[alt.activism] Panama Info

pb1p+@andrew.cmu.edu (Peter Glen Berger) (01/16/90)

I was in Spain at the time of the Panama invasion, and here's a little
item that most if not all US "news" sources "forgot" to include in
their coverage:

US troops burst into a hotel lobby where there were no Panamanian
soldiers (or weaponry of any kind, for that matter), where a number of
reporters from other countries were staying.  They apparently opened
fire indiscriminately and somewhat randomly, killing a Spanish
photographer and seriously wounding several other reporters.  I will
try to find an "official" attribution for this, I saw it reported on
Spanish TV.

BTW, the Panamanian "protesters" outside the Papal nuncio were paid by
the US military.  Media, media, media....

The International Herald Tribune published a great article wherein the
writer said that he thought it was very noble that Bush admitted that
we invaded Panama "just because".  He was quite upset when he realized
that he had misheard the quote.

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bader+@andrew.cmu.edu (Miles Bader) (01/17/90)

Peter Glen Berger <pb1p+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
> I was in Spain at the time of the Panama invasion, and here's a little
> item that most if not all US "news" sources "forgot" to include in
> their coverage:
> 
> US troops burst into a hotel lobby where there were no Panamanian
> soldiers (or weaponry of any kind, for that matter), where a number of
> reporters from other countries were staying.  They apparently opened
> fire indiscriminately and somewhat randomly, killing a Spanish
> photographer and seriously wounding several other reporters.  I will
> try to find an "official" attribution for this, I saw it reported on
> Spanish TV.

According to the US media, what happened was that two groups of US soldiers
mistakenly started shooting at *each other* (whoops); the reporters had the
misfortune of being somewhere between them...

-Miles

js7a+@andrew.cmu.edu (James Price Salsman) (01/17/90)

The reports from Dow Jones indicate that the US troops
indiscrimanatly fired on civilians many times.  See
dow-jones.gov.def.

:James

cr10+@andrew.cmu.edu (Christopher John Rapier) (01/17/90)

MMMmmmmmmm I'd chill heavily on condemning the actions of individual
infantry members during the stress, confusion and horror of battle.
Until you've been in a situation like that its way difficult to actually
understand what goes through a persons mind. 

Consider: 
They knew that there were large numbers of irregulars (nonuniformed
partisan combatants).
They were dropped into a foreign and unknown area during the night.
Visibility was not extreme for ground troops.
Most troops were not combat experienced and did not have the reactions
that you would take for granted in a more seasoned force.
Almost all were scared shitless.

However, I am not making excuses for their actions, only supplying
possible reasons. It is altogether possible that they knowingly opened
fire on noncombatants and foreign civilians for the sheer joy and
pleasure of it. 

If anybody would like to discuss military and infantry ethics,
organisational, group and individual then feel free I'm always here.

chris rapier