February 2003 – Citizen Reporter

Yesterday, according to NYTimes/BBC/LeMonde, the US military upped the number of troops being send to the southern Phillipines to help “fight” the Abu Sayef “terrorist” group that is allegedly linked to Al Qaeda, much like every terrorist group these days. This increase in troop presence in the Phillipines will bring the number of US military there to close to 3,000. On the same day, a pair of CIA operatives, which are essentially secret soldiers, were captured by the FARC rebel group in Colombia. The US has decided to increase the amount of “advisors” (you’ll remember president LBJ sending a few thousand advisors to a place called Vietnam) it has in that region… pushing it to around 1,000. How many thousands of US military are left in Afghanistan? How many thousands are running around pretending to shoot at each other and getting killed in accidents in the Kuwait area? How many thousands are stationed in South Korea for whatever bizarre reason? Japan?

The point of all this? Well… it’s clearly a military economy in the US. Its one of the biggest employers in the world, the American military. It makes money for weapons manufacturers, natural resource corporations, etc. Trouble is, how big is too big? Will there ever be a point when the military is suddenly facing crises in multiple places? What if Abu Sayef demolishes the 3 thou marines? What if the FARC picks off US military one by one? What if the Taliban, who are reorganizing in the North, what if they come down armed to the teeth and reak havoc on US and allied troops? What if Urban warfare isn’t as glamorous as it sounds in Iraq? All these things are possible… perhaps not on the scale the I propose… but if they were to even happen on a small scale… why is it worth it? To make the world a better place? OR is it political? Is it about power, and not about humanity?

I think of perhaps an odd example… but I think about the Portuguese military in the 70’s… for years they’d been sent up and down Africa.. fighting in Mozambique, Guinea-Bassau, and Angola, Goa (to some extent).. the neverending colonial wars… in the great name of Portuguese-Africa. Thousands upon thousands fought and died, on both sides. But at some point, they had had enough. It was the military that rose up! The military that stopped shooting and started asking, “Why are we doing this? Why are we here? Who is this leader of ours?” They changed the country… not alone, but they were the spark, and without them it may have never ended.

Perhaps in the US… the spark has to come from the same place. Could it be that one day… and soon… the military men and women, who have for so long followed orders without question.. will they turn and ask their commander-in-chief, “Why am I fighting? Where is the proof? What is the purpose? Why must I die? Why must I kill?”

Last week’s Courrier International which is published by the Le Monde Group, included an interview from the New York Times Magazine with Qaddafi back in January. This was a really long and detailed interview, with the journalist and the leader of Libya dicussing the past, the present, and the future. From this interview, usual media portrayals, and the infamy of his name Qaddafi is generally seen as a tyrant. Reading this interview and seeing the man, hearing him speak, sometimes proud and pompous, sometimes regretful and remorseful, you see a man that has shaped his part of the world as much as the world has shaped him. He admits that back in the eighties he believed armed struggle was the best way to advance your movement, he now says he was wrong. He denounces terrorism, and was the first arab leader to present Washington with his security reports on terrorist groups worldwide. Yet he never forgets how the Reagan administration targeted him, bombed Libya, killing his 1 year old adopted daughter while she slept. These days he seems obsessed with the new formed African Union, created in the spirit of the European Union, in order to unite Africa and promote developement.

Why are these things significant? Because Qaddafi represents man who was considered crazy and a threat to the world/United States. He was targetted. He was bombed. He was denounced over and over again by Reagan, Bush, and even GWBush denounces him. Yet the UN has lifted sanctions… after so many years of delay, Qaddafi released the Lockerbie bombing suspects to face trial. He has also agreed to pay the conpensation. He has also given over his powers as administrative/ government leader in Libya to parliament. He retains the title of “leader” wielding only symbolic importance in his country. He may not be a good man. But he is a clear example of what happens to semi-dictators in the Arab world if you approach the situation with patience and using measures besides war.

Qaddafi is not unique. Many aging Arab leaders, who used to be considered mad threats, later became old and quirky, but not crazed killers. Reagan used to refer to Qaddafi as “The rabid dog of the middle east”… but years later, it is clear that Reagan was just trying to get political attention… because that raging dog, has become a calm K-9, interested more in hanging nice pictures of himself in the streets and being remembered as a great leader.

And so once again there’s a president waging a vague Cold War Part II against terrorism, and he declares another middle east dictator a “threat”… history repeats itself… only this time, it could be far bloodier.

The biggest danger in the world, is not the average American who might be in favor of war in order to “liberate” another country. No, the biggest danger in this world is the education system that produced that American. Because it was that system, those schools, that curriculum, and those teachers, who gave that person the tools he would use to interpret the world around him, for the rest of his/her life. Sure, parental figures are important, but reality is, whoever your guardian, they’re probably working 1 or 2 jobs just to keep that roof over your head and the clothes on your back, etc. Your real education today, when its not coming from your loved ones, is coming at you from all sides when it comes to TV and school. And if that school doesn’t teach a person to ask questions, to ask how things work, to seek more information than that which is spoonfed to them, then that person may never learn to do so.

Never has this been more apparent than now. Tabloid newspapers publish embarassingly ignorant headlines depicting the French as the culture which America saved and died for which now turns their back on the United States. With a large photo of Normandy to boot. CBS’s Andy Rooney, who has already received piercing criticism from this journalist, in his old wise age, still has his own program on that network, where he presents news to the public, with his own commentary mixed in. This week Rooney decided to “englighten” the viewers about the French. This man who neither speaks French or has ever lived there longer than his tour of media duty in the 40’s, told millions of CBS watchers about how the French “Have no right to an opinion” because they “owe” the United States for having saved their country and defeated the Germans in WWII.

This same idea has been spreading like wildfire throughout the American media. Whats alarming is not that it’s spreading in a populist, racist, ill-informed, and attention seeking media environment. Rather, it is that so many Americans read this and it appeals to this sensitive memory or this national pride, it touches of some misplaced anger, and the result is poor humor like “Surrender like the French.” This is poor humor because it ignores the sufferring and starvation endured by France during the occupation, and it negates the enormous resistance movement and all those who died for it. It ignores that fact that untold millions of Russians and Germans had already died long before Normandy. It ignores how many millions of innocent Polish, Russians, Germans, Czechs, French, and British died before America finally decided to get involved.

Rooney has a right to his opinion. But once he gets in front of millions to put forth information, he then has a responsibility, to the public. If he presents one side of an arguement or opinion, he must present the otherside, otherwise he’s nothing but a propaganda producing would-be journalist. Furthermore, if he is indeed a journalist, then part of his job is to question public officials and government decisions.

It is not for the journalist or any media to promote or support the decision of elected officials, they have media people to do that for them. No, it’s the media’s role to keep them in check, to make sure their information isn’t full of holes and half-truths. But alas, that’s what a media is supposed to do, it hasn’t been doing that in America or several other countries for quite a long time. There’s a long overdue reform that the people must demand of the very media that seek their attention. Trouble is, if people aren’t educated properly, only schooled in “their” national history and never told the other side of the story, never shown the other truths that are out there, they’ll just keep eating the same spoon-fed government propaganda… and they’ll even say thank you.

“1,2,3,4 WE DON’T WANT YOUR OIL WAR!” … how many different languages can you imagine that being said, it one single day, in every corner of the globe? Never before… never has the world seen an excess of 10 million stand up, march, sing, dance, speak, draw, debate and perform their beliefs that this plan for War in Iraq is unjust, immoral, illegal, and wrong… amongst the countless other reasons. February 15th, 2003 will always be remembered and referred to, for the stark message the people of the world sent their governments and the government of the United States, “We live in this world too, We don’t support your war, We Will Stand Up Against Your Muscle and Manipulation!” And stand they did: Amsterdam 70 thousand, Brussels 50 thousand, Paris 150 thousand, Berlin almost 500 thousand, Rome 600 thousand plus, Madrid 750 thousand, Lisbon 60 thousand, Cape Town 10 thousand, Tokyo 25 thousand, Ottowa 10 thousand plus, London 1 MILLION!, and perhaps the most significant and most telling, NYC 500 thousand! And they thought Americans were just going to sit home and watch war on TV! This day is one that the people of the world can be proud of, showing that it’s not just “You’re with us or against us” but it is about international law and human rights!

Anti-Americanism. If you’re reading newspapers or watching the so called “news” on TV, you might have heard this term. More and more lately, mainstream media loves to mention France or Germany’s “Anti-American” sentiment. And many Americans read this and say “Yeah! Those bastards, they’re anti-american!”

Let this journalist be the first to clear up something: Anti-Americanism is a made up word. It’s a politicians word and a media word, used to get you angry and feel betrayed, and therefore to support the very leaders that are doing things that are hurting your well-being (say spending your tax money on war or tax breaks for polluting companies for example) They point to Europe and shout “look, look, they hate Americans, they are evil!” This of course is sheer bullshit. Whats more, it’s being swallowed up by many in the US.

“Why then do so many people hate Americans?” You might ask with anger. Well first, let’s make a separation: Government – Citizens. These two entities are not the same. And Europeans are quite good at separating the two. Now, what does hold truth is that a majority of Europeans are completely frustrated and angry at the American government. This has first and foremost to do with this spirit of “with us or against us, we’re going to do what we want”and then theres the completely anti- international agreements like environmental, international law, and open trade policies, all of which the Bush administration has completely turned its back to. These are things which are important to Europeans and most of the world, hence, a hatred of this rogue American government. This says nothing of American people. Except that many world-wide are baffled as to why the American public goes along with this government? But what should be said, is that actually, many Americans do not want to go along with this government insane and criminal policies, the trouble is, to go against it is quite difficult and in many cases harmful to one’s political/social/legal and physical health.

Next time you hear anti-American in the news, turn it off, put the newspaper aside, don’t be distracted by political manipulation that tries to play on your emotions.

The Powell speech to the UN. Such a big media event. Photos, Terrorist Family Trees, Audio, and a Test Tube, yup, all signs that the American government has it all figured out. While those nee sayers are just “old Europe” as Rumsfeld says, they’re just weak. Surely the world was convinced after seeing satellite pictures with yellow and red circles that would make John Madden recount his days of circling up the Giants penalty in the crucial moments of the game. And who can refute phonecalls that have arabic speaking individuals saying things like “Have you moved the things and cleaned out the area” clearly this is a conversation about weapons of mass destruction, when else are such words used??? Who didn’t shed a tear when Powell introduced this little vial in his hand, of how much Anthrax closed down the American congress that ordinarily sit around voting on its next pay raise? (remember they don’t have any connection of Iraq to the anthrax in he US, but hey, who needs proof right? this is justice)

As clear as it all may seem, there are just a few points that hold… well… NO TRUTH AT ALL. Let’s go to the transcript:

First, the audio tape, a truely vague and random piece of “evidence”… here are some highlights:

“You didn’t get a modified. You don’t have one of those, do you?”

“I’ll come to see you in the morning. I’m worried. You all have something left.”

“We evacuated everything. We don’t have anything left.”

At this point Powell, trying to be Colombo like, says “Note what they’ve said – evacuating”

So.. how many Arabic conversations sound like this? Several million a day perhaps? No – surely its about weapons of mass destruction. Furthermore Iraqi nationals have testified that the accented Arabic is clearly an exaggeration and not real Iraqi arabic. But surely, it’s from Powell so it has to be true according to CNN and MSNBC – never have either of those “News” channels indicated the information might be false.

Next on Powell’s “proof” list: Let me say a word about satellite images before I show a couple. The photos that I am about to show you are sometimes hard for the average person to interpret, hard for me. The painstaking work of photo analysis takes experts with years and years of experience, pouring for hours and hours over light tables. But as I show you these images, I will try to capture and explain what they mean, what they indicate to our imagery specialists.

How convenient, the average person can’t understand! Well, then we’ll just have to believe that these buildings that all look the same and could be a house, a pig farm, or a weapons factory, they must be what Powell says they are. Look at the photos! The only difference between them are Powell’s red and yellow circles!

Let’s not forget his use of sources: Ladies and gentlemen, these are not assertions. These are facts, corroborated by many sources, some of them sources of the intelligence services of other countries. …Clearly he has shown us his sources!

Then comes the training camps: Those helping to run this camp are Zarqawi lieutenants operating in northern Kurdish areas outside Saddam Hussein’s controlled Iraq. But Baghdad has an agent in the most senior levels of the radical organization, Ansar al-Islam, that controls this corner of Iraq.

later he says Zarqawi’s activities are not confined to this small corner of north east Iraq. He traveled to Baghdad in May 2002 for medical treatment, staying in the capital of Iraq for two months while he recuperated to fight another day.

First, why would he go to Iraq for medical attention? There is no real medical attention! Embargo.. remember!? Also, the Kurdistan (region) government representatives came forward in the NYTimes today stating, as much as they dislike Saddam, there are no such camps in northern IRAQ! Furthermore, this link to Osama Bin Laden… if Osama is a fundamentalist, then he does not like christians and he does not like alcohol. He is outspokenly against those things. Why on earth would he collaborate with Saddam Hussein, who is publicly known to adore Whiskey and has had national Beer Breweries all over Iraq. Beyond that… his number one government representative, Terik Aziz… is a CHRISTIAN! Yes! And thats not new news, its not a secret, he’s a christian and he’s the foreign minister, why would Osama Bin Laden work with Christians? Then he may as well work with the American government. OH wait… he doesn’t… anymore.

It goes on and on… the point is.. Powell’s speech could only convince someone with the desire to believe him and with no desire for knowing the truth. In fact this government has no case, and Powell is lucky to not have appeared before a court, because his case would have been thrown out for lack of evidence.