Iraq Air War: Connecting the Dots

Below is a trace of several important threads (including the most devastating one that recently appeared on TomDispatch by Nick Turse) that show the progression of the US (secret) air war on Iraq which started as early as post Gulf War I. What emerges is a very disturbing and violent picture that is deep inside genocide territory.

Post Gulf War I
Since the 1991 Persian Gulf War, the U.S. and U.K. had been engaged in a low-level conflict with Iraq, enforcing Iraqi no-fly zones with ongoing air raids.

If you look at the BBC coverage in No-fly zones: The legal position, it mentions that "However, unlike the military campaign to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait, the no-fly zones were not authorised by the UN and they are not specifically sanctioned by any Security Council resolution."

Additionally, the sanctions imposed on Iraq after Gulf War I devastated civilian society and resulted in the deaths of at least half million children as well. If you remember the words of Madeleine Albright when asked if it was worth it, she replied "I think this is a very hard choice, but the price -- we think the price is worth it.". She regretted saying those words in her autobiography but still supported the sanctions concept.

2001-2002 (Pre Gulf War II)
The US Air Force received its orders from the White House to begin the preparations for a war on Iraq in late 2001 following the September 11 attacks. These attacks we pre-war and were meant to disrupt Iraq’s southern air defenses and communications infrastructure.
US launched air war against Iraq in 2002
It's Imperialism, Stupid

2003 (War begins officially)

2004 (initial reports)
By Tom Engelhardt @ TomDispatch
Icarus (Armed with Vipers) Over Iraq


2005 (aerial war steps up)
The phrase "air war" had not appeared in either the Washington Post or Time magazine even a single time in 2005 in spite of CENTAF reports indicating the existence of an ongoing air war.
Ignoring the Air War

Where is the Iraq war headed next? by Seymour M. Hersh
Up in the Air

Overall till present:
Finally, a devastating and extensively researched report that appeared recently on TomDispatch (by Nick Turse) of the air war (including the use of 59,787 pounds of air-delivered cluster bombs since 2003). This article is exhaustive and includes various casualty figures as well as links to the air war coverage (or lack of) in the past.
Our Shadowy Iraq Air War

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To get some historical context, many Nazis were hanged post World War II after the Nuremberg tribunal. They were hanged mainly for crimes against peace i.e. aggression, the supreme international crime.

The Nuremberg indictment involved 4 counts:

Count One: “conspiracy to wage aggressive war,” addressed crimes committed before the war officially began.
Count Two: “waging an aggressive war,” addressed the undertaking of war in violation of international treaties.
Count Three: “war crimes,” addressed more traditional violations of the laws of war, including the killing or mistreatment of prisoners of war and the use of outlawed weapons.
Count Four: “crimes against humanity,” addressed the crimes committed against Jews, ethnic minorities, physically and mentally disabled persons, civilians in occupied countries, and others.

But here is the key point to get out of Nuremberg: Justice Robert Jackson, an American justice who was a prosecutor at Nuremberg said "We must never forget that the record on which we judge these (Nuremberg) defendants is the record on which history will judge us tomorrow. To pass these defendants a poisoned chalice is to put it to our own lips as well."

The criminal implications of the Iraq war (use of illegal air war on civilians, torture, aggression, fomenting civil war etc.) are staggering but never discussed in "polite" conversation.

New Chomsky Interviews

2 recent Chomsky interviews by Michael Shank in FPIF. Read them.

Chomsky Takes on the World (Bank)
Thoughts on 'Elective Dictatorship', World Bank, Wolfowitz, odious debt.

Chomsky on India-Pakistan Relations
Thoughts on Kashmir, diaspora & identity, Asian economic integration, Indo-US nuclear agreement, proliferation.

Pipe # 111241

The Polaris Institute (Canada) released in 2005 an important publication titled: "In the Bottle, An Exposé of the Bottled Water Industry". "In the Bottle" is being used as a study and action guide by environmental and political groups in Canada.

One of the many interesting facts in this report is about Alaska Premium Glacier (now defunct) bottled water. According to the above report, the "glacier" water "is drawn from the municipal water system in Juneau, Alaska, specifically, pipe # 111241, which is not a glacier". Apparently the label said "Alaska Premium Glacier Drinking Water: Pure Glacier Water From the Last Unpolluted Frontier, Bacteria Free".

Bottled Water is just another example of how lack of regulation (read "private or free enterprise") can cause environmental damage, encourage use of misleading or outright false advertising and huge undeserved profits for private companies (and their lobbyists) who fight against regulation where it is needed the most. Private enterprise is not a guarantee of consumer protection, environmental protection or even efficiency. The only efficiency at play is at making huge profits by duping the public. It is inconceivable that hordes of people pay money for a basic human necessity such as water in spite of the fact that unfiltered tap water is in a lot of cases simply safer that bottled water. The Bottle Water lunacy started during the Reagan administration (with an endless repetition of the deregulation mantra). Bottle Water is a great example of a highly sophisticated propaganda apparatus that is able to convince millions of people to buy into the sham and transforming water into a fashion statement.

As another example, the Bolivian government imposed martial law (and repression that goes along with it) when the public protested the privatization (by usual suspect Bechtel) of the water supply which resulted in a huge increase in the price of water. Happily, the government finally relented to the civil disobedience and Bechtel had to flee.

A report by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) mentions that "Millions of us are willing to pay 240 to over 10,000 times more per gallon for bottled water than we do for tap water".

The Polaris Institute report is a great step in educating the public and community groups in this critical matter.

A great summary of all the issues can be read in this article by Larry Lack which talks in some more detail about the Polaris report.

The Bottled Water Madness

MoveOn.org and The Nation Magazine (Democracy Inaction)

Two recent articles by John Stauber (Center for Media and Democracy) and Bill Van Auken (World Socialist Web Site) bring into sharp focus the futility of persisting and participating in the compromised two-party system and the lack of a genuine independent political system.

The first is a very cogent analysis/statement by John Stauber on why MoveOn (which strongly aligns itself with the Democratic party) is pursuing the wrong strategy (more specifically on the Iraq war) and why an anti-war movement that is aligned with neither the Democratic or Republican Party is vital to creating real change. Stauber says (rightly, I think) that MoveOn's emphasis is on winning elections and not on ending the war as soon as possible. He says "MoveOn has not been primarily a movement against the war. It has been a movement of Democrats to get the party back into power."

The Nation magazine offers an alibi for Democrats’ support of Iraq war (by Bill Van Auken) expresses a similar sentiment as above and describes how the Democratic party only pretends to be a "people's" party but in reality they are similar to Republicans in that both parties are accountable to the financial elite and not to the common man. He bemoans the lack of an independent and genuine political system.

It is precisely due to the Democratic party's obligation to its corporate contributors that it dare not launch an opposition to the war (other than hopelessly obvious pretence). Manipulative hacks like Pelosi and Reid (and majority of other Democrats) spew out anti-war rhetoric at the right time to garner votes and at the same time ensure that war funding bills get passed easily. It's the ultimate cynical and ruthless betrayal of the populace who voted them into power for a very specific reason (to end the war).

Alien Hand Syndrome

Alien Hand Syndrome (AHS) is a rare neurological disorder, but the symptoms are bizarre. This disorder is usually caused by some kind of brain injury or by surgery that results in separation of the two brain hemispheres. Patients with AHS experience reduced awareness of their actions, more specifically, they lose voluntary control over one hand. The results are both comical and bizarrely unsettling. The patient is completely unaware of what one hand is doing until they "see" it or someone points it out. Alien hands can perform complex acts such as undoing buttons, removing clothing, and yes, alien hands can masturbate :-). In an often-cited example, a lady with the condition was given a cup of tea and immediately commented that it was too hot to drink, so she would let it cool first. As soon as she stated that intention, however, her alien hand grabbed the cup of tea in an effort to drink it, and she had to restrain it with her other hand (possibly spilling the tea).



AHS (or some form of it) is widely referenced in pop culture, the most famous one being Dr. Stranglove. We have the spooky image of the ex-Nazi Dr. Strangelove trying to strangle himself (or give the Hitler salute), while his other hand tries to stop the Alien Hand from doing its thing.

Patients of AHS can fool themselves into believing that their actions are intentional. There is a weird disconnect between the intention and the actual actions. Alien Hand Syndrome raises fascinating questions about the nature of free will and separation of intention from actions.

More on Alien Hand Syndrome at wikipedia

Definitions of Terrorism

Here is the definition of Terrorism from various official sources:

Department of Justice

Patterns of Global Terrorism is a report published each year by the United States Department of State. Mysteriously, the State Department stopped publishing this report in 2004. However, if you look at the introduction to the 2000 report:

No one definition of terrorism has gained universal acceptance. For the purposes of this report, however, we have chosen the definition of terrorism contained in Title 22 of the United States Code, Section 2656f(d). That statute contains the following definitions:

• The term "terrorism" means premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience.
  
• The term "international terrorism" means terrorism involving citizens or the territory of more than one country.
  
• The term "terrorist group" means any group practicing, or that has significant subgroups that practice, international terrorism.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation

The unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government or civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.

Domestic terrorism is the unlawful use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group or individual based and operating entirely within the United States or its territories without foreign direction committed against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.

International terrorism involves violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or any state, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or any state. These acts appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion, or affect the conduct of a government by assassination or kidnapping.

United Nations

Any ... act intended to cause death or serious bodily injury to a civilian, or to any other person not taking an active part in the hostilities in a situation of armed conflict, when the purpose of such act, by its nature or context, is to intimidate a population, or to compel a government or an international organization to do or to abstain from doing any act.

Department of Defense

The calculated use of violence or threat of violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.

George Bush

And finally, here are some remarks by George Bush (or his speechwriter) on October 6th, 2005

"The United States makes no distinction between those who commit acts of terror and those who support and harbor them, because they're equally as guilty of murder. Any government that chooses to be an ally of terror has also chosen to be an enemy of civilization. And the civilized world must hold those regimes to account"

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Your homework assignment, Gentle Reader, is to use these definitions to determine the identity of the egregious offenders (without exception)

The Futility of Lesser Evilism

When I posted on Lesser Evilism after the mid-term elections, I was hoping against hope that I would turn out wrong. But, 6 months later, turns out, its even worse I imagined. The Democrats have completely folded in the worst way possible. When are people going to realize that there isn't a "dime's worth of difference" between the 2 major parties ? Millions more Iraqis and thousands more Americans are going TO DIE due to the incredibly naive belief that voting for Democrats will create change. Both parties are accountable solely to corporate power.

Here is what the dastardly Democrats have been up to recently:

Dastardly Act I: Iraq Funding Bill: This mockery of a bill will essentially give another blank check for the war. Democrats will use this in a typically scheming way. When the Democrats want to look like they support the war, they'll say "we voted for the bill". Then some other pathetic Democratic (for example, obama, clinton) will try to look anti-war (fake -- its only to get votes) and say they voted against the bill. The Democrats as a party KNOW that the bill will get passed. These guys are incredibly two-timing and devious. Oh, by the way, no deadlines on the war. And lots and lots and lots of MONEY to kill, kill, kill. See Not a "Compromise," It's a Blank Check

Dastardly Act II: Top-secret Free Trade agreement. The Democrats are colluding with the Republicans to enable the passage (more like ramming it down the public throat) of another ultra-secret "free trade" agreement. The Democrats are basically going to trample over progressives and not give a damn. Oh, if its not obvious, the bill is secret and written by lobbyists. Goodbye ...worker protection, human rights, environment. See Dems Driving Triangulation "Over the Dead Bodies" of the Progressive Movement

Dastardly Act III: Oil Price Gouging Bill: The original bill by Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Michigan) -- HR 1252-- would have made it unlawful to sell crude oil, gasoline, natural gas, or petroleum distillates at a price that "is unconscionably excessive" or "indicates the seller is taking unfair advantage unusual market conditions (whether real or perceived) or the circumstances of an emergency to increase prices unreasonably." However, there was too much pressure from big oil. And guess what ? The bill was changed so that the FTC can enforce this only during presidentially-declared energy emergencies (never). See House Democrats Buckle Under Pressure from Big Oil, Strip Down Price Gouging Bill

This is all a bit too obvious for anyone with their eyes even slightly open. Utter disregard for public opinion by the Democrats and Republicans. What a travesty of democracy.

"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Mussolini

"There ain't a dime's worth of difference between 'em". --Waylon Jennings

Pfizer at it again

Right on the heels of the Purdue Pharma scandal, another one ... this time from Pfizer (again).

According to the Peter Rost blog:

"Mr. Levin's (Pfizer CFO) resignation comes after three days of disclosures of corruption in Pfizer's finance department, revealed by former Pfizer finance executive Mr. Ashok S. Idnani".

"Rost this week has devoted his blog to an astonishing series of posts which allegedly describe how Pfizer execs in India took kickbacks in connection with the sale of a Pfizer building for far less than it was worth; how Pfizer hires private detectives to spy on rival executives and pay bribes, and how Pfizer India kept a "gift" list for certain Indian government officials."


Out of curiosity, I did a search on google news and it gets really odd. None of articles (except Counterpunch which is where I first read about it) mention that the resignation is related to the above mentioned scandal. Thats right ... we're expected to believe that the sudden resignation of the Pfizer CFO has NOTHING to do with the corruption in the Pfizer finance department.

Peter Rost is a former Vice President of Pfizer. He is the author of "The Whistleblower, Confessions of a Healthcare Hitman".

Purification or Mass Murder ?

Here is some mind-numbing drivel from the Pope in his recent opening address for the Latin America and Caribbean 'Aparecida' Conference

The entire text can be found here but here is an excerpt where he talks about the "encounter" between Christians and the pre-Columbus religions

"Yet what did the acceptance of the Christian faith mean for the nations of Latin America and the Caribbean? For them, it meant knowing and welcoming Christ, the unknown God whom their ancestors were seeking, without realizing it, in their rich religious traditions. Christ is the Saviour for whom they were silently longing. It also meant that they received, in the waters of Baptism, the divine life that made them children of God by adoption; moreover, they received the Holy Spirit who came to make their cultures fruitful, purifying them and developing the numerous seeds that the incarnate Word had planted in them, thereby guiding them along the paths of the Gospel. In effect, the proclamation of Jesus and of his Gospel did not at any point involve an alienation of the pre-Columbus cultures, nor was it the imposition of a foreign culture. Authentic cultures are not closed in upon themselves, nor are they set in stone at a particular point in history, but they are open, or better still, they are seeking an encounter with other cultures, hoping to reach universality through encounter and dialogue with other ways of life and with elements that can lead to a new synthesis, in which the diversity of expressions is always respected as well as the diversity of their particular cultural embodiment. "

So here you have it. According to the Pope's private, demented crossword puzzle dictionary, genocide has the following entry:

GENOCIDE: 7 Baptism 8 adoption, fruition, guidance, dialogue 9 encounter, welcoming, synthesis, diversity 10 acceptance 12 purification, (6,7) silent longing (6,4) divine life

However, a cursory check of any other dictionary is likely to turn up the following definition:

GENOCIDE: In international law, the intentional and systematic destruction, wholly or in part, by a government of a national, racial, religious, or ethnic group. Also see butchery, extermination, massacre.

Historical revisionism at its finest!

More more on this, see Father of Lies: The Pope's Genocidal Revisionism

What is the difference between Purdue Frederick and Purdue Pharma?

Excellent reporting on the latest Big Pharma obscenity

CORPORATE CRIME REPORTER
Big Pharma Commits the Crime, Doesn’t Do the Time
21 Corporate Crime Reporter 21, May 15, 2007


Corporate Crime Reporter is now in its 21st year of publication.

Iraq: The Racket is Alive and Well

First check out my previous posting Iraq: The Racket Continues

To keep the thread going, here is a nice piece by Matt Taibbi of RollingStone.com on the Reid-Pelosi Iraq war supplemental which he calls "a gigantic crock of shit"

Pelosi's New Iraq Supplemental Is Outright Colonial Robbery

And if it still doesn't sink in ... here is another good article by Chris Floyd @ Empire Burlesque
War Without End, Amen: Dem Leaders Limber Up for Double-Cross

Prison-Industrial Complex

The Prison-Industrial Complex (PIC) is often overshadowed by its even deadlier big brother, the Military-Industrial Complex (MIC). While the MIC is the incestuous relationship between the armed forces, corporations and the political establishment, the PIC is an insidious web of prison guard unions, construction & real estate companies and vendors of surveillance technology. While each component of the PIC is often referred to as an "interest group", they are interested in everything but the rehabilitation of criminals and decrease in the crime rate. Their "interest" is instead in profit generation from huge contracts (yes, as usual, funded by you, the tax-payer) to build and maintain prisons and blatant exploitation of low-cost or free prison labor.

When politicians talk about being "tough on crime", their real goal is to marginalize the less fortunate (or "non-productive") members of society while at the same time pushing for a highly punitive justice system and appeasing the corporations (who help get them elected in the first place through campaign contributions) by providing them with huge contracts and free or cheap labor. This is also very closely related to the "War on Drugs" (Drug War Industrial Complex ?) which is basically a very brutal attempt to get rid of the "superfluous" population by throwing them in prison for minor drug offenses. The enormous rate of increase in prison populaton is mainly drug related.

GEO Group

Recently, a riot broke out in Indiana in a medium-security correctional facility. The New Castle Correctional Facility is owned by the state, but it is operated by a private prison company called GEO Group of Florida. GEO received this huge contract in 2005.

Shockingly, prisoners are segregated based on which state they're from and provided different level of facilities as well. (see Nicole Colson's excellent piece on the New Castle Riot).

The GEO Group not surprisingly has made contributions to both Republicans and Democrats. If you go to the PoliticalMoneyLine website and search for contributions by Donor Name (search for GEO Group), you'll find contributions from GEO for the 2006 Election cycle totalling more than 200,000 dollars to the Republican and Democrat Governors Association. Also, not surprisingly, GEO's stock price rose after Schwarzenegger's declaration of "prison emergency" in October 2006.

Treatment or Incraceration ?

The RAND Corporation compared the programmatic productivity and the costs of enforcing the “war on drugs” in terms of arresting and incarcerating dealers and their agents, versus treatment. RAND’s research found that a dollar spent on drug treatment saves society seven and a half dollars in reduced crime and regained productivity
See the following publication for more detailed information:

Treatment or Incarceration
National and State Findings on the Efficacy and Cost Savings of Drug Treatment Versus Imprisonment
Justice Policy Institute, Doug McVay, Vincent Schiraldi, and Jason Ziedenberg