Collateral Murder? Really?! UPDATED

During July of 2007, the US Military was engaged in an effort to reclaim Baghdad from the grip of an insurgency. This effort was known as 'The Surge.' The US military was charged with "help[ing] Iraqis clear and secure neighborhoods, ... help[ing] them protect the local population, and to help ensure that the Iraqi forces left behind are capable of providing the security."

Two Reuters journalists embedded with some insurgents in Iraq during July of 2007. While the group of militants was being watched by two Apache helicopters providing air cover for a ground unit, at least two individuals in the group produce what are identified by the helicopter pilots as weapons, including AK47s and an RPG. As their primary mission is to provide security for the ground ropps which are headed toward this group, the Apache's request and receive permission to engage the militants. The two embedded journalists are killed in the ensuing fire fight. Approximately half way through the engagement, an unmarked dark colored van enters the area and attempts to evacuate the bodies and injured. The van is also engaged by the Apaches. It is determined after the fact that there were two children inside the van.

The incident is now being portrayed as a willful act of murder perpetrated by the United States Military. The website Wikileaks has set up a site dedicated to the incident entitled 'Collateral Murder.'

Watch the video, and read the thoughts of Ed Morrissey and Rusty Shackleford.

Lesson: Do not embed with a militant force who is outgunned in the sky and on the ground unless you are willing to pay the ultimate price. Also, don't take your kids into an active war zone, ever.

CONTENT WARNING



UPDATE:

Creative editing by Wikileaks?

Please take the time to comment! Click the Informed Opinion Link adjacent to the Post Title.

64 Years Ago; US Drops Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima

I've already seen sites around the web chastising the US for it's use of nuclear weapons against the Empire of Japan, calling the acts cowardly and unconscionable. I've also seen some sites that are mourning the loss of Japanese life. What I haven't seen nearly enough of is praise of the military commanders and the Commander in Chief for choosing to use a weapon that would save American lives. People are quick to point out the 70,000-80,000 lives that were lost as a result of the initial blast, and the 70,000 more that would die as a result of the exposure, however, few cite the estimated 1,000,000 casualties that the US anticipated suffering as a result of an invasion on the Japanese homeland.
Bombing population centers was standard operating procedure during WWII, practiced by the Germans, British, United States and yes, even the Japanese. It is an unfortunate side effect of war that civilians are killed and it stands a testament to the US military and weapons developers that civilian casualties have been minimized to the effect that they are now.
Military commanders and the President of the United States were faced with the very real prospect of having to invade the Japanese homeland. When casualty and death estimates were worked up by top commanders and the Department of War, numbers for US soldiers ranged from 125,000 to 4,000,000. These deaths in addition to the already suffered 400,000+ troop deaths from the beginning of the war.
The answer to this situation presented itself in the form of two atomic bombs, results of the top secret Manhattan Project. Targeted for destruction were Hiroshima and Nagasaki. From teh Wikipedia:

Hiroshima was described as "an important army depot and port of embarkation in the middle of an urban industrial area. It is a good radar target and it is such a size that a large part of the city could be extensively damaged. There are adjacent hills which are likely to produce a focussing effect which would considerably increase the blast damage. Due to rivers it is not a good incendiary target."

Hiroshima had escaped earlier bombing raids by allied forces so it was seen as a blank canvas upon which to review the effectiveness of the experimental weapon. Moreover, the goal was to gain the greatest psychological effect against Japan and create a very real example for the Japanese nation and the rest of the world of the immense power of the new weapon that the United States possessed.
The order was given, and on August 6, 1945 'Little Boy' was dropped from the B-29 Enola Gay at an altitude of 32,330'. The bomb took 57 seconds to fall to the predetermined height of 2,000' where it self-detonated resulting in the worlds first nuclear attack against a hostile nation.
Unfortunately, the Japanese command did not surrender at once, and a second bomb was ultimately dropped on Nagasaki, an arms manufacturing and port city to the southwest of Hiroshima.
Somewhere between 125,000 and 4,000,000 American lives were saved on that day, and by that decision. I regret that the Japanese allowed the war to get to the point that we had to drop these bombs on their homeland, but I do not regret the lives saved as a result of their use.
God Bless the United States, and God Bless the men who had to make that fateful decision.

Dicky's first Link Dump (UPDATED) Now with working links, for that extra crispy flavor!

I would like to suggest that we join with other reputable blogs and back Iowahawk for Car Czar.
After all, he is the man with the vision who brought us the 2012 Pelosi GTxi SS/RT Sport Edition.


ZOMG!!1! You’re steam powered RC Car is eating my legs!!! Insert Terminator Skynet joke here…

Anybody out there still want to deny that abortion was championed by liberals to control the black population?! It’s called the Eugenics Movement, look it up.

And you thought the economy was getting better… Sucker! You see the real unemployment rate is far above the 9.5% that the media is fond of throwing out. Unfortunately a part time job counts as a job, and therefore those folks are not counted in the unemployment reports. Tell me, if you went from a full time salaried position to an hourly part time job, are you better off than you were before?

A) Yes, you would be better off. You don’t know what it was like working in that cardboard shredding facility!
B) You would be approximately the same, cause Mervyns didn’t pay managers that much anyway.
C) Hellz to tha no! It’d totally suck, y’all
D) I… am… job
E) None of the above

Another number that seems to be tossed about lightly is the unemployment claims. Recently US Garbage and World Whatever reported that initial unemployment claims dropped, touting it as a good economic indicator. The problem is IT’S NOT! Why are unemployment claims a poor economic indicator? Well, because it does not account for folks who were in full time positions who are now working part time, or the self employed. Remember all those real estate agents that were running around making a million bucks in commission every week? They were/are self employed, baby. They are not eligible for unemployment and are therefore not counted in the new claims numbers.