Friendly Fire by Giuliana Sgrena, Is this Bitch CRAZY?

[Psychoblues]

I recall that it was the Americans that rescued her dumb Italian ass from the insurgents that kidnapped her in Iraq. Now she is saying on C-Span that she was recued by Italians and that their #2 man in the Italian Intelligence Service was killed by Americans during her rescue!!!!!!!! Who the hell is she trying to fool?!?!?!?!

"In 2004, Sgrena, a reporter for a Communist paper in Italy covering the plight of war-torn Falluja, was kidnapped by Iraqi insurgents, held for a month and released safely-only to be fired upon by U.S. forces guarding the road to the airport. The well-publicized incident, which resulted in the death of high-ranking Italian intelligence official Major General Nicola Calipari, is recounted here with righteous anger by Sgrena, along with the ensuing cover-up by the U.S. military commission assigned to find out what went wrong. Sgrena begins each chapter with details of the kidnapping, followed by analysis of the situation in Iraq, based on her first-hand experience reporting there. She is unstinting in her criticism of the war's conduct, bringing a perspective that American readers-for all the polemical war commentary they've been subject to-will find fresh and intriguing, such as her sense that the U.S. intent in Iraq is to partition the country into Sunni, Shiite and Kurd areas, and that steps towards this goal have already been taken. While Sgrena's sometimes strident tone may be off-putting for Americans (either she or translator Riva fail to distinguish between government and citizens in reference to "the Americans"), her book is a valuable insider's look at both the personal and political costs of the interminable Iraq conflict."

More: http://www.amazon.com/Friendly-Fire-.../dp/1931859396

She went on to say that the Iraqi people, Shite, Sunni and Kurdish all distrust Americans and consider their continued occupation and governmental interference unwelcome and playing favorites one from any others. I recall that President George H. W. Bush warned against this type of irony and continued American Military intervention in Iraq in 1991. Surely to God, circumstances have changed from all those years ago?

What? Is she the unappreciative Italian goddess of American Damnation now?!?!?!?!?!?!

[Hobbit]

We've been over this before. The car was unmarked and the soldiers at the checkpoint were not informed of its approach. The car did not stop when ordered to, and, in fact, accelerated. The soldiers followed their training and fired on the vehicle, only to later find out who was in it. It's tragic, but the soldier is not to blame.

[Psychoblues]

That, hibbitt, is a very sad story, so far.

We've been over this before. The car was unmarked and the soldiers at the checkpoint were not informed of its approach. The car did not stop when ordered to, and, in fact, accelerated. The soldiers followed their training and fired on the vehicle, only to later find out who was in it. It's tragic, but the soldier is not to blame.

Really, just what the hell happened and why does this Italian Diva hate the US for any of it? Who is this "we've" as you describe? You got a mouse in your pocket?

[Gaffer]

That, hibbitt, is a very sad story, so far.



Really, just what the hell happened and why does this Italian Diva hate the US for any of it? Who is this "we've" as you describe? You got a mouse in your pocket?

She's a commie reporter for a commie italian news paper. She was freed because the italians paid a huge ransom for her. She was not rescued, she was picked up at a designated site. As Hobbit said the car accelerated at the check point instead of stopping for the usual check. The troops opened fire killing the guy that had gone to pick her up and wounding her. Appearantly the italian government was suppose to pass on to the US forces that she was being brought out but they failed to do that. So being the commie that she is she immediately blamed the US. The story's a couple of years old.

[Hobbit]

That, hibbitt, is a very sad story, so far.



Really, just what the hell happened and why does this Italian Diva hate the US for any of it? Who is this "we've" as you describe? You got a mouse in your pocket?

This topic was discussed and shouted at ad nauseum on the other board. Some people think that soldiers should just allow an unmarked vehicle to speed right past them if they can't tell who's in it, which is pretty stupid.

She hates the US because it's the US. The word 'diva' also comes into the equation, as in "How DARE we shoot at her! Don't you know who SHE is?"

[Psychoblues]

OK, I'll buy into that. She now has written a book and as far as I can tell it is much more informative of realtime, real ground operations at the time. After all, she WAS there.

This topic was discussed and shouted at ad nauseum on the other board. Some people think that soldiers should just allow an unmarked vehicle to speed right past them if they can't tell who's in it, which is pretty stupid.

She hates the US because it's the US. The word 'diva' also comes into the equation, as in "How DARE we shoot at her! Don't you know who SHE is?"

In any event, I am distraught that she would now have anything negative to say about the most honest, informed, fully appreciative and fully knowledgeable decisions and actions of our most precious assets of our government and our soldiers.

Once again, here is how you can get to her book: http://www.amazon.com/Friendly-Fire-.../dp/1931859396