In case anyone is still interested in what happens to people in a war zone, one of our most tenacious local bloggers talks about a bombing raid gone horribly wrong. Too many young people buy into the idea that questioning “official reports” is tantamount to being unpatriotic. Some of us older folks remember the lies we were fed during our war….Vietnam. Our skepticism is warranted.
Members of our Fourth Estate trade access for accountability. How difficult it must be to write something critical of an elected official after eating his barbecued ribs, sipping his wine, and hanging out with his kids. I’ll never understand how any self-respecting news division would accept a story from a reporter who was friggin dancing on stage with Karl Rove, and who had the head of DHS at his baby shower?
I don’t buy into this notion that this is the kind of coverage Americans want. The Boomers want news. The kids behind us don’t know anything else but the swill they have been fed.
I can’t go into all this today, but I had to acknowledge Southern Beale’s effort. Without people like her, the internet would be filled with “Dancing With Stars” reviews. Oh, wait.
Mack:
The military hiding their fuck-ups (and the press’s compliance with their machinations) is nothing new. However, it is far worse now than it has been in the past. The experience of Vietnam, reporters interviewing scared, pissed-off kids in or shortly after combat situations and contrasting that with the smiling, lying PIO’s and DoD officials spinning whatever yarn they were told to by higher ups made us aware of the disconnect. Both DoD and the military services are loathe to repeat that “mistake”.
On the flip side of that, I don’t know how much trust I put into the word of some villagers that we just bombed.
No bodies. No proof.
Wow, Mack, I’m humbled! Thanks for the props!
Exador, since we didn’t use nukes, there are actually remains. The place was not incinerated. And, in fact, the story said “the death toll may rise higher, because heavy lifting equipment is needed to uncover all the remains, said one Western official who had seen the United Nations report.”
So maybe we could reserve condemnation until the investigation is complete?
Some choice quotes from your BBC source:
Shindand is a fiercely tribal area and there have been claims by local people of a large number of civilian casualties in the past which have turned out to be exaggerated.
The lack of a body count or clear evidence one way or the other has created a stand-off which is destabilising the West’s relationship with the Afghan government.
at the same time insurgents are killing aid workers and innocent people every day – and it is not possible to hold them accountable for their actions.
This NYT piece:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/world/asia/27herat.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
doesn’t have those quotes. Somebody’s not being completely honest.
This link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/world/asia/27herat.html
doesn’t contain any of that information. I know the UN is a commie front organization whose only of any use when they give us permission to wage war on those we fear (not that we won’t ignore them when they tell us not to) but they seem to have actually seen blowed up buildings and bodies.
Mack:
I posted this with a link to the NYT story, but it may have gotten hung up for that reason. Sorry if it results in a double post.
doesn’t contain any of that information. I know the UN is a commie front organization whose only of any use when they give us permission to wage war on those we fear (not that we won’t ignore them when they tell us not to) but they seem to have actually seen blowed up buildings and bodies.
I fished them out, Demo. Thanks for the heads up.
Here ya go
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7584464.stm
Don’t forget that the NYT is also a commie front.
But the Beeb (as an imperialist joint) mainly reports on Asia and Africa for “funny/dangerous brown people and their laughable/treacherous ways” content. Their foreign desks exist to make London bankers long for the good ol’ days growing up in Rhodesia or Accra.
Yes, the NYT is a commie front, ‘specially since they put Billy Kristol on the op-ed page.