Armageddon Online - Let's talk War Crimes

The concept of war crimes is a fairly recent one. Before World War II, it was basically accepted that the horrors of war were "in the nature of war." However, in a war like Iraq the lines become more blurred every day we're there. Why the media can jump all over Clinton for a little SEX on the job baffles me, cause they have seemingly MISSED every LIE that bush and his cronies have pushed on us. What's worse? A little "cigar play" with a secretary, or lying to start a war that has killed 1300+ Americans, destroyed US credibility world-wide, and killed 15,000+ Iraqi civillians?

Why go so far as to claim War Crimes?

A war crime is a punishable offense, under international law, for violations of the law of war by any person or persons, military or civilian. Every violation of the law of war is a war crime. It comprises such acts as mistreatment of prisoners of war or civilians. Genocide, crimes against humanity, mistreatment of civilians or combatants during war can all fall under the category of war crimes.

Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention defines war crimes as: "Willful killing, torture or inhuman treatment, including... willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, unlawful deportation or transfer or unlawful confinement of a protected person, compelling a protected person to serve in the forces of a hostile power, or willfully depriving a protected person of the rights of fair and regular trial, ...taking of hostages and extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly."

There have been some notorious figures throughout history. I won't make comparisons - I write this to point out what the US has done in Iraq, and why no one has stood up to say anything. Everyone is familiar with the US TORTURE SCANDAL by now, so Why does the US media dodge all the new stories about civilian death, or downplay them? Why do they accept the explanation that "US SENIOR OFFICIALS" tell them? Are they not familiar with what a WAR CRIME is? Do they not have any idea how many innocent Iraqi's have been killed?

Every day, US forces in Iraq are attacking civilian populations in an effort to crush a growing popular insurgency in blood. The US media (Mostly CNN and FOX) now, will report the story as follows : "22 insurgents killed". That's the headline, and that's what Americans like to hear. A story that results in dead enemies, or a story that results in an effort towards winning the war. What they forget to mention, nearly every time, is the murder of innocent Iraqi men, women and children happening daily. You can stare at all the major US networks and maybe get 3 minutes of coverage of the events every day. Then, when reports do mention such a tragic event, you get the same rhetoric - “the US military that “precision” attacks were carried out against “terrorist” and “anti-Iraqi” targets...” That‘s a nice explanation and all, but when civilan deaths run rampant from Baghdad, to Fallujah, to Ramadi on a daily basis, I think it‘s time someone spoke up.

I know the counter-point to the argument is that "we are fighting an enemy that hides among civilians, and kidnaps and beheads people." While this is true, it does not excuse the US from its actions, nor should we stoop to their level, or use terminology that EXCLUDES the US from being held accountable.

“We don’t do body counts” - General Tommy Franks, US Central Command

Yeah, well someone does - and the reports of dead civilians pour in every week, of every month, and every hour of every day. Civilians reported killed by military intervention in Iraq - http://iraqbodycount.net/ - No they weren’t all direct from the US - but the number of deaths that have occurred since the US took “preemptive“ action against the people of Iraq is staggering. The worst case example of this was the last brutal assault the US carried out on Fallujah.

“Today the Iraq Body Count (IBC) website has published its analysis of the civilian death toll in the April 2004 siege of Falluja. This analysis leads to the conclusion that between 572 and 616 of the approximately 800 reported deaths were of civilians, with over 300 of these being women and children.” - http://www.iraqbodycount.net/press/index.php#pr9

All in all, estimates go anywhere from 15,000 to 17,000 civilian deaths since the US invaded, and over 100,000 people total have been killed country-wide.

Maybe it is US media cowardice that is responsible. They don’t even flinch when they get told how many civilian deaths were involved. If any Americans out there have the BBC or any European based satellite channels, I urge you to turn those on for Iraq coverage before you even CONSIDER looking at a US-based one. I have to warn you though, you will probably not like what you see. Blown up children, bloody streets, and a descending view and even counter-views of what’s going right and wrong with the war. They aren't afraid to point it out, and they aren't afraid to water it down and spoon feed it to you like the US media does.

Willful killing, torture or inhuman treatment

torture

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/torture_pow.html - http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0451/mondo1.php
I'll let you all use your judgement on this one.

...unlawful deportation or transfer or unlawful confinement of a protected person

On at least one occasion, the 320th MP Battalion at Abu Ghraib held a handful of “ghost detainees” (6-8) for OGAs that they moved around within the facility to hide them from a visiting International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) survey team. This maneuver was deceptive, contrary to Army Doctrine, and in violation of international law.

...extensive destruction, or killing and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly.

-=> Red Cross condemns US 'excessive' force in Iraq
-=> US disclosures signal wider detainee abuse
-=> Firebombing Falluja: The United States is using napalm in Falluja
-=> Thanks to a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union and other human rights groups, thousands of pages of government documents released this month have confirmed some of the painful truths about the abuse of foreign detainees by the U.S. military and the CIA - truths the Bush administration implacably has refused to acknowledge. Since the publication of photographs of abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison in the spring the administration's whitewashers - led by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld - have contended that the crimes were carried out by a few low-ranking reservists, that they were limited to the night shift during a few chaotic months at Abu Ghraib in 2003, that they were unrelated to the interrogation of prisoners and that no torture occurred at the Guantánamo Bay prison where hundreds of terrorism suspects are held. The new documents establish beyond any doubt that every part of this cover story is false.
-=> Call on the German Federal Prosecutor to Investigate Rumsfeld and Other U.S. Officials for War Crimes at Abu Ghraib
-=> "100,000" Iraqi deaths

These stories don't even BEGIN to scratch the surface. I'm not a legal expert, but the amount of evidence at hand is enough to open an inquiry and even CHARGE some of the US Upper level officials with war crimes. Even more importantly - MAKE THE MEDIA Inform the US public and demand them to take a serious approach to these stories. The technique (perfected by Goebbels in nazi Germany and practiced right here in the US) is to repeat lies and blatant half truths until they become accepted "truths", and used in our everyday language. Don't call it a slaughter, call it a pacification. Don't call it "search and destroy" call it "sweep and clear."

Aside from those forms of deception, the mass media practices several other techniques, which lessen the "conscience" of US soldiers and civilians. One technique is "role reversal" - or simply to attribute the crimes of the invading force to the victims of the autrocity. It CANT be the soldiers who cause the destruction of cities and murder of civilians, it has to be the Iraqi families who 'protect the terrorists' and "bring upon themselves the savage bombardment". Another technique is to only report US casualties from "terrorist bombs" or "insurgent attacks" — to leave out any mention of thousands of Iraqi civilians killed by US bombs and artillery.

Videos and photographs of bound and gagged naked prisoners was enough to rock our nation - but at the same time it was happening, more lies and propaganda were taking it's place. Demand the truth and concequences behind "13 Iraqi civilians were killed and 29 wounded by US troops in the northern city of Mosul. " - Find out WHY those civilians died, and who should be held responsible. If our own media won't stand up to the lies and deceptions playing out in Iraq, who will?

For the "majority" who voted for Bush to get his second term, apparently the mass media has taught you to believe that the killing of thousands of Iraqi citizens is in Americas best interests - you can sleep tight at night, go xmas shipping in luxuary malls, and buy SUV's as long as the killing is taking place "over there." Out of sight, out of mind.

Maybe you even go so far as to believe all the explinations that Bush is a "man of high morals" and we're fighting a "moral" war - whatever it is that has you convinced the US is "winning hearts and minds" and is fighting a "moral war" you need to rethink the situation.

Lies to start the war... deceptions to cover up crimes we've committed, and for what?

The ties to 911? The Weapons of mass destruction that we're an "imminent threat" to the US? It's ties to Al Qaeda?

I hate to rain on your parade, but all of those have been debunked, and most were known to be FALSE before we took action. If that's doing the moral thing, to go along with the lies and "support the Iraq War" or "support the wartime president" - then maybe I shouldn't feel so bad being morally challeneged.

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