in taking that path out of the hell he found himself in. Take care of your people, they are going to need you to be strong.

because of your lack of first hand experience is why you remain more objective? multiple tours some of them boots on the ground and some one who has not seen what i or my fellow brothers and sisters in arms have is going to be objective or sit back and arm chair quarter back us? what qualifications do you have?....and who are you to talk to a military spouse in that manner....what my wife has gone though while holding down the home front and crying her self to sleep when i am gone..I for one feels the media should be not exposing this poor woman to this scrutiny, where is her ombudsman or her husbands command shielding her from this...if he he did, fine then judge and punish him accordingly but but they better make damn sure that they have all their ducks in a row before judgement is passed...and to Raye03 i know what you are saying and i know where you are coming from because unlike some people i have had first hand experience and yet can still remain objective. you will have to excuse my rant this is a very emotional subject, i for one feel that we should be out of there but at the same time still have a job to do and will continue to go back until the job is done or told to stand down. It is so easy to see the physical wounds, there are no winners here

Sorry Chicago just cannot buy your logic. You are missing too many life experiences to accurately say you can judge. Your income level is not the issue, the constitution is not the issue, your intellect is not the issue. Your total lack of life experience is the issue. No go back to mommies basement and close the door.

RAYE, while the trajedies of war are horrific for our soldiers they cannot be used to justify such barbaric behavior as was committed by Bale. His actions jeopardize the mission and lives of his fellow soldiers by promoting hatred of Americans among the Afghan people and extremists groups who will surely use this event as a terrorist recruiting tool. It is irrelevant that no one saw this coming from him. Clearly, this man is not in his right mind because he callously murdered 9 children. We need to take an honest look at all costs of war, not just the financial costs.

I have deep gratitude for our military personnel and their families. They provide the freedom I enjoy.

My heart breaks for this man's wife and most especially his children. Reconciling his actions with the husband and Father they knew will be inconceivably difficult and may never happen.

To the Bale family, I hope you know there are many in our Nation who grieve with you. To the families of the victims you have my sincerest condolensces.

University of Chicago Student-You obviously are learning nothing at the University. This country was designed to operate according to the Constitution. I hope all the students coming out of Chicago universities are not as totally ignorant-or else indoctrinated.-most likely the latter-as you.

I've never heard a more totally irrelevant, aimless argument as the one you put forth.

Yes they have to follow laws just like anyone else does, I never said they would get a free ride for committing a massacre, or not have to answer to anyone for it. Im saying people need to be aware of the current situations of the military and what its like for them! If by studying the past should help us not recommit certain actions then why are we there? I mean really? To say my position is unacceptable, is, unacceptable. They also have to follow military law and they do have a military court (depends on jurisdiction) which only military personal judge. It sounds like you may not know that. Trust me I know my husband belongs to the government and so does he and are proud to protect what the "founding fathers" gave us! But it sounds to me you may not really understand war, and what war really means. for being such an avid historian yourself.

I feel for his family. They should be left alone. Multiple tours to a combat zone and attrocities seen can and do change people. PTSD needs more attention. That said, the military is like any large group of people, there will be some bad apples. People are kicked out of the military every day for comitting crimes. The military attracts good and patriotic people as well as bigoted people. He will be given a fair trial and the assumption of innocence until proven guilty. But he did confess. There are so many answers we won't know right away. Why did he do it? Did he have a mental breakdown? Did he act on a hatred of Afganistani people? Did he act on a hatred of Muslims? Is he naturally violent?

To answer your question, did he kill the people in his own military unit when he snapped? Our soldiers commonly treat the occupied civilians with disdain. They rarely “snap” and kill their fellow troops. Their fellow troops may be able to fight back, and that increases the danger to the killer. This was a planned mass murder with forethought.

SpiralT - What confession?

what the hell are you on about disgusting conservative? birther comments, diapers? do yourself a favor, and head to the nearest psych ward asap.

Don't get your liberal tush in a tantrum and forget to capitalize the first letter of a sentence, "bro".

I get so much entertainment working up emotionally charged people. Think with your brain, not your heart.

You should try thinking in general. I know its hard for a conservative, but give it a shot! Just make sure you don't strain the dozen brain cells you have.

I think I got your "goat".

Be safe.

You have my "goat"? Do those quotes mean that it really isn't a goat?

Either way, give it back.

Damn goat thieves!!

It's a serious epidemic. I'll bet Obama is behind it!

Disgusted Conservative...take your goat and go play somewhere else. I'm thinking Outer Mongolia. At least you wouldn't have to worry about Obama's birth certificate.

troll. nothing more....