Take Responsibility for ‘Friendly Fire’ Deaths

Re “U.S. Fires on Freed Hostage,” March 5: There is a problem in referring to shootings such as that of the bodyguard of freed Italian hostage Giuliana Sgrena as “mistakes” or “tragic errors.” If a thug enters a liquor store with a loaded gun intending to rob the clerk and his gun discharges, accidentally killing the clerk, he is still guilty of capital murder. The fact that the robber had no intent to kill is irrelevant, for he had no business robbing the store in the first place.

Similarly, “accidents” such as that which befell the Italians would not be happening if American troops were not in Iraq, where they also have no business being. And before I am accused of comparing American troops to murderous thugs, please note that they would be analogous to the gun employed by the thug. The architects of the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq -- President Bush, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, their co-conspirators in Congress and the media, et al -- are the murderous thugs in this scenario.

Tom Gorman

Glendale

*

Re “Ex-Hostage Disputes U.S. on Shooting,” March 6: The recent wounding of the Italian journalist and killing of the man who helped get her released recalls a number of times during the Iraq war when U.S. forces have killed journalists and others with “friendly fire.”

Afterward they deny any guilt while the military’s “internal investigations” always exonerate them from blame. Journalists on the ninth floor of a popular hotel were blasted by a U.S. rocket as they took pictures. Another was killed when his camera was “mistaken” for a rocket launcher as the journalist was shooting outside Abu Ghraib prison when that story was a hot-button issue. But this time, a witness, the Italian journalist, lived to tell her side. She denies her car was speeding, she denies that the soldiers signaled them to stop, she even insists her captors warned her to be careful because “the Americans didn’t want her released.”

But even an eyewitness will not prevent the lies and cover-ups that have been the hallmark of every aspect of the Bush administration since it took office.

Kenny Feuerman

Beverly Hills

*

If we are part of a “coalition of foreign troops,” why don’t we know what the others are doing? When the Italian journalist was released, didn’t our CIA or military intelligence have a heads-up about it? If the intelligence agencies did know, why didn’t they inform our military checkpoints to clear the way for her? I wouldn’t blame Italy if it pulls out its 3,000 troops if it told us and we didn’t propagate the information. If Italy did not tell us, then maybe it also should pull out of Iraq. In fact, if we all cannot function as a coalition, maybe we should all pull out.

Lee Madden

Glendora