U.S. Warship Kills Innocent Egyptian!! No Wonder Everybody Hates America!!!

("Global Patriot Reporting: Anti-American Bias? Could Be" (March 25, 2008) focuses on how Reuters and others handled the Global Patriot incident.)

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People all around the world hate America. I keep reading that.

Specifically, they hate America because the American military goes around killing innocent people. I keep reading that, too.

Something happened very recently that's probably going to help people around the world keep hating America.

An American warship heartlessly gunned down an innocent Egyptian merchant who was just trying to sell cigarettes!!!!

Reality Check, Please:
Global Patriot in the Suez Something-or-Other

Fact: gunfire from a ship carrying the American flag in the Suez Gulf, or maybe Canal, killed Mohammed Fouad.

Also fact: it's early days, and news services don't seem to have their story straight yet. Except for the 'important' part, I suspect.

American Warship Guns Down Innocent Egyptian! Now That's News!

Let's see what the news has to say, headline and first three paragraphs of the four news articles I found earlier in Google's top 10, and the Google news search service. I used these search terms: ( Egypt "Global Patriot" Suez)

1. "U.S. warship fires on Egyptian craft, killing one
   Reuters Africa (March 24, 2008)
   "A U.S. warship fired on a motor boat in the Gulf of Suez on Monday, killing one Egyptian and wounding two others, Egyptian security sources and witnesses said.
   "The U.S. ship Global Patriot fired on the Egyptian vessel after it ignored calls to stay away, the sources said.
   "The Egyptian vessel was carrying goods to sell to ships passing through the Suez Canal, a transit for U.S. ships heading to the Gulf, the sources said."
2. "US-flagged ship involved in Suez canal shooting death: Egyptian officials"
   International Herald Tribune (March 24, 2008)
   "An Egyptian man was shot dead and two others wounded in an incident involving a U.S.-flagged cargo ship transversing the Suez Canal in the direction of the Mediterannean [!] Sea, reported security officials late Monday.
   "After sunset, a motor boat carrying three Egyptians approached the "Global Patriot" with the intent of selling products when the ship opened fire on it with tracer bullets killing Mohammed Fouad and wounding the other two occupants, said an Egyptian navy official on customary condition of anonymity.
   "A police official in Cairo, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident, adding that some hundred other boat vendors had since gathered near the cargo ship and were demanding an investigation into the shooting."
3. "Egyptian killed by US military ship: security source"
   AFP (March 24, 2008)
   "A US military ship about to cross the Suez Canal opened fire Monday on barges of hawkers that approached their boat, killing one Egyptian and wounding two others, a security source said.
   "The ship, Global Patriot, had arrived from the Red Sea and was waiting in the Gulf of Suez to sail to the Mediterranean when a group of Egyptians seeking to sell merchandise approached the boat on small barges, the source said.
   "Americans on board told the barges to stop and opened fire when they continued to approach."
4. "Egyptian killed by US warship: security source"
   IC Publications - AFRICAN BUSINESS NEW AFRICAN THE MIDDLE EAST (March 24, 2008) (or March 25, 2008 - both dates were associated with the article)
   "One Egyptian was killed and two wounded when a US military ship about to cross the Suez Canal opened fire on barges of hawkers that approached their boat on Monday, a security source told AFP.
   "The ship, Global Patriot, was preparing to travel from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean when a group of Egyptians seeking to sell merchandise approached the boat on small barges, the source said.
   "Americans on board told the barges to stop and opened fire when they continued to approach."

Let's see what they all have in common:

• The ship
  • Sailed under the American flag
  • Was named Global Patriot
• An Egyptian was killed
• This happened in the Suez something - Gulf or Canal
• Global Patriot's crew had communicated with the Egyptian's boat before opening fire

Here's where it gets interesting. The ship was first referred to variously, as:

• "U.S. warship"
• "US-flagged ship"
• "US military ship"
• "US warship"

Three out of four articles identify Global Patriot as an American military ship: a warship. 'Obviously,' this is yet another case of the uncaring, violent, dangerous American military going around, killing innocent civilians.

Global Patriot is a Warship? Let's Take a Closer Look

One of the news outlets, the International Herald-Tribune, had a reporter who did a little research. "There is a 'Global Patriot' registered to the New York-based Global Container Lines and, according to the company Web site, the vessel trades between the United States, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and the East Africa."

Granted, a company representative didn't know about the incident, and neither did a U.S. Fifth Fleet spokesperson. I don't think this indicates that the Global Patriot involved in the Mr. Fouad's death isn't the cargo ship registered to Global Container Lines. The last I heard, omniscience isn't part of American officer's training, and isn't required for civilian jobs, either.

The International Herald Tribune also reports that "the ship had sailed from Dubai and was transporting used military equipment." I suppose that a cargo ship carrying used military equipment could be considered a "warship:" as long as a semi trailer carrying used Corvettes could be considered a sports car.

By the way, the International Herald Tribune's is the only article that mentioned the name of the deceased: Mohammed Fouad.

What Was Mohammed Fouad doing in that boat?

Apparently, local merchants are in the habit of taking boats out to ships passing through Suez (Canal or Gulf), with the purpose of exchanging cigarettes and other items for foreign currency.

All the news articles agree that there was some sort of communication between Global Patriot's crew and Mr. Fouad's boat. It looks like they said "stop!" and instead of stopping, the boat kept coming. Then Global Patriot opened fire.

Now, I'm sorry that Mr. Foaud is dead. The thoughts and prayers of my family are with him and his survivors. But those news stories, with one exception, left out a very important detail.

It Was After Sunset When Foaud's Boat Made a Run at Global Patriot. Okay, 'didn't stop.' Take a look at the situation from the point of Global Patriot's senior officer on deck.

Here's a ship, in a part of the world where excitable people have been known to come up to foreigners and explode. It's after sunset. A boat is coming right for your ship. You tell it to stop. It doesn't. It keeps coming.

Remember the U.S.S. Cole? You may not, but I doubt that sailors in Middle Eastern waters have forgotten how a boat approached the Cole and blew up: leaving the Cole missing some of her hull, together with over a dozen of her crew.

In circumstances like that, with the prospect of getting up close and personal with high-velocity pieces of shredded hull, opening fire on an unknown craft which has demonstrated an unwillingness to communicate might not be the dumbest move possible.

One thing that bothers me is why Mr. Fouad's boat didn't stop. There are quite a few possibilities, including:

• Nobody on the boat knew English (approaching a ship with an American flag, trying to sell something, without knowing English?!)
• Everyone on the boat was deaf - and blind, so they couldn't see signals
• The throttle stuck (so far, this is the least-unlikely explanation)
• The people on the boat got into an argument, distracting them from Global Patriot's call to stop
• Someone on the boat wanted Global Patriot to open fire

That last is, I think, a very real and quite terrible possibility.

Once in a while, here in America, someone will decide that his life isn't worth living. I'm not being sexist: it's nearly always a man. He confronts police, threatens someone, and does his level best to get shot. It's called "suicide by cop."

I don't think it's beyond belief that someone on Mr. Fouad's boat had decided to be a martyr, and discredit America in the process. If that's what happened, he's had help.

Why Will This Help People Hate America?

Because Global Patriot was a U.S. military ship. A warship. a US military ship. 'It must be true: they said so in the news.'

I know that news is a business, and that part of the idea is to make events as dramatic as possible.

But I'd say that calling what is probably a cargo ship a "warship" is sloppy reporting, at best. At worst, it's a deliberate attempt to whip up more anti-American sentiment.