As we know, the U.S. military has responded to the latest downing of one of its helicopters by sweeping through Tikrit and blasting abandoned buildings suspected of being used by insurgents as hideouts, and menacing that, "This is to remind the town that we have teeth and claws and we will use them."
More generally, "We are on offensive operations. You can expect to see an increase in the level of intensity and the amount of activity that is occurring, especially in those 'challenging' areas."
Some notes on these latest developments.
• Though eyewitnesses reported seeing the helicopter having been fired upon, the U.S. didn't confirm until 24 hours after the event that it had indeed been shot down. Yet, the "retaliation" began before dawn Saturday -- in other words, well before confirmation that it hadn't been an accident. Granted, the initial evasiveness was surely just a PR maneouvre. But if we take the military at its own word, it launched its "retaliation" before even knowing what it was "retaliating" against.
• As this blogger has noted before now, it is entirely within the rights of those under foreign occupation to engage in resistance. General Assembly Resolution 37/43, passed in December of 1982, "Reaffirms the legitimacy of the struggle of peoples for independence, territorial integrity, national unity, and liberation from colonial and foreign domination and foreign occupation by all available means, including armed struggle."
To put it in terms the Bush Administration seems to understand: the "coalition" forces are the "bad guys". The resistance may or may not be at least partially comprised of "bad" guys as well, but these bad guys at least have the right to defend their own country.
• The "retaliation" destroyed suspected hideouts. Is this how military "justice" works -- by acting upon suspicions? Yeah, that was a rhetorical question (just ask the victims -- numbering into the tens of thousands, by some accounts -- of Bill Clinton's 1998 destruction of the al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory).
• Why, if the U.S. truly suspected these abandoned buildings (and if they really were abandoned) of being insurgent hideouts, did it wait until after the downing of the helicopter to take them out? The "retaliation" may play well on the teevee, but that's clearly what it's designed for: to reassure the viewing public that the "coalition" knows what the fuck it's doing, even while it's perfectly obvious that it doesn't have the slightest clue.
• In justifying the newest rampages, one anonymous U.S. official helpfully reminds us that, "Part of warfare is coercion and affecting the hearts and minds of the enemy and certainly a show of force is a tool that can be used by commander." So we're no longer trying to win hearts and minds, but rather to "affect" them? And we're still at war? And freedom is slavery? Got it.
You fucking liberals are all the same. Always blaming America for the world's problems. Your self loathing disgusts me. Why don't you move to Canada you fucking pacifist.
Posted by: Raging Dave on November 15, 2003 06:11 PMRaging Dave,
You fucking liberals are all the same.
Nice generalization. That's like saying ALL Conservatives are greedy, lying bible thumpers.
Always blaming America for the world's problems. How is Iraq not America's problem? The World didn't invade Iraq.
Your self loathing disgusts me. I don't think he is loathing himself. Sounds like he loaths the American Government.
Why don't you move to Canada you fucking pacifist. I'm not sure that disagreeing with this war makes him a pacifist. And Canada may not have a glorious history of war mongering but they have fought and died in many wars...and continue to fight the war on terror in Afghanistan.
You should try to present your arguments more rationally...because I'm sure your head is not nearly as far up your ass as your post suggests.
Posted by: Wayne on November 15, 2003 07:19 PMThe really sick thing about right-wing fascists like our friend Dave, along with Bushie, Rove, Rumsfeld, Coulter, etc. is this horrible truth: September 11, 2001 was one of the happiest days of their lives -- the day they finally had the public in the proper scared and Arab-hating mood that they needed in order to start fulfilling their paranoid fantasy of killing all the desert niggers that were impeding the best laid plans of their racist and oil baron constituents.
Disgusting. Thankfully, Americans are finally starting to catch on.
Heh. I live in Canada, and from here, it looks like this disastrous war is America's own doing. I mean, the weapons inspectors were busy destroying Al Samoud missles when Bush kicked them out. I wonder who Dave wants to blame?
Posted by: Thom on November 15, 2003 11:53 PMNowadays you would *have* to move to Canada to taste some of those much-ballyhooed freedoms that America is allegedly spilling blood for:
http://www.post-gazette.com/columnists/20030730sam0730p1.asp
(a must read.)
Posted by: by on November 16, 2003 09:18 PMTo put it in terms the Bush Administration seems to understand: the "coalition" forces are the "bad guys". The resistance may or may not be at least partially comprised of "bad" guys as well, but these bad guys at least have the right to defend their own country.
How is the Bush admin supposed to understand terms like partially and comprised?
Also, Raging Dave posted the exact same post on almost every blog I read Saturday night. What a way to spend a Saturday night, eh? No wonder he's reaging. I would be as well if my Saturday nights consisted of pasting the exact same words in every thread I could find. I think Raging Dave needs a girlfriend.
Posted by: Ted on November 16, 2003 11:12 PMTo raging Dave:
All can be summarized with the following questions:
* How many dead civilians on sept 11?
* How many dead Iraqi civilians since march 2003?
* Why the heck that? explain.
Watch out, Your beloved white house dwarf is going to Europe, it will be funny to measure how much people hate him there.