But it worked for Arthur Dent (Updated).

[khaosworks]

US peace activist killed in Gaza

An American peace activist has been killed as she was run over by an Israeli bulldozer in the southern Gaza Strip.

Witnesses said she had been trying to stop the demolition of a Palestinian building in the Rafah refugee camp.

The woman was identified as Rachel Corey, aged 23, from Olympia, Washington.

The Israeli army says it is checking reports of the incident.

The army sends tanks and bulldozers into the area almost every day, destroying buildings near the Gaza-Egypt border.

Groups of international protestors have gathered in several locations in the West Bank and Gaza over the last two years, trying to protect families whose homes are due to be demolished by Israeli forces.

For "The Israeli army says it is checking reports of the incident" read "How fast can we come up with a cover story?"

See also:

American Reportedly Killed by Israeli Army

GAZA (Reuters) - An Israeli military bulldozer ran over and killed an American protester during the demolition of a house in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, Palestinian medical officials said.

The 23-year-old woman, whom they identified as Rachel Corey, was killed when she ran in front of a bulldozer to try to prevent it from destroying a house, doctors in Gaza said.

"Corey was killed in the al-Salam neighborhood when an Israeli bulldozer covered her with sand as she stood in front of a bulldozer," said Dr. Ali Musa, a doctor from the al-Najar hospital in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah.

He said she died from skull and chest fractures.

No mention of this on CNN yet, but it's hitting the wires. See the Ha'aretz Daily report for some more details.

I think I'll go back to being depressed again.

Comments

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Happens here too, of course:

On September 1, 1987, not far from the Concord Naval Weapons Station north of San Francisco, a man named Brian Willson made a dramatic statement. In a pre-arranged protest, Willson and other demonstrators sat on the railroad tracks leading out of the armaments depot -- one known to be supplying Nicaraguan contras with guns and ammunition. Willson and the protestors thought that they would gather media attention when the train would have to stop (and the demonstrators would be arrested by the local sheriff). However, the train didn't stop.

Willson, himself a Vietnam war hero, was suddenly the victim of a direct US Navy order that the train should not stop. Willson's two partners scrambled out of the way, but Willson was not so lucky. The locomotive hit him, severing both of his legs from his body. The engineer and two-person train crew -- civilian employees of the Navy, and themselves veterans -- dragged Willson's torso some distance before finally "disobeying" their orders and stopping the train.

He's recovered, uses prosthetic legs now, and has been working building non-violent peace activism in the south of Mexico, in the troubled Chiapas region.

[springheel-jack.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I remember that. I saw films of it at the time.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

I was living in the region at the time. Big news here. (Still live here.)

Humans lack of Physics knowledge

[forestcats.livejournal.com]

This is just another prime example of people ignoring the laws of physics. Similar to Car vs Train equals one tortured train engineer who is powerless over the accident. There is no stopping any heavy equipment from swift fleshy endo-skeletons chosen actions...

That's sad

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

... I was thinking exactly the same thing and said so on a call to a friend in the US shortly after I heard it on the BBC radio news.

[mysticlegacy.livejournal.com]

"This is a regrettable accident," said Capt. Jacob Dallal, an army spokesperson. "We are dealing with a group of protesters who were acting very irresponsibly, putting everyone in danger."

The army said soldiers were looking for explosives and tunnels used to smuggle weapons.


you see.. they were just looking for explosives and tunnels. I knew there would be a good explanation for all this...