http://www.fair.org/blog/2009/11/18/rule-of-law-who-cares/ The national media watch group Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:38:11 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 http://www.fair.org/blog/2009/11/18/rule-of-law-who-cares/comment-page-1/#comment-10518 Edwina White Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:37:55 +0000 http://www.fair.org/blog/?p=13325#comment-10518 We have seen what disregard for the law brought us during the fascist regimes of the 1930s and '40s. In the 1950s the U.S. government assisted in the overthrow of democratically elected governments in Iran and Guatemala, and we -- and their people -- are still suffering the consequences. In the '60s we clandestinely attempted to overthrow the Cuban revolution, thus insuring that it would align itself with the other superpower, the Soviet Union, and fought an ill-considered war in Vietnam to thwart a nationalist (and communist) uprising. In the '70s we supported an overthrow of the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende in Chile, and funded both sides of the Iraq-Iran war. In the '80s we intervened in the affairs of Nicaragua and El Salvador, culminating in the Iran-Contra scandal, and supported the mujahideen in Afghanistan against the Soviets. These became recruits for the Taliban and Northern Alliance of today. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, it appears we decided to intervene more directly in the Middle East: 1991 produced the Gulf War; 2001 the Afghan war; 2003 the Iraq war. In 2009 we are no closer to "winning" or ending those wars, i.e., establishing security and "democracy" in those countries. Who has benefitted? Not the U.S. taxpayer; not the U.S. citizen living in a heightened security state; not international advocates for law and human rights. Oh! Surprise. A consortium of Western oil companies has won a lucrative contract to develop oil in the south of Iraq. So perhaps the universally recognized law of non-intervention in other countries' affairs needs to be reconsidered. Or scrapped altogether. We have seen what disregard for the law brought us during the fascist regimes of the 1930s and '40s. In the 1950s the U.S. government assisted in the overthrow of democratically elected governments in Iran and Guatemala, and we — and their people — are still suffering the consequences. In the '60s we clandestinely attempted to overthrow the Cuban revolution, thus insuring that it would align itself with the other superpower, the Soviet Union, and fought an ill-considered war in Vietnam to thwart a nationalist (and communist) uprising. In the '70s we supported an overthrow of the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende in Chile, and funded both sides of the Iraq-Iran war. In the '80s we intervened in the affairs of Nicaragua and El Salvador, culminating in the Iran-Contra scandal, and supported the mujahideen in Afghanistan against the Soviets. These became recruits for the Taliban and Northern Alliance of today. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, it appears we decided to intervene more directly in the Middle East: 1991 produced the Gulf War; 2001 the Afghan war; 2003 the Iraq war. In 2009 we are no closer to "winning" or ending those wars, i.e., establishing security and "democracy" in those countries.
Who has benefitted? Not the U.S. taxpayer; not the U.S. citizen living in a heightened security state; not international advocates for law and human rights. Oh! Surprise. A consortium of Western oil companies has won a lucrative contract to develop oil in the south of Iraq. So perhaps the universally recognized law of non-intervention in other countries' affairs needs to be reconsidered. Or scrapped altogether.

]]> http://www.fair.org/blog/2009/11/18/rule-of-law-who-cares/comment-page-1/#comment-10497 Sister Begonia Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:38:58 +0000 http://www.fair.org/blog/?p=13325#comment-10497 I'd like to waterboard Chenney and Bush myself 183 times for at least 183 days in a row and see if those repressed or repulsed by their crimes will care much about the procedures surrounding their sentencing. I'd like to waterboard Chenney and Bush myself 183 times for at least 183 days in a row and see if those repressed or repulsed by their crimes will care much about the procedures surrounding their sentencing.

]]> http://www.fair.org/blog/2009/11/18/rule-of-law-who-cares/comment-page-1/#comment-10480 GEORGE ARMSTRONG Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:55:50 +0000 http://www.fair.org/blog/?p=13325#comment-10480 I THOUGHT BIN LADIN WAS THE MASTER MIND BEHIND 9/11 AND ALL HIS CO-DEFENDANTS DIED IN THE CRASH. IF THEY WERE ALL ARABS, WHY DIDN'T THE USA RETALIATE ON SAUDI ARABIA. HERE'S THE KICKER, THEY WERE NOT AL QAIDA BASE TRAINED, THEY WERE TRAINED RIGHT HERE ON USA SOIL. BY THE WAY, WHERE IS BIN LADIN??? I THOUGHT BIN LADIN WAS THE MASTER MIND BEHIND 9/11 AND ALL HIS CO-DEFENDANTS DIED IN THE CRASH. IF THEY WERE ALL ARABS, WHY DIDN'T THE USA RETALIATE ON SAUDI ARABIA. HERE'S THE KICKER, THEY WERE NOT AL QAIDA BASE TRAINED, THEY WERE TRAINED RIGHT HERE ON USA SOIL. BY THE WAY, WHERE IS BIN LADIN???

]]>