The Wedding Present
Which story do you believe? Either the US dropped bombs on a wedding party and levelled a village, killing around 40 people, or they bombed "a safe house used by foreign fighters and smugglers." Article here, from the BBC News. Maybe both stories are true, in which case the US used excessive force and needlessly endangered civilians to get at their targets. Those Iraqis in the wedding party, including the now dead bride and groom, have as much right to live as we do. By depriving them of their one and only life, not much argument can be made on how it will make conditions better in Iraq. Here's a snippet from the end of the piece:
The International Committee of the Red Cross has also expressed concern.
"The excessive use of force violates international human rights," ICRC spokeswoman Nada Dumani told AFP.
US forces have been accused before of killing innocent people in both Iraq and Afghanistan after mistaking celebratory gunfire for hostile fire.
In 2002, nearly 50 people at a wedding in Afghanistan were killed in a US air strike.
Thursday, May 20, 2004
Why Iraq Was Not A Moral War
Paul Savoy, in an article for The Nation, here, clearly and powerfully illustrates why the various arguments for the invasion of Iraq ring hollow. This is an important read for anyone having trouble rebutting Bush's claims that Iraq "is better off without Saddam" and that he "had no choice" but to invade because of the imminent threat Hussein's WMDs presented. Savoy also illustrates how the Iraq war does not qualify as a humanitarian intervention, since the mass murders Hussein carried out happened 15 years ago. Yes, obviously, Hussein was a criminal. Was it worth killing 10,000 Iraqi civilians, wounding 4,000 American soldiers and killing 772 American soldiers to apprehend this one criminal?
Paul Savoy, in an article for The Nation, here, clearly and powerfully illustrates why the various arguments for the invasion of Iraq ring hollow. This is an important read for anyone having trouble rebutting Bush's claims that Iraq "is better off without Saddam" and that he "had no choice" but to invade because of the imminent threat Hussein's WMDs presented. Savoy also illustrates how the Iraq war does not qualify as a humanitarian intervention, since the mass murders Hussein carried out happened 15 years ago. Yes, obviously, Hussein was a criminal. Was it worth killing 10,000 Iraqi civilians, wounding 4,000 American soldiers and killing 772 American soldiers to apprehend this one criminal?
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Edward Abbey Remembered
The LA Times, here, has a profile on the life of environmental writer Edward Abbey. This month marks the 15th anniversary of Abbey's death. His novel, "The Monkey Wrench Gang" gave birth to aggressive environmental protection. By the way, that's why the Culture Bunker uses the monkey wrench on it's red and white stickers. See the message board for an example, here. Here is a quote from the article that explains Abbey's defense of sabotage:
Just as he would defend his family, Abbey said he felt obliged "as a last resort" to defend the land he loved against pillage. "If all political means to save it have failed," he said, "I personally feel that sabotage is morally justifiable. At least if it does any good. If it will help. If it will only help you to feel good."
On the tape, Loeffler asked if there was a difference between sabotage and terrorism. Abbey replied, "The distinction seems quite clear and simple to me. Sabotage is an act of force against property or machinery in which life is not endangered, or should not be. Terrorism, on the other hand, is violence against living things, human beings and other living things."
The article also contains a summation of Abbey's personal wilderness philosophy:
Abbey was their guide, and concluded his tour saying that he hoped these young people loved this place as much as he did. "In loving it," he continued, "we are obliged to defend it as best we can." He added an admonishment: "However devoted, though, we must be to the conservation cause, I do not believe that any of us should give it all of our time, effort or heart. Give what you can. But do not burn yourself out or break your own hearts. Leave your dens, abandon your cars and walk out into the great mountains, the deserts, the forests, along the seashores. Those treasures still belong to all of us. Enjoy them to the full. Stretch your legs. Expand your lungs. Enliven your hearts. And we will outlast the greedy swine who want to destroy it all in the name of what they call growth. God bless America. Let's save some of it."
The LA Times, here, has a profile on the life of environmental writer Edward Abbey. This month marks the 15th anniversary of Abbey's death. His novel, "The Monkey Wrench Gang" gave birth to aggressive environmental protection. By the way, that's why the Culture Bunker uses the monkey wrench on it's red and white stickers. See the message board for an example, here. Here is a quote from the article that explains Abbey's defense of sabotage:
Just as he would defend his family, Abbey said he felt obliged "as a last resort" to defend the land he loved against pillage. "If all political means to save it have failed," he said, "I personally feel that sabotage is morally justifiable. At least if it does any good. If it will help. If it will only help you to feel good."
On the tape, Loeffler asked if there was a difference between sabotage and terrorism. Abbey replied, "The distinction seems quite clear and simple to me. Sabotage is an act of force against property or machinery in which life is not endangered, or should not be. Terrorism, on the other hand, is violence against living things, human beings and other living things."
The article also contains a summation of Abbey's personal wilderness philosophy:
Abbey was their guide, and concluded his tour saying that he hoped these young people loved this place as much as he did. "In loving it," he continued, "we are obliged to defend it as best we can." He added an admonishment: "However devoted, though, we must be to the conservation cause, I do not believe that any of us should give it all of our time, effort or heart. Give what you can. But do not burn yourself out or break your own hearts. Leave your dens, abandon your cars and walk out into the great mountains, the deserts, the forests, along the seashores. Those treasures still belong to all of us. Enjoy them to the full. Stretch your legs. Expand your lungs. Enliven your hearts. And we will outlast the greedy swine who want to destroy it all in the name of what they call growth. God bless America. Let's save some of it."
Torture At Guantanamo
There is now evidence that the tortures inflicted on Iraqi prisoners has also been inflicted on those held in Gitmo. Read about it here, from the Center For American Progress. A British prisoner of Gitmo revealed that every time torture was used (by an ERF team) the events were videotaped. A Gitmo spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Leon Sumpter confirmed that these videotapes do indeed exist. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-NY) has said he will demand that Rumsfeld hand over these tapes this week.
There is now evidence that the tortures inflicted on Iraqi prisoners has also been inflicted on those held in Gitmo. Read about it here, from the Center For American Progress. A British prisoner of Gitmo revealed that every time torture was used (by an ERF team) the events were videotaped. A Gitmo spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Leon Sumpter confirmed that these videotapes do indeed exist. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-NY) has said he will demand that Rumsfeld hand over these tapes this week.
Torture Known At Highest Levels
The Iraqi prisoner torture scandal (let's stop calling it "abuse," shall we?) has taken another dark turn. Over 1,800 photographs and some videos were shown to members of Congress. Since the White House and Rummy-the-Mummy say the torture was done by a rogue group of six soldiers, that means they each took 300 pictures at least. Bullshit. An expert on torture methods used by democracies, Darius Rejali, commented about the iconic photo of the Iraqi wearing a hood with wires attached to his fingers and penis:
"That's because the practice shown in that photo is an arcane torture method known only to veterans of the interrogation trade. "Was that something that [an MP] dreamed up by herself? Think again. That's a standard torture. It's called 'the Vietnam.' But it's not common knowledge. Ordinary American soldiers did this, but someone taught them."
These facts were originally reported by Seymour Hersch in The New Yorker, but now are confirmed in a recent Newsweek story. Read about it all here, from MSNBC. Here's another great quote for all the dittoheads:
...a NEWSWEEK investigation shows that, as a means of pre-empting a repeat of 9/11, Bush, along with Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and Attorney General John Ashcroft, signed off on a secret system of detention and interrogation that opened the door to such methods. It was an approach that they adopted to sidestep the historical safeguards of the Geneva Conventions, which protect the rights of detainees and prisoners of war. In doing so, they overrode the objections of Secretary of State Colin Powell and America's top military lawyers...
The Iraqi prisoner torture scandal (let's stop calling it "abuse," shall we?) has taken another dark turn. Over 1,800 photographs and some videos were shown to members of Congress. Since the White House and Rummy-the-Mummy say the torture was done by a rogue group of six soldiers, that means they each took 300 pictures at least. Bullshit. An expert on torture methods used by democracies, Darius Rejali, commented about the iconic photo of the Iraqi wearing a hood with wires attached to his fingers and penis:
"That's because the practice shown in that photo is an arcane torture method known only to veterans of the interrogation trade. "Was that something that [an MP] dreamed up by herself? Think again. That's a standard torture. It's called 'the Vietnam.' But it's not common knowledge. Ordinary American soldiers did this, but someone taught them."
These facts were originally reported by Seymour Hersch in The New Yorker, but now are confirmed in a recent Newsweek story. Read about it all here, from MSNBC. Here's another great quote for all the dittoheads:
...a NEWSWEEK investigation shows that, as a means of pre-empting a repeat of 9/11, Bush, along with Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and Attorney General John Ashcroft, signed off on a secret system of detention and interrogation that opened the door to such methods. It was an approach that they adopted to sidestep the historical safeguards of the Geneva Conventions, which protect the rights of detainees and prisoners of war. In doing so, they overrode the objections of Secretary of State Colin Powell and America's top military lawyers...
A Soldier Speaks
The Sacramento Bee on Sunday published an interview with a Marine recently returned from duty in Iraq. The soldier, Staff Sgt. Jimmy Massey, was a Marine for 12 years but his experiences in Iraq caused him to leave the military. Read the interview, here. The SacBee is a trusted news source, and this story has Massey talking about not only killing innocent civilians, but also firing on unarmed demonstrators, Iraqis with their hands up, and so on. It's frightening and horrible. Good luck to Mr. Massey as a civilian, he's been used and lied to, and now has some horrible memories to forget.
The Sacramento Bee on Sunday published an interview with a Marine recently returned from duty in Iraq. The soldier, Staff Sgt. Jimmy Massey, was a Marine for 12 years but his experiences in Iraq caused him to leave the military. Read the interview, here. The SacBee is a trusted news source, and this story has Massey talking about not only killing innocent civilians, but also firing on unarmed demonstrators, Iraqis with their hands up, and so on. It's frightening and horrible. Good luck to Mr. Massey as a civilian, he's been used and lied to, and now has some horrible memories to forget.