Comment on Torture Crimes and Purpose, by Larry Ross Aug 1, 2004
Osha Gray Davidson's article
in 29/7/04 Rolling Stone (below), confirms a previous article by Seymour Hersh
(New Yorker journalist) about US employees committing many sexual and other
tortures of prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, including "raping a
teenage boy". The Senate and Pentagon investigation into these tortures
uncovered by US Maj. Gen. Antoni Taguba in his report, are now decreed as "classified
documents. The investigation is stalled, probably because the details, which
go to the top of the Bush Administration, would be considered so horrific by
the average American, that to reveal them would damage Bush's re-election chances.
Our Christchurch Aug 7 War Crimes Trial is very appropriate at this time, to
draw attention to these war crimes and their perpetrators, whose stand-ins will
be on put on trial.
Iraqi witnesses at our Aug 7 trial, could read selections from this article
if they wish to add any of it to their own 5 minute testimony.
Why is US policy to resort to such bestiality, have it photographed and videod
by it's employees, then publicising it?
As I have previously written, there could be method in their apparant madness.
They are building 14 military bases in Iraq, and have established the biggest
US embassy in the World there under supervision of US Ambassador Negroponte
- who has a very black reputation working with Honduran death squads from his
time as Ambassador to Honduras. They have established a CIA-influenced client
regime of Iraqis to run the country. So it looks as if the US intends to stay
in Iraq for a very long time. There is no real exit strategy. So one reason
to provoke more resistance is to give the US administration the ammunition it
needs to justify to the American people the continuing occupation of Iraq and
perhaps expansion of US wars to other states, as neocon plans state.
The US is doing everything it can to inflame Muslims everywhere, with lots of
documentation and photos, to provide reasons for Muslims to flock to Al-Qaeda,
or other terrorist organisations and stage more terrorist incidents. The more
so-called 'terrorist' or resistance incidents. The more US spin doctors can
create reasons to justify expandsion of US military operations in the Middle
East and the more Bush, Blair and Howard and others can justify more and expanded
wars, and draconian laws to suppress dissent at home. With the continued cooperation
of the mass media in the US, UK and Australia, and using the often predicted
terrorist incidents as justification, a climate of fearful cooperation may be
created where the public actually supports a more militarised, repressive state.
It worked for Hitler when he burned down the German Reichstag in order to grab
far more power and start World War II. Many Germans loved him, accepted the
hardships of war, and believed the justifying propaganda. The stage has been
set up today by the USA for something similar. It has often been predicted in
various articles, that this kind of strategy might work in the US, and perhaps
even in the UK and Australia. ( even New Zealand under a new government?)
Would Electing John Kerry as US President Help?
He says some good things, but it's a bit early to say. On the other hand Kerry
wants to internationalise and continue the Iraq occupation. At the moment he
wants to spend more money and send more US troops and con the international
community into supporting the US imperial thrust into the middle east.