[TheHill] ... this has all of the makings of a defamation case.
The most important element is that all of the whipping stories were based on the same videotape; there were no added sources for most of these accounts. Even if these officers were treated as "public officials" under the more difficult standard of New York Times
...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... v. Sullivan, they could still make a compelling argument that the comments were made with the "actual knowledge" of the falsity or "reckless disregard of the truth." Moreover, these claims would be recognized in many states as per se defamation. While some can legitimately argue that the use of the horses was still abusive or dangerous, horses are routinely used for crowd control and these border agents were ordered to the river for that purpose.
Congressional critters members like Waters and Pressley can often rely on the protections of the Speech or Debate Clause of the Constitution (Article I, Section 6, Clause 1). However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... their remarks in this case were made outside of protected congressional areas. "That man is a liar, a thief, a child molester, and he pooped in my hat!... Can't touch me. I'm a congresscritter!"
Those in the media might limit their legal liability with corrections posted or published within a few days of the initial reports — but they can still be sued. It could be argued that some apparently did not care if the border agents did or did not whip migrants colonists because "it was a fact too good to check." Moreover, the use of the still photos was uniformly misleading and could be used as the basis for "false light" charges, in which pictures are used to present a false or misleading image.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
10/03/2021 00:00 ||
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#1
...they could still make a compelling argument that the comments were made with the "actual knowledge" of the falsity or "reckless disregard of the truth."
This has been true of many media stories and narratives for, oh I dunno, at least thirty+ years.
Battle of Mogadishu Oct. 3rd & 4th, 1993.
A liberal US President seeking to deflect attention from numerous political issues and a Zipper incident at home, played the Save Africa Card.
So he sent in US Combat Troops and Elite Special Forces Groups to be peace keepers. The media jumped in, recorded and played the staged DOD Water and Parachute assault landings. Plus other powder puff PR pieces to help support and deflect attention from their President's personal problems.
In Memory of:
Msgt Gary_Ivan_Gordon - posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor
SFC Randy Shughart - posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor
MSG Timothy Lynn Martin "Griz" a good friend - posthumously awarded the Silver Star.
Who died trying to save fellow US Solider lives in Africa.
Posted by: Bangkok Billy ||
10/03/2021 14:40 Comments ||
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#2
Fuck Bill Clinton is my new chant.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
10/03/2021 15:15 Comments ||
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#3
I remember that. They actually had network and film crews on the beaches to film the 'Marine Landing on the Beach'... I half expected Carter to be leading the landings but turned it off in disgust.
One of the worst misuse of our armed forces...
This is an exceedingly detailed description of captain general Francisco Vazquez de Coronado's expedition into southwestern deserts of the United State, which is exactly what I sought to read.
Author John M. Hutchins's central thesis is that Coronado's expedition was at its base a military force organized for invasion. Part of the thesis he backs up with descriptions of commercial invoices, military muster lists, and contracts compilations (sign in sheets), personal correspondence and other documents.
The base of the expedition, however, was that it was commercial in nature with young Spanish fighters and some Spanish nobles (hidalgo) signing on in anticipation of future payout from booty taken from the Indians in the area. Commercial as it was, it was commissioned by New Spain Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza, who recruited Coronado and a number of other Spanish mercenaries to join the expedition.
Part of the agreement that formed and finalized the expedition was the inclusion of Spanish Catholic friars, who took the role of proselytizers of the Christian faith. Many of them stayed behind to continue their Christian mission, and subsequently disappeared.
The expedition was based on the testimony of a native Indian known as The Turk, who throughout the expedition continually spoke of the riches of the Seven Cities of Cibola.
The military thesis offered by the author is further supported by Coronado's tendency to dispatch small screening parties forward or to areas to the flanks of their route of march, to check out stories or to scope out what was ahead. These covering parties expanded the Spanish knowledge of the region, so much so, the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River was discovered in the course of those parties' duties.
And those discoveries were made because of logistics. For as well equipped as Coronado's army was, and as well supplied they were in the early going, even Mendoza at the outset decided to embark two supply ship convoys along the eastern coast of the Gulf of Cortes (Now known as the Gulf of California). Out of an abundance of caution, Mendoza sent those ships to the outlet of the Colorado river twice, both times to be missed by two separate recon parties.
Logistics also was at the base of Coronado's troubles. The expedition had little to trade with the Zuni indians of New Mexico or the Hopi indians of Arizona, and so was forced to conduct military attacks on their pueblos to gain supplies and subservience.
By the time the expedition made it to Quivera (now central Kansas) Coronado had the Turk murdered. Another hard winter in west Texas and the decision was made to return to New Spain.
The author points out that the expedition was a financial bust, with the expedition returning with little to show for its efforts. Mendoza convened an inquiry. Coronado was tried and acquitted on the most serious charges, but convicted on the lesser charges. He paid a fine.
Still he managed to return home to his spouse, a far better fate than the Pizzaro brothers in Peru, who were wiped out to a man by the Incas, save for Gonzalo who was executed by the Spanish king, Charles V.
I knew about the expedition of Coronado as a schoolboy with much of that knowledge fading over a lifetime. This book filled and in some cases refilled that knowledge. It is a highly recommended read.
#3
Legend has it, Coronado set up a camp just right over there.
Somewhat recently, they found the foundations of the community of Etzanoa, nearby to current Arkansas City. It was estimated to have a population of 20,000 making it among the largest permanent Native settlements.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. By Oleg Airapetov
[REGNUM] February 24 (March 9) 1905 at 18:00 captain A.A. Svechin, the chief officer for assignments in the management of the quartermaster general, notified the general by telephone. M.V. Alekseev, that the Japanese crossed the Hunhe in the sector of the IV Siberian Corps and rushed to the rear of the army, beyond Mukden, to the village of Puhe.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Battle of Mogadishu Oct. 3rd & 4th, 1993.
By Chris Covert
