American hostage decapitated by al-Qaida--I hope Dan Rather is happy

[B-Man]

Video on Islamic militant Web site shows beheading of American
By Associated Press | May 11, 2004

CAIRO, Egypt --A video posted Tuesday on an Islamic militant Web site showed the beheading of an American civilian in Iraq, and said the execution was carried out by an al-Qaida affiliated group to avenge the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers.

The video showed five men wearing headscarves and black ski masks, standing over a bound man in an orange jumpsuit -- similar to a prisoner's uniform -- who identified himself as Nick Berg, a U.S. contractor whose body was found on a highway overpass in Baghdad on Saturday.

"My name is Nick Berg, my father's name is Michael, my mother's name is Susan," the man said on the video. "I have a brother and sister, David and Sarah. I live in ... Philadelphia."

After reading a statement, the men were seen pulling the man to his side and putting a large knife to his neck. A scream sounded as the men cut his head off, shouting "Allahu Akbar!" -- "God is great." They then held the head out before the camera.

Berg was a small-business owner from the Philadelphia suburbs, his family said Tuesday.

Berg's family said they knew their son had been decapitated, but didn't know the details of the killing. When told of the video by an Associated Press reporter, Berg's father, Michael, and his two siblings hugged and cried.

"I knew he was decapitated before. That manner is preferable to a long and torturous death. But I didn't want it to become public," Michael Berg said.

The video tape included a statement by one of the executioners:

"For the mothers and wives of American soldiers, we tell you that we offered the U.S. administration to exchange this hostage with some of the detainees in Abu Ghraib and they refused."

"So we tell you that the dignity of the Muslim men and women in Abu Ghraib and others is not redeemed except by blood and souls. You will not receive anything from us but coffins after coffins ... slaughtered in this way."

The video bore the title "Abu Musab al-Zarqawi shown slaughtering an American." It was unclear whether al-Zarqawi -- a lieutenant of Osama bin Laden -- was shown in the video, or was claiming responsibility for ordering the execution.

The Web site on which the video was posted is known as a clearing house for al-Qaida and Islamic extremist groups' statements and tapes.

The family of Berg, 26, of West Chester, Pa., said they were informed by the U.S. State Department on Monday that Berg was found dead near a highway overpass in Baghdad.

Berg's mother, Suzanne Berg, said her son was in Iraq as an independent businessman to help rebuild communication antennas. He had been missing since April 9, she said.

"He had this idea that he could help rebuild the infrastructure," she said.

The U.S. military Tuesday said an American civilian was found dead in Baghdad, but did not release his identity. State Department spokeswoman Susan Pittman said she couldn't release the name of the dead American, but said she not aware of more than one civilian found dead in recent days.

The military said there were signs of trauma to the body. Suzanne Berg said she was told her son's death was violent but did not want to discuss details.

Berg, who was in Baghdad from late December to Feb. 1, returned to Iraq in March. He didn't find any work and planned again to return home on March 30, but his daily communications home stopped on March 24. He later told his parents he was jailed by Iraqi officials at a checkpoint in Mosul.

"He was arrested and held without due process," his father, Michael Berg, told the Daily Local News of West Chester recently. "By the time he got out the whole area was inflamed with violence.

The FBI on March 31 interviewed Berg's parents in West Chester. Jerri Williams, a spokeswoman for the Philadelphia FBI office, told The Philadelphia Inquirer the agency had been "asked to interview the parents regarding Mr. Berg's purpose in Iraq."

On April 5, the Bergs filed suit in federal court in Philadelphia, contending that their son was being held illegally by the U.S. military. The next day Berg was released. He told his parents he hadn't been mistreated.

The Bergs last heard from their son April 9, when he said he would come home by way of Jordan, Turkey or Kuwait. But by then, hostilities in Iraq had escalated.

Suzanne Berg on Tuesday said she was told her son's body would be transported to Kuwait and then to Dover, Del. She said the family had been trying for weeks to learn where their son was but that federal officials had not been helpful.

"I went through this with them for weeks," she said. "I basically ended up doing most of the investigating myself."

[andyfox]

I heard a commentator yesterday saying that showing the videos of the mistreatment of the Iraqis was endangering Americans.

But it's not the showing of the video that's the problem: it's the content of the video.

I hope Don Rumsfeld's happy.

Dick Morris (!) on Sean Hannity's show last night (see, I watch Fox) quoted John Adams who said something to the effect that when you quarter troops and break up one mob, you create two. (Anybody know the exact quote?)

[elwoodblues]

[ QUOTE ]
But it's not the showing of the video that's the problem: it's the content of the video.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think if you show the video you are unpatriotic and are giving aid and comfort to the terrorists.

[B-Man]

[ QUOTE ]
I think if you show the video you are unpatriotic and are giving aid and comfort to the terrorists.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think so, but you are endagering our hostages, and for no good reason.

[elwoodblues]

[ QUOTE ]
and for no good reason.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think there is a very good reason. Citizens in a democracy (more so than in other forms of government) need to be aware of the actions of their government done in their name.

[B-Man]

[ QUOTE ]
I think there is a very good reason. Citizens in a democracy (more so than in other forms of government) need to be aware of the actions of their government done in their name.

[/ QUOTE ]

That can easily be accomplished without showing the photos, and without showing them repeatedly.

Repeatedly showing these photos only serves to inflame emotions.

[codewarrior]

I think this has been stated before, but one more time...

The USA is a constitutional republic, not a democracy.

[B-Man]

Andy,

I have no problem with the media reporting on the prison abuse scandal. It's wrong, and the people responsible need to be held accountable (not sure at this point how far up the chain of command we need to go).

That being said, we shouldn't be showing all of these pictures, and we certainly shouldn't be showing them over and over again. They are gratuitous and inflamatory; repeatedly showing them serves no purpose other than to evoke emotions.

I care about the 80 or so (I heard that on the radio, not sure if the figure is accurate) western hostages currently being held in Iraq. Every time the media shows these images, we're increasing the chances that something bad is going to happen to those hostages.

It's too late to change the content of the photos/videos. It's not too late to stop showing them.

[elwoodblues]

The problem is that absent the pictures there isn't much of a story --- the visualization helps to put the description into context to such an extent that the same happenings described in January got very little press until the pictures came out. Not only do the pictures help give people (for lack of a better term) an accurate picture as to what happened, the pictures themselves are part of the story. Part of the story is that not only were these prisoners humiliated, but there were individuals who thought it was a good idea to pose for a picture with them to document the humiliation. The pictures might (I don't know, I stopped looking at them) show onlookers who are complacent --- that type of context can't be conveyed well in text. As the cliche goes, a picture is worth a thousand words and the public isn't willing to read a thousand words describing the situation.

[GWB]

[ QUOTE ]
the visualization helps to put the description into context

[/ QUOTE ]

So are they going to show the beheading video as frequently as the embarrassed prisoners video?

If not, we will know that there is a definite media bias.