First off in order to participate in this thread you need to watch this video. It's nearly eighteen minutes long, so put aside enough time so that you can actually focus on it. Don't just put it on in the background and start playing minesweeper again.
This film, titled "Collateral Murder", has been published by Wikileaks, who claim an anonymous source on the material. The video itself is footage taken from a helicopter in which initially eight men are shot by the helicopter gunner, two of whom were Reuters journalists. Shortly thereafter a van full of people, including two children, arrives on the scene and is also fired upon, wounding or killing all occupants.
I'm sure you're wondering why this is in the "serious business" forum as opposed to somewhere else. I think we can agree the topic is certainly controversial and in my opinion there is a good deal of material here worth discussing, and while I doubt there will be any intelligent discussion here I'm more doing this to promote the video itself.
If you're having trouble articulating yourself after viewing the footage, as I did for a short span of time, I've collected a few issues that seem to provoke discussion easily:
Did you personally see reason for opening fire on the initial group of men? Was the van also a justifiable attack?
Did you feel that the banter between the pilot and the gunner indicates a strong desire to open fire on these people regardless of justification?
Are you worried that this happened in 2007 and we've only been able to view this footage today, after the United States military officially stating that they have "no idea" how the two Reuters journalists were slain?
I'd also like to hear your more original thoughts, if applicable.
Additional Viewing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BflAj2txMVQ - Driver of the van was allegedly taking his two children to class when he pulled over to assist the wounded man in the street. Children still carry physical scars from their wounds.
This film, titled "Collateral Murder", has been published by Wikileaks, who claim an anonymous source on the material. The video itself is footage taken from a helicopter in which initially eight men are shot by the helicopter gunner, two of whom were Reuters journalists. Shortly thereafter a van full of people, including two children, arrives on the scene and is also fired upon, wounding or killing all occupants.
I'm sure you're wondering why this is in the "serious business" forum as opposed to somewhere else. I think we can agree the topic is certainly controversial and in my opinion there is a good deal of material here worth discussing, and while I doubt there will be any intelligent discussion here I'm more doing this to promote the video itself.
If you're having trouble articulating yourself after viewing the footage, as I did for a short span of time, I've collected a few issues that seem to provoke discussion easily:
Did you personally see reason for opening fire on the initial group of men? Was the van also a justifiable attack?
Did you feel that the banter between the pilot and the gunner indicates a strong desire to open fire on these people regardless of justification?
Are you worried that this happened in 2007 and we've only been able to view this footage today, after the United States military officially stating that they have "no idea" how the two Reuters journalists were slain?
I'd also like to hear your more original thoughts, if applicable.
Additional Viewing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BflAj2txMVQ - Driver of the van was allegedly taking his two children to class when he pulled over to assist the wounded man in the street. Children still carry physical scars from their wounds.
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