Please let this be true.

I'm not going to wait for Sunday. I'll go out tomorrow and find a Mass being celebrated somewhere in this city (not that hard to do in Mexico). I will pray that the gathering storm of indignation, backed by facts, concerning the "Haditha Incident" is well founded.

I do not labor under any false pretenses here. Iraq is a war zone and the fight going on over there is of a particularly nasty nature. The difficulty in our forces determining friend from enemy, the dangers of being blown to bits on even the most mundane mission, like handing out candy to Iraqi children, and the agony of watching one's friend(s) and fellow(s) as the life leaks out of them onto the sand. If, in fact, a massacre of unarmed civilians did occur in Haditha at the hands of run-amok Marines, then the punishments must be swift and severe.

The questions now, however, are beginning to mount. I won't get into the technical details, because the following people that I will list for you do it so much better. Visit them, read the true facts, notice that even mighty TIME Magazine is beginning to back away from its own scoop, and then join me in a prayer that the Haditha Massacre did not ever happen.

Sweetness & Light:
Here: TIME's corrections
Here: Reuters reported "bodies in the streets"
Here: Why did "rights group" sit on story
Here: Did Marine photographer have a personal motive?
Here: Time reporter demanded magazine call it a "massacre"
Here: TIME's questionable sources.
And there are more links. Add Sweetness & Light to your Favorites list and stay up with the blog as it dismantles this bogus (I pray) story.

Clarice Feldman, a lawyer, weighs in on the growing shakiness of the whole "massacre" story.

AllahPundit:

All I’ll say is this: if it turns out Time was hoaxed, if this ends up being little more than a smear job on the Marines, the backlash will be ferocious like nothing blogs have ever seen. Rathergate will pale by comparison.

And, I might humbly add, John Murtha's political career will be KAPUT. I would also note that AllahPundit is not yet convinced either way on the story. Perhaps he's praying, too.

Dan Riehl is taking the story(s) apart, piece by piece.

There are lots more but they will be easy for you to find. This is the one by Andrew Walden that got me off my dead ass to start taking another look at the "Haditha Massacre".

You should be taking another look at this, just as I am. And praying that our boys didn't do this.

UPDATE: Sigh. As usual, I'm late to the dance.
Blue Crab Boulevard says, "Let's all step back."
Kim at WizBang says this was a "massacre of the truth."
Bruce at Gay Patriot:

Now here this! I am not one to buy into conspiracy theories in order to avoid the truth. However, if our own news media weren’t always rooting for our enemies and against American interests in this War at every turn . . . perhaps my reaction would have been to laugh, not to shake my head and think: "not again!?!"

The Real Ugly American has been keeping quiet just like me, up to now, that is. His sentiments are probably best expressed by his file for this post:

Filed by The Ugly American on June 9th, 2006 at 11:18 under Media Bias, News From Iraq, Frauds, Liars, and Scumbags

AJ Strata thinks like me.
I must criticize the Ace of Spades here. He says,

Assuming the media hasn't already turned this into a political firestorm in which the Marines will be convicted, guilty or not, simply because the media has created so much baseless outrage that the military courts feel compelled to convict them or risk an uprising against the troops.

Against the full force and might of the Blogosphere, of which Ace is a very big part? No Way.

MacRanger says this story is becoming a bit smelly.
Flopping Aces says that the smell detected by MacRanger is becoming a stink.

TBogg at TBogg:

For the Right Wing, every scandal has a grassy knoll conspiracy theory.

I'm going to say an extra little special prayer and also light a candle that TBogg eats those fucking words.

Pardon my French.
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TAGS: Haditha, Haditha Massacre