The Republican War

[paineinthearse]

Excerpt: "Make no mistake — despite the Democratic floundering, this is a Republican War, not an American War. If dissent is the highest form of patriotism as Thomas Jefferson once said, then American citizens need to send a message to their government before the drum beat of war leads to Iran."

http://www.worldpress.org/Americas/2037.cfm

The Republican War

Am Johal
Worldpress.org contributing editor
Vancouver, British Columbia
February 28, 2005

There are many victims in war. In basic training in the United States military, new recruits who are broken down to break the human inhibition to killing take part in training chants like, “What makes the grass grow? Blood, blood, bright red blood.” War is complicated.
The victims are everywhere — not just the civilians, but even within the United States military itself. Over 5,500 soldiers have deserted since the United States led invasion of Iraq began. Thousands more are suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder and severe depression beyond the thousands of casualties and injured. There are well over 100,000 Iraqi dead since the war began.

George W. Bush and his Republican administration should have to wear the war in Iraq when it’s all over. He has divided the nation and the world in a way that has not been seen since Vietnam. The American people, by giving the Republicans the White House and an overwhelming majority at the House and Senate have only emboldened an ideologically driven administration to continue on its unilateralist path outside of the confines of international law and the consensus of Western nations. Moderates like Colin Powell have left, while Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld and his Pentagon mafia are still around.

Recently in Vancouver, former United States Marine Sgt. Jimmy Massey addressed a small crowd and clearly described human rights violations and direct violations of Geneva conventions in Iraq. He talked about how the military taught recruits to hate another culture and did not give them the tools to appreciate or understand adequately those who they were being sent to kill and to liberate. Massey is a former military recruiter from North Carolina who received an honorable discharge after being part of the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. He now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression.

On the chalkboard he drew a composite of the checkpoint outside of Rashid Camp on the outskirts of Baghdad, and talked about the different aspects that went in to the decision making to open fire in situations. Even though platoon commanders were trained in the requirements of the Geneva conventions, classified briefings in the field regularly exaggerated claims of insurgents and created an environment where soldiers were shooting at unarmed civilians. Operational guidelines on closing roads and setting up checkpoints were often ignored or became de facto places where soldiers were “lighting them up.” Massey clearly said several times, “We are committing genocide in Iraq.” He himself said he was ordered to fire on several occasions and in one instance, 30 Iraqi civilians were killed over a 48-hour period. He says that he along with his fellow soldiers were directly involved in war crimes.

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[purduejake]

1. What a story.

I hate this administration and what it is doing to everybody, as explained in the article. One thing that tears me up is when people like this author say that the lowest ranking people on the ground should be charged with war crimes. They should not have done some of the things, but they are being put in BAD situations without much organization or sometimes training and fear for their own lives. After a while of close calls and people shooting at me, I can't say that I wouldn't shoot at anything that moves, either.

I'm just sick over this.

[librechik]

2. excuse me, the American people got robbed!

we didn't give the Shrub any power. He stole it! He doesn't have a mandate, he has a criminal empire with a stranglehold on government. They handed him the presidency and the war on a platform of lies and misdeeds. Part of the crime is that he got the world to believe that "we the people gave him this role.

NOT!

[TWiley]

3. I kind of feel that it is a Bush Family War.

Granted, it is also a "republican" war, but I happen to feel that the republican war would never have happened if the bush family did not have unfinished business interests in Iraq. Therefore, it is the bush family war.

We are the victims of larceny by conversion. Tax money converted to corporate profit through war by fraud for the sole purpose of advancing the bush families private agenda.

[Disturbed]

4. The Republican War.

Yes, indeed. The Rethugs are also declaring War on the Poor. The Middle Class is paying for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and all the while the Rethugs are allowing re-location of Mfg. and outsourcing of jobs. When will the Amerikan people wake up?

[no_hypocrisy]

5. Cough, cough, and ahem. Where is the democratic outrage on the floors

of the House and the Senate? Where is the daily, fiery oratory to put on the record and in the media that democrats are not passive enablers to the republicans. Where are the individuals who don't fear republican retribution and voter revenge in 2006 in order to commence the beginning of the end of this travesty? They have a majority and they have financial backing. We have the people. WE ARE AMERICA.