It goes without saying that we are all free to believe or disbelieve anything we receive 1st/2nd/3rd hand.

I know Umar personally, and I see no reason why he would want to make this up. He and I were opposed to the war and support an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq regardless of whether we ever heard U$ troops bragging about wanton murder and rape.

As part of my daily interaction with everyday folk, I am frequently tipped off to "newsworthy" facts. I often post them here, though not always under my real name, because I don't want to compromise my role as a conveyor of inside information.

Do I am Umar always "fact check" our stories? How could we? First, a lot of this stuff will be denied by authorities. Second, we have other jobs, and we do not have the time to follow it up. Is it, then, worthless? No.

It may have just been bragging, but, even if it's just that, it goes to show that the U$ military does not always create the most honorable of folk, and we shouldn't unconditionally "support our troops," even though we must "bring [all of] them home."