They Shoot Journeys, Don't They?

The Village Voice ^ | October 19, 2003 | Cynthia Cotts

[HiJinx]

And of course, let's not forget that not all people in civilian clothing are innocent. I wonder if this photographer was anywhere near the Palestine Hotel on the 8th of April?

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Put yourself in a tank on the streets of Baghdad. You are in a fight and your enemy is in various buildings around you. He has used civilians as human shields. He has hidden in mosques, schools and hospitals. He has a proclivity for shedding his uniform for civilian clothes. Thus far in this war, the most effective weapons used against you have been shoulder-fired antitank missiles. Maybe you have been told that the Palestine Hotel is "off limits," maybe not. In the haze and confusion of battle you can hear rounds plinking off your turret. Is it just some sniping, or is somebody trying to "button down" your tank so his comrades can get off a shot with a Kornet missile or an armor piercing RPG. Who are those guys on the roof or the balconies of that building a couple hundred yards away? They're hunched over something. Is it a missile launcher - or a video camera?

[colorado tanker]

Well said.

Journalists are so self-absorbed. They assumed "everyone" knew they were at the Palestine Hotel. Really? A bunch of guys who had been in the desert training for two months before the Iraq war started were supposed to know where CNN's crews were staying?

Besides, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if there were Iraqi FO's in that hotel. It had a sweeping view of US forces. How would the journalists know one war or another?

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Video Camera vs. Rocket Propelled Grenade Launcher

[Gorjus]

...this was just a mistake, not a conscious effort to kill journalists.

Let me see . . . a 15 story building, and they shot it one time. Oh, and there were definitely observers there, and there was definitely aimed, corrected fire coming in on them that demonstrated there was an observer around somewhere - an observer high enough up to maintain fire correction even when the U.S. forces moved.

Frankly, I think it's just fine to leave people with the impression they should avoid even an impression of doing something that might be a threat to U.S. forces in a war zone.

There's an analogous situation in "Oath of Fealty" by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. When the 'fake' perps - who are merely doing something that looks like a threat - are killed, one of the characters had the perfect epitaph line.

Think of it as evolution in action!

[Cannoneer No. 4]

The next day at the Daily Briefing in Doha, Qatar, a female media type stood up and suggested that the Palestinian Hotel be granted `Ancient Religious Status' because many member of the media were staying there. This would mean that the Coalition Troops were not to shoot at the Palestinian Hotel even if there were persons in the hotel shooting at Coalition Troops.

[colorado tanker]

suggested that the Palestinian Hotel be granted `Ancient Religious Status'

LOL! Journalists would love to be worshiped, wouldn't they?

[Xenalyte]

They Shoot Journeys, Don't They?

Wow, these guys sure hope not!

[boris]

"In a moral universe, there is no excuse for killing journalists under any circumstances."

First we kill all the lawyers...

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Camera or Launcher? Think fast, now. If you're wrong, you die.

[wizardoz]

She was so much calmer about Daniel Pearl's kidnapping, wonder why?

[Cannoneer No. 4]

A tank fires toward the Palestine Hotel

See that big ball of fire? If you can't see a tank silhouette in the fire ball, you are on the wrong side of it. What is it about the concept of being down range that journalists cannot understand?

[colorado tanker]

You would think with that bunch of clowns claiming to be war correspondants they would know not to get on the wrong side of a gun barrel. If I saw the sight in that picture, I would be haulin' @ass!

[Cannoneer No. 4]

You should appreciate this link:

Spain to probe US 'war crime'

[tet68]

Launcher.

[archy]

The next day at the Daily Briefing in Doha, Qatar, a female media type stood up and suggested that the Palestinian Hotel be granted `Ancient Religious Status' because many member of the media were staying there. This would mean that the Coalition Troops were not to shoot at the Palestinian Hotel even if there were persons in the hotel shooting at Coalition Troops.

We need to borrow some of that sleep gas from the Russians.

[ExSoldier]

ROLLING THUNDER BUMP FOR "THE COMBAT ARM OF DECISION!!!"

[ExSoldier]

Waaaaay back in June 2002, my wife and I were invited to a seminar at the University of Miami (FL) called "Journalism and Democracy" and it was for high school social studies teachers (like me) and high school journalism teachers (my wife). The keynote speakers were some heavyweights from CNN and the local yokels.

First they polled the audience for the number who considered themselves liberal (99% present) or conservative (me, the wife and a dozen others) and the number of former military (that'd be me and maybe one other) and so on.

A lot was made of the newly formed idea of "embedding journalists" with combat units and I got up and got quite aggressive and vociferous against the idea. In typical liberal fashion, they all piled on and just tried to hammer me into the ground, arguing that in a case where millions of viewers could stay informed of the "truth" it was worth the lives of journalists (funny how the senior guys always say this...but they're not going in harm's way) and I shot right back (in front of a bunch of silently SHOCKED teachers) that I didn't give a DAMN about the lives of mongrel reporters, but as a former military officer, I sure couldn't square it against the life of the soldier who would surely break cover to drag back to cover some hapless idiot reporter and get killed doing so. And you know, they all agreed it was worth that soldier's life, too! I came back with: "Oh sure...and I suppose you're going to go to that man's wife or mother and tell them that yes her son or husband got killed trying to save our reporter...but if it's any consolation.....WE GOT THE STORY."

Slowly my fellow teachers got up and applauded me. The yellow dogs of assembled journalists suddenly realized they had lost the liberal teachers in the crowd and backed waaaaay off, glaring DAGGERS at me and my wife.

At the complimentary dinner that night I found our name cards had been rearranged into the back far corner of the room. I know this because one of our friends saw folks from the institute do this just before dinner was served and we assembled to sit. I wonder why? More telling is the fact that neither of us was invited the following year while others were.

Also, there were complaints made against me (but not my wife) by those in charge, but my Principal...just shrugged it off. He had been told to send somebody, anybody! Not only did I want to go, I was the only teacher from our school who lived close to the venue and it was held on a Saturday. So? Tough.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

"Telling only ONE side of a SUBJECT creates an AGENDA."

I read your home page. Right on.

It is good to know that schools have excellent teachers such as yourself. You have a broad background and are the ideal teacher.

Maybe if some of your fellow teachers had your life experience they would think twice about their agenda to brainwash and silence kids.

[wizardoz]

Here, I'm getting in touch with my comedic side:

Q: What do you call a Palestinian gunman killed while armed with an AK-47, talking on a cell phone with Hamas, arranging for the delivery of more bombs while taking potshots at the IDF?

A: Another Palestinian civilian brutally killed in the endless cycle of violence perpetrated by the Zionist aggressor.

Q: What do you call a Palestinian who accidentally blows himself up while teaching his nine-year-old how to build a bomb full of nails coated in rat poison to detonate on a bus full of Israeli women and children?

A: Another Palestinian civilian brutally killed in the endless cycle of violence perpetrated by the Zionist aggressor.

Q: What do you call the nine-year old?

A: Another Palestinian civilian brutally killed in the endless cycle of violence perpetrated by the Zionist aggressor.