We are all war ciminals

July 24, 2006 at 00:10:45

TODAY, WE ARE ALL WAR CRIMINALS

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by thepen

http://www.opednews.com

If you have NOT ALREADY called your members of Congress to demand they stand up for a cease-fire in Lebanon, the war crimes against humanity being committed there are yours as well. As always, the particular words of this article are the responsibility of this writer alone.

TOLL-FREE NUMBERS: 888-355-3588 and 800-828-0498
ACTION PAGE: http://www.peaceteam.net/cease-fire.php

On July 20th, The House of Representatives passed H. Res. 921 by a vote of 410-8 expressing unconditional support of "Israel's right to defend itself". This, after it was already clear that Israel's military assault was deliberately targeting the civilian infrastructure of Lebanon, and massively and systematically so. There is not a word calling for restraint, instead the resolution praises Israel for their "longstanding commitment to minimizing civilian loss". It's a wonder the document didn't burst into flames on the floor of the House before it could pass.

Congress knew, or should have known, this on July 20th. For the rest of the American people, the ghastly extent of what Israel has done, and continues to do, is just beginning to poke through our propaganda-based corporate media. Israel has literally leveled substantial areas of Beirut, a scene described by observers as "horrific". Even the British, our only remaining poodle ally in our own criminal occupation of Iraq, have awoken from their moral slumber and condemned the Israeli tactics. One of America's quisling news organizations is calling the civilian neighborhoods being targeted Hezbollah "strongholds", which we would guess means they have more Hezbollah residents than say . . . Tel Aviv.

Israel is in the process of taking out every bridge, every power station, every civilian factory, or any other recognizable infrastructure in South Lebanon, creating 500,000 refugees, a "humanitarian disaster" in the making. And still they lust for more weapons of mass destruction, seeking to expedite a previous order for 5 ton laser guided bombs. As civilian deaths pass 400, the estimated property damage is already in the billions.

Meanwhile Israel is washing its hands of any responsibility (at least for the civilian deaths), with now the enthusiastic endorsement of our Congress, by saying it is dropping leaflets telling people to get out. Never mind that people are now desperately trapped because the roads are impassible due to the widespread destruction. You remember when FEMA tried to absolve itself by saying it had told people to get out of New Orleans. At least they weren't themselves bombing the roads as hurricane Katrina loomed down on the city.

And yet, in response to all this, there are still depraved knuckleheads running around saying things like, "But it's OK for Hezbollah to fire rockets into Israel." (an actual email we read last night)

It's a miracle someone who would say something so perversely ignorant could even operate a personal computer. NO, it is NOT OK for Hezbollah to do what they have done. Hezbollah are acting as international criminals and they deserve to be condemned by all with even a shred of remaining human decency. And we DO so condemn them. But their provocations pale in comparison to the monstrous war crimes Israel is committing right now in response. And it in fact does nothing but strengthen Hezbollah's hand.

The Bush administration, and now the Congress, has missed no opportunity to ignore or block calls for an immediate cease-fire, including tough guy Bolton's veto of a security council resolution on July 13th, before the situation had spun so completely out of control. What Israel is doing is the moral equivalent of carpet-bombing Chicago because Al Capone is operating there. And were they to be justly tried by an impartial tribunal as to their own actions, they would be found guilty of war crimes and made to pay reparations to the Lebanese democracy, assuming it even survives.

For those who believe in the Old Testament, presumably most citizens of Israel, and including one would think many Christians in this country, the Bible tells us that God would have spared even Sodom and Gomorrah for sake of ten righteous [Genesis 18:20-32]. A relatively small band of militants, perhaps as few as ten, kidnapped the two Israeli soldiers which has triggered Israel's outpouring of blind and brutal revenge against the Lebanese people. And so for the sake of a handful of the UN-righteous, Lebanon is to destroyed even as were those most wicked of cities? Isn't that just a LITTLE bit backwards?

It might be argued that as to our own illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq there was significant opposition in Congress, representing some substantial part of the American population. But the ringing endorsement of Congress on July 20th for the Israeli war crimes campaign was 410-8. Were there not ten righteous in Congress with the courage to stand up and speak the truth? If you include the four who voted "Not Present" with that express intent, there were. But that does not absolve YOU unless YOU call your members of Congress right now and demand an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon.

Those who have never called a member of Congress before justify it by arguing that our members of Congress will not listen to us anyway. Who gives a damn about any of that kind of defeatist thinking? This is about YOUR salvation now. Will you speak out or will you not? And if you do not, YOU are personally guilty of every war crime committed by Israel with the encouragement of the U.S. Congress. On the website below you can with one click instantly look up the phone and fax numbers of all your members of Congress right down to the local district office numbers. There is NO excuse for someone to say they could not get through.

CALL YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS NOW AND DEMAND THEY CALL FOR AN IMMEDIATE CEASE-FIRE IN LEBANON

TOLL-FREE NUMBERS: 888-355-3588 and 800-828-0498
ACTION PAGE: http://www.peaceteam.net/cease-fire.php

In a truly craven attempt to channel the sympathy of 9/11 yet again, on July 18th, Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman told Christians United for Israel, a group advocating strongly for a pre-emptive nuclear strike on Iran, that "Today, we are all Israelis" (emulating the famous post 9/11 Le Monde headline). Mehlman no longer speaks for any but the extreme lunatic fringe. But as of the moment of the overwhelmingly wholehearted Congressional vote on July 20th on H. Res. 921, it can fairly be said that as Americans now we are all WAR CRIMINALS. Yes, that's right, YOU are a war criminal, unless you speak out and call for a cease-fire in Lebanon now. So call, call again, call some more, and keep calling, until sanity prevails.