So, he's a divisive character of course. Let's, for a minute, just assume that all off the shit said about him is true. . . So what?

He's a religious sociopath who wound up with a rifle--this shit just happens sometimes. He was a good sniper, but not a good person. Of course he was a blight on the U.S. military, particularly for snipers, but expecting a 100pc rate of moral supremacy is unrealistic, not to mention dangerous. Our snipers are far better than theirs. We've known since 2006 that insurgent snipers in Iraq specifically targetted engineers, medics and chaplains.

I'm not here to make a huge argument about how Chris Kyle ought to be exonerated, or how the conduct of the Coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan has been exemplary, but let's not forget just who we're fighting.

Another way to look at this is how the US military likes to turn turn tales like his into propaganda stories. Just conveniently leave out the things that should have any decent person outraged and hype up the heroics, and you have the basis for another recruitment drive.

It's not the first time they've turned a military horror story into pro-war propaganda.

Hey, at least we don't behead journalists and use it as recruitment material.

Quote from: Kupo on February 02, 2015, 10:28:35 AM

Another way to look at this is how the US military likes to turn turn tales like his into propaganda stories. Just conveniently leave out the things that should have any decent person outraged and hype up the heroics, and you have the basis for another recruitment drive.

It's not the first time they've turned a military horror story into pro-war propaganda.

Hey, at least we don't behead journalists and use it as recruitment material.

Did the Iraqis do that before ISIS?

Did the Iraqis do that before ISIS?

Probably, ISIS has been around since 1999.

So not the Iraqis that Chris Kyle was killing, specifically.

It looks like the entire point of the thread has escaped you. Nobody's saying Chris Kyle wasn't a cunt.

Quote from: Maverick on February 02, 2015, 12:30:40 PM

Quote from: challengerX on February 02, 2015, 12:04:22 PM

Quote from: Maverick on February 02, 2015, 11:48:25 AM

Quote from: Meta Cognition on February 02, 2015, 10:30:45 AM

Quote from: Kupo on February 02, 2015, 10:28:35 AM

Another way to look at this is how the US military likes to turn turn tales like his into propaganda stories. Just conveniently leave out the things that should have any decent person outraged and hype up the heroics, and you have the basis for another recruitment drive.

It's not the first time they've turned a military horror story into pro-war propaganda.

Hey, at least we don't behead journalists and use it as recruitment material.

Did the Iraqis do that before ISIS?

AQ specifically.

So not the Iraqis that Chris Kyle was killing, specifically.

What's your point? Nobody's a Chris Kyle fanboy here.

Just trying to point out that we're criticizing a particular group by referencing the actions of separate groups, in which this would otherwise probably be a solid thread.

Quote from: Meta Cognition on February 02, 2015, 12:59:03 PM

Quote from: Maverick on February 02, 2015, 12:54:05 PM

Just trying to point out that we're criticizing a particular group by referencing the actions of separate groups, in which this would otherwise probably be a solid thread.

Um. . . Where?

We're criticising both the insurgency, specifically its snipers, and militant Islam in general. I'm not exactly seeing the conflation here with any other group.

Well if we're just bunching them all together then there's not really a problem, but I thought the discussion was specifically about the insurgents that Chris Kyle fought.

No, I'm comparing the state of our snipers (and the rest of the military, by extension) versus the state of the insurgent snipers (and the rest of the insurgency, by extension) and pointing out how our guys are morally superior to the insurgents they fight, despite the actions of Chris Kyle.

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