Joho the Blog
An Entry from the Archives

We are at war in Iraq. A brutal bloody war. I can not believe that NBC
reported misconduct by the Marines in Fallujah. A marine shot an insurgent
at point blank range. He should be given a medal but instead we have allowed
the liberal media to be there and blame him instead of congratulating him.
Your reporting makes me sick. NBC is no different than CBS and Dan Rather.
You Spineless Liberals are ruining this country. You Bastards might as well
report for aljazeera and the Arab networks.

PS: I know, you people think Arafat was a great man too!
PSS: The Marines should have shot that gutless reporter of yours too!! NO
KIDDING!!!

The Marines should have shot that goat-tee mother fucker Kevin Sites. The armed forces should have known this guy from CNN and shot him too.

Dallon

Fuck Kevin Sites!!

ah! you guys are really average americans: dumb, narrowminded innocents! ;0)

Mmmm. I'm sure D Pease would say that if Al jazeera showed an insurgent blowing out a wounded marine's brains. Hey Pease - you guys are in there to "bring democracy" (which you have only had for 40 years - by the way!) and "route out terror". Thats the reason YOU are their RIGHT? Job well done mate!

Imagine the "poor inocent unarmed terrorist", a week later, with Kevin S. in his, un-unarmed gun sight. Now imagine the same U.S. Marine that K.S. tried to burn as the only thing between the K.S. and a bullet.
NBC you and your people are sad!

Kevin Sites, next time you and the Marines are taking a Building, I hope the enemy points his gun at you and the Marines think twice IF IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO SHOOT THE ENEMY or SHOULD THEY WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE ENEMY IS GOING TO DO FIRST"

I bet you will be warmly welcomed being imbedded with future marine patrols. As a three war combat vet, I would have a plan for you should you accompany my unit. The major left-wing liberal networks trip over themselves to see that pool data gets to Aljazeera and the Muslin press. As in the media hype over prisoner abuse, your recent footage and report will cost American lives. But, who cares in the liberal press? Scoops and leftist aclaim is all that matters.

You Americans are just such huge morons.
All the guys who were shot in that building were clearly unarmed.
War criminals.

There's not an insurgent in Fallujah who held a gun against an American that has any right to live. You try to kill us while we are liberating the city.. you die... when will they learn? MAYBE Kevin Sites reporting will do some good.. if he'd only relayed that message with it.

Next time he should say: Here's one of the scumbags who's not dead yet. He's one of the dumbasses who tried to kill me and the US Troops... end of subject.

This Marine should have been given a metal. You seem to forget that these things or people if that is what you want to call them are animals, it surely takes a real man to cut off the head of another person while they are tied up and to do it to a woman. I think that there should have been a "Take no prisoner" policy. And this reporter, you are scum, remember Mr. Pearl, remember what these lowlifes did? Perhaps you would feel different if this was your son or your daughter that these pieces of shit murdered. They are gutless wonders, they hide their faces because they are truly ashamed of what and who they are. To me, they will always be a walking piece of shit.

KEVIN SITES SHOULD HAVE A BULLET IN HIS FUCKING FACE.........

I sure wish that Kevin Sites was with us in Korea,,, he would not have been here to get stupid on our men in God Damned Iraq...........
I don't even understand why Al Sadr and Fallujah still exist.......... Do we still have an Air Force ???? if so,,,, where in Hell is it ????
Come on President Bush,,,, step up to the line and stand with our Marines and Soldiers.... tell the news media to go pound salt..... Spend some of that political capital you expound so much about on the troops that are fighting and dying for your causes..................

I sure wish that Kevin Sites was with us in Korea,,, he would not have been here to get stupid on our men in God Damned Iraq...........
I don't even understand why Al Sadr and Fallujah still exist.......... Do we still have an Air Force ???? if so,,,, where in Hell is it ????
Come on President Bush,,,, step up to the line and stand with our Marines and Soldiers.... tell the news media to go pound salt..... Spend some of that political capital you expound so much about on the troops that are fighting and dying for your causes..................

I'm anxious to know if KS is still on the beat down there. I can't imagine being the next group of soldiers asked to protect this guy with their lives.

I think they should make the press see if the wounded terrorists are dead or booby trapped. Wear was the press when Kerry was shootiing his guns at inocent vietnamese people?????

Kevin Sites, what a loser, he wouldn't last a day in Vietman. Hey ,Kev good luck. Sleep with one eye open.

First an information: if the old irish woman is really dead, it was 100% not the Mujahidine, they don't kill innocents. Zarkawi NEVER lies!!!

Second: don't think that al-djazeera or al-arabia are "moslem TV": they are like the pig sadam from baath, and this is aginst the spirit of islam´, and they obey to the CIA, else they will disappear

Now to you americans: you have exterminated the real "american" poeple. Hiroshima, it was not moslems but YOU, Vietnam,
Pearl harbor, Sabra and shatila, Somalia, and so on.
Count your victims in the short existence of the USA and compare with the "victims" of moslems (the true ones, not sadam or the other bastard "kings" and "presidnets" who are just the pawn of the US and Israel) during the their long civilisation.

We moslem don't need your democracy. stay at "your stolen" home

Hey berber.... go fuck yourself, we will obliterate all of you dust monkey shitbags eventually .......just one big nuke should do it......p.s take some spelling classes.

You are all reducing this to a liberal vs. conservative issue and it is not. The problem with allowing imbedded reporters is that what they film can never capture the environment that these young men are fighting in. Who among us in a similar situation would not do something like this? It is an unfortunate part of war and I would imagine that this instance is only one of many. Kevin Sites just happened to get photos of this one. Do I agree with this war? Absolutely not. Do we need to support our troops and recognize that they have a job to do and we should not let the media impede that? Absolutely. Please, this situation makes it so much harder on these troops. Give them a break and be thankful that they have the training that they have. The best thing we could do is bring them all home.

Sites is sad testimony to the farce of imbedded journalists. What the hell kind of “news” do they want to report? What the hell do you expect we are going to “see” with the USMC in house-to-house combat? Jack Nicholson said it all in A Few Good Men, “The Truth? You can’t handle the truth!” Marines kill their enemy anyway they can. I’m okay with NOT having to SEE how they do their job. However, the TRUTH that needs reporting is this: Sites sells out some jar-head kid fighting to stay alive in hell as best he knows how. Sites sells out some noble/scared GI who has been dodging death all week. Sites records 30 desperate seconds out of this GI’s nightmare and, like Judas, sells him out to the enemy propaganda machine to promote his own career. Sites is “embedded” all right; embedded as deep as any enemy. Sikes has managed to do with his camera what the sand pigs of Fallujah failed to do: bring down a good Marine. Damn him.

to berber:i don't know who that person that responded to you...either forgot his name or just too chicken shit to post it. i wonder if he's american. he sounds like many,at best, misinformed americans under the leadership of bush and company. so much hate. no wonder we're in that quagmire. apparently you're quite intelligent...know the basic difference between bad and good in everything. that shitbag that replied to your post is so stupid that all he could say is learn how to spell...hahahaha. moron..shame on people like him.aaaargh!!

can't blame the soldier that shot the insurgents in the mosque. my friend's brother a medic, just came back from iraq. he said that those young soldiers are on edge because they just don't know when something will blow up in their faces. i'm sure any of you who'd been in that situation can relate. today, the department of defense reported that 1,214 U.S. military deaths (icasualties.org...see who they are) since the invasion. let's all stop this madness.

to berber:i don't know who that person that responded to you...either forgot his name or just too chicken shit to post it. i wonder if he's american. he sounds like many,at best, misinformed americans under the leadership of bush and company. so much hate. no wonder we're in that quagmire. apparently you're quite intelligent...know the basic difference between bad and good in everything. that shitbag that replied to your post is so stupid that all he could say is learn how to spell...hahahaha. moron..shame on people like him.aaaargh!!

Never in a million years could words express the rage and disdain that I am feeling for you, and for the American media that you represent. You are a traitorous, treasonous, feckless, spineless bastard that deserves everything that will now come around your way. I see here that you are a “freelance journalist” currently working for NBC. For a very brief moment, I had given you the benefit of the doubt and thought, huh…maybe this reporter was in a bit of a dilemma about what he had filmed…maybe he told his “higher-ups” that he was a bit conflicted and wasn’t really sure if he should use the footage. Then I thought, I wouldn’t put it past some bastard, head honcho, America-hating weasel at NBC to demand that he turn over the video because they knew they had a live one. But no…come to find out that you are, technically, working alone (with the Marines keeping you alive, of course), which means that you and you alone decided to release this video for all to see. Boy oh boy, I’d pay to see what those marines would like to do to you right about now.

Once again, you despicable, shameless, self-hating American journalists and media have managed to even further offend and outrage the American public with your treatment of our soldiers in the middle of a war. And all in the name of “reporting”, right? I thought I had seen it all with Abu Ghraib. I guess not. I thought I would have a heart attack with the rage I felt when I heard that the day before, some Marines were killed when a body in a mosque was booby trapped. Yet you have the disgusting gall to judge and question and demean and “expose” this young, brave Marine half way across the globe, fighting for his life…. and yours, literally, you no good son of a bitch.

After my incomprehensible disgust for you, and of course, the American media, I am left just shaking my head in absolute amazement at the politicians and the Bush Administration. After I finish this note, I will be writing a stream of letters. First to NBC, demanding that your ass be canned from any further contributions. Hopefully you’ll go down with the likes of Peter Arnett. Then on to my local politicians, and then, to the Bush Administration. I am in utter shock and disbelief that someone is not calling off this “investigation” and, for once, calling a spade a spade. That someone in the military or the Administration is not coming out and saying, guess what? There’s not going to be any fucking investigation. The Marine was doing what we’re paying him to do. Period. End of story. I hope to God that you become the poster child for everything that has gone wrong with the embedded “rats” over there, and that the Administration pulls all of you rats and feeds you to the ENEMY. I hope to God that you will be made an example out of, for future generations and future reporters, about what is appropriate and what is shameful and despicable, in the name of “reporting”. I can just imagine in WWII, Korea, or Vietnam, some punk ass reporter pulling a stunt like this. The problem is now, the media thinks that they run the fucking country, therefore, you think you actually have the PULSE OF THE FUCKING COUNTRY, don’t you, you bastard? Hopefully, you’ll never get to find out how wrong you are, because hopefully, you’ll never make it back to this country alive.

What’s it going to take for stupid ass, out of touch, America hating reporters like you to realize that 99.9% of the country DOES NOT WANT TO HEAR YOUR GARBAGE? The American public is so beaten down at this point, with the endless, daily barrage of offenses to our senses from the American media, it has made us weak and vulnerable, and you all know it. Who has time to sit down and write letters to politicians, newsrooms, reporters, blogs, about the daily barrage of offensive things that are shoved down our throats on TV and in the movies?…not many people. I DON’T EITHER. However, tonight, I am so incensed, so outraged, that I have to waste my precious time writing this stupid fucking blog because I know that it will go right to the source of my rage, to you, you piece of shit son of a bitch. Best case scenario, may you burn in hell, but if you never work again in the world of “journalism,” that will be good enough for me. Have a nice day over there watching your back, and your head.

Yawn

Thank you Ann Ross... You said what ALL Americans are feeling, and to you Liberal P; my guess is that you are a Jewish law school flunkout. While you're yawning it would be most appropriate for someone to shove a fist down your stupid fucking throat maybe even cut your fucking head off, I'm sure the scumbags you defend would be happy to oblige you. It is truly remarkable how many Jewish people embrace your flawed thinking and who surrender themselves to liberalism- Michael Savage says liberalism is a mental disorder there can be no question that he is absolutely correct........You really are just a PUKE......

I'm now deleting messages that engage in name-calling. If you want to engage with someone to explore her/his views, excellent. You can't do that by calling them asswipes and shitheads. So find some other place to be stupid in public.

OK Weinberg! you are the boss; so ya don't like namecalling HMmmmmm...... you still have some deleting to do.... get busy

Make that Weinberger..My apologies. (sincere)

A crime is a crime, there are laws in the military and in war. To shoot an unarmed and wounded enemy has always been wrong -- in a civilized military, to honourable soldiers, that is. Those person's who state that such actions are acceptable have no honour. First of all to commit a military crime shows a lack of discipline. To allow a crime to go unreported or unpunished is as bad as carrying out the crime oneself. This photojournalist is doing their job, showing people what the war is really like. They are providing evidence of a CRIME, like it or not, soldiers are people, and while most are great, there are bound to be some bad apples. The sociopaths and psychopaths are usually kicked out of the military, but some are smart enough to stay in. Now, once there has been an investigation of this shooting hopefully the truth, whatever that is, will come out. However, if the soldier deliberately did murder an unarmed and wounded enemy, they should be punished - that is military law. Soldiers need to be humane, we need to hold them up to a higher standard and not a lower one. They are not beasts that we turn loose on our enemies. They are our fathers, brothers, uncles, and sons. They see horrible things, and we hope they do not have to do horrible things. By supporting the higher road, we give them honour, and value that which is honourable in them. If we allow them to travel the lower road, we disgrace them and the things that they are fighting for. We are held to a higher standard than our enemies because we choose to be higher. If we do not try to be better than they are, then we end up as bad as they are. Because the rebels do horrible things, does that mean that we can react with horrible things and still hold on to our honour, no we cannot. We have to teach by example, and not by being hypocrites.

This photojournalist is doing his job, and I'm glad of it. Wish we had had more like him in Vietnam. If soldiers want to be proud of the job that they are doing then they have to act in a way to be proud. To have honour, one must act honourably. Murder, rape, theft and torture are never honourable acts. If you think they are, then you really have no concept of what being an American is all about.

And yes, I am an American who can use a number of guns, and other weapons, and I am ready, willing and able to protect what is mine. I am also pro-death penalty, after someone is judged guilty in a court of law by their peers. So, don't think you can throw the false "liberal" label at me, although I think of myself as a liberal and a humanist. I have a brain, and I use it, what is your reactive excuse. I believe that we should act with honour, in a way that would make us and our kids proud. Not in the way that our enemies would act, or would like us to act. Buy into hate and you become what you hate. Buy into hate and you give it the power to destroy you.

Hurrah for this photojournalist. Hurrah for the freedoms that we are over there fighting for!

Blah blah blah blah blah blah........you have no idea what the fuck you are talking about ........I don't give a shit what guns you have you are still a God damned fool......this country is the greatest force in the history of humankind... you either "get it" or you don't .........it's obvious you don't get it.........you never will "get it" ........don't you remember whar President Bush said.... you're either with us or you're AGAINST us.......it is clear where you stand.....putzwad...

What are you people brain-dead. He's a reporter, he reports! Don't blame the guy for doing his job.
Some of you say you want to kill Kevin Sites for being a traitor. This only proves how totally stupid you really are. The guy is there to document events, you can't expect him to sweep the dirty details under the rug. Any good reporter documents the TRUTH, and the truth comes with both the good and the bad.
If you are so closed minded that portraying any soldier in a bad light equals treason, and murder equals an award then you seriously need to get your priorities in order.

I would just like to say, as a journalist...wait a minute why bother, it sounds like you americans have been subjected to too much simplicity to bother so I'll just leave you with this thought - not all humans in a geographical location are the same. Yes this statement is a contradiction so shoot me (just lets hope nobody tapes it, we wouldn't want to think murder is a crime).

Congrats to Kevin Sites on becoming embedded with Al Zaqawi's Iraqi Jahad. You covered a great journalistic story at the expense of a patriotic young American who would have gave his life for YOUR safety. So, come on, we hope you don't go losing your head over it.

I have read most of the comments and I am not a
bit surprised by the news media. It was bound to
happen and will happen again. The way to stop it
is to either stop imbedding or make all reports
be approved by the Officer in charge. Does that
sound like censureship..Yeah damn right..in time
of war thats the way it is. In WW 2 Reporters
were patriots and they would never have undermined
the war effort by doing something stupid like Sites did. Stop Imbedding..Or use the "unthinkable" CENSURESHIP. The press brought
it on themselves. They seem to have lost their way. When the printing of something as volatile
as this is allowed to be published...people will
die... Isn't that a good enough to force restraint ?

Jesus fucking christ. I'm glad every time something mildly scandalous happens because it truly filters out the idiots in the world.

My thoughts here: http://outbursts.blogspot.com/2004/11/quick-recap.html

oh just to add to a few things said here:

yes, the people in the building were clearly unarmed. that must include the people that were assaulting US forces for days before this happened. oh wait, no it fucking doesnt. how were they clearly unarmed? were you personally there strip-searching each and every one of those men? i didn't think so.

yes, kevin sites deserves to die. how dare he simply provide a glimpse into the reality of war. did he tell the marine to shoot the man? did he tell him NOT to? he did his goddamn job. apparently doing your job is punishable by a BULLET IN THE FACE now. might explain why america is so goddamn lazy. too lazy to even see the lies they are fed every day.

hey ann, if the country doesnt want to hear the garbage, then why does it keep showing up in the headlines? i guess i'll just take your word for it that america doesn't want to know the truth. people are free to form their own opinions, and kevin sites is only helping them make informed ones. so far, most of you have all failed in doing that.

America: Think about why everybody hates you.

I'm defending democracy - I guess you hadn't spotted that? And NO I am not a Jewish law school flunkout - I think your stereotyping says more about your prejudices than it does about me. Does it matter who I am? Does it matter what I do for a living? Apparently expressing my view is enough to have a fist rammed down my throat (actually you could try - when you start shaving). Yeah I'm a liberal (well spotted - there is a clue in my tag). You still don't get it do you? You are the only superpower and you are in Iraq to stop terrorism. Hey, I think the world is a safer place now - not. Hey - I think that footage is going to sooth all those young muslim men and make them your allies - not. Job well done Rumy and George.

History repeats, however, some don't remember....

Captain Bruce WEBB (C.O. Item/India Company, 3/3 was leading his company (on 18 Aug 1965) into a Definitely Enemy (VC/NVA) Village compound on Opn Starlite (Nam Yen 3). There were KIAs littering the 1st perimeter obstacles. WEBBs Plt Sgt (I'll keep him anonymous) was shooting the VC/NVA warriors. WEBB chastised his Plt
Sgt for doing a inhumane thing & commanded him to stop. The Plt Sgt did so. Moments later one of the VC/NVAs FRAGGED WEBB, two of his Radionmen & his Company 1st Sgt. WEBB died as a result of that FRAGGING, the rest suffered great wounds & were subsequently medicaced.
[Bruce Douglas WEBB, Capt., USMC, age 31, "Wall 02E-063"..

Nick - point well made. And that point is: shit happens in war. It is standard British Army (and US army I guess) practice to do "ground clearance" after entering a captured zone. That includes putting 2 bullets into every body on the ground and then checking for booby traps. Arguably that was what your marine was doing. BUT he knew there was a camera there. HE acted alone (it wasn't part of a systematic ground clearance). What was he thinking? Kevin Sites is well known for his Bloggs and those guys MUST have known what he was going to do with the film he shot. For mother's sake - the USMC even has a press officer. So the issue is not whether what he did was militarily useful (it was), it is not whether Kevin Sites should have filmed it (he should) or whether we should have seen it (we should). The question is "why are we (yes - thats you and us Brits) there when we are totally failing to do what we claimed we were going to do". That film clip is a metaphore for our (actually largely your) policy in the middle east. Let me boil that down for the right-wingers: Rumy, George and Tony got it wrong.

It's REAL easy to sit on our overfed, fat, self righteous rear ends, back here in comfortable America, and criticize our young men in combat. Most of you would defecate on yourselves in their situation-especially you who call yourselves "lilberal". Let me remind you that the enemy are terrorists, the majority of whom are not Iraqis, but foriegn insurgents from Syria, Jordan, Iran, etc. who have come to Iraq, not to defend Iraq, but to do one thing-kill Americans. They were warned to leave Fallujah, they did not leave, but stayed behind to kill Americans and to become 'martyrs'. Well, they got what they wanted. War is not hell, but it's pretty close to it. When the enemy is booby-traping bodies, doing everything they can to kill you up to their last breath, mistakes will cost you your life. As far as Kevin Sites goes, he's self-righteous bum. The US Marines provide him cover so he can conduct what some would call 'objective journalism'? One video grab out of the context of the entire assault is deliberately misleading. But that's what you liberal media scum bags specialize in, don't you. One thing for sure, if I ever see you in Charlotte, NC you better have your running shoes on. (Smile, you can take a joke, can't you?)

What makes you think I would run? You don't have to be a bigot to resort to violence (but it helps). So puff yourself up as much as you like - I won't run away from the kind of flacid "arguments" (rants) you post. I certainly wouldn't run away from the chance to pull your head out from your ass, and then shove it back up where it belongs. :-) you can take a joke right?

Sites is a reporter with a camera doing a job he is paid for. He did'nt know when he went into that mosque what was going to happen. He didn't set up a scene for political reasons. He shot footage of a Marine foot patrol. He was invited by the military to accompany them. How can he be blamed for showing factual events on the ground. NBC has been one of the staunchest supporters of the administration outside of FOX. They are owned by General Electric which is profitting by manufacturing tools for the military.

Another fact - the marine involved in the shooting incident has not been named by Sites or NBC. The marine may not even be disciplined. We simply do not know all of the circumstances behind this incident as of yet.

More importantly is the fact that by killing every "sand pig" as some like to describe the insurgents, will not help end this conflict any sooner. Neither will destroying large areas of the cities where some resistance is coming from. As the military has recently said, the vast majority of fighters are not foreign Al-Qaeda types but are mainly Iraqi Sunnis. Unless we consciously want the country to split up we should not just continue indiscriminate use of our awesome firepower.

Oh, you would run, alright, Liberal P. But seriously, you addressed not one issue I raised, but resorted to trash talking and name calling, ie, "bigot". Sorry, but that sounds like 'running away' to me.

Kevin Sites is not only a traitor to his country of birth, he is also apparently too stupid to realize why he was released from capture by the enemies of this country some months ago. He indicated on his blog the reason was simply words spoken by a single man which resulted in his release. The obvious truth is it was the threat of massive retaliation by American armed forces which caused his release. And now, how does he repay the American armed forces to whom he owes his life?

If Sites ever happens to read this, I hope it causes him great pain to realize how he has now wronged one of the very people who saved his worthless hide by intimidating those who would have relished his beheading in the absence of American power.

Sites is contemptible. He could have turned the tape of the shooting incident over to military authorities if he thought an investigation necessary, but no, he rushed the tape out to the world with no consideration of the damage it would cause to a brave young marine and, more importantly, to America and its allies in this war which must be won at all costs.

Hey PWC - I thought we were joking around? Shhhheeeesh - you guys have no sense of humour!
I agree with much of what you say up until the "As far as Kevin Sites..." stuff (ignoring the fat arse on the sofa - you were joking then right?). The question that you guys never ask yourselves is "why do these guys want to kill Americans?" Al Quaeda are fruit cakes and should have been dealt with by infiltration and some carefully targeted hits on the quiet. The problem now is you guys have mobilised the whole middle east against you (and us). I saw a great bumper sticker in Texas recently that summed it up for me, cliché or not: "Regime change starts at home". Oh well - 4 more years.
BTW - I don't run unless I have to - and I don't have to.

The Federalist does a nice job of intelligently summarizing this situation. The press performs an indespensible service to any republic, but only when they report all the facts. Kevin Sites did not.

"Damned if they do, Dead if they don't...

"In their latest campaign to eradicate Jihadi vermin on the Iraqi warfront with Jihadistan, U.S. Marines and Army infantry have, in the last two weeks, purged Fallujah of more than 5,000 terrorist insurgents who were dug in throughout the city. The combat has been fierce.

"A week into the Fallujah operation, an NBC photographer embedded with the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, recorded video of a young combat-hardened Marine entering a room in a mosque where he found several insurgents on the floor under covers. Unable to determine if these enemy combatants were injured, dead or preparing to ambush his unit, the Marine raised his rifle in preparation to defend himself and his fellow Marines. When he detected movement from one of the combatants, the Marine yelled, "He's (expletive) faking he's dead! He's faking he's (expletive) dead!" and killed the Jihadi -- and that is where this story should have ended.

"As it turned out, however, the Jihadi had been wounded the day before and the NBC photographer, Kevin Sites (whose photographs are featured on many anti-war Website), stepped up to get his 15 seconds of fame. Sites turned the video over to his network, telling them that he did not think the Jihadi was a threat, and within 24 hours, Lefty lynch mobs were forming to hang themselves a Marine.

"Notably, the loudest protests of "war crimes" were from those who have never been closer to combat than the distance between their living-room lounge chairs and TVs. (Of course, it is a war crime to store weapons in a mosque as was documented, but the Lefties are not protesting that.) Indeed, the Leftmedia's mindless promotion of this video (as with the Abu Ghraib feeding frenzy: see -- http://FederalistPatriot.US/alexander/edition.asp?id=258) was tantamount to shaking a hornet's nest -- making the task of our fighting forces in Fallujah and elsewhere in the region all the more difficult. Actions have consequences, and the exploitation of this video empowered Jihadis in the region -- in effect, making life very difficult for our Armed Forces.

"But what you're not hearing from NBC's Tom Brokaw or any other Leftmedia talkingheads in their wholesale condemnation of this incident is that Jihadis (knowing that U.S. military personnel have the decency to tend to wounded enemy combatants) have routinely booby-trapped the bodies of dead insurgents. In fact, one member of the Marine squad now being scrutinized was killed (and five others wounded) when attempting to check on a wounded Jihadi only days earlier. In addition, the Marine now being questioned for killing this wounded Jihadi suffered a wound to his face a day earlier when an injured Jihadi fired on him.

"These facts notwithstanding, the Left and their media minions have now made this young Marine their poster boy for U.S. atrocities. Here, we would remind these hypocrites that a few short weeks ago, they were doing all in their power to support John F. Kerry's campaign for the most powerful office in the world. This would be the same JFK who received a Silver Star (with and erroneous "V") for chasing a wounded Vietcong combatant (described as a young boy in a loin cloth) around a hutch and shooting him in the back.

"While we have strenuously questioned the merits of John Kerry's Silver Star for this action, we have never questioned his decision to kill this VC enemy, whom he judged to be a threat to his boat crew. By the Kerry standard, the young Marine in question should get a Silver Star. (Of course, enlisted personnel really have to do something spectacular to pin one of those on.)

Well at least I am not the only one that thinks this guy should not leave Iraq. Isn't providing aid and comfort to the enemy in war Treason.

As an old Cavalry Officer, I would have personally made sure this BS tape would never had seen the light of day.

After some further reading of the posts on this web site, I wonder who would agree with the following:

I wish the President would come out now and tell these 7th century rejects the reality of the consequences of attacking the USA with WMD:

1/5th of your barbaric religion is the Hajj. If you plan to keep this portion of your commitment, you ought to think twice about doing something to the usa. If this happens, you can wait about 10,000 years (isn't this the half life of cesium?)to complete your journey because Mecca will be a radioactive smoking hole in the desert.

This might even make up a little for 9/11!

Thank god for the US Marines! Unfortuantly, Congress only mandates 4 divisions. I wish we had 8. This would make a big difference in dealing with what remains of Saddam's gulag. Shoot them all and let God sort them out

GO TO WWW.PETITIONONLINE.COM TO SIGN THE PETITION TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS REGARDING THIS MATTER. IT IS THE NUMBER ONE PETITION ON THE LIST THERE. THE BLOG ROBOT IS NOT LETTING ME POST THE FULL WEBSITE ADDRESS HERE SO PLEASE GO THERE. FORWARD YOUR CONFIRMATION EMAIL TO EVERYONE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK. WE HAVE OVER 73,000 SIGNATURES SO FAR. WE NEED TO FIGHT THE SICK AND TWISTED AMERICAN MEDIA ON THIS ONE AS BEST WE CAN.

Sites,
you are nothing but a worthless human who wants to further your notoriety at the expense of the Soldiers and Marines who provide your beloved freedom of press. You worthless shit bag, how could you betray those marines by trying to stick your faggot dick in their eye. Sites, you are a marked man. Nothing would make me happier than to see those rag head muslims cut your head off while your alive, and have your fellow reporters show it on NBC. The gurgling sounds you make will bring delight to millions of Americans. FUCK YOU !!

I love the notion, implicit in much of the above spleen, that America is great because of the quick-to-shout-slow-to-think brigade. It is great in spite of you and because the real thinkers know that a democracy will always have people like you on board. Its when you guys get into power that things go tits-up. But don't worry - we liberals will clear up the mess once Bush has blown the economy and your credibility abroad (which I am sure you feel you don't need to bother with). Travel a bit (and learn about other cultures). Hey, even read a bit (about other cultures). Maybe then you will realise that history (even your short history) repeats itself. Nice post "All American". I am sure you are proud of your opinions and care not a monkey's wank what impression it gives to the rest of the world.
Ann Ross: A 73,000 signature petition! Hey, maybe you could start one to stop the teaching of evolution whilst your at it.
Jeez. 4 more years.

Marine receives some junk mail.

Sites is going to be beheaded.

Marine must decide what to do. Guess I will catch up on my junk mail.

Good one!

Hey Liberal P, give me a break with your babbling liberalism. I dont agree with George Bush taking us to war in Iraq. In fact, I think it's probably one of the biggest mistakes in history. Having said that, the soldiers and marines that Bush sent to war didn't have any say in the matter. Therefore, we Americans owe them all of our support. They have a job to do that you cant possibly fathom. They are fighting an enemy (savages) that are not bound by the laws of war or geneva conventions, or for that matter, any decency or humanity. But, because we are afraid to upset the liberals in our own country we stick in some shit bag like Kevin sites to follow our soldiers and marines around, so he can try and get his name recognized for some useless journalist award. Let's face it, Sites is in this for himself, and only himself, as are most liberals. He did nothing for this country. Nobody seems to care that these savages cut peoples heads off while they're alive. Never mind these savages shoot at our troops from inside their Mosques, a violation of the geneva conventions. Never mind these savages are killing more of their own people with suicide attacks and car bombs. You tell me, Liberal P, what do you think Sites was trying to accomplish by airing that piece? To further our cause? To protect the geneva convention? The only reason he did it was to make a name for himself. Period. So stop your liberal babble in support of this walking dead man, it's anoying. Go back to being a mushroom in the dark and stop trying to legitimize this shit bags actions.

PS Still waiting for Sites to get whacked by one of those savages. I will sleep soundly knowing that piece of shit is gone from this planet.

All American,

Well at least we agree on something.
But lets go back to Kevin Sites - your solution is to blam all the liberal shit-head press - silence them? Then presumably we can listen to the enlightened press? The reason we have a "free" press is so that shit like Watergate, Profumo, etc, etc is brought to light. That means we also have to put up with shit like Rush Limbaugh and, from your perspective, Kevin Sites. I would fight for your right to listen to any journalistic crap you wanted to. I suspect your definition of democracy and freedom doesn't extend to my right to see what Kevin Sites films. Of course he is making a name for himself (what the fuck are you doing your job for - the good of humanity? I doubt it). But I ask you, did he make up what he filmed? and if not, why are you in such a fluster about it? Your armed forces are an important tool for decracy and freedom and NOBODY in their right mind would imagine that they are doing a tough job in the most professional way they can. But. Nobody forced those marines to sign up. What do you think they thought they were going to be doing once they had signed up? They are professionals - its their job and they are good at it. So why are you treating them with kid-gloves and getting your knickers in a twist about Sites doing his. In a democracy we get to see our warts and pimples in the safety of the freedom we live in. We also have the duty to be, and shouldn't fear being, critical of the way we work (thats we we have elections at regular intervals).
You may not like it, but you need guys like Sites. You may not want to see what Sites shows you, but that is what innocent Iraqi's (remember them?) see every day. We (the so-called coalition) are shooting the fuck out of their country for their sake. Isn't that right? Your solution is to "fuck them" and give the marine a medal. Enlightened foriegn policy All American.

I agree, Liberal P. If there's nothing wrong with what the marine did, then why are people in such a fluster about it being shown? As Liberal P says, the Iraqi's are seeing stuff like this every day. A little whiff of reality is good for our democracy now and then.

Liberal P, Liberal P, you're so far out in left field you're missing all the hits to right and center. Under the Liberal P plan, everyone holds hands and sings "we are the world." I have some news for you Liberal P, the world is a dangerous place. Fortunately for England and America, and to some degree the rest of Europe, we live by the standards of decency. That is not the case in the middle east. You are dealing with a mentality that has no regard for human life. Christian, Muslim, Jew, it doesn't matter, Arabs wil kill anyone, because it's what they know. They will kill in some of the most horrific ways known to man. I wont go into the litany of examples where arabs, middle easterners, or any muslims for that matter, have killed thousands of innocent people. I really mean innocent. You may recall 9-11, Leon Klinghoffer, and a cast of thousands. Yet I digress. Getting back to that self-serving shit bag Kevin Sites. Where is it written that the press has a right to film our military when we send them into harms way? It's written nowhere. The US Military, because it abides by the laws of war, allow reporters to follow them. Why do you think you have the right to know everything? You dont have that right.
When our governments make the decision to send our kids into war, we owe it to them to accomplish that mission unhindered. No press following them around, which incidentally, the military must protect.
Liberal P, let's put you in shit bag sites shoes;
You enter a mosque that's been used as a bunker to shoot at troops. There is a history of these Arabs booby traping corpses, or blowing themselves up when a soldier tries to treat them humanely. Ok Liberal P, there's a wounded Arab that earlier tried to kill you. He begins to move..Liberal P shouts "no no, leave him alone, he's ok..I'll check him out" BOOM !! Too late Mr. Liberal P, you're dead. In fact, you're in pieces. Give it a rest Liberal P you can't defend Sites actions because his actions were self centered. I worry about you LIberal P. I sometimes wonder if you're over there in England smoking some weed and looking at the world through rose colored glasses. "Earth to Liberal P, come back to Earth."

Let justice be done, though the heavens may fall. You're a camera operator. Not a pundit or a politician. You have presented that footage without preference or prejudice, and it is what happened, warts and all. Your job is to report what is present. You've done your job, and a good one at that, Mr. Sites. Go home and sleep well, and ignore the blind jingoistic. "What do we mean by patriotism in the context of our times? I venture to suggest that what we mean is a sense of national responsibility ... a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." - Adlai Stevenson

As a combat vet, the killing of any enemy is a fact of war. That "insurgent" or better Iraqi man either has, would or would have at the next opportunity shot or tried to kill without mercy any American he could. That is the price he pays for choosing to kill Americans. The marine made the right choice.

America and Iraq, I've a mind to send you both to your rooms to think about what you've done, and no dessert for either of you.

What a shame that you are not supporting the American soliders that are protecting you in Iraq. When you went there did you think this was a vacation, this is a war zone. The solider is trained to protect their fellow soliders when in a war zone, and this is what they were doing.
You are disgrace to the American G.I.'s who put their lives on the line every day for the great nation they have sworn to defend. Why don't you get a rifle and man a post as these guys do, and then you will respect them and not try to disgrace them.

If I remember correctly the purpose of the assault on Fallujah was to make way for elections in Iraq in January, and therefore I suspect that the success of those elections will be the most obvious judge of the success of the US/Iraqi assault and also the legitimacy of the actions for the US/Iraqi troops.

The success of those elections however is mainly up to the Iraqis. Will they vote? Who will they vote for? How happy are they with their new democracy? How happy are they with the forces in their country? Do they see them as occupiers or liberators?

In other words the opinions of a couple of bloggers (liberal, conservative, or otherwise) is irrelevant, rather it is the opinion of the people of Iraq that matters.

On Kevin's blog, I didnt see any 'E-mail Me' links. Wonder why! He knew this would be his ticket to get his name out there. He thought about erasing the tape, but then he wouldnt get his 15 mins of fame. Well I hope this ends his career. He offered to hold the tape? He didnt realize it would be this big? BS! If he were a real man, he would have handed over the tape to appropriate personnel for the marines to investigae and conceal. We dont need to know everything Kevin!!!!!!!! Get over yourself!!!!!

Mr. Kevin, Your decision to report the action of the young marine is a career killer, Hopefuly your's.This is war, a decision had to be made and the young man made a decision. His decision was to end the career of someone with intent to kill American's. Your decision was to end the career of a soldier whose intent was to give others the freedom that you and I enjoy. Please, if your so set on covering the war do it with us not against us.

copy of email sent to K.S.

Kevin,
In normal times, your actions would be seen by most Americans as treason. Right now, about 50% of the general population sees it that way, and about 95% of Americans in uniform see it that way. I hope that you can find a way to suppress your own need for self aggrandizement and fame for long enough to recognize that you are actually fighting against the our marines. You are part of the propaganda war. To see this, just go to any of the Arab-world web news sites and see whose words they are running to increase anti-American sentiments--Kevin Sites'. Be honest with yourself at least and acknowledge that you are not objective. It is so obvious to so many of us that you have picked a side that you are advocating for, and it is not the side that the American soldiers are fighting for. Keep it up, and maybe a rogue marine will take you out next. Keep that in mind as you are taking actions that will increase the amount of time that we have to remain over there. Take a little time to study some of the history of the importance of propaganda in WWII and all wars in modern times. It is a weapon as important and deadly as a missile. You don't have to make propaganda for the American side, but you are a traitor if you make it for the other side.

Being honest journalist, Mr. Sites should’ve report the incident to the commanding officers. Making it public is giving the propagandistic point to our enemies. It may be qualified as a stupidity but I am afraid it is treasonous. No wonder Arab media and the NYT muse this for a week.

Kevin Sites and people that support him are a disgrace to America. The terrorists, the Marines are fighting, disemboweled a woman, cut off her arms and legs, then left her dismembered corpse for the Marines to find. They know no rules of combat nor the basic tennants of being civilized human beings. They deserve to be shot like the dogs they are. If I were leading that group of Marines, I would order "take no prisoners unless we need to question one". These animals even fire on Marines who approach them after the terrorists have signaled surrender with a white flag, therefore I would not honor a surrender by any of them. In my opinion the job of the Marines is to defeat the enemy and come home safe, at all costs.

Kevin Sites----> an embarassment to his ".....(fill in the blank)". And gutless too. Good job Kevin!!!

The release of this video to the public in principle should make no difference to the military investigation, which alone will decide whether there was a violation of the miltary's own rules, and whether someone should be or will be punished. We all know that it's dangerous to approach injured prisoners, and the military's rules reflect that.
The release of this video to the public makes it possible for the public to discuss whether the military's rules should be changed, either to make them more or less stringent. They act in our name, so we bear the responsibility.
That responsibility includes, however, that War crimes are judged by the victors, not necessarily by us. We might not call it a war, and we might not call it a crime, and it might not be conceivable to us now that the USA might be the losers in wars to come, but history is very long, and empires and miltary hegemonies are not. We might not suffer for whatever others call war crimes, but my 5 year-old might, and her children might, and it will be our own fault for a myriad of small decisions like what rules of engagement we should impose on our military.

Kevin Sites self-serving "explanation" does nothing to make up for the fact that this his tape was released to the public - with the NAME of the Soldier plainly there for all (of the eastern media) to see!

Should these Soldiers really have to worry that there actions in combat will be played on national television - like some sort of instant replay in football???

Kevin Sites and you bastards at NBC should be brought up on charges of treason, as far as I'm concerned. Or, if some terrorist attacks that Soldiers family - you should be liable.

That video should have been held - and dealt with as an internal military review - prior to release. And at the very least, the Soldiers name should have been edited out. But then that wouldn't have given you that instant rush of a timely, breaking story - would it???

Bastards. What if that was YOUR son????

Lunkheads. Who do you think has a better take on this, ignorant yahoos in White Confederate Amerika, or a reporter who's actually there, LIVING with the Marines, you twats? The press is not the designated cheerleader, its job is to report. Get over it, would-be tough-guys.

Lunkhead: What a non-sensical argument you pose. You obviously know nothing about WAR - or history, for that matter. The press' job is not to POST the NAMES of our SOLDIERS in COMBAT - especially with an incident like this.

But will probably resort to name-calling again, right? Because your argument has no merit. This was a violation of the media's own agreemment with the Military NOT TO REVEAL THE NAMES OF THE SOLDIERS!!!!

How could ANYONE think it was acceptable to jeopordize this Soldier's family by making his name available to the terrorists- in conjunction with this video showing him killing an enemy in combat (justified or not)????
This is nothing short of betraying our Soldiers in combat.

If in fact that is true, I agree 100%. Who is reponsible for this?

Kevin Sites and the Editors at NBC could have, and should have, decided to EDIT the Soldier's name out of the video prior to providing it to the international media.

It is unfortunate that Kevin Sites would have done this but after reading his work on his site I feel more like the editors at NBC should be held more responsible due to the fact that they are "editors" and not Kevin Sites, who is basically reporting it the way he see's it. And lets not forget that he is there in the trenches so-to-speak aswell. I don't think the Marines over there have ill feelings towards the man because if they did, would he not be allowed to go out with them on some of these dangerous missions? They could after-all send him to a non combat area to report from afar. OR worse tell him to go report on his own without the protection of your troopers. Am I that far off in my thinking here?

By the way, there is NO question that NBC (either purposefully or inadvertantly) included the Name of the Soldier in the video that they provided to the international media (including al-jazeera), showing the killing of an enemy in combat (whether it was a justified killing or not).

If everyone hates America so much, why are the lines at immigration so very long every day of every week, year after year? If we've got everything so wrong, and the liberal monday morning quarterbacks with the benefit of hindsight have it so right, why do they all want to live here? When there are so many more "enlightened" countries that you can live in? It's easy to not be hated when you are a do nothing country that lets others do all of the dirty work and take all of the heat, while you sit back and pick and choose what to critisize. If we are the only superpower in the world, then why would we want to listen to you second rate nations that allow your envy to color your views of us as your people try in mass to emigrate here? I suggest that all of you that have all of the answers and know exactly what America should do, either stay in your country of origin or move to one of those "enlightened" countries and combine your wisdom with like minded people to create the "utopia" that you so richly deserve. Please.

Your thinking is not far-off. I agree the blame should lie mostly with the editors- as that is THEIR job.
And Kevin Sites is not spending too much time with the Soldiers anymore after this incident.
They can no longer trust that he (or NBC) will not advertise their names to the terrorists -as they have with this soldier in question.

It's really a shame, I enjoyed his writing. He was alot more informative then the filtered crap I read in the paper.

We weren't talking anything about "hating America" - or liberal or conservative views. We were talking about the right that the Soldiers have to protect their identity... Stay on Topic here, R.L.

This post is directed to R.L Edwards. It's the old saying, 1 bad apple spoils the barrel unfortunatley. I am not from the States, but where I come from I know not one person who dislikes the States. There will always be policies that we do not agree with but when your the biggest power on earth you will tend to be critisized more than anyone else. I'm actually ashamed of my goverment and it's view on this war. BTW, I do agree mostly with what you say, and hey, our immagration lines are just as long!

Robert - I agree. I don't want to call Sites names - or accuse him of being a liberal - or communist - or whatever the hate spew out there is now. He was however, at least partially responsible for allowing the soldier's name to be released... This is a major violation of the trust that we owe our Soldiers out there fighting and dying in combat...

We seem to be on simular pages here. He is partially responsible and I'm sure he is aware of it and god forbid anything was to happen to this man's family as a result, it will weight heavy on his shoulders for the rest of his life. Let's just remember it was a mistake and was not intentional. Doesn't your country have some type of law forbidding this type of thing from happening? Heck, TV channels get charged millions of $$ for showing Janet's boob on TV, but nothing happens when a GI's name is plastered all over the media for something he has yet to be found guilty off.

Robert - Good Question. I would just be guessing to try to answer for you. But it sure does seem hypocritical that we go crazy about a breast - but don't even bat an eye when we violate a soldier's trust.... I'll try to find out some info - and post.

It a shame these soldiers have to go into battle with the enemy in front shooting them with guns, and the enemy behind them shooting them with cameras.

Well stated, Bill. Unfortunately, the media makes more money off of breaking the rules and exploiting our soldiers rather than telling their stories and supporting them. Sad state of affairs...

Thanks to whoever said the right words to quiet Liberal P. He/She has much too much time on his/her hands. Besides, aren't children supposed to be in school?

At first I felt outrage over this embed reporter who only reported a small slice of what really happened; outrage over the American media in their eagerness to air this footage without airing other footages that showed context as to why this unfortunate event happened. To my mind, this embed "reporter" behaved like a vulture who's working for a profit oriented company. "News is money" is their creed. Greed is their ideal. If I were a marine I would have punch this embed's face and tell him go fuck himself with his camera.

After a while, I felt sadness, sadness for the young marine who endured a lot (being shot at in the face, while losing a buddy in comabat).

I felt shame for all Americans who judge this young American, well they feel very comfortable here, with all the comforts and safety because of the sacrifices of these young men who had not reached the prime of their lives and who may die befor their time...

Ahh... the world goes round, today IRAQ.. tomorrow...another challenges. we all grow old and die and our children will face another challenges but sadly the same cycle goes over again and again...it's pointless to get emotional over this now.. better shut our eyes and forget and hope that God Help Us.

The only sad thing about this is the insurgents will think they have one up on us now. Reporters, especially a United States reporter, should know damn well the trickery these insurgents can and will do to get the job done. The Marine got the job done. Now this guy can't come back in a couple of days and blow himself up and take some of our brothers with him. God Bless the Marines adn all of our Armes Forces over in the Middle East.