I was just reading through the thread on Al-Megrahi(Lockerbie) and reading up on the controversy with his release going on in the UK right now and I came across the shooting down of Iran Air flight 655 back in 1988. Some of you guys on here were out of Elementary school at the time(unlike me) so you'd have a better recollection of the events of that year than I would. The incident Links http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/flight801/stories/july88crash.htm http://www.iranchamber.com/history/articles/shootingdown_iranair_flight655.php http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655 http://alt-f4.org/img/seaoflies.html How is it that Libya was made to pay more to the victims of Lockerbie than the US to the victims of the Iranian incident despite the fact that they were more lost on the Iran air incident? Isn't it hypocritical for the US & most of the West to be up in arms over Al-Megrahi's release while Iran and the relatives of those lost in the Iran air incident still await an apology from the US and acknowledgement as to fault? I was just thinking about this today and wondered how some of you guys feel about it.
Possible reasons: We're the USA! We expressed remorse... even Reagan said he was sorry for "any loss of life." We have better lawyers. One was an accident, the other was intentional. One happened when we were in a shadow war with Iran, the other happened over Scotland. The lives of Iranians are worth less than the lives of Westerners.
Lets see. IR 655 was shot down by the US Navy while the Navy was engaged in active battle. It was immediately acknowledged by President Regan, with regrets to the families. The US did use the excuse of mistaken identity (doubtful -- IMO) but there was no implication of motive other then grievous mistake, trigger happy shooter or negligence. Compensation was settled at $61m in 1996. 290 people died. PA103 was blown up over Scotland, by deliberately set bombs. 270 people died. Al Megrahi was convicted of murder by a Scottish court and sentenced to life in jail. In 2003 Libya accepted responsibility and offered $2.7B compensation contingent on the suspension of certain sanctions by the UN and the US and on other things. Even though about the same number of people died in planes, the situations were very very different: So, to your two questions of compensation and hypocrisy..... In IR655 the US acknowledged and accepted responsibility and offered compensation that was acceptable to the victims. That's typically how settlements work. The compensation was not imposed by any pro-west body, nor contingent on international action -- other then the settlement of claims relating to the shooting. In PA103 the compensation came much much later in very different circumstances, (for a very different action) and was contingent on the lifting of sanctions and removal of Libya as a state that sponsors terrorists. I don't know how the US and the west is being 'hypocritical' in this instant being up in arms over the release of a man who was convicted of murder. There is no similar parallel with IR 655. And -- the US did acknowledge its fault and apologize (to the extent governments do that). Does that help? (and I'm not excusing in any way the shooting down of IR655 -- just pointing out the differences -- since you were still in elementary school and all ).
Iran, like cuba, had an army that was so powerful it could have destroyed the world. The great reagan, protector of human rights, could not take any chances... democracy was at stake.
A better parallel, who was in the news a few years ago when the US refused to extradite: Luis Posada Carriles BBC: "Cuba 'plane bomber' was CIA agent" He's been living free and clear in the US, and was only this year once again indicted.
Why is randy moss a malcontent on the raiders and a team player on the vikings? Of course the US is is full of hypocrites Sam houston slaughtered a bunch of sleeping mexicans and he is considered a hero.
Every country is full of hypocrites. It's not an American trait. just a human trait. Maybe they shouldn't have been sleeping after slaughtering 342 unarmed prisoners at Goliad. Houston won the war, hence he got to be the hero.
Agreed. I will also go as far to say that the true heroes of most battles are usually the ones that don't make it back. History has a funny way of glorifying the survivors and forgetting the fallen.
Can anybody find a picture of the cover of Time or Newsweek that had the hazy graphics of people falling out of the airplane? Seems like I remember you could almost see the face of one of the passengers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Sidra_incident_(1981) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Sidra_incident_(1989)
They did receive medals though. This was in the wiki link in the original post: Medals awarded Scott Lustig, the air-warfare coordinator, received the Navy Commendation Medal, often given for acts of heroism or meritorious service, but a not-uncommon end-of-tour medal for a second tour division officer. According to the History Channel, the medal citation noted his ability to "quickly and precisely complete the firing procedure."[35] However, in 1990, The Washington Post listed Lustig's awards as one being for his entire tour from 1984 to 1988 and the other for his actions relating to the surface engagement with Iranian gunboats. In 1990, Rogers was awarded the Legion of Merit "for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service as commanding officer ... from April 1987 to May 1989." The award was given for his service as the Commanding Officer of the Vincennes, and the citation made no mention of the downing of Iran Air 655.[36] The Legion of Merit is often awarded to high-ranking officers upon successful completion of especially difficult duty assignments and/or last tours of duty before retirement. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655
Seriously. What was that guy thinking? The whole army took a ******* NAP. Please don't compare Sam Houston to the Lockerbie bomber.
