Friday, October 26, 2007

 

The New Republic Speaks But The Crickets Keep Chirping

The New Republic has put on line an update about the three stories by the Baghdad Diarist, Scott Beauchamp, which have been criticized by many and investigated by the Army (who declared them almost completely false). The editors at TNR say they are standing by the stories as they continue to investigate them. It is the Army which is the bad guy here, for leaking true information (and misinformation), according to TNR.

I'm confused; if Beauchamp can and did talk to them (without his squad leader present) and they have talked to other soldiers (whom they claim backed up Beauchamp's unlikely accounts) what are they waiting on the Army for? Tell us who said the stories were true and let the press and bloggers (mainly bloggers) investigate what those guys said. Silence for nearly seven weeks has seemed like an ashamed unwillingness to face that fact that TNR has, yet again, published fiction as fact.

Here are links to some of the recent stuff from the people who have written often and well about this story for the three months it has been festering: Malkin; Bryan Preston; Ace; Bob Owens (from yesterday); and Confederate Yankee. No one seems too impressed with TNR's current stance.

Here is what I can add: In his second piece for TNR titled "Dead of Night" Beauchamp wrote:

Someone reached down and picked a shell casing up off the ground. It was 9mm with a square back. Everything suddenly became clear. The only shell casings that look like that belong to Glocks. And the only people who use Glocks are the Iraqi police.

Square backed shell casing? The Glock pistols in 9mm have round shell casings, just like all firearms now in use on the Earth.

Only the Iraqi police use Glocks? Glock pistols have been on the commercial market for decades, and there are literally dozens of stories of Glock pistols being recovered from the insurgents, in weapons caches or other raids, and on the black market for the past four years. This claim simply isn't supported by reality... (last paragraph here). (Also I posted a photo of an American soldier in Iraq with a Glock here).

If you're wrong about some things, it is difficult for others to have confidence that you're right about other things.

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Comments:
It is my understanding that officers in the Iraqi army were at one time issued Star pistols in 9/mm
 
Spanish pistols? Huh? I had no idea.
 
If you look at a 9mm case that has been fired by a Glock pistol,the primer has a distinctive mark where the firing pin strikes it and a rectangular bump around the firing pin indentation on the primer.

Barry(Glock armorer with expired certification ;))



"Someone reached down and picked a shell casing up off the ground. It was 9mm with a square back. Everything suddenly became clear. The only shell casings that look like that belong to Glocks. And the only people who use Glocks are the Iraqi police.

Square backed shell casing? The Glock pistols in 9mm have round shell casings, just like all firearms now in use on the Earth."
 
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