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Mar
19
War and Deception: Five Years Later
March 19, 2008 | 2 Comments
The invasion of Iraq was the first war I lived through while being fully aware of its causes and consequences. All the other wars that occurred during my short lifetime I was either too young, too immature, or too detached to fully understand what was happening.Besides the massive death and destruction that this war caused*, the political ramifications have been monumental. The U.S. will continue to live with this burden for years to come. The American people will have been responsible for accepting a war that was unnecessary and based on fabricated “evidence.” Congress will be remembered as abdicating its power to check the executive and granting him powers that continue to be hardly scrutinized. But by far the most shameful and disappointing actors (besides the executive) were the mainstream media.
From day 2, the media accepted the case for Iraq, accepted the lies without any attempt at validation, and in effect helped the president and his cohorts launch a war that will be remembered by generations to come as one of the lowest moments in U.S. history. Bill Moyers documents the media’s most embarrassing moments in a PBS special entitled “Buying the War” where he interviews prominent members of the media who admit their undeniable failure in the lead up to the war. If you ever wondered how you and I could have been fooled into believing the lies about WMDs, Iraq’s involvement in 9/11, and everything in between, this show is a MUST SEE. Click here to watch it or read the transcript. I promise you will not be disappointed.
Once you see how we got duped into going to war, then you have to read about how badly this war was planned and executed. Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s “Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq’s Green Zone” is a masterpiece that paints a gruesome picture of the aftermath of the successful military invasion. Rajiv takes you inside the administration’s efforts to fumble together a plan for post-war recontruction, the politics involved, and the grim reality of incompetence in the Green Zone. It’s a must read.
Finally, just when you start to think that this is a new phenomenon and that we’re headed into a new era, you have to pick up “Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq” by Stephen Kinzer. This brief book outlines the historical roots of this deep seated policy of regime change that was implemented by American presidents over the past 100 years. It is absolutely mind boggling to realize that Iraq is but a small piece of our history of regime change, how closely business interests played a role in all of these instances, and how the government attempted to “sell” the war to the public through various exaggerations and fabrications. The similarities are uncanny!
It is my sincere hope that by educating ourselves about the history of this war, its causes and consequences, we will be able to avoid another attempt by our leaders to force policies on us that we would not otherwise support. We are, first and foremost, responsible for the actions of our elected leaders, and we cannot let them abuse and misuse the system as they tarnish the name of our country, the legacy of our forefathers, and our children’s future.
* It is not my intention to disregard the human cost of this war as that it something we must all live with. I cannot document the misery of every Iraqi who has lost a loved one, been forced out of their home, and witnessed their country burning, but the few real-life-close-to-home-stories that I have witnessed have made this war all the more real for me because of the agony that my Iraqi friends have been through.
Related posts:
Mar
14
Defending the Indefensible: Dershowitz Defends Sptizer
March 14, 2008 | 2 Comments
If you are one of the sad few who were not convinced that Alan Dershowitz is one of the least credible, most propagandist “academic” frauds in history, then look no further. If you already knew this about Dershowitz, then this should be entertaining.
Apparently, the public and the media are just sex-obsessed. We’re being too critical these days of public figures’ personal lives. We should lay off. We should forget about public morality. We’re too damn obsessed with ethics and morality! If he can run New York, if he can go after the bad guys, then it doesn’t matter what he does after hours. (Oh and by the way, the federal investigation that resulted in the revelation of Spitzer’s shenanigans is a conspiracy. It’s a conspiracy I tell you!)
The laws criminalizing adult consensual prostitution — especially with $5,000-an-hour call girls — are as anachronistic as the old laws that used to criminalize adultery, fornication, homosexuality and even masturbation. These may be sins, but there are no real victims, except for family members.
Our nation, unique among Western democracies, is obsessed with the private lives of public figures. Whether it be Larry Craig soliciting favors in an airport bathroom or Rush Limbaugh getting illegal pharmaceuticals in a parking lot, this obsessive focus on the private imperfections of public figures threatens to drive many good men — and soon, good women — out of public life for fear that they will brought down by their private peccadilloes.
The trade can be tawdry and sometimes exploitive, as when young girls are enslaved and prostituted against their will. But adult women who make the choice to sell their bodies for sex for $5,000 an hour are not victims, and if the trade is tawdry, it certainly doesn’t warrant 5,000 overheard phone calls, 6,000 intercepted emails and the use of surveillance and undercover agents — all of which could have been put to better use in seeking to prevent acts of terrorism or predation against innocent victims. […]
We are a nation of hypocrites who publicly proclaim against acts that so many of the proclaimers perform in private. […]
Sex sells soap, at least in the United States — but a married man going to a prostitute is simply not a big deal. We must restore our sense of proportion and priorities.
Read the full article piece of crap here.
p.s. Spitzer is a big supporter of Israel. But no, I don’t think that has anything to do with Dershowitz defending him.
Mar
2
1 Israeli Life = 110+ Palestinian Lives
March 2, 2008 | 5 Comments
These are the raw numbers. Believe it or not, human lives are not equal. We are not all created the same. Some of us are worth more than others. The loss of some lives are worth international condemnation, while others are not even worth those empty words.
One Israeli civilian is killed by rocket fire from Gaza, and the Israeli war machine decided it had been sitting idly for a couple days and was excited to get to work. One of the most advanced militaries in the world still could not “hit the mark” it claimed to be targetting, Hamas rocket launchers. A disproportionate number of the dead have been civilians, with children taking the brunt of the attacks. A hole in the roof of an Israeli home means the destruction of dozens of homes in the Gaza strip.
The latest infant victim is a 21-month old girl. I can’t find the most updated news online for Sunday’s death toll, but Aljazeera’s news coverage 50 minutes ago put the total at 10 for today, most from one family–a father, mother, two boys, and two girls. The total for the past five days was put at 110, and counting.
This is the grim reality.
Palestinian girls, relatives of Hamas militant Sadek al-Beleshi, who was killed by Israeli forces, mourn during his funeral in the Gaza Strip March 2, 2008. Israeli forces killed 61 people in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, the bloodiest day for Palestinians since an uprising against Israeli occupation began in 2000. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA)
Palestinian relatives mourn during the funeral of four members of the Atallah family, killed in an Israeli missile strike on Saturday, in Gaza City, Sunday, March 2, 2008. Israeli aircraft sent missiles slamming into the office of the prime minister of Hamas-ruled Gaza before dawn on Sunday, pressing forward with an offensive that has killed nearly 70 Palestinians in two days of fighting. (AP Photo/Majed Hamdan)
Mar
1
Israel on a Rampage: 205 Gazans Killed and Injured
March 1, 2008 | 5 Comments
There is no point in describing, complaining, attacking, or attempting to understand.
The Palestinian president has accused Israel of “international terrorism”, saying its assault on Gaza constitutes “more than a holocaust”.
Mahmoud Abbas’s comments on Saturday came as more Israeli air raids brought the total death toll over four days to 88 people, at least a third of which have been children, according to medical sources.
Fifty-four people were killed during Saturday’s raids alone.
Rana el-Hindi from Save the Children, speaking from inside the Gaza Strip, told Al Jazeera that children were suffering greatly from the Israeli bombardment.
In the last three days at least 19 children have been killed … it’s a real concern for all organisations here,” she said.“Most of the time, when we go into the field and talk to the children about their fears and concerns, they are always afraid of a new [Israeli] invasion to the Gaza Strip - and obviously the current situation is just … what they fear.”
She said the number of children being hospitalised was increasing “day after day”.
Eissam Younis, director of the Al Mizan Centre for Human Rights in Gaza, told Al Jazeera that the Israeli army was “intentionally and systematically targeting civilians” and criticised world powers for their muted response.
“Israel puts itself above the law because the international community is always silent,” he said.
[article]
Simply trying to find out the number of deaths and injuries in the past four days has been difficult. Almost every news outlet changes the numbers within the hour, as Israeli forces continue to bombard Gaza. The numbers above will likely increase within the next few hours.
Palestinian mourners pray next to the bodies of four youths from the Dardouna family who were killed in an Israeli missile strike Thursday, during their funeral at a mosque in Jebaliya, northern Gaza Strip, Friday, Feb. 29, 2008. The four boys were killed while playing soccer in the Gaza Strip Thursday, Palestinian sources said. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
A Palestinian woman reacts after her son was killed by Israeli forces in the northern Gaza Strip March 1, 2008. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
A Palestinian relative of Ali Dardouna reacts during his funeral in Jebaliya, northern Gaza Strip, Friday, Feb. 29, 2008. Dardouna, 8, was killed in an Israeli missile strike while playing soccer with friends in the Gaza Strip Thursday, Palestinian sources said. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
A Palestinian relative holds the body of 6-month-old baby Mohammed al-Borai, who was killed when an Israeli aircraft struck Hamas government offices, at his grave during his funeral in Gaza City, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
top picture: A Palestinian relative of Motasem Abdrabo, who was killed during an Israeli army operation, reacts during his funeral in Jebaliya, in the northern Gaza Strip, Saturday, March 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)
