Re:Wikileaks gun camera video of civilians shot in Baghdad 0...
by JanezStupar on Monday April 05, 2010 @02:16PM
(#1242601)
Should you view the video, you'd have seen (and heard) that gunner is trigger happy, sadistic and would kill you in the middle of the street on a sunny day - if he had a reason to believe nobody is gonna get him.
That is the "missing" context for you...
I believe that this video sets a very powerful context. Don't be ignorant!
But the definition of "reasonable" can be different things to different people, especially under these circumstances. What is reasonable to presume from behind our monitors means nothing. When you're in the middle of a firefight, your definition of reasonable can be a little more flexible.
One problem that we have here is a lack of context. Perhaps these solders were just in a fight the day before with a very similar van. Perhaps instead of presumed medical personnel it was more enemy fighters. If they didn't have clear markings, then it could be very hard to make quick decisions. This is the type of stuff that you just aren't going to be able to tell from a single video.