The prosecution of Elling has the same vibe as that of Calley [1] after the vietnam war, and that of the small group of soldiers involved in the Mahmudiyah rape

The prosecution of Elling has the same vibe as that of Calley [1] after the vietnam war, and that of the small group of soldiers involved in the Mahmudiyah rape [2] during the second gulf war. Viewed in isolation, the atrocities committed by these men deserve punishment. But in the bigger picture, the function these trials serve is for the institution in charge to be able to say "see? We do hold ourselves accountable" even though the vast majority of war crimes went uninvestigated and unpunished. More heads, and more important heads, should roll. Not just that of one fall guy. Tens of thousands of deaths every year, and even more lives ruined. But we all know what side the US government is on, so I'm not holding my breath. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Calley https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Calley [2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings