This is a Massacre, Not a War in Iraq

[vista]

This is a Massacre, Not a War in Iraq

The U.S. bombing Samarra, Fallujah, Baghdad and other cities, killing hundreds of civilians and calling them terrorists is like the massacres of the Native Americans during America's push westward. In this case, it has to do with America's push eastward.

What is also troubling is that no major media outlet, no major politician--none are callig this what it is, an immoral, unmitigated killing of hundreds of Iraqi civilians every week.

It is time for Americans to speak up to stop this massacre. We are killing Iraqis in the name of "Freedom" and "Democracy!"
How absurd, must we kill the Iraqis to "save them". This sounds almost like the old Salem Witch Trials, where they put people to death in order to save them. But it also smells of the aforementioned slaughter of the Native Americans by the jolly good American cavalry--ironically, it's the same cavalry that is repeating its deeds 200 years later, but this time against Iraqis. For shame.

www.todaysalternativenews.com/index.php?event=link,150&values[0]=&values[1]=1933

October 1: Doctors at Samarra's hospital said 47 bodies were brought in, including 11 women, five children and seven elderly men.

www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle...


October 2: Hospital officials were still attending the dead after a massive US-Iraqi offensive on Friday and into Saturday that killed at least 125 people and wounded 88.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/FCE0C4BC-7190-4F7A-B159-08E3B37D5EB5.htm

October 4: Overnight, the US military continued its offensive on Falluja, carrying out another wave of air strikes. A strike in the central Jumhuriya area killed nine people, including three women and four children, said Dr Adil Khamis of Falluja general hospital. Twelve were injured, including six women and three children, he said. They included residents of neighbouring houses that were damaged in the attack.Iraqi journalist Abu Bakr al-Dulaimi told Aljazeera that nine people had been killed. He said the two targeted homes were completely destroyed and two nearby houses damaged.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/8B3A5FB1-E5D0-4DC9-8690-8B3162C320F2.htm


October 8: Dr Ahmad Sayyid said his hospital received 13 dead, including a groom, and 17 wounded, including his bride. He said most of the injured were female relatives of the groom who were staying at the house after the wedding celebration.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/07B599CA-0094-4912-84AF-4CE7151526DC.htm

October 12: The first attack just after midnight on Tuesday destroyed one of the biggest restaurants in central Falluja, leaving two night guards dead. Nearby shops were also destroyed. The second strike flattened a house in al-Askari neighbourhood, killing at least four members of an Iraqi family and injuring an unknown number.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/299E942A-9A0A-4E1F-B046-BF22E45A24FD.htm

Cheney was right, this will never end in our lifetime...

 

[vista]

Seymour Hersh spoke at Berkeley, October 8th 2004

He told a story about recently receiving a call from an American lieutenant in Iraq who'd just witnessed other American soldiers massacring Iraqis.

To View the video of his speech http://webcast.berkeley.edu/events/replay.html?event_id=170: The story begins at about 41:45 in the talk.

HERSH: I got a call last week from a soldier -- it's different now, a lot of communication, 800 numbers. He's an American officer and he was in a unit halfway between Baghdad and the Syrian border. It's a place where we claim we've done great work at cleaning out the insurgency. He was a platoon commander. First lieutenant, ROTC guy.

It was a call about this. He had been bivouacking [A temporary encampment often in an unsheltered area., Imad] outside of town with his platoon. It was near, it was an agricultural area, and there was a granary around. And the guys that owned the granary, the Iraqis that owned the granary... It was an area that the insurgency had some control, but it was very quiet, it was not Fallujah. It was a town that was off the mainstream. Not much violence there. And his guys, the guys that owned the granary, had hired, my guess is from his language, I wasn't explicit -- we're talking not more than three dozen, thirty or so guards. Any kind of work people were dying to do. So Iraqis were guarding the granary. His troops were bivouacked, they were stationed there, they got to know everybody...

They were a couple weeks together, they knew each other. So orders came down from the generals in Baghdad, we want to clear the village, like in Samarra. And as he told the story, another platoon from his company came and executed all the guards, as his people were screaming, stop.

And he said they just shot them one by one. He went nuts, and his soldiers went nuts. And he's hysterical. He's totally hysterical. And he went to the captain. He was a lieutenant, he went to the company captain. And the company captain said, "No, you don't understand. That's a kill. We got thirty-six insurgents."

You read those stories where the Americans, we take a city, we had a combat, a hundred and fifteen insurgents are killed. You read those stories. It's shades of Vietnam again, folks, body counts...

You know what I told him? I said, fella, I said: you've complained to the captain. He knows you think they committed murder. Your troops know their fellow soldiers committed murder. Shut up. Just shut up. Get through your tour and just shut up. You're going to get a bullet in the back. You don't need that. And that's where we are with this war.

 

[Reverend Blair]

I just sent a letter to Seymour...begging him to buy an article from me. I included a self-addressed envelope and an international reply coupon for him to send my rejection slip in. 8O

Hersh is an important figure in the US today though, and his magazine is one of the few voices of dissent that is allowed to even approach the mainstream in American journalism.

The US military is committing war crimes, there is little doubt of that. Just like in Vietnam these crimes are being committed for domestic political reasons as much as for anything else. Iraq is not Vietnam though, and the world is a far different place than it was in the sixties and seventies. International law has become much more prevalent and is much better understood. For the US to be repeating the same mistakes in Iraq as they did in Vietnam is very disturbing.

 

[Zed]

The US military is committing war crimes, there is little doubt of that. Just like in Vietnam these crimes are being committed for domestic political reasons as much as for anything else. Iraq is not Vietnam though, and the world is a far different place than it was in the sixties and seventies. International law has become much more prevalent and is much better understood. For the US to be repeating the same mistakes in Iraq as they did in Vietnam is very disturbing.

Since when is the U.S. concerned about international law? They've broken it constantly for decades. Bush won't even join the World Court -or whatever it's called - for fear that American soldiers are brought up on war crimes charges.That alone should tell you that atrocities are being perpetrated on innocent Iraqis. Rarely if ever do you hear of Iraqi civilian deaths on U.S. television. They are all insurgents now.

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: This is a Massacre, N

We need to make it abundantly clear that we expect the US to follow international though. If they won't, then we should impose economic sanctions, just like we have to other rogue nations.

Bush's flaunting of international laws and conventions could well serve as a catalyst for that happening, but we need some international leaders with some spine. Canada should lead the way in this because we are the USA's biggest trading partner.

 

[Martin Le Acadien]

Re: RE: This is a Massacre, N

We need to make it abundantly clear that we expect the US to follow international though. If they won't, then we should impose economic sanctions, just like we have to other rogue nations.

Bush's flaunting of international laws and conventions could well serve as a catalyst for that happening, but we need some international leaders with some spine. Canada should lead the way in this because we are the USA's biggest trading partner.

Rev,
We should bring evildoers to justice, no matter their stripes!

International Law should be respected and those who broke International Law or Treaties should punished!

Do you fully agree?

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: This is a Massacre, N

I fully agree. I don't care who they are and I have some questions about some of Canada's past leaders too...like how much of Somalia has been covered up for how long and what the hell we're doing helping to overthrow the leader of Haiti.

In my view until the international community holds everybody equally responsible for their actions, then that community's actions and motives will always be brought into question.

 

[Martin Le Acadien]

Re: RE: This is a Massacre, N

I fully agree. I don't care who they are and I have some questions about some of Canada's past leaders too...like how much of Somalia has been covered up for how long and what the hell we're doing helping to overthrow the leader of Haiti.

In my view until the international community holds everybody equally responsible for their actions, then that community's actions and motives will always be brought into question.

I have some questions about some of Canada's past leaders too..

Yeah, like what about the deportation of the Acadians and their Micmawq friends, First nation Treaties not honoured. Hells Bells Rev, the even the US has paid First Nations Claims when pressed, allowed anyone with a slight claim of historical citizenship back in and will investigate it dirty laundry on National TV.

BTW-the My Lai Massacre was stopped by an ACADIEN from Louisiana, he was a Helicopter Pilot woho radio'd for help. He left the Army and worked as a Helicopter Pilot in the Oilfields of Offshore Louisiana, later honoured by the US and Vietnamese Governments for his heroic actions. When he passed away, his coffin was drapped with the American, Vietnamese and Acadien Flag. As a 'cadien' or Cajun, he knew what misfortune looked like and we must not let history repeat itself.

 

[Numure]

Re: RE: This is a Massacre, N

I fully agree. I don't care who they are and I have some questions about some of Canada's past leaders too...like how much of Somalia has been covered up for how long and what the hell we're doing helping to overthrow the leader of Haiti.

In my view until the international community holds everybody equally responsible for their actions, then that community's actions and motives will always be brought into question.

I have some questions about some of Canada's past leaders too..

Yeah, like what about the deportation of the Acadians and their Micmawq friends, First nation Treaties not honoured. Hells Bells Rev, the even the US has paid First Nations Claims when pressed, allowed anyone with a slight claim of historical citizenship back in and will investigate it dirty laundry on National TV.

Blame that on the British... Canada did not exist yet, neither did the USA. And Québec, was still a french colony. In does time, the name Canadian was given to the french living in New-France(Québec).

 

[moghrabi]

Pentagon uses depleted uranium shells in its raid against Iraq

Contamination caused with depleted uranium will last for 4.5 billion years.

http://english.pravda.ru/world/20/91/368/14451_uranium.html

Let's talk more about international law.....

 

[Reverend Blair]

Pentagon uses depleted uranium shells in its raid against Iraq

See, there are plenty of WMD in Iraq. The Americans use them, illegally, every chance they get.

Our treatment of First Nations people has been and continues to be abhorrent, Martin. Anybody who thinks otherwise should go to a nearby reserve and have a look around. When they think those conditions about as bad as it can get, they should fly into a remote reserve and see how bad it really is. People often refer to "thirld world conditions" on reserves, but you really have to see it to understand how bad it really is.

 

[Martin Le Acadien]

Re: RE: This is a Massacre, N

[/quote] Blame that on the British... Canada did not exist yet, neither did the USA. And Québec, was still a french colony. In does time, the name Canadian was given to the french living in New-France(Québec).[/quote]

The Canadian Government assumed all liabilities and treaties when they were formed in the Confederation of 1867. The United States assumed all treaties and liabilities when they were recognized in the treaty of Paris, 1782 by the British Government! The USA is forced to honour treaties made by the British with Eastern Indian Tribes, Spain, France among others.

The treaty of 1764 which ended the Last French and Indian War was not signed by either the US or Canada but the countries are bound by it due to the legal theory of Successive Governments.

Hope this is clear, remember, in any legal document, the big print giveth and the small print taketh away!

The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled a treaty made in 1760 between the Britian and the Micmawq Nation in 1760 is LEGALLY BINDING upon the successive Governments who assumed Great Britian's role in British North America.

 

[Martin Le Acadien]

Pentagon uses depleted uranium shells in its raid against Iraq

See, there are plenty of WMD in Iraq. The Americans use them, illegally, every chance they get.

Our treatment of First Nations people has been and continues to be abhorrent, Martin. Anybody who thinks otherwise should go to a nearby reserve and have a look around. When they think those conditions about as bad as it can get, they should fly into a remote reserve and see how bad it really is. People often refer to "thirld world conditions" on reserves, but you really have to see it to understand how bad it really is.

Depleted Uranium (as an alloy) is used in shell casings due its expansion factors. Not an illegal weapon as per the Geneva Convention.

Yeah, our treatment here in the States isn't Stellar either, the Local first Nations folks are getting wise and sending their brightest and best to Law School and reading the Treaties for everything contained therein. The White Buffalo is now the weapon of choice! Put up a casino and take the Money and buy back the land! Create jobs for the folks living around the area and no POLLUTION industries to want to set up and take avantage of the poverty. Very sad indeed for the proud people. When we visit any reserve, I remaind my brood of their heritage, Acadien and Micmwq. Nothing is so important to anyone as their dignity and pride.

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: This is a Massacre, N

Actually, DU is used because it is self-sharpening and provides better penetration, Martin. The United Nations has declared it a banned weapon because it has been shown to contaminate water and earth and is highly suspected of causing birth defects and cancer fr decades after its use. That is exacerbated by the fact that much of the DU used contains trace amounts of plutonium.

The US coud use tungsten on its weapons, but tungsten is hard to work and expensive. DU is easy work and, as radioactive waste, is given to the arms manufacturers for free.