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The report detailed the attack extensively showing the tragedy as a sad result of snowballing mistakes, confusion, and procedural deviations.

American missionary Veronica Bowers and her 7-month-old daughter, Charity, were killed in the incident. Pilot Kevin Donaldson suffered serious bullet wounds to his legs, and Bowers's husband and young son were unharmed.

Mistaken for a drug plane, the aircraft was shot down under a drug-fighting alliance between the two countries. Conclusions in the report point to procedures in the pact that have degenerated over time becoming "less detailed and explicit." The Associated Press reported that Rep. William Delahunt (D-Mass.) opposes the U.S. providing data that can lead to shoot-downs. Such agreements have been suspended in Peru and Columbia.

"Familiarity, routine leads to sloppiness, and I think this had to be anticipated, and it's now time to change the policy," he said.

Added to the situation was a complete communications break down between the missionary plane, the tower, and tracking aircraft. The breakdown was caused by language barriers, wrong frequencies, and an overloaded communications system.

The Washington Post recreated the scene as a CIA aircraft tailed the suspected drug plane:

Inside the CIA cockpit, a voice recorder catches the low beat of pop music and the English and Spanish radio conversations of two American pilots and the Peruvian official aboard as they guide a Peruvian A-37B toward the suspected drug flight. But to each other, and in pidgin Spanish to the Peruvian official, the Americans mention their rising doubts that the plane contains a drug smuggler. Busy on his radio as the fighter closes in, the Peruvian turns to them and says, "What?"

Suddenly a loud voice breaks into the tape, screaming, "Me estan matando! Me estan matando!" They are killing me. They are killing me.

"No!" yells one of the CIA pilots to the Peruvian. "Don't shoot! No mas, no mas."

The Peruvian, in turn, shouts into his radio to the fighter pilot. "Stop! No mas! No mas!" No more.

The other CIA pilot expels a breath. "God," he murmurs.

ABWE released a press release last night responding to the report. The group felt the facts demonstrated that the aircraft was not at fault for suspicions of carrying narcotics, that appropriate procedures were not followed by personnel of both governments, and that the passengers of the missionary plane did nothing to contribute to the shootdown.

Moving on without anti-discrimination language
The Washington Post reports that Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), the Senate sponsor of the faith-based initiative bill, said he may drop the provisions that would make it easier for religious charities to avoid state and local anti-discrimination laws. The cuts, he feels, would boost the chances of the legislation's approval in the Senate. It passed in the House last month. "Let's remove the issue and move on," The Post quoted Santorum saying. "I don't want to give anybody any excuse to bring up these concerns."

Psst. Wanna buy a bioethicist?
Bioethicists may be the new hot profession kids say they want to be when they grow up now that modern science regularly treads on theology's turf. More and more, The New York Times reports, researchers and politicians are looking to bioethicists for a hand to lead them.

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July (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45