Hostage Killed

The "Green Brigade" has murdered Italian hostage Fabrizio Quattrochi, apparently with a shot in the back of the neck. Al Jazeera, showing uncharacteristic reticence, declines to air footage of the killing. Quattrochi was a former baker working as a security guard. How could anybody kill a baker? Like most of the hostage-taking organizations, the Green Brigade is a group nobody had heard of before. Stupid question of the day: Who are all these hostage takers and where are they coming from?

Comments

[Phil]

The hostage takers are the small group of criminals who fear Democracy in Iraq. They can't be stopped, as crime can't be stopped, but they also have no change of winning except for the outside change they'll hurt morale sufficiently.

[Jennifer]

I don't know if they "fear democracy" so much as they hate Americans to the point of irrationality. The Iraqis have some legitimate beefs but only a fool would think this would solve anything.

At least they gave him a quick death, as opposed to burning him alive, which was threatened for the Japanese hostages. Has anyone any idea of their fate?

[Warren]

Hostage taking is a guerrilla tactic. This and other disrupting techniques will continue to be used in order to force the imposition of oppressive (and expensive) marshal law. They will keep it up until we either tier of, or can no longer afford, expending our blood and treasure, and inexorably put our tail between our legs and go home. Then civil war will break out, and then? I don?t know what will happen then, but it?s unlikely to be good for anyone not heavily invested in energy stocks.

[Ruthless]

Warren,
I see your pessimism and raise you that not even energy companies can be optimistic.

Did the US Congress declare this war? Did the US Congress vote in favor of nation-building? Is democracy imposed like giant shrimp?

[Ruthless]

make it:
Is "democracy imposed" like "giant shrimp"?

[Neb Okla]

I don't know Ruthless, but I've seen a lot of Giant Shrimp commercials lately. They failed because I don't remember the advertiser - and I don't like shrimp. They're just nasty little muck-eating sea spiders! Still, I found the commercials imposing.

[Lil Kos]

Baker, security guard, let's call him what he really was. He was a foreign civilian with a gun, a mercenary. Screw 'em.

[jon]

These hostage takers don't just hate Americans (after all, why kill an Italian when there are many Americans to pick from, or off?), they just want to have hostages so we don't squish them. These are typical guerrilla tactics: hide, ambush, make news, but under no circumstances fight the enemy head on.

Before in Iraq, there was only one crime boss. Now there is a vacuum both in crime boss territory and in civil authority territory. Guess which vacuum nature has the easier time filling?

[Jennifer]

Not all the hostages are guns-for-hire, though; the aforementioned Japanese were actually trying to help Iraqis; one was a journalist writing about the the US use of bullets made of depleted uranium was causing all sorts of health problems for Iraqis. Taking THOSE people hostage is just self-defeating.

[Mo]

So did the butchers kill the baker in front of a candlestick maker?

Rub a dub dub

[Jennifer]

I've been looking at Al-Jazeera a lot lately. Their footage is overly gruesome, our footage is overly sanitazed; blend American and Al-Jazeera war coverage together and perhaps it will average out to a fair and honest look at what is going on over there.

I wonder if this will cause a reduction in the number of civilian guns-for-hire over there? I read that the military brass is a bit concerned about the fact that civilian supply-line people have been refusing to do their jobs, which could spell serious trouble for soldiers, down the road.

[The Lonewacko Blog]

"Not all the hostages are guns-for-hire, though; the aforementioned Japanese were actually trying to help Iraqis; one was a journalist writing about the the US use of bullets made of depleted uranium was causing all sorts of health problems for Iraqis. Taking THOSE people hostage is just self-defeating."

The Japanese might have allowed themselves to be kidnapped, or it might have been real.

Check out this good post. There are eerie similarities between recent kidnappings of journos, almost as if they were planned as catch-and-release operations.

On to Iran!

[Jennifer]

Wacko-
The link is giving me trouble. Could you paste the address instead?

[anon]

Dan:

"Bush's plan is to build a prosperous, free, proud nation in the heart of the middle east, "

I'm not convinced that this is Bush's plan. To me, Bush's (or rather the neo-cons) plan is three fold: war profiteering, oil profiteering, and greater Israel. Bush's endorsement yesterday of Sharon's plan to annex more palestinian land and to prevent the palestinian refugees from returning to their homes is an evidence of the latter. For evidence of the first two, just follow the money trail. All this talk of freedom and democracy is nothing but cover to have the American people sign on to this.

[The Lonewacko Blog]

Go to the link above and scroll for the 4/11 entry entitled 'Coincidences'.

[Dan]

Just wanted to address a few points.

Who are all these hostage takers and where are they coming from?

The hostage takers are all secretly George Bush.

To me, Bush's (or rather the neo-cons) plan is three fold: war profiteering, oil profiteering, and greater Israel

Yeah, if I was insane I'd post anonymously too.

Not all the hostages are guns-for-hire, though; the aforementioned Japanese were actually trying to help Iraqis

Because naturally the act of cashing a paycheck proves that you have no desire to help anyone.

[Eric Pobirs]

The precedent is simple. All hostages are regarded as dead unless released unharmed All hostage takers who fail to comply with the preceding are subject to summary execution.

You can't play nice with such people. It has to be made absolutely clear that there is no positive outcome for taking hostages.

[Douglas Fletcher]

"The link is giving me trouble. Could you paste the address instead?"

Right click on the mouse.

[Clark]

"How could anybody kill a baker?"
Obviously, they art Atkins Diet fanatics.

[Shannon Love]

"Who are all these hostage takers and where are they coming from?"

Hi, I'm bob. I have a gun, some duct tape and an unused closet.

Now I have a hostage.

Now I get my demands disseminated in the international media.

You to can be a hostage taker.

[Jennifer]

Dan:
"Not all the hostages are guns-for-hire, though; the aforementioned Japanese were actually trying to help Iraqis

Because naturally the act of cashing a paycheck proves that you have no desire to help anyone."

I never said earning money proves that you don't want to help Iraqis. However, when you earn that money for carrying a gun, pointing it at Iraqis, and occasionally pulling the trigger than yes, I suspect humanitarianism is not at the top of your motivation list. I don't blame the Iraqis for killing the hired guns, but killing the journalists and charity workers is insane.

[Dan]

The hostage taking is an end unto itself. Hostage taking, unfortunately, carries a high bang-for-the-buck factor, because it plays on our sympathies. We get to know the hostages, see them alive, see them talking, then see them killed. It's very visceral. Everyone will remember Daniel Pearl for years to come, but who remembers the other 8 reporters killed in Afghanistan combat?

The ultimate goal here is to make reconstruction so expensive that American firms and foreign companies will choose to stay out of Iraq. The Islamists know that there are two bad outcomes for their 'cause' - a rapidly rising standard of living, which will come from reconstruction and foreign investment, and a hand-over to a legitimate Iraqi government, which will strip them of their 'we're fighting an occupation' rationale.

This is the battle. Bush's plan is to build a prosperous, free, proud nation in the heart of the middle east, on the theory that it will give others an example of how to better their lives other than through terror, and cause populations like the Kurds in Syria to put pressure on their governments for reform. For the same reason, the Islamists are determined that it not happen. Poor, desperate people make the best recruits for global jihad, and people without hope are much easier to keep under the boot of a dictator.

These people shouldn't be underestimated. They don't have tank divisions, but they are fighting an asymmetric media war. Hostage taking is about as asymmetric as it gets - a single death echoes around the world.

[Mo]

So the real question is, did al-Jazeerah decline to air the footage because they were being respectful or did they not air the footage because this would reduce international support for the resistance?

I think the answer is pretty obvious. Another example of the theater of war.

[Dan]

However, when you earn that money for carrying a gun, pointing it at Iraqis, and occasionally pulling the trigger than yes, I suspect humanitarianism is not at the top of your motivation list. I don't blame the Iraqis for killing the hired guns, but killing the journalists and charity workers is insane.

Sheesh. You're one sick bitch, you know that?

[Douglas Fletcher]

It apparently hasn't occur to you, Jennifer, that many these security guards are providing protection for people like journalists and charity workers.

When you go to the bank and see an armed security guard, do you call him a "hired gun?" How about an abortion clinic?

[martin]

Jennifer:

There is a huge difference between a mercenary and a security guy. A mercenary is hired to fight in proxy for a cause he has no stake in, a security man is hired to protect someone else, namely other civilians. He is expressly not hired as a fighter and does not point a gun at anyone and pulls the trigger unless he is attacked.
I am sorry that you, too, fell victim to the negative portrayal the security people have gotten in the media. Calling them mercenaries is not only false, but intended to make them look bad. They make good money, because the job is dangerous.
I can not understand how you can justify the targeted killing of non-combattants, unless you take the view that the US forces and any allies are occupiers and fair game. The US have no intention to be occupiers. They have proven time and again that they are about the only power that will leave after the task is done. Mind you, I do not agree with the necessity of the task in Iraq, especially not under the circumstances, but the principle of trying to get rid of tyrants is sound.

[george bush]

i wanna lick a pootey snort some coke and pull up my thong real hard.

[george W. bush]

all i know is that before he died ronnie told me to pimp laura and get high as much as posible. he said that all that alzheimers shit was just fluff to keep the media off his ass. He said Georgie boy, I don't give a fuck what people think we gotta whack any sumbitch who wants to fuck with america your pop and i have been whacking these spics and sand niggers for years and we ain't gonna stop now just for some pissass media whores. so let the fuckin gogs bite their dicks off just keep killin em for the sake of american apple pie, mom, superman, and the american way. And georgie he would say, "if you don't wanna fuck nancy anymore just say no!"

[george W. bush]

all i know is that before he died ronnie told me to pimp laura and get high as much as posible. he said that all that alzheimers shit was just fluff to keep the media off his ass. He said Georgie boy, I don't give a fuck what people think we gotta whack any sumbitch who wants to fuck with america your pop and i have been whacking these spics and sand niggers for years and we ain't gonna stop now just for some pissass media whores. so let the fuckin dogs bite their dicks off just keep killin em for the sake of american apple pie, mom, superman, and the american way. And georgie he would say, "if you don't wanna fuck nancy anymore just say no!"

[george W. bush]

boy this prez shit is so cool! i can kill niggers and sand monkeys all day long. the nigger maid brings me my coke in a duffle bag and i get laid every morning by the mail room interns. Shit i would hate to lose this job to that bastard kerry. heck the maid gave me a blow job last week while laura was on the phone. damn them niggers can suck a dick. i miss texas though i guess i could have texas shipped up here cuz iam the prez. boy it sure is taking a long time to kill off all them sand niggers in erag or irrag or whatever you know what i mean. damn that 911 panel shit!

hell i hope people don't find out what a pussy i was and that i panicked when they told me that people was trying to kill me then they lied and said they was trying to kill all americans. shit i just told em get my ass out of here if they are trying to kill americans then fly me the fuck to mexico until this shit blowa over. i mean damn i didn't sign on to get blown up i just promised my daddy that i would not get drunk inpublic no more and stop snorting two kilos of coke a day just one oz. laura just smokes a little weed so we're cool you know ? then this 911 shit man! this shit blew my high. hold on i gotta snort this line be right back... sneerort, cough, hack wheeze sneeze... clears throat ah hem...hold that mirror still laura thats a nice long line hmm good... ahh yeah thats some good shit... that peruvian flake oh yeah. roll up some more weed i gotta go pee pee in the taxpayers toilet hahahahhahahahahahahehehehhheheheeeeeehahahahaha!!!!!