The AP Maligns Our Soldiers On Memorial Day Weekend

Posted on May 26, 2008

-By Warner Todd Huston

It’s a happy Memorial Day from the Associated Press as they inform the nation that a few Marines involved themselves in a “shooting spree” in Afghanistan. Yes, the AP makes it seem as if our Marines began “firing indiscriminately at vehicles and civilians” during a March 4th altercation near Nangarhar province. But, a closer read finds a far murkier story and one that seems to say that our Marines didn’t go wild but that they thought they were under attack. Whether the Marines were right or wrong about being attacked is the real question at the end of the day. But whatever the case, right at the outset the AP presented the incident as if the Marines were in the wrong.

Even the headline casts the Marines actions in the negative: “Afghans appalled Marines not charged in killings.” No benefit of the doubt there. In fact, the whole first half of the story explores the charges against the Marines before a single word in their defense appears.

Afghan officials expressed outrage Saturday at the decision by the U.S. military not to charge U.S. Marines involved in a shooting spree that left 19 Afghan civilians dead in 2007.

…Afghan witnesses and a report by Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission concluded that a unit of Marine special operations troops opened fire along a 10-mile (16 kilometer) stretch of road, killing up to 19 civilians and wounding 50 other people.

However, we come to discover that the Marines determined that the soldiers “acted appropriately and in accordance with the rules of engagement and tactics, techniques and procedures in place at the time in response to a complex attack.” And that the incident occurred after their convoy was hit by a suicide bomber. And we also find out that this ruling came after a three-week tribunal investigating the charges was held.

Now, an unbiased reporting of this story would have been headlined something more like “Marines Vindicated in Shootings,” or even “After Marines Cleared, Afghans Still Unhappy.” But, no, the headline used seems more like the Marines were merely allowed to kill civilians without even being required to face an investigation.

CNN didn’t help this story to be presented better, either. On the CNN webpage upon which this AP story appears, all the “story highlights” but one stress the aspect of the story that mitigate against the Marines involved.

Here are the “highlights” as noted on CNN’s website:

Story Highlights
2007 shooting spree left up to 19 Afghan civilians dead in Nangarhar
Marines accused of firing indiscriminately after their convoy hit by a suicide bomber
U.N. mission, Afghan officials, outraged: “This is too much. They are killing people”
Military finds Marines “acted … in accordance with the rules of engagement”

On this Memorial Day weekend, the AP and CNN have decided to give us a negative tinged story that presents our Marines as trigger happy, murderers.

Yes, happy Memorial Day, indeed.

(Map credit: CNN.com)

» Filed Under Liberal Media/Bias, News, War On Terror, terrorism

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Comments

3 Responses to “The AP Maligns Our Soldiers On Memorial Day Weekend”

Kate on May 26th, 2008 3:20 pm

I didn’t think my disgust for the MSM could get any greater. I was wrong.
W. A. on May 26th, 2008 3:32 pm

All I can say is……..I’m a laid back kinda guy, spent eight years in the Air Force, have counted thirteen of my ancestors including my Father who left their flesh, souls and spirits on the battle field. I am now CEO of a communications company. I have reached a point that either I stop reading all journalistic material from sources that have no clue nor heart all together or on the other hand my individual voice will be heard and it won’ be pretty.

Disrespect for the very freedoms mine and millions of other families have made for this?

I will fight this with the same fervor you stroke your pens. Once engaged I can see now the whites of your eyes will be as big as Turkey platters.

Your choice.

I’m done….
W. A. on May 26th, 2008 4:59 pm

One other thing……

I’m not affiliated with any political organization…

Again, I was just a guy until now who lived and let live until I have been forced fed by the spoon held by the hand of those I absolutely detest for the last time. THE LAST TIME.

Example and I’m just scratching the surface of this for me and what is a new found contamination in our society. Had the ACLU approached the Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy in Minnesota with the same gusto they have with other public schools across this land, I would have thought OK, at least they apply the same principles in this one instance. THEY DID NOT and I don’t give a damn what their excuses are. I’m a law graduate that pursued business enterprise as apposed to accepting a lucrative position in private practice. Now I have a full compliment of in-house counsel on my payroll. By virtue of their mind disposition, you cannot insult these people even to the point of embarrassment. They will bang the pots and pans at anyone they deem intimidated. Where toughies locals fold under this child’s play intimidation (City Attorneys) by ACLU attorneys who would starve in free enterprise or those that do have a practice that merely participate for the publicity is merely a fly speck on the grill of my car. The criteria at Tarek were and are there to investigate and the ACLU did not.

In my list of soul contaminating events sans lying, stealing or murder is being a hypocrite and especially a well funded hypocritical organization that have the ability to change lives for better and do not. These selective double standard dynamics are as bad as one can allow themselves to get.

This comes from one that was an ACLU financial proponent which my last donation was exactly one year ago. Seems like a lifetime. That’s all I’m saying about this.

It is frightful when all my life I have been a peaceful coexisting citizen yet these and like activities well up on the inside of me like no other. Parity for all, or none at all.

ACLU? You and your sort have woken me up from a very very deep sleep.

I’m not even going to say I have a gang of well heeled colleagues who would love nothing more than to attack your organization until your organization says UNCLE and makes policy fair to all; I’m doing this by myself for myself. If my constituents observe what I’m doing and want join in then we’ll blow that bridge when we get to it.

I am now laser sharp in my resolve and cross hair focused on this with all the financial means to morph change. I’m done with European accented talking-heads telling me what to do as well. This includes you Ms. Soros. Got it?

EOM

W. A.