Posts
Illustration: a rather small pic of our first author, found of the Huffington Post.
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Here are a number of articles that have been accumulating to justify a full-fledged circulation. The first is an interview with Naomi Wolff talking about our crypto fascist state. It could be called "The Ten Steps to Fascism." She is announced as a feminist and this raises a curious point. Many critics tried to condem her ad hominum. Since the title of the book was "The Beauty Trap," the right wing thought they could say she feels that way ecause she is ugly. Well, she thinks more than "feels," and she had the appearance of one of the female leads of Dynasty.
The next is a good analysis of why we don't count Iraqi casualities. In a way, it reminds me of a line from Mort Sahl: "The news announced 'our troops killed two thousand COMMUNISTS today in Viet Nam.'"
"Whew, good thing they weren't people!" The article also contains some excellent links for any of you writing an article or a term paper.
The last one is in remembrance of Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant and what it meant to so many of us back them. I especially include it as it has a link to a performance of it on You Tube so you right people with High-speed can enjoy it.
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Democracy Now! http://www.democracynow.org
Democracy Now! http://www.democracynow.org
'The End of America': Feminist Social Critic Naomi Wolf Warns U.S.
in Slow Descent into Fascism
Wednesday, November 28th, 2007
In her new book, 'The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young
Patriot', Naomi Wolf says the United States is on the road to becoming a
fascist society, right under our very noses. Wolf outlines what she sees
as the ten steps to shut down a democratic society and argues that the
Bush administration has already implemented many of these steps. Wolf is
the author of several books including the 1990s feminist classic, 'The
Beauty Myth.' [includes rush transcript]
Patriot', Naomi Wolf says the United States is on the road to becoming a
fascist society, right under our very noses. Wolf outlines what she sees
as the ten steps to shut down a democratic society and argues that the
Bush administration has already implemented many of these steps. Wolf is
the author of several books including the 1990s feminist classic, 'The
Beauty Myth.' [includes rush transcript]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The United States is on the road to becoming a fascist society, right
under our very noses. That's the premise of a new book by feminist
social critic Naomi Wolf. It's called "The End of America: Letter of
Warning to a Young Patriot" and is already on the New York Times
bestseller list.
The United States is on the road to becoming a fascist society, right
under our very noses. That's the premise of a new book by feminist
social critic Naomi Wolf. It's called "The End of America: Letter of
Warning to a Young Patriot" and is already on the New York Times
bestseller list.
Naomi Wolf outlines what she sees as the ten steps to shut down a
democratic society and argues that the Bush administration has already
implemented many of these steps. Wolf is the author of several books
including the 1990s feminist classic, "The Beauty Myth.'
democratic society and argues that the Bush administration has already
implemented many of these steps. Wolf is the author of several books
including the 1990s feminist classic, "The Beauty Myth.'
Critics describe her latest book, 'The End of America,' as a wake-up
call to Americans to heed the lessons of history and fight to save their
democracy before its too late. Naomi Wolf joins me now in the firehouse
studio.
call to Americans to heed the lessons of history and fight to save their
democracy before its too late. Naomi Wolf joins me now in the firehouse
studio.
* * Naomi Wolf*. Social critic, feminist, and author of "The Beauty
Myth.' Her latest book is called 'The End of America: A Letter of
Warning to a Young Patriot.'
Myth.' Her latest book is called 'The End of America: A Letter of
Warning to a Young Patriot.'
------------------------------------------------------------------------
RUSH TRANSCRIPT
RUSH TRANSCRIPT
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*AMY GOODMAN: *Today, we're joined by a special guest who has just
written a book. The United States is on the road to becoming a fascist
society, right under our very noses. That's the premise of the new book
by feminist social critic Naomi Wolf. It's called /The End of America:
Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot/, and it's already on the /New York
Times/ bestseller list.
written a book. The United States is on the road to becoming a fascist
society, right under our very noses. That's the premise of the new book
by feminist social critic Naomi Wolf. It's called /The End of America:
Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot/, and it's already on the /New York
Times/ bestseller list.
Naomi Wolf outlines what she sees as the ten steps to shut down a
democratic society. She argues the Bush administration has already
implemented many of these steps. Naomi Wolf is the author of several
books, including the '90s feminist classic, /The Beauty Myth/.
democratic society. She argues the Bush administration has already
implemented many of these steps. Naomi Wolf is the author of several
books, including the '90s feminist classic, /The Beauty Myth/.
Critics describe her latest book, /The End of America/, as a wake-up
call to Americans to heed the lessons of history and fight to save their
democracy before its too late.
call to Americans to heed the lessons of history and fight to save their
democracy before its too late.
Naomi Wolf joins us in our firehouse studio. Welcome to /Democracy Now!/
*NAOMI WOLF: *Thank you, Amy.
*AMY GOODMAN: *It's good to have you with us. Start off with the stories
that you tell in your book.
that you tell in your book.
*NAOMI WOLF: *Well, they're the stories of societies that were
systematically closed down by would-be despots, would-be dictators,
whether they were on the left or the right, who essentially developed a
blueprint in the first part of the twentieth century to crush
democracies or to crush democracy movements. So they're also individual
stories of how people react as a democracy is being closed down.
systematically closed down by would-be despots, would-be dictators,
whether they were on the left or the right, who essentially developed a
blueprint in the first part of the twentieth century to crush
democracies or to crush democracy movements. So they're also individual
stories of how people react as a democracy is being closed down.
But I guess the book really began with a very personal story, because I
was forced to write it, even though I didn't really want to, by a dear
friend who is a Holocaust survivor's daughter. And when we spoke about
news events, she kept saying, 'They did this in Germany. They did this
in Germany.' And I really didn't think that made sense. I thought that
was very extreme language. But finally she forced me to sit down and
start reading the histories, of course, not of the later years, because
she wasn't talking about German outcomes, '38, '39; she was talking
about the early years, 1930, '31, '32, when Germany was a parliamentary
democracy, and there was this systematic assault using the rule of law
to subvert the rule of law.
was forced to write it, even though I didn't really want to, by a dear
friend who is a Holocaust survivor's daughter. And when we spoke about
news events, she kept saying, 'They did this in Germany. They did this
in Germany.' And I really didn't think that made sense. I thought that
was very extreme language. But finally she forced me to sit down and
start reading the histories, of course, not of the later years, because
she wasn't talking about German outcomes, '38, '39; she was talking
about the early years, 1930, '31, '32, when Germany was a parliamentary
democracy, and there was this systematic assault using the rule of law
to subvert the rule of law.
And once I saw how many parallels there were, not just in strategy and
tactics that we're seeing again today, but actually in images and sound
bites and language, then I read other histories of Italy in the '20s,
Russia in the '30s, East Germany in the '50s, Czechoslovakia in the
'60s, Pinochet's coup in Chile in '73, the crushing of the democracy
movement in China at the end of the '80s. And I saw that there is a
blueprint that would-be dictators always do the same ten things, whether
they're on the left or the right, and that we are seeing these ten steps
taking place systematically right now in the United States.
tactics that we're seeing again today, but actually in images and sound
bites and language, then I read other histories of Italy in the '20s,
Russia in the '30s, East Germany in the '50s, Czechoslovakia in the
'60s, Pinochet's coup in Chile in '73, the crushing of the democracy
movement in China at the end of the '80s. And I saw that there is a
blueprint that would-be dictators always do the same ten things, whether
they're on the left or the right, and that we are seeing these ten steps
taking place systematically right now in the United States.
*AMY GOODMAN: *Lay them out.
*NAOMI WOLF: *Well, they're not happy. The first step is that all
would-be dictators or would-be despots, which is what the founders of
our country who foresaw exactly this kind of possibility would call them
-- all would-be dictators invoke a terrifying internal and external
threat. And often it's a real threat, which they will hype or
manipulate. For instance, Stalin spoke about sleeper cells, which is one
of those phrases that are being recirculated now by the Bush White
House. And this was an invention. He said there were capitalist secret
agents who were hiding among good Soviet citizens and who are going to
rise up at a signal and create terrorist mayhem -- fake story, but it
worked to frighten citizens.
would-be dictators or would-be despots, which is what the founders of
our country who foresaw exactly this kind of possibility would call them
-- all would-be dictators invoke a terrifying internal and external
threat. And often it's a real threat, which they will hype or
manipulate. For instance, Stalin spoke about sleeper cells, which is one
of those phrases that are being recirculated now by the Bush White
House. And this was an invention. He said there were capitalist secret
agents who were hiding among good Soviet citizens and who are going to
rise up at a signal and create terrorist mayhem -- fake story, but it
worked to frighten citizens.
Pinochet talked about a real threat: armed insurgents. There were armed
insurgents, but he hyped it using fake documents. And we saw -- we see
this a lot in the historical blueprint, that a would-be dictator will
fake documents. His were called Plan Z. He claimed they were going to
bomb infrastructure, assassinate leaders. We saw fake documents used by
the White House to hype of a terror threat when they used the fake
yellowcake documents to claim that Iraq was trying to secure yellowcake
uranium. And remember the famous sound bite -- 'We can't wait for the
smoking gun to come in the form of a mushroom cloud' -- to drive us into
an illegal war with a nation we were not at war with.
insurgents, but he hyped it using fake documents. And we saw -- we see
this a lot in the historical blueprint, that a would-be dictator will
fake documents. His were called Plan Z. He claimed they were going to
bomb infrastructure, assassinate leaders. We saw fake documents used by
the White House to hype of a terror threat when they used the fake
yellowcake documents to claim that Iraq was trying to secure yellowcake
uranium. And remember the famous sound bite -- 'We can't wait for the
smoking gun to come in the form of a mushroom cloud' -- to drive us into
an illegal war with a nation we were not at war with.
*AMY GOODMAN: *You also talk about the language, like the Department of
Homeland Security.
Homeland Security.
*NAOMI WOLF: *That is where I, as a social critic and a student of
language, get really scared. It's scary enough to see these ten steps,
but what is terrifying to me personally is how many actual phrases are
being recycled, and tactics. 'Homeland security' -- '/heimat/' -- became
popularized by the National Socialists. Goebbels developed the practice
of embedding journalists. Leni von Riefenstahl was embedded, for
instance, in Poland. And we're seeing embedded --
language, get really scared. It's scary enough to see these ten steps,
but what is terrifying to me personally is how many actual phrases are
being recycled, and tactics. 'Homeland security' -- '/heimat/' -- became
popularized by the National Socialists. Goebbels developed the practice
of embedding journalists. Leni von Riefenstahl was embedded, for
instance, in Poland. And we're seeing embedded --
*AMY GOODMAN: *She's the famous German filmmaker.
*NAOMI WOLF: *Filmmaker. If you look at the sequence of, you know,
Hitler descending in an airplane in von Riefenstahl's famous /Triumph of
the Will/ and being greeted by the uniformly armed paramilitary sort of
surrounding their leader and him saying, 'Help us accomplish our
mission,' and then you look at other famous images from this
administration --
Hitler descending in an airplane in von Riefenstahl's famous /Triumph of
the Will/ and being greeted by the uniformly armed paramilitary sort of
surrounding their leader and him saying, 'Help us accomplish our
mission,' and then you look at other famous images from this
administration --
*AMY GOODMAN: *Like George Bush on 'Mission Accomplished.'
*NAOMI WOLF: *'Mission Accomplished,' exactly right. You look at how,
you know, Hitler said we have to invade Czechoslovakia because they're a
staging ground for terrorists and they're abusing their ethnic
minorities -- again, a country that we're not at war with, when the WMD
charge vanished, the White House said we have to invade Iraq because
they're a staging ground for terrorists and they're abusing their ethnic
minorities. On and on and on.
you know, Hitler said we have to invade Czechoslovakia because they're a
staging ground for terrorists and they're abusing their ethnic
minorities -- again, a country that we're not at war with, when the WMD
charge vanished, the White House said we have to invade Iraq because
they're a staging ground for terrorists and they're abusing their ethnic
minorities. On and on and on.
I mean, this one scare's me to death. You know, Mussolini developed --
again, a parliamentary democracy, Italy was, in the teens and into 1920.
He developed the Blackshirts, which were these paramilitary thugs that
beat up newspaper editors, terrorized the population, and they
intimidated people counting the vote in Milan. And then Hitler studied
Mussolini, so many things were repeated by Hitler. Stalin studied
Hitler, Hitler studied Stalin. But Hitler developed the Brownshirts, the
SA, who intimidated people counting the vote in Austria. So 90% of them
voted for their own annexation, because they were the Brownshirts. And
you saw this scene of identically dressed Republican staffers in Florida
in 2000 intimidating people counting the vote.
again, a parliamentary democracy, Italy was, in the teens and into 1920.
He developed the Blackshirts, which were these paramilitary thugs that
beat up newspaper editors, terrorized the population, and they
intimidated people counting the vote in Milan. And then Hitler studied
Mussolini, so many things were repeated by Hitler. Stalin studied
Hitler, Hitler studied Stalin. But Hitler developed the Brownshirts, the
SA, who intimidated people counting the vote in Austria. So 90% of them
voted for their own annexation, because they were the Brownshirts. And
you saw this scene of identically dressed Republican staffers in Florida
in 2000 intimidating people counting the vote.
So things like that are really chilling. And they're more and more
chilling as -- I think right now people are kind of ramping up their
awareness of these echoes, and what you also see predictably, because
the blueprint is predictive, is that the White House is ramping up its
implementation of some of the scariest aspects of its crackdown.
chilling as -- I think right now people are kind of ramping up their
awareness of these echoes, and what you also see predictably, because
the blueprint is predictive, is that the White House is ramping up its
implementation of some of the scariest aspects of its crackdown.
*AMY GOODMAN: *You began with these stories back in the summer of 2006
of headlines from a two-week period. Give some of those examples.
of headlines from a two-week period. Give some of those examples.
*NAOMI WOLF: *Well, 2006 seems so long ago and so innocent a time,
considering how swiftly we've zoomed along implementing this blueprint
or we're suffering this implementation. In 2006, a blogger was jailed in
San Francisco. In 2006, people in Alabama couldn't get a fair hearing
for protecting voter rolls. There was the beginning of the Military
Commissions Act of 2006, in which the state basically legalized torture,
which is one of these crucial turning points as an open society closes
down.
considering how swiftly we've zoomed along implementing this blueprint
or we're suffering this implementation. In 2006, a blogger was jailed in
San Francisco. In 2006, people in Alabama couldn't get a fair hearing
for protecting voter rolls. There was the beginning of the Military
Commissions Act of 2006, in which the state basically legalized torture,
which is one of these crucial turning points as an open society closes
down.
*AMY GOODMAN: *You talk about Christine Axsmith, the computer security
expert working for the CIA, who, what, wrote -- posted a message on a
blog site on a top-secret computer network, criticizing waterboarding --
expert working for the CIA, who, what, wrote -- posted a message on a
blog site on a top-secret computer network, criticizing waterboarding --
*NAOMI WOLF: *Waterboarding.
*AMY GOODMAN: *-- saying waterboarding is torture, and torture is wrong.
*NAOMI WOLF: *And then she lost her security clearance. She's one of
many, many whistleblowers, key individuals, who have tried to take a
stand against some of these positions and who have faced -- again, in a
closing society this is what happens. This is step seven: target key
individuals. They face job loss, character assassination or worse.
Valerie Plame's bolts were taken away from her back deck, fifty feet off
the ground. She has two toddlers. People are being put on the watch list
for criticizing the government, for engaging in antiwar protest. Their
kids are being put on the watch list. But, yeah, back then, all she said
was it's wrong. And now we've just confirmed an attorney general who
pretends not to know what waterboarding is, because if he acknowledged
that it's against US and international law, he'd be confirming the fact
that there are criminals in the White House right now who have already
staged a coup.
many, many whistleblowers, key individuals, who have tried to take a
stand against some of these positions and who have faced -- again, in a
closing society this is what happens. This is step seven: target key
individuals. They face job loss, character assassination or worse.
Valerie Plame's bolts were taken away from her back deck, fifty feet off
the ground. She has two toddlers. People are being put on the watch list
for criticizing the government, for engaging in antiwar protest. Their
kids are being put on the watch list. But, yeah, back then, all she said
was it's wrong. And now we've just confirmed an attorney general who
pretends not to know what waterboarding is, because if he acknowledged
that it's against US and international law, he'd be confirming the fact
that there are criminals in the White House right now who have already
staged a coup.
*AMY GOODMAN: *You say step three is establishing secret prisons.
*NAOMI WOLF: *That's right. You establish secret prisons, and what I
mean by that is unaccountable prisons where torture takes place. And
often there will be a military tribunal system set in place. Lenin
pioneered that. Mussolini developed the confino system. Hitler again
studied Mussolini and developed the People's Court.
mean by that is unaccountable prisons where torture takes place. And
often there will be a military tribunal system set in place. Lenin
pioneered that. Mussolini developed the confino system. Hitler again
studied Mussolini and developed the People's Court.
And what starts to happen is -- and this is what's so scary about
Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib and these black sites around the world --
apart from the moral issue -- and your interview just now with the
Palestinian representative brought me to tears, because when he said
it's not just the Palestinians he's concerned about, it's the Israelis
who lose their souls by this kind of occupation -- it's not just the
often-innocent prisoners in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib and these black
sites around the world we should be concerned about, it's our own
American souls that are at stake. But just for purely personal reasons,
we should be afraid when the state starts to torture people that it sees
as at the margins or that citizens see at the margins: brown people on
an island in Guantanamo with Muslim names, whatever. That's what they
did in Germany in '31, '32: anarchists, communists, Gypsies, Jews,
whatever, homosexuals, whatever. You know, people didn't care, because
they were seen as at the margins. People knew about the torture cellars
in Germany.
Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib and these black sites around the world --
apart from the moral issue -- and your interview just now with the
Palestinian representative brought me to tears, because when he said
it's not just the Palestinians he's concerned about, it's the Israelis
who lose their souls by this kind of occupation -- it's not just the
often-innocent prisoners in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib and these black
sites around the world we should be concerned about, it's our own
American souls that are at stake. But just for purely personal reasons,
we should be afraid when the state starts to torture people that it sees
as at the margins or that citizens see at the margins: brown people on
an island in Guantanamo with Muslim names, whatever. That's what they
did in Germany in '31, '32: anarchists, communists, Gypsies, Jews,
whatever, homosexuals, whatever. You know, people didn't care, because
they were seen as at the margins. People knew about the torture cellars
in Germany.
But then, what always happens, always -- you can't name a society in
which this doesn't happen, Amy -- is that there's a blurring of the
line. And once the state legalizes torture of people at the margins,
inevitably it will begin to direct state abuse at people at the heart of
civil society, and it's always the same cast of characters: journalists,
editors, opposition leaders, outspoken clergy and labor leaders. And
when that starts to happen, society can close down in a heartbeat,
because people start to sensor themselves.
which this doesn't happen, Amy -- is that there's a blurring of the
line. And once the state legalizes torture of people at the margins,
inevitably it will begin to direct state abuse at people at the heart of
civil society, and it's always the same cast of characters: journalists,
editors, opposition leaders, outspoken clergy and labor leaders. And
when that starts to happen, society can close down in a heartbeat,
because people start to sensor themselves.
*AMY GOODMAN: *It's interesting. During the lead up to Nazi Germany,
American reporters were fired by their American editors, pulled back
from Germany, because they were sounding the warning. They were saying,
'We're seeing a fascist society build.' And they were told that they
were biased, they were not understanding the circumstances in which
Hitler was rising up, people were concerned about their economy, they
had been devastated, and that they were being alarmist.
American reporters were fired by their American editors, pulled back
from Germany, because they were sounding the warning. They were saying,
'We're seeing a fascist society build.' And they were told that they
were biased, they were not understanding the circumstances in which
Hitler was rising up, people were concerned about their economy, they
had been devastated, and that they were being alarmist.
*NAOMI WOLF: *Interesting. That's really interesting. I mean, I'm
immediately thinking, as you say that, which I actually hadn't known,
that -- thinking of a lot of books I've been reading lately about deep
US involvement. Some corporations were deeply involved in Nazi Germany,
making millions, like IBM. How did they round people up so quickly, you
know, in Germany when they were rounding up the Jews so fast' It's
because IBM had developed this prototype of a punch card system, and
they were secretly working with the Nazis. Prescott Bush, Bush's
grandfather, was making millions in consolidation with Krupp, Thyssen,
and it's very interesting to me, because in the Nuremberg trials they
went after these industrialists like Krupp, and so there was a moment at
which the Nuremberg trial was about to identify supporters of these war
crimes who were US collaborators.
immediately thinking, as you say that, which I actually hadn't known,
that -- thinking of a lot of books I've been reading lately about deep
US involvement. Some corporations were deeply involved in Nazi Germany,
making millions, like IBM. How did they round people up so quickly, you
know, in Germany when they were rounding up the Jews so fast' It's
because IBM had developed this prototype of a punch card system, and
they were secretly working with the Nazis. Prescott Bush, Bush's
grandfather, was making millions in consolidation with Krupp, Thyssen,
and it's very interesting to me, because in the Nuremberg trials they
went after these industrialists like Krupp, and so there was a moment at
which the Nuremberg trial was about to identify supporters of these war
crimes who were US collaborators.
*AMY GOODMAN: *But they didn't.
*NAOMI WOLF: *But they didn't. But I think it's interesting that there
is that historical memory in the family.
is that historical memory in the family.
*AMY GOODMAN: *It's the question of who controlled the trials, right'
It's the question of who controlled the trials and not wanting their own
people to be involved.
It's the question of who controlled the trials and not wanting their own
people to be involved.
*NAOMI WOLF: *I see.
*AMY GOODMAN: *You talk then -- four, developing a paramilitary force
and surveiling ordinary citizens. Those are the fourth and fifth steps.
and surveiling ordinary citizens. Those are the fourth and fifth steps.
*NAOMI WOLF: *Yeah, that's another big one. I just want to note about
the blurring of the line why we're in such a moment of danger right now.
The President has said that he can say, 'Amy Goodman, you're an enemy
combatant. Naomi Wolf, you're an enemy combatant. This guy behind the
camera, you're an enemy combatant. A person walking down the street,
enemy combatant. can be anyone. A person walking down the street, enemy
combatant.' And it doesn't matter that we're innocent US citizens. I
mean, we could be Republicans, we could be evangelicals. It doesn't
matter. He can take us, and if he says it's true, that makes it true,
because it's a status offense, and he can put us in a ten-by-twelve-foot
cell in a Navy brig in solitary confinement for three years, making it
difficult for us to see our families, to contact an attorney, to get
charges filed.
the blurring of the line why we're in such a moment of danger right now.
The President has said that he can say, 'Amy Goodman, you're an enemy
combatant. Naomi Wolf, you're an enemy combatant. This guy behind the
camera, you're an enemy combatant. A person walking down the street,
enemy combatant. can be anyone. A person walking down the street, enemy
combatant.' And it doesn't matter that we're innocent US citizens. I
mean, we could be Republicans, we could be evangelicals. It doesn't
matter. He can take us, and if he says it's true, that makes it true,
because it's a status offense, and he can put us in a ten-by-twelve-foot
cell in a Navy brig in solitary confinement for three years, making it
difficult for us to see our families, to contact an attorney, to get
charges filed.
They can't torture us yet, though I was chilled to learn that an adviser
to the White House was reported in a British newspaper yesterday as not
ruling out waterboarding against US citizens. However, psychologists
know that prolonged isolation makes sane people insane. That's what
happened to Jose Padilla. So, you know, when I say everyone's got their
moment at which they start to silence themselves, the day I read in the
/New York Times/ that someone I identify with has been named an enemy
combatant and is sitting in a Navy brig in isolation, that's when I'm
going to stop talking in a context like this, because that's when I will
become too afraid.
to the White House was reported in a British newspaper yesterday as not
ruling out waterboarding against US citizens. However, psychologists
know that prolonged isolation makes sane people insane. That's what
happened to Jose Padilla. So, you know, when I say everyone's got their
moment at which they start to silence themselves, the day I read in the
/New York Times/ that someone I identify with has been named an enemy
combatant and is sitting in a Navy brig in isolation, that's when I'm
going to stop talking in a context like this, because that's when I will
become too afraid.
*AMY GOODMAN: *We're talking to Naomi Wolf. Her book is /The End of
America: A Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot/. Number six in these
ten steps toward fascism: infiltrate citizen groups. Seven: arbitrarily
detain and release citizens. Eight: target key individuals. Infiltrate
citizens' groups, the evidence'
America: A Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot/. Number six in these
ten steps toward fascism: infiltrate citizen groups. Seven: arbitrarily
detain and release citizens. Eight: target key individuals. Infiltrate
citizens' groups, the evidence'
*NAOMI WOLF: *Well, the ACLU is suing many agents of the state for
illegally infiltrating citizens' groups. It's not a new thing in the
United States. COINTELPRO did it quite a lot. But it is a hallmark --
it's an extension of a surveillance society, and it's a hallmark. It's
an extension of step number four, which was the surveillance apparatus.
Now, you can't close down a democracy without a surveillance apparatus
aimed at ordinary citizens. And what many of us know is that there's
been a heightening of surveillance in the wake of 9/11.
illegally infiltrating citizens' groups. It's not a new thing in the
United States. COINTELPRO did it quite a lot. But it is a hallmark --
it's an extension of a surveillance society, and it's a hallmark. It's
an extension of step number four, which was the surveillance apparatus.
Now, you can't close down a democracy without a surveillance apparatus
aimed at ordinary citizens. And what many of us know is that there's
been a heightening of surveillance in the wake of 9/11.
But what we've got to understand is that our country is unique right now
in directing the crackdown on civil liberties and surveillance at
citizens. In countries like England and Spain, experienced the same
terror attacks, the same kind of terror attacks by the same bad guys
that we did, but they're not using that as a pretext to strip citizens
of civil liberties in the same way. And what is so terrifying -- again,
Italy had a surveillance apparatus, people were informing on each other;
Germany, surveillance, the Stasi in East Germany. You couldn't have a
conversation with your neighbor without fearing that it was going to go
into your file.
in directing the crackdown on civil liberties and surveillance at
citizens. In countries like England and Spain, experienced the same
terror attacks, the same kind of terror attacks by the same bad guys
that we did, but they're not using that as a pretext to strip citizens
of civil liberties in the same way. And what is so terrifying -- again,
Italy had a surveillance apparatus, people were informing on each other;
Germany, surveillance, the Stasi in East Germany. You couldn't have a
conversation with your neighbor without fearing that it was going to go
into your file.
You can't close down a society without a paramilitary force. We skipped
over that one. It's very important. Blackwater, the Blackshirts, the
Brownshirts, that's not answerable to the people, and surveillance.
over that one. It's very important. Blackwater, the Blackshirts, the
Brownshirts, that's not answerable to the people, and surveillance.
So why am I petrified, you know, when I read about Blackwater and about
surveillance' I was on the watch list for a year and a half, Amy, which
means that every time I got on a plane, I got taken aside for extra
searching, quadruple-S high-risk Naomi, you know. And I was told,
'You're on a list.' And I found out that many critics of the
administration are on the list: ACLU staffers, Ted Kennedy, antiwar
activists, David Altoon [/phon./], a highly decorated Vietnam War
veteran who was critical of the Iraq war. Not only is he on the list,
but people who come to me in tears after my readings are more upset that
now their kids are on the list if they write a letter critical of the
Bush administration.
surveillance' I was on the watch list for a year and a half, Amy, which
means that every time I got on a plane, I got taken aside for extra
searching, quadruple-S high-risk Naomi, you know. And I was told,
'You're on a list.' And I found out that many critics of the
administration are on the list: ACLU staffers, Ted Kennedy, antiwar
activists, David Altoon [/phon./], a highly decorated Vietnam War
veteran who was critical of the Iraq war. Not only is he on the list,
but people who come to me in tears after my readings are more upset that
now their kids are on the list if they write a letter critical of the
Bush administration.
*AMY GOODMAN: *Have you been able to get off the list'
*NAOMI WOLF: *Well, I was off the list 'til this book came out, and now
I'm back on the list. Why is this more than a sort of irritation' Or,
you know, in a strong society, it's just like whatever, you know, it's a
kind of compliment. But in a closing society, it gets very frightening.
In February, the management of the list, which has swollen from 45,000
to 775,000 Americans -- they're adding 20,000 names a month, right'
Where are they getting those names' Remember when I said, how do they
round up people so quickly in a closing society' The management of the
lists is going to go from the airlines to the government. And in
February, unless we push back this regulation -- it's being slipped in
very quietly -- we are going to have to apply to the state to get an
airline ticket to cross a border, which moves us from 1931 to about 1936.
I'm back on the list. Why is this more than a sort of irritation' Or,
you know, in a strong society, it's just like whatever, you know, it's a
kind of compliment. But in a closing society, it gets very frightening.
In February, the management of the list, which has swollen from 45,000
to 775,000 Americans -- they're adding 20,000 names a month, right'
Where are they getting those names' Remember when I said, how do they
round up people so quickly in a closing society' The management of the
lists is going to go from the airlines to the government. And in
February, unless we push back this regulation -- it's being slipped in
very quietly -- we are going to have to apply to the state to get an
airline ticket to cross a border, which moves us from 1931 to about 1936.
*AMY GOODMAN: *Number nine and number ten of your steps toward fascism:
restrict the press; cast criticism as espionage, dissent as treason.
Subvert the rule of law is eleven. What is the patriot's task, where you
conclude'
restrict the press; cast criticism as espionage, dissent as treason.
Subvert the rule of law is eleven. What is the patriot's task, where you
conclude'
*NAOMI WOLF: *Well, the patriot's task is, first, wake up. I mean, all
around the world, democracy activists who are familiar with these same
ten steps are sort of waving their arms at us, going, 'No! You know,
recognize this.' You don't make it easier for the President to declare
martial law, as we just did with the 2007 Defense Authorization Act. You
don't make it easier for the President to lock up political opponents in
a cell or strip people of /habeas corpus/. No, you don't make it easier
for the President to have a paramilitary force like Blackwater, composed
of hand-selected torturers and murderers from countries like Chile and
Nigeria and El Salvador, where they're trained to torture their own
civilians. You know, you don't set them loose in Illinois and Southern
California and North Carolina. No! Bad idea! So, first, you wake up. You
see the blueprint.
around the world, democracy activists who are familiar with these same
ten steps are sort of waving their arms at us, going, 'No! You know,
recognize this.' You don't make it easier for the President to declare
martial law, as we just did with the 2007 Defense Authorization Act. You
don't make it easier for the President to lock up political opponents in
a cell or strip people of /habeas corpus/. No, you don't make it easier
for the President to have a paramilitary force like Blackwater, composed
of hand-selected torturers and murderers from countries like Chile and
Nigeria and El Salvador, where they're trained to torture their own
civilians. You know, you don't set them loose in Illinois and Southern
California and North Carolina. No! Bad idea! So, first, you wake up. You
see the blueprint.
*AMY GOODMAN: *We have ten seconds.
*NAOMI WOLF: *Finally, we have to -- we started the
americanfreedomcampaign.org <http://www.americanfreedomcampaign.org>.
It's a democracy movement to restore the rule of law. We're calling for
lawyers across the country and citizens to call for hearings, special
prosecutor, identify the crimes, impeach and prosecute, and save the
country.
americanfreedomcampaign.org <http://www.americanfreedomcampaign.org>.
It's a democracy movement to restore the rule of law. We're calling for
lawyers across the country and citizens to call for hearings, special
prosecutor, identify the crimes, impeach and prosecute, and save the
country.
*AMY GOODMAN: *Naomi Wolf, I want to thank you for being with us. Do you
think Democratic candidates are raising these issues, for president'
think Democratic candidates are raising these issues, for president'
*NAOMI WOLF: *Not enough. This is a transpartisan issue, and we all need
to push them, hold their feet to the fire across the board.
to push them, hold their feet to the fire across the board.
*AMY GOODMAN: *Naomi Wolf's book is /The End of America/. Thank you for
being with us.
being with us.
********************************************************************
2
*ZNet | Iraq*
*Iraq Has Only Militants, No Civilians
'Tactical Perception Management' in Iraq*
'Tactical Perception Management' in Iraq*
*by Dahr Jamail; TomDispatch <http://www.tomdispatch.com>; November
26, 2007*
26, 2007*
/"Sometimes I think it should be a rule of war that you have to
see somebody up close and get to know him before you can shoot
him." -- Colonel Potter, M*A*S*H/
see somebody up close and get to know him before you can shoot
him." -- Colonel Potter, M*A*S*H/
Name them. Maim them. Kill them.
From the beginning of the American occupation in Iraq, air
strikes and attacks by the U.S. military have only killed
"militants," "criminals," "suspected insurgents," "IED
[Improvised Explosive Device] emplacers," "anti-American
fighters," "terrorists," "military age males," "armed men,"
"extremists," or "al-Qaeda."
strikes and attacks by the U.S. military have only killed
"militants," "criminals," "suspected insurgents," "IED
[Improvised Explosive Device] emplacers," "anti-American
fighters," "terrorists," "military age males," "armed men,"
"extremists," or "al-Qaeda."
The pattern for reporting on such attacks has remained the same
from the early years of the occupation to today. Take a
helicopter attack on October 23rd of this year near the village
of Djila, north of Samarra. The U.S. military claimed it had
killed 11 among "a group of men planting a roadside bomb." Only
later did a military spokesperson acknowledge that at least six
of the dead were civilians. Local residents claimed that those
killed were farmers, that there were children among them, and
that the number of dead was greater than 11.
from the early years of the occupation to today. Take a
helicopter attack on October 23rd of this year near the village
of Djila, north of Samarra. The U.S. military claimed it had
killed 11 among "a group of men planting a roadside bomb." Only
later did a military spokesperson acknowledge that at least six
of the dead were civilians. Local residents claimed that those
killed were farmers, that there were children among them, and
that the number of dead was greater than 11.
Here is part of the statement released by U.S. military
spokeswoman in northern Iraq, Major Peggy Kageleiry:
spokeswoman in northern Iraq, Major Peggy Kageleiry:
"A suspected insurgent and improvised explosive device cell
member was identified among the killed in an engagement between
Coalition Forces and suspected IED emplacers just north of
Samarra.... During the engagement, insurgents used a nearby
house as a safe haven to re-engage coalition aircraft. A known
member of an IED cell was among the 11 killed during the
multiple engagements. We send condolences to the families of
those victims and we regret any loss of life."
member was identified among the killed in an engagement between
Coalition Forces and suspected IED emplacers just north of
Samarra.... During the engagement, insurgents used a nearby
house as a safe haven to re-engage coalition aircraft. A known
member of an IED cell was among the 11 killed during the
multiple engagements. We send condolences to the families of
those victims and we regret any loss of life."
As usual, the version offered by locals was vastly different.
Abdul al-Rahman Iyadeh, a relative of some of the victims,
revealed that the "group of men" attacked were actually three
farmers who had left their homes at 4:30 A.M. to irrigate their
fields. Two were killed in the initial helicopter attack and the
survivor ran back to his home where other residents gathered.
The second air strike, he claimed, destroyed the house killing
14 people. Another witness told reporters that four separate
houses were hit by the helicopter. A local Iraqi policeman,
Captain Abdullah al-Isawi, put the death toll at 16 -- seven
men, six women, and three children, with another 14 wounded.
Abdul al-Rahman Iyadeh, a relative of some of the victims,
revealed that the "group of men" attacked were actually three
farmers who had left their homes at 4:30 A.M. to irrigate their
fields. Two were killed in the initial helicopter attack and the
survivor ran back to his home where other residents gathered.
The second air strike, he claimed, destroyed the house killing
14 people. Another witness told reporters that four separate
houses were hit by the helicopter. A local Iraqi policeman,
Captain Abdullah al-Isawi, put the death toll at 16 -- seven
men, six women, and three children, with another 14 wounded.
As often happens, the U.S. military, once challenged, declared
that an "investigation" of the incident was under way.
that an "investigation" of the incident was under way.
*And So It Goes*
On October 21st, two days before that helicopter strike near
Djila, American soldiers, again aided by helicopters, but this
time in a heavily populated urban neighborhood, claimed to have
killed 49 "armed men" in a "gun battle" in Sadr City, a
sprawling Shi'ite neighborhood in eastern Baghdad. Then, too,
the military initially insisted "no civilians were killed or
injured." A Shi'ite citizens' council and other Shi'ite groups
responded that many innocent bystanders had died. Among the 13
dead mentioned in initial reports by local Iraqi police were
three children and a woman. Other Iraqi authorities announced
that 69 people had been injured.
Djila, American soldiers, again aided by helicopters, but this
time in a heavily populated urban neighborhood, claimed to have
killed 49 "armed men" in a "gun battle" in Sadr City, a
sprawling Shi'ite neighborhood in eastern Baghdad. Then, too,
the military initially insisted "no civilians were killed or
injured." A Shi'ite citizens' council and other Shi'ite groups
responded that many innocent bystanders had died. Among the 13
dead mentioned in initial reports by local Iraqi police were
three children and a woman. Other Iraqi authorities announced
that 69 people had been injured.
The U.S. military had no explanation for the widely varying
American and Iraqi tallies of casualties.
American and Iraqi tallies of casualties.
The official American account went like this:
"The operation's objective was an individual reported to be a
long time Special Groups member specializing in kidnapping
operations. Intelligence indicates he is a well-known cell
leader and has previously sought funding from Iran to carry out
high profile kidnappings. Upon arrival, the ground force began
to clear a series of buildings in the target area and received
sustained heavy fire from adjacent structures, from automatic
weapons and rocket propelled grenades, or RPGs. Responding in
self-defense, Coalition forces engaged, killing an estimated 33
criminals. Supporting aircraft was also called in to engage
enemy personnel maneuvering with RPGs toward the ground force,
killing an estimated six criminals. Upon departing the target
area, Coalition forces continued to receive heavy fire from
automatic weapons and RPGs and were also attacked by an
improvised explosive device. Responding in self-defense, the
ground force engaged the hostile threat, killing an additional
estimated 10 combatants. All total, Coalition forces estimate
that 49 criminals were killed in three separate engagements
during this operation. Ground forces reported they were unaware
of any innocent civilians being killed as a result of this
operation."
long time Special Groups member specializing in kidnapping
operations. Intelligence indicates he is a well-known cell
leader and has previously sought funding from Iran to carry out
high profile kidnappings. Upon arrival, the ground force began
to clear a series of buildings in the target area and received
sustained heavy fire from adjacent structures, from automatic
weapons and rocket propelled grenades, or RPGs. Responding in
self-defense, Coalition forces engaged, killing an estimated 33
criminals. Supporting aircraft was also called in to engage
enemy personnel maneuvering with RPGs toward the ground force,
killing an estimated six criminals. Upon departing the target
area, Coalition forces continued to receive heavy fire from
automatic weapons and RPGs and were also attacked by an
improvised explosive device. Responding in self-defense, the
ground force engaged the hostile threat, killing an additional
estimated 10 combatants. All total, Coalition forces estimate
that 49 criminals were killed in three separate engagements
during this operation. Ground forces reported they were unaware
of any innocent civilians being killed as a result of this
operation."
To be fair, the military admitted that the target of this
manhunt was not, in fact, among those captured or killed.
manhunt was not, in fact, among those captured or killed.
After the "operation," television news outlets broadcast images
of grieving families in the streets of Sadr City. One man
reported that his neighbor's 6-year-old child had been killed,
and a 2-year-old wounded. Arab television outlets caught scenes
of ambulances with wailing sirens carrying the injured to the
Imam Ali hospital, the largest in Sadr City, where doctors were
shown treating the casualties, including children.
of grieving families in the streets of Sadr City. One man
reported that his neighbor's 6-year-old child had been killed,
and a 2-year-old wounded. Arab television outlets caught scenes
of ambulances with wailing sirens carrying the injured to the
Imam Ali hospital, the largest in Sadr City, where doctors were
shown treating the casualties, including children.
Typically with such incidents, those 49 dead "criminals" turned
back into civilians when local police began checking, including
two (not three) children in their final count.
back into civilians when local police began checking, including
two (not three) children in their final count.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nour al-Maliki vowed an investigation for
which U.S. military officials offered to form a joint committee;
but, as is so often the case in such "investigations," there
have been no follow-up reports. In this "incident," the U.S.
military, as far as we know, still stands by its assertion that
no civilians were killed or wounded.
which U.S. military officials offered to form a joint committee;
but, as is so often the case in such "investigations," there
have been no follow-up reports. In this "incident," the U.S.
military, as far as we know, still stands by its assertion that
no civilians were killed or wounded.
Two months earlier, in a similar incident, the U.S. military
claimed 32 "suspected insurgents" killed during an air strike,
also in Sadr City, a claim disputed by Iraqis in the
neighborhood, followed by the usual promise of an investigation
-- of which, once again, nothing more was heard.
claimed 32 "suspected insurgents" killed during an air strike,
also in Sadr City, a claim disputed by Iraqis in the
neighborhood, followed by the usual promise of an investigation
-- of which, once again, nothing more was heard.
*"Tactical Perception Management"*
For perspective, let me take you back to Iraq in November 2003.
I had been there less than a week on my first visit to that
occupied country when the U.S. military reported a raging
firefight between American forces and 150 of Saddam Hussein's
former /Fedayeen/ paramilitary fighters. According to General
Peter Pace, then vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
American soldiers, on being attacked by the group, had responded
fiercely and killed 54 of them. "They attacked and they were
killed, so I think it will be instructive to them," General Pace
had smugly observed.
I had been there less than a week on my first visit to that
occupied country when the U.S. military reported a raging
firefight between American forces and 150 of Saddam Hussein's
former /Fedayeen/ paramilitary fighters. According to General
Peter Pace, then vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
American soldiers, on being attacked by the group, had responded
fiercely and killed 54 of them. "They attacked and they were
killed, so I think it will be instructive to them," General Pace
had smugly observed.
Most of the Western media simply chalked up the number of
"insurgent" dead at 54 and left it at that. Local media in
Baghdad, as well as outlets like /Al-Jazeera/, were, however,
citing very different figures taken directly from the hospital
in Samarra where the wounded were being treated. Doctors there
announced a count of eight killed in the incident, including an
Iranian pilgrim, and 50 Iraqis wounded.
"insurgent" dead at 54 and left it at that. Local media in
Baghdad, as well as outlets like /Al-Jazeera/, were, however,
citing very different figures taken directly from the hospital
in Samarra where the wounded were being treated. Doctors there
announced a count of eight killed in the incident, including an
Iranian pilgrim, and 50 Iraqis wounded.
I traveled to Samarra that week, visited the morgue at Samarra
General Hospital, spoke with wounded Iraqis at the hospital, and
interviewed one of the leading sheikhs of the city as well as
several eyewitnesses to the event. What I found was general
agreement that a U.S. patrol had, in fact, come under attack --
but by only two gunmen while delivering money to a downtown
bank. Jumpy American soldiers had responded with a spray of fire
that had killed neither of the attackers, but eight civilians,
while wounding 50 others. The streets in the city center, where
the firing took place, were riddled with bullets.
General Hospital, spoke with wounded Iraqis at the hospital, and
interviewed one of the leading sheikhs of the city as well as
several eyewitnesses to the event. What I found was general
agreement that a U.S. patrol had, in fact, come under attack --
but by only two gunmen while delivering money to a downtown
bank. Jumpy American soldiers had responded with a spray of fire
that had killed neither of the attackers, but eight civilians,
while wounding 50 others. The streets in the city center, where
the firing took place, were riddled with bullets.
The military, nonetheless, stood by their figure -- 54 dead --
and insisted that the enormous force of "insurgents" had
attacked with mortars, grenades, and automatic weapons.
and insisted that the enormous force of "insurgents" had
attacked with mortars, grenades, and automatic weapons.
A man I interviewed, who had been in his tea stall in the
vicinity and witnessed most of the incident, summed up the local
reaction this way:
vicinity and witnessed most of the incident, summed up the local
reaction this way:
"The Americans say the people who fought them are al-Qaeda or
/fedayeen/. We are all living in this small city here. Why have
we not seen these foreign fighters and strangers in our city
before or after this battle? Everyone here knows everyone, and
none have seen these strangers. Why do they tell these lies?"
/fedayeen/. We are all living in this small city here. Why have
we not seen these foreign fighters and strangers in our city
before or after this battle? Everyone here knows everyone, and
none have seen these strangers. Why do they tell these lies?"
Another man, at the scene had drawn my attention to a parked car
scarred with 112 bullets. As I was photographing it, a man with
two children at his side approached. They were, he said, the
children of his brother who had been killed by the gunfire.
scarred with 112 bullets. As I was photographing it, a man with
two children at his side approached. They were, he said, the
children of his brother who had been killed by the gunfire.
"This little boy and girl, their father was shot by the
Americans. Who will take care of this family? Who will watch
over these children? Who will feed them now? Who? Why did they
kill my brother? What is the reason? Nobody told me. He was a
truck driver. What is his crime? Why did they shoot him? They
shot him with 150 bullets! Did they kill him just because they
wanted to shoot a man? That's it? This is the reason? Why didn't
anyone talk to me and tell me why they have killed my brother?
Is killing people a normal thing now, happening every day? This
is our future? This is the future that the United States
promised Iraq?"
Americans. Who will take care of this family? Who will watch
over these children? Who will feed them now? Who? Why did they
kill my brother? What is the reason? Nobody told me. He was a
truck driver. What is his crime? Why did they shoot him? They
shot him with 150 bullets! Did they kill him just because they
wanted to shoot a man? That's it? This is the reason? Why didn't
anyone talk to me and tell me why they have killed my brother?
Is killing people a normal thing now, happening every day? This
is our future? This is the future that the United States
promised Iraq?"
My life as an independent reporter in his country was just
beginning and his questions felt like so many blows to the gut.
Of course, I was the only American reporter there to hear him
and I was then writing for an email audience of under 200. This
is what it means, in Pentagon terms, to dominate not only the
battlefield, but the media landscape in which that battlefield
is reported. And that sort of domination was, it turned out,
very much on Pentagon minds in that period.
beginning and his questions felt like so many blows to the gut.
Of course, I was the only American reporter there to hear him
and I was then writing for an email audience of under 200. This
is what it means, in Pentagon terms, to dominate not only the
battlefield, but the media landscape in which that battlefield
is reported. And that sort of domination was, it turned out,
very much on Pentagon minds in that period.
Within days of the incident, for instance, the /New York Times/
published
<http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0DE6DC143DF936A35751C1A9659C8B63>
an article about how the Pentagon had awarded a contract to
SAIC, a private company, which was to investigate ways the
Department of Defense could use propaganda for more "effective
strategic influence" in the "war on terror." The Pentagon
referred to this potential propaganda blitz (which would
eventually come back to haunt Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld) as a "tactical perception management campaign." The
title of the document SAIC produced was "Winning the War of Ideas."
published
<http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0DE6DC143DF936A35751C1A9659C8B63>
an article about how the Pentagon had awarded a contract to
SAIC, a private company, which was to investigate ways the
Department of Defense could use propaganda for more "effective
strategic influence" in the "war on terror." The Pentagon
referred to this potential propaganda blitz (which would
eventually come back to haunt Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld) as a "tactical perception management campaign." The
title of the document SAIC produced was "Winning the War of Ideas."
On December 2, 2005, the U.S. military would admit that the
Lincoln Group
<http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion?pid=131435>, which
described itself as "a strategic communications & pubic
relations firm providing insight & influence in challenging &
hostile environments," had been hired by the Pentagon to plant
pro-American good-news articles in the new Iraqi "free" press
that the Bush administration was just then touting. This was
exposed during a briefing with Senator John Warner of Virginia,
head of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Lincoln Group
<http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion?pid=131435>, which
described itself as "a strategic communications & pubic
relations firm providing insight & influence in challenging &
hostile environments," had been hired by the Pentagon to plant
pro-American good-news articles in the new Iraqi "free" press
that the Bush administration was just then touting. This was
exposed during a briefing with Senator John Warner of Virginia,
head of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The admission would not, as one might have expected, prove a
step towards deterrence. Not only did the Lincoln Group get
further contracts, but a wide range of similar tactics continue
to be employed by the military in Iraq today with even greater
impunity. In Iraq, the propaganda and misinformation have, in
fact, been continual and on a massive scale. And, of course, the
regular announcements of Iraqi "insurgent" or "criminal" deaths
in American operations have never stopped, nor have the
announcements of "investigations," when those claims are
seriously challenged on the ground -- investigations which,
except in a few cases, are never heard of again. All this is a
reminder of something George W. Bush once said
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/05/20050524-3.html>:
"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over
and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of
catapult the propaganda."
step towards deterrence. Not only did the Lincoln Group get
further contracts, but a wide range of similar tactics continue
to be employed by the military in Iraq today with even greater
impunity. In Iraq, the propaganda and misinformation have, in
fact, been continual and on a massive scale. And, of course, the
regular announcements of Iraqi "insurgent" or "criminal" deaths
in American operations have never stopped, nor have the
announcements of "investigations," when those claims are
seriously challenged on the ground -- investigations which,
except in a few cases, are never heard of again. All this is a
reminder of something George W. Bush once said
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/05/20050524-3.html>:
"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over
and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of
catapult the propaganda."
*The Military Wrist is Slapped*
Even when one of those investigations did lead somewhere, that
somewhere was almost invariably a dead end. Take Haditha.
Witnesses told reporters that, on November 19, 2005, in the
western town of Haditha, 24 Iraqi civilians had been slaughtered
by U.S. Marines. It was no secret that the Marines had shot men,
women, and children at close range in retaliation for a roadside
bombing that killed one of their own.
somewhere was almost invariably a dead end. Take Haditha.
Witnesses told reporters that, on November 19, 2005, in the
western town of Haditha, 24 Iraqi civilians had been slaughtered
by U.S. Marines. It was no secret that the Marines had shot men,
women, and children at close range in retaliation for a roadside
bombing that killed one of their own.
The /Washington Post/ quoted Aws Fahmi, a Haditha resident who
was watching
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/26/AR2006052602069.html>
from his home as Marines went from house to house killing
members of three families. He had heard Younis Salim Khafif, his
neighbor across the street, plead in English for his life and
the lives of his family members. "I heard Younis speaking to the
Americans, saying: 'I am a friend. I am good,'" Fahmi said. "But
they killed him, and his wife and daughters."
was watching
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/26/AR2006052602069.html>
from his home as Marines went from house to house killing
members of three families. He had heard Younis Salim Khafif, his
neighbor across the street, plead in English for his life and
the lives of his family members. "I heard Younis speaking to the
Americans, saying: 'I am a friend. I am good,'" Fahmi said. "But
they killed him, and his wife and daughters."
A /Post/ special correspondent and U.S. investigators in
Washington reported that some of the dead were women attempting
to shield their children. According to death certificates, the
girls killed in Khafif's house were aged 14, 10, 5, 3, and 1.
Washington reported that some of the dead were women attempting
to shield their children. According to death certificates, the
girls killed in Khafif's house were aged 14, 10, 5, 3, and 1.
After the news broke in the U.S., the military ordered a probe
of the incident. An Iraqi had actually managed to film the
interiors of the blood-soaked houses as well as scenes of the
wounded at the Haditha hospital, and had recorded statements of
eyewitnesses to the massacre.
of the incident. An Iraqi had actually managed to film the
interiors of the blood-soaked houses as well as scenes of the
wounded at the Haditha hospital, and had recorded statements of
eyewitnesses to the massacre.
Even now, two years after the massacre, investigations continue.
Anonymous Pentagon officials having admitted to reporters that
there is an abundance of evidence to support charges against the
accused Marines of deliberately shooting civilians, including
unarmed women and children. Currently, Marine Corps and Navy
prosecutors are reviewing the evidence, and will likely ask for
further probes.
Anonymous Pentagon officials having admitted to reporters that
there is an abundance of evidence to support charges against the
accused Marines of deliberately shooting civilians, including
unarmed women and children. Currently, Marine Corps and Navy
prosecutors are reviewing the evidence, and will likely ask for
further probes.
As for the charges levied against the soldiers involved in the
massacre, on April 2nd of this year, all of the charges against
Sgt. Sanick P. Dela Cruz, who was accused of killing five
civilians, were dropped
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/17/AR2007041701152.html>
as part of a decision that granted him immunity to testify in
potential courts-martial for seven other Marines charged in the
attack and in its alleged cover-up. On August 9th, all murder
charges against Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt and charges of
failing to investigate the incident against Capt. Randy Stone
were dropped by Lt. Gen. James Mattis, well-known for claiming
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Mattisfame> of fighting in
Afghanistan, "It's fun to shoot some people." On August 23th,
the investigating officer suggested that charges against Lance
Cpl. Stephen Tatum be dropped as well. On October 19th, Tatum's
commanding officers decided the charges should be lowered to
involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and aggravated
assault. More recently, on September 18th, all charges against
Capt. Lucas McConnell were dropped, and the investigating
officer recommended that charges be similarly dropped against
Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum.
massacre, on April 2nd of this year, all of the charges against
Sgt. Sanick P. Dela Cruz, who was accused of killing five
civilians, were dropped
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/17/AR2007041701152.html>
as part of a decision that granted him immunity to testify in
potential courts-martial for seven other Marines charged in the
attack and in its alleged cover-up. On August 9th, all murder
charges against Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt and charges of
failing to investigate the incident against Capt. Randy Stone
were dropped by Lt. Gen. James Mattis, well-known for claiming
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Mattisfame> of fighting in
Afghanistan, "It's fun to shoot some people." On August 23th,
the investigating officer suggested that charges against Lance
Cpl. Stephen Tatum be dropped as well. On October 19th, Tatum's
commanding officers decided the charges should be lowered to
involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and aggravated
assault. More recently, on September 18th, all charges against
Capt. Lucas McConnell were dropped, and the investigating
officer recommended that charges be similarly dropped against
Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum.
On October 3rd, an investigating officer of an Article 32
hearing (a proceeding similar to a civilian grand jury)
recommended that Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich be tried for
negligent homicide in the deaths of two women and five children,
and that the murder charges for his involvement in the killing
of 17 innocent civilians, be dropped. In other words, so far, no
one has gone to jail for the massacre in Haditha.
hearing (a proceeding similar to a civilian grand jury)
recommended that Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich be tried for
negligent homicide in the deaths of two women and five children,
and that the murder charges for his involvement in the killing
of 17 innocent civilians, be dropped. In other words, so far, no
one has gone to jail for the massacre in Haditha.
It is now commonplace for such investigations, regarding heinous
crimes against Iraqi civilians, to drag on for months or even
years. Equally commonplace: On completion of these
investigations, the low-level soldiers, who are charged with the
crimes, are often either cleared entirely or given laughably
light sentences by military courts.
crimes against Iraqi civilians, to drag on for months or even
years. Equally commonplace: On completion of these
investigations, the low-level soldiers, who are charged with the
crimes, are often either cleared entirely or given laughably
light sentences by military courts.
On November 8th, for instance, Staff Sgt. Michael Hensley, a
sniper, was found not guilty
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/11/AR2007111100168.html?tid=informbox>
by military judges on three charges of premeditated murder for
killing three Iraqi civilians. He was instead convicted only of
placing an AK-47 rifle with the remains of a dead Iraqi during
one of his missions -- as evidence that the man was an "insurgent."
sniper, was found not guilty
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/11/AR2007111100168.html?tid=informbox>
by military judges on three charges of premeditated murder for
killing three Iraqi civilians. He was instead convicted only of
placing an AK-47 rifle with the remains of a dead Iraqi during
one of his missions -- as evidence that the man was an "insurgent."
In January 2004, 19 year-old Zaidoun Hassoun, and his cousin
Marwan Fadil were forced off a ledge into the Tigris River in
Samarra at gunpoint by U.S. soldiers. Fadil survived. He
testified that the soldiers, after forcing the two into the
water, had stood by laughing as Hassoun drowned.
Marwan Fadil were forced off a ledge into the Tigris River in
Samarra at gunpoint by U.S. soldiers. Fadil survived. He
testified that the soldiers, after forcing the two into the
water, had stood by laughing as Hassoun drowned.
Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Perkins was the only soldier tried in the
case. Defense attorney Captain Joshua Norris suggested that
Perkins could not be convicted of manslaughter because there was
"no body, no evidence, no death." He was, in fact, cleared of
the involuntary manslaughter charge in a military court on
January 9, 2005 and instead was reduced in rank by one grade and
sentenced to six months in a military prison for assault.
case. Defense attorney Captain Joshua Norris suggested that
Perkins could not be convicted of manslaughter because there was
"no body, no evidence, no death." He was, in fact, cleared of
the involuntary manslaughter charge in a military court on
January 9, 2005 and instead was reduced in rank by one grade and
sentenced to six months in a military prison for assault.
Similarly, on June 6, 2006, three British soldiers were cleared
of charges of killing 15-year-old Ahmed Jabber Kareem in May
2003 by forcing him into a Basra canal.
of charges of killing 15-year-old Ahmed Jabber Kareem in May
2003 by forcing him into a Basra canal.
*Iraqis Dehumanized*
None of this -- from the unending "incidents" themselves to the
way the Pentagon has dominated the reporting of them -- would
have been possible without a widespread dehumanization of Iraqis
among American soldiers (and a deep-set, if largely unexpressed
and little considered, conviction on the American "home front"
that Iraqi lives are worth little). If, four decades ago, the
Vietnamese were "gooks," "dinks," and "slopes," the Iraqis of
the American occupation are "hajis," "sand-niggers," and "towel
heads." Latent racism abets the dehumanization process, ably
assisted by a mainstream media that tends, with honorable
exceptions, to accept Pentagon announcements as at least an
initial approximation of reality in Iraq.
way the Pentagon has dominated the reporting of them -- would
have been possible without a widespread dehumanization of Iraqis
among American soldiers (and a deep-set, if largely unexpressed
and little considered, conviction on the American "home front"
that Iraqi lives are worth little). If, four decades ago, the
Vietnamese were "gooks," "dinks," and "slopes," the Iraqis of
the American occupation are "hajis," "sand-niggers," and "towel
heads." Latent racism abets the dehumanization process, ably
assisted by a mainstream media that tends, with honorable
exceptions, to accept Pentagon announcements as at least an
initial approximation of reality in Iraq.
Whether it was "incidents" involving helicopter strikes in which
those on the ground who died were assumed to be enemy and evil,
or the wholesale destruction of the city of Fallujah in 2004, or
the massacre at Haditha, or a slaughtered wedding party
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4929336-103550,00.html>
in the western desert of Iraq that was also caught on video tape
(Marine Major General James Mattis: "How many people go to the
middle of the desert.... to hold a wedding 80 miles from the
nearest civilization? These were more than two dozen
military-age males. Let's not be naive."), or killings at U.S.
checkpoints; or even the initial invasion of Iraq itself, we
find the same propaganda techniques deployed: Demonize an
"enemy"; report only "fighters" being killed; stick to the story
despite evidence to the contrary; if under pressure, launch an
investigation; if still under pressure, bring only low-level
troops up on charges; convict a few of them; sentence them
lightly; repeat drill.
those on the ground who died were assumed to be enemy and evil,
or the wholesale destruction of the city of Fallujah in 2004, or
the massacre at Haditha, or a slaughtered wedding party
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4929336-103550,00.html>
in the western desert of Iraq that was also caught on video tape
(Marine Major General James Mattis: "How many people go to the
middle of the desert.... to hold a wedding 80 miles from the
nearest civilization? These were more than two dozen
military-age males. Let's not be naive."), or killings at U.S.
checkpoints; or even the initial invasion of Iraq itself, we
find the same propaganda techniques deployed: Demonize an
"enemy"; report only "fighters" being killed; stick to the story
despite evidence to the contrary; if under pressure, launch an
investigation; if still under pressure, bring only low-level
troops up on charges; convict a few of them; sentence them
lightly; repeat drill.
At the time of this writing, the group Just Foreign Policy has
offered an estimate
<http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/iraqdeaths.html> of
Iraqis killed since the U.S.-led invasion and occupation. Their
number: 1,118,846. Consider that possibility in the context of
the latest round of news from Iraq about lessening violence.
offered an estimate
<http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/iraqdeaths.html> of
Iraqis killed since the U.S.-led invasion and occupation. Their
number: 1,118,846. Consider that possibility in the context of
the latest round of news from Iraq about lessening violence.
The estimate is based on figures from a study conducted by
researchers from Johns Hopkins University in the U.S. and
al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad, and published in October
2006 in the British Medical Journal, /The Lancet/, which found
655,000 Iraqis had died as a direct result of the Anglo-American
invasion and occupation. The report methodology has been called
"robust" and "close to best practice" by Sir Roy Anderson, the
chief scientific advisor to Britain's Ministry of Defense. Since
that time, in addition to Just Foreign Policy, the British
research polling agency Opinion Research Business has
extrapolated a figure of 1.2 million deaths in Iraq. Based on
this, veteran Australian born journalist John Pilger wrote
recently <http://www.antiwar.com/pilger/?articleid=11910>, "The
scale of death caused by the British and U.S. governments may
well have surpassed that of the Rwanda genocide, making it the
biggest single act of mass murder of the late 20th century and
the 21st century."
researchers from Johns Hopkins University in the U.S. and
al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad, and published in October
2006 in the British Medical Journal, /The Lancet/, which found
655,000 Iraqis had died as a direct result of the Anglo-American
invasion and occupation. The report methodology has been called
"robust" and "close to best practice" by Sir Roy Anderson, the
chief scientific advisor to Britain's Ministry of Defense. Since
that time, in addition to Just Foreign Policy, the British
research polling agency Opinion Research Business has
extrapolated a figure of 1.2 million deaths in Iraq. Based on
this, veteran Australian born journalist John Pilger wrote
recently <http://www.antiwar.com/pilger/?articleid=11910>, "The
scale of death caused by the British and U.S. governments may
well have surpassed that of the Rwanda genocide, making it the
biggest single act of mass murder of the late 20th century and
the 21st century."
It is an indication of the success of an effective Pentagon
"tactical perception management campaign," of the way the Bush
administration has continued to "catapult propaganda," and of
the dehumanization of Iraqis that has gone with it, that the
possibility of the number of dead Iraqis being in this range has
largely been dismissed (or remained generally undealt with) in
the mainstream media in the United States. Add to that the
refusal of the U.S. military to bring justice to those charged
with some of these heinous crimes, the lack of accountability,
and an establishment media which has regularly camouflaged the
true nature of the occupation, and we have the perfect setting
for a continuance of industrial-scale slaughter in Iraq, even
while the news highlights the likes of Britney Spears and
Lindsay Lohan and their adventures in various rehab clinics.
"tactical perception management campaign," of the way the Bush
administration has continued to "catapult propaganda," and of
the dehumanization of Iraqis that has gone with it, that the
possibility of the number of dead Iraqis being in this range has
largely been dismissed (or remained generally undealt with) in
the mainstream media in the United States. Add to that the
refusal of the U.S. military to bring justice to those charged
with some of these heinous crimes, the lack of accountability,
and an establishment media which has regularly camouflaged the
true nature of the occupation, and we have the perfect setting
for a continuance of industrial-scale slaughter in Iraq, even
while the news highlights the likes of Britney Spears and
Lindsay Lohan and their adventures in various rehab clinics.
In what could reasonably serve as a summary of the American
occupation of Iraq, the eighteenth century philosopher Voltaire
wrote, "It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are
punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of
trumpets."
occupation of Iraq, the eighteenth century philosopher Voltaire
wrote, "It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are
punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of
trumpets."
/Dahr Jamail. an independent journalist, is the author of the
just-published Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an
Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq
<http://www.amazon.com/dp/1931859477/ref=nosim/?tag=nationbooks08-20>
(Haymarket Books, 2007). Jamail reported from occupied Iraq for
eight months as well as from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey
over the last four years. He writes regularly for
Tomdispatch.com, Inter Press Service, Asia Times, and Foreign
Policy in Focus. He has contributed to The Sunday Herald, The
Independent, The Guardian, and The Nation, among other
publications. He maintains a website, Dahr Jamail's Mideast
Dispatches <http://www.dahrjamailiraq.com/>, with all his writing./
just-published Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an
Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq
<http://www.amazon.com/dp/1931859477/ref=nosim/?tag=nationbooks08-20>
(Haymarket Books, 2007). Jamail reported from occupied Iraq for
eight months as well as from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey
over the last four years. He writes regularly for
Tomdispatch.com, Inter Press Service, Asia Times, and Foreign
Policy in Focus. He has contributed to The Sunday Herald, The
Independent, The Guardian, and The Nation, among other
publications. He maintains a website, Dahr Jamail's Mideast
Dispatches <http://www.dahrjamailiraq.com/>, with all his writing./
[This article first appeared on Tomdispatch.com
<http://www.tomdispatch.com/>, a weblog of the Nation Institute,
which offers a steady flow of alternate sources, news, and
opinion from Tom Engelhardt, long time editor in publishing,
/co-founder of the American Empire Project
<http://www.americanempireproject.com/>/ and author of /The End
of Victory Culture
<http://www.amazon.com/dp/155849586X/ref=nosim/?tag=nationbooks08-20>
(University of Massachusetts Press), which has just been
thoroughly updated in a newly issued edition that deals with
victory culture's crash-and-burn sequel in Iraq./]
<http://www.tomdispatch.com/>, a weblog of the Nation Institute,
which offers a steady flow of alternate sources, news, and
opinion from Tom Engelhardt, long time editor in publishing,
/co-founder of the American Empire Project
<http://www.americanempireproject.com/>/ and author of /The End
of Victory Culture
<http://www.amazon.com/dp/155849586X/ref=nosim/?tag=nationbooks08-20>
(University of Massachusetts Press), which has just been
thoroughly updated in a newly issued edition that deals with
victory culture's crash-and-burn sequel in Iraq./]
******************************************************************************
3
*ZNet | Activism*
*Sitting On the Group W Bench-War and Arlo Guthrie's Thanksgiving*
*by Ron Jacobs; November 20, 2007*
I first heard "Alice's Restaurant" in 1968 on Washington DC's
underground radio station WHFS. The most memorable time I heard
it was in May 1970 on the day after the military murders at
Kent State when a friend read it in homeroom at the junior high
I attended in Frankfurt, Germany. The song's innocence and hope
echo today in the empty chambers of our empty culture where the
current antiwar movement has yet to find an anthem. For those
who don't know this song by Arlo Guthrie, it is the story of a
littering arrest that becomes a humorous yet pointed diatribe
against the culture of war and conformity. The littering arrest
itself took place on Thanksgiving Day in 1965 and the draft was
in full swing-filling the growing demands of the war machine and
its war of the day.
underground radio station WHFS. The most memorable time I heard
it was in May 1970 on the day after the military murders at
Kent State when a friend read it in homeroom at the junior high
I attended in Frankfurt, Germany. The song's innocence and hope
echo today in the empty chambers of our empty culture where the
current antiwar movement has yet to find an anthem. For those
who don't know this song by Arlo Guthrie, it is the story of a
littering arrest that becomes a humorous yet pointed diatribe
against the culture of war and conformity. The littering arrest
itself took place on Thanksgiving Day in 1965 and the draft was
in full swing-filling the growing demands of the war machine and
its war of the day.
Guthrie's song was part of a general distrust of authority
making its way back into white America after a post World War
Two hiatus. It was more than distrust actually. In fact, it
was turning quickly into a refusal to go along with said
authority. For the most part, this sentiment was most
profoundly felt and expressed by the young via their music,
culture and politics. In a story told several times over and
with an equal number of twists, the youth counterculture of the
time was a culture of opposition. Sometimes that opposition
took the form of protests and direct action against authority
and sometimes it wore the costume of color and danced to music
enhanced by sex and drugs. As naïve as its audience and as
jaded as its target, Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant
Massacree" combined all of the counterculture's aspects into a
tale of disgust with the corporate status quo, opposition to its
desire to classify us all and throw us into war, and some good
ol' fun.
making its way back into white America after a post World War
Two hiatus. It was more than distrust actually. In fact, it
was turning quickly into a refusal to go along with said
authority. For the most part, this sentiment was most
profoundly felt and expressed by the young via their music,
culture and politics. In a story told several times over and
with an equal number of twists, the youth counterculture of the
time was a culture of opposition. Sometimes that opposition
took the form of protests and direct action against authority
and sometimes it wore the costume of color and danced to music
enhanced by sex and drugs. As naïve as its audience and as
jaded as its target, Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant
Massacree" combined all of the counterculture's aspects into a
tale of disgust with the corporate status quo, opposition to its
desire to classify us all and throw us into war, and some good
ol' fun.
What can be more traditional than Thanksgiving, after all?
Despite its negative historical connotations in that it
celebrates the beginning of the Europeans' ethnic cleansing of
the American continent's indigenous peoples, most folks in the
United States celebrate it. It's not that they are celebrating
their ancestors' massacre of the native peoples; it's that they
see it as a time to gather with friends and family and have a
good time. Even the homeless shelters take on a bit of a
festive air this Thursday in November as merchants and
individuals contribute time and money to preparing a traditional
Thanksgiving meal for the residents of those often quite dismal
places of refuge. Of course, the next day there is no more
turkey and stuffing on the table and those without permanent
shelter are still without a home. The wealthy, meanwhile,
scrape several days worth of poor folks' Thanksgiving dinners
into their garbage disposals.
Despite its negative historical connotations in that it
celebrates the beginning of the Europeans' ethnic cleansing of
the American continent's indigenous peoples, most folks in the
United States celebrate it. It's not that they are celebrating
their ancestors' massacre of the native peoples; it's that they
see it as a time to gather with friends and family and have a
good time. Even the homeless shelters take on a bit of a
festive air this Thursday in November as merchants and
individuals contribute time and money to preparing a traditional
Thanksgiving meal for the residents of those often quite dismal
places of refuge. Of course, the next day there is no more
turkey and stuffing on the table and those without permanent
shelter are still without a home. The wealthy, meanwhile,
scrape several days worth of poor folks' Thanksgiving dinners
into their garbage disposals.
The second part of Arlo's song takes place at the draft
induction center formerly located on Whitehall Street in
Manhattan, New York. He has received his draft notice and is
reporting for the physical and mental exam that was given every
inductee before he had his locks shorn and went off to boot camp
and a life of military conformity. After going through a number
of tests, which are related quite hilariously by Guthrie, he is
finally at the last station on his induction, where he is asked,
"Have you ever been arrested?" This question naturally brings
up Guthrie's entire tale of his Thanksgiving arrest for
littering in Massachusetts and the entire trial following the
arrest. Because of his arrest, he is sent to the Group W bench
with all the other "criminals." There he is given another form
that ends with the question: "Have you rehabilitated yourself?"
I'll let Arlo tell the rest of the story...
induction center formerly located on Whitehall Street in
Manhattan, New York. He has received his draft notice and is
reporting for the physical and mental exam that was given every
inductee before he had his locks shorn and went off to boot camp
and a life of military conformity. After going through a number
of tests, which are related quite hilariously by Guthrie, he is
finally at the last station on his induction, where he is asked,
"Have you ever been arrested?" This question naturally brings
up Guthrie's entire tale of his Thanksgiving arrest for
littering in Massachusetts and the entire trial following the
arrest. Because of his arrest, he is sent to the Group W bench
with all the other "criminals." There he is given another form
that ends with the question: "Have you rehabilitated yourself?"
I'll let Arlo tell the rest of the story...
I went over to the sargeant, and I said, "Sargeant, you got a
lot a damn gall to ask me if I've rehabilitated myself, I mean,
/(with added emphasis and a sneer)/
lot a damn gall to ask me if I've rehabilitated myself, I mean,
/(with added emphasis and a sneer)/
I mean, I mean that just, I'm sittin' here on the bench,
I mean I'm sittin here on the Group W bench 'cause you want to
know if I'm moral enough to join the army, burn women, kids,
houses and villages after bein' a litterbug."
know if I'm moral enough to join the army, burn women, kids,
houses and villages after bein' a litterbug."
Guthrie is not drafted because of his record. And his
Thanksgivings will never be the same. Neither should ours, even
if George Bush shows up for a photo op in Baghdad with a plastic
turkey and a couple dozen unarmed handpicked-for-their-loyalty
troops. There are thousands of other troops who have deserted
because they don't want to go back to Iraq. Protesters have
been arrested in Olympia and Tacoma, WA. for blocking military
shipments. It's time that those who oppose these dirty little
wars join their fellow antiwarriors in the Pacific Northwest on
today's Group W bench. Who knows, we might start a movement.
Thanksgivings will never be the same. Neither should ours, even
if George Bush shows up for a photo op in Baghdad with a plastic
turkey and a couple dozen unarmed handpicked-for-their-loyalty
troops. There are thousands of other troops who have deserted
because they don't want to go back to Iraq. Protesters have
been arrested in Olympia and Tacoma, WA. for blocking military
shipments. It's time that those who oppose these dirty little
wars join their fellow antiwarriors in the Pacific Northwest on
today's Group W bench. Who knows, we might start a movement.
Watch it here:
