Posted on 08/31/2007 7:39:19 PM PDT by camerakid400
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Flying over Haditha, Iraq, on November 19, 2005, a small, unmanned spy plane called "Scan Eagle" recorded scenes of heavy fighting -- bombings and strafings from the air, and ground work by U.S. Marines seeking insurgents who earlier in the day had set off a roadside bomb that killed one of their members.
Lawyers for Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich will introduce video of Haditha taken by a drone as evidence.
The Scan Eagle arrived about 30 minutes after the initial bomb attack on the Marines and does not show the the civilians being killed. It does show a house from which the military suspected insurgents triggered the bomb -- and the wrecked vehicle it left 1,000 yards (about 900 meters) away.
The video appears to show that, throughout that day, Marines engaged in fierce firefights and called in air strikes to level buildings -- often with no definitive idea of who was inside.
That could buttress defense arguments that Marines clearing buildings on the ground with guns and grenades were just following rules of engagement.
"The defense can say, 'Hey, look, you had to do this later in the day, what's the difference between what happened later in the day and what our guys did earlier in the day?' " asked retired Marine Lt. Col. Gary Solis, a former prosecutor and military judge who teaches law at Georgetown University and West Point.
Solis, who analyzed the video for CNN, said the intense fighting and necessity of making split-second decisions could play out in favor of defendants in the case.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Well, I still can’t say for sure where the taxi was. The way I see the pictures, it seems the taxi is farther east than yours, closer to usmcobra’s position. But I don’t know. Depending on where the different vehicles and Marines were on that road, impacts the line of fire they encountered. I think their position has been that the taxi was between them and the houses to the south.
“Do you have the 14,000 page NCIS report and the actual drone video the media is using to source the basis of these renewed media attacks on these Marines?”
Not sure your point ... are you saying now that the media simply made up Wuterich’s statements about why he shot the taxi occupants ?
Your “logic” is so weak, and now that you have admitted to purposefully providing false theories, I’m suspecting that this is simply another false concept you are throwing out.
” I think their position has been that the taxi was between them and the houses to the south.”
Impossible, the video shows without a doubt where the taxi was - there is simply nothing around where usmcobra had originally said it was that in any way resembles the compunds clearly seen near the taxi in the video.
“Logic would imply no one would be stupid enough to post that kind of information unless one doesnt mind dead Marines.”
Like the bad guys don’t know where they went and what they did ... Kind of like the statement upthread regarding the bad guys just finding out that an Opal’s doors don’t stop bullets.
Also, BTW, I wanted to be sure you had seen this map in WaPo:
Welcome to Free Republic, by the way. And thanks for posting this thread.
Yo. Dude. Refer to your earlier post ‘upthread’. The one where you want logistical info on convoys, tactics, etc. Just sayin’...no one with half a brain would post that kind of information. The fact that you don’t think twice about it speaks volumes.
We can now positively identify the positions of the blast and taxi based on the drone video - so the map positions in this pic are innaccurate.
I’ve gone over the taxi location quite a bit upthread -
The true blast position is about half way to the left edge of this pic. You can triangulate it in the video by comparing two different shots, one showing the left face of the somewhat “C” shaped building in the center, and the other showing the rectangular building just about straight up from the “N”
” Just sayin...no one with half a brain would post that kind of information. “
Do you think that the bad guys have to read FR instead of looking out their windows as a convoy passes ?
As I said ... the bad guys KNOW what happened, it’s no secret to them -
Would you bet your life on anything you read on the web ?
I don’t think anyone with half a brain would ...
“showing the left face of the somewhat C shaped building in the center”
Damn ... got my left and right mixed again ( He says, hoping the pool water will wash off the L & R now markered on his hands )
If I was single, I’d ask you to marry me! THAT was awesome!
are you saying now that the media simply made up Wuterichs statements about why he shot the taxi occupants ?
Far from it, I'm saying that they should not have the evidence and documents they have, because the release of such evidence and documents could be prejudicial to this case.
They quote a line but they have 14,000 pages of the NCIS reports from which to quote as well as the complete video of which we have only seen seconds of hours.
That's why reaching a verdict based upon quotes in a newspaper story are so ignorant, and yes if you have judged this man by those few quotes you have read you are ignorant, even if the Washington Post says that's what he said.
My question about the video as well as the NCIS report being in the hands of the media go even deeper then that. This was a full blown military investigation the purposes of which were to get to the facts of this matter.
The Video as well as the report should have been classified, if for no other reason then to protect the legal rights of the accused, if they were released to the press, I'd say that is reason enough to dismiss this case, if they were leaked or stolen by someone whose motives were to convict these Marines in the press then there is even more reason to dismiss this case because the scales of justice have been skewed by politics.
A couple of hours ago I found out my younger sister has died, and I have been comforting the rest of my family while we try to find out the details and make plans. So I am going to take a break from our debate on this matter.
I hope you'll understand That I have more pressing matters then to prove you wrong,
Best situation analysis I've seen so far.
Should be a crime for the media to publish false accusations.
If you need anything, ping me.
You, without a doubt, have my my unfailing prayers.
It is. Just no one with the duty to prosecute such crimes is willing to stand up and do their job.
Well, yes, but for the media, they get the "knowingly" exemption. You gotta prove that they KNEW of the falsehood, if they were "duped" by their source, well, then it's a tort, except the military can't tort it to 'em, so effectively, no punishment. Note I said "publish", not "knowingly publish", still, you are accurate.
Tonight on 60 Minutes they will replay the episode with Wuterich himself regarding the taxi.
ALL media ?
< law of unintended consequences alert >
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