Yet, according to William Blum in "Rogue State"(Common Courage), as of 2005, the U.S. had been involved in the assassination or attempted assassination of 37 world leaders, ranging from France's Charles de Gaulle to Panama's Omar Torrijos and from Iran's Ayatollah Khomeni to India's Jawaharlal Nehru. Reporter Blum also cites more than 50 U.S. foreign interventions, mostly by the CIA, ranging from blackmail to armed overthrow.
Blum also cites evidence of CIA meddling in 30 foreign elections, including Australia, Bolivia, British Guiana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Laos, Lebanon, Nepal, Nicaragua, Panama, Portugal, the Philippines, and Viet Nam,. "On many occasions, U.S. interventions resulted in free, or any, elections being done away with completely for large stretches of time, as in Brazil, Congo, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iran, South Korea, Chile, and Greece," Blum writes.
Elections are sacred moments in the life of a democracy and for the U.S. to bribe voters, as the CIA has often done overseas, (Brazil is a sordid example) is to repudiate the democratic ideal. The judicial process and human life also are held sacrosanct, yet apparently these never counted for much with Cheney or past CIA directors. Like Stalin, Cheney felt responsible to no one; he was bent on extending his power globally by force and violence.
And now we have a President seemingly with no intention of prosecuting Cheney or CIA brass guilty of crimes against humanity. What would Alexander Hamilton have said?
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(Sherwood Ross is a Miami-based media consultant who formerly reported for major dailies and wire services. To reach him or contribute to his Anti-War News Service email sherwoodr1@yahoo.com)
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