A new report on the secret U.S. drone war in Pakistan says the attacks have killed far more civilians than acknowledged, traumatized a nation and undermined international law. In "Living Under Drones," researchers conclude the drone strikes "terrorize men, women, and children, giving rise to anxiety and psychological trauma among civilian communities." The study concludes that most of the militants killed in the strikes have been low-level targets whose deaths have failed to make the United States any safer. Just 2 percent of drone attack victims are said to be top militant leaders. [ source ]
Showing posts with label war. Show all posts
Showing posts with label war. Show all posts
September 27, 2012
U.S. Drones Terrorize in Pakistan
A new report on the secret U.S. drone war in Pakistan says the attacks have killed far more civilians than acknowledged, traumatized a nation and undermined international law. In "Living Under Drones," researchers conclude the drone strikes "terrorize men, women, and children, giving rise to anxiety and psychological trauma among civilian communities." The study concludes that most of the militants killed in the strikes have been low-level targets whose deaths have failed to make the United States any safer. Just 2 percent of drone attack victims are said to be top militant leaders. [ source ]
July 9, 2012
Quote: We cannot kill our way to victory in the war on terror
"
[War] technology has improved since Vietnam and Cambodia. But we still can't bomb our way to victory....
We live in an age when American might can overwhelm the defenses of entire countries with barely a drop of American blood spent. It is, in a way, too easy. Because there is so little risk, there is no political cost to be paid for the drone wars. Presidents Bush and Obama could deploy drones by the dozens with the certain knowledge it would do nothing but enhance their political causes....
We cannot kill our way to victory in the war on terror. I'm not even sure we have a place in the fight.
Radical Islam is a cult within the larger body of the religion. It is not going to be defeated with bombs or bullets. It must be attacked and rooted out from within Islam, at the village and mosque level. Our main role in this fight is to embolden the Muslim majority to rally against the radicals.
Right now, we're harming that goal more than helping.
"http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-mcdermott-drones-and-cambodia-20120617,0,5678418.story
June 13, 2012
Military Suicide Epidemic: More U.S. Soldier Suicides Than Battlefield Deaths in 2012
More U.S. soldiers have died this year by taking their own lives than on the battlefield. The Pentagon says there have been at least 154 suicides among active-duty troops in 2012, a rate of nearly one each day.
March 29, 2012
February 4, 2012
Revolving Door Between Pentagon and War Industry Continues
Weapons contractor Raytheon just announced that it hired retired General James Cartwright to it s board of directors. It's another example of the revolving door between the Pentagon and the war industry. Eighty percent of retiring 3- or 4-star generals cash in by going to work for military contractors--a major conflict of interest that makes a few people at the top of these companies, very, very rich.
From 2007: A family of four's share of the financial burden for both wars is $20,900
December 19, 2011
November 29, 2011
October 31, 2011
Bush in B.C.: Canada Hosts a War Criminal
(source)
Article: Let the U.S. judge Bush (source)
There was a Canadian chill in the air when George W. Bush turned up in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday to speak to a business audience. A couple of hundred raucous protesters were on hand, chanting “Arrest George Bush” and urging the Mounties to clap the former U.S. president in irons.
“Complicit in torture,” one sign read. “Waterboard Bush.” “War criminals out of Canada.” And “Shame, shame, shame.”
The campaign to make Bush a pariah in this country seems to have legs. Groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are trying to shame the Canadian government into doing what the U.S. government won’t: To arrest and try Bush for authorizing the waterboarding of terror suspects when he next sets foot on our soil.
It’s a misguided demand that puts Prime Minister Stephen Harper and potentially other leaders needlessly on the spot.
. . . .
Posted Canadian Responses:
Re: Let the U.S. judge Bush, Editorial Oct. 22
You advocate that only the U.S. can hold their former president responsible for behaviour widely seen as criminal and which involved many foreign nationals and activities on many foreign shores. By this logic, Canada should never have extradited former SS guard Michael Seifert or any other Nazi war criminals, as their crimes did not take place in Canada.
Arresting and trying George W. Bush here would certainly be a slap in the face to our American friends and allies, this is true. So what Canada should do is give fair warning to Bush and the American government that he is not welcome here and would be arrested and turned over to the Hague if he enters Canada.
If that shames them then they should be shamed.
Rory McRandall, Bancroft
Even if one does accept the argument that George W. Bush should be prosecuted in the U.S., why was he given a green light into Canada? Numerous individuals have been denied entry at the border because of their association, sometimes quite tenuous, with subversion, violence or terrorism.
However, there is overwhelming evidence that the Bush administration was responsible for systematic abuses — kicking captives, confining them in boxes, depriving them of sleep and exposing them to cold temperatures, waterboarding, shackling them for prolonged periods, and threatening their families with ill-treatment.
You can bet your throwing booties that any former leader from Sudan, Iran or North Korea with that kind of record wouldn’t be in Canada giving speeches at $600-a-plate dinners.
Larry Kazdan, Vancouver
You’ve come up with some very logical and powerful arguments in support of this, primarily, being the responsibility of U.S. and not Canada to bring a villainous Dubya to book for his gross disrespect to international law and wanton violations of human rights. No reasonable person could disagree with you.
However, I’ve a small question. Would you be offering the very same cogent reasoning for not hauling up a foreign villain in Canadian courts had the person been, for the sake of argument, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad of Iran?
Karamatullah K. Ghori, Richmond Hill
Since when did human rights stop being a Canadian concern? When did Canada stop being concerned about justice and accountability?
Carol Rawson, Toronto
If Spanish prosecutors had a chance to read your “Let Bush Be” editorial, the murderous Augusto Pinochet of Chile would never have been arrested and brought to justice for his heinous crimes.
The reason Canada can’t arrest Bush is obvious: The U.S. would invade us or drain us economically.
But someone should arrest that devil. Respect for law, tradition and custom demands it.
Vito Cupoli, Toronto
You are right, “Americans who have a problem with their past president should deal with it.”
However, by the same token, Canada should stop encouraging George W. Bush to visit Canada, for launching his book, justifying “extraordinary rendition” techniques, or doing business with Americans solely on American terms.
I have his recent visits to Calgary, Alberta and Surrey, B.C. in mind!
Jalaluddin S. Hussain, Brossard, Que.
We and the rest of the signatories of the ICC don’t need to arrest Bush to punish him, we just have to advise him that we will if he shows up. I’m disappointed that Mr. Arrar didn’t use some of that money he received from the government of Canada to pursue a charge of extraordinary rendition against the Bush administration, and if accepted by the court, effectively imprison him in the U.S.
Gordon Deane, Mississauga
(source)
July 8, 2011
Report: Study Finds U.S. Spending $4 Trillion on War
(full headline: As Debt Talks Threaten Medicare, Social Security, Study Finds U.S. Spending $4 Trillion on War)
A new report from Brown University has estimated the true cost of the U.S. wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan will end up costing approximately $4 trillion — far more than the Bush or Obama administrations have acknowledged.
(source, more news)
Here is the report webstie: LINK.
June 16, 2011
The cycle of war
SIMPLE PROPAGANDA:
 |
| ~Signed: al qaeda, taliban, united states |
** help stop the vicious cycle of war -- support efforts to stop wars of aggression, and love your neighbour **
January 17, 2011
I Have A Dream
MLK: A Call to Conscience (source)
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a strong, courageous, selfless man who stood up to the Establishment against the grave social injustices of his time. These included black segregation and suffrage, war against poverty, and the unjust Vietnam war. Like Martin Luther King, I too have a dream that one day this country with such great potential to do good will pull itself together and tackle the many hard issues which it faces at home, and become a guiding light to the rest of the world once again. He preached love, justice, and human equality straight into the ugly face of terror and elitists. It is my prayer that we will each find the moral courage to do the same.
Quotes:
An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.
A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.
An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.
At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.
(More discussion by Tavis Smiley)
September 1, 2010
Why We Fight - Video
This is an excellent documentary about the US military and the reasons for fighting a war in Iraq. HIGHLY recommend watching -- it's worth the time.
(source)
(source)
July 15, 2010
Even the Troops are Waking Up - Video
(source)
"If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy... The loss of Liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or imagined, from abroad..."
~James Madison
"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
~Benjamin Franklin
Related:
Poll: 62% Say War Going "Badly"
A new poll shows growing US opposition to the war in Afghanistan. According to CBS News, some 44 percent of Americans disapprove of President Obama’s handling of the war, a jump from 37 percent in May. The number of Americans who believe the war is going either "somewhat" or "very badly" also increased to 62 percent from 49 percent.
Record US Soldier Suicides in June
New figures show a record number of US soldiers took their own lives last month. At least thirty-two soldier suicides were reported in June, the highest monthly number since record keeping began around the Vietnam War. Seven of those soldiers killed themselves while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
(source)
July 3, 2010
USS Liberty Attacked by Israel - June 8, 1967
(WARNING: This video depicts some graphic images of war and injury.)
Related News:
On the night of Sunday, May 30, 2010, showing a terrifying disregard for human life, Israeli naval forces surrounded and boarded ships sailing to bring humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip. On the largest ship, the Mavi Marmara, Israeli commandos opened fire on civilian passengers, killing at least 9 passengers and wounding dozens more. Others are still missing. The final death toll is yet to be determined. Cultures of Resistance director Iara Lee was aboard the besieged ship and has since returned home safely.
Despite the Israeli government’s thorough efforts to confiscate all footage taken during the attack, Iara Lee was able to retain some of her recordings. Above is 15 minutes of footage from the moments leading up to and during the Israeli commandos’ assault on the Mavi Marmara.
April 23, 2010
US Military Cover-Up of Afghan Civilian Killings
After weeks of lying about the incident, U.S. and allied forces under General McChrystal’s command have finally admitted that Special Operations units killed three innocent Afghan women, two of them pregnant, in a raid on a civilian household in February, 2010. Now it appears that Special Ops personnel may have dug bullets from bodies to cover their tracks and prevent the truth from being revealed. And yet, the forces under McChrystal’s command propose to investigate themselves.
This is unacceptable. We demand an independent, United-Nations-led investigation of the Pentagon’s cover-up of the night raid killings in Gardez and real accountability for those involved.
(source1) (source2)
Related:
April 5, 2010
IRAQ: WikiLeaks Exposes 2007 'Collateral Murder' of Reporters
Namir Noor-Eldeen and Namir Noor-Eldeen were top reporters, not terrorist; but they were still murdered like ones by US military forces in Iraq, 2007.
Background stories:
Calling it a case of "collateral murder," the WikiLeaks Web site today released harrowing until-now secret video of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter in Baghdad in 2007 repeatedly opening fire on a group of men that included a Reuters photographer and his driver -- and then on a van that stopped to rescue one of the wounded men.
None of the members of the group were taking hostile action, contrary to the Pentagon's initial cover story; they were milling about on a street corner. One man was evidently carrying a gun, though that was and is hardly an uncommon occurrence in Baghdad.
Reporters working for WikiLeaks determined that the driver of the van was a good Samaritan on his way to take his small children to a tutoring session. He was killed and his two children were badly injured.
In the video, which Reuters has been asking to see since 2007, crew members can be heard celebrating their kills.
"Oh yeah, look at those dead bastards," says one crewman after multiple rounds of 30mm cannon fire left nearly a dozen bodies littering the street.
A crewman begs for permission to open fire on the van and its occupants, even though it has done nothing but stop to help the wounded: "Come on, let us shoot!"
Two crewmen share a laugh when a Bradley fighting vehicle runs over one of the corpses.
And after soldiers on the ground find two small children shot and bleeding in the van, one crewman can be heard saying: "Well, it's their fault bringing their kids to a battle."
The helicopter crew, which was patrolling an area that had been the scene of fierce fighting that morning, said they spotted weapons on members of the first group -- although the video shows one gun, at most. The crew also mistook a telephoto lens for a rocket-propelled grenade.
The shooting, which killed Reuters photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen, 22, and driver Saeed Chmagh, 40, took place on July 12, 2007, in a southeastern neighborhood of Baghdad.
WARNING: The following video is not censored, and depicts graphic acts of violence, bloodshed, and inhumanity.
Update:
Families of Victims of 2007 US Helicopter Killing React to Leaked Video
Gates on Wikileaks Video
(source)
Related News: (source)
Background stories:
- (New York Times, July 2007)
- (Washington Post, Sept 2009)
Calling it a case of "collateral murder," the WikiLeaks Web site today released harrowing until-now secret video of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter in Baghdad in 2007 repeatedly opening fire on a group of men that included a Reuters photographer and his driver -- and then on a van that stopped to rescue one of the wounded men.
None of the members of the group were taking hostile action, contrary to the Pentagon's initial cover story; they were milling about on a street corner. One man was evidently carrying a gun, though that was and is hardly an uncommon occurrence in Baghdad.
Reporters working for WikiLeaks determined that the driver of the van was a good Samaritan on his way to take his small children to a tutoring session. He was killed and his two children were badly injured.
In the video, which Reuters has been asking to see since 2007, crew members can be heard celebrating their kills.
"Oh yeah, look at those dead bastards," says one crewman after multiple rounds of 30mm cannon fire left nearly a dozen bodies littering the street.
A crewman begs for permission to open fire on the van and its occupants, even though it has done nothing but stop to help the wounded: "Come on, let us shoot!"
Two crewmen share a laugh when a Bradley fighting vehicle runs over one of the corpses.
And after soldiers on the ground find two small children shot and bleeding in the van, one crewman can be heard saying: "Well, it's their fault bringing their kids to a battle."
The helicopter crew, which was patrolling an area that had been the scene of fierce fighting that morning, said they spotted weapons on members of the first group -- although the video shows one gun, at most. The crew also mistook a telephoto lens for a rocket-propelled grenade.
The shooting, which killed Reuters photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen, 22, and driver Saeed Chmagh, 40, took place on July 12, 2007, in a southeastern neighborhood of Baghdad.
WARNING: The following video is not censored, and depicts graphic acts of violence, bloodshed, and inhumanity.
Update:
Families of Victims of 2007 US Helicopter Killing React to Leaked Video
Gates on Wikileaks Video
(source)
Related News: (source)
US Forces Admit Killing Two Pregnant Afghan Women & Teenager
In Afghanistan, US-led forces have admitted to killing two pregnant Afghan women and a teenage girl during a nighttime raid on February 12. Afghan investigators told the Times of London US Special Forces soldiers tried to cover up the killings. US forces reportedly dug bullets out of their victims’ bodies, then washed the wounds with alcohol before lying to their superiors about what happened. One of the women killed was a pregnant mother of ten, and another was a pregnant mother of six. Initially NATO military officials suggested that the women were stabbed to death, or had died by some other means, hours before the raid. In other news from Afghanistan, German troops accidentally killed six Afghan soldiers on Saturday.
Karzai Lashes Out at Western Nations
The killings occur as tension mounts between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Western leaders. Last week Karzai issued a harsh rebuke of Western and United Nations involvement in Afghanistan, criticizing what he called “massive interference from foreigners." On Saturday, he reportedly told a group of lawmakers, “If you and the international community pressure me more, I swear that I am going to join the Taliban.”
March 19, 2010
Indonesian Forces Implicated in New Assassinations, Tapped by Obama for Renewed US Aid
In a Democracy Now! exclusive, investigative journalist and activist Allan Nairn reveals US-backed Indonesian armed forces carried out a series of assassinations of civilian activists in late 2009. The news comes as the White House moves towards increasing aid to the Indonesian military and lifting a twelve-year ban on the training of the notorious Indonesian military unit known as Kopassus. A US-trained Kopassus general who coordinated the assassinations confirmed to Nairn an Indonesian army role in the killings. [includes rush transcript]
UPDATE (3/24):
In Indonesia, investigative journalist Allan Nairn is facing possible arrest for exposing that US-backed Indonesian armed forces assassinated a series of civilian activists last year. Since Allan Nairn broke the news of the assassination program on Democracy Now! on Friday, the Indonesian press has been buzzing with the allegations. A military spokesman told the Jakarta Globe that the military is considering legal action against Nairn. Earlier today, Nairn issued a public challenge to the Indonesian military to arrest him so that he could face off with the military in open court. [includes rush transcript]
UPDATE (3/26):
Indonesian human rights groups held a news conference today in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, calling on the Indonesian army to stop denying the exposé by journalist Allan Nairn that US-backed Indonesian armed forces assassinated a series of civilian activists in the province of Aceh last year. The human rights groups called on police to arrest those responsible for the assassinations and distributed Nairn’s piece to the press. The two human rights groups, Kontras and Imparsial, were founded by Munir, the country’s leading human rights advocate who was assassinated by Indonesian intelligence in 2004. [source]
UPDATE (3/31):
UPDATE (3/24):
In Indonesia, investigative journalist Allan Nairn is facing possible arrest for exposing that US-backed Indonesian armed forces assassinated a series of civilian activists last year. Since Allan Nairn broke the news of the assassination program on Democracy Now! on Friday, the Indonesian press has been buzzing with the allegations. A military spokesman told the Jakarta Globe that the military is considering legal action against Nairn. Earlier today, Nairn issued a public challenge to the Indonesian military to arrest him so that he could face off with the military in open court. [includes rush transcript]
UPDATE (3/26):
Indonesian human rights groups held a news conference today in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, calling on the Indonesian army to stop denying the exposé by journalist Allan Nairn that US-backed Indonesian armed forces assassinated a series of civilian activists in the province of Aceh last year. The human rights groups called on police to arrest those responsible for the assassinations and distributed Nairn’s piece to the press. The two human rights groups, Kontras and Imparsial, were founded by Munir, the country’s leading human rights advocate who was assassinated by Indonesian intelligence in 2004. [source]
UPDATE (3/31):
Indonesian TV Station Cancels Nairn Interview Due to Military Pressure
And in an update to a story we have been closely following, Indonesia’s national news channel, TV One, canceled an appearance by investigative journalist Allan Nairn today due to pressure from the Indonesian army special forces unit Kopassus. Nairn recently revealed Kopassus had been involved in the assassination of political activists in Aceh last year. Last week the Indonesian military threatened to arrest Nairn for defiling the good name of the Indonesian armed forces. As we went to broadcast, Nairn was heading to the TV station to hold a news conference to expose the Indonesian military’s role in canceling the broadcast. [More info at http://www.allannairn.com] [source]
February 2, 2010
America’s Secret Afghan Prisons
Investigation Unearths New US Torture Site, Abuse Allegations in Afghanistan
A new investigation by journalist Anand Gopal reveals harrowing details about US secret prisons in Afghanistan, under both the Bush and Obama administrations. Gopal interviewed Afghans who were detained and abused at several disclosed and undisclosed sites at US and Afghan military bases across the country. He also reveals the existence of another secret prison on Bagram Air Base that even the Red Cross does not have access to. It is dubbed the Black Jail and is reportedly run by US Special Forces. (source)January 6, 2010
“Obama Has Kept the Machine Set on Kill”–Journalist and Activist Allan Nairn Reviews Obama’s First Year in Office
Democracy Now!
~35 minutes
In an extended interview, award-winning journalist and activist Allan Nairn looks back over the Obama administration’s foreign policy and national security decisions over the last twelve months. “I think Obama should be remembered as a great man because of the blow he struck against white racism,” Nairn says. “But once he became president…Obama became a murderer and a terrorist, because the US has a machine that spans the globe, that has the capacity to kill, and Obama has kept it set on kill. He could have flipped the switch and turned it off…but he chose not to do so.” He continues, “In fact, as far as one can tell, Obama seems to have killed more civilians during his first year than Bush did in his first year, and maybe even than Bush killed in his final year.” (source)
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