(Photo: Rachel Corrie Foundation)
Nearly a decade after the Israeli military killed Rachel Corrie, 23, with a weaponized Caterpillar D9 tractor, the civil suit filed by her family will finally close. The verdict will be announced on August 28, 2012 by a Haifa District judge. In attendance will be Rachel Corrie's parents, Cindy and Craig, and sister Sarah Corrie Simpson.
Corrie was killed on March 16, 2003, while nonviolently protesting with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) against the demolition of a Palestinian home in Gaza. Following her death, an investigation ensued, and then closed without any charges filed. Dissatisfied with the lack of accountability and impunity, in 2005 Corrie’s parents filed a civil case against the state of Israel for "failure to conduct a full and credible investigation."
Last week the Rachel Corrie Foundation released a press release on the upcoming wrongful death verdict:
The State of Israel claims the driver of the bulldozer did not see Rachel, that she should not have been in a war zone, and that a military police investigation found no wrongdoing. Four eyewitnesses from the International Solidarity Movement testified that Rachel was visible to soldiers in the bulldozer as it approached. According to the U.S. State Department, a thorough, credible, and transparent investigation was never conducted.
Oral testimony in the case began March 10, 2010. Over the past two years, there have been 15 court hearings at which 23 witnesses testified, producing more than 2,000 pages of court transcripts.
Oral testimony for the Corrie family's lawsuit began in 2010. During the second day of hearings, it was revealed that the doctor who conducted the Rachel Corrie's autopsy kept pieces of her body for testing, without informing her family. The missing remains were never returned.
“During the second day of hearings, it was revealed that the doctor who conducted the Rachel Corrie’s autopsy kept pieces of her body for testing, without informing her family.”
These people are disgusting. The equal of grave robbers.
for testing. testing what? data collection for the future? really sick.
And equally as sick as Israel’s chief doctor, Dr Hiss, is how the attempt by then Congressman Baird and a few other courageous souls to officially pressure Israel to pursue a totally fair and transparent investigation into Rachel’s death and autopsy was stifled and buried by congress critters led by the usual Israel First crowd. Bush Jr could have helped the Corrie family here, but he ignored the case–the whole thing reminds me of how our government treated the surviving crew of the USS Liberty. If you run afoul of Israel through no fault of your own, you will not be protected by the US government. That’s the take away lesson. The Corries filed civil suit because their own government would not help them wring a just and transparent investigation from the Israelis, who are never accountable to anyone, not even to the lone superpower that enables their irresponsible arrogance. You might want to review this:
link to maxblumenthal.com
Dr. Yehuda Hiss apparently was involved in trafficking in body parts:
Yeah, because no coroner in the U.S. would ever keep samples (you know, like blood samples) for histological testing. Except, wait, sure they would. Histological testing is for things like diseases, the kind of samples kept for that would be maybe some skin cells, you use a microscope for this kind of testing. We’re not talking hands and feet here.
Who cares what a coroner in the US would do? The fact is that this coroner was required to return the samples to be buried with the body and the jackel didn’t do so.
The point is the double standard. Here you are calling this coroner the next best thing to the Devil himself for doing nothing that is unusual in the U.S. or any other country that you would have no complaint about. In other words, you are only complaining because he is Israeli.
How do you know that he collected ‘samples’. Before going off on your usual fact free excuse binge, please provide some evidence.
from Max Blumenthal’s article in which he looked closely at the doctor you defend:
So, I take it, Fredblogs, you would have no problem with Dr. Hiss performing an autopsy on your wife, daughter or other close relative?
“In other words, you are only complaining because he is Israeli.”
No, I’m complaining because someone from my country was murdered by agents of your country for doing nothing other than helping some innocent people save their homes from you monsters. And then to have this filth of a coroner not only fail to follow the court order, but to not even tell the family that body parts were withheld is simply vile. Vile. I understand you excuse it — you excuse anything any Israeli Jew does, right, wrong or whatever — but to me it is adding insult to injury that they murdered here and then they mishandled her remains.
Oh, well you could look at the link in the original article:
“Dr. Hiss also disclosed that he had kept samples from Rachel’s body for histological testing without informing her family.”
I love the overblown language though: “kept pieces of her body”. Like he has her head on a stick in his office or something rather than routine samples.
Why didn’t he notify her parents and why are you so interested in defending him?
And you could do some of your thinking and research and recognize that “Dr.” Hiss is the notorious Israeli body-parts thief who regularly harvested organs of the deceased. Further, the parts which were stolen from Rachel’s body were not identified, and this vampire, Hiss, has a history of stealing things like ovaries.
But, of course, he’s a Jew, so you just naturally assume it’s all okay that Hiss disrespected the family and the body. The likes of you are fine with that. Got it.
Fred,
So Dr. Hiss buried “routine samples” rather than return them to her parents? If they were simple cell cultures wouldn’t it have been easier to simply return them? Who buries cell cultures?
Just which parts of Corrie’s body Hiss took remains unclear; despite Hiss’s claim that he “buried” the samples, her family has not confirmed the whereabouts of her missing body parts.
So, the coroner has admitted to harvesting organs and body parts from the deceased that passed through his office, admitted lying about the presence of an American embassy official at the Corrie autopsy, and admitted taking “samples” without authorization from the family and then “burying” them at some undisclosed location. And Doctor Fred insists that all he took was cell cultures. There’s no evidence of what Dr. Hiss actually took, but Dr Fred knows without the need of any superfluous “evidence”. Dr. Fred is all knowing and he knows that a confessed Israeli organ harvester would never take more than microscopic cell culture from Rachel Corrie’s body. How does Dr. Fred know this? The same way he knows everything. He’s simply pulled another sample out of his a** which proves it!
Fredblogs, considering his history of body part harvesting and also considering the fact that everybody lies, I fail to see what point you are trying to prove.
Jesus Mary and Joseph I had forgotten about this “Dr. Hiss” How horrific. Your daughter is killed by an Israeli bulldozer operator then a Doctor with verified reputation like this examines your dead daughters body and he takes body parts. Those who appointed this man to deal with Rachel Corrie’s dead body should be called into question too.
If the Corrie’s lose this case. What is their next step? Can they go to the International Criminal Court?
@ Cliff,
Q: Why didn’t he notify her parents and why are you so interested in defending him?
R: He can’t help himself. It’s an automated, auto-response trigger thingy. Kind of like an IITS – [Involuntary Israeli Tourette Syndrome], but then worse.
Fredblogs
“I love the overblown language though: “kept pieces of her body”. Like he has her head on a stick in his office or something rather than routine samples”
I love the overblown language. A single cell is a part of a body Fred.
Why the need for taking any samples at all, when the cause of her death was rather obvious.
Histological testing is an essential process in organ harvesting BTW.
Fredblogs,
Autopsies are by their nature, intrusive. Organs are removed, examined, weighed and yes, tissue, fluid, and other “samples” are removed for histological testing. Now, if the Doctor, in this particular case made errors that points to his negligence, whether intended or not BUT it certainly cannot be objectively used to slander (Israelis, Jews, or anyone else) that was not directly responsible, professionally to do the autopsy.
I agree with your assertion that snowballs into , the practice was so common that the Doctor did not make additional considerations or adhere to the SPECIFIC CONSIDERATIONS Forwarded by the Family. Those considerations were outside of the norm, however, they were both reasonable and lawful from the material that I read.
“Why didn’t he notify her parents and why are you so interested in defending him?”
Why he didn’t notify the parents? Who knows. He stole body parts, maybe, or he was negligent. Since the ghoul admitted the former, that’s my guess.
As for why Fred is defending him, it’s simple: Hiss is a Jew. As such, Fred will defend him, no matter what, as he’s done here. Because Fred is a bigot, plain and simple.
hiss is a freak organ thief. he kept warehouse of spare stolen body parts. anthony hannibal lecter hopkins should act the part but the movie will not be made in time for that. possibly an older depp. some great actor. pitty so many great scripts are held back due to the zio hollywood situation. we can thank Dr. Haim Buzaglo…such a rude awakening.the broomsticks and rags stuffed in corpses. gross. and here’s fred and sammy defending them.
what’s so common? hiss stealing body parts?
Should read: I agree with your assertion that “samples” snowballs into “body parts” as an exaggeration. Also, Organ harvesting is not done at an autopsy, ladies and gentlemen. The window of opportunity is much narrower then that and major organs lose their viability to be used in a donor situation.
Cause of death is pursued for legal reasons [talknic] it does seem unnecessary when the cause of death seems readily apparent. Yet, a coroner will make an incision in the chest that is more prominent then “the zipper” one receives for open heart surgery. Poke, prod, weigh, measure organs and record their findings in a report.
On a personal level, an autopsy performed on a Family member seemed grossly intrusive and unnecessary to me AND if I learned that (anyone) involved in the process did something that was a violation or breech of their professional conduct, I would see to it that the Coroner was held accountable.
Kathleen,
“If the Corrie’s lose this case. What is their next step? Can they go to the International Criminal Court?”
In answer to your question. The case is tried in a Civil Court, not a criminal court. If the Family lost the Civil Case, the next step would be to file an Appeal based on the Judge’s Reasons for his Decision. There would have to be Errors made by the trial Judge that were Findings of Fact and/or Findings of Law and they would need to be significant enough to result in a different decision if they weren’t made.
Criminal charges are laid via Law Enforcement, they are not laid by individuals. An individual notifies the Legal authorities, forwards allegations and evidence but ultimately, the Police pursue criminal charges and the State (or Crown) Prosecutor tries the case in Criminal Court or cuts a deal with the Defense attorney, plea bargain.
However, If the Case was based on an allegation of wrongful death and the Court ruled that it was, in fact a wrongful death there may be entrance into a forum of Criminal Law. It depends on the Legal strategy employed by the Corrie Family’s attorney to ensure that double jeopardy is not in play.
Double jeopardy is the rule that No One can be tried for the same offence twice. If someone was tried for Murder and found not guilty, they could not be re-tried for the same crime. The case could be appealed or reopened upon the discovery of “new evidence.”
I’m not sure what civil rules of evidence, standard/burden of proof, and court procedure is being applied by the Israeli court. How akin are they to a civil trial in a US state? Some early details of the trial suggest the trial is quite a departure from what one would expect here in USA, e.g., the driver and some other key witnesses testifying did so behind a partition wall; they never had to testify in open court, so onlookers, including the Corrie family, could not watch their physical demeanor as they testified. This was justified on appeal by saying such witnesses had to be protected from the Corrie family while in court. link to ccrjustice.org
The Corries claim their daughter was intentionally murdered, or, in the alternative that the state of Israel is responsible on negligence theory. In either case, a wrongful death claim. The state claims Rachel’s death was an accident, or, in the alternative, her death was due to her own negligence. It also claims she died in a war zone and there are no civilians in such a zone.
thanks Samuel T and Citizen
@Cliff
About microscope slide samples? Why would he? Taking samples is a routine part of any autopsy. That’s like asking “why didn’t he tell them he wore gloves for the autopsy and threw them out afterward?”
@talknic
“A single cell is a body part”. Better not sneeze then, or you could be accused of getting body parts everywhere. Reductio ad absurdem. Just in case you didn’t understand the point, you leave cells all over the place just walking around. Lots of the dust in your house comes from your dead skin cells. So quit leaving body parts around.
Corrie was DOA at the hospital, it was too late by that point to harvest her organs. Much less later.
slide samples? do you have any supporting links?
@tree
Why buried? You have to dispose of them somehow. As for what he took, read the linked article. “Samples for histological testing”. Google it. That means microscope slides of material, not body parts.
Of course Fredo has no links. It’s just his newest hasbarism — that we’re talking about microscope slide samples — because he doesn’t care about the facts other than the fact that Hiss is an Israeli. As such, Fredo will say anthing that sounds even remotely plausible (and sometime even not) because he’s enagaged in a giant game of confirmation bias about his ethnic prejudices and is butt hurt that the rest of us aren’t.
Fred,
despite Hiss’s claim that he “buried” the samples, her family has not confirmed the whereabouts of her missing body parts.
Hiss claims he buried the “samples” he took. He didn’t specify what they were. That burial claim alone would lead to a natural conclusion that it was not just “microscopic slide samples”. Coroners don’t bury microscopic slide samples.
slide samples? do you have any supporting links?
Of course he doesn’t. He never does. He just makes up a hypothetical that defends the indefensible when its done by any Jew, and then pretends that it is a known fact instead of something he made up.
That’s what the hasbarists do with the attack on the USS Liberty as well. Out of the blue, they invent the claim that Israel had to attack the ship because it was passing on military intelligence to the Egyptians. Even though there is zero evidence that that was being done, and, given the realities of the situation at the time (in particular, the sympathies of the LBJ administration,) it is simply not credible.
I should mention that I was in U.S. military signals intelligence starting shortly after the attack, and I heard nothing about any such intelligence transfer. It could not have been done by the ship or the fleet (the capabilities did not exist to transfer intelligence to the Egyptians at that level, and it would have been flatly illegal). For it to be done at all, it would have had to be done by NSA at Fort Meade, MD or someplace even higher up the food chain in Washington. Which means delay. And battlefield intelligence has to be timely.
Yeah and as it’s medical waste burying it without ANY record is kind of a no no, well at least to coroners who havent already been proven to be the vilest of ghouls. This is not some random medico you’re resolutely defending.
The only “evidence” you have that it was only samples for histological testing is the word of a man who is demonstrably untrustworthy.
Is he legally obligated to or not? Is it the moral thing to do in YOUR opinion or not? He is still cutting someone’s daughter up. Why not tell the parents? It would be simple procedure. Why keep it secretive. And why are you defending him?
Also, where is the proof that he only took microscopic slide samples and not something more substantial?
Was Dr. Hiss not the same Israeli doctor involved in the organ harvesting scandal a few years back?
Considering the gravity of the situation and scandal, I would not assume this was ‘just another day at the office’ for good ole’ Dr. Hiss.
“And why are you defending him?”
Because he’s Jewish, so Fred will defend him. Fred’s a bigot. Jews can do no wrong, and anyone who opposes the zionist project, in Fred’s eyes, can do no right, is an unperson, and has no rights which any Jew is obligated to respect. It matters not whether the excuse is plausible or not, the fact that it goes to the benefit of Israel is, to bigots like Fred, the deciding factor, not its truth value, plausibility or logical coherence.
So where is your proof it was a microscopic sample and that he had no legal obligation to notify the Corries?
Oh and in light of the fact that Dr. Hiss is essentially a Bond villain, do you believe that changes the ethical dimensions of his actions?
For example if Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman had FORGOTTEN to notify the Corries, I might understand. But if, let’s say – that dude from The Human Centipede: 1st Sequence was performing the autopsy…well I might be a tad bit judgmental.
And why are you, once again, defending a man of Dr. Hiss’s infamy? I think in another thread you were defending ultra-othrodox Jewish pedophiles. Were they even Zionist, Freddy?
At least Hiss is, and he’s got a cool mad scientist name. But those child molestors? C’mon man. Even someone as degenerate as you has to have standards.
Hope folks contact MSM outlets and ask that the Corrie’s be brought on their programs as guest. Spotlight on this critical issue
They have never been offered an opportunity to appear on anything remotely resembling MSM. They have been on Democracy Now more than once. And I believe they have been interviewed at least once by Seattle TV or radio outlets that might be considered mainstream, but only for local features.
Both Cindy and Craig are almost disarming in the ways they radiate lack of hatred toward the machine that killed, most likely murdered, their daughter. Quite the opposite, they appear to be (and are) the most reasonable people one ever might expect to encounter, the ideal next door neighbors. One might expect Julian Assange to interview them, or Alyona. Perhaps Thom Hartmann. But Maddow? Heh.
I had the great honor of spending a bit of time with Cindy Corrie at the “Occupy Aipac” conference/ protest this year. Her vibe is like Art and Peggy Gish’s. Peaceful, clear, walk your talk kind of folks. But being able to be like this after losing a child in such a horrendous manner is amazing to me. I held her hand for awhile. Again the woman transmits an aura of peace and clarity of vision to all she encounters. In front of the Washington Convention Center I was able to introduce this fella Mark from Columbus who I met last year at the Aipac conference when Medea Benjaman had so skillfully opened up a small stage to anyone who wanted to get up and respectfully have their say. Mark was attending the Aipac conference last year and got up on stage and shared some words. He was there again this year (a reasonable fella in many ways) I saw him walking up the steps and asked him if he would like to meet Rachel Corrie’s mother Cindy. He hesitated by I pushed a bit more and he walked over to Cindy with me. I introduced the two of them and led out with what Cindy had been up to and then walked away. Watched Mark’s face and being be overwhelmed by the sincerity and integrity of Cindy Corrie’s words and heart felt experience. Did not need to hear what she was saying I could see it all over Mark’s face. He had enough humanity in his being to let her and the story in.
Now you never know who you can get on some of the MSM outlets if you are polite and persistent enough. Have had quite a few successes. Always worth the try. You just never know if you are going to get through. Again have had direct successes with some of these MSM folks
Contact Rachel etc. Although I think are best possibility on MSNBC is Dylan Ratigan.
I love the language here. A bulldozer outfitted with purely defensive items, and passive defensive items at that (shields) is “weaponized”.
Fredo, If you don’t understand how a bulldozer, armor-plated for offensive operations against innocent civilians by your countrymen is weaponized, then you are dumber than we all believe you are.
It’s armor plated to defend itself against terrorist attacks.
“It’s armor plated to defend itself against terrorist attacks.”
Convenient excuse. It’s armored because its driver and the Israeli state are doing the terrorism.
A terrorist fighting bulldozer? How fast do bulldozers move? Are their terrorist fighting unicycles made in Israel and do you know if I can order them?
Thanks in advance Freddy.
from a 23 year old young lady standing in protest
That’s the point, Cliff, it doesn’t fight them, it just passively defends the driver from them. A defense is not a weapon. Hence armor plating something is not “weaponizing” it. Q.E.D.
Who in the field that day was a terrorist and what was the precedent set for such a technological enhancement, Fred? Or is this just an excuse for the Israeli’s military-industrial-complex. After all, people like yourself always downplay Palestinian suffering at the hands of Israelis by comparing this conflict to Arab dictatorships in the region.
So let’s turn the tables. Israelis have suffered a fraction of what Palestinians have suffered. That is the power dynamic. Just as it was with the Native Americans and the Euro-American colonists who usurped them.
In both cases, neither a Jew from Brookyln or Russia or Europe has better claim to Palestine than a Palestinian. Self-determination belongs to the people of a land and the people of that land were mostly Palestinian Arabs.
And it has only been by continual and disproportionate force over time (sustained) that Israeli has succeeded. Not because Zionism was a worthier or more moral cause. Power does not imply morality.
And in this case as well – the armor plating is an exaggeration. A hysteria. A bulldozer running over a 90 lbs. girl standing her ground is the power dynamic.
Not emphasizing the defensive mechanisms of the vehicle that murdered her – which was there in the first place to destroy someone else’s home, in someone else’s land.
This will always come back to the root issues not matter how specific we get and in the present we are – it is always about the lead-up to 1948 and the war and the Nakba.
People like you are only faking surprise at anti-Zionists here or maybe you’re really unintelligent. We know this conflict back and front. From beginning and (while we cannot predict the future) – sadly, it’s playing out like a greek tragedy, so ‘to the end.’
Rachel Corrie was murdered. She was visible. You can see it in the pictures based on how far she was from the bulldozer. The jerk who ran her over is not the first IDF soldier to kill or maim an ISM or other international observer or Palestinian or aide worker or activist. This is not a taboo incident.
This is a systemic problem in the IDF. It may not be happening every second but that is not the standard for what qualifies as being termed, “systemic”.
Unless of course you have low standards for the world’s most moral army.
Once again, why are you defending someone who ran a person over IN A BULLDOZER.
I mean, bulldozers do not go 60 mph, Freddy. They aren’t race cars. Don’t you think Israeli’s best and brightest would have noticed the screaming, horrifying looks on bystanders faces, etc. – or maybe he was listening to some music at the time? Was he eating lunch while driving the bulldozer?
Maybe he was inebriated? Is it illegal to drink and bulldoze in Israel? Or is it ok so long as you drink and bulldoze Palestinians’ homes?
Anyways, talking to people like yourself is kind of like explaining what the word ‘the’ means to a Korean exchange student.
Fredblogs: “It’s armor plated to defend itself against terrorist attacks.”
The IDF bulldozers are committing war crimse and a crimes against humanity when they bury homes and sometimes even civilians with them. That’s not a “defense”, it’s a campaign of destruction. And attacking occuyping forces is by no means “terrorism” but a moral and legal right.
>> That’s the point, Cliff, [armor plating] doesn’t fight them, it just passively defends the driver from them. A defense is not a weapon. Hence armor plating something is not “weaponizing” it. Q.E.D.
Exactly! Nuclear bombs don’t fight anyone, they just passively defend Iran from overtly-aggressive nations like Israel and the U.S. A defense is not a weapon. Hence nuclear bombs are not something that “weaponize” Iran. Q.E.D.
>> It’s armor plated to defend itself against terrorist attacks.
Leave it up to a hateful and immoral Zio-supremacist to gloss over the fact that the bulldozer was in Gaza, outside of Partition borders. The bulldozing was the terrorist attack, perpetrated by the Glorious Jewish State.
>> … you are dumber than we all believe you are.
Dumb(er)? No. A hateful and immoral Zio-supremacist? Definitely.
IDF Capt Jacob Dallal said bulletproof windows are relatively small and visibility is limited in the type of armored bulldozer that killed Corrie: a super-size model known as the D-9 often used to demolish homes. She was wearing a florescent orange vest and according to eye-witnesses, the dozer driver could not help but see her when she approached the way to the home targeted and stood in its way.
Asher Asban, who conducts professional investigations involving safety regulations related to both commercial and military incidents, provided expert testimony for the Corries. He testified that:
According to the military’s rules, it was forbidden to operate the D9 bulldozer if there were civilians within a 20 meter radius around it.
The driver would have been able to see bright colors such as that of the jacket Rachel was wearing when she was killed.
The Israeli military had the ability to purchase cameras from Caterpillar to mount on the bulldozers. Such cameras would provide 360 degrees visibility.
In Israel, defense=offense. They are the aggressors in a 64+year-old conflict of their own creation. They are over-militarized considering the ‘threat’ which they claim to face on a daily basis (which in reality does not even exist unless it’s invisible to our senses). Because defense=offense in Israel speak, it just adds to the bulldozer being weaponized. Israeli double standards applied to words meaning the opposite in Israelese. Peace=Perpetual and Preemptive warfare. Any accident or crime committed by Palestinians = terror attack. Moral = immoral. Criticism is mistranslated and misinterpreted to mean provocation and incitement. Arab or Palestinian = terrorist. Critic or 2SS supporter = leftist liberal progressive self-hating Jew. etc.
>> Charon @ May 22, 2012 at 6:31 pm
Aggressor-victimhood is a tough gig.
Fred, to understand better how an armored bulldozer is “weaponized”, you shud read Jimmy Carter – who coined the term “defensive tunnels” that Palestinian dug across the border with Israel to kidnap soldiers. You may also want to reread “1984″.
@ Fedblogs,
The driver couldn’t see Rachel Corrie [honest, really, true] link to sadaka.ie and it only took 7 years to get to his day, so what are we complaining about?
link to ccrjustice.org
@Daniel Rich
Sorry, was that supposed to be a picture of the bulldozer that hit her? Wrong picture, wrong time, wrong bulldozer. That was a picture taken earlier in the day of a different bulldozer. Oh, and the dramatic picture of her between a bulldozer and a house? Photoshopped together by one of the ISM guys who later confessed to having photoshopped it.
That’s not the bulldozer you’re looking for. That was a different (much smaller) bulldozer. In a picture taken much earlier in the day.
For a group (the religious component of Israel’s land grab gang) so concerned with the proper treatment of remains that they have a special group (ZAKA) to ensure respectful handling of the victim’s tissue, this same concern never seems to extend to anyone else, at least not with an equal level of attention.
Well, most religions don’t care about microscope samples taken for autopsy testing.
My tribute to Rachel Corrie:
link to dancingwithpalestinians.wordpress.com
If the Israelis are smart, they will find in favor of Rachel Corrie. A “mea culpa” would go a long way towards diffusing the PR firestorm that will ensue at the end of this “trial”. Of course, it will increase the pressure on Caterpillar – which might be the better trade for Israel to take.
Any bets?
I’ve watched this trial from the beginning. I do not bet $$$, but if the trial judge finds in favor of the Corrie family, it would be out of character for Judge Oded Gershon.
israel never ever does the right thing – they only ever escalate … so expect an appalling verdict that finds no fault and lets the IDF, the killdozer driver, and state of israel off scot-free and leaves the Corrie family and those who cherish justice left with bitter tears, again … at least the pressure on Caterpillar is slowly working – I hope that people working within the company are made aware of how their hard work is transformed into war-crime murders
Can the Corrie family sue Caterpillar in this country?
This is America. Anybody can sue anybody for anything. The question is can they win? My guess would be not, but I’m not making that call as a lawyer.
@ CloakAndDagger,
Please see my comments below.
Phil I am going to make a persistent effort to get the Corrie’s on MSNBC, The Diane Rehm show, Talk of the Nation . Washington Journal is where I have had my successes at getting guest on. I hope you and others will join me. Let’s politely hammer these outlets and others to have the Corrie’s on their programs. An hour a week.
Hi Kathleen,
Jewish voice for Peace sends me pre-packaged emails to send off to various pundits. Would it be a good idea to have something similar here on MW? Just digitally sign and click? I’m with you.
yes
“OK. We’ll either send someone to the ‘barracks for a week’s worth of detention’ or find Miss Rachel complicit in seeking shelter underneath the bear’s belly.” – IDF Mouthpiece
Exactly. I guess they figured no one would buy it if they said that “she was shot trying to escape…”
Rachel Corrie turns the bile levels in supporters of the illegal Greater Israel into a torrent of blinding hatred
Perhaps because she was a young woman brave enough to challenge the IDF to adhere to its own regulations and the standard regulations for operating heavy machinery. They failed and;
although unfortunate, her death is perhaps even more effective in the long run than stopping one bulldozer from demolishing one house
If one is to believe the likes of Fred and the driver could not see a person purposefully wearing bright colours and purposefully doing everything in her power to be seen, one wonders just how anyone could effectively operate the machinery at all.
Bright clothing or dull clothing, neither can be seen through metal. The cab of the bulldozer is heavily armored to protect against Palestinians shooting the driver.
“Bright clothing or dull clothing, neither can be seen through metal.”
LMAO. Any argument, so long as you’re defending the Israeli, eh, Fredo? Doesn’t matter if you’re defending bulldozer-driving terrorists like this piece of filth or the vampire Hiss, if they’re Israeli Jews, our man Fred will defend them, no matter what.
If they’re afraid of being shot, then maybe they should stop terrorizing innocent civilians by destroying their houses. (Oh, wait, the victims are Palestinian, so they are automatically terrorists to bigots like you.)
Fred,
If you can’t see out of a bulldozer then you can’t drive one. You can’t maneuver it and you are totally useless, as is the bulldozer. But sure, the driver couldn’t see out of the cab. That’s a smart comment….not. Your excuses just keep getting lamer and lamer.
In the still posted above by Daniel Rich, taken from behind Corrie earlier in the day, you can clearly see into the bulldozer cab to see the driver and his commander behind him. I suppose next you will tell us that the bulldozer had one way glass–Corrie and others could see into the bulldozer, but the bulldozer couldn’t see out. That’s about par for your typical pathetic excuses.
The “he couldnt see her” is one of the most ridiculous defenses the hasbaratchiks use in relation to the Corrie murder. Even a 5 year old could spot the glaring hole in this theory (a hole one could drive even a D9R through)
Fred..
Can’t see to work through metal either.
Regardless of Political views favouring any position, this incident was a tragedy and cut short the life of 23 year old woman.
The questions of Law and Fact will be determined by the Judge who will weigh the preponderance of evidence before him or her and then based on a balance of probabilities, render a decision.
Was the driver of the Bulldozer negligent? Was the incident intentional, foreseeable and/or to what degree did any party contribute to the negligent act.
At the end of the day, the Judge may rule that the death was accidental OR rule that the young woman was the cause of her demise OR (more likely) proportion, between the two parties, a measure of responsibility.
My heart goes out to Rachel Corrie’s family.
oh sammy, you’re nothing if not predictable.
So the Israeli courts are never, ever biased, the judges always impartial and never ignore the overwhelming evidence? (rolls eyes) On what fantasy planet is that?
Hoping to humanize fredblogs:
link to youtube.com
A youtube video won’t help. But maybe Corrie’s posthum conversion to Judaism.
What do you think we are, Mormons? You can’t posthumously convert and we don’t even encourage people to convert while they are alive. If you really want to convert, it takes dedication and about a year of studying.
Annie,
Just sharing an overview of how the “legal system” in a Civil Case operates. When I say (most likely) to proportion responsibility between the two parties it is because of the legal nature of “negligence” and the defences against negligence may adjust the balance of “probabilities.”
Unlike criminal cases where convictions are based upon beyond reasonable doubt the standard for weighing evidence in Civil Cases is based on “probabilities” the likelihood of what happened, PROBABLY, not possibly. This line of weighing evidence may disregard actual facts that may have actually occurred however, seem to be improbable. Redundancy on the word “actual” is intentional.
In earlier comments, I clearly expressed that everyone (myself included) carries whether consciously or unconsciously, a bias. Jwp asks if Judges are always impartial and I can answer that in my view and experience. NO.
I was also delighted to read a Supreme Court Justice’s view on the nature of bias and the Justices exercise to recognize and make efforts to neutralize personal bias. She was saying: Yes, even at the top, bias exists. Dershowitz has a book where he names Lawyers, Prosecuting attorneys, Police and Judges who have undoubtedly, disregarded material evidence in cases and ruled in opposition to its existence.
In Civil Court you win at 51%. That is all you need for a win. So, even if a Judge proportions responsibility between the two parties, Rachel Corrie’s family could receive a ruling in their favour.
I’m not saying which way the Judge should rule. I don’t have all the facts of law Or the evidence in front of me. I do hate using terminology such as; win, in their favour or may be rewarded compensation. Rachel Corrie is dead. There is no “win” here, there is no adequate “compensation” for the loss of a life. The Legal System is imperfect and at times severely flawed, personally, I have a love/hate relationship with the Law and the pursuit of Justice.
However, if you asked me, if I had a choice to represent either Rachel Corrie as the Plaintiff OR the IDF, I would choose to advocate for Rachel Corrie and her family. AND so would an attorney of the caliber of Alan Dershowitz. I would hope that the Family is well represented by legal counsel.
How do you know, Samuel T, that’s the way Israeli civil courts operate? Please point to Israeli law that says clearly what the standard of proof is. Thanks!
Israel is apparently continuing its organ harvesting ways. Israelis run organ trafficking network:
I couldn’t find the Ha’aretz article this report cites, but I doubt if Press TV made it up.
here’s the cnn story: Refugees face organ theft in the Sinai
link to cnn.com
link to 972mag.com
but nothing about 10 Israeli citizens arrested for membership in the organ trafficking gang related to that story. but there is this
link to miamiherald.com
link to washingtonpost.com Published: May 22
lol, i just noticed in the comments over @ wapo
The Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine, of which Dr. Hiss is the director (and chief pathologist), is affiliated with the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tel Aviv and is located in the Abu Kabir neighborhood of Tel Aviv.
“lol, i just noticed in the comments over @ wapo”
Fred, QUICK! There’s another Israeli who needs defending over at the Washington Post! Better run quickly and explain to them how organ snatching is fine and dandy when an Israeli does it…
Hiss was investigated in 2002 over allegations of the theft of body parts. For his role in the thefts, Hiss received only a reprimand in 2005 “.. for his involvement in the unauthorized removal of parts from 125 bodies. In exchange, Hiss will admit to the acts. The plea bargain is subject to the approval of the court. In all of the 125 cases, Dr. Hiss and his subordinates removed organs, bones and tissue without the permission of, and in many cases, against the expressed wishes of the families of the deceased.” As a result of the case, Hiss was fired as Director of Israel’s Abu Kabir Forensic Institute of Medicine, but was kept on as the Chief Forensic Pathologist. Hiss is still on the government payroll, and is the highest paid physician in Israel. Hiss is a controversial figure in Israel, whose standards have been questioned. He has been the subject of a few investigations on various charges over the years, but has not ever been convicted of any charges. Among other allegations, Hiss is rumoured to have played a role in Israel’s removal of Yemenite children from their parents in the 1950s.
Hiss is the highest paid public employee in Israel. I read suggestions he’s pretty much immune and his high income and continued importance remains rock solid because he has the inside scoop on the murdered body of Rabin.
“because he has the inside scoop on the murdered body of Rabin.”
is there a controversy over Rabin’s manner of death? why would this give Hiss the Ghoul any leverage?
link to en.wikipedia.org