Remember That Helicopter Crash In Iraq? Seven Dead, Due To "Mechanical Failure?"
by tristero
Recently, I expressed skepticism that the cause of this helicopter crash in Iraq was due to mere "mechanical failure."* In comments, several folks disagreed, describing in detail that these machines are more complex than one might think, implying that my skepticism was misplaced.
It wasn't:A Sea Knight helicopter that crashed last week northwest of Baghdad was shot down, the U.S. military said Wednesday.
The Marine CH-46 helicopter went down northwest of Baghdad, killing all seven people on board, and an al-Qaida-linked Sunni group claimed responsibility and aired a video.
But military officials initially said they did not believe it was downed by insurgents.
“Initial evidence indicated that the CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter went down as a result of mechanical failure. After further investigation using all available means, the cause of the incident has been confirmed to be hostile fire,” said Maj. Jeff Pool, a spokesman for the Multi National Force—West.
Yup, that's how it happened. They just didn't want to tell you when it was on the front pages.
More misinformation. More time wasted arguing the patently obvious. Of course it was shot down. And of course the US military knew it when the tragedy was first reported.
But hey! Y'never know! It's possible, after all, that a deadly helicopter crash in an area crawling with bastards just dying to bring that chopper down crashed by accident, mechanical, failure, or pilot error, isn't it?
No, my friends. It is not possible. You want to talk mathematics, then alright, yes, there's a small possibility it could happen. But in the real world, when a helicopter crashes and burns in a war zone, it's because it was attacked. Especially when the Bush military hastens to tell the media that it wasn't an attack. **
The Bush administration has played this game over and over and over. It's high time people stopped falling for it. They lie, prevaricate, distort, procrastinate, cover-up, and hide. Did I forget to mention that they also lie?
My God, to be the loved ones of the people that got killed and have to listen to your government's bullshit about their deaths...
* If the link is bloggered, do a search for "mechanical failure" and you should find it.
** Of course I know that accidents are common in war zones. But I also know that the Bush administration manipulates the press and public opinion with cynical ruthlessness. It really didn't take too many street smarts to perceive this was one of them.
[Updated after posting.]