While no significant developments have occured in the Ilario Pantano situation since my last post about it, the case of another Marine provides hope that Pantano will be given a fair shake by the Corps.
Last November, during the taking of Fallujah, freelance reporter Kevin Sites caught a Marine on video shooting an insurgent inside a mosque. The Marine thought he saw the man moving as he lay injured on the floor, and shot him dead.
Now, over three months later, CBS News reports that "military investigators conclude there is not enough evidence to formally charge that Marine" with any crime.
The article oozes disappointment that one of our troops will not be punished for defending himself in a war zone:
The original video added to popular anger over the Fallujah crackdown. Many Iraqis felt Fallujah's unarmed civilians bore the brunt of the U.S. campaign."Don't give up hope," this report is saying, "There's still a chance they'll throw the book at some of those jarhead baby-killers!"
Hundreds of homes were destroyed in the battle, and months later, much of the city is still without power or water. Many Fallujans live in makeshift refugee camps far from their homes.
When news breaks that the Marine will not be prosecuted, it will not go over well here.
It's now up to Marine commanders to decide what, if any internal action to take against the Marine. And investigators are still conducting ballistics tests to determine how the other insurgents in the mosque were killed.
Of course, the people who bear the blame for the invasion of Fallujah are not the Marines, but rather, the insurgents who decided to turn it into a den of terror.
Why does CBS want to see U.S. Marines in jail?
3 comments:
Well, Marines in Jail would be a good story that would help sell lots of advertising.
It is interesting to watch the various propaganda wars going on.
Posted by Dave Justus
In a world where there is no military, and everyone seemingly has what they need, it is the "Intelligentsia" who will sit atop a utopian society.
The Intelligentsia is made up of writers, professors, artists, et al . No matter their talk of wanting to eradicate the inherent inequities of capitalism, in the end it's all about placing themselves in the position of 'The Elite". Funny how an emotional concern is the trump card of those who think themselves most objective.
Posted by Sharon
It's really too bad that nobody expressed outrage that these individuals would be fighting from a mosque, which is against the Laws of War. Everyone was so quick to point the finger at the Marine who shot a wounded person he evidently considered a threat, but why isn't the media expressing outrage that these terrorists who were trying to kill Americans before they were wounded were fighting from a Mosque?
Posted by stiles Van Buren
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