Did the terrorists really kill Berg because of the prison photos?

[shawn703]

There was some small time right wing talk show host on the radio here who was saying it was the media's fault (he specifically blamed 60 Minutes) Berg was killed, because they released the Iraqi torture photos and showed them to everyone. Of course, 90% of the listeners said that they should air the full Berg tape to "show what animals these terrorists are" but we should also refrain from publishing any more torture photos because they would "put our troops in danger."

Does anyone actually think Berg would have survived if the photos weren't released? This is the same fate that befell another Jewish-American, Daniel Pearl. I think the torture photos may have been more of a convenience for Berg's killers because they could convince more of the Arab world that they are doing this to protect them. I think they had the motivation to kill him long before the photos were made public.

Just wondering what everyone else thought...

[izzie]

1. People seem to for get this fact.

The terrorist are not the people from Iraq. The terrorist came to Iraq after we got there. Yar Bush has really made a mess of the Middle East.

[whistle]

2. Consider the source...

...Sean Hannity played the audio version of the slaying on his show and when I hit the search button, it went to the other right-wing local show and he was also playing the audio steam of the Berg killing by the terrorists. Then the announcer came on and said this needs to be played over and over over until the whole country (our country that is) rises up and kills all of these terrorists. The right-wing propaganda machine is in full swing to whip up mass frenzy and reactions so our military and the president will have in their minds a popular mandate to just completely annihilate Iraq. How they intend to do that is not at all clear, but that seems to be the focus of all that reaction.

[TexasMexican]

3. Nah, they killed him just to kill an American and make a big show of it.

[RC]

4. Just somthin da do ta kill time till lunch, huh?

BS! That was a show killing. A distraction, more than likely from the prison torture.

[Fleshdancer]

5. the right wingers can't have it both ways....

The investigation of the torture began in August of 2003. If the photos weren't released, would there have been an open congressional hearing? (My money is on NO) I ask this because the hearings didn't occur until the photos were released and yet the right wingers LOVE to say that we are better than our enemies because we hold open hearings about torture.

And yet they want to also blame the release of the photos for the hideous attacks committed by our enemies? WTF?

So which is it? Are we supposedly a better society because we openly acknowledge what we have done and punish those who are responsible or are we worse off for showing the photos because they may have spurred the attacks from a group of people who were already focused on killing us? (although I question the identity of Berg's killers but that's for a different thread)

If someone can understand the RW logic, please explain it to me because I can't see it.

[slaveplanet]

6. I just may be over photos

but not the ones your thinking and certainly not the way the RWnuts are portraying it.

see below
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1588527

[taxidriver]

7. they've been killing americans since before the pics got out.

there werent any pictures provoking the burning of the 4 blackwater people.

[Kool Kitty]

14. And they've been torturing prisoners at

Abu Ghraib (and other prisons) for quite a while, too, long before the Blackwater workers got killed. I'm not saying that explains or condones it, I'm just saying.

[wickerwoman]

8. Remeber we don't know when the video was taken.

Berg disappeared on April 9th, the pictures only came out last week. So Berg may have already been dead several weeks before the story even got wide distribution.

I'm not saying it's impossible that it was a revenge killing, just that we don't have the timeline straight. I haven't seen the tape- I can't bring myself to watch it, but as far as I've read the people doing it don't mention Abu Ghraib or the photos. It seems like they would have if they killed him after the torture pictures hit the papers.

[mopaul]

9. it's too early to answer, but the official story is suspicious to me

first, the killers had hoods on. and the voices might have been added later in editing, cause there is some bad editing going on.

why do these 'terrorist tapes' always look so cheap and grainy, they have modern cameras over there.

the white house's media was giving the official story that it is al qaeda, and even had a picture of a man, and his name. how do they know, absolutely, that it's the man the voice says it is?

how do we know when it was made, exactly? why hasn't the c.i.a. given it's blessing on it's authenticity, etc.

they could've killed him for just being an american i suppose, but the f.b.i.'s story don't match up with the army's or the iraqi cops story.

it's all too too too too too too crazy

[maggrwaggr]

12. yes, with the hoods on there's no lip-synch

and they could easily dub whatever the hell they wanted over the video.

This whole story stinks to high heaven.

Isn't there some question as to the translation, that they didn't actually say the beheading was in revenge for the prisoner abuse?

[DrWeird]

10. That's why they said they did it.

Why did those terrorists in Abu Ghraib torture, rape, and murder those prisoners?


"Does anyone actually think Berg would have survived if the photos weren't released? This is the same fate that befell another Jewish-American, Daniel Pearl. I think the torture photos may have been more of a convenience for Berg's killers because they could convince more of the Arab world that they are doing this to protect them. I think they had the motivation to kill him long before the photos were made public."

There are also plenty of people these "terrorists" have let go.

[charliebrown]

11. Agreed. N/T

[neebob]

13. Most of the world knew more than we did

and the locals certainly knew what was going on. It's stupid to think what happened to Nick Berg was a direct result of the pictures, especially considering his arrest and detention and his family's lawsuit. I'm amazed those things are being reported at all, and anyone who isn't at least wondering how he fell into the hands of Al Quaeda must be a dope.