Mail this PageAssassinations to eliminate whistleblowers or critics is nothing new. Journalists have been shot in the head or in the back since the start of Bush's War in Iraq, with the attempted assassination of an Italian journalist one that hit the press dramatically. Her case, which is still in the courts, is one that came to light, but most are brushed under the rug. Journalists soon learn to speak the Bush line or be silent, frankly on pain of death if they step over the line. Making an example is a common way of approaching such issues. Football star Tillman, who was going to become a critic of the war, was such an example. He was shot in the back of the head, at point blank range. Where the cover-up over this assassination was in place for the public, the true facts only recently coming to light, the true circumstances were spread throughout the armed services by rumor, and thus the assignation was considered to have served its purpose.
These two instances are no different. Pointedly shooting a critic in the head, or cutting the brake or steering mechanisms and installing a minor explosive device so an accident occurs on the road, are assassinations easily arranged. Such assassinations may pick up in the future. The Bush White House and their cronies will find themselves more desperate to achieve their goals. They will be more willing to take chances and thus place themselves in circumstances more exposed to whistleblowers. And past crimes will become a worry, with any possible witnesses eliminated before they can be questioned by investigators. Such assassinations always have a flip side, as they are noted by many, and increase determination to prosecute and bring to justice those responsible.
- Were War Critic Soldiers Killed To Send Message?
Sep 15, 2007
http://www.propagandamatrix.com/articles/september2007/140907_send_message.htm- Just over three weeks after the op-ed was published, two of its authors, Mora and Sgt. Yance T. Gray, were killed in an apparent vehicle accident when their truck veered off an elevated highway in western Baghdad and fell about 30 feet. A third author of the letter was also shot in the head in a separate incident during the time when the op-ed was being written. Though Staff Sgt. Jeremy Murphy survived and is expected to make a full recovery, the fact that three of the seven authors of the op-ed were either killed or received life-threatening injuries shortly before and after the publication of the piece is highly suspicious.
- Minot Base Officials Say Airman Dies While On Leave
September 12, 2007- The Minot Air Force Base said an airman has died while on leave in Virginia. Airman First Class Todd Blue, who was 20 years old, died while visiting with family members. The statement did not say how he died. The base said Blue was a response force member assigned to the 5th Security Forces Squadron. He enlisted in the Air Force in March 2006 and was assigned to the Minot base the following August. His squadron commander said Blue was known to step up to help out his fellow airmen.
- Caddo Deputies Work Double-Fatality Accident
September 15, 2007- Caddo Parish sheriff's deputies worked a wreck this morning in which two people from Barksdale Air Force Base were killed. The two were riding a 2007 Harley-Davidson motorcycle, with the husband driving and the wife the passenger. The woman passenger on the motorcycle died at the scene, while the husband was taken to LSU Hospital in Shreveport, where he died.
- Authorities Identify Minot Airman Killed in Crash
July 5, 2007
http://www.kxmc.com/getArticle.asp?ArticleId=140988- Authorities have identified a Minot Air Force Base man killed in a crash on the outskirts of Minot. Base officials say 20-year-old Adam Barrs was a passenger in a vehicle that failed to negotiate a curve, hit an approach, hit a tree and started on fire. Barrs was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver is identified as 20-year-old Airman Stephen Garrett. He was taken to Minot's Trinity Hospital in critical condition.
- Bomber Pilot Killed in Crash
Jul 20, 2007
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2007/07/20/news/state/136489.txt- A Minot Air Force Base bomber pilot was killed in a motorcycle crash in Tennessee. 1st Lt. Weston Kissel, 28, was a B-52 pilot assigned to the 23rd Bomb Wing at the Minot base. Kissel died in the crash while on leave. Kissel, a native of Tennessee, graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2004, and arrived at the Minot base in July last year.
- Body of Missing Air Force Captain Found
Sep 10, 2007
http://www.komotv.com/news/local/9679367.html- The body of a missing Air Force captain from Florida has been found near Badger Peak in northeast Skamania County, Washington. Acting on a tip from Portland police, Skamania County authorities found Capt. John Frueh's rental car about noon on Saturday. They quickly began a search and rescue mission and, with the help of search dogs, found Frueh's body near the vehicle about 5 pm. Authorities said foul play is not suspected. Frueh, 33, came to Portland late last month to attend a friend's wedding. He last spoke with family on Aug. 30.