Congratulations, America, you screwed up Iraq

The Iraq War then and Iraq now and what we don't want to know, as Americans who did it:

"We wrecked Iraq. 

We caused the deaths of as many as a million people and displaced internally and externally, another 4.7 million. Today there are still more than a million Iraqis lost in their own country — internally displaced — mostly in Baghdad, according to unembedded journalist Dahr Jamail.

"Most of them have fled from sectarian cleansings," Jamail said when he was interviewed on Democracy Now! last year, on the 10-year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. "They're living in horrible situations" — without government help, without hope for the future, surrounded by garbage, anticipating only more sectarian violence.

Our invasion wreaked havoc on the physical and social infrastructure of the country. And the weapons we used, including depleted uranium munitions and white phosphorous, shattered its health. In 2010, for instance, The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health published an epidemiological study, "Cancer, Infant Mortality and Birth Sex-Ratio in Fallujah, Iraq 2005-2009," which found that Fallujah — the city we "cleared of terrorists" with two bloody assaults in 2004 — is experiencing higher rates of cancer, leukemia and infant mortality than Hiroshima and Nagasaki did in 1945.

The country as a whole, according to Jamail, has seen an enormous jump in cancer rates since the U.S. began dismantling it. In 1991, before the first Gulf War, there were 40 registered cases of cancer per 100,000 Iraqis, he noted. By 2005, "we saw 1,600 Iraqis with cancer out of 100,000."

And Fallujah, in particular, has been devastated by an increase in birth defects since 2004 — 14 times higher than the rate measured in Hiroshima and Nagasaki after they were bombed, according to Jamail.

It's common in Fallujah, he said, citing Iraqi Dr. Samira Alani, "for newborns to come out with massive multiple systemic defects, immune problems, massive central nervous system problems, massive heart problems, skeletal disorders, babies being born with two heads, babies being born with half of their internal organs outside of their bodies, cyclops babies literally with one eye — really, really, really horrific nightmarish types of birth defects. And it is ongoing."

This is the context in which war talk and the "vital interests" of empire must be placed. Such a context is unacceptable to the corporate and political status quo, of course; so the media it controls have begun to perform cosmetic surgery on recent U.S. history, resurrecting the goodness and purity of our intentions and the simplistic evil of "the terrorists." All they need to be successful is complete denial of reality.

But the invasion of Iraq, Jamail said, "is a crime against peace, according to the Nuremberg Principles." And that makes it, and all future wars, a crime against our own, and the planet's, vital interests.

Link to original post: Lies, Stupidity, Waste and War Crimes: Iraq and the Ongoing Calamity of America's "Vital Interests"

On the travesty that is the George W Bush Presidential Museum and its opening today (guest post)

I had the misfortune to wake up to a twisted bit of logic from Ed Gillespie on "Morning Joe" today. When the very best thing you can say about the Bush presidency is 'his personal approval rating always exceeded his job approval rating,' you know something's wrong. And neither Joe or Mika called him on it. Yes, I'm sure Dubya throws a hell of a backyard barbecue, but I require competence and a steadfast adherence to logic and facts from my president - and George W. Bush displayed none of those qualities during the eight years he served as chief executive.

Ed and Joe got together to discuss the opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas today and spent most of their time glossing over the impact his administration had on our country. I expect that the coverage of the event on most networks (yes, even the "progressive" ones) will largely ignore the legacy of the Bush years and simply focus on who's there, what documents are archived and what President Obama's speechwriters might find to say that's positive about the former president during the building's dedication. It's a sham.

What I remember is that George W. Bush put Dick Cheney in charge of the country's counter-terrorism task force and he spent the next nine months refusing to meet with Richard Clarke. I remember them ignoring warnings that the system was "blinking red" and that 2,977 Americans died. I remember it only took six days for the Bush administration to draft a 12-page Memorandum of Notification authorizing the CIA to create secret prisons and torture anyone they felt might give them information. We suffered a horrific wound on September 11, 2001 - and on September 17, 2001 we responded by abandoning our morals. George W. Bush did that.

I remember that our professed "Christian" president ignored all evidence from the IAEA, millions of people around the world protesting and a personal plea from the Pope to launch a war that killed 100,000 Iraqis, 4,000 Americans and wounded another 31,000. George W. Bush did that.

I remember the 1,464 victims of Hurricane Katrina - and that FEMA's director should have been fired following the botched response to Hurricane Frances. I remember the 30,000 stranded in the SuperDome. “A 2-year-old girl slept in a pool of urine. Crack vials littered a restroom. Blood stained the walls next to vending machines smashed by teenagers. ‘We pee on the floor. We are like animals,’ said Taffany Smith, 25, as she cradled her 3-week-old son, Terry. [Los Angeles Times, 9/1/05] “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.” George W. Bush said that.

I remember the Bush presidency as one of the most destructive periods of this American experience. I remember the estimated six trillion dollars wasted on unnecessary wars - and nearly twelve trillion dollars the economic collapse cost taxpayers. When you eliminate restrictions on predatory lending, capital requirements, and allow Wall Street to police themselves, bad things are going to happen - and they did. George W. Bush did that.

I remember George W. Bush for pulling out of the Kyoto Protocol, the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the International Criminal Court Treaty. I remember Valerie Plame. I remember 1,020 days spent on vacation. I remember him saying "intelligent design" should be taught to school kids because evolution is just a "theory" (completely missing the point that a scientific theory is accepted as an explanation based on observation, experimentation, and reasoning). I remember George W. Bush, but sadly we live in what Gore Vidal referred to as the "United States of Amnesia." There is nothing to celebrate today - this is a day to remember that all of our recent troubles can be traced to just one guy: George W. Bush. "They misunderestimated me."

--From the Tom Joad Facebook page today

Great question

Quote of the day

"As soon as men know that they can kill without fear of punishment or blame, they kill; or at least they encourage killers with approving smiles."

--Simone Weil

Links:  Simone Weil

Simone Weil Quotes

Quote of the day

“Statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them, and refuse to examine any refutations of them; and thus he will by and by convince himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys after this process of grotesque self-deception.”

--Mark Twain

On this Memorial Day

Let's face it, if we really "respected our troops", we wouldn't have sent them in harm's way, first in Iraq, for the chosen, arbitrary, unnecessary, ignorant-to-the-point-of-stupid and illegal war that was and then into Afghanistan, where those people didn't want us, either.

We have George W. Bush and Dick Cheney to thank--rather, to hold responsible--for both.

They are war criminals, by their own words. We should hold them accountable, charge them and put them on trial.

We won't. We never will.

But we should.

Great news on George W. Bush and members of his administration

I just found this today:

George W. Bush, Dick Cheney Convicted Of War Crimes

In the first verdict of its kind since former President George W. Bush left office, he and several members of his administration have been successfully convicted in absentia of war crimes in Malaysia.

Former President Bush, Former Vice-President Dick Cheney, Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the legal advisers Alberto Gonzales, David Addington, William Haynes, Jay Bybee and John Yoo that crafted the legal ‘justification’ for torture that basically said, ‘we can if we want to even if it’s illegal’ were the defendants. None were present, of course, but international war crime trials do not require the presence of the accused. The trial was run according to the standards set by the Nuremberg Trials to convict war criminals after World War II.

Professor Gurdial Singh Nijar, who headed the prosecution said, “The tribunal was very careful to adhere scrupulously to the regulations drawn up by the Nuremberg courts and the International Criminal Courts”.

Let's be clear here, too. This is not about blaming him for any of our other, current problems or situations, far from it.

This is purely because he lied to us, the American public, about the situation in Iraq and then went against our own, internal, national laws as well as external, international ones, too, and attacked that foreign, sovereign nation pre-emptively and offensively.

Let me say again, folks: that's against international law. Period.

Then, too, there's this: "Bush and Cheney have not only brazenly admitted they authorized torture in direct contravention of the Geneva Convention, but bragged about it."

Somebody needed to do this. Thank goodness Malaysia and the Malaysians did.

We need more people and nations to do the same.

They likely won't, especially the more prominent, wealthy, Western nations and that's a shame.

There's something else to note about this good news here, too, though.

It hasn't been in our national news.

At all.

Not the major networks. Not one, I don't believe, and it shouldn't be overlooked. It's significant. As the article says, "It's a BFD."

Hopefully more countries follow their lead. We'll see. I'm not holding my breath.

The reason this is important is because it was all a lie and because it was against law and finally, because we need to learn from those mistakes.

This second Iraq War and anything like it needs to never be repeated.

If we don't learn, as a nation and a world, it likely will and there would be more needless deaths and tragedy.

Link: http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/05/13/george-w-bush-dick-cheney-convicted-of-war-crimes/

The ultimate indictment of George W. Bush and his administration

Former Secretary of State and General Colin Powell has written a book, covering his years in the Bush Administration and is to come later this month.

What he says is damning to former President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and their administration.

I'll cut to the article I saw today:

Colin Powell's New Book: War With Iraq Never Debated

WASHINGTON -- In his new book, former Secretary of State Colin Powell provides what may be the most authoritative confirmation yet that there was never a considered debate in the George W. Bush White House about whether going to war in Iraq was really a good idea.

In a chapter discussing what he calls his “infamous” February 2003 speech to the United Nations where he authoritatively presented what was later exposed as gross misinformation about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, Powell notes that by that time, war “was approaching.”

“By then, the President did not think war could be avoided,” Powell writes. “He had crossed the line in his own mind, even though the NSC [National Security Council] had never met -- and never would meet -- to discuss the decision.”

Someone in the George W. Bush White House was proposing we--the United States--attack a foreign, sovereign nation peremptorily, against our own, internal, national laws as well as against external, international laws and that President and his administration didn't think it necessary to even consult the National Security Council.

Insane.

Totally irresponsible.

When we were building up to attack Iraq and for what ended up being war, many of us protested the entire idea, ahead of time. I know I did. Had we known the George W. Bush administration had already made up its collective mind to do this, without considering all the issues, details and possible ramifications, even more Americans would have protested and insisted we not undertake this action.

Not only that, but the article I cite here also shows that other people have written and documented the same thing, that this administration had no conversations on the wisdom or ignorance of attacking Iraq and that the decision to attack was apparently a foregone conclusion.

Between this and the fact that that administration had 21 planeloads of American dollars literally flown into Iraq, after the initial confrontation, it's amazing the American people aren't in an uproar over what that group of people did and all in our name.

When added to everything else we know about the debacle that became the second Iraq War, it seems even more clear that George W. Bush, at least, if not also his Vice President, Dick Cheney, should clearly, absolutely be tried for war crimes.

Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/09/colin-powell-book_n_1503592.html

Another "last" from this President

First it was the last flight from this President in Air Force One a few days ago and today, the last Presidential Press Conference.

Thank goodness.

We're getting closer and closer.

But what a doozey this one was.

I was crossing town as I heard the Chucklehead speak and just couldn't believe how delusional and misguided and mistaken and just out-and-out wrong he was, in spite of his conviction.

You can see his excuses for himself, as they come out of his mouth and mind.

What was surprising was when he got what seemed to be angry about the "30,000 people the Coast Guard took off rooftops" in New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina made landfall.

According to W, virtually the worst thing his administration did was putting up the "Mission Accomplished" poster on the aircraft carrier about Iraq, just after our (internationally illegal) invasion.

He described not finding WMD's as a "disappointment."

Disappointment?

With 4,223 confirmed American Soldier deaths based on his directed misinformation, it seems it should be considered, even by this clown, as much more than a "disappointment" but no.

This President is so convinced of himself, in spite of raw data and facts, he has no problems with his actions and non-actions.

What's really rich, though, didn't come from today's insane, disconnected-from-reality press conference. What was really great came this weekend.

It seems W indicted himself on, of all things, Fox (Faux) News.

W couldn't stop himself since, of course, he doesn't know anything of war or troublesome things like law or culpability or responsibility so he blurted out how, yes, he condoned, himself, torture, in order to get information out of suspects at Abu Graib.

Uh, what's that Mr. President?

Unbelievable.

Uh, Mr. President, you need to know it is internationally agreed that torture, even during war, is a war crime and that those who order torture could possibly be open to being tried for that war crime.

So here it is, a two-fer:

W indicted himself, possibly, for one and two, it happened on Fox News.

It was a great day for truth and all that's good and right.

Thre's hope for this country and world yet, in spite of all the damage this clown and his minions did in the last 8 years.

Did you hear the one about the war crimes?

US General Accuses Bush Administration of War Crimes

Wednesday 18 June 2008
by: Matt Renner and Maya Schenwar, t r u t h o u t | Report

Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba (now retired) served as the deputy commanding general for support for the Third Army for ten months in Kuwait during the early days of the Iraq occupation. In a statement released today, he bluntly accuses the Bush administration of war crimes and lays down a challenge for prosecution.

In 2004, Taguba released a classified report detailing abuses committed at Abu Ghraib Prison. The "Taguba Report" (executive summary) urged Pentagon officials to follow up on its findings by enforcing adherence to the Geneva Conventions in interrogations.

Taguba retired in January 2007, later alleging that Pentagon officials had ordered him to retire for being "overzealous" in his criticisms of the military.

In light of ongoing Congressional investigations into so-called harsh interrogation techniques, and on the heels of Congressman Dennis Kucinich recently issuing articles of impeachment accusing President Bush of, among other offenses, authorizing torture, we present Taguba's latest statement for your consideration.

The full Physicians for Human Rights report outlining the medical evidence of torture perpetrated by the United States can be read at their website: www.physiciansforhumanrights.org.