Wikileak’d video shows U.S. troops firing on Reuters reporters and Iraqi children

Pentagon cover-up expands to demonize whistleblower for leak

Aaron Dykes & Alex Jones
Infowars.com
April 6, 2010

War is a known entity in its capacity to warp the value of life for those involved. Dehumanization takes many forms, but few examples are more visceral and enraging than this leaked video of an Apache helicopter opening fire on a group of Iraqi civilians in 2007, at least two of whom turned out to be crew members for Reuters. Two children were injured, or possibly killed, as passengers in a van also fired upon when it pulled up to rescue a wounded man trying to crawl away.

This is video the Pentagon never wanted the public to see. As Alex Jones explains, it is yet another damning piece of evidence showing how far into darkness and evil we have fallen in the United States. It is not only the warhawks who coerce us into wars based on lies, or the individual soldiers who commit crimes and kill without conscience, it is also the easy-going supporters of the establishment and passive public who allow the wars, and their accompanying atrocities, to go on and on. Until we stand up to stop it, we are allowing it to perpetuate and worsen.

Wikileaks covers the Collateral Murder video, released April 5.

WikiLeaks has released a classified US military video depicting the indiscriminate slaying of over a dozen people in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad — including two Reuters news staff. Reuters has been trying to obtain the video through the Freedom of Information Act, without success since the time of the attack. The video, shot from an Apache helicopter gun-site, clearly shows the unprovoked slaying of a wounded Reuters employee and his rescuers. Two young children involved in the rescue were also seriously wounded. For further information please visit the special project website www.collateralmurder.com.

In a brazen attempt to continue its cover-up and demonize those who released the video (taking focus away from the deeds shown on video), the Pentagon has labeled Wikileaks.org a “security threat to military operations” for leaking video decrypted from the DoD website as part of its whistleblower mission. Reuters, seeking answers about its killed reporters, attempted to obtain the video through Freedom of Information Act requests, but has been refused.

The reason the video has been kept from public eyes until now is clear– its release doesn’t threaten national security or any ongoing operations. Instead it bares the wanton killing and cheap rational for taking a life for some fighting in Iraq. Seeing videos of soldiers cheering each other on as they go for a kill and looking for excuses to take the lives of bystanders is dramatic and damning. Like a video game addict, some of these soldiers come off as trigger happy and unhealthily detached from the value of the lives they hold in the balance each day of operations.

Much of the dialogue recorded during the incident is quite chilling to hear, particularly when mocking one of their targets, dismissing the dead or wounded, or eagerly urging clearance for “engagement” and readiness to shoot:

“Come on. Fire”

“Alright, I hit him.” (Ha ha)

“Oh yeah, look at those dead bastards.”

“We have an individual trying to crawl away” (Moments later) “Come on buddy. (to the man crawling) All you have to do is pick up a weapon” (and then he could open fire)

“I’m trying to get permission to engage.” (for the van collecting the injured man) “Come on, let us shoot”

“Oh yeah, look at that. Right through the windshield! Ha ha!”

(Upon discovering that they had shot children) “Well, it’s their fault for bringing kids to a battle.” “That’s right”

“I think I just ran over a body.” (Laughter) “Maybe it was just a visual illusion. But it looked like it.”

The acts of these individual soldiers undermine the dignity and honor with which the others have served. Still further, it is yet another layer clouding the “mission” in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and many other locations of engagement across the globe. Who are the good guys when these types of acts continue to occur? Why are we fighting in these places? How can we justify over 1 million dead Iraqis? Why are the wars expanding when President Obama campaigned on ending them? If the elites and social controllers care so little about the lives of Iraqis, innocent and otherwise, what do we expect to happen in this country? What happens if economic pressures were to ever break the social order, and police and military prepared to take on the homeland– us?

This article was posted: Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at 4:43 am

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