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The blatant obfuscation and chicanery that were hallmarks of the Bush Era (or any Presidential reign) continues to taint America and her armed forces. More evidence of torture, abuse and human rights violations against the US have been uncovered via Wikileaks. The mythological barrier that separates “us” and “them” grows ever thinner. The war mongers hide the facts from the people because they know that the population of the US would not permit these acts to be carried out in their name if they knew about them.
“Americans turned a blind eye to hundreds of reports of abuse, torture and murder by Iraqi police and soldiers, according to reports in nearly 392,000 documents related to the Iraq war and released Friday by WikiLeaks.
The documents say the detainees were whipped, punched, kicked or subjected to electric shocks. Six reports end with a detainee’s apparent death.”
The idea that we have some sort of moral superiority or higher ethical calling will still go on, it always does, but hopefully less people will believe the mendacity that is so kindly spun for them everyday.
“The Times said the reports indicate that while some abuse cases were investigated by the Americans, most were ignored. The reports released by WikiLeaks and dubbed “The Iraq War Logs,” cover the period from Jan. 1, 2004, to Dec. 31, 2009. WikiLeaks said the files detail more than 109,000 deaths in Iraq, including 66,081 civilians. The reports also document the deaths of almost 24,000 people labelled as insurgents, more than 15,000 Iraqi government troops and almost 3,800 coalition forces.”
The death tolls for Iraq civilians were kept. One of the more egregious ‘oversights’ of the American military during their illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq. When humanity is stripped from an enemy, so much easier it is to do horrendous things to them. For instance:
“In one case, Americans suspected Iraqi army officers of cutting off a detainee’s fingers and burning him with acid, the New York Times reported. Two other cases produced accounts of the executions of bound detainees.”
Embracing torture is yet another important milestone in unravelling of the rule of law and civilized society. How can we accuse others of gross violations of international law when we (all along) violate those same laws with such impunity?
“The documents, according to the Times, also claim that Americans sometimes used the threat of abuse by Iraqi authorities to get information out of prisoners. For example, one report said an American threatened to send a detainee to the notorious Wolf Brigade if he did not supply information.
But the report also said Americans often intervened when Iraqis were being tortured”
Is there any way to deny culpability now? The various departments of defense and state are now in their beset PR mode attempting to ameliorate the effects of these rather perverse revelations.
“U.S. Secretary of States Hillary Clinton slammed the release of the files.
“We should condemn in the most clear terms the disclosure of any classified information by individuals and organizations which puts the lives of United States and partner service members and civilians at risk,” she said in Washington, D.C.”
Thanks Hillary. Nothing said toward what the reports actually say, or the actions of the people we are responsible for. Just the wagging finger giving us the ‘secrets of the state’ lecture and how this may negatively effect people as a result. How about standing up for what is right and condemning the apparatus that has allowed such egregious actions to happen in the first place.
No, that would be entirely too much to expect from an elected official as the state as opposed to the people are the interests that count.
I was surprised as anyone with the announcement by Angela Merkel that multiculturalism was a failure. The internal pressures she must have been facing must have been enormous as one would think that changing an official program of multiculturalism could be done without such grandiose announcements.
“Germany’s chancellor says attempts to create a multicultural society in the country have “utterly failed.”
Angela Merkel said Saturday that the concept that different cultures can live happily side by side does not work”
Well at least not in the way it has been working in Germany? Canada is a multicultural country and it seems to work pretty well here. There are differences though, but one would think that Germany, being a strong secular democracy, could reasonably accommodate immigrants of any stripe.
“She stressed that immigrants need to do more to integrate, including learning to speak German.
Merkel’s comments came as Reuters news agency said she is facing pressure from within the party to take a stronger stance on immigrants who don’t appear willing to integrate into German society”
This seems announcement seems to be going hand in hand with the growing levels of immigration from Islamic countries. I would have to say that if you are immigrating to a country it would be responsible on your behalf to take up said countries laws and customs. The secular rule of law is non-negotiable when it comes to integrating into a new society.
“Immigration issues have become a hot topic, and a recent survey by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation think-tank indicated more than 30 per cent of Germans believe the country is “overrun by foreigners.”
We will have to watch Germany carefully to see exactly what sort of response the government has in store. Will it be xenophobic nationalism or a clearer definition of what immigrating to Germany means, something in between?
We will have to watch Germany carefully to see exactly what sort of response the government has in store. Will it be xenophobic nationalism or a clearer definition of what immigrating to Germany means, something in between?
Human avarice is once again put on display. The victims ultimate are us as we continue to destroy the environment we live in. When will the balance shift when we can actually honestly answer that he environment is more important that the jobs created by eroding said environment. It is not happening yet, and certainly not in Hungary where they are erecting a sludge dam to keep more the toxic outflow away from people.
“Hungarian workers are building a dam 620 metres long and up to five metres high to contain the toxic red sludge that flooded out of a breach in the wall of an industrial waste pond last week, killing at least seven people.
The dam is intended to hold back any subsequent spill that might flood the town of Kolontar, the hardest-hit area in last Monday’s spill, and nearby communities.”
Notice that the media, even CBC, is going great lengths not to call the containment area a “tailings pond” which of course is precisely what it is. Is it a coincidence that because we have a couple of hundred of these ponds up in northern Alberta we do not want to link the two ideas together in the public’s mind?
“If a wall fails, a new wave of red mud could ooze north. The mud is the toxic byproduct of the industrial process that refines raw aluminum ore (bauxite) into alumina (aluminum oxide), which is then made into aluminum.
But if that happens, officials believe they will have enough time to evacuate Devecser, about four kilometres north of the pond. Devecser residents were told Saturday to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
“This hasn’t changed,” Dobson said. “We are still on guard in case of any more spills.”
“Officials believe…” How nice. We should be able to get you out of harms way before you and your family are submerged in caustic red doom sludge. Peachy! But wait, company officials are sorry.
“MAL Rt., which owns the alumina plant, expressed their condolences Sunday to the families of the people killed and hurt. At least 120 people were injured, several seriously.
Hungarian investigators are trying to determine whether carelessness was a factor in the spill.”
Somehow I do not think that MAL Rt. is particularly sorry. I mean I bet they are sorry that their stock and profits are going to take a hit, but as to being genuinely sorry for the loss of human life because of their malfeasance? Highly unlikely.
Care to argue against tougher environmental regulations?
Start with the jobs angle and the economy…
Nothing like lawless mercenaries to brighten your international image and foreground your commitment to transparency, justice and the American Way.
Despite US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s campaign promise to no longer award military contracts to Blackwater – the now renamed notorious security contractor – the US state department has recently awarded the company another lucrative contract.
“Blackwater was renamed Xe after a string of legal cases against the company in the US and in Iraq.
Wired.com reports that while neither Xe nor Blackwater appear on the list of eight firms hired for the Worldwide Protective Services contract (a group of contracts combined into one), one of the company’s fronts, International Development Solutions LLC (IDS) is on the list.
In total, the contract for all eight companies is worth up to $10bn.”
Well, nothing wrong with a share of 10 billion dollars. Wow, I bet a lot of schools could be build for 10 billion dollars. But we cannot go around letting the evildoers win, so sorry little bobby, no schooling for you after all recruits are needed for the Army.
“A press officer from the state department returned Al Jazeera’s call, but was unable to say what specific services IDS could provide and why, given Blackwater’s tarnished reputation, (which lead to the company’s name change in 2009) it was still eligible for such a contract.
She did, however, read out a prepared statement, indicating that while the state department is aware of IDS’s ties to Blackwater, that that fact was not prohibitive in accepting its bid.
“The contract was competed in accordance with the Federal Acquisitions Regulations (FAR),” read the statement.
“The FAR allows any company that is not been debarred or suspended to submit a proposal in response to an acquisition process based on full and open competition.”
Oh hey, we certainly cannot infringe on the market. That would be unseemly and more to the point, unethical. Everyone needs a fair chance to get paid by Uncle Sam and deal death in foreign lands. Nothing could go wrong with hiring out mercenaries to do your bidding…
“Two former Blackwater employees are currently on trial in the US on charges of murdering Afghan civilians and keeping human remains as trophies. The charges stem from a 2009 incident in Kabul.
In 2008, five Blackwater guards were charged in the deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians, who were shot in Baghdad’s al-Nisoor Square in 2007. Those charges were ultimately dismissed.
Another employee of Triple Canopy – another contractor included in the new Worldwide Protective Services contract – was charged with killing at least one Iraqi after he fired into a civilian vehicle for “sport.”
Whoops! I guess things can go wrong, unless I’m getting the wrong “spin” on things but killing people for sport seems to be actions we like to attribute to official enemies as opposed to our own highly ethical and clean foreign slate.
Not a single mention of the US or the west in this article. Perhaps a testament to Washington’s waning influence on global affairs?
“Japan has refused to apologise to Beijing for detaining a Chinese boat captain in disputed waters after Tokyo gave ground and released him.
China’s foreign ministry said it was angry at the detention of the captain, arrested by Japan over two weeks ago after his trawler collided with two Japanese patrol boats in waters near islands that both sides claim.
The ministry demanded an apology and compensation and said China’s claim to the islands, which it calls the Diaoyu and Japan calls the Senkaku, was “indisputable”.
These are the words of countries that are not really in the mood for compromise. This small conflict is a microcosm of the generally unsettled relations between Japan and China.
“Everybody knows that China is not a democratic country, but [the latest demand] will make that explicit,” Okada, who is now secretary-general of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, was quoted as saying.
Zhan Qixiong, a fishing trawler captain, flew out of Japan to the coastal Chinese city of Fuzhou on Saturday after being set free on Friday.
The release follows the detention of four Japanese nationals on suspicion of violating Chinese law regarding the protection of military facilities earlier this week.”
The tensions in the region are growing and we in the West, crippled by our imperial wars have lost much of the ability to influence other nations in the world. This is not necessarily a bad thing, just a new development that must be rather troublesome and unsettling for Western leaders.
“The dispute has underscored the brittleness of ties long troubled by Chinese memories of Japanese wartime occupation and territorial disputes over parts of the East China Sea that could hold rich reserves of gas.”
Once energy resources are involved, it is a guaranteed game changer. I’m very curious to see how this plays out as potential conflict involving the major powers of the region could ensue.
Perhaps the deadline was not mentioned clearly enough in New Delhi. Work is behind schedule, athletes are beginning to pull out of this years games. The situation is becoming a bit of embarrassment for India.
“The head of the Commonwealth Games says India still has extensive work to do before it is fully ready to stage its showcase event amid concerns about security and safety conditions.
Mike Fennell, the president of the Commonwealth Games Federation, acknowledged on Saturday that New Delhi has made progress in addressing the multiple problems surrounding the event, due to begin on October 3, adding that the Games would go ahead.
But he said accommodations for participants of the Games are still unsuitable for teams to use, citing problems with transport, security arrangements and medical services.
Teams coming to the games are not staying in the Athlete’s village, they are going to hotels and motels as the conditions are not quite up to snuff yet. Not up to snuff being the presence of building materials, tools and human feces in many of the rooms.
Whoops.
“A portion of false ceiling in the weightlifting venue caved in on Wednesday, a day after the collapse of a footbridge at the main stadium, injuring 27 workers. In another incident, armed men shot and wounded two foreign visitors near a historic mosque in Delhi on Sunday in a suspected terrorist attack.”
Not exactly the most people friendly way to welcome athletes from across the former British Empire. October 3rd is quickly approaching let us hope they can get their act together and pull these games off.
The funny Topsy-turvy world of international relations began spinning anti-clockwise with this from Al-Jazeera:
“Iraq has agreed to pay compensation to US citizens who say they were tortured or traumatised by the regime of Saddam Hussein, the late Iraqi leader. The money would be given to Americans who were affected by the Iraqi invasion of neighbouring Kuwait in 1990, a senior Iraqi government official was cited as saying by the Associated Press news agency on Saturday.
“This agreement is related to the invasion of Kuwait during the former regime time. Saddam detained US citizens as human shields, and he did torture,” the official, who did not want to be named, said.
The official said that Baghdad had agreed to pay about $400m to the claimants.”
Apparently it is to grease the international wheels of justice and hopefully allow the sanctions against Iraq to be lifted.
“The agreement, signed by US and Iraqi officials, ends years of legal battles and could help Iraq emerge from United Nations sanctions put in place two decades ago. Baghdad would need the help of the Washington to remove the sanctions, and the settlement may remove what has been a stumbling block between the two sides.”
While the US is at it I think they should demand reparations from Nicaragua, Vietnam and the Philippines as they to all had the indecency not to bow immediately before imperial policy.
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