Apache killing video becomes viral news (how your taxes have been spent, video inside)

WalkofLife · Jan 16, 2004

Apache killing video becomes viral news

Posted: 14 January 2004 By: Jemima Kiss
Email: jemima@journalism.co.uk

A graphic US military video showing the killing of three Iraqi people is being circulated via the web after appearing on US TV news channel ABC News.

The one-minute file, filmed from a US Apache helicopter, shows three suspected Iraqi insurgents being shot with 30mm cannon fire. The clip was cut from a longer video obtained by ABC News last week and verified by a senior US army official.

The MPEG format file has been posted to several right-wing US forums, where the effectiveness of the Apache's firepower has been celebrated.

So far though, in spite of its graphic nature, the film does not seem to have attracted much attention from the anti-war movement.

Tony Sleep, a freelance photographer in the UK, was one recipient of the file. He was emailed a link to a US academic site that temporarily hosted the MPEG file.

"It's very uncomfortable to watch because it's so calculated," he told dotJournalism. "It's quite pornographic actually."

Link

Video download (WARNING: some viewers may find this material disturbing):
http://www.journalism.co.uk/imagesn/apache.mpeg

See also:
http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/US/apache_video_040109.html

angusr · Jan 16, 2004

this is war . . . but absolutely disgusting that it would be released to media . . . modern day equivalent of impaling enemies heads on pikes and displaying in public....

lander · Jan 16, 2004

3 more deaths on the hands of the Bush Administration.

I am not a religious man, but I hope more than anything that I'm wrong so that these evil, evil men in Washington will suffer an eternity of pain, suffering and horror for their sins.

SENDITIN · Jan 16, 2004

Do we have any video from Sadaam's rape rooms? How about when they turned loose wild dogs to kill people? Any video from the sources of the mass graves?

Save this stuff for the moveon.org website to stir up the troops.

lander · Jan 16, 2004

Those men in the video were not convicted of any crimes. One man was lying on the ground severly wounded and the cowards in the high tech weapontry murdered him ...

just as they have done to over 10,000 innocent Iraqi civilians.

xpanda · Jan 16, 2004

Angus: very true, but how many people here, even, are guilty of hitting the link and watching it? A most unfortunate side of human nature.

SENDITIN · Jan 16, 2004

You can watch this stuff on the History Channel virtually every day...different wars but same content.

lander · Jan 16, 2004

Xpanda,
I think people should be encouraged to know the truth about their government's actions regardless of the humanity. Pretending that something is not occuring does not make it go away.

WalkofLife · Jan 16, 2004

SENDITIN;

So you're basically comparing Saddam Hussein with whom? The guys in the Apache? They all are murderers, you're right. You have hit the nail on the head, Bush as well as Saddam are cold-blodded assasins.

Do you have kids, SENDITIN?

How would you feel if the people in the government send your only kid to war and he was killed fighting a battle over oil?

It's a legitimate question and it would help me understand your position a little better.

xpanda · Jan 16, 2004

Lander: you're absolutely right. By the same token, though, having tens of thousands of people watch you die is morbidly degrading and inhumane. My statement wasn't really a political commentary as much as it was a disdain for some of the traits us humans have in common. Is all.

WalkofLife · Jan 16, 2004

Senditin:

One more thing, you're right again... this has been happening for centuries. Moreover, if you read "The Price" by Macchiavelli, you'll learn of people that actually use war and all war ways to obtain and perpetrate power.

The truth remains untouched though. War is led by killers and war has proven itself to be completely unnecessary, but for the people pursuing the power.

War is the tool of power for those who rule. The more fascist a governement, the more inclined to porvoke and lead wars it'll be.

Bush is as fascist as Musolini, Hitler or Milosevic. Close your eyes and ignore it, many have in the past and they lived a perfectly numb life.

SENDITIN · Jan 16, 2004

If you can't see the difference between Sadaam and Bush then you need some serious help. Could you see the difference between FDR and Hitler? Both murderers I guess right? How about Osama and Tony Blair? Both murderers right? How about FDR and Hirohito? More murderers.

A similar scene could have been shown from WWI or WWII...does that mean we are murderers? Are there no causes that we should fight for?

P.S. People like you scare me...We'd all be doing the goose step now if you were in charge

WalkofLife · Jan 16, 2004

SENDITIN;

I respect your opinions, even if I had to die for disagreeing with them.

You talk about history, with liberty. Will you appreciate that somebody uses the same liberty to talk against an imminent fascist government?

Have you really studied history, SII? Do you remember how they started profiling the Hebrew population in the times of the NationalSozialismus (NAZIs). A subtle process at first and it all ended with the killing of 6 M people.

How's Bush fascism any different? Well, it's just happening 70 years later. Other than that, there's no difference. If History indeed repeats itself, we're seeing the next fascist government at early stages. Argue with that.

xpanda · Jan 16, 2004

Senditin: FDR joined a group of allies who were defending themselves against German attack, already under way. Bush can make no such claim. If Bush gets to Osama, that will be a different story.

WoL is referring to leaders who 'lead' a war, not those who defend themselves, or their allies, in war. Surely you see a difference.

Btw, you are right in that there is a major discrepancy between Saddam and Bush. In Saddam's case, he did what he did to his own people directly ... in Bush's case, he's setting his own people up to be destroyed by the very people he's currently attacking. One sets it up to absolve himself from direct bloodshed, the other admits it freely.

SENDITIN · Jan 16, 2004

Who is Bush profiling...Al Quaeda? If so good for him! I don't remember Hitler building infrastructure when he invaded other countries do you? Haven't seen any gas or torture chambers being set up in Iraq...just removed!

WalkofLife · Jan 16, 2004

Well, Hitler had to build those gas chambers, because he intended to kill as many people at tthe same as he could and he intended to do it without the rest of the world realizing what he was doing.

Bush has been open about it. Xpanda is right.

Does it change the whole thing a bit? No.

You haven't answered my question: Would you send your kids to die in a war for oil? Or are you supporting this war, simply because it has not affected you yet?

Run "Al quaeda" in google. Tell me how many names of terrorist that have been profiled have indeed been taken down.

WalkofLife · Jan 16, 2004

But you know what, if we were living 70 years ago and this video clip were exposing the killing of Jews, I'm sure there'd be at least a group of arians denying what had been presented to them.

angusr · Jan 16, 2004

Bush/Hitler rhetoric a little extreme.....

WalkofLife · Jan 16, 2004

Agree Angus. Hopefully time will prove me wrong, as I love America as a country. I just hate the current governement and its tactics of war and foreign policies.

SENDITIN · Jan 16, 2004

Walk,

If my kids wanted to join the military, that's their issue...nobody forces you in the U.S. to join the military...it's voluntary.

You seem to want it both ways...Sadaam could easily be compared to Hitler and or Stalin and we are taking action against him...yet you are complaining because nobody took action in time to help the Jews.