While the families of the victims of the bombings in Madrid bury their dead
The same old song is being played out
War on Communism
War on Drugs
War on Terror
No matter what the “War on” chant is, the chorus always arrives at the same thing. “War on people.”
In an interview with Leslie Stahl of CBS on May 11, 1996, U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright was asked whether the, over half a million children killed by the sanctions in Iraq were “worth it.” Her response was: “It’s a hard choice, but I think, we, think, it’s worth it.”
The same government before the recent invasion of Iraq, calculated a loss of quarter of a million civilian lives, would be ok and justifiable. It was noted by the writer and journalist Tariq Ali, If the same had been said in the 70s concerning two hundred people in Vietnam, the Whitehouse would have been bombarding with protesters. Yet the US administration, feel that they have nothing to fear in stating such brutally, callus, equations.
What then are the people, in the countries getting bombed to do, faced with this cold calculation?
Britain Americas Trojan horse
President de Gaulle, constantly vetoed Britain’s attempts to join the European Union. His fear was well founded and is being realised. de Gaulle had always believed that Britain, would act as Americas Trojan Horse, in an unified Europe. He was right
The United States government follows the imperialist format, control from within. The US, needn’t occupy a country to control it. This America, has demonstrated in every country that they have invaded, by the process of planting their own dictators, who will do the bidding for American interests. Much the same way that the British, controlled India, and the rest of the British empire. These implanted butchers are supplied with money and arms by the US, in order to keep democracy at bay and the population under control.
The defenders of democracy are waiting in the wings
Statement by Secretary Powell on Madrid bombing (March 11): … “The United States vehemently condemns the outrageous and appalling terrorist attacks that took place in Madrid today…. The United States stands resolutely with Spain in the fight against terrorism in all its forms and against the particular threat that Spain faces from the evil of ETA terrorism. No political pretext can justify this premeditated murder of the innocent.”
Do Europeans need this sympathy and what it means? Considering any country that America has sympathised with, or helped to democratise, has been bombed out of recognition. Is Britain being used by the worlds biggest terrorist group as their Trojan horse, in Europe? Does the use of the word “evil” by Powell, preempt Americas aggressive presence in Europe, doing Gods, work with “no political pretext” to justify, as it has done time and again elsewhere?
We are well versed in the crimes of both Saddam, and Milosevic, who are now more or less under American incarceration.
We might never get to know the real extent of the American, and British, atrocities committed in Iraq, and Yugoslavia, if we do not get to hear the stories of these captives. It is not in Americas interest for this to happen
In the eyes of the US Saddam’s worst crime, was not all the people he killed. His biggest crime in the eyes of the state department was trying to look for a better deal for his oil. In the case of Milosevic (who it has to be remembered was democratically-elected) Milosevic’s real sin against the free world was, put by Michael Parenti, …that he resisted the dismemberment of Yugoslavia and opposed a U.S. imposed hegemony. He also attempted to spare Yugoslavia the worst of the merciless privatizations and rollbacks that have afflicted other former communist countries.
Read your history
Fantasy? A study of the history of American imperialism will show everything running according to plan. Recent events in the former Yugoslavia is a close enough to home example, where, far from helping the situation by talks that would not have been in the United States interest. The situation was exacerbated by US political machinations, followed by the bombing the country by American and British war planes, then blaming it all on Milosevic. This is all carbon copy stuff of the same exercise used everywhere the defenders of democracy have conquered. No one is excusing the crimes of Saddam and his like but to understand exactly what is happening we need to hear both sides of the story.
Who was the cause of the thousands of deaths mostly civilians in both Iraq’ invasions, Saddam Hussain? We know Saddam was a bad man but he was an incompetent, underachiever when put against the atrocities carried out by the alliance, in Iraq.
Who was responsible for sponsoring the overthrowing of democratic governments in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Cyprus, the Dominican Republic, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Syria, Uruguay by their own military forces? (Parenti) more carbon copies.
“The U.S. national security state also has participated in destabilizing covert actions, proxy mercenary wars, or direct military attacks against revolutionary or nationalist governments in Afghanistan (in the 1980s), Angola, Cambodia, Cuba, East Timor, Egypt, Ethiopia, the Fiji Islands, Grenada, Haiti, Indonesia (under Sukarno), Iran, Jamaica, Lebanon, Libya, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Syria, South Yemen, Venezuela (under Hugo Chavez), Western Sahara, and Iraq (under the CIA-sponsored autocratic Saddam Hussein, after he emerged as an economic nationalist and tried to cut a better deal on oil prices).” Michael Parenti
Recent exploits
For a completely up to date situation. In Haiti, the democratically-elected President Jean Bertrand Aristide was kidnapped by American storm troopers and forced to leave his country. This was a democratically elected president physically removed from his country by the Bush administration . And who was left in charge? Democracynow.org Why was Aristide ousted? Aristide never learned to pander unreservedly to foreign commercial interests. He was the “threat of a good example” He used the weapon that strikes most fear into the US administration – He was democratically elected.
We have an opportunity to act
The victims of the bombings in Madrid must not be used like the victims of September 11th to boost Bushes reelection campaign. The bombers need to be found and tried for their crime. (When we know who they are) but the crime should not be turned into another Bush travesty. Bushes brutal policy’s should be rejected by Europeans, the same way that the out going government in Spain’s lies were. And while we are at it, the people of Europe might step back with lessons learned, and look at some of the oppressive policies contained within their own governments fiscal union.
We have an opportunity to build upon
It must be becoming obvious to even the apolitical of us that everything the American administration touches turns to $, war or death. Why then are we standing in the middle of the road with the truck bearing down on us mesmerized in the headlights, wondering which way to jump? The obvious thing is we can’t stay where we are, it is not an option. So we must decide on the other two options. The first is jumping to the side of the status quo where Mr Blair is. Go to work in the morning (or collect your dole) and hope you still have a job,income, pension, home, education, or your family are not bombed by the time you get back.
Or we can take the other option the same option that brought millions onto the street in protest to the invasion of Iraq The same option that created the World Socialist Forum. and the same option that brought the population of Madrid on to the street in protest. We need to give these options some serious thought now, while we still have them What an excellent opportunity to build on the rejection of lies and deceit in Spain, and a more fitting tribute to the victims and families of Madrid, 9/11, Iraq, and everywhere else in the world that has suffered from imperialist domination. We must use the inspiration of the moment and the example the people of Madrid have set, to let our voice and opinions be heard.
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