"Pure War-Nography" by Greg Palast: I WANT TO HURT SOMEBODY

[kpete]

I WANT TO HURT SOMEBODY
Published by Greg Palast November 3rd, 2006 in Articles
by Greg Palast
Thursday, November 2, 2006 for The Guardian (London)



It was pure war-nography. The front page of the New York Times today splashed a four-column-wide close-up of a blood-covered bullet in the blood-soaked hands of an army medic who’d retrieved it from the brain of Lance Cpl. Colin Smith.

There was a 40 column-inch profile of the medic. There were photos of the platoon, guns over shoulders, praying for the fallen buddy. The Times is careful not to ruin the heroic mood, so there is no photograph of pieces of corporal Smith’s shattered head. Instead, there’s an old, smiling photo of the wounded soldier.
............


The reporter does not bother — or dare — to record a single word from any Iraqi in the town of Karma where Smith’s platoon was, “performing a hard hit on a house.”

I don’t know what a “hard hit” is. But I don’t think I’d want one “performed” on my home. Maybe Iraqis feel the way I do.

http://www.gregpalast.com/i-want-to-hurt-somebody#more-1521

[librechik]

1. good lord--no rubber gloves for medics in this war?

the soldier will be lucky not to get a brain infection, if he isn't already dead.

[RaleighNCDUer]

2. Yeah, I noticed that too. What's up with that picture?

"removed from the brain..."

Are army medics doing brain surgery in the field? That shot was obviously inside a vehicle, not a hospital, and it doesn't look like any ambulance. And the bullet is in very good condition, not like one that has just punched into someone's skull. So is the picture just propaganda bullshit?

[knitter4democracy]

4. I think the soldier was dead already.

Maybe there were many bullets, and that one had been lying there.

[Boo Boo]

5. I read part of that NYT article yesterday. I think the bullet passed all

the way through. The reporter implied that it was removed, but perhaps that just means that it was embedded in the helmet of the victim as it came out or something like that. The remarks of the medic were that it was an armor piercing round (hence no deformation of the bullet), and that it spent most of its energy piercing the helmet, but passed through the victim's head anyway.

[RaleighNCDUer]

7. I guess that makes sense.

I HATE that I've become so suspicious of everything

[oblivious]

3. "Of civilians killed by the US forces the Hopkins team found 46% are younger than 15."

[berni_mccoy]

6. BULLSHIT PHOTO: No tip deformation after penetrating KEVLAR?!

I'm not a ballistics expert, but I know enough about guns/bullets to know that if a bullet (armor piercing or otherwise) penetrates armor, it will either mushroom or shatter... The tip would not be so well preserved.

Any other gun users want to chime in on this?