U.S. Confiscates AP Footage Of Bloody Baghdad Bombing
By Logan Murphy Thursday Oct 04, 2007 3:33pm
Via Editor & Publisher: (h/t The Huffington Post)
A daring ambush of bombs and gunfire left Poland's ambassador pinned down in a burning vehicle Wednesday before being pulled to safety and airlifted in a rescue mission by the embattled security firm Blackwater USA. At least three people were killed, including a Polish bodyguard.
American authorities confiscated an AP Television News videotape that contained scenes of the wounded being evacuated. U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Scott Bleichwehl told AP that Iraqi law make it illegal to photograph or videotape the aftermath of bombings or other attacks.Shortly after the assault, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki renewed his government's offensive against Blackwater.
"There have been 190 victims of Blackwater ... The kind of accusations leveled against the company means it is not fit to work in Iraq," he told a news conference. Read more...
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Fox. Henhouse. 'Nuff said.
Very convenient law, eh? It's almost as if the Bush Administration wrote it.
Winning the hearts and minds one bloody murder after another.
at least they didn't forget about poland...
Haven't they had that law about not filming aftermaths for several months now? I remember hearing about it like back in the spring or thereabouts.
Paul Bremer wrote some interesting laws.
Monsanto likes the law forbidding seed saving by farmers.
Call me paranoid. While watching the hearings the other day they kept repeating that no diplomat has been harmed on their watch. Now this happens and BW was not guarding him. Justification? See, you need us? Besides that, if it is Iraqi law not to show AP videos, why was it the US that confiscated it?
BTW speaking of BW. I was watching CNN and reading the crawl when to my surprise it said....Former BW employee fired for killing guard on Christmas Eve was hired by another contractor to work in the region...then a damn commercial and I couldn't read the rest.
What!!!!! They don't love our mercenaries?
Its on you tube of course.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6y8Q_ww7k2Q
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6ZK9_MsM6Gk
Gayle @ 9:
You Tube has changed everything, IMO.
Imagine if You Tube had been around for the John F. Kennedy assassination. The Warren Report never would have gotten off the ground.
That military strike the US is bragging about today is being disputed by Iraq. US says they killed 25 insurgents and the Iraqi gov is saying women and children were killed. Maybe this is why we need the videos shown. No, I don't want to see them, but I don't trust any reports. Are we sure it is the Iraqis that don't want this evidence taped?
Wow... what utter and complete bullshit! There are and have been a gazillion and one photos/videos of the aftermath of bombings and attacks... we see it every goddamned day on the very few MSM outlets who show such footage. Which ass did he pull this "law" out of?
hey, we created a democracy with no freedom of the press
iraq...the neocon's dream
wanna watch Dana Perino squirm??
http://atrios.blogspot.com/2007_09_30_archive.html#949376751818715613
and no guys , its not soft porn, gotta wait for the playboy layout after the 08' election for that.
Lt. Col. Scott Bleichwehl told AP that Iraqi law make it illegal to photograph or videotape the aftermath of bombings or other attacks.
It'd be nice if this officer would also enforce the Iraqi law expelling Blackwater. I'm tired of this blackwashing the factoids
VietVet8666 @ 10:
It wouldn't have needed to, the facts would have been in the public eye already!
I just bought a copy of the book, "Blackwater, the Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army" by Jeremy Schahill.
The blurbs on the back are chilling enough, I can imagine what the book will be like.
Naomi Klein - "Blackwater is the utterly gripping and explosive story of how the Bush administration has spent hundreds of millions of public dollars building a parallel corporate army, an army so loyal to the far right causes it constitutes nothing less than a Republican guard. The most important and chilling book about the death throes of U.S. democracy you will read in years and a triumph of investigative reporting."
And, yes, I bought it at a small, independent bookstore.
WTF! Why is lackingorder wearing military garb?
If it's an Iraqi law, why is an American soldier enforcing it?
Blackwater hired a BIG advertising company to improve their image, but in my book nothing can compare to the real leads in the war against terrorism.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSDFzAqss7Y
kulshan @ 14:
I told you guys a few months ago, enjoy Dana's looks while you could, she's not aging well. Crypt Keeper.
OT but the earlier thread http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/10/05/gi-to-her-family-ask-many-quest... is going to be on CNN shortly.
U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Scott Bleichwehl told AP that Iraqi law make it illegal to photograph or videotape the aftermath of bombings or other attacks.
OMG! From turn off the lights in WWII to shut your eyes and shut the fuck up in 2007.
I want my country back.
I said on a previous post that the attack on the civilians Sept. 16 was because they want to keep things stirred up in Iraq. Well, mission accomplished. They new there would be reprisals.
Bob at 16
er, what facts?
the fact that most of us knew what Blackwater was all about for more than a couple of years now makes me wonder what took the rest of the world/country/MSM to get hip to this. this was a trainwreck waiting to happen since the idea was first hatched. the most offensive thing i that they get paid so much while the american service people get so much less. WTF.
Since when was the law in Iraq enforced?
Don't watch TV.
Is Dana Perino a hottie?
all this publicity about blackwater leads me to believe they would simply create a secret subsidiary under a different name if there ever was enough power in iraq to force "blackwater" out.
Lets face it, the same mercenaries would fallow the money and be doing the same work for a different company. They are ones pulling the triggers after-all.
So if there are US troops in a country which makes it illegal to criticize the president, will they arrest people for that?
Is there a way to confirm that a Blackwater employee saved the ambassador's life, other than the video that was confiscated? What's wrong with this story?
Janet @ 7:
My earlier statement confirmed. The Pentagon hired that fired BW employee that killed the guard on Xmas Eve two months later.
It's a Iraqi law to not film after a bombing or other attack????
An Iraqi law eh... I gotta a one word response to that...'bullshit!"
Besides, where laws and the Bush administration is concerned...
When the hell did Bushco ever give a damn about rule of law when or if it didn't serve their perverted purpose??? As a practical matter what with the internet and utube and all other manner of communications technology, it's pointless as made up laws goes anyway.
And would somone please explain to me why IF the Iraqies want BW out of 'their' country, they are still there??? Why, because of some bullshit law written by Paul Bremer in the 11th hour of his bullshit overseeing? A law written by an American who is no longer in the picture.. A law written to deliberately attempt to provide a flimsy legal shield for just the kinds of atroscities BW have been accused of... And we're supposedly over there helping them fight terrorism and build a viable democracy?...Really.... My one word response above applies to this too... BULL-FUCKING-SHIT!!!! JD
Janet @ 32:
He is in Kuwait. No wonder there were never any charges filed. He works for the Pentagon now. Is there no end to this crap?
Weaseldog @ 6:
Ya see how mr chimpy will pass bogus laws to justify bogus actions. Why an the cloud chasing repugs see reality? WTF is wrong with these 29%ers? But its to be expected...one-third will be servilely mentality challenged, it's no getting around it.
One-third of the populace controls two-thirds of the populace? Why? Is it because they are ron paulese. paulgist makes sense in the future but the past racist tactics are a fond memory to him. He's a raging racist and a nut.
Oh now they're concerned about Iraqi law?
Way yo go, American Flag!
OT OT OT
I sooo rarely interrupt you folks with OT stuff, but on RARE occas i find something super interestng I think you'd all enjoy.
I'll assume many of you caught Chris Matthew's interview on the Daily Show the other night which was disasterous for him because Jon Stewart didn't like Chris's new book (which Jon did read as he always does b4 he has a guest).
Well Jon pulled no punches and always being the honest guy he is, he made it known (politely) to Chris that he did not like his book. Chris made an ass out of himself on the show (and yesterday when he had his own wife sit on Hard Ball and interview him so he would finally have a good book interview.. CHRIS CAME OFF TOTALLY PATHETIC YESTERDAY!!!)
Anyway, Jon was polite but didn't like the book. Jon came out on top in that interview not Chris. Jon also was so polite that the next night he did something i've never seen him do, he re-advertised Chris's book again since he had panned it the night b4 during the interview. I thought that was super classy of Jon to do.
So now that I laid out the story.. here is what I am bringing you. WaPo article today on Chris's party last night and he was over heard saying he thinks he came out on top in that interview with Jon and left Jon befuddled!!. Is that a joke!!! ?
Chris makes an ass of himself rather often these days.
http://www.examiner.com/blogs/Yeas_and_Nays/2007/10/4/Matthews-Bush-Admi...
p.s. i truly hope someone taped Chris's wife interviewing him yesterday on HB cuz he made a total ass of himself doing that!!
Iraqi law make it illegal to photograph or videotape the aftermath of bombings or other attacks.
So explain away all the pictures we have seen throughout this rotten war of Bush's. Every fucking night we see bombings, but the bombings we're "allowed" to see are part of the bush propaganda machine, so i guess that makes it ok.
These Rats are so married to keeping Americans sniveling and scared is terrible.
There is a word for this .... censonship
Right, suddenly we're concerned about Iraqi sovereignty when it comes to a law such as this, but we won't let the Iraqis prosecute Blackwater's crimes against their people...What does this tell the Iraqi people and the world? tHAT WE are occupying Iraq, NO SHIT.
Jack Damage @ 33:
I agree. We keep saying we want them to govern so we can get out. THAT is major bullshit. We don't let them govern. The Iraqi government did not want us to arm the Sunni but we did anyway. They want BW out but they are staying. They want BW held accountable but if they get fired for murder instead of being held accountable they get hired by the Pentagon. Who is running the Iraqi government? Apparantly bush is which explains why everything is fucked up.
Janet @ 11:
Now a day, I don't trust video either. If they can rig elections then they are capable of rigging film.
The reason more Americans are not marching in the streets for an end to this disaster is because they haven't SEEN it! The Vietnam war was brought home every night on our tv screens and that footage brought reality to a lot of Americans sitting in their living rooms. There has been a blackout imposed by the WH since day one of this illegal war and unfortunately the media, in general, has obeyed. It's the war that doesn't exist.
Walrus at 42
shrub didn't serve in vietnam but he learned from the vietnam experience
Oh ic now. lackingorder gets air clearance before our finest. Wow! this 4th plane of the chimpy's government we find ourselves in the mist of increase danger because dems are thinking about cutting the funding of shimpy's war.
Nothing to see here folks, move along....
t Iraqi law make it illegal to photograph or videotape the aftermath of bombings or other attacks.
Well gosh, wouldn't that be most of Mesopotamia after we invaded?
Speaking of the press and of Iraq, I don't think it's off topic to draw attention to an op-ed by Helen Thomas called The Democrats Who Enable Bush. I saw it in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, but she writes for Hearst so it should be syndicated elsewhere. I love the first sentence, "President Bush has no better friends than the spineless Democratic congressional leadership and the party's leading presidential candidates when it comes to his failing Iraq policy". Thank you, Helen, for speaking up for us millions who aren't being heard by the Democrats.
naschkatze @ 47:
I hope nancy a ried read that, I'm sure someone will stick it under their noses.
Strawberry @ 21:
lmao
she WAS a lil hottie , guess the job is kinda stressful, lying for a Chimp.
junta memory holing 24-7-365
their not fit to work in America either!!!
fuck bush and his censuring of information.
bush is a fascist dictator and this is just what hitler did.
All I can say is, if Lyndon Johnson or Richard Nixon had been able to get this law working during Vietnam, we'd still be there. It was the nightly assault on the American eye that ended that miserable war and got our soldiers home.
This administration has been a lot smarter, a lot shadier and a lot more sinister. They just had their Iraqi counterparts do the dirty work on freedom of the press and no one can blame them. How conveeeeeenient!
theWalrus @ 42:
who said we didnt learn the lessons of vietnam???????????????
Holy Shit, is that a severed foot on the curb? Look to the left of the telephone pole on the middle right side of the picture.
bush will never have a brain cancer , isnt that heartning?
[...] U.S. Confiscates AP Footage Of Bloody Baghdad Bombing [...]
[...] U.S. Confiscates AP Footage Of Bloody Baghdad Bombing [...]
If it is illegal to photograph or videotape the bombs in Iraq, then why does the US Miltary have a Youtube account while mine was banned? The Genocide in Iraq proceeds at pace. The Local and National "News" made no mention that 4 US Troops were killed today along with over 50 Iraqis, who gives a rats ass right. I'm so disgusted with the USA! The Patriots are chanting USA! USA!
...And yet, they are still there.
I suppose there is a precendent, the vast majority of Iraqis also want *us* out of their country.
...And yet, we are still there.
Shortly after the invasion, Iraqi People renewed their offensive against America.
“There have been 1.2 million victims of America … The kind of accusations leveled against the country means it is not fit to work in Iraq,” they told a news conference.
I wouldn't worry about the "NO film at 11:00" attitude of the US military.
With cell phones having built in cameras now NOTHING is unfilmable anymore. It may look a bit grainy or shaky but with the internet, YouTube, and camera phones there are ways around this little military tactic.
The fascists can go ahead and confiscate cameras off journalists who have 10 pounds of photography equipment dangling from their necks, but amongst the confusion and chaos of a newsworthy event Joe Bystander will be able to capture it in some digital form. It's a battle the US fascists in the military will loose.
uncle joe mccarthy @ 13:
Best Comment This Week.....Thanks
Does the video perhaps show that Blackwater personnel were the ones who pulled the attack? So that they could pull a 'daring rescue'??
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