Casey J Porter

October 17, 2008 at 2:23 pm (9/11. War on Terror, Baghdad, Casey J Porter, IVAW, Iraq War, Peace)
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“We have an entire generation of people in their twenties and thirties who have never gone through a war…the media and government have gotten so good at the creation of messages, people don’t know the reality” – Casey J. Porter

Army Sergeant Casey J. Porter has many battles to fight, and unlike the dramatizations of politicians and media commentators, his battles are concrete, real, and hard fought. During his time as an enlisted soldier deployed in Iraq, Casey has undergone an evolutionary process, one that has taken him from warrior to peace activist. His talent and passion for filmmaking have given him the perfect medium for his personal expression. Utilizing his current circumstances and natural talent as a filmmaker to speak out against the war, Casey’s films have turned the heads of people like Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! and filmmaker Michael Moore.

Read more…

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“Strategic Alliance” ~ US and Iraq

July 5, 2008 at 7:07 pm (9/11. War on Terror, George Bush, Iraq War, Peace)
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In spite of the Bush Administrations attempts to keep up the appearance that the Iraqi Government welcomes the continued presence of US troops indefinitely, members of the Iraqi Parliament have made numerous attempts to assert the independence of Iraq. Never has this been more obvious than in recent months where Iraqi leaders have made both public and written statements opposing the continued US presence in their country.

Iraqi’s themselves have long been opposed the presence of US troops, largely because they are seen as a destabilizing factor. According to a recent BBC/ABC poll, 69% of Iraqis believe that the security situation in Baghdad will improve or at least stay the same with the withdraw of US troops.

After the discovery of a secret plan to continue the US military presence in Iraq indefinitely, numerous Iraqi lawmakers have attempted with little success to make their wishes known to American lawmakers and the American public. Although the majority of corporate media sources refuse to give voice to the Iraqi’s themselves, the information can be found through alternative sources. For example, “On Tuesday, Democracy Now! spoke to visiting Iraqi lawmakers…in New York. Iraqi parliament member Khalaf Al-Ulayyan criticized the US proposals” stating,

“I believe the parliament will not ratify the treaty in its current form, because it harms Iraqi sovereignty. Based on the details that have been leaked to the media, it seems that the deal will make Iraq not just an occupied country but an actual part of the US.”

And, in a recent letter to the American Congress and Senate, Iraqi lawmakers pointed out that any deal signed solely by the Executive branch, would be both “unconstitutional and illegal” under the current rulings and laws of the Iraqi Republic. According to the Iraqi Constitution Article 61 Section Four, the Iraqi government’s legislative power retains exclusive rights to ratify international treaties and agreements.

Representing the majority of the two-hundred and seventy five members of the Iraqi Parliament, the letter goes on to state,

Likewise, we wish to inform you that the majority of Iraqi representatives strongly reject any military-security, economic, commercial, agricultural, investment, or political agreement with the United States that is not linked to clear mechanism that obligate the occupying military forces to fully withdraw from Iraq, in accordance with a declared timetable and with leaving behind any military bases, soldiers or hired fighters.

The Iraqi Council of Representatives is looking to ratify agreements that end every form of American intervention in Iraq’s internal affairs and restore Iraq’s independence and sovereignty over its land.

According to The Independent, in response to the resistance met by Iraqi lawmakers, United States negotiators “are using the existence of $20bn in outstanding court judgments against Iraq in the US, to pressure their Iraqi counterparts into accepting the terms of the military deal…The US is holding hostage some $50bn (£25bn) of Iraq’s money in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York…” These funds continue to grow as the price of oil climbs, furthering the pressure on Iraqi Lawmakers to accept the deal. This hold on these funds also inhibits the ability of Iraq’s rebuilding efforts as these funds, which under the UN mandate, are specifically for the reconstruction of Iraq including “the wheat purchase program, the currency exchange program, the electricity and oil infrastructure programs, equipment for Iraqis security forces, and for Iraqi civil service salaries and ministry budget operations.”

As Americans continue to debate the continued military presence in Iraq, what seems to elude them is the absolute hypocrisy of claims made by the Bush Administration both in regards to Iraq’s sovereignty and “The War on Terror.” in which he claims, “The rise of a free and self-governing Iraq will deny terrorists a base of operation, discredit their narrow ideology, and give momentum to reformers across the region. This will be a decisive blow to terrorism at the heart of its power, and a victory for the security of America and the civilized world.” Considering that Bush’s solution to terrorism is the establishment of a “free and self-governing Iraq” one would think this issue would be moot. Iraqi leaders and the Iraqi people have shown with little doubt they wish us to leave.

It leaves one to wonder, when will we listen?

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Convenient Crises

May 24, 2008 at 6:17 pm (George Bush, Iraq War, Peace)
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Think of it as the true test of the Western humanitarian impulse: The international effort that went into coordinating relief after the 2004 tsunami has to be repeated, but in much harsher, trickier, uglier political circumstances. Yes, we should help the Burmese, even against the will of their irrational leaders. Yes, we should think hard about the right way to do it. And, yes, there isn’t much time to ruminate about any of this.

~Anne Applebaum

The situation facing the Burmese and the Chinese in the face of natural disaster is in dire need of attention. Some reports and media outlets are offering figures as high as 125,000 dead and 2.4 million at risk due to starvation and disease. The numbers in Burma alone are staggering. In fact, the amount of suffering civilians has led lawmakers including President George Bush to respond swiftly.

In response to these combined natural disasters, the United States has come forward with close to 20 million dollars in aid and the international community has “responded by offering over 100 million”

It seems as if the United States and indeed the world at large has taken the advice of Applebaum. Swift action in the face of “irrational leaders” will save lives and reduce the suffering of victims.

Sadly, Western media outlets fail to compare this humanitarian crisis to the US created crisis taking place daily in the Middle East, namely in Iraq, where over 4 million have been displaced and are living in squalid conditions. This humanitarian crisis has been named the largest humanitarian and displacement crisis in the world, and goes on largely unnoticed.

In a recently released report published by Refugees International, (Uprooted and Unstable, 2008) “the needs of the displaced are not adequately addressed by the Government of Iraq or the international community.”

Indeed, when compared to the billions of dollars (most recently 165 billion) President George Bush requests from US taxpayers to pay for the continued military presence in Iraq annually, a mere 35 million in humanitarian aid was requested for the fiscal year 2008. The report goes on to note, “This vacuum is quickly being filled by militias and other armed groups, who engage in hearts and minds campaigns and provide assistance as a means of building support for their political and military goals.”

The Iraqi government fragmented and corrupt has done little to assist their own people in providing basic services and aid, according to Refugees International, “It is unable and unwilling to use its important resources to respond appropriately to the humanitarian crisis.” However, in sharp contrast, as reported by Democracy Now! the Iraqi government “has now become one of the largest purchasers of US arms” worldwide.

Yet, in spite of the dire humanitarian situation in Iraq, the continued hypocrisies and politicization of convenient crises, and the obvious blunder of pushing Iraqi civilians towards militias and radical groups, Western media and politicians will continue to distract voters from the real issues underlying continued destabilization of Iraq…the deliberate denial of Iraq’s humanitarian crisis.

One can easily take the words of Applebaum and make them apply to Iraq, “Yes, we should help the Iraqis, even against the will of irrational leaders like George Bush. Yes, we should think hard about the right way to do it. And, yes, there isn’t much time to ruminate about any of this.

You can do something…here

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We Must Remain Vigilant

February 4, 2008 at 5:10 pm (9/11. War on Terror, Chile, Democrats, George Bush, Hillary Clinton, Iran, Iraq, Iraq War, Peace, Politics, Republicans, War Crimes)
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I, like so many other Americans, was sadly lulled into a state of complacency during the eighties and early nineties. All seemed well in America, the economy was “strong”, the civil rights movement was fizzling out, the women’s rights movement appeared to have been appeased, and the deaths of millions around the globe due to our foreign policy was shielded from out eyes by a complicit media, eager to place it’s corporate agenda before its responsibilities to journalism and democracy. Yes, those were the good old days, when Americans had no clue how little our government actually represented us and how much it represented the desires of big corporations. The Cold War was over, and now the world was safe from Communism and tyranny.

 

I remember being at an event called Sol-Fest about six months before the 2004 election. I was deeply concerned that Kerry might loose because I was certain he would change the direction of this country. At such a progressive event, I assumed many Kerry supporters would be there. This was perhaps the beginning of my awakening, looking back now, I see how truly complacent I was.

 

I overheard a woman speaking to some workers at a Democratic booth. “Quite frankly, I am not sure who I am voting for, John Kerry is just as bad as Bush. I am not happy about the prospects of either one.” My ear perked up and I wondered what she meant. Before I could discover more, she had moved on to the next booth, but I kept her statement filed away in my brain.

The 2004 election came and went, and despite serious voting discrepancies, John Kerry and the Democratic Party rolled over like a beaten dog. Considering the mess that Iraq was and the photos coming out of Abu Ghraib, I was astonished that the election was stolen and subsequently given away one more time. However, more troubling to me was the very real fact that after the release of these photos, the re-election of George Bush would let the Iraqi people themselves know that we, as Americans, cared little for democracy, the rights of humans, and least of all, them.

 

The more involved in politics I became, the more I was able to research and uncover the very real fact that the invasion of Iraq, the rise of the Taliban, and the funding and support of bin Laden did not occur in a vacuum, but rather with the assistance of my very own government. Even more alarming was the knowledge that this was not the first, nor would it be the last time, that members of my government would sell people around the globe and me down the river in order to pursue an agenda that usually led to the deaths, torture, imprisonment, and suffering of millions. From Iran to Chile US foreign policies have been the bane of modern man’s existence. In fact, after September 11, 2001 many historians and scholars surmised that the terrorists might have been from South America rather than the Middle East. The date September 11, 1973 the date the US backed coup put Pinochet in power was the main factor turning eyes to the south.

 

With the primary elections underway, my ability to write and participate has diminished greatly. What is it that we, as Americans, do not understand about our government? For all the voices, expressing discontent with the status quo support does not waive for those who will simply continue our horrid policies. Furthering anti-American sentiment around the globe, continuing to oppress and exploit those too poor to fight, we continually sell our democratic ideals and ourselves down the river by settling for a candidate rather than picking someone who actually represents the democratic ideals we claim to love and care for so much. We condemn the likes of Ralph Nader for “splitting the democratic vote” or support Hillary Clinton “because she is a woman.” While we never really acknowledge the fact that our past is catching up with us in the form of 9/11, the mortgage crisis, the loss of independent media, the huge influx of immigrants (Mexican economic refugees due to NAFTA), sky rocketing health care, and the stagnant wages of the Middle Class.

 

Sadly and the main reason for my silence, is that for all the facts presented, Americans will lazily continue to assume this is a partisan problem. When in reality it is the fact that our democracy has been lost to us and in its place, we are now seeing a fascist corporate agenda shaping our foreign and domestic policies, and due to our lack of vigilance, it will simply get worse.

 

Sometimes I cannot help but wonder if this is exactly what we need in America, a taste of reality and some humility. Perhaps if we learn what it feels like to be them, we will learn what it is like to fight for democracy. As evidenced by the support I have been witness to for candidates the media continues to tell us to vote for, we have a long way to go.

 

For more blogs on the state of politics, please visit

HERE

HERE

HERE

HERE

and HERE…

 

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Losing the “War on Terror”

November 14, 2007 at 7:53 pm (9/11. War on Terror, George Bush, Iraq War, Peace)

“This is not for that purposes of killing Americans…this is for the purpose of driving them crazy. They are cowboys and will react without thinking”.

 

~ Abu Mus’ab al Zawahiri

 

Immediately following the events on 9/11, Americans were asking the question of ‘Why?’ Like so many who watched the twin towers fall, I found myself asking the same question. In response to this question, media talking heads and political pundits gladly and simply answered this question by telling us, “They hate us because we are free”. In combination with the use of the word they, this statement fails to address the complexities of US history and the Arab world. Little did the American people understand the implications of what this talking point meant at the time, it was imperative that the Bush Administration dehumanize the entire Arab world so rather than discuss bin Laden or al Zawahiri and give us the entire history of al Qadea, the people who committed the crimes of September eleventh became people without families, lives, names, faces, or real complaints against US policies…the people who committed these crimes became They.

 

In most societies, dropping bombs on and dismembering innocent little girls whose mothers take them to preschool everyday, love their daddies, like to eat bananas, and dream of becoming a doctor or teacher someday is unacceptable. If the American people were told the truth about the military engagement we were about to embark on, they never would have supported it. For example, during the bombing campaign that started in October of 2001, over twenty thousand civilians were killed in Tora Bora. Out of this bombing just one Taliban leader was killed (The Secret History of al Qaeda 2006). While conducting “The War on Terror”, it is imperative Americans only think of Them or They rather than to think of the hundreds of thousands of people brutally murdered by cruel and ruthless weaponry, including little girls like the one described above.

 

Also important to note (and what the Bush Administration does not want you to think about) is exactly how, the use of our military has allowed bin Laden to successfully take on the most powerful and wealthy nation in the world, and all while living in the mountains of Afghanistan, with little to no financial means, primitive use of technology, and pathetic amounts of weaponry compared to the military arsenal the US possesses. It appears that bin Laden understands the reality of human nature far better than we. He understands that if we brutally and repeatedly murder, maim, and dismember civilians in the Arab world, especially the most vulnerable, women and children, people will rise up against us and resist. Bin Laden can continue his successful war of attrition without ever lifting another finger, issuing another fatwa, or releasing one more video tape. As evidenced by intelligence reports released from the United States itself, the occupation of Arab lands and continued bombing of innocent civilians is recruiting jihad fighters faster than we can kill them.

 

According to journalist and author Abdel Bari Atwan, “The insurgents are not only winning this bloody war, but winning it spectacularly .No matter how many insurgents coalition forces kill, the are always faced with a new wave of young men longing to be martyred and take as many of their enemies with them as they can…The popularity of the insurgency among ordinary Iraqi civilians is another sign of US failure.” And it continues to grow; anti-American sentiment among Muslim populations and sentiment around the entire world have continued to deteriorate. In a paper released in July of 2005 by Chatam House, International security experts noted that the situation in Iraq has provided ‘a boost to the al Qaeda network’s propaganda, recruitment and fundraising, caused a major split in the coalition, and provided an ideal targeting and training area for al Qaeda-linked terrorists’.

 

Included with American intelligence reports connecting the US Occupation with an increase in terrorism and radicalism around the globe are two studies  released by the Saudi government and an Israeli think tank, both show that the majority of foreign fighters were not jihadis before the Iraq war, but were ‘radicalized by the war itself’ (Abdel Bari Atwan 2006). The radicalization of the Arab world is not successful because of the ideology of radical Islam or al Qaeda, it is so successful due to the needless death, economic hardships, and continued marginalization of an entire group of people that is being imposed by US policy and the “War on Terror”.

 

The American Government calls them They, as Americans, it is time for us to start recognizing Them for who They actually are. Human beings, with hopes, love, and dreams. In fact, They are just like Us.

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The Fall of Baghdad and One Woman’s Voice

November 8, 2007 at 5:18 pm (Baghdad, Howard Zinn, IAVA, Iraq War, Military Famlies Speak Out, Peace)

In times of war, the definition of patriotism becomes a matter of life or death for Americans and the world. Instead of being feared for our military prowess, we should want to be respected for our dedication to human rights. I suggest that a patriotic American who cares for his or her own country might act on behalf of a different vision.

 

~Howard Zinn

 

The soft, drawling voice on the other end of the line belongs to Marty. Military mother, Peace Activist, and Christian, she defies the stereotypical raving hippie often depicted by the US media as war opponents. Her only son, like many Americans signed on the dotted line shortly after September 11, 2001. Honorably discharged, he served two full tours in Iraq and is currently in the I.R.R (Individual Ready Reserve) list. As recently as just a few short months ago, he received Muster Orders requesting that he “update” his contact information; however, Marty suspects there may be other reasons. Muster Orders came despite the fact that he had filed for disability (denied by the military). Her son is not alone in this experience, as reported in The Washington Post, many soldiers are re-activated and re-deployed with known disabilities ranging from PTSD to limb amputation. In response to this Marty points out that with organizations like the IAVA they are finding the support they so badly need. 

 

His injury occurred during his first tour of duty when the skirt of an M1A1 tank fell on top of him while he was performing maintenance on the machine. Immediately following the accident, he was unable to move. Once he regained some mobility, the doctors prescribed pain medication and he was sent back to work. Before her son was deployed to Iraq the second time, he was weeks away from fulfilling his obligations under his active duty contract. He was stop-lossed and had an appointment to appear before the medical review board. Marty writes to me, “Depending on his medical condition, he may have been discharged. But the army sent him to Ft. Erwin California to sit in a tent…in the desert…for 30 days…for “training”. He didn’t train. Neither did the 200 other broken soldiers in this tent. Some of them had just recently had surgery.” Now home, he is facing a continued struggle for benefits, health care, and possible re-activation. With the denial of his disability claim he is considered a “reinforcement asset.”

 

 

For Marty, the idea of her son’s possible re-activation is concerning for many obvious and not so obvious reasons. For example, Marty’s faith and her understanding of scripture has been a powerful force in her belief that the killing of innocents can never be justified. She is a devout Christian and peace activist, two roles that since the invasion of Iraq, have not always been congruent for her.

 

Like many Americans, Marty, cautiously supported the idea of military action in Iraq, however, that began to change when she received a solitary letter from her son dated June 3, 2003. Of the letter she says, “That letter will be in my mind until the day I die.” The letter, a response to Marty reporting what she was seeing on the news was a wake up call for her and, she hoped, a wake up call for every American.

 

Her son’s truth was very different from the truth on the television set. As Video News Releases, planted by at least twenty different government agencies across the country, (VNRs are pre-packaged “news” segments and additional footage created by broadcast PR firms, or by publicists within corporations or government agencies. A VNR presents a client’s message, using a format and tone that mimic actual TV news. Nothing in the material for broadcast identifies the PR firm—or, more importantly, the paying client or clients—behind the VNR.), were helping to spin Americans to death, Marty read the letter with a feeling of incredulity.

 

Most remarkable in the letter is the sense of shock communicated by his words as he rolled into Baghdad, where he states, “My stay in Iraq has opened my eyes to just how brutal a country we are.” This statement made in reference to the destruction of the country after years of crippling sanctions. He writes, “Baghdad from what I can tell was at one time a flourishing city. Highways, markets, industry, and neighborhoods. They say it’s the most Westernized city in the Arab world. That was until economic sanctions were brought to this place by our country…That is what economic sanctions do, they bring a country to its knees.” With over five million Iraq children starved to death during this time it was estimated that with the planned US military action, another one million would fall into the malnourished group placing them at risk of premature death. Current numbers however, show that these estimates were low, far too low. In fact, after four years of occupation UNICEF reports over one-third of Iraq children are currently malnourished, and as the occupation drags on, the future for these children is bleak.

 

The letter continues, “After all, we just liberated the Iraqi people from a horrible dictator. Go ahead and let your newspapers and television news tell you all the latest and greatest propaganda. The only people smiling for the cameras are the children and the people that got left with nothing after years of oppressive sanctions. Even a dog that’s been beaten still wags it’s tail when his owner brings him food…The older one’s the ones that probably had a nice cush life before the sanctions, they don’t smile. Their eyes stare at you like daggers, piercing you with deep hatred.”

 

It is the plight of these innocents and the future of her son that Marty thinks of most these days. As always, she is active in church and occasionally participates in the local and national activities of Military Families Speak Out, a non-profit organization giving the families of military personal a voice. She takes part in organized action, protesting the occupation in any way she can. For her, it is simply what she must do, as a mother, a Christian, and a patriot.   

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Al Gore and the Noble Peace Prize

October 17, 2007 at 5:56 pm (Genocide, Indigenous People, Iraq War, Peace)
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The Nobel Foundation, in existence now for more than one hundred years, was established when Alfred Nobel requested the foundation’s creation in his last will and testament. Nobel, after receiving criticism for his invention of dynamite, determined that he preferred his legacy to contribute to rather than detract from humanity. After lengthy discussion and argument as to the intent of his will, the Nobel Foundation was established years after his death.

 

The Nobel Peace Prize, as determined by Nobel’s own words, should be granted, “to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”. Al Gore hardly fits this requirement; however, this argument will not analyze or critique his behavior for the jets he fuels on his journeys throughout the world, nor the distribution of a film that discussed his life more than the issue it purports to tackle (Global Warming), it will examine some of the events that unfolded during his Vice-Presidency under Bill Clinton. In fact, according to Edward S. Herman the office of Bill Clinton was responsible for some of the most horrific war crimes and abuses of international law, such as the Geneva Conventions and The Hague in the history of the United States. The Bush Administration has simply furthered the abuses of power that Clinton et al reigned down upon poor nations.

The list of abuses includes the carrying out of wars of aggression, the use of poison gases and other inhumane weapons, deliberately killing and starving civilian populations, and the use of force beyond military necessity. None of which Al Gore ever used his power to deter or extinguish. As stated by the International Criminal Court, any crime against peace is namely, planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression, or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances, or participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the forgoing…War Crimes and Crimes against humanity. Considering the long list of civilians enslaved, oppressed, starved, and violently murdered during the Clinton Administration, Mr. Gore surly should stand trial as an accomplice along side Clinton.

The list of crimes against humanity committed by the US under Clinton and Gore is gruesome indeed. Included are the genocide in East Timor, the illegal and unwarranted bombings of Sudan, Iraq, and Afghanistan, coupled with aid to Turkey and Columbia, where the civilian casualties from counterinsurgency warfare and death squad operations…exceeded the pre-NATO bombing deaths in Kosovo by a large factor. None of this, of course, includes the brutal sanctions imposed on Iraq, which, had it not been for the power the US wields on the UN Security Council, would have been prosecuted as war crimes under international law.

According to UNICEF, in 1999, years into the Clinton/Gore administration, sanctions in Iraq were killing close to 5,000 children under the age of 5 monthly far beyond normal death rates. Several reports from the United States Defense Agency show that contrary to the Geneva Convention, the US government intentionally used sanctions against Iraq to degrade the countries water supply after the Gulf War. The United States knew the cost that civilian Iraqis, mostly children, would pay, and it went ahead anyway. (Jeff Lindemyer, November 2001). Other DIA documents (dated January, 1991, February, 1991, and March 1991) showed that not only was the Clinton/Gore Administration knowledgeable about how the sanctions would impact civilians, they monitored the situation closely. A charismatic statesman, Clinton repeatedly cited abuses of the “Oil for Food Program” by Iraqi leaders as the cause of civilian casualties and suffering, of course avoiding the fact that the devastation of sanctions was being felt by Iraqi’s as early as 1991 and the “Oil for Food Program” did not start until December of 1996. As the “Oil for Food Program” got underway, the US continued charges levied at the Saddam regime, with no basis in fact. According to the US State Department, Holds on inappropriate contracts help prevent the diversion of oil-for food goods to further Saddam’s personal interests. However, Jeff Lindemyer shows that requests for urgent assistance were repeatedly delayed to the point that Secretary-General Kofi-Annan along with Benon Sevon wrote numerous letters decrying the excessive holds placed on items ordered under the program, not by the Saddam regime, but by the UN Security Council.

Remarkable to the Clinton/Gore Administration was its ongoing relationship with President Suharto, the person responsible for genocide in Indonesia, East Timor, and West Papua. Clinton brokered weapons deals and trade agreements, which enslaved an entire people for companies such as Reebok and Nike, while US bought weapons were used to exterminate any people who resisted. Against the will of the Administration and the corporate controlled media, it was the actions of a few brave journalists who brought this tragedy to light. American journalist Amy Goodman was severely beaten by US supplied weapons when she captured the murder of innocent civilians in East Timor. Upon her return to the United States, she worked tirelessly to bring attention to the matter through US media outlets who finally after intense international coverage could no longer ignore the story, however, the coverage the genocide did receive was minimal and no mention was made of US involvement.

Some other notable war crimes and immoralities committed by the Clinton/Gore Administration include the use of DynaCorp, a private “security firm” that at the time Clinton and Gore were lobbying Congress heavily for their use in South America was in the midst of an investigation for participation in a child sex-slave ring. Regardless of this knowledge Clinton/Gore continued to offer DynaCorp military contracts and relied on the firm heavily to carry out illegal military operations. The people of the Delta Niger suffered and continue to suffer horrific environmental degradation, mass murder, and torture at the hands of the US backed government, which Clinton/Gore did not hesitate weaponizing and training at the time of these known abuses.

Clearly, Mr. Gore, if he had any redeeming qualities at all, would apologize for his active role and participation in these war crimes and crimes against humanity, and return the Nobel in order to be awarded to someone more deserving.

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A Test of Iraq’s “Democracy”

September 23, 2007 at 9:34 am (9/11. War on Terror, Blogroll, Iraq War, Peace)
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“We fight for the possibility that decent men and women across the broader Middle East can realize their destiny — and raise up societies based on freedom and justice and personal dignity. And as long as I’m Commander-in-Chief we will fight to win.”

~ George Bush

de.moc.ra.cy 1. government in which supreme power is exercised directly by their people or their elected agents. 2. a state having such government 3. a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges.

The continued denial by this President that the US presence in Iraq is liberating continues to astonish even the most hardened followers of politics. In June of 2007 the democratically elected Parliament of Iraq voted to have the US set a timeline for troop withdraw. This resolution has been ignored.

Recently, the focus of US attention has been drawn to the alleged crimes of Blackwater. However, what is more remarkable is that once again US leadership continues to undermine the democracy that Bush continues to proudly speak of.

In regards to Blackwater and its operations in Iraq, immediately after the 2003 invasion, new laws were drafted to protect members of any private contractor working in Iraq from any investigation or judicial system, both in Iraq and in the US. Despite numerous complaints among the civilian population and Iraqi officials, the company continued to operate without any means for justice.

According to the Washington Post, Senior Iraqi officials repeatedly complained to U.S. officials about Blackwater USA’s alleged involvement in the deaths of numerous Iraqis, but the Americans took little action to regulate the private security firm until 11 Iraqis were shot dead last Sunday, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials. Until recently, alleged random killings and abuses by Blackwater have gone unnoticed by the media and the American populace. The article goes on to state; the lack of a U.S. response underscores the powerlessness of Iraqi officials to control the tens of thousands of security contractors…

Despite the current investigations under way and the repeated attempts by the Iraqi government to regulate Blackwater’s activities (including attempting to revoke Blackwater’s license), the company began operations this past week.

The actions of Blackwater and the US’s reluctance to allow Iraqis justice under these circumstances continue to demean the authority of this fledgling democracy. If the Bush administration is genuine in its efforts to assist Iraq with the establishment of a democracy, it must respect the legislative acts of that government. However, if the administration continues to undermine the Iraqi governments authority, our goal of a democratic Iraq will never appear. The only outcome from this type of cold arrogance will be a further deterioration of the circumstances there.

 

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September the 11th and the Voices You Will Never Hear

September 10, 2007 at 10:58 pm (9/11. War on Terror, Iraq War, Peace)

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate only multiplies hate, violence only multiplies violence, and toughness is a descending spiral of destruction…The chain reaction of evil – hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars – must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.”

~Dr, Martin Luther King Jr.

“I have yet to have anyone explain to me the moral superiority of someone who drops bombs on the heads of innocent school children to people that cut off the heads of others.”

~George Carlin

 

 

Shortly after the events of September the 11th, the calls for vengeance and retribution bombarded the American public and citizens around the world through corporate media outlets. Repeatedly viewers found themselves exposed to images of planes crashing into Buildings One and Two at the World Trade Center always followed by grief stricken citizens whose look of horror showed us only a fraction of the true feelings that engulfed people that day.

 

The Bush Administration who loudly demanded greater death, destruction, and murder of innocents quickly shadowed the same demands made through the actions of the few who flew those planes. In the course of events that have taken place since September the Eleventh, it appears these demands have been met with great success. Of course, we cannot blame the Administration alone, a compliant and submissive media whose message was swallowed with little or no questioning by a fearful population who stood idly by, with mouths agape stunned into silent acquiescence by the events was also necessary.

 

This series of circumstances easily allowed the Bush Administration to implement its plan “to take out seven countries in five years, starting with Iraq, and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and finishing off Iran.” (General Wesley Clark)

Seven countries, untold numbers of dead, maimed, disabled, and damaged in exchange for the deaths of 3,000 Americans. “Collateral Damage,” the sterile name we are given for our justified vengeance that according to Bruce Wallace (September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows), does not include “the parts about the people who are damaged by the horrors of political violence, but do not die from it. They live through it, and are changed forever.”

Mr. Wallace, like many others hear the voices of “collateral damage,” unbeknownst to war supporters and those seeking revenge, they can speak, read, write, and feel. He writes of an Iraqi who he has had contact, “H may be ‘collateral damage’ to the minds-without-compassion behind the war, but he is a brother to me.”

 

Numerous members of the organization who lost loved ones visited Afghanistan shortly after the US led military campaign and in a letter dated February 14th, 2002, implored the President to assist in the establishment the Afghan Victims Fund. However, of more importance to note, is what can be found in the text of the letter,

 

Several of us recently traveled to Afghanistan and met with Afghan families that were accidentally affected by the US military campaign. We talked with widows who were forced to send their children to beg, families who could not afford to rebuild their homes destroyed by US bombs, children who lost limbs to cluster bombs, and visited children so traumatized by the bombing of their neighborhoods that they had stopped talking…We would like to extend the spirit of compassion and understanding to those families of Afghanistan. We believe this an important way that we can illustrate to the people of Afghanistan and the people of the world that Americans are a caring and generous people. We are eager to help in the fight against terrorism by promoting this spirit of compassion and understanding.

To this day, they have yet to receive a reply.

 

Sadly, a day that should be remembered for what it had to teach us will simply be used by those in office to further the agenda of a few murderers who happen to sit in the White House.

 

 

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