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You ever see the shock and awe videos of Baghdad? That our government approvingly worked with cable news to make sure everyone saw it? For an operation very m

by jbooth 9y ago

You ever see the shock and awe videos of Baghdad? That our government approvingly worked with cable news to make sure everyone saw it? For an operation very much not endorsed by the UN or international community? Good thing that's not a war crime, though.

ryanmarsh 9y ago
Shock and awe was a brief bombing campaign that hit military and administrative buildings late at night when they were empty. I saw the buildings. They were not apartment blocks. If anyone died in that campaign it was purely by accident.
- ryanmarsh 9y ago
  Go ahead, downvote me. I was there mother fuckers.
  - dang 9y ago
    It's interesting that you were there, but please don't break the site rules here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - szatkus 9y ago
    I'm more interested in hearing your story than downvoting you.
ceejayoz 9y ago
> You ever see the shock and awe videos of Baghdad? The ones using precision munitions on generally evacuated government buildings? You're really going to try comparing that to massacring unarmed protesters?
- jbooth 9y ago
  Yeah, those. Watch the video and tell me how bloodless it was. Or how it's not a massacre. I'm not defending a thing about Tiananmen square, I'm just marvelling at the power of nationalism to excuse anything. Bunch of snakes in suits with American flag pins declare a war for no reason, knowing that hundreds of thousands will die, but it's all Legitimate State Behavior. I'm sure it's a huge comfort to the orphans.
  - ceejayoz 9y ago
    Looks pretty bloodless. Are there specific videos you're looking for me to peruse? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yr-LaMhvro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yr-LaMhvro Now, the Iraq War and it's aftermath as a whole weren't bloodless, for sure. The "they'll greet us as liberators and there'll be a Western-style democracy in 90 days!" stuff was transparent bullshit. Shock and awe was a specific bombing campaign, hitting palaces, military HQs, communications nexuses, etc. The targets chosen made it easy to avoid large numbers of civilian casualties, and trying to compare it to stuff like Tiananmen Square is just silly.

by jbooth 9y ago

ryanmarsh 9y ago

Shock and awe was a brief bombing campaign that hit military and administrative buildings late at night when they were empty. I saw the buildings. They were not apartment blocks. If anyone died in that campaign it was purely by accident.

ryanmarsh 9y ago
Go ahead, downvote me. I was there mother fuckers.
- dang 9y ago
  It's interesting that you were there, but please don't break the site rules here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- szatkus 9y ago
  I'm more interested in hearing your story than downvoting you.

ceejayoz 9y ago

> You ever see the shock and awe videos of Baghdad? The ones using precision munitions on generally evacuated government buildings? You're really going to try comparing that to massacring unarmed protesters?

jbooth 9y ago
Yeah, those. Watch the video and tell me how bloodless it was. Or how it's not a massacre. I'm not defending a thing about Tiananmen square, I'm just marvelling at the power of nationalism to excuse anything. Bunch of snakes in suits with American flag pins declare a war for no reason, knowing that hundreds of thousands will die, but it's all Legitimate State Behavior. I'm sure it's a huge comfort to the orphans.
- ceejayoz 9y ago
  Looks pretty bloodless. Are there specific videos you're looking for me to peruse? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yr-LaMhvro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yr-LaMhvro Now, the Iraq War and it's aftermath as a whole weren't bloodless, for sure. The "they'll greet us as liberators and there'll be a Western-style democracy in 90 days!" stuff was transparent bullshit. Shock and awe was a specific bombing campaign, hitting palaces, military HQs, communications nexuses, etc. The targets chosen made it easy to avoid large numbers of civilian casualties, and trying to compare it to stuff like Tiananmen Square is just silly.