If you have not seen the film from the cameraman who was inside the UN compound yesterday taping as the explosion went off, you should definitely go take a look, if for no other reason than to see what terror looks and feels like. In a word, it is awful. Kevin Drum provided the link, so I will use his instructions, as well:
CBS News has some video from a cameraman who was inside the UN building in Baghdad when the bomb went off. It’s about five minutes long and not for the squeamish, but if you want to know what it’s like being in the middle of a suicide bombing, this is (hopefully) as close as you’ll ever get.
To view it, go to the CBS News site and then click on “CBS News camera captures explosion, aftermath” at the top left of the page. If it’s gone, cut and paste this URL into your browser once you’re at the CBS site:
javascript:vlaunch(‘clip=/media/2003/08/19/video569057.rm’)
You’ll need the RealMedia player to watch the video.
I watched it, and I have several comments.
1.) I am even more convinced that people who think anything of this nature is a cause for celebration need to think about their remarks. Misha at the AI Rottweiler has been widely assailed for his flip and inappropriate remarks, yet sees the UN as a target of terror as poetic justice. There is simply no reason for celebration, and I gain little satisfaction in any ‘irony’ that may have been created by the attack. This was simply devestating and awful- those are real people bleeding and traumatized for life in that video- not just UN employees.
2.) Why, in events like this, when there is a cameraman filming, do you always hear people yelling for them to turn the camera off? It needs to keep rolling- people need to see this sort of thing.
3.) The guy at the beginning of the video yelling to keep everyone calm deserves a medal. Human responses to events like this are utterly unpredictable, but thank goodness there is always one person around who manages to keep his/her head. The benefits of training and instinct, perhaps.
4.) I am shaking with anger.
*** Update ***
Here is a direct link to the video.