Thursday, May 19, 2005
Pacifica Commentary for May 18, 2005
IMPEACHMENT
While the commercial media exploits the alleged sexual misconduct of Michael Jackson on a 24/7 basis, the criminality of our international behavior becomes commonplace.
What criminality? Let me count the ways.
The endless carnage in Iraq, the people we kill are referred to as terrorists. What a wonderful situation for the imbedded media. Who among the dead is going to prove that he or she was not a terrorist? Every dictatorship has played this game. The ones we kill are the evil ones. If they happen to be innocent, for example children, they are simply collateral damage.
Then we have the case of the Prime Minister of Haiti Yvon Neptune, jailed for ten months with no charges against him. Neptune is on a prison fast unto death seeking justice for his people. The policy that overthrew his government has been routine behavior for Washington since the days of Thomas Jefferson. To the horror of our founders, Haiti abolished slavery in 1804.
And then there is the case of the Colombian paramilitary which our country has supported for decades. This enormous death squad is holding one of the largest inventories of cocaine ever identified. These drugs are for sale in the United States and the income serves to continue the rape and plunder of the Colombian people.
Yes, it is the same pattern that took place in Nicaragua in the 1980's. Gary Webb's book, Dark Alliance explains the method in detail. Gary's good work was punished by the same media that endlessly feeds us Michael Jackson.
The Bush approval ratings are dropping but not fast enough. Every member of Congress now knows that in April of 2002, at the Crawford Ranch in Texas, George Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair agreed to wage an unprovoked and illegal war against Iraq. 89 House Democrats have expressed their outrage in a letter to the President, which says in part: "While the president of the United States was telling the citizens and the congress that they had no intention to start a war with Iraq, they were working very close with Tony Blair and the British leadership at making this a foregone conclusion."
Former Attorney General of the United States, Ramsey Clark commented, "Impeachment now is the only way we, the American people, can promise ourselves and the world that we will not tolerate crimes against peace and humanity by our government. Knowing what we know, to wait longer is to condone what has been done and risk more."
Friends, to make this impeachment a reality, all we need is a handful of Democrats with a spine, Republicans with a conscience and people with hope and conviction. Let's make it happen.
While the commercial media exploits the alleged sexual misconduct of Michael Jackson on a 24/7 basis, the criminality of our international behavior becomes commonplace.
What criminality? Let me count the ways.
The endless carnage in Iraq, the people we kill are referred to as terrorists. What a wonderful situation for the imbedded media. Who among the dead is going to prove that he or she was not a terrorist? Every dictatorship has played this game. The ones we kill are the evil ones. If they happen to be innocent, for example children, they are simply collateral damage.
Then we have the case of the Prime Minister of Haiti Yvon Neptune, jailed for ten months with no charges against him. Neptune is on a prison fast unto death seeking justice for his people. The policy that overthrew his government has been routine behavior for Washington since the days of Thomas Jefferson. To the horror of our founders, Haiti abolished slavery in 1804.
And then there is the case of the Colombian paramilitary which our country has supported for decades. This enormous death squad is holding one of the largest inventories of cocaine ever identified. These drugs are for sale in the United States and the income serves to continue the rape and plunder of the Colombian people.
Yes, it is the same pattern that took place in Nicaragua in the 1980's. Gary Webb's book, Dark Alliance explains the method in detail. Gary's good work was punished by the same media that endlessly feeds us Michael Jackson.
The Bush approval ratings are dropping but not fast enough. Every member of Congress now knows that in April of 2002, at the Crawford Ranch in Texas, George Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair agreed to wage an unprovoked and illegal war against Iraq. 89 House Democrats have expressed their outrage in a letter to the President, which says in part: "While the president of the United States was telling the citizens and the congress that they had no intention to start a war with Iraq, they were working very close with Tony Blair and the British leadership at making this a foregone conclusion."
Former Attorney General of the United States, Ramsey Clark commented, "Impeachment now is the only way we, the American people, can promise ourselves and the world that we will not tolerate crimes against peace and humanity by our government. Knowing what we know, to wait longer is to condone what has been done and risk more."
Friends, to make this impeachment a reality, all we need is a handful of Democrats with a spine, Republicans with a conscience and people with hope and conviction. Let's make it happen.
