More On Easongate, Schechtergate, Cramergate

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,146898,00.html Hannity and Colmes
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/003784.php Captain Ed on Cramer

Ok...one more time, with feeling...

The Palestine Hotel incident needs to be put to bed. If you choose to be inside a war zone, choose your side wisely. As the other side gets closer, and their weapons are pointing in your direction...you could be killed. Should have thought of that beforehand. I don't care if HQ had been given the Lat/Long for the hotel...if the trooper in the tank thinks he is being targeted, he is cleared to take action. As with any loss of life, the reporter's death is tragic, but it cannot, under any circumstances, be construed as intentional targeting, i.e. murder.

Also, given the propensity for those in the MSM and foreign correspondents to be anti-American ( I offer this up as common knowledge, if that doesn't cut it, it is my heartfelt opinion), there are no guarantees, in my mind, that there were no Iraqi soldiers in the hotel at the time of the incident. And I certainly wouldn't expect any of them to warn the soldiers in the tank. So...tough luck, there are no safe houses in combat...for journalists or otherwise. It is essential that they come to understand this...while not specific targets, they are made of flesh and bone, like the rest of us. Death is just one round away. Accept it, or cover sports. If you do accept it, accept that your chances of dying are exponentially higher if you hang with the other team...fact.

As far as targeting Al Jazeera specifically, seems improbable, but the chances of getting killed while hanging with the Taliban are significantly higher than if your with the Marines on the ground. There are risks with job, and frankly, no "story" is worth getting killed over...eventually all of the available information will come to the surface. The tradeoff for "real time" coverage is risk. Producers need to understand this and call the shots for their reporters, not expect extraordinary care from our forces engaged with the enemy, just to get something to the paper 30 mins faster. If reporters continue to try to look for EVERY angle, they will continue to get killed in a variety of ways...unavoidable,

If there is a shred of truth to this story WHERE IS THE PROOF? If CNN cannot uncover ANY evidence after their execs start spouting off, then they either suck as reporters or THERE IS NO STORY!!! So get your proof on the table. If you don't have the proof, admit the accusations were baseless and false, apologize to the Armed Forces, and never work in journalism again.

Schechter ( in the H&C piece) first says it wasn't the troops but a "kind of policy." He later says "No, it wasn't a policy." Then he says "there wasn't responsibility taken by our military." Here is the rub on all three of these chuckleheads...Make your accusations clear and concise, provide your evidence, make your argument, defend it, and let the chips fall where they may. If you can't do all of that, shut the hell up! Your continued, unsupported accusations about our governmental policies and your branding of our military is slanderous, and inexcusable. Knock it off.