Originally posted by: Aegeon
Originally posted by: jpeyton
If you've seen Control Room, you'd already know the US military isn't above assassinating journalists they don't like.
I'm sure there will be some "intelligence" or "insurgent chatter" that will surface about an attempt to suicide bomb a US checkpoint that very same day :roll:
I hope our military's ability to win hearts and minds translates into a full Itailian withdrawal of support from Iraq.
Frankly this is an outright illogical position. I haven't seen any explanation on why the US wouldn't have made it appear to be an insurgent attack to avoid the bad press from things going the way it did. It also makes no sense on why the US would have stopped with what is actually a fairly limited machine gun burst. If it was an assassination attempt, they should have kept firing until they were sure everyone was dead. While slighly worse PR on one hand, that way there wouldn't have been anyone to contradict claims that they were outright inexplicably trying to run a road block. This incident doesn't make sense if you examine it as an assassination attempt given the other options the US had and what they could have done different with the incident itself if that had been the case.
The Empire wants to send a clear message to the independant journalists who criticize the Empire. One is shot once in a while, by the mercenaries of the Empire. How can you be surprised by the arrogance of the Empire, drunk with power?
And how dare you believe the Pentagon, the same Pentagon caught lying in Vietnam even about the start of the war! The same Pentagon that killed millions of innocent human beings in Vietnam. The very same Pentagon that poisoned Vietnam for decades, or even centuries.
You must be mad. As mad as those who believe the media corporations feeding them the lies of the Pentagon.
Giuliana Told US Wouldn't Let Her Return Home Alive
US Soldiers Prevented First Aid After Shooting
From Jueri Svjagintsev
deepeddy@texasdata.net
3-6-5
"The US soldiers prevented first aid for several minutes and prevented anyone from coming near the car", said Pier Scolari as he entered Celio (military) hospital. "Giuliana had had information that the USA wouldn't let her return home alive.
Giuliana Sgrena and wounded Italian military intel agent have been interviewed by Italian magistrate... after he left she spoke with press, said it was a PATROL not a checkpoint - suddenly found themselves in that shot at them, shot immediately with no warning whatsoever, instant massive hail of bullets and no chance to communicate - confirms the car was NOT speeding, was travelling at slowish normal speed.
"Non era un check point, ma una pattuglia che ha sparato appena dopo averci illuminato con un faro. Non si è capita la provenienza dei proiettili, precedentemente non avevamo incontrato posti di blocco".
" IT WAS NOT A CHECKPOINT BUT A PATROL THAT SHOT AT US IMMEDIATELY AFTER HAVING TURNED A LIGHT ON US. WE COULDN?T UNDERSTAND WHERE THE BULLETS WERE COMING FROM, BEFORE THAT WE HADN'T ENCOUNTERED ANY CHECKPOINTS" --Giuliana Sgrena
http://www.repubblica.it/
On Mar 5, 2005, at 4:52 PM, Jueri Svjagintsev wrote:
Forum clips from a new Zealander living in Italy:
To give an idea of the climate here, this is today's front page on Il Manifesto - HUGE headlines:
Giuliana Sgrena è libera.
Gli americani sparano.
Assassinato il suo liberatore.
Si chiamava Nicola Calipari
Translation:
Giuliana Sgrena is free.
The Americans shoot,
murdering her liberator.
His name was Nicola Calipari.
In a first interview, Giuliana has said her kidnappers never mistreated her - said the WORST moment of her whole experience was the shooting and CALIPARI'S death ... ("in her arms" ...as he was lying on top of her, shielding her with his body during the shooting-massacre, died as she was clutching him... <icon_cry.gif )
So, if the US continues to "justify" these murders saying it was basically "all the victims' fault" as usual - i.e. unless they seriously eat crow, abjectly go down on bended knees which means at v. least court-martialing their checkpoint murder-squad - think they will soon be saying bye-bye to Italian "collaboration"!!
Latest from Giuliana's partner Scolari (from La Repubblica.it)
14:59 Scolari: "Militari Usa hanno impedito i soccorsi" "I militari Usa hanno impedito i soccorsi per alcuni minuti e hanno impedito che chiunque si avvicinasse all'auto". Lo ha detto Pier Scolari entrando all'ospedale del Celio. "Giuliana aveva avuto delle informazioni secondo le quali gli Usa non l'avrebbero lasciata tornare viva a casa. Il governo ha l'obbligo di fare luce e gli Usa devono avere il coraggio di dire che in Iraq siamo in mano a dei ragazzini", ha aggiunto Scolari.
US Soldiers Prevented First Aid.
"The US soldiers prevented first aid for several minutes and prevented anyone from coming near the car", said Pier Scolari as he entered Celio (military) hospital. "Giuliana had had information that the USA wouldn't let her return home alive. The Government must cast light on what happened and the USA must have the courage to say that in Iraq we are in the hands of teenagers", he added.
14:56 Scolari: "Giuliana ha raccolto manciate di proiettili"
"Giuliana ha raccolto decine di proiettili, a manciate, erano tutti sul sedile dopo la sparatoria". Lo ha detto Pier Scolari, aggiungendo che "Calipari aveva fatto quella strada tantissime volte e quindi si potrebbe pensare male: che gli americani non volevano il lieto fine. Questo è un motivo buono per andare via dall'Iraq".
"Giuliana has collected handfuls of bullets" "Giuliana collected dozens of bullets, by the handful, they were all on the carseat after the shooting", said Pier Scolari, adding that "Calipari had travelled along that road a great many times, so there is reason to suspect foul play: that the Americans didn't want the happy ending. This is a good reason to leave Iraq".
CNN's statement that "Sgrena's partner said he could not fault the U.S. soldiers, telling Reuters they were probably "scared boys," and the blame lay with those who had sent them to Iraq." is an outright LIE: what he is actually saying is a helluva-lot less "convenient" - he's calling the US military who shot at the car CRAZY TRIGGER-HAPPY LUNATICS, says they fired over 400 shots, attack lasted several minutes. Calling Calipari's death a MURDER, maybe a deliberate AMBUSH... says could have been a deliberate US assassination-attempt to stop Giuliana telling the truth about Fallujah!! Denies ANY attempt to warn car before opening fire. Confirms CAR WAS DRIVING SLOWLY, US FORCES HAD BEEN FULLY INFORMED THROUGH PROPER CHANNELS, ITALIAN MILITARY WERE WAITING FOR GIULIANA AT AIRPORT.
So CNN, is lying through its teeth! DOES NOT "look good" here that US is trying to justify and cast blame on victims. Also NOT even true that Italy is "celebrating" Giuliana's release.. all release-celebrations have been cancelled due to the shooting, Calipari's coffin will be greeted by heads of state, big state funeral - that's national mourning not "celebration", duh - both right and left grieved and furious, big big diplomatic tension -same climate throughout press and TV.