Friends Don't Let Friends Commit War Crimes

[Guest guest]

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/010206Q.shtml

 

 

Friends Don't Let Friends Commit War Crimes

By Cindy Sheehan

t r u t h o u t | Perspective

 

Monday 02 January 2006

 

" You're like an ambassador for peace, " a Spanish journalist told

me as we finished one of the dozens of interviews I gave in Europe. I

did this interview right before I went to meet with the Spanish Deputy

Minister for Foreign Affairs.

 

In reality, I did feel like an ambassador for peace as I traveled

around Europe for 16 days in December.

 

The Mayor of London held a reception in honor of our peace efforts

at the new and very modern City Hall, near the impressive and

intimidating Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. Mayor Ken

Livingstone has always been an outspoken critic of the Iraq war and

the war crimes of Tweedledum and Tweedledee ... Bush and Blair ... the

corrupt, yet sadly comical, mis-leaders of two of the most powerful

countries on the planet. I believe Bush and Blair are too far gone for

redemption. They both need to be removed from their power and tried

for their war crimes and betrayals. Until they are removed, the murder

and the mayhem will continue.

 

In Ireland, I met with that country's equivalent of Condi Rice,

the dignified Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern. As a matter of fact, he

had just met with the " steely " Condi the week before. Incredibly, he

accepted assurances from her that the CIA airplanes (up to 60

documented by peace activists) that are landing in Shannon airport are

not transporting prisoners for extraordinary rendition ( i.e.,

torture). That's like accepting a pirate's assurance that he's not

going to steal your boat as he's boarding it with a drawn sword! I

tried to impress on Mr. Ahern that the leaders of my government are

known pathological liars, and can't be believed on this or anything.

The torture planes are landing on Irish soil, so Ireland should

inspect them for human rights violations. If Condi and her " husband "

George aren't doing anything wrong, they have nothing to be concerned

with.

 

Ireland declined to send troops as part of the Coalition of the

Killing, but they do allow US planes to re-fuel at Shannon airport

(Mr. Ahern: We did it during Vietnam!). I delivered a stack of

petitions to Mr. Ahern of 10,000 signatures from pro-peace,

anti-killing citizens of Ireland demanding that their government stop

allowing my government to land torture planes and troop transport

planes at Shannon airport. My own son, Casey, went through Shannon. I

urged Mr. Ahern to please make the US refuel their planes elsewhere.

The occupation of Iraq is illegal by most standards and immoral by all

standards. Being accomplices to war crimes makes one culpable for

these war crimes. I can say he listened and I believe he genuinely

wants to do what's right for Ireland. The people of Ireland need to

keep the pressure on their government to act rationally and

responsibly in this matter.

 

Scotland is the birth place of impeachment and also the birthplace

of both of my great-grandmas. I met with many Scottish MPs who are

very anti-war and anti-Bush and anti-Blair. They are doing all they

can to end the Scottish involvement in the war. The First Minister

wouldn't meet with me. But my friend, Rose Gentle, has been trying to

meet with him since her son, Gordon, was tragically killed in Iraq.

When leaders of countries are co-conspirators in lies and corruption

and don't even have the courage or integrity to meet with the people

whose lives their unpunished felonies have damaged beyond full repair,

that is a scandal.

 

The Spanish government is relatively new and they did bring their

troops home from Iraq after the old government was kicked out in 2004

because the people of Spain had it with the lies and corruption of

their Bushite regime.

 

The recurring theme when I met with Spanish government officials,

including the Vice President of Spain, Manuel Marin, and the deputy

foreign minister and heads of some of their parties, was " shared

values. " We the peoples of both countries need to find common ground

on which to stand. We urged the Spanish government to loudly denounce

what the US is doing because the US government has no positive,

life-affirming values. The US government has negative, life-ruining

values such as the use of WMDs and torture as means to satisfy its

ends of greed for power and mammon.

 

The Spanish officials, like the other government officials we met,

told me and the other Gold Star Families for Peace members and local

peace activists who attended the meetings, that their countries are

" great friends and allies of the USA. "

 

We want friends and allies of the American people, but not of the

current regime. The government is not identical with the people,

despite what the right-wing hatemongerers say. Indeed, that is fascist

notion. Not only do we not need to love our government's policies.

When they are evil, we have a patriotic obligation to oppose them with

all our strength. When the Bush administration uses white phosphorous

on innocent men, women, children, and babies, when it uses illegal

imprisonment and immoral torture on fellow members of the human race,

when it invades and occupies another country that is no threat to the

USA, we must say No. BushCo is an out of control entity which needs to

be reined in by us! The longer the horror of Iraq continues, the more

war crimes are committed and the more innocent lives ruined!

 

During my visit to Europe, I was invited to other countries as a

peace emissary. People in Italy and Australia are particularly anxious

to have me visit, because their governments are accomplices to BushCo

in Iraq. I will be speaking to the European Union Parliament twice in

2006 to urge them to pressure our administration to stop its killing

policies in Iraq and try something new: diplomacy and peace. Heads up,

Condi: peace is NOT spread by killing and war.

 

Although, our visits to the various governmental officials in

Europe did not have an immediate effect, perhaps seeds were planted.

The international peace community is energized and refocused. However,

by just meeting with me, the officials of each country are showing a

minor tear in the fabric of support with the illegitimate residents of

the " Casa Blanca. " Each little sign gives hope.

 

As Dermot Ahern told me: " It's going to get back to Washington

that I met with you. They won't be happy. But I don't care. It was the

right thing to do. "

 

-------