What Congress Needs To Do After WikiLeaks Video

Back on April 5th, WikiLeaks posted a rather disturbing 17 minute video taken from one of the U.S. Army's helicopters. It shows the troops repeatedly gunning down allegedly armed men (including two Reuters reporters) and attacking a van that had arrived to rescue the wounded. You be the judge from the video, but to me this looks like the typical gathering around a reporter with a camera that occurs in that area.

After waiting two and a half years for this video, Reuters editor-in-chief David Schlesinger posted in an opinion column, "What I want from the Pentagon -- and from all militaries -- is simple: Acknowledgment, transparency, accountability."

I totally agree with Mr. Schlesinger. He goes on to reference that, from the video's point of view, the soldiers may not have acted within the rules of engagement as proscribed in the Geneva Conventions. He would like the Pentagon to investigate the facts in the matter and find out exactly how this tragic event transpired.

I would like a little bit more than that. I would like for Congress to actually give a damn.

Normally, I am against Congress holding hearings and investigations into petty matters. However, this is definitely not a petty matter. This is definitely a matter that needs to be thoroughly investigated by both the military and Congress. Unfortunately, though, it seems like no one in Congress really cares one way or the other.

Something that was overlooked by many on April 5th was that the New York Times also confirmed reports by Times of London reporter Jerome Starkley that the soldiers dug their bullets out of the bodies as part of the coverup of the murder of five civilians in Afganistan. That incident included three women, two of whom were pregnant. I'm pretty certain that isn't standard operating procedure, yet we have not a word from any of our Congress critters.

Here's the video (let me know if it quits working, it's from YouTube).