First the Koran Burnings, Now This; I Think We're Donesies in the 'Stan

[PanzerJaeger]

In my opinion, the people calling for this soldier's head are being extremely short-sighted. From what we have learned about him thus far, it appears that he is just as much of a victim as the Afghans he killed. This was an organizational failure, and emblematic of a military force pushed to its limits after a decade of constant warfare with no clear goals and no discernible way to measure progress. There is absolutely no reason a soldier who has suffered a traumatic brain injury should be on his fourth tour in a combat zone, and yet the Army had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to come up with the troop numbers needed for the surge. Assuming that this was a mental breakdown, this soldier - who has been serving continuously in Afghanistan for nearly a decade - deserves to live the rest of his life in a mental institution, not an Afghan prison. I sincerely hope he is not executed in the name of US-Afghani relations.

[CountArach]

In my opinion, the people calling for this soldier's head are being extremely short-sighted. From what we have learned about him thus far, it appears that he is just as much of a victim as the Afghans he killed.

That a bit of an over-exaggeration.

People want less money for the services while we are STILL fighting a war and it results in more men dying and being destroyed by the rigors and horror of war with nary a break in between.

What has funding got to do with this? Don't tell me there weren't people who had done fewer than 3 tours already who were willing to go out there. This isn't a funding issue.

[rory_20_uk]

If the man was a schizophrenic then he should be sent to a mental health institution for the safety of himself and others for the rest of his life. There is no cure, he's already proven incredibly dangerous, and schizophrenics tend to relapse in a bad way as soon as they stop taking their meds. So, if you're saying he deserves to be put under constant care and supervision for the rest of his life then I agree--but if he's not crazy at all then all you're doing is insulting millions of schizophrenics by putting this guy in their camp.

I was postulating to a cause. I am not a psychiatrist, nor have I interviewed the person.

I think Rory is stating that a sczhoid break would have this sudden and deadly onset that no amount of Pre pep talks could have prevented.

Exactly.

TBI does not cause people to sneak out and assassinate two households full of people. That is insulting to people who actually have TBI and actually suffer real symptoms of TBI.

Why is everyone trying to make excuses for this dude?

A sudden and deadly onset? He snuck out of the post and assassinated people in cold blood. This was not a crime of passion, nor something that was unpreventable. The blame is with the shooter.

Oh, you're an expert in psychiatry now? Amazing how the more ignorant one is the more one can talk with confidence.

And for the record, I am looking for a reason, not an excuse. As far as I am concerned if he did this of sound mind he should be executed, and if he is this mentally ill... he should be executed.

[Husar]

Geez, I learned from any other murder threads that people shouldn't talk so much about the murderer and how bad his childhood was and care more about the 16 victims he killed and their families' need for justice to be served.
Why should tax payers pay for the mental facility costs for a guy who is essentially broken anyway? Death penalty is the cheaper and more humane option.