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Dreadsox

ONE love, blood, life
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In the rebuilding of Iraq one of the main problems that face the rebuilding efforts is that there are very few alternate television stations for the people of Iraq to get their news from. I think this is is contributing to problems in Iraq because there are two sides to the coalition work and only one side is being portrayed.

http://www.spiritofamerica.net/req_12/request.html
 
req_12.jpg



"Thanks for rebuilding my school.
I wish my dad, our teacher was here.
He was shot and killed, I saw it on Al-Jazerra"
 
Too bad it was Saddam doing most of the killing over the years.
 
I thought you might flame me for my post.


I have tremendous concern for our troops.


I believe the body count is going to start growing.


School supplies mean nothing to people when they are occupied.

As terrible as Saddam was the Iraqis will forget and the growing resentment against occupiers will unite groups against what they perceive as a common enemy.
 
Dreadsox: afik the US Military controls the Iraqi media (yes it looked like censorship to me when i saw the documentation)
So spiritofamerica.net dosn't like it that al-jazeera is more critical?

I think al-jazeera was less one-sided than Fox or CNN during the war.

Klaus
 
deep said:

As terrible as Saddam was the Iraqis will forget and the growing resentment against occupiers will unite groups against what they perceive as a common enemy.

So you agree that we are the enemy? That is the idfference between us I guess. While you feel badly for the troops, you seem to agree with those in Iraq that feel we are the enemy.

Instead I believe there are good things that are being done, that are clearly not getting the press they deserve. Things that clearly demonstrate we are not there acting like an enemy. Things that a little more press would help save a soldiers life. However, that is not what makes the news sell. Headlines of soldiers dying defending themselves, or Iraqis dying make much much better press.

But I guess that is the difference between our opinions.
 
As terrible as Saddam was the Iraqis will forget and the growing resentment against occupiers will unite groups against what they perceive as a common enemy.

I am not Iraqi.

Sorry, I thought English was your first language.
 
I think that it is fairly naive to believe that the American-backed media sources are any more unbiased.

I do not know what is actually "true" in the media. Postmodernism is also very cynical on this subject. Jean Baudrillard's "The Gulf War Did Not Exist" is actually a great philosophical work on this subject, if you can get past literal interpretations (i.e., the title is a reference to the reality that we only know that places and events exist only through the media, a "non-real" medium; thus, the Gulf War did not exist to anyone outside the Persian Gulf region--it was only a television simulation, subject to distortion) and view it within the context of postmodernism.

Melon
 
Iraqi TV journalist killed

From correspondents in Baghdad
April 20, 2004

A JOURNALIST and driver working for the coalition-funded Iraqi television channel were killed today by US military fire, the channel's editor-in-chief said.

"Journalist Assad Kadhem and his driver Hussein Saleh were killed, while cameraman Jaassem Kamel, who was hit in the back, is in Samarra hospital," Najm Khafaji told AFP.

Khafaji said the reporting team in Samara, some 125 kilometres north of Baghdad, were killed after they had started to film a US base while it was under attack.
 
melon said:
I think that it is fairly naive to believe that the American-backed media sources are any more unbiased.

I do not know what is actually "true" in the media. Postmodernism is also very cynical on this subject. Jean Baudrillard's "The Gulf War Did Not Exist" is actually a great philosophical work on this subject, if you can get past literal interpretations (i.e., the title is a reference to the reality that we only know that places and events exist only through the media, a "non-real" medium; thus, the Gulf War did not exist to anyone outside the Persian Gulf region--it was only a television simulation, subject to distortion) and view it within the context of postmodernism.

Melon

I never said it was unbiased.....I actually do not think any media can be completely free of bias.

I do however believe that there needs to be another side presented....and I have a feeling it is not.


Another book I will have to check out in the summer...and PM you for interpretations...LOL
 
deep said:


I am not Iraqi.

Sorry, I thought English was your first language.

I thought it was yours too.....But your political leanings led me astray.
 
So you think these pictures would be aired in any country with free tv-media when at the same time dozens of people are dying because of terroristic attacks, when there are numerous hijackers, a foreign army in your country which causes dead to many many citizens of your country?

So these pics are nice, but as long as there are big news (68 dead people, 20 of them children in basra today for example) noone would air the "pretty pics", except he has to because he works at a tv-station which censores
 
Why would no one air the "pretty pics"? Because it doesn't sell? Because it doesn't match an ideology? Because it is not true?

Terrorists win when they can dominate the airwaves with their horrific acts. It continues the culture of fear that gives them power.
 
nbcrusader said:
Why would no one air the "pretty pics"? Because it doesn't sell? Because it doesn't match an ideology? Because it is not true?

Terrorists win when they can dominate the airwaves with their horrific acts. It continues the culture of fear that gives them power.

:yes:

I think that's the major problem. The more publicity these people get the more violence it causes because they know that people around the world are seeing the destruction the terrorists cause only causing them to salivate for more publicity.
 
nbcrusader said:
Why would no one air the "pretty pics"? Because it doesn't sell? Because it doesn't match an ideology? Because it is not true?

Terrorists win when they can dominate the airwaves with their horrific acts. It continues the culture of fear that gives them power.

Take a look at our own news, magazines, etc. the car wrecks, the celebrity in rehab, the murders, the fallen politician or priest these stories are what makes 90% of our news. Where are the "pretty" stories in the U.S.?
 
One of the Reporters and a camerman from this station were injured by American soldiers, and I believe the Reporter may have died. They were too close to a base. I guess we only support them when they put the proper (our) spin on things
 
nbcrusader said:
Again, an unverified report. It seems the finger gets pointed at the US soldiers - and questions are asked later.

I thought this was the new means to which to gain the truth when "fighting the war on terrorism". That can't work only one way can it?
 
It was verified by NWI news. I believe the report can from the CBC and quite clearly stated US forces. I only caught a bit of it this morning so I don't have more details.
 
Scarletwine said:
I guess we only support them when they put the proper (our) spin on things

Yet again, you say you support our troops out of one side of your mouth, yet out the other you continue to paint them in a very bad light. I am sure our young soldiers intentially shot the reporters for fear they were not reporting on the news correctly. For the future, please start your own thread to badmouth the troops. It really has nothing to do with helping to establish a TV station to balance al-anti US TV.

[Q]Two employees of Al-Iraqiyah Television Network were killed and one wounded after their vehicle was fired upon by coalition forces in Samarra yesterday at about 4:15 p.m. The individuals were observed filming Iraqi Civil Defense Corps and Iraqi police checkpoints, a coalition base, and routes to and from these locations.

While filming outside their vehicle, coalition forces fired warning shots into the river. After the warning shots were neglected, the individuals got into their vehicle and drove towards the coalition base. As the vehicle approached the base, additional warning shots were fired, in attempt to halt the vehicle. The vehicle, apparently disregarding the warning shots, drove towards the soldiers and their base.

After more warning shots, the vehicle did stop and continued to approach the base's gate and was engaged with direct fire. Five signs clearly prohibiting filming and stopping near the base were displayed in the area as part of local force protection measures.

After examining the vehicle, coalition forces discovered two individuals had been killed, one was wounded, and a fourth individual, an Iraqi police officer, was unharmed. The three casualties were discovered to have Iraqi Media Network press credentials. The two dead individuals were moved by ambulance to a Samarra hospital. The wounded person was treated by coalition forces. He and the unharmed individual were questioned and then released at approximately 6 p.m. last night.
[/Q]
 
[Q]

To view previous transcripts, check our list of recent broadcasts or select a year below to view older transcripts. Also, search recent transcripts by keyword or visit our searchable archives hosted by Quote.com.

Select a year: 2000 2001 2002 2003

Program: Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Fed.Chairman Alan Greenspan Hints Higher Interest Rates May Be On The Horizon
GM Gets All Revved Up Over First Quarter Earnings
One On One With MCI`s President and CEO Michael Capellas
The Rules For Overtime Get Re-Written In Favor Of Workers
Commentary: The Spirit of America
Paul Kangas' Stocks In The News
Market Stats




04/20/04: Fed.Chairman Alan Greenspan Hints Higher Interest Rates May Be On The Horizon
PAUL KANGAS: Alan Greenspan talks and investors run for the exits. The chairman of the Federal Reserve suggested in testimony on Capitol Hill this afternoon that higher interest rates could be coming, and stocks tumbled in the last hour of trading. The Dow closed off 123 points and the NASDAQ was down 41 points. Here`s Darren Gersh with more on those comments from the Fed chairman that rattled the markets.

DARREN GERSH, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: Sounding a bit like Bob Dylan, the Federal Reserve chairman told a Senate panel that the times they are a-changin`. after a brief slow down in the economy earlier this year, March was a good month. And in the last few weeks, the Fed chairman said, auto sales, retail sales and new orders all came in well.

ALAN GREENSPAN, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL RESERVE: It is a change, as best as I can see, that has been long overdue and most welcome.

GERSH: Remember pricing power? Mr. Greenspan says it is being restored. Demand is now strong enough, the Fed chairman says, that after years of cutting prices, firms now find they can also raise them.

GREENSPAN: Threats of deflation, which were a significant concern last year by all indications, are no longer an issue before us.

GERSH: The markets took that as a signal that the Fed`s long-promised patience is coming to an end and the central bank is preparing to raise its short-term benchmark interest rate from a 46-year low of 1 percent. Fed watchers had been predicting Mr. Greenspan would give investors a clear indication of the Fed`s new position in the statement following its upcoming May 4 meeting, but even so, today`s news sent stocks and bonds tumbling.

MICHAEL FARR, PRES. , FARR. MILLER & WASHINGTON: I find the market`s reaction and drop today somewhat frustrating. This is a knee-jerk response to something that`s been long anticipated. There`s no real material reason for the market to have dropped today. Everyone has known this has been coming for a long time.

GERSH: And there was no signal today of a dramatic change in Fed policy. Despite rising commodity prices, Mr. Greenspan noted costs are still under control.

GREENSPAN: The inflationary pressures will be reasonably well-contained so long as productivity is moving at a reasonably good clip.

GERSH: Analysts say the tone of the economic data over the next few months will be the deciding factor for when the Fed moves to raise interest rates. Mr. Greenspan is expected to give a much more detailed outlook tomorrow when he testifies before Congress`s Joint Economic Committee. Darren Gersh, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, Washington.






Nightly Business Report transcripts are available on-line post broadcast. The program is transcribed by eMediaMillWorks. Updates may be posted at a later date. The views of our guests and commentators are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Community Television Foundation of South Florida, Inc. Nightly Business Report, or WPBT. Information presented on Nightly Business Report is not and should not be considered as investment advice. Copyright (c) 2004 Community Television Foundation of South Florida, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Terms of use.





04/20/04: GM Gets All Revved Up Over First Quarter Earnings

PAUL KANGAS: Before Mr. Greenspan`s comments soured the markets, General Motors was the big engine of the Dow. GM shares surged 3.5 percent after the automaker announced surprisingly strong first-quarter earnings. The company also issued a more upbeat outlook for the year. Suzanne Pratt takes a closer look at what lies ahead.

SUZANNE PRATT, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: Record results from its finance unit and improved sales in Asia helped General Motors accelerate profits in the first quarter. The world`s largest automaker earned $2.25 a share in the quarter, racing past analysts expectations, and far better than its performance a year ago. GM posted the solid quarter despite a drop in sales at its core North American unit and continued losses in Europe. But, Asia Pacific earnings more than tripled, and company executives say they are particularly encouraged about prospects in China.

JOHN DEVINE, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, GENERAL MOTORS: The growth has been substantial. Everybody`s waiting for it to end. I`m not sure that`s going to happen for some time. Our profitability has also been strong. We increased our market share in China to almost 10 percent. So we`ve grown from literally zero a couple years ago to almost 10 percent today. Profits are really on top of that. So it`s a pretty good outcome.

PRATT: Thanks in part to the positive environment in Asia, GM lifted its full-year profit forecast, saying it will also benefit from the robust U.S. market, the company now expects to earn $7 a share in 2004, up from its previous target of between $6 and $6.50. Analysts say higher interest rates are likely to take a bite out of auto sales this year, but higher rates will also help reduce GM`s pension and healthcare costs.

DARREN KIMBALL, AUTO ANALYST, LEHMAN BROTHERS: Higher interest rates are a negative for GM, but, they`re probably not -- the negative is probably not the magnitude that Wall Street fears right now, because you do have that significant mitigation from the pension and healthcare liability side of the equation.

PRATT: Lehman Brothers has an investment banking relationship with GM and owns at least 1 percent of GM stock. GM shares revved ahead on the news. And the stock has gained about a third in the last year. Nevertheless, some analysts say it`s now almost fairly valued.

KIMBALL: We are not uncomfortable with the company`s guidance, and our official price target on the stock is $50, modestly ahead of where it is trading today.

PRATT: GM`s big news also boosted the shares of Ford (F) and DaimlerChrysler (DCX). Ford will release its quarterly earnings tomorrow, and Chrysler is scheduled for next week. Suzanne Pratt, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, New York.






Nightly Business Report transcripts are available on-line post broadcast. The program is transcribed by eMediaMillWorks. Updates may be posted at a later date. The views of our guests and commentators are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Community Television Foundation of South Florida, Inc. Nightly Business Report, or WPBT. Information presented on Nightly Business Report is not and should not be considered as investment advice. Copyright (c) 2004 Community Television Foundation of South Florida, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Terms of use.


04/20/04: One On One With MCI`s President and CEO Michael Capellas

SUSIE GHARIB: MCI rose from the ashes of the bankruptcy of WorldCom today. The company has shed its scandal-tainted name and it also has a new board and management team. The bankruptcy process allowed it to slash its debt from $41 billion to about $6 billion, and to slim down its workforce. Analysts say the challenge now will be for MCI to compete in an increasingly competitive telecom industry. And the company has already warned that it expects revenues to drop as much as 12 percent this year. This afternoon, I talked with MCI`s President and CEO Michael Capellas, and began by asking him about his plans to grow MCI.

MICHAEL CAPELLAS, CHMN. & CEO, MCI: I think you had a couple things going on. One is, there`s no question that the industry has gone through some structural changes. Pricing is tough. We`re seeing some technology displacement, whether it`s wireless or cable. But there`s also some areas of growth. For example, we`ve got a great presence internationally. We have got some great opportunities to grow, not only a better share of our international customers, we still service about 65 percent of the Fortune 1000. There`s some great opportunity in pan-European operations. Clearly the good news on the other front is that people will continue to use more and more communication, whether that`s in different forms, new things like streaming video, streaming audio, content management systems. So there will be growth. Coming out of bankruptcy, we think we have some opportunities to grow in some managed services, like security, which is an absolutely number one priority. So you`re going to have some period where you`re offsetting some areas where there has been softness in traditional long distance, and some growth in some other areas. But the industry has got to take some time to sort out over the short term here.

GHARIB: Mr. Capellas, as you mentioned, about the pricing pressures, in fact, Sprint (FON), when they came out with their earnings today, were -- was commenting about the intense price competition. What`s going to be your strategy to deal with that kind of market?

CAPELLAS: Well, firstly, I don`t think the pricing pressure is new. It`s been going on for some time. Every enterprise customer is hotly contested. So I mean, there`s two ways to deal with it. One is to acknowledge that there is, you know, strong pricing pressure at the commodity layer, the basic transport layer, things like just basic long distance, but to understand that you really have got to sell more services, security services, outsourcing of people`s networks, new content management systems, delivering those kinds of things. So you know, it`s like every technology, as it sort of matures, the base level starts to have pricing pressure and you have sort of got to move up the stack.

GHARIB: I understand that Richard Breeden is going to continue as the court-appointed monitor at MCI for a while longer. How is that going to limit your ability to make fast decisions in a market that`s moving so quickly?

CAPELLAS: Well, you know, I think Richard and I have always had, sort of, you know, a really, really good relationship. And I don`t ever feel at any point he actually limited our business decision-making. He`s a very good adviser. I can reach him any time we need to. But from the business side, we feel that we`ve been able to do all the things we need to do. And I don`t really feel it`s a problem at all. In fact, we actually have quite a very, very good relationship.

GHARIB: Mr. Capellas, as you know, the former WorldCom CEO, Bernie Ebbers, is facing criminal charges. With that looming in the background, his fraud case, what impact is that going to have on the new MCI?

CAPELLAS: I don`t think it has any impact at all. I think we have undergone a fairly thorough investigation by multiple parts. I think everything that -- we have nothing to hide. So the history has all been written. And that`s all sort of behind us and we`re moving on. I don`t think -- I think now the courts will decide, as they should, but that`s in our history and it`s all been fully disclosed.

GHARIB: What about the future of MCI stock? To what extent will this whole scandal still be an issue for investors as they look at MCI?

CAPELLAS: Well, again, I think you sort of have gone through the cleansing process we`ve gone through. You know, we`ve had pretty much a couple different people have gone through, whether that was Mick Lucas (ph) at Thornberg (ph), and told the story. We`ve taken the corrective actions. We have a new management team. We have a new board. And I think we`ve done a pretty darn good job of putting that sort of in the rear-view mirror. Now people will sort of judge us for what we do. And I would add from the customers` perspective, it`s just incredible how they`ve stayed with it, how strong customer loyalty has been. So that`s just something as well.

GHARIB: Thank you very much, Mr. Capellas. And good luck to you.

CAPELLAS: Thank you so much. And we hope to see you again. All the best.






Nightly Business Report transcripts are available on-line post broadcast. The program is transcribed by eMediaMillWorks. Updates may be posted at a later date. The views of our guests and commentators are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Community Television Foundation of South Florida, Inc. Nightly Business Report, or WPBT. Information presented on Nightly Business Report is not and should not be considered as investment advice. Copyright (c) 2004 Community Television Foundation of South Florida, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Terms of use.


04/20/04: The Rules For Overtime Get Re-Written In Favor Of Workers

SUSIE GHARIB: Good news tonight for millions of Americans, they could be eligible for some extra money in their paychecks. The Labor Department issued new rules governing overtime pay. The guidelines have been in the works for two years, and today`s version is a different plan from the first outline discussed a year ago. Stephanie Woods reports.

STEPHANIE WOODS, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: Workers earning nearly $24,000 a year will be guaranteed overtime. Overtime pay for police, firefighters, medical technicians and nurses is also protected. The Labor Department says the goal is to strengthen overtime protection for workers.

ELAINE CHAO, SECRETARY OF LABOR: Under these final rules, workers will clearly know their rights and employers will know their responsibilities.

WOODS: An additional 1.3 million low-wage salaried workers will now be entitled to overtime pay. That`s a huge shift from the proposal announced last year, which the department said would have stripped those benefits from 644,000 workers. The new rules also let workers who earn up to $100,000 a year rack up overtime, more than a 50 percent increase from the original proposal. Critics say the changes are a step in the right direction, but the administration should do more.

CHRISTNE OWENS, DIRECTOR, PUBLIC POLICY, AFL-CIO: If you`re going to protect some workers, it sends a disconcerting signal about the workers who are not explicitly named.

WOODS: The Labor Department estimates businesses will pay an additional $375 million annually in overtime. Business groups say the plan should be good for business in the long run.

MICHAEL EASTMAN, U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: It should be easier for them to determine whether or not their employees are exempt or entitled to overtime. And therefore, they will be able to take that money that they have been spending on consultants and lawyers and use that money to grow their business and create jobs.

WOODS: Democrats blasted the plan.

SEN. TOM HARKIN (D), IOWA: The final rule released today takes some steps towards fixing the administration`s worst PR problems, but it`s clear that workers who currently receive overtime pay -- many workers who now receive overtime pay, will lose their rights under this regulation.

WOODS: The plan is set to go into effect mid-August. It doesn`t need congressional approval, but Democrats are promising to block any rules that take away any worker`s overtime pay. Stephanie Woods, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, Washington.






Nightly Business Report transcripts are available on-line post broadcast. The program is transcribed by eMediaMillWorks. Updates may be posted at a later date. The views of our guests and commentators are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Community Television Foundation of South Florida, Inc. Nightly Business Report, or WPBT. Information presented on Nightly Business Report is not and should not be considered as investment advice. Copyright (c) 2004 Community Television Foundation of South Florida, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Terms of use.

04/20/04:Commentary: The Spirit of America


SUSIE GHARIB: Tonight`s commentator takes a look at American involvement in the war in Iraq, but from a very different perspective. Here`s Daniel Henninger, deputy editor of the editorial page of "The Wall Street Journal."

DANIEL HENNINGER DEPUTY EDITOR, "WALL STREET JOURNAL" EDITORIAL PAGE:: I wrote a column for "The Wall Street Journal" about the war in Iraq, the war that people argue about on television every night. By now, everyone is either for this war or they hate and oppose it. But maybe a middle ground is possible. My column wasn`t about the right or wrong. It was about a remarkable group called Spirit of America, started by a businessman in California named Jim Hake. Jim found out that the American GIs in Iraq had rebuilding projects for which the bureaucracy is ill-equipped to help, small stuff like supplies for schools and medical clinics. The Spirit of America project I wrote about was an effort to raise money here to equip seven small TV stations over there. Marines would rebuild the stations and turn them over to Iraqi cooperatives. Now, I`m not here to ask for money but to make sense of what happened after the column. The response was huge. Given a chance to help the Marines in a nonmilitary way, thousands gave. Why? Partly, I think it`s the weird media age we live in. The closer events like this war are brought to us, the more disconnected they seem from our lives. In World War II people helped in small ways. We just sit home staring helplessly at the soldiers on TV. This project gave folks a chance to get off their hands and touch those GIs. We`d be a better people if we had more chances like this to extend a helping hand to our men and women in Iraq. I`m Dan Henninger.








Nightly Business Report transcripts are available on-line post broadcast. The program is transcribed by eMediaMillWorks. Updates may be posted at a later date. The views of our guests and commentators are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Community Television Foundation of South Florida, Inc. Nightly Business Report, or WPBT. Information presented on Nightly Business Report is not and should not be considered as investment advice. Copyright (c) 2004 Community Television Foundation of South Florida, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Terms of use.
[/Q]

This was meant as a positive thread. If you wish to make political comments, please start your own thread. There are many good people out there who are not just interested in supporting the troops but in helping the Iraqi people as well.

Thanks
 
I thought this thread was about the American funded Iraqi Television


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-moderates21apr21,1,2184869.story?coll=la-headlines-world

Iraqi Backer of U.S. Became Its Victim

Journalist slain with his driver by troops had supported occupation. Reaction to his death shows moderates losing faith in Americans.

By Patrick J. McDonnell
Times Staff Writer

April 21, 2004

BAGHDAD ? Asaad Khadim was an unapologetic supporter of the U.S. project in Iraq, long after the initial euphoria of Saddam Hussein's overthrow had waned among most of his countrymen. Even many of his fellow journalists, now enjoying the chance to practice their craft freely for the first time, had soured on the occupation. Not Khadim.

"Asaad was always talking about how the Americans would bring us liberty, bring us progress," recalled his colleague Jassem Kamel, decidedly more skeptical about the U.S. presence. "It was too much."

But Khadim, 26, a correspondent for the U.S.-funded Al Iraqiya television station, never lived to see if his optimism was warranted. He and his driver, Hussein Saleh, 31, were killed Monday when U.S. forces apparently opened fire on their vehicle as they drove near an American base in Samarra, north of Baghdad. Kamel, a cameraman, and an Iraqi police officer in the car survived.

As journalists, friends and family gathered in the capital Tuesday for the funerals, they expressed more than grief for the loss of two men known for their courage and determination. The mourners' outrage and disbelief also seemed to encapsulate a profound disappointment with the entire American endeavor in Iraq, underscoring how moderate Iraqis ? professional men and women like Khadim who have been eager for economic progress and democracy ? are losing faith in the U.S. effort.

The discontent on display Tuesday echoed a chorus of dashed expectations that can be heard these days among doctors and lawyers, merchants and professors here. Many see little hope that Iraq will be able to shed the violence and disorder now marring an occupation they initially welcomed. Their spreading disillusionment is, in many ways, as grave a threat to U.S. aims as the masked gunmen of Fallouja or the religious militants of Najaf and Kufa.

"Is this the freedom and democracy that the USA brings us?" said a disconsolate Fian Faik, an announcer at the TV network who took part in the funeral cortege for Khadim and Saleh, which wound its way down Haifa Street in central Baghdad. "A freedom where a journalist gets shot down doing his job?"

Monday's incident followed the recent shooting deaths of three other Iraqi journalists. In late March, an ABC cameraman was shot to death while filming clashes between Marines and Iraqis in the city of Fallouja; hospital workers indicated he was struck by a U.S. bullet.

About a week before that, U.S. troops in Baghdad shot and killed two Iraqi journalists from the Al Arabiya network based in the United Arab Emirates. A day after those killings, Iraqi journalists staged a walkout at a news conference by Secretary of State Colin L. Powell.

On Tuesday, U.S. officials expressed condolences for the deaths of the employees of Al Iraqiya, which is known for its generally upbeat coverage of the occupation.

"We deeply regret the loss of any life, in particular two Al Iraqiya employees, who were working for their country," Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt told livid Iraqi journalists and other reporters at a briefing. U.S. officials promised a thorough investigation, but on Tuesday there were more questions than answers about the incident.

According to Kamel, the cameraman who survived, the Al Iraqiya crew was finishing up a day of news gathering about recent unrest in Samarra when things went terribly wrong.

The newsmen had interviewed policemen, politicians and others, Kamel said, when they decided to have a look at one of the town's landmarks, an ancient minaret known as Malwiya. A policeman accompanied the crew in their vehicle to help guide them.

Driving near a U.S. base, they heard shots ring out. The driver stopped, but the bullets came closer and began exploding through the car. Kamel and the policeman, seated in the rear, jumped out and took cover beneath the vehicle, with Kamel yelling "Press! Press!" in both English and Arabic in the hope of stopping the fusillade.

"I could hear the bullets hitting my colleagues' bodies over and over," Kamel said. "It was a terrible sound."

Finally, the shooting stopped. Wounded, Kamel made his way to the base entrance on foot and was held for two hours, he said. He was treated at a Samarra hospital and was recuperating Tuesday at Baghdad's Jenin Hospital. A bullet lodged less than an inch from his spine, his doctor said, leaving the 28-year-old lucky to be alive ? and fortunate to not be a paraplegic.

Kamel asserted that they were fired on without provocation. But Kimmitt said the press vehicle failed to yield to warning shots after the occupants were observed filming "Iraqi Civil Defense Corps and Iraqi police checkpoints, a coalition base, and routes to and from these locations." He said five signs in the area clearly prohibited filming or stopping near the base.

Kamel, however, said the Al Iraqiya reporters did not film the base. Their car was in motion and they were not filming anything when the firing began, he said. The experience has hardened his attitude toward the occupiers.

"I told Asaad he was too trusting of the Americans," Kamel said. "But he always believed in them."

Khadim was a political science graduate of Baghdad University who gravitated toward journalism, working with state television in the old regime before joining Al Iraqiya. An intrepid reporter with a keen sense of humor, he covered the uprising in Fallouja and the suicide bomb attacks on pilgrims in Karbala in early March. Saleh, the driver, was the father of two small children.

On Tuesday, the farewell for the two men did not feature incendiary slogans or angry mullahs excoriating the U.S. as "the Great Satan" ? as some more radical anti-American demonstrations have recently.

Those denouncing the U.S. were not ex-party hacks of Hussein's Baathist regime or religious fanatics.

They were people like Abdul Karim Hamadi, a broadcaster at Al Iraqiya who stood in his gray suit in stunned disbelief among the mourners waiting at the capital's north gate for the arrival of the bodies from Samarra. Hamadi was trying to come to terms with what he clearly regarded as the unfathomable.

"How is it that this country that toppled the worst dictatorship in the world cannot differentiate between journalists and fighters?" he said.

At last, the bodies arrived from Samarra.

A procession of vehicles bearing flowers, mourners and the two coffins wound through downtown Baghdad, a police escort leading the way.

The funeral cars stopped briefly outside the offices of Al Iraqiya, before heading to the heavily barricaded gates of the so-called Green Zone, the security perimeter around the headquarters of the U.S. administration here.

Relatives and friends hoisted black-and-white images of the two men, but there was no chanting or thrusting of fists in the air. The cortege lingered for a few minutes at the barbed wire and concrete barriers, then moved on to the cemetery and a final farewell.

Your first post in this thread stated that there were two sides,
and only one side was being reported.


I do not attack the 20-year-olds that killed these innocent Iraqis.


One side might portray them as trigger happy.

What I believe is that they are not properly trained.

There is something wrong with the command structure. Too many erroneous killings of innocent Iraqis are just summarily dismissed.

As I stated before the Iraqis may have hated Saddam, but as time goes on and events like this happen our soldiers will be at greater risks from growing numbers of Iraqis.
 
Too bad they did not head the warning, yet again...I think this belongs in another thread. Thanks for once again respecting the topic of the thread.

You are a pro at it. It really is getting old, but I guess acknowledging youre repeatedly posting articles that should not be in threads gives you the jollies of some sort.

Good news though, $700,000 raised for the TV equiptment. Maybe some positive news will help balance things.
 
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