Wali Jan Sabri, a parliamentarian from Helmand, Afghanistan, claims that NATO bombing raids killed 50 - 60 civilians yesterday. 

In response, Lieutenant-Colonel Charlie Mayo, spokesman for the British forces in Helmand, said this:

“Because the Taliban don’t wear uniforms like us, as soon as they are killed, they are called civilians, the key is are they male or female and if they are male, what age are they?”

In other words any male between certain ages is by definition Taliban.

 While this is arguably a reasonable policy for colonial-style administration, it’s counter-productive in post-modern warfare because it plays right into the hands of the militants.  It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: when all young men are considered militants and therefore subject to indiscriminate killing, they are likely to become militants.

UK is not the only military to adopt such counterproductive policies. When I went to Batticaloa, Sri Lanka in 1998 while the city was under siege by the LTTE, I found similar absurdities. The relatives of civilians killed by the government were eligible for compensation. But if they claimed their relative was killed by the government, they would get no compensation because “the government only kills LTTE” so if they were killed by the government they were clearly LTTE. The relatives would therefore claim the victim was killed “in crossfire,” whereupon they would get their compensation. The government, meanwhile, would report the deaths as caused by the LTTE, because “the government doesn’t kill civilians.” Thus, hundreds of government-caused deaths were attributed to LTTE– and the populace was systematically alienated from the occupying gornment forces.

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The question of religion, specifically Islam, is being played out as a stalking horse on the political left. As so many left intellectuals sign on with Islamophobia there has been a lot of chatter dedicated to the business of proving how right it is to see Islam as on par with rabid imperialism as the twin apocalyptic enemies of our time. Such is this determination to claim the high moral ground that Bush’s incursion into Iraq is seen as a necessary evil in order to assert the values of the European Enlightenment against the barbarity of fundamentalist Islam.

At stake is a new way to view religion as a sin unto itself without allowing it the leeway of its actual everyday social and political context –as though religiosity is something that is sucked from the thumb of a deity or the mind of a diabolical mullah. So too is a negligence in addressing religion, specifically Islam, as without mass appeal, even necessity, and takeup — as though millions of Moslems are prone to terrorism because they choose to visit mosques to pray.

Here’s a great review by Terry Eagleton of Richard Dawkins new book The God Delusion, which touches on these very topics with considerable aplomb.Check it out.

In way of political irony and hypocrisy,here’s a free speech fight you won’t hear about, say, in comparison with some hue and cry over free speech when it supposedly came to the right to cartoon: Danish journalists on trial for publishing leaked intelligence reports on Iraq.

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How Orwell is this?

The newly-established unit would use “new media” channels to push its message and “set the record straight”, Pentagon press secretary Eric Ruff said.

“We’re looking at being quicker to respond to breaking news,” he said. “Being quicker to respond, frankly, to inaccurate statements.”

A Pentagon memo seen by the Associated Press news agency said the new unit would “develop messages” for the 24-hour news cycle and aim to “correct the record”.

The unit would reportedly monitor media such as weblogs and would also employ “surrogates”, or top politicians or lobbyists who could be interviewed on TV and radio shows.

So the Pentagon are “correcting” news stories? Maybe I shouldn’t be so shocked.

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Besides indulging in the occasional odd blog I also podcast. In fact it was through podcasting that I came upon Polizeros Bob in cyberspace — ie: yours and mein host — in the first instance. Now I got myself an LA franchise.

Among my podcastables is VenSol: the Venezuela Solidarity podcast. VenSol carries reports from Caracas and audio generated by VenezuelaAnalysis

But the podcast also offers a great networking tool and my fellow podcastor Warwick Fry — who works out of NimFM Community Radio here in Australia — runs LatinRadical . In the latest edition, Warwick showcases his new song on Bono — the man from the band U2 — who is sponsoring a game which offers a Venezuelan invasion scenario. Since Bono is touring Australia next month the local solidarity community was keen to mark his visit with protests. What better way than with a song?

Latin American solidarity activism has been big time here since the early seventies when Chileans arrived in exile. Even the current president of Chile — Michelle Bachelet — spent part of her exile here.

So while we may be a world away, like so many world wide, Australians are looking to Latin America for lessons and inspiration. So we get to know a lot here about Yankee imperialismo too.

I was also helping out a new blog that one of the leading activists here has instigated: Bolivia Rising. So if you are keen on “the axis of Evo” maybe you’ll appreciate the translations archived there from the original Spanish.

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South Korean protests are among the most militant and best-organized anywhere. There will be many of them in the coming days in protest against the US-led FTA talks going on there now.

Brian Becker of the ANSWER Coalition reports from Seoul.

South Korean riot police storm peaceful press conference.

Today’s press conference was the kick-off of what will be several days of protests. The fact that the South Korean government sent five hundred riot police to storm a peaceful press conference of 50 activists was a clear sign that it fears the widening opposition to the proposed agreement by a growing number of Korean workers and farmers. It was also a “good faith” sign to the Bush administration by the Korean government, which is under pressure to sign an agreement that not only sacrifices the interests of Korean workers and farmers to U.S. transnationals, but also lays bare the essential neo-colonial character of U.S.-South Korean relations

Lenin’s Tomb has comprehensive coverage.

[tags]FTA,South Korea[/tags]

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U.S. weighs shootdown of N. Korea missile

North Korea might launch a missile that many South Korea newspapers say might well be a satellite yet the US responds hysterically by saying they might shoot it down.

Can North Korea save the day and change the subject for the Bush administration?

North Korea, starved for attention and with its own fish to fry domestically and in its own region, may or may not be preparing some rocket for launch, and it may or may not be attempting to use its missile as a bargaining chip or a PR stunt, and it may just be attempting to put its own satellite into space. What should crystal clear though in a world of risks and balances is that North Korea’s missile, even if it exists, is hardly a threat to us.

North Korea is a sovereign country. They have the complete right to launch missiles in their own country. The US does it all the time. Sounds like Bush wants to strut his macho stuff again in another failing attempt to get his poll numbers up. But really, it’s not just Bush, the US has been meddling in other countries for decades, imperialism is an ugly thing indeed.

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U.S. government orchestrates anti-Lukashenko opposition

On March 19, Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected president of the Republic of Belarus with nearly 83 percent of the popular vote. The result confirmed all the pre-election polls, which predicted a lopsided Lukashenko victory.

This did not stop the imperialist countries and their faithful media outlets from asserting that the Belarus elections had been rigged. They demanded the annulment of the elections and called for new elections along “democratic” principles. Bush called President Lukashenko “Europe’s last dictator.” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice identified Belarus as an “outpost of tyranny.” Belarus has been moved near the top of the list of nations due for “regime change.”

The neocons only pretend to support democracy. Witness Belarus where, like Venezuela, their leader was elected in a fair vote. Yet the Bushies want to overthrow the government. Sounds like they’re the ones who hate freedom.

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“We had a democracy once, but you crushed it”

On foreign policy, Democrats would have you believe that Bush is the most reckless President and that he has ripped the United States away from a tradition of cooperative diplomacy by violently overthrowing governments.

But as former New York Times reporter Steven Kinzer points out, the opposite is true.

Bush is actually following and escalating a long-established tradition.

Beginning with the ouster of Hawaii’s monarchy in 1893, the United States government has not hesitated to overthrow governments – fourteen by Kinzer’s count – that stood in the way of its political and economic goals.

One example from the fourteen: Fifty-three years ago, the United States launched Operation Ajax to overthrow the democratically elected leader of Iran – Mohammed Mossadegh.

Now it looks like Bush is preparing for Iran again.

In 1953, Mossadegh was fed up with the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company – now BP – pumping Iran’s oil and shipping the profits back home to the United Kingdom.

Mossadegh said — hey, this is our oil, I think we’ll keep it.

Bad idea.

For the United States government, close to the Big Oil Companies, decided to overthrow Mossadegh’s government.

Kinzer, who has written a number of books documenting a century of regime change overseas, puts it this way:

“Imagine today what it must sound like to Iranians to hear American leaders tell them — ‘We want you to have a democracy in Iran, we disapprove of your present government, we wish to help you bring democracy to your country.’ Naturally, they roll their eyes and say — ‘We had a democracy once, but you crushed it.’”.

Is Bush insane enough to invade Iran and use nukes too? Sure. But with his popularity so abysmal and some of the generals now in near open revolt, this may act to stop him. However, the important point to realize is Bush is not an aberration, but an extreme example of the continuing policy of imperialism that has governed the US for decades. That he is greedier, more bloodthirsty, and markedly less competent than his predecessors simply helps make it all the more clear.

“The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today [is] my own government.” — Rev. Martin Luther King, April 4, 1967.

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From our friend Wood in Wales

It winds me up that a system whose survival depends upon screwing over nine-tenths of the world’s population is somehow seen as the most pragmatic and realistic way to run a country, any country.

That is all.

Seen this way by who? By a ruling class who gets wealthier as the rest get poorer or by those in the current socialist upsurge, happening now across the planet and most especially in Latin America? When the USSR fell, there was suddenly no counterpoint to capitalism. Now the planet gets to see the inevitable result of that in the neocons, who believe the world is theirs to plunder.

But it’s not working very well for them is it? Their greed and avariciousness is obvious for all to see as their insane wars threaten to destroy countries in the Middle East and bankrupt the US. “Capitalism contains the seeds of its destruction”, yes it does. Even here in the US, the bastion of anti-socialism, people are now getting interested in socialism again, as they see what predatory capitalism hath wrought.

The Party for Socialism and Liberation, a coalition partner of the ANSWER Coalition, has a wealth of articles and information about socialism, a better, more equitable economic system and form of government.

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Don’t get me wrong, there’s many sincere reformists trying bring about change. Whether it’s organizations like DailyKos who believe the Democratic Party can be reformed, or tilting further leftward, groups like Democracy Now and Media Channel, they present lots of analysis, some advocacy, but rarely calls to action.

Plus, they bizarrely assume our current political crisis is just some kind of terrible misunderstanding, that they just need to convince the rulers of the errors of their ways, then things will be peachy. As if one day Dick Cheney will call up Amy Goodman and say, “Democracy Now has made me see the light, I will repent and do no more evil, the troops are coming home now.” Ain’t gonna happen that way, of course. Worse, reformists never challenge the structure of the system. That’s because they have no real criticism of the system and its institutions. Oh, they say, a few things have gone wrong, but government is our friend and supports the people, we just need to make the system responsive again.

This would be the same system that has invaded other countries for decades, exploits the Third World, where a tiny few get richer while the rest get poorer. This isn’t a system that needs a few Band-Aids, this is a system that needs replacing.

The anti-globalization mobilization at the Battle of Seattle in 1999 was an opening salvo that change was coming. But after 9/11, the anti-glob protestors retreated, unsure of what to do next. They had no real plan. Meanwhile, a mere two days after 9/11, the ANSWER Coalition formed. The groups involved knew what was coming, unjustified invasions of other countries, and they were right. ANSWER, of which I am a member, has been in full mobilization mode ever since, organizing multiple mass antiwar demonstrations, with the next round coming March 18.

ANSWER is anti-imperialist. We have a viewpoint and organize based on it. Imperialism is the problem, it’s a rogue system, not a rogue president. Reformists don’t have this kind of viewpoint, they look at things piecemeal, hoping a few tweaks to the systems will somehow set things right.

By not challenging the system, you end up doing things like the predecessor organizations to United for Peace did prior to the Iraq invasion, saying “let the sanctions work”, a policy that even Madeleine Albright admitted led to the deaths to 500,000 Iraqi children. I’m sure the parents of Iraqi children who starved to death appreciated the noble efforts of the reformists who wanted sanctions to work. Worse, these reformists never even questioned why the US was applying sanctions. That’s what I mean when I say by reformists support the system - even when it leads to atrocities like dead babies.

Thinking that President Hillary will somehow bring the troops home now is, well, delusional. She won’t. Nor will reformist efforts change the system. Real change starts with people in the streets and ends when the rulers are either replaced or forced to do the will of the people. That’s what we need to work towards.

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Shrine attack brings civil war warning

“Babylon burning / And they got no water / Fire, fire / And they got no water” is the lyric to a venerable reggae song, “Babylon” being their word for the culture they stand in opposition to.

Now it really is Babylon that’s burning, the attacks and counter-attacks on religious shrines in Iraq are threatening to ignite civil war, more blowback from the imperialist invasion of a country, based on lies, headed by the US.

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There have been three major periods of radicalization in the U.S. since 1900. During all of them the Left made huge gains. Yes, these periods were followed by reaction and rightwing repression. In fact we’ve just emerged from such a noxious era. The pendulum is starting to move leftward again. The populace increasingly does not support the policies of the neocons or of their elected representatives in D.C. In other words, people are getting radicalized. Good. Let’s be organized and ready as the mainstream comes round to our views.

The first period of radicalization was 1900-1920. The Wobblies organized hundreds of thousands in factories, mines, and lumber camps. Socialism became a serious political force. Eugene Debs opposed the entry of the US into WWI, was jailed for this on bogus charges - then ran for president as a socialist from his prison cell, receiving 5% of the vote.

The 20’s were a capitalistic right wing reaction to this, and when it blew up in their faces causing the Depression, the Left again was in the ascendant. The union strikes and battles of that era led directly to the the 40 hour work week, health and safety regulations, and other such protections for workers. These rights were not freely granted, they were forced by the actions of courageous workers who sometimes risked everything by going on strike. The organizers of these strikes were often communists and socialists, without them we might be working 60-hour weeks instead.

Then there was WWII, followed by the seriously scary repression of McCarthyism. Yet during that era, in 1955, a NAACP organizer named Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man and the Montgomery bus strike began. That launched the Civil Rights movement, and the Left was on the move again. During the 60’s was the Vietnam War, and the atrocities of that war, the lies and coverups (sounds familiar, eh?) led to huge mobilizations and protests across the country.

I came of age in the 60’s, and was political then too. Having lived through that period of radicalization, it’s clear to me that we are entering another such era. This is not the time for moaning about how the Right is ascendant. They may have been for the past twenty years. But they are no more. Their lies are now apparent to all. The populace opposes their wars, and their support is disintegrating.

The Left is just now coming into ascendance again. Let’s seize the moment.

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From the ANSWER Coalition
Stop the Threats Against Venezuela and Cuba!

On Saturday, April 8, thousands of people from cities all over the United States will travel by bus and car caravan to march on the White House. This demonstration comes at a critical time as the Bush administration is moving aggressively to overthrow the democratically elected government of Venezuela, while it initiates new provocations against the people of Cuba. It will be the next significant action after the March 18 Global Day of Action and protest against the criminal war on Iraq.

The ANSWER Coalition has joined with many other organizations to form the “April 8: Hands Off Venezuela and Cuba Coalition.” We are urging progressive organizations and local organizing/ transportation centers that have brought anti-war demonstrators to Washington, DC in the past years to mobilize.

More

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A major American attack on Iran’s nuclear sites would kill up to 10,000 people and lead to war in the Middle East, a report says today.

The attack would result in “a protracted military confrontation” involving Israel, Lebanon and some Gulf states.

A ground offensive in Iran would not be feasible, as it would require at least 100,000 troops - and American forces are already over-stretched with 130,000 soldiers in Iraq and 18,000 in Afghanistan.

Iran has not threatened anyone and does not have nukes (and so what if they did, many of their neighbors do.). In other words, the US wants to attack based on something they say Iran *might* do in the future but has not done yet. Such an attack would be unprovoked, in violation on international law, and will lead to momnumental blowback, unrest, and more war in the region.

All the more reason to get in the streets on March 18 to protest the insane wars of the Bushies. The world can not afford more lunatic imperialist wars for empire and oil.

PS

In a similar briefing before the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Oxford group predicted that Saddam Hussein’s regime could easily be overwhelmed but that the country would become a hotbed of insurgency.

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Ran into a 87 year old man at the health club a few days ago. Overheard parts of his conversation with others but didn’t catch all of it. Later in the locker room he told it to me. He’s probably told the same story thousands of times.

He was a B-17 pilot in WWII, got shot down returning from a bombing run. All ten crew members had to bail out. He suffered a broken leg, parachuted into Germany, and spent 1 1/2 years in prison camp. After being released he learned eight of his crew members didn’t make it. Looking at him tell the story, I could see in his eyes it was like yesterday to him.

I said, “My wife says ‘no one ever really recovers from war’.” He looked a bit startled, then agreed. He’s still processing trauma that happened over sixty years ago. How many others are like him, whether it be WWII, Korea, ‘Nam, Afghanistan, or Iraq? I lost an uncle in Korea and a cousin in Vietnam. Even now, those families can barely talk about it.

Are some wars ‘justified’? Probably. But the wars the US is currently waging sure aren’t. They aren’t even really wars, more like imperialist invasions for power and oil. “Just another poor boy/Off to fight a rich man’s war” as Steve Earle puts it. Join us on the March 18 Global Days of Action in protest.

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The following is text to a talk given by Carlos Alvarez at an ANSWER LA meeting Tuesday night. Whether it’s North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, the White House continues their belligerent talk and implied threats of military action. That’s why it’s important to get in the streets on Mar 18 for the Global Day of Protest. All the causes are linked.

“This past Thursday the U.S director of national intelligence John Negroponte proclaimed that Venezuela was a threat to U.S. interest because it was seeking closer ties with North Korea and Iran. That same Thursday Venezuelan president, Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias ordered the expulsion of Navy Cmdr. John Correa, a U.S. naval attach in Caracas on spying charges.

Venezuela media reports say that issue pertains to a CD with technical descriptions of military planes that the country is seeking to buy from Spain. The allegation is that a retired Venezuelan Capt. Jos Ignacio Plaza, now living in Orlando sent this CD to someone within Caracas who is now under arrest. Six other Venezuelan naval officers have been accused of spying for the U.S. and investigation of other officers has been continuous. The spy charges against Correa were that he sent secret information from Venezuelan military officers to the Pentagon.

That same Thursday, US defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld responded to a question about a deteriorating relationship between the two countries by stating the following. “You’ve got Chavez in Venezuela with a lot of oil money. He’s a person who was elected legally just as Adolf Hitler was elected legally. And then he has consolidated power. And now, of course is working closely with Fidel Castro and Mr. Morales and others.” Rumsfeld is first referring to the oil money that has obliterated illiteracy in areas throughout Venezuela and the same oil money that has allowed there to be a system of clinics that provides free health care to so many Venezuelan’s once living under poverty. These are just a few of the products of that “oil money” Rumsfeld is talking about. Rumsfeld was also referring to Venezuela, Cuba and Bolivia but “the others” comment refers to North Korea and Iran, countries that are also currently in the process of defending themselves against harsh vilifying by the U.S. ”

Continue Reading »

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There will be antiwar protests worldwide on Mar 18-19. Here in the States, major demonstrations are planned in DC, LA, SF, and many other cities. Full infomation at the national ANSWER Coalition website.

Here in LA, we’ve beeen planning and building for Mar 18 for 2-3 months. Last night, at the regular volunteer meeting, we started work on a 5,000 piece mailer. There’s lots of folding and stuffing envelopes to do, it’ll take about a week. If you live in LA, come down to the office and help out, and meet lots of like-minded people too.

As part of building for the demo on Mar. 18 and for the March 20 Day of Youth & Student Resistance to Imperialism, Youth & Student ANSWER in LA will hold a conference this Saturday.

Youth & Student ANSWER
Sat. Feb. 11 Youth & Student Anti-War Conference
Unite to Fight War, Racism & Military Recruiters
12 noon - 4 pm
El Camino Community College (in the Cafeteria)
16007 Crenshaw Blvd, Torrance, CA 90506

Speakers - Workshops - Music - Discussion
* How to get involved in the anti-war movement
* Getting military recruiters out of our schools and communities
* Organizing for the March 20th day of resistance to imperialism
* Solidarity with Iraq, Palestine, Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela, the Philippines, Korea and all targets of U.S. aggression.

More at ANSWERLA.org

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ANSWER organizer and PSL editorial board member Richard Becker speaks on the expanded US war drive in the Middle East, focusing on Iran, as well as Iraq, Syria, and Palestine.

From my scribbled notes:

“If you can’t solve a problem, expand it” — Donald Rumsfeld. This would seem to be the strategy the Bushies are following in the Middle East.

Democratic leadership is onboard with the war drive. It’s not that they lack backbone, they are being real Democrats. They are complicit. (The rank and file is not.)

Iran is surrounded by hostile forces, some of whom also have nukes. Why shouldn’t they have the right to defend themselves?

The US is pushing a proposal at the UN to set up a special court to investigate the bombing murder of Hariri in Lebanon hoping to target Syria. This would be the first time such a court was established, and with all the other murders and bombings in the world, the reasons for this are strictly to destabilze Syria, not for any altruistic purpose.

The rise of Hamas is due in part to the 50 year US policy of destroying secular opposition in the Middle East. The Hamas policy of providing hospitals and care plus the deteriorating economy led to their rise. They are anti-imperialist, and while certainly not Taliban, some of their policies are reactionary.

The antiwar movement needs to focus on all the issues, not just Iraq. “It’s not just one country or one war, it’s a system called Imperialism.”.

Recorded in LA 01/27/06 at a PSL meeting.

mp3 (53:39, 18.4 mb)

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Bush is a symptom, the problems go much deeper than him. The US has been invading other countries, generally under made-up pretexts, for decades. It’s a war economy, and it’s been that way since WWII. It’s no mistake that a country where, what, 40% of the federal spending goes for military, defense, and the like, gets preoccupied with using all those shiny war toys. Best way to do that is invade other countries. Got to keep the economy pumping along.

Plus, all those wars for empire gives the US new markets for finished goods, new sources of raw materials, and whole new populaces to try to control.

At least that’s the theory. In practice, it’s not working too well, is it? Two wars, Iraq and Afghanistan, are going badly, the economy is starting to sputter, the national debt is hitting intolerable heights. It’s not sustainable. Then there’s all the countries who used to like, or at least tolerate the US, who now are unfriendly at best, thanks to the neocons, who really are just extreme examples of a foreign policy that has been in place for years.

Liberals and progressives should not get pulled into the 2006 mid-term elections, because this just sucks energy out of the movement, rendering it harmless. The Democrats have clearly, repeatedly, and unmistakably shown they have few substantive differences with Republicans (except for a few social issues) so only the naive will think they’d do anything different if they controlled Congress. Oh, they’ll pretty it up a bit, sticking a kinder, gentler, Happy Face on top of the unprovoked invasions and the tortures, but the wars will continue.

Then’s there’s 2008. It might well be McCain vs.Hillary. Oh yeah, there’s some progressive people for you. Sounds like third and fourth party time coming, as the Religious Right rejects McCain and liberals/progressives reject Hillary.

But real change will not come through electoral politics, nor will it come by howling that Bush, noxious as he is, is the problem. The problem is an avaricious economic system that feeds on war. That’s what we need to change.

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Leftist coca grower leader Evo Morales was sworn in on Sunday as the first indigenous president of Bolivia with high expectations of a better life for the poor majority in one of Latin America’s most volatile countries.

“The 500 years of Indian resistance have not been in vain,” Morales said in his inaugural speech. “From 500 years of resistance we pass to another 500 years in power.”

In his inaugural speech, Morales blamed the “neo-liberal” economic policies of the past and the “looting of our natural resources” for the poverty that affects around two-thirds of Bolivians.

Also, Morales vows to nationalise Bolivian natural gas

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Tip via reader Daniel

A torture victim in the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship, a former defense minister and a medical doctor, socialist Michelle Bachelet parlayed her ability to connect with voters into becoming Chile’s first woman president.

Her father was tortured and killed by Pinochet thugs. Pinochet came to power when the US backed a vicious coup that overthrew their democratically elected President.

Someone should tell congressional Democrats that when you stand up and fight for what you believe in, sometimes you win big.

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South America is tlting strongly leftward. The hard left Evo Morales just became president in Bolivia. The indomitable Chavez in Venezuela becomes more popular every day and has resisted numerous US attempts to oust him from office.. And now we have Socialist Michelle Bachelet in Chile who is about to be elected to the top post in Chile. Her father was tortured to death by the thugs who took power there in ‘73 in a US backed coup. A former political prisoner, she says her policy will not be forgive and forget.

Chilean voters today probably will elect Socialist Michelle Bachelet as their first women president, after she pledged that students, workers and retirees will benefit from the copper-rich country’s growth.

A 54-year-old Socialist doctor who is a former political prisoner and the daughter of a general will face off on Sunday with a successful 56-year-old rightwing Harvard-trained economist and businessman from a Christian Democratic family, in a bid to become the next president of Chile.

The daughter of Air Force Gen. Alberto Bachelet, who died from torture by pro-coup military officials in 1974, the socialist physician candidate told families of victims that there won’t be a forgive and forget law in favor of oppressors.

That pro-military coup was orchestrated by the US government. They violently ousted the democratically elected Salvador Allende and instituted a regime of torture and repression. Now, with a new Socialist president, all the corruption and vicious human rights violations of those days will become public and worldwide knowledge. Good. Let the sun shine in.

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The cost of the Iraq war could top $US2 trillion, far above the White House’s pre-war projections, when long-term costs such as lifetime health care for thousands of wounded US soldiers are included.

Al-Qaeda No. 2 wasn’t on site during U.S. attack.

Pakistan on Saturday condemned a purported CIA airstrike on a border village that officials said unsuccessfully targeted al-Qaeda’s second-in-command, and said it was protesting to the U.S. Embassy over the attack that killed at least 17 people.

The US is not at war with Pakistan, yet is so out of control that it allows a spy agency to launch missile attacks. It’s all quite insane, isn’t it?

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From my friend Ian Thompson writing in Socialism and Liberation magazine.

The anti-war movement and Congressional ‘opposition.’

Nearly three years after launching the war on Iraq, the Bush administration has a crisis on its hands. The war has proven to be unwinnable militarily. Bush’s goal of setting up a stable client Iraqi regime remains a distant fantasy.

The Iraqi resistance to foreign occupation grows stronger every day. It enjoys broad support among the country’s population.

Inside the United States, most polls show that a majority opposes the war. Massive anti-war demonstrations in recent months, combined with daily casualty reports have contributed to this sentiment. The brutal economic and racist realities exposed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have diminished the government’s ability to present a “united effort” behind its imperialist project.

His major points:

Murta spoke for the generals (who can not directly criticize a President, their commanding officer, thus this pro-Pentagon Congressman spoke for them.)

Democrats are not anti-war. Like Murtha, some Democrats now question how the war is being fought. This is because the US is losing. Were the US winning, they’d be even more silent than they are now. Nor do they question the decades-long US policy of imperialism and invading countries.

Does Congress matter? No.

The answer: build an independent movement

Read the whole article.

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