prole Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Remember The Lusitania! Oh... Official Version of Naval Incident Starts to Unravel by Gareth Porter WASHINGTON, Jan 10 (IPS) - Despite the official and media portrayal of the incident in the Strait of Hormuz early Monday morning as a serious threat to U.S. ships from Iranian speedboats that nearly resulted in a "battle at sea", new information over the past three days suggests that the incident did not involve such a threat and that no U.S. commander was on the verge of firing at the Iranian boats. The new information that appears to contradict the original version of the incident includes the revelation that U.S. officials spliced the audio recording of an alleged Iranian threat onto to a videotape of the incident. That suggests that the threatening message may not have come in immediately after the initial warning to Iranian boats from a U.S. warship, as appears to do on the video... The dramatic version of the incident reported by U.S. news media throughout Tuesday and Wednesday suggested that Iranian speedboats, apparently belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard navy, had made moves to attack three U.S. warships entering the Strait and that the U.S. commander had been on the verge of firing at them when they broke off. Typical of the network coverage was a story by ABC's Jonathan Karl quoting a Pentagon official as saying the Iranian boats "were a heartbeat from being blown up". Bush administration officials seized on the incident to advance the portrayal of Iran as a threat and to strike a more threatening stance toward Iran. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley declared Wednesday that the incident "almost involved an exchange of fire between our forces and Iranian forces". President George W. Bush declared during his Mideast trip Wednesday that there would be "serious consequences" if Iran attacked U.S. ships and repeated his assertion that Iran is "a threat to world peace". --from IPS 1/10/08 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high_on_rock Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 (edited) We have become so accustomed to scandal, that it does not even create an impact anymore. Thirty years ago, any one of these Bush scandals would have brought down an administration. I think that the impeachment of Clinton created such a bad taste in the public domain for such attacks on the sitting president, that the next couple presidents can get away with whatever they want. Scary world. Damn right High, I fully agree Edited January 19, 2008 by high_on_rock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashw_justin Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Although none of us were there, I agree this smacks of blatant propaganda at its sloppiest and most pathetic. I still don't understand why we were expected to get all worked up about some guys speedboating a few km off their own coast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prole Posted January 19, 2008 Author Share Posted January 19, 2008 (edited) Here's some brilliant analysis! Oh well, being a belligerent, chauvinist asshole means never having to say you're sorry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aImvw9N2ms0 Edited January 19, 2008 by prole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyClimber Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Forget the Lusitania, remember the Gulf of Tonkin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvashtarkatena Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Has the Navy commented yet on the water skiers behind those speedboats? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 i love it when the 800 lb gorilla cries about the 90-lb-soaking-wet-faggot-boy fucking w/ him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvashtarkatena Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 (edited) "You will explode after two minutes"??? Sounds like that was dubbed in from a German shiza flick. Edited January 19, 2008 by tvashtarkatena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvashtarkatena Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 I thought the incident was manufactured, until I found out that Geraldo was doing the investigative reporting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Of course the "incident" gets splashed on pg 1 and leads the nightly newscast. The talking heads have a field day. The truth, however, gets buried on page 15 and never gets discussed by the talking heads. Another day of liberal media. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recycled Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I'm not so sure I would have held fire. The USS Cole incident is still fresh in the mind of Naval commanders. In US waters, there is a 500 yard exclusionary zone around Navy vessels and you enter it at your peril. I've been about 500 yards away from a ferry in my inflatable a couple years ago and I was intercepted very quickly by the USGC. The fact is, any of the several boats could have launched a missle, mine or suicide attack against the convoy. The commander seemed to know at the time that they were Revolutionary Guards and that anything was possible. Of course both sides are spinning away, but I would hate to be in the commander's place. As it was, the Revolutionary Guards got away with a successful provocation and probing exercise that plays well in the Gulf. We look stupid. Next time it might just be the Cole over again and everyone will be asking why they held fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joblo7 Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 the invasion plan has been in place for about a year now...its a matter of time...or timing...... coincidence that elections are happening.....this will be another election about 'security".... the manhattan renovation project 'card' will be played heavily by gellyanus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joblo7 Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I'm not so sure I would have held fire. The USS Cole incident is still fresh in the mind of Naval commanders. In US waters, there is a 500 yard exclusionary zone around Navy vessels and you enter it at your peril. I've been about 500 yards away from a ferry in my inflatable a couple years ago and I was intercepted very quickly by the USGC. The fact is, any of the several boats could have launched a missle, mine or suicide attack against the convoy. The commander seemed to know at the time that they were Revolutionary Guards and that anything was possible. Of course both sides are spinning away, but I would hate to be in the commander's place. As it was, the Revolutionary Guards got away with a successful provocation and probing exercise that plays well in the Gulf. We look stupid. Next time it might just be the Cole over again and everyone will be asking why they held fire. uss cole was a US backed/paid attack. great to shape public opinion during election year.. worked..media sold it ,peeps bought it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaskadskyjKozak Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 uss cole was a US backed/paid attack. great to shape public opinion during election year.. worked..media sold it ,peeps bought it... The USS Cole incident was a terrorist attack by radical islamists. Stuff your black helicopter conspiracy theories, you kook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joblo7 Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 another one sleeping at the wheel.....newspapers have nice pictures tooo...and those hot tv anchors... wow....they're so serious and believable...read telepromps for 5mil/year..mierda pura. get some real sources, learn and help your world evolve. suerte. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaskadskyjKozak Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 another one sleeping at the wheel...../quote] dude, you're brain dead on arrival Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joblo7 Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 i speak tha muffakin truth .you fear reality,it necessitates work.!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaskadskyjKozak Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 i speak tha muffakin truth .you fear reality,it necessitates work.!! you babble incoherently and live in a world of addled speculation brain damage is to blame Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobo Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 get some real sources, learn and help your world evolve. Oh please, O Omniscient and Evolved One, bless us thy lowly unbelievers with your sources. Or are your sources yourself, since you are the Sole Arbiter of Truth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericb Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 get some real sources, learn and help your world evolve. Oh please, O Omniscient and Evolved One, bless us thy lowly unbelievers with your sources. Or are your sources yourself, since you are the Sole Arbiter of Truth? let me guess, the reputable "crooksandliars.com" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashw_justin Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 I'm not so sure I would have held fire. The USS Cole incident is still fresh in the mind of Naval commanders. In US waters, there is a 500 yard exclusionary zone around Navy vessels and you enter it at your peril. I've been about 500 yards away from a ferry in my inflatable a couple years ago and I was intercepted very quickly by the USGC. The fact is, any of the several boats could have launched a missle, mine or suicide attack against the convoy. The commander seemed to know at the time that they were Revolutionary Guards and that anything was possible. Of course both sides are spinning away, but I would hate to be in the commander's place. As it was, the Revolutionary Guards got away with a successful provocation and probing exercise that plays well in the Gulf. We look stupid. Next time it might just be the Cole over again and everyone will be asking why they held fire. That's exactly right, you wouldn't hold your fire. Nobody would if they felt themselves in imminent danger in such a situation. I honestly don't understand why people are even considering this up for debate. Our warships will defend themselves if they feel themselves at risk. Those are their orders, not to mention they know very well the risks of not doing so. In fact, that they didn't feel the need to fire in defense would seem to indicate that there really was no true threat. So I ask again, why is this even up for discussion? It's a non-story. Or rather, the only real lesson of this story is that the administration is desperate for ways to make it seem justifiable that we militarily threaten Iran. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcoe Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Remember the Pueblo? Anniversary January 23, 1968. One day you're in international waters and a couple of fishing trawlers pass too close for no apparent reason. The next day all hell breaks lose and for 11 months you and all your compadres are beaten and tortured daily. Link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairweather Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Remember The Lusitania! Oh... The United States didn't enter WWI until a full two years after a German U-Boat sank the Lusitania - so badly did Wilson want to stay out of it. I'm not sure how your attempt to imply historical context works in this case. Are you sure you're not thinking of the destruction of The USS Maine as a pretext for the Spanish/American War? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Conway Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Remember The Lusitania! Oh... The United States didn't enter WWI until a full two years after a German U-Boat sank the Lusitania - so badly did Wilson want to stay out of it. I'm not sure how your attempt to imply historical context works in this case. Are you sure you're not thinking of the destruction of The USS Maine as a pretext for the Spanish/American War? eh? they called it Wilson's War for a reason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairweather Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Remember The Lusitania! Oh... The United States didn't enter WWI until a full two years after a German U-Boat sank the Lusitania - so badly did Wilson want to stay out of it. I'm not sure how your attempt to imply historical context works in this case. Are you sure you're not thinking of the destruction of The USS Maine as a pretext for the Spanish/American War? eh? they called it Wilson's War for a reason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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