There is No Justice In Murder: Why We're Protesting the Blackwater Decision

If Blackwater were read their rights, they’d sound a little different than what we’re used to; they’d probably sound something like this: “Nothing you say can or will be used against you in a court of law.”
On September 16, 2007 a Blackwater convoy sped into Nisour Square in Baghdad—a congested intersection in the once upscale Mansour district. By the time they left about fifteen minutes later, seventeen people were dead—all of them Iraqi civilian men, women, and children.
But the Blackwater shooters were investigated by the State Department with the understanding that their statement could not be used to bring criminal charges against them or be used as evidence. Copies of sworn statements from the operatives obtained by ABC News read “I further understand that neither my statements nor any information or evidence gained by reason of my statements can be used against me in a criminal proceeding.”
Paul Bremer, head of the occupation until June 2004, furthered Blackwater’s growing immunity by signing Order 17, which prevented Blackwater or its operative from being charged in Iraqi courts.
Now this outrage has been brought into the US judicial system. District Judge Ricardo Urbina threw out manslaughter and weapons charges brought against five Blackwater security guards. “If a judge ... dismissed the trial, that is ridiculous and the whole thing has been but a farce,” Dr. Haitham Ahmed—whose (unarmed) son and wife were killed in the massacre—said. “The rights of our victims and the rights of the innocent people should not be wasted.”
The messages Judge Urbina has sent with the dismissal of this case—that war crimes are permissible and human lives expendable in the pursuit of profit and that the Justice Department is happy to play an active role in the imperialist American war machine—is both dangerous and intolerable.
This is why we, the women of Salem AntiWar, take action. If an Iraqi citizen is expendable, then so are we. The Iraqi people are our brothers and sisters. To deny them basic human rights, to deny them their own voice is to deny our own humanity. It’s to implicate ourselves in the war crimes of this government and its companies/contractors that enforce is hegemonic imperialist policies.
Blackwater claims that no VIP protected by its forces has been killed, but the company admits that they have no idea how many Iraqi civilians they have killed. Blackwater and its operative must be held accountable for their war crimes, for the murder of innocent civilians. We will not tolerate a government, a judicial system that refuses justice to people to protect imperialist interests and corporate profits. There is no justice in murder.




1 Scahill, Jeremy. "State to Blackwater: Nothing You Say Can and Will Be Used Against You in a Court of Law." Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeremy-scahill/state-to-blackwater-noth_b_70479.html (accessed January 4, 2010).

2 Scahill, Jeremy. Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army. New York: Nation Books, 2008, 15.
Associated Press, .. "Iraq Dismayed by Blackwater Dismissal." CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/01/world/main6044525.shtml (accessed January 2, 2010).

3 Scahill, Jeremy. Blackwater, 209-231.

Al Jazeera vs. Mainstream (Read Imperialist) US Media

Look at difference between American and Al Jazeera coverage.

With a few exceptions, the US media is an extremely imperialistic enterprise that has supported the invasions and occupations since the start. Even good anti-imperialist sources can still lack the Middle East perspective. In this climate, Al Jazeera can be a breath of fresh air.

Posted by Trish

Peace Prize or War Prize -- What Message Was the Nobel Committee Really Sending?

The Nobel Committee really ought to reconsider changing the name of the coveted prize. They have given the prize not only to President Obama, entrenched in two imperialistic wars, but also to Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Henry Kissinger who each had his own respective conflict(s).

As Howard Zinn notes, it's true that the Committee was giving recognition to Wilson for the League of Nations, to Roosevelt for brokering peace between Russia and Japan, and to Kissinger for signing his name to the paper that ended the Vietnam 'conflict.'

But what's also true is that there were other activists who were truly supporting international unity, who truly opposed the spread of imperialism, and who risked a hell of a lot more than carpal tunnel syndrome to end the Vietnam War. And the Committee ignored them. Just like it ignores Malalai Joya, Natalia Estemirova, and Akosua Adomako Ampofo.

Let's look beyond the fact that Obama was given the prize before he had 'done anything.' Let's look at where we are, now, today. Obama has made no significant progress on ending the war in Iraq, where more than 100,000 US troops are still deployed, and he recently approved 30,000 more troops for deployment to Afghanistan. Since they still ship those troops out with pretty heavy guns, I think it's safe to assume they're not going to be giving kittens to Afghan children while rebuilding a demolished infrastructure under the orders of the Afghan people. I think it's safe to assume they're going to escalate 'business as usual': that means killing suspected terrorists (or anyone who's not wearing an American flag and happens to be in the general area), that means using tactical defense strategies (like dropping landmines that look like toys so children will pick them up and be killed or maimed), that means yet again denying the Afghan people the right to self-determination. Obama's also spreading his wars into Pakistan, invading a sovereign nation that is supposed to be an American friend.

He still engages and aids the Israeli government in their Apartheid of the Palestinian people. You remember the Israeli government? The one that considers assassinating Palestinian activists legitimate strategy and bombed Gaza into oblivion?

At the same time, Obama responded to the police harassment of esteemed Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. by inviting everyone over for a pint. Way to confront the racial issues that still result in police brutality every day at home.

At least 2,000 Marines are helping with the other war (another?)--the war on drugs--and they're joining in on the killing sprees that stem from the administration's willingness to legalize and stabilize the market.

What's peaceful about any that?

So, Mr. Obama, let's cut to the chase. Either give the award back, or preferably, step up to the task. Look up peace. Next to that word is justice. Give it a try.


Posted by Trish