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Quotation of the Day for July 31, 2013"The fact neither CENTCOM or Multi National Forces Iraq or MNF-I would not voluntarily release the video troubled me further. It was clear to me that the event happened because the aerial weapons team mistakenly identified Reuters employees as a potential threat and that the people in the bongo truck were merely attempting to assist the wounded. The people in the van were not a threat but merely "good samaritans". The most alarming aspect of the video to me, however, was the seemly delightful bloodlust they appeared to have. "They dehumanized the individuals they were engaging and seemed to not value human life by referring to them as quote "dead bastards" unquote and congratulating each other on the ability to kill in large numbers. At one point in the video there is an individual on the ground attempting to crawl to safety. The individual is seriously wounded. Instead of calling for medical attention to the location, one of the aerial weapons team crew members verbally asks for the wounded person to pick up a weapon so that he can have a reason to engage. For me, this seems similar to a child torturing ants with a magnifying glass." - Bradley Manning, U.S. Army Private and whistleblower, from a statement presented at his court-martial for releasing secret documents to the Wikileaks organization. Manning was referring to a lethal U.S. helicopter attack on a number of civilians and journalists in Iraq. Manning was convicted of a number of charges on July 30, 2013. [http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/01/bradley-manning-wikileaks-statement-full-text] Submitted by: Mike Krawchuk Jul. 31, 2013  |
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