Italian news reporter "tragedy"

I don't know where to start about this whole fiasco. So this is gonna sound pretty much like a buncha rambling. I've intended on talking about this for some time now but didn't really know too much of this situation.

The escalation of force. What those soldiers did is the exact same SOP that we are told to do. I have yet to shoot at a vehicle, but I know alot of the guys in my platoon have. Different units have different SOP's on how close they let vehicle's get. Some it's 150 meters. Other's it's 50 meters. For me, it all depends on the vehicle. During the day visibility is obviously pretty good. So depending on certain aspects of the vehicles, I will decide how close I'll let it get before I open up. Like if it's a van with a whole family inside, I'm obviously not going to fire on them. But if it's just one or two men in a sedan that's sittin pretty close to the ground; I'll be pretty paranoid on how close it gets to me. If I have rear security and we're not letting any cars go past us, I normally show my hand as a signal to stop when the vehicle gets about 150 meters. If they persist. The I turn the 50. cal MG pointed at their direction about their head. If they still come at me; I lower the 50. cal, pointing at the vehicle. IF they still come at me (normally they slow down with the .50 cal drawin a bead on em) then I take the sixteen and fix my iron sights on em. Then if for some asinine, hard-to-believe reason that they DON'T stop. THEN I fire what the Army calls "Disabling Shots". A couple rounds into the engine block. Now here's the thing. I've always kinda thought about this situation. The roads in Iraq aren't the best paved. What if I was shooting at the engine block but I hit a bump and it strikes the driver?

But ya. THAT situation listed above is ONLY during daytime. When it's night, it's a whole different ball game. You wanna be freaked out? Come over here and have a vehicle drive towards you. I understand TOTALLY how the soldier who fired on the Italian reporter's vehicle feels. HERE IS SOMETHING THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW. When Iraqi civilians drive toward U.S. Soldier's or Checkpoints THEY KNOW that they are supposed to TURN OFF their headlights and PUT ON THEIR FOUR WAYS. Now I don't know if that's the SOP or what not, but it's just what they do and HAVE been doing for a long time. So when a suspicious looking vehicle is coming towards the soldiers and it doesnt stop, WITH lights on, what the fuck do you expect us to think.

The United States has said soldiers at a Baghdad checkpoint "attempted to warn the driver to stop by hand and arm signals, flashing white lights, and firing warning shots in front of the car. When the driver didn't stop, the soldiers shot into the engine block which stopped the vehicle, killing one and wounding two others."
But Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini told his parliament Tuesday that the car was not speeding and was not ordered to stop by U.S. troops at a checkpoint. (www.abcnews.com)

I'm surprised that they even fired warning shots at the vehicle. I would've gone straight for the engine block. Sorry. What REALLY grinds my bones is that EVERYONE says that the car wasn't speeding.

AND?!?!!? SO FUCKING WHAT!!! WHAT? Just because it's not speeding automaically rules out the fact that it could be a VBIED?!!?! HOW THE FUCK do you know that it wasn't just a terrorist slowin down so that his buddy in the back can get the bomb prepped for explosion ?!?!

25 MPH is what they said. I don't know about you. BUT IN THE DARK, with a vehicle coming at your with headlights on, 25 MPH or 40 MPH, will all be the same because all you have is a matter of seconds to react. LIGHTS BLARING. the Night Vision Goggles won't work cuz. No one can get a visual of the occupants inside.

The soldier's thinkin:

"This is ODD"
"Why is he no slowing down?"
"Why the FUCK are the lights still on?"
"This don't feel right man...he aint stoppin."
"SHIT!!! The warning shots DIDNT STOP HIM. WHAT THE FUCK???"

then he fires into the engine block.

the rest is all over CNN and Foxnews,

the rest is painted as left-wing propaganda.

Al-jazeera I bet had a field day about this.

I would proudly consider myself a semi-liberal. I vote for kerry. (in retrospect, I should've voted for Pres. Bush) I even had Nader fever for like a week. But THIS is too much. Not too be a dickhead or anything, but the woman that got kidnapped was an from a news company that was staunchly ANTI-WAR. Her views are expressed publicy as ANTI-WAR. I don't know.

I hope to GOD that nothing happens to the soldiers that were involved in that incident. THEY DID NOTHING WRONG.

If anyone is to blame it should be the people responsible for setting up the pickup for her release. I mean, such a big thingm you'd expect escort, as well as notification for the U.S. soldiers.

But no. Now the news media; because of fucking ratings, are going to crucify the U.S. Army and the soldiers involved.

I'll tell you one thing though. If the soldiers out at that checkpoint didn't follow SOP and do what they "said" they did, then they should be punished. but if they did follow guidelines, then nothing should happen to them.

But who knows. You got the Italian PM harping the fucking U.S. to pretty much "find someone to blame" no matter who it is. Understandable when it comes to politics. You need to have something to blame for this "tragedy" and if no one is to blame, shit will turn from bad to worse. His country already is ANTI-WAR and this whole situation could cause political death for him.

Let's hope that the scapegoat aren't the soldiers in that checkpoint. Because if it is, then that day will be a sad day for america, which of course will soon be forgotten because no one really cares now do they?