Jan 06 2010
Iraq inquiry: we have every right to know why we went to war
The Iraq inquiry has resumed this week, promising crucial witnesses – Tony Blair, Jack Straw, Lord Goldsmith and possibly Gordon Brown.
And so it begins again, will we see some more little tidbits of information on this Countries, the once United States, as we did before the Holiday break.
Dec 10 2009
First a few commentaries as this Inquiry moves along and the information and charges drip, drip, drip…………..out.
Iraq-Afghanistan-Afghanistan-Iraq…………
Leader: Our craven calculations in Iraq must not infect Afghanistan
The Iraq war was a ruinous mistake. The lessons from it have not yet been learned.
Two hundred and thirty-seven British troops have died in Afghanistan since the start of the war in 2001 – but the name of Lance Corporal Adam Drane should never be forgotten. The 23-year-old soldier from the 1st Battalion the Royal AnglianRegiment became the 100th UK casualty this year when he was shot dead near Nad e-Ali on 7 December. It is the first time that 100 or more British soldiers have been killed in a single year since the Falklands conflict in 1982, when 255 servicemen died and, as Sir David Richards, the British army chief, has acknowledged, it reopens the debate as to whether “the sacrifice of another British soldier is worth it”. The sacrifices are not over. The number of the British dead will continue to rise. We have argued that the Afghan conflict, though its origins may have been just and necessary in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 attacks, has since become unwinnable and counterproductive, and the government should set a date for a strategic withdrawal…>>>>>
Aug 10 2009
Ray McGovern, in a 2-Part video series, speaks with Jay Paul, Senior Editor of the Real News Network — Revisiting the Downing Street Memo.
While we have mainly focussed our efforts on the torture, McGovern gives us some play by play events and some in-depth observations as to our war of aggression against Iraq. It is pretty jaw-dropping stuff!
Note this, as well:
With respect to waging a war of aggression-and that is a technical term defined by Nuremberg, the Nuremberg tribunal, which came after World War II. And what they said was that to institute a war of aggression is to commit the supreme international crime, differing from other war crimes only inasmuch as it contains the accumulated evil of the whole. (emphasis mine)
A war of aggression is the worst crime of all, because “it contains the accumulated evil of the whole.” Of course, that would include torture, and all the heinous crimes that we know were committed.
and, from the Principles of the Nuremberg Tribunal, 1950, No. 82
Principle Vl
The crimes hereinafter set out are punishable as crimes under; international law:Crimes against peace:
1–Planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression or a war in
violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances;
2–Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the
acts mentioned under (i).
Here is Part I:
In Part II, McGovern speaks about “The person that leaked the memo did an ‘incredible’ public service.”
Part II over the jump!