Fox spreads a false rumor that marines were not armed at embassy.

[sufrommich]

U.S. Marines defending the American embassy in Egypt were not permitted by the State Department to carry live ammunition, limiting their ability to respond to attacks like those this week on the U.S. consulate in Cairo.

Ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson “did not permit US Marine guards to carry live ammunition,” according to multiple reports on U.S. Marine Corps blog spotted by Nightwatch. “She neutralized any US military capability that was dedicated to preserve her life and protect the US Embassy.”

If true, the reports indicate that Patterson shirked her obligation to protect U.S. interests, Nightwatch states.


Then gives the you-knew-it-was-coming "update".


**UPDATE**

Further Marine spokesman at Pentagon Lt Col Chris Hughes says these reports are NOT true. This is on the record:

“The Ambassador and RSO have been completely and appropriately engaged with the security situation. No restrictions on weapons or weapons status have been imposed. This information comes from the Det Commander at AMEMB Cairo.”


Read more: http://nation.foxnews.com/us-embassy-attack/2012/09/13/reports-marines-not-permitted-live-ammo#ixzz26NjBs82m



Right wing blogs are running with it anyway,including Free Republic. So much desperation. If you see it repeated on Facebook/Twitter make sure that you point out that it is a desperate lie that started at Fox News

[riverbendviewgal]

1. USA needs a law like Canada

http://current.com/community/93886320_fox-news-banned-in-canada-its-illegal-to-broadcast-lies-and-label-it-news-according-to-canadian-law.htm

Fox News banned in Canada! It's Illegal to broadcast lies and label it News according to Canadian Law!
They would have to change the law to let FOX news be broadcast. Sounds like a good law. Hey Congress – here is a law you can pass!
Canada’s Radio Act requires that “a licenser may not broadcast … any false or misleading news.” The provision has kept Fox News and right-wing talk radio out of Canada and helped make Canada a model for liberal democracy and freedom. As a result of that law, Canadians enjoy high quality news coverage, including the kind of foreign affairs and investigative journalism that flourished in this country before Ronald Reagan abolished the “Fairness Doctrine” in 1987.

[Andy823]

5. I agree with you

It should be illegal to broadcast things that are not true, and I wish the U.S. would also pass such a law, but to many members of congress are bought and paid for by the same people that own the media, so it just isn't going to happen any time soon.

All the right wing talking heads, Limbaugh, Beck, fox news, etc. would all me in jail if there were such a law in the U.S., and their die hard, brain dead listeners would have a cow if they couldn't listen to the garbage spewed by those hate mongers day after day. The right wing teabagger base loves the lies they hear!

[former9thward]

11. The U.S. has a first amendment.

Canada does not bother with such details.

[Angry Dragon]

2. Just heard this same thing repeated on a talk show by a caller

[sufrommich]

3. Even after they know it's a lie, they

repeat it anyway.

[sinkingfeeling]

4. Kind of clashes with this one from last year. Only RW sites picking up today's Faux report.

http://nation.foxnews.com/culture/2011/01/31/team-heavily-armed-marines-sent-us-embassy-cairo

Team of Heavily Armed Marines Sent to US Embassy in Cairo

A team of heavily armed Marine Corps security personnel have been sent to the U.S. Embassy in Cairo to provide additional security for the facility, defense officials tell CNN.

The small team of Marines, about a dozen according to one of the officials, are part of a Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST).

[central scrutinizer]

6. Obama made them wear dresses and forced them into gay marriages

and forbid Christmas trees from their quarters

[Canuckistanian]

7. That's why it's so hard to discuss real issues

Too much time is wasted batting down the obvious LIES.

And even AFTER they're debunked, that "seed" is planted in Fox viewer's minds and will continue to grow and fester.

It's insidious.

[Blue_Tires]

15. +1

[drm604]

8. Notice how you have to scroll down past some whitespace to see the update.

And before you get to it there's a big all caps link to the original story in the "Washington Beacon", which only has the denial towards the very bottom of the story.

It looks like it's laid out such that people who don't bother to read far will never see the correction.

[sufrommich]

10. There is a 200 post thread at Free Republic talking about this false rumor.

200 posts in and not one of them has bothered to do any research to find out if it's true of false, they all believe it . They are either incredibly stupid people or don't really care if it's true or not. These are people who believe every righ wing email they get.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2930472/posts?q=1&;page=1

[nanabugg]

9. Citizens should be up in the streets to shut FOX down as they endanger our troop abroad.

They do this in many ways including smearing the Commander in Chief. nt

[mailman82]

12. This is such Bullshit!

I was on Embassy duty on the 60's! A Marine never carries an empty weapon! The Ambassador can not give that order! Marines are never without their weapons! This kind of shit pisses me off!

[ProgressiveProfessor]

20. The Marines are under the direct control of the ambassador and if they say no loaded magazines...

the Marines will obey. I have seen that with my own eyes overseas.

[ChazII]

13. Thanks for the heads up

as I haven't heard this rumor.... yet.

[sufrommich]

14. Oh, I'm sure you will. Beware the coming emails! nt

[sakabatou]

16. Not surprised.

[PD Turk]

17. Is there any further debunking of this?

It's spreading through Facebook like a wildfire, I'd love to smack some of the rw goobers right in the face with their own gullibility

[ChazII]

18. I'd link a link, too

so I can post to my FB as well.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

19. The Marines are under the direct control of the Ambassador

And many time the cookies pushers will hamstring them. Seen it personally. They like them in their dress uniforms, but not so much in combat vests. Vast majority of the time nobody dies.

I have seen repeatedly that there were no guards at the Consulate, so it would appear to be a moot point.