[an0n]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3730423.stm

[jdjtcagle]

so, we going to talk about it everytime the US screws up.

EDIT: Anon, that title is WAY.....!!! to glorious for you:p

[vyper]

@ jdjtcagle

That'd take too long. I think we only cover the seriously big or dumb **** ups. Thinking arabs firing guns at a wedding is an attack falls into the latter category.

[an0n]

Nah, just every time they use excessively superior firepower to bring death from above to a bunch of innocent civillians.

Oh, wait...

[jdjtcagle]

well, ok...
They screwed up, now can we back on wtih our lifes

[an0n]

NO! We must debate this!

[IceFire]

Thats the problems will celebrations over there (and elsewhere)...it usually involves autmatic gunfire.  Here we pop open the beer and sit down...they fire into the air.  I guess its the same thing.

Unfortunately, it makes people who are nervous and itchy on the trigger finger to take such an event and disproportionally respond.

I still say they should never have gotten involved there. But they are now and they really need to straighten up.

[Sandwich]

I know a lady here who got a bullet in the arm from a nearby Arab wedding while she was standing on her balcony.

[Kazan]

A) They were firing up into the air
B) Reuters says nothing about it being a wedding
C) there have been reports of heavy weaponry being recovered from the location
D) The Choppers were in the arena hunting down an insurgent vehicle - so it's easy to understand that with A being the case they could have out of combat instinct returned fire

[J3Vr6]

Yeah its a screw up, but I'll be honest.  If I was up in the air and suddenly start seeing people open fire into the air, chances are that I'm gonna open up on them.

[vyper]

Why does that not surprise me.

[an0n]

Originally posted by Kazan
C) there have been reports of heavy weaponry being recovered from the location

It's Iraq. You can buy heavy weapons from a candy store.

And I'll remind you that some Americans own more firepower than the Swiss army.

So them whining about "We thought we were in danger" is no excuse.

[Styxx]

Can't the bloody fools fire blank rounds if they want to celebrate?

Or wait until the heavily armed helicopters are a bit further away.

[an0n]

They're poor and they might need to kill American troops. Blanks are a waste of money.

[Flipside]

I suppose I have to say that anyone who knows how delicate a Helicopter actually is would certainly shoot back first and ask questions later, I think the whole idea of firing guns unto the air is a bit silly anyway, especially when you are in the middle of a warzone, I'm all for freedom of expression, but let the guys with big guns and itchy fingers go home first

However, that said, if it was a wedding, the it was a horrible and regrettable mistake. You can say that America shouldn't be there in the first place etc etc etc, and I might be inclined to agree, but the fact is they are there, but I don't think this is anything worse than a cock-up, on both sides, as tragic as it is

[Ghostavo]

Wouldn't blanks cause the same thing?

We have fireworks, they shoot to the air.

[Flipside]

Yes, but many of us are not in countries filled with nervous helicopter pilots controlling several millions dollars with of Aerial Death

Take out one Helicopter with a firework, and I'll be impressed, the downdraught from the rotors is far more powerful than the upthrust from the firework It IS possible, but it would be far far more luck than judgement

Oh, and Ghostavo, I think Styxx was referring to Sandwiches friend who got shot by accident. Blanks would have made a difference in that particular incident

[Ghostavo]

Both have problems, you see, if a soldier sees an iraqi preparing "something" with what looks like blackpowder... things could get messy... and I would like to know how can they get blackpowder in times like these. Guns and ammo they could have gotten before the war, seing that it might had more "pratical"uses than just blackpowder.

[Flipside]

LOL Very true! I think that's one of the reasons the British government has suddenly started slapping loads of regulations on Fireworks, they've suddenly remembered that the Gunpowder in fireworks is to celebrate Britains most famous Terrorist

[Kazan]

an0n: when i say heavy weapons i mean things like RPGs, etc