The Death of Rachel Corrie

[LastDemInIdaho]

Martyr, idiot, dedicated, deluded. Why did this American college student crushed by an Israeli bulldozer put her life on the line? And did it matter?
..........
Most Americans, if they thought about her at all, considered Corrie a naif who had chosen the wrong side and paid, tragically, with her life. If Corrie thought that a white, American, female college student putting her life on the line could somehow change hearts and minds, she would, in death, be little more than a news blip, convincing people of nothing more than what they already believed. What remained unclear were the precise circumstances of her death -- and why a 23-year-old woman from Olympia, Washington, would have placed her body in front of Israeli military bulldozers in the first place.

http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2003/36/ma_497_01.html

[Resistance]

1. for deeper analysis, beyond the rhetoric

Mother Jones Smears Rachel Corrie

Mother Jones demonstrated how low it could set its standards for investigative journalism when it hired Newsweek reporter Joshua Hammer to surf the web and write a 7000-word feature story on Rachel Corrie and the International Solidarity Movement ("The Death of Rachel Corrie", Sept/Oct 2003). It appears that fact-checking and verification was not a priority in the production of this article. Before I had even finished reading the Hammer's smear job I had already discovered that the writer had no shame in culling information from indiscriminate websurfing.

Hammer's style of investigative reporting utilizes unattributed sourcing, indiscriminate surfing of right-wing websites, unquestioning reliance on hearsay and authority figures, skimpy fact-checking, misinformed speculation, artistic license, and a contrived melodramatic thesis. What's most amazing is how he is able to consolidate all these flaws into a single article. Ironically the cover story of this Mother Jones issue deals with environmental protection. Perhaps Mother Jones could have spared a few trees by omitting the Joshua Hammer article, and instead providing us with links to the websites where Hammer took his information from. Then we could judge the credibility of his sources ourselves.

(snipped most the article) - Nguyen does an impressive job showing how Hammer plagiarizes and misinforms the reader over the killing of Rachel Corrie. Note how Hammer concludes by calling Rachel a "foolish idealist".

[Flying_Pig]

2. It appears LastDem has joined the tiny group here at DU that enjoys

deflecting responsibility for Rachel's murder from the Likudnik IDF, and instead, sets the blame on Rachel herself. A question for you LDI, can Israel EVER do any wrong in your eyes? Beyond that, I cannot express what I think of people like you, and the cadre here who cheered Rachel's murder, because in doing so I would surely be banned for life from DU.

:grr:

[LastDemInIdaho]

3. The jury is still out on her death

Calling it murder based on the emotion at the time is over the top and leads those who require facts to make such a leap wondering about the credibility of those making such a leap.

It's not that Israel does no wrong...it's the excusing of terrorist bombings based on the wrong that Israel does.

Oh, I have yet to see any cadre here cheering her death. I think it was tragic and did not need to happen. If you see someone cheering he death then I don't see why you should hold your tongue. Just don't lump me in with those you say are cheering her death.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mmm]

9. Hamas are heroes

may peace be unto them

[Flying_Pig]

13. Hamas are NOT heroes, ...any more than IDF forces who

kill innocent men, women, and children. Sadly, the I/P conflict has no heroes

[Andromeda]

18. Hamas are terrorists...

to call them heroes is sickening.

[drdon326]

20. REALLY??

No .... hamas are murderers.

may they rot in hell.

[Darranar]

21. Here we agree...

aside from the fact that i'm an agnostic, so I don't know if hell exists or not.

[Flying_Pig]

12. "You can continue to defend suicide bombers and hamas..."

Who in the hell is defending suicide bombers or Hamas? How dare you accuse me of something that a} is not true , and b} I never said, anywhere, ever. Unlike some I know, I will defend no murderers, Israeli, or Hamas. I despise them both. Your lies and false accusation just earned you an "alert" buster. I would suggest that if you are going to make accusations, that you be prepared to back them up with the truth.

[LastDemInIdaho]

14. "You can continue to defend the Likudnik-IDF LDI, "

In your own words to me. I would suggest that if you are going to make accusations, that you be prepared to back them up with the truth.

A whiff of double standard there Pig? You feel free to make baseless shots at me and protest when your words are reflected back to you.
You must think you're above me or something.

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mhr]

6. LastDem

I must agree with others, you are way off base.

I followed every beaking bit of news on Corrie and came to my conclusion after the Bulldozer driver said he would happily do it again and that he was just following orders. Regardless, his orders still constitute murder.

[LastDemInIdaho]

7. the Bulldozer driver said he would happily do it again???

You're going to need some credible evidence to pass that one off.

What say we see some documentation of that statement.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mmm]

10. Jimi

Thank god that sentient people dig Jimi!
May peace be unto you, my friend

[pansypoo53219]

4. she did it because

somebody had to tell the isrealis they have gone too far.
they have become Goliath.

[Jim Sagle]

17. A nation of five million is now Goliath. Who knew?

[dfong63]

19. a nation of 5 million, plus 100's of nukes, the most advanced air force

... in the region, and overall the strongest military in the region.

A nation of five million is now Goliath. Who knew?

it seems everyone knows except the US congress, who continues to treat the dominant military power in the region as if it were little David with a slingshot.

compare poor little Israel's military might against that of the big bad Palestinians. the Palestinians have no air force. no strategic bombers or fighter planes, no cruise missiles, no drones. they have no navy, no submarines. they have no tanks. they don't even have a real army.

it's stones against uzi's; AK's against tanks; suicide bombs against air-launched missiles.

hell yes, Israel is the Goliath here. and the Palestinians are the David, armed only with stones and enormous courage.

[LastDemInIdaho]

22. suicide bombs against air-launched missiles???

The suicide bombers are against unarmed women and children on busses and in pizza resturants. ALMs against the hamas leadership that sends the suicide bombers to kill the innocent men, women and children.

[Darranar]

23. Aside from...

the times that those air-launched missiles miss and kill innocent people.

[LastDemInIdaho]

25. Granted

The fact that the missiles were not TARGETED at innocents is the difference between defensive and terroristic attacks. Removing the head of hamas is the goal.

[Darranar]

26. So nuking Washington, DC...

would be okay in your view.

[the_sam]

24. Not True

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Physicians for Human Rights, and the UN Human Rights Commission have all thoroughly documented Israel's deliberate, systematic, and indiscriminate targeting of non-combatants.

Among other atrocities, they've reported the use of civilians as human shields; rounding up and killing of civilians; killings of peaceful or stone-throwing demonstrators; extrajudicial executions; attacks on ambulances, hospitals, and medical personnel; killings at checkpoints; killings of unarmed civilians to enforce curfew; attacks on journalists; indiscriminate shellings of civilian areas; and denial of life saving medical care.

I could quote many reports at length, and probably will later, but for now I'll just note the following:

1. The kill ratio in the Al-Aqsa intifada has been 3 Palestinians to every Israeli.

2. 40 Palestinians have been hospitalized for every one Israeli wounded.

3. According to the Shin Bet's own statistics, almost 80 percent of Palestinians killed have been non-combatants who were not targeted because of suspected involvement with terrorist groups.

4. In the first intifada, the kill ratio was 10 Palestinians to every one Israeli. Numerous (well-known outside the U.S.) atrocities were committed during this period, including one instance in which Palestinian civilians were buried alive by Israeli troops.

5. Some Israelis undoubtedly have killed Palestinians in self-defense. Some Palestinians have undoubtedly been caught in the middle. But the same is true of those killed by Palestinians. IDF troops are fair game, as are paramilitary settlers and Israelis who carry out unprovoked attacks on Palestinians.

[drewb]

29. If the Palestinians would only fight fair!

But you tell me...

How the hell are you supposed to jump up and suicide bomb a helicopter with 100lbs of TNT strapped to your chest?

That'd be a feat even for Michael Jordan...

I can bet that the Palestinians would use ALM's on Sharon's cabinet if the USA was generous enough to provide them...

[drewb]

28. See if you can figure out who I am channeling here...

It is right that the US support little Israel, the only democracy in the region, a beacon in the night...

Is it right to support little Israel? I think you know the answer!

Oh my!

[the_sam]

27. Yes, Goliath

Israel has the fourth most powerful military in the world, as well as stockpiles of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons; and an alliance with the world's lone superpower.