Today is Veterans Day in the United States, a day when we are supposed to honor the sacrifices made by our military veterans as they defended our freedoms. Yet on this day of well-deserved honor, the Bush Administration continues to dishonor all veterans by committing war crimes in Iraq, then lying to cover them up.
"What war crimes?" you may say. "We're good Americans! We don't commit war crimes! Yes, bad things happen in war, but bad things are sometimes necessary for the greater good of victory. But these are not war crimes, these are military necessities. Our enemies may commit war crimes, because they are evil. But we Americans would never deliberately do such things. And furthermore, you must be a treasonous, liberal, communist, pinko, terrorist-loving fag to even think we Americans would ever commit war crimes."
Wrong. Wake up, America! This is now, not World War II, when we really were the good guys, saving the world from Fascism. And now a cold-hearted, ultra-right, do-anything-necessary-to-win, gang of neo-Fascists is running our country. And they are busily committing war crimes right and left, wherever it suits their purposes, all in the name of freedom and victory, and lying to cover up.
Specifically . . .
1. Torture. What we have seen in the American press is nothing compared to what is really out there. If you are a normal, peace-loving, God-believing American, it will make you sick when you eventually find out the truth about what is being done by this administration, in your name, following the repulsive Israeli model used against Palestinian prisoners. And torture of prisoners is a war crime, no matter what the supposed justification is.
2. Deliberate killing of unarmed women and children, to "teach these people a lesson." This is called "terrorism," and we are doing it. When you bomb a house or an apartment building because you think some "insurgents" might be in there, but you know that women and children are in there too, that is not "collateral damage." That is deliberate killing of unarmed women and children, which is a war crime.
3. Use of fiendishly-cruel chemical weapons. "White phosphorus." Look it up here.
Television video has been shown of women and children's flesh being carmelized and burned to the bone, by American white-phosphorus attacks in Falluja.
WHAT IS A WAR CRIME? Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention defines war crimes as: "Wilful killing, torture or inhuman treatment, including... wilfully 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 wilfully 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."
This, international lawyers say, is the basic definition of war crimes.
As Jesus said, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32 KJV)
And always remember, "Impeachment is an option."
###
Blessings to you. May God help us all.
Rev. Bill McGinnis bmcgin@patriot.net is an Internet Christian minister, writer, and publisher. He is Director of LoveAllPeople.org, a small private think tank in Alexandria, Virginia, and all of its related websites, including InternetChurchOfChrist.org, CommitteeForTheGoldenRule.org, CivicAmerican.com, and EssaysAndCommentaries.com. His agenda is to help maximize the happiness and well-being of all people.
1 | 2
Contact Editor
Must Read (0) 
Well Said (0) 
News (0) 
Touching (0) 
Funny (0) 
Supported (0) 
Interesting (0) 
Inspiring (0) 
Valuable (0) 
