A Mistake That Took Way Too Long But...
By skysuccess
@skysuccess (8858)
Singapore
February 4, 2010 3:45pm CST
Just read this news article and watch the video feed from ABC news documenting the worst foul ups by the notorious CIA, I've ever read. It is just terrible and sad.
In brief, nine years ago, an American family of missionaries - the Bowers consisting of Jim and Veronica Bowers and their children Cory, 6, and adopted baby Charity, who was just seven months, as well as pilot Kevin Donaldson, were returning to Iquitos in Peru from a routine trip to Brazil on April 20, 2001 in their Cessna when they were spotted by the CIA.
The CIA surveillance team did a slipshod job with their assessment and identification that resulted in them believing the Bowers' Cessna was that of another drug trafficker. Violating every rules of engagement the CIA aircraft then did the unthinkable of alerting the Peruvian air force, which scrambled a fighter jet and without doing anything further other than some chit chatting ordered the take down!
By the time, these idiots came to their senses, the damage already been done. The plane was badly shot up with the men Kevin Donaldson, the pilot and Jim Bowers both shot in the legs with Cory their son unscathed but Mrs Bowers and their baby Charity were both killed by the barrage of bullets that pierced the plane's fuselage. Mrs Bowers was killed by a single bullet in her chest and a single bullet in baby Charity's skull.
Though the plane was badly damaged and the pilot seriously wounded, the pilot still managed to crash land the burning plane on to a piranha-filled river, with the remaining survivors still alive to relate this fateful tragedy.
But, I think despite taking 9 years of investigations - it is just sad that there isn't anything conclusive at the end of the day. No one stepped forward to claim responsibility and families along with love ones are still puzzled what actually happened.
Even more appalling, was the report that all 16 members of the CIA who were involved in that botched operation were just being reprimanded and according to one of the members was just a letter of reprimand for them to file and one year later will be removed from the records.
I do not know about you, but I just felt very sad for the Bowers and their love ones. It is really a marvel how an organization like CIA could actually be allowed to operate till today.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1248521/Theyre-killing-The-dramatic-video-showing-fighter-jets-shooting-U-S-familys-plane-bungled-CIA-operation.html
I do not know about you, but I just felt very sad for the Bowers and their love ones. It is really a marvel how an organization like CIA could actually be allowed to operate till today.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1248521/Theyre-killing-The-dramatic-video-showing-fighter-jets-shooting-U-S-familys-plane-bungled-CIA-operation.html5 people like this
8 responses
@warmweatherwoman (2233)
• Atlantic City, New Jersey
5 Feb 10
Just another sad story of a CIA F*ck Up! From their widening investigation of counterterrorism to the investigations of their interrigation tactics just sickens me. You never see how many rules and regulations they are allowed to break to get their job done and for that matter how they are allowed to override our constituion overall most of the time.
1 person likes this
@warmweatherwoman (2233)
• Atlantic City, New Jersey
5 Feb 10
Hey Sky....to put it in simple terms...the REAL people who run our government behind the puppets we see would NEVER allow a time when the CIA will not exist. The CIA is way to important to the ultimate goal of this elite group who hold our fate in their hands. There are plenty of books I could point you too to help you understand where I am coming from when I say this. But I think there is only one that needs to be mentioned. The book is called Behold A Pale Horse by William Cooper. If you haven't read it, please do so...then pass it on to anyone who wants to know the truth.
I always try to encourage people to find the truth for themselves....for they usually won't believe it if it's just told to them.
1 person likes this
@skysuccess (8858)
• Singapore
5 Feb 10
warmweatherwoman,
Out of curiosity, how is it that CIA is still allowed to operate till today?
I mean it would make a lot of sense to shut it down. There are just so many blatant discharge of irresponsibility and negligence that just warrants it. I do not know about you but do you know that they are also responsible for the many lost of many elite soldiers running their covert operations?
It is just so appalling here.
1 person likes this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
5 Feb 10
I honestly do not know what to say and I can usually chat! I cannot believe it. I am appalled that after so long nothing is conclusive? So the people responsible will just receive a letter of reprimand that will be removed after one year? Sounds like the good old boys network is well established and it is just business as usual for them. My heart goes out to these people who have suffered so much and received nothing in return.
1 person likes this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
6 Feb 10
Walking awya with murder is the correct term. I still feeel so angry for them.
1 person likes this
@LilyoftheThorns (12918)
• United States
4 Feb 10
It is very tragic, and even worse--it could have been prevented!
Wasn't there some way for the CIA to get radio contact with the Bowers plane? That's what they should have done!
I can't believe no one has gotten in trouble for the killings of an innocent mother and 7 month old baby! Terrible!
@skysuccess (8858)
• Singapore
5 Feb 10
LilyoftheThorns,
In fact, there were many ways to verify that the plane was not "Banditos" and those 2 idiots in the observation plane just ate their "Burritos" and could not care a hoot! Listen to their inflight recordings in the video.
1. They FAIL to reconfirm the subject's flying altitude which was within radar level, a telling sign that this is not a trafficking flight.
2. They FAIL to spot the subject's flying attitude which all along has not been evasive i.e. flying below radar altitude.
3. They FAIL or rather did not want to fly downwards to check the plane's number to do a verification. Their excuse being that if they were traffickers, they would turn tail and evade. As if the Cessna could out fly, modern fighter jets!!!!
4. They FAIL to check with various ground control starting with the flights take off airport for the subject's communication's frequency. Right to the destination airport's ground control.
5. Just for your information, those 2 in the observation plane weren't the only members of the operations team, in all there were 16 members. Can you imagine all of them were sleeping throughout the call for take down?
APPALLING!
@sid556 (30959)
• United States
5 Feb 10
Hmmm...a government agency that is not all that different than the mafia now is it? The CIA has always been questionable and always protected. I don't remember this story but it does not surprise me a bit. Amazing that the family was not more outspoken about this isn't it? If that were my family I'd be squawking pretty loudly wouldn't you? Do you feel there is even more to this story?
@skysuccess (8858)
• Singapore
5 Feb 10
sid556,
Well, since you mention it, I will agree with you here that CIA is an institutionalized legal mafia here.
No offense, but I will say that again and again.
They did not only discipline the ones responsible for this incident, the organization did not step forward to console or own up to the immediate families. If this is not a mafia, I do not know what it is then.
No offense, but I will say that again and again.
They did not only discipline the ones responsible for this incident, the organization did not step forward to console or own up to the immediate families. If this is not a mafia, I do not know what it is then.@skysuccess (8858)
• Singapore
5 Feb 10
zed_k4,
I think the statement from Veronica Bowers father said it all for everyone concern. All of us just want to know why? The reasons that made them decide and ordered that fateful shooting.
@PeacefulWmn9 (10420)
• United States
4 Feb 10
I think that the CIA should be held accountable for many wrongs they've done over the years, including the one you have mentioned. There was a video of that on last night's news...no excuse whatsoever for that to have happened.
They have no excuse either for failing to pass critical terrorist info that would have saved lives in just the past few months.
They DO need to suffer consequences and not use a govt. license to always get so lightly off the hook.
Karen
1 person likes this
@skysuccess (8858)
• Singapore
5 Feb 10
My exact sentiments here, Karen.
I can understand that CIA being an intelligence agency that runs many sensitive and covert operations may not be at liberty to reveal their findings and investigations openly BUT, they should not have kept or as the press put it blatantly here - COVER UP here.
What really made be fume was that all the 16 team members responsible for this tragic foul up were not punished in any appropriate or legal way. And imagine the surviving family members' bewildering wait with no answers till today for 9 long years!! Compensation aside, I feel that all of them deserve an answer or at least a personal apology from all the 16 members in that operation.
I just cannot in my wildest imagination that they were simply given a letter of reprimand only. Wow! Call that justice....?
I am sorry, I just have to disagree vehemently here.
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
5 Feb 10
While I enjoyed the old Callan series on TV, and I knew the importance of spy work during the war years, I always had misgivings about anyone being "licenced to kill".
Maybe . . . just maybe . . . their work in locating terrorist activity and preventing attacks might justify their existence, but I'm not convinced. The CIA and all other spy agencies have way too much power and should have very definite controls in place.
Surely some form of proof would be necessary before such an action was taken? If not, why not?
1 person likes this
@skysuccess (8858)
• Singapore
5 Feb 10
cloudwatcher,
If you have listened to the video feed closely, you would have noticed that the 2 idiots in the observation flight simply did not carry out the protocols in proper at all.
1. They FAIL to confirm the subject's flying altitude which was within radar level, a telling sign that this is not a trafficking flight.
2. They FAIL to spot the subject's flying attitude which all along has not been evasive i.e. flying below radar altitude.
3. They FAIL or rather did not want to fly downwards to check the plane's number to do a verification. Their excuse being that if they were traffickers, they would turn tail and evade. As if the Cessna could out fly, modern fighter jets!!!!
4. They FAIL to check with various ground control starting with the flights take off airport for the subject's communication's frequency. Right to the destination airport's ground control.
5. Also those 2 in the observation plane weren't the only members of the operations team, in all there were 16 members. Can you imagine all of them were sleeping throughout the call for the take down?
And all of them only received a letter of reprimand from the head office only! Blatantly, throwing out both the rule books and humanity out of the door here!
