Blowback from the 2003 Hotel Shelling by Fremdfirma

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Blowback from the 2003 Hotel Shelling

POSTED BY: FREMDFIRMA
UPDATED: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 07:23
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Wednesday, August 11, 2010 7:17 AM

Some might recall the events surrounding a tank firing a single shell at the Hotel Palestine back in 2003, which by itself seems at best negligence and at worst an unavoidable screwup (based on my own personal assessment) - but in the context of other, very deliberate attacks on non-embedded journalists during the same time, left a lot of hackles raised.

Turning the tanks on the reporters
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2003/jun/15/broadcasting.Iraqandthemed
ia

They Shoot Journos, Don't They?
http://www.villagevoice.com/2003-06-03/news/they-shoot-journos-don-t-t
hey/

While a certain level of hostility from the other incidents is completely understandable, I'm not sure the folk questioning what the tank crews could see understand just how limited visibility is within a buttoned up tank through the vision blocks - and the tankers did call for clearance to fire, so this all seems miscommunication rather than any actual intent, but the Spanish government, no doubt pissed at us over other incidents, such as the indictment of 26 american CIA agents (the legal terms are different but it's the closest american equivalent) in Nov 2009, and the warrants issued for 13 more in May 2010, for their actions in regard to kidnapping, torture and murder related to "extraordinary rendition", based on testimony and evidence solid enough for INTERPOL, who's standards are a hell of a lot better than most american courtrooms.

Anyhow, so they're pissed at us, and they wanna arrest the tank crew...

The US tank crew wanted for murder
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/93
861

While I don't have much of a problem with handing over the CIA goons, especially when they chose to continue at least one detention and abuse AFTER being ordered by a direct representative of the CinC to release them...

The tank crew followed orders to the limit of their ability and recieved clearance to fire based on bad information which was the responsibility of people above their pay grade to get right, and they immediately ceased fire when informed to do so - just like the tank crew in the blue-on-blue fire incident we discussed here before, they did everything right to the best of their ability.

So in this case, no - we should not cooperate, but rather offer reparations to the families of the reporters killed with apropriate official apologies, but hanging three poor tankers out to dry for political expediency is offensive to me when any wrongdoing or negligence rests higher up the chain than them.

I may not care for our troops being there and obeying orders which I consider illegal, but fucked if these poor bastards deserve to swing at the windy corner even when they did everything by the book.

-Frem

I do not serve the Blind God.

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Wednesday, August 11, 2010 7:23 AM

ANTHONYT

Freedom is Important because People are Important

Hello,

If the Tank crew goes to the rope, then so do all the people who issued their orders and cleared them to fire. That's the deal.

Otherwise, No dice. No rope. No deal. "Collateral Damage," and everyone gets paid off and apologized to.

--Anthony

Due to the use of Naomi 3.3.2 Beta web filtering, the following people may need to private-message me if they wish to contact me: Auraptor, Kaneman, Piratenews. I apologize for the inconvenience.

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