Dead Soldier's Father Sets US Gov. Van and Self Ablaze

Carlos Arredondo, 44, was severely burned and rushed to Hollywood Regional Hospital in Florida after learning that his 20 year old son, Pfc. Alexander Arredondo had died serving in Iraq. The Florida man doused a U.S. government van with gasoline and set it on fire while sitting inside.
CNN.com

The events started around 2:15 p.m. when three Marine casualty officers arrived at the home to inform the Arredondo family of the death.

Arredondo went to his garage and came out carrying a propane tank, a gallon of gasoline and a welder's torch, police spokesman Tony Rode said.

The Marines tried to calm him, Rode said, but Arredondo smashed the window of their van, got inside and doused it with the gasoline.

Then he set it on fire.

Additional information remains sketchy with no word of criminal charges to be filed, if at all.

hmmm...

I have a sister that lived through losing a child, so there are no words to describe the loss that a parent feels. But I would like to point out my sister lived through it without setting herself on fire and leaving her family further destroyed...something tells me this guy should have opted for putting others (his grieving family's) needs first. Grief does not make a really bad decision justified.

I'm really surprised though how given the fact we have video of a US government van burning in an act of defiance, it's not part of a media blitz.

It's shocking to me how "we" can see this man's grief for what it is and give him a shred of dignity in passing this off as an ill concieved reaction to a child's death (and possibly not even charge him), when if he had been an Iraqi man grief striken over his son's death at the hands of US soldiers and done the same thing...

Well, I think we all know the media reaction and subsequent calls for the "terrorists" head we'd be hearing by now.

I am surprised he will not be seen as a terrorist himself after all what he did under the patriot act is a terrorist attack to the government.

I bet he is not the only one feeling betrayed by this administration and his irrational war.

What a shame.

I wonder if he got arrested and under wish charges.

Horrific. These are the consequences of war that people have to consider before just marching into a country on false charges. Very sad.

Originally posted by RANT
I'm really surprised though how given the fact we have video of a US government van burning in an act of defiance, it's not part of a media blitz.

defiance? maybe he was just a grief striken father who felt his world was destroyed by this "news" of his son and felt no need to live any longer.

maybe if he were just a protester i could see the "defiance" you're insinuating here. i'd share his sentiment if it was one of my children.

the fact he was in the van with he lit it up tells me he wasnt in his right mind. an act of defiance owuld have ben setting it on fire period. setting it on fire while inside is suicidal. what state of mind would you be in if this happened to you? level headed? is your first thought gonna be "i'll teach the government a lesson by setting their van AND myself on fire"???

not everyone hates the government rant. i dont like em personaly but come on....his thoughts are on his dead son, not "gettin back" at the government.

Originally posted by marg6043
I am surprised he will not be seen as a terrorist himself after all what he did under the patriot act is a terrorist attack to the government.

I bet he is not the only one feeling betrayed by this administration and his irrational war.

What a shame.

I wonder if he got arrested and under wish charges.

We'll have to see what charges if any arise. My guess is little to none. Though I find it an embarrassing situation for us to give this failed "American Suicide Bomber" a free pass when we wouldn't anyone else.

That's why I imagine we'll hear little more. No need to examine his religion and see what motivated this "attack"... no need to "crack down" on his neighborhood... or round up his family for interrogation, or show the video over and over and over to whip up controvesery and outrage.

No need to hyper report on the event at all. It doesn't serve US war interests to do so.

I hate our media. Complicit shills.

Taking hat off.. All I can say is this is very tragic, extremely sad.

I lost my dad; but I can't imagine what it would be like to lose a child; especially under these rotten circumstances.

Prank, we're on the same page actually. I'm just using the words we'd use if the situation was reversed.

We don't allow for "emotional distress" to be a defense of Iraqi insurgence.

Though it's bound to happen. When brothers or fathers take up the cause of suicide bombing (or whatever) over a family member's death, we call it revenge. This guy...we say "understandable irrational behavior."

See what I'm saying? We're mired in a war of words that defines our enemy as somehow different than us, when overall they really aren't were the situations reversed.

[edit on 26-8-2004 by RANT]

Originally posted by RANT

See what I'm saying? We're mired in a war of words that defines our enemy as somehow different than us, when overall they really aren't were the situations reversed.

This is an age-old tactic, necessary to making killing ok. Gotta reduce the percieved enemy's human value.

There's an amount of necessary brainwashing, if you will, in military training. Here is your enemy. He is evil so you must focus your hatred on him. He is less human than you. I still hear the cadences booming in my head:

In November 1989: "Shoot Qaddafi, lock and load!"

In January 1990: "Shoot Noriega, lock and load!"

In August 1990: "Shoot Hussein, lock and load!"

Projection of hatred and racism is a most valuable tool to the trainers. Thank God I was able to successfully deprogram myself.

I am sorry I did not got the part that said he did burn in the van, so I guess it will not be charges against him.

But what it bothers me is the lack of media coverage in this incedent.

It's probably due to the fact that it will only bring the anguish and horror of the Iraq war to the fore. Bush cannot afford that.

I just meet two marines yesterday that came from Baghdad while I was at the military base and they said the situation in Iraq is horrible and that they were happy to be back and alive.

If it were only a bid for suicide, why get in the van?

PrankMonkey, maybe you can consol him with some of your straight talk, after all it's war, people die, and his son shouldn't have joined the military if he was not willing to die.

Koka,

not body joins the military expecting to die, that is wrong and one thing is dying from defending this country from invasions than dying invading another country for the acts of revenge of the self proclaimed Jesus advocate that we have in the white house now.

I know someone who did a tour recently, Fallujah specifically. His wife told me that it really did him in mentally/spiritually. He joined the Chair Force [ ]during the run-up to the Gulf war, as a forward observer, and has served in many theaters since. She said "after Iraq he was really done." The first night he was back, she said he woke her up b/c he was having a nightmare. He was yelling, "the children are burning, the children are burning!" How horrific is that? The trauma inflicted upon our troops in this BS war is beyond calculation. My little brother is due to go sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'd give anything to be able to go in his place. He's a good and sensitive young man. Not the wild one I was. I fear not only for his safety and for his life, but also for his sanity.

[edit on 19-09-2003 by EastCoastKid]

Originally posted by marg6043
Koka,

not body joins the military expecting to die, that is wrong and one thing is dying from defending this country from invasions than dying invading another country for the acts of revenge of the self proclaimed Jesus advocate that we have in the white house now.

Good point, you'll get no arguments from me, I just hope PrankMonkey is listening.

Koka,

I agree with you

EastCoastKid I hope your brother does not have to deal with anything bad.

The two marines I meet yesterday where not young but they look so tired and funny happy and relieved at the same time.

And one thing when I talk about the media been banned from the area, they said that is a lot of things that are not being show in the media

I have been off this site for over a week i presume, and it is refreshing to see the liberal bias is intact.

I have never seen a man set himself on fire in a gasoline doused vehicle as a result of the death of his child. Never.

Blast me if you will, and I am certain you will whoever you are.

Originally posted by smokenmirrors
I have been off this site for over a week i presume, and it is refreshing to see the liberal bias is intact.

I have never seen a man set himself on fire in a gasoline doused vehicle as a result of the death of his child. Never.

Blast me if you will, and I am certain you will whoever you are.

What did you say that you should be blasted for?

You are unlikely to see a man set himself on fire in a gasoline doused vehicle as a result of the death of his child, it doesn't appear that the media are really covering it.