Shit! I didn't get the memo!
Either that or the Charlotte Observer has simply declared itself and its staff to be unaffiliated with this country. What else am I to make of this headline yesterday? U.S. says it's soldiers raped Iraqi, killed 4
"IT'S" soldiers? IT'S?
This headline made me temporarily insane. I actually started muttering obscenities to myself right in the middle of Starbucks! That's where I read it you see, since I no longer have a subscription. People around me were looking at me like I had two heads, and I'm sad to report, not one person there seemed to "get" what my problem was with the headline? Granted, could be cuz it was Starbucks (hey, I can't help it, I like the iced Chai...), but it was a Saturday afternoon, there were all kinds in there, and this is a family neighborhood. It wasn't the usually "independent bookseller" crowd. I was so glad I'd already stopped getting the paper becaue had I not, I would have wasted time taking care of that yesterday too.
Now I know what you're going to say, the story came from the AP, everyone KNOWS they put a decidedly anti-US slant on the news, but the Observer has the right to create it's own headlines! Even the hateful shameless Narcissistic Yellow Traitors (the NYTimes) created their own headline. Not much better, but at least they still consider themselves Americans!
Not so the Observer. They've openly declared their lack of association with the United States in an AMERICAN paper, and a local one at that! And on the eve of 4th of July weekend? Does that mean they no longer have the freedom of speech guaranteed by OUR constitution too? (pleasepleaseplease!!!)
The sickest part is, if you read the article, you clearly see that the headline is--at best--a twisting of the facts. To read it, you'd think the U.S government itself had declared with a certainty that some of OUR own soldiers had done these heinous crimes. The large print sure makes you think that.
Problem is, that's NOT the case at all.
BEIJI, Iraq —A group of American soldiers in an insurgent-riddled town allegedly noticed a young Iraqi woman when on patrol and later returned to rape her, according to U.S. officials Friday.In an apparent cover-up attempt, she and three members of her family then were killed and her body was set onfire. [Hey, where did "allegedly" go?? --Deb]
FiveU.S. soldiers are being investigated, a U.S. military official told The Associated Press.
It is th efifth pending case involving alleged slayings of Iraqi civilians by U.S. troops.
The suspects in the killing, which ["allegedy," conveniently left out here too --Deb] took place in March, were from the same platoon as two soldiers kidnapped and killed south of Baghdad last month, said the official, who is close to the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of thecase.
One soldier was arrested after admitting his role in the alleged attack on the family, the U.S. official said.
Answer? WE DO NOT!
We are talking about allegations, made by Iraqis in an insurgent-sympathetic town. Why do we automatically believe their account, especially since the "evidence" was "allegedly" burned? How do we know there wasn't a rape and attack by insurgents then BLAMED on U.S. soldiers? We know nothing, but the Observer, and the AP report it as fact in the headlines, and only point to "allegations" if you read on. You only figure out that they really have no firm evidence of a rape and murder if you parse their sentences further to discover all they do have is a soldier admitting to a role in an attack. Could be THIS attack with these specifics, could be something else.
What sickens me is that the media reports on this as if the number of investigations and soldiers accused is in itself the only story. What they're missing is that there's another story there, a darker one, more insidious, and one in which the media may play a starring role. Given the way our current enemies consume and study our media for the purpose of manipulating our will to fight this war (since they can't win militarily, it's not that big a stretch to think they'd stage all sorts of heinous acts in places where American soldiers are, and then make sure they get accused by Iraqis of doing the deeds. In fact, I'm SURE it's happening, 100% sure.
I'm not saying these soldiers are innocent, I have no idea, but neither do you, and neither does the Observer. Printing stories with headlines that suggest otherwise not only does a disservice to the over 1M brave men and women who have cycled through Iraq without committing crimes, it absolutely aids and abets our enemy.
But that shouldn't bother the Observer since they aren't Americans anymore anyway.
Posted by insomnomaniac at July 2, 2006 2:27 PM | TrackBackWell, if you start searching for other news sources than the observer, you must agree that these accusations have strong merits and in fact one (now ex) soldier has already been charged.
The events came to light when 2 other soldiers from the same unit opened their mouths about what really happened. Otherwise, I don't think that anybody would have bothered to look into the matter and perpetrators would have walked.
What I'm worried about is how many of these cover ups do succceed and are never investigated or reported to the media. Sure the world wont know about these events but the local communities inside Iraq do know and that just fuels the anti-US sentiment.