Hearts and minds.

"'The Iraqis are sick people and we are the chemotherapy,' said Corporal Ryan Dupre.' I am starting to hate this country. Wait till I get hold of a friggin' Iraqi. No, I won't get hold of one. I'll just kill him.'

...

"Two tanks and three AAVs were placed at the north end of the third bridge, their guns pointing down towards Nasiriya, and given orders to shoot at any vehicle that drove towards American positions. Though civilians on foot passed by safely, the policy was to shoot anything that moved on wheels. Inevitably, terrified civilians drove at speed to escape: marines took that speed to be a threat and hit out. During the night, our teeth on edge, we listened a dozen times as the AVVs' machineguns opened fire, cutting through cars and trucks like paper.

"Next morning I saw the result of this order - the dead civilians, the little girl in the orange and gold dress."

- Mark Franchetti, reporting for the Times. Article available here, mirrored here without requiring subscription.

Additional (revised):

Said article now appears to have been moved to the paid-subscription-only section of the Times site - you can see the start of it at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,2086,00.html - but it's still available at the indymedia site. The person who originally sent me the Times link has confirmed that the copy at indymedia is the same as the Sunday Times article.

Commuting

Have realised that previous calculations underestimated time for bus journey and waiting-for-bus. Average daily commute, return trip, is closer to five hours than four.

*grumble*

Still trying to get hang of sleeping sitting up. Railway seats, while reasonably comfortable for sitting upon, do not, alas, recline.

Ick (non-war-related, for a change)

"A bullied Brisbane schoolboy who murdered his teenaged tormentor was today jailed for seven-and-a-half years." (And will have to serve at least 70% of that - five years - mostly in an adult prison.)

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/01/1048962751634.html

For crying out loud. The killer was sixteen, living effectively without adult support due to his mother's mental illness. The eighteen-year-old 'victim' and his friends were in the habit of invading the kid's house, and beating him every few days. Shortly before the killing the 'victim' came to the kid's house, demanded money, punched him, and stole his Discman. The judge found the killing was 'not pre-meditated, pre-organised or cold blooded.'

Five years?