Nexus - 1301 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

records from mandatory declassification review. The Bush Administration has also obtained unprecedented authority to conduct government operations in secret, with little or no judicial oversight. Under expanded law enforcement authority in the Patriot Act, the Justice Department can more easily use secret orders to obtain library and other private records, obtain "sneak-and-peek" warrants to conduct secret searches and conduct secret wiretaps. In addition, the Bush Administration has used novel legal interpre- tations to expand its authority to detain, try and deport individuals in secret. Since the 9/11 attacks, the Bush Administration has asserted unprecedented authority to detain anyone whom the executive branch labels an "enemy combatant", indefinitely and secretly. It has autho- rised military trials that can be closed not only to the public but also to the defendants and their attorneys. The Bush Administration has consistently refused to provide to members of Congress, the Government Accountability Office and congressional commissions the information nece: for meaningful investigation and review of the administration's activities. (Source: Common Dreams, September 14, 2004, http://www. commondreams.org) records from mandatory declassification review. entering the city and were denied access to the wounded, corporate The Bush Administration has also obtained unprecedented authority — media showed little concern regarding their denied access. In the US to conduct government operations in secret, with little or no judicial press, we see casualties reported for Fallujah as follows: number of oversight. Under expanded law enforcement authority in the Patriot | US soldiers dead, number of Iraqi soldiers dead, number of Act, the Justice Department can more easily use secret orders to obtain "guerrillas" or "insurgents" dead. Nowhere were the civilian library and other private records, obtain "sneak-and-peek" warrants to _ casualties reported in the first weeks of the invasion. An accurate conduct secret searches and conduct secret wiretaps. count of civilian casualties to date has yet to be published in the In addition, the Bush Administration has used novel legal interpre- —_ mainstream media. tations to expand its authority to detain, try and deport individuals in In late October 2004, a peer-reviewed study was published in the secret. Since the 9/11 attacks, the Bush Administration has asserted British medical journal The Lancet, concluding that at least 100,000 unprecedented authority to detain anyone whom the executive branch _ civilians had been killed in Iraq since it was invaded by the United labels an "enemy combatant", indefinitely and secretly. It has autho- — States—led coalition in March 2003. Researchers, headed by Dr Les rised military trials that can be closed not only to the public but also Roberts of Johns Hopkins University, undertook a national survey to to the defendants and their attorneys. estimate mortality during the 14.6 months before the invasion The Bush Administration has consistently refused to provide to (January 1, 2002, to March 18, 2003) and to compare it with the members of Congress, the Government Accountability Office and _ period from March 19, 2003 to the date of the interview, between congressional commissions the information necessary for meaningful September 8 and 20, 2004. Iraqi households were informed about the investigation and review of the administration's activities. purpose of the survey, assured that their names would not be (Source: Common Dreams, September 14, 2004, http://www. recorded and told that there would be no benefits or penalties for commondreams.org) refusing or agreeing to participate. According to the survey, the major 2. Media Coverage Fails on Iraq: public health problem in Iraq has been Fallujah, War Crimes and the " . the violence. However, despite Civilian Death Toll The Americans made widespread Iraqi casualties, household n April and November 2004, the announcements for people to interview data do not show evidence of United States conducted two major widespread wrongdoing on the part of sieges against Fallujah, an Iraqi city of come to one mosque if they individual soldiers on the ground. 300,000 people. The first attempted wanted to leave Fallujah, Ninety-five per cent of reported killings siege resulted in a defeat for Coalition and even the people who (all attributed to US forces by forces. As a result, the US gave the interviewees) were caused by helicopter citizens of Falljah we choices prior went there carrying white gunships, rockets or other forms of o the second siege: leave the city or A a aerial weaponry. risk dying as enemy insurgents. Faced flags were killed. The study's results promptly flooded with this ultimatum, approximately through the worldwide media— 250,000 citizens, or 83 per cent of the everywhere except in the United States, population of Fallujah, fled the city. where there was barely a whisper about The 50,000 citizens who either chose to remain in the city or who the study, followed by stark silence. The study was never mentioned were unable to leave were trapped by Coalition forces and were on television news, and the truth remains unheard by those who may cut off from food, water and medical supplies. The US military need to hear it most. claimed that there were a few thousand enemy insurgents remain- The US Government had no comment at the time and remains ing among those who stayed in the city and conducted the inva- silent about Iraqi civilian deaths. "The only thing we keep track of is sion as if all the people remaining were enemy combatants. casualties for US troops and civilians," a Defense Department Burhan Fasa’a, an Iraqi journalist, said Americans grew easily frus- spokesman told The Chronicle. trated with Iraqis who could not speak English. "Americans did not The illegal, heavy-handed tactics practised by the US military in have interpreters with them, so they entered houses and killed people _ Iraq, as are evident in these news stories, have become what appears because they didn't speak English..." Abu Hammad, a resident of _ to be their standard operating procedure in occupied Iraq. Countless Fallujah, told the Inter Press Service that he saw people attempt to violations of international law and crimes against humanity occurred swim across the Euphrates to escape the siege. "The Americans shot _ in Fallujah during the November 2004 massacre. Evidenced by the them with rifles from the shore. Even if some of them were holdinga —_ mass slaughtering of Iraqis and the use of illegal weaponry such as white flag or white clothes over their head to show they are not fight- cluster bombs, napalm, uranium munitions and chemical weapons ers, they were all shot." Furthermore, "even the wound[ed] people —_ during the siege—when the entire city was declared a "free fire zone" were killed. The Americans made announcements for people to by military leaders—the brutality of the US military has only come to one mosque if they wanted to leave Fallujah, and even the _ increased throughout Iraq as the occupation drags on. people who went there carrying white flags were killed." Former res- According to Iraqis inside the city, at least 60 per cent of Fallujah idents of Fallujah recall other tragic methods of killing the wounded. ended up being totally destroyed in the November siege, and eight "I watched them [US Forces] roll over wounded people in the street months after the siege entire districts of the city remained without with tanks... This happened so many times." electricity or water. Israeli-style checkpoints were set up in the city, Preliminary estimates as of December 2004 revealed that at least —_ prohibiting anyone from entering who did not live inside the city. 6,000 Iraqi citizens in Fallujah had been killed and one-third of the Non-embedded media were also not allowed in the city. city had been destroyed. (Sources: Peacework, December 2004—January 2005; World According to David Walsh on the World Socialist Web Site, the Socialist Web Site, November 17, 2004; The New Standard, American media also seems to contribute to the subversion of truth in December 3, 2004; The Lancet, October 29, 2004; The Chronicle of Fallujah. Although, in many cases, journalists were prevented from Higher Education, February 4, 2005; FAIR, April 15, 2004) announcements for people to come to one mosque if they wanted to leave Fallujah, and even the people who went there carrying white flags were killed." 12 = NEXUS "The Americans made www.nexusmagazine.com DECEMBER 2005 — JANUARY 2006