Pilotless plane took video of town where Iraqis died (Important)

Mercury News/WaPost ^ | 5/29/06 | Tom Ricks

[pissant]

WASHINGTON - Military investigators piecing together what happened in the Iraqi town of Al-Hadithah on Nov. 19, 2005 -- when Marines allegedly killed two dozen civilians -- have access to video shot by a pilotless aircraft that was circling overhead for at least part of that day, military defense attorneys familiar with the case said in interviews.

It is unclear whether the video obtained from that day's flight captured the violence, said the attorneys, who have consulted with Marines who were there. One attorney said investigators have reviewed surveillance footage taken hours after the shootings, which showed the Marines returning to the town to remove the bodies of the Iraqis.

Monday, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said charges will be issued if the evidence merits it. For now, ``it would be premature for me to judge'' the outcome of the two U.S. military investigations, Pace said on CBS's ``The Early Show.''

(snip...Please Read Carefully below)

[lugsoul]

Could you possibly come up with more of a non-sequitur?

First, I was responding to a post suggesting the use of surrogate executioners when we didn't want prisoners, and my response was that at least some wouldn't have fallen into any legitimate 'prisoner' category.

Second, most people who aren't bending over backwards to push moral equivalence understand the difference between civilians who are killed because they are in the way and a three-year old girl who was killed because a person in the same room with her pointed a weapon at her and pulled the trigger.

But that's okay, if you want to view Marines and their actions as equivalent to AQ and their actions, be my guest. I tend to think we are better than that.

[pissant]

I read that piece from Lt. Pantano (who many think is actually Peach...LOL).

He showed class and restraint towards Murtha that I could not muster.

[pissant]

Well, it seems important, that a defense lawyer privy to inside info is calling Murtha out.

[Peach]

Thanks for posting that; those Marines don't sound like the kind of guys who would do what they are charged with doing.

[Peach]

LOL. That's going to follow me for a looong time.

[MizSterious]

Perhaps if you'd quoted the post to which you were responding, it would have taken on another meaning. Standing on it's own, I took it at face value.

[pissant]

Just as Casablanca did not show the blood of General Stasser when Bogie shot him. It's not important to show gore, in my book. I can watch War Stories and World at War for that. ;o)

[dfwgator]

There is no comparing "Band of Brothers" and "Saving Private Ryan." SPR was fiction, with D-Day as the backdrop.

"Band of Brothers" was based on real events, and the real men behind those events. The scenes at Bastogne were just as gut-wrenching as the opening in SPR.

[Gothmog]

99.9999999% of Marines would not do what Murtha, the dems and the media are condemning them of doing. I hold out hope that in a few weeks they will be exonorated and Murtha, etc. will be vilified.

Thank G*d for FR or we'd be mostly clueless about this.

[Blzbba]

" The scenes at Bastogne were just as gut-wrenching as the opening in SPR. "


no doubt. The scenes were they were being shelled by Nazi artillery in the forest were intense.

[kellynla]

"will provide a different view of the incident than has been presented by Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) and other members of Congress. For example, he said, contrary to Murtha's account, it will show that the Marines came under small-arms fire after the roadside explosion."

do you have a link for this article in the WashTimes?
and thank you for posting this thread. The Left & the Media are a little too quick on the draw to condemn the Corps and on this Memorial Day weekend of all times when everyone should be memorializing those including Marines who paid the ultimate price for freedom.

Thanks,
Kelly

[pissant]

Compare that reporter's shock/sadness with Murtha's "site unseen" scorn. DISGUSTING

[Coop]

Ping for a great read on the accused Marines. Thanks to Gothmog for posting.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1640682/posts?page=76#76

[p. henry]

I began to read an article on the Haditha affair yesterday. I believe it was from the New York Times or the Washington Post. In the introductory paragraph, the publication revealed that they had hired Iraqis to go to Haditha, rather than sending their own reporters. They also said that the sources for their story were Iraqis who had not previously spoken on the issue but whose accounts agreed with "the broad outlines" of the story related by others. I stopped reading at that point.

Consider the disclaimer the paper gave before launching into another trial by newsprint of the Marines. Put another way, their disclaimer should have been: "We sent inexperienced Iraqis to Haditha. They interviewed people not previously identified with the incident whose stories contain details inconsistent with previous renditions. Nevertheless, we decided to use that "reporting" as a basis for yet another indictment of the Marines by an American newspaper. Oh, and by the way, we will not include in this story any information whicn might exonerate the Marines. For example, we will not report that insurgents have been known to mutilate and move bodies to create the impression that an atrocity has occurred. Nor will we report that Iraqi insurgents attempt to mingle with civilians or that there is evidence that the Marines were returning fire. Happy reading."

[pissant]

Just like Clinton, the MSM loathes the military.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT

[pissant]

Yes, Lieutenant, it will. ;o)

[spunkets]

"Who says we shot the three year old?"

The Marine Corps. They already paid compensation for all those killed in the first 2 houses.

[delacoert]

You can take my statement any where you wish.

I guess I wasn't very clear - my two word comment was meant as complete agreement with pissant (in that post and all his others on this topic).

I can't/won't condone or put up with the knee jerk condemnation of these marines on the basis of the hearsay in the MSM and also in consideration of the sources.

In another thread, Laura Ingraham was quoted as having said about the incident that her sources in the Pentagon say, "it's bad."

I responded in that thread that:

1. I don't think we can/should make a judgement based on this sort of hearsay!
2. Bad might mean that there is so much political intervention (Pentagon COA, US politics, and/or international politics) that it's going to be difficult to get evidence and/or a fair hearing.
3. Even if there was more meat than the comment "it's bad", I would still shut my mouth and wait for the trial.
4. I didn't hear/read Laura's comments, but I'm much more prone to make a negative judgement about her than the marines.

When I read pissant's comment in post #25, i.e.,

I just pray that the Military does not give in to the MSM and "world opinion" and charge these guys just to get the heat off. But the Murtha-ization of the world's press is doing a full court press, and will not be satisfied with anything other than murder convictions.

You can take my statement any where you wish.

[pissant]

WA. Post, not the Times.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/29/AR2006052900928.html