Both Russia and the United States have a history of shooting down airliners by accident...

[Gravitycollapse]

Just to put this rebel shoot-down into perspective.

The United States Navy shot down Iranian Air Flight 655, killing 290, in 1988 killing. The USSR shot down Korean Air Lines 902, killing 2, in 1978 and Korean Air Lines 007, killing 269, in 1983.

It seems that instead of this being a terrorist act, it's an act of overly aggressive military personnel. Which is equally horrible but for different reasons.

It will be interesting to see how much responsibility the pro-separatist rebels take for their actions. The US and then-USSR did pretty much everything in their power to obscure responsibility.

[WovenGems]

1. Shoot first, ask questions rarely.

[GeorgeGist]

2. We're exceptional ...

doncha know?

[Igel]

3. It's likely they did it.

But they'll take no responsibility for it.

They are pure and good and true. And it would mean they did something horrible.

Then they have to fess up to the weapons. It's not a secret that they get weapons from Russia. But it's not something they like said outside of their own circle. When giving interviews they say "from a certain source." But when there's a report of arms crossing the border from Russia, instead of denying that they're for the rebels the rebels just say, "Reinforcements are on the way!"

They've probably had some good fights over it by now. For now they probably believe that the fog machine of war that they have going will confuse everybody and the stupid Westerners will again follow Putin's misdirection, at least long enough to forget.

But if push comes to shove, the more local of the rebels will sell out the Russians for their own noble cause. And Russia will have no trouble selling out the rebels. At the very least expect a purge. I wouldn't bat an eye if I heard in the next day about a commander who died valiantly saving an infant from some horrible rabid fascist. Only to hear a couple of days later a quiet report that he was found to have ordered the Boeing shot down, thus removing any stain from anybody else. Followed by news that the findings had actually been available a couple of days before, hours before the man's death, but had been kept confidential for some B.S. reason.

[JI7]

4. i agree that it wasn't terrorism and if they knew what it was they would not have done it, if those

tapes are real it shows it was an "accident" on their part .