US Pressures Intl. Censorship of Ongoing War Crimes

by **Starman** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 5:17 pm

I can't abide corporate mass-media 'news', so I don't know precisely what's being covered-up, ignored, denied, distorted, or made-up in the American media from day-to-day -- But this latest article by Dahr Jamail confirms what I've suspected and seen/read some indications of, that the US has been trying to coerce other nations into censoring their news reporting, too. The US Military targetted destruction of other cities in Iraq, establishing sniper free-fire-zones, cutting water, phone and electricity services, destroying hospital supplies, and imposing a blockade on food and medicine and humanitarian supplies in order to compel the 'handing-over' of guerrilla fighters, leaves me at a loss for words. That these actions are clearly War Crimes which the US 'leadersip' obviously feels they aren't subject to being constrained from is hardly at issue -- what IS at issue is that the US leadership believes they have the right to compell other nations to intimidate and coerce their press into going along with US censorship, to prevent this information from becoming more widely known. Now THERE'S a story for the so-called American 'Free-Press' to cover! Amazingly, my contempt for these assholes keeps growing ... Who the hell ARE these US soldiers anyway that are apparently going-along with these kinds of orders? But then, American decency and integrity, respect for human rights and justice were never much more than convenient PR myths anyway, noteable for their absence and not representative of those at the actual forefront of America's foreign policy. As typical with America's past history of invasions and interventiosn and military conquests in the post-war world, our 'leaders' intend to leave in-place a brutal, pro-America regime in Iraq enforcing US neoliberal decrees with terror and violence. I sure can't respect anyone who thinks such an agenda is in any way noble or enlightened -- and that's not even considering the legacy of warcrimes and hate and genocidal DU poisoning the US will leave behind. Considering Cheney's or Bush's or even Rummy's tenuous, opportunistic connection with 'truth', I can't believe ANYTHING they're likely to say about anything, and place FAR more trust in Dahr Jamail. Starman *** <a href="http://dahrjamailiraq.com">dahrjamailiraq.com</a> mirror: <a href="http://www.rense.com/general66/csor.htm">www.rense.com/general66/csor.htm</a> US Pressures Foreign Countries To Censor Iraq News By Dahr Jamail DahrJamailIraq.com 6-23-5 At long last, the culminating session of the World Tribunal on Iraq is upon us. As a witness providing testimony, like the other witnesses I'm being interviewed by many outlets. Today, one of them was by reporters for one of the larger newspapers in Turkey, the Yeni Safak Newspaper. I'll leave the reporters nameless, for reasons you'll soon see. The newspaper has been translating various articles of mine into Turkish and running them, particularly those concerning the most recent Fallujah massacre. The report who was interviewing me today told me that the former American consulate here, Eric Edelman, asked the Prime Minister of Turkey to pressure his paper to not run so many of my stories. "Why did he do this," I asked him. "Edelman said it was the wrong news," he told me with a smile. Turns out Edelman also asked that articles by Robert Fisk and Naomi Klein not be run so often in Yeni Safak either. He smiled at me while he watched the wheels turning in my head before I smiled back and said, "That makes me very happy, it means I'm doing my job as a journalist." We laughed heartily together at this, as did everyone else at the table. Reminds me of the obtuse hate mails I sometimes receive-confirmation that I am doing my job - they always make me smile. So, the American government is pressuring foreign countries to censor their news. Aside from the fact that this act is the height of arrogance by the United States, it makes it exceedingly clear why so many Americans who rely on the corporate media for their news continue to be so misinformed/un-informed about the goings on in Iraq. If the American government is attempting to censor the news in foreign countries, you can imagine what they are doing at home. Because people like Edelman don't want citizens of the United States to know that events like the massacre of Fallujah or the atrocities in Abu Ghraib are not isolated incidents. People like Edelman don't want people to know what one of my sources in Baquba just told me today. His email reads: "Near the city of Buhrez, 5 kilometers south of Baquba, two Humvess of American soldiers were destroyed recently. American and Iraqi soldiers came to the city afterwards and cut all the phones, cut the water, cut medicine from arriving in the city and told them that until the people of the city bring the "terrorists" to them, the embargo will continue." The embargo has been in place now for one week now, and he continued: "The Americans still won't anyone or any medicines and supplies into Buhrez, nor will they allow any people in or out. Even the Al-Sadr followers who organized some help for the people in the city (water, food, medicine) are not being allowed into the city. Even journalists cannot enter to publish the news, and the situation there is so bad. The Americans keep asking for the people in the city to bring them the persons who were in charge of destroying the two Humvees on the other side of the city, but of course the people in the city don't know who carried out the attack." People like Edelman don't want people to know about the recent US attacks in Al-Qa'im and Haditha either. Attacks that Iraqis are describing as just as bad as the massacre of Fallujah. On Haditha and Al-Qa'im, an Iraqi doctor sent me this email yesterday: "Listenwe witnessed crimes in the west area of the country of what the bastards did in Haditha and Al-Qa'im. It was a crime, a really big crime we have witnessed and filmed in those places and recently also in Fallujah. We need big help in the western area of the country. Our doctors need urgent help there. Please, this is an URGENT humanitarian request from the hospitals in the west of the country. We have big proof on how the American troops destroyed one of our hospitals, how they burned the whole store of medication of the west area of Iraq and how they killed a patient in the wardhow they prevented us from helping the people in al-Qa'im. This is an URGENT Humanitarian request. The hospitals in the west of Iraq ask for urgent helpwe are in a big humanitarian medical disaster" People like Edelman don't want the public to know that the same tactics used in Fallujah by the US military-posting snipers around the city to shoot anyone who moves, targeting ambulances, impeding medical care, or the detaining of innocent civilians en masse. After all, Fallujah is the model. Fallujah is our Guernica. And now, Haditha, Al-Qa'im can be added to the list, with Baquba and Buhrez under deconstruction. More writing, photos and commentary at <a href="http://dahrjamailiraq.com">dahrjamailiraq.com</a> (c)2004, 2005 Dahr Jamail. All images and text are protected by United States and international copyright law. If you would like to reprint Dahr's Dispatches on the web, you need to include this copyright notice and a prominent link to the DahrJamailIraq.com website. Any other use of images and text including, but not limited to, reproduction, use on another website, copying and printing requires the permission of Dahr Jamail. Of course, feel free to forward Dahr's dispatches via email. Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches <a href="http://dahrjamailiraq.com">dahrjamailiraq.com</a>

by **slimmouse** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 9:55 pm

<blockquote>Quote:<hr>"Near the city of Buhrez, 5 kilometers south of Baquba, two Humvess of American soldiers were destroyed recently. American and Iraqi soldiers came to the city afterwards and cut all the phones, cut the water, cut medicine from arriving in the city and told them that until the people of the city bring the "terrorists" to them, the embargo will continue." The embargo has been in place now for one week now, and he continued: "The Americans still won't anyone or any medicines and supplies into Buhrez, nor will they allow any people in or out. Even the Al-Sadr followers who organized some help for the people in the city (water, food, medicine) are not being allowed into the city. Even journalists cannot enter to publish the news, and the situation there is so bad. The Americans keep asking for the people in the city to bring them the persons who were in charge of destroying the two Humvees on the other side of the city, but of course the people in the city don't know who carried out the attack."<hr></blockquote> So there you have it. I can remember reading so many stories similar to this about the Nazi modus operandi. Of course, their own citizens never realised this, such was the power of the Nazi propaganda machine Meanwhile of course, the average American GI still hasnt got his own fucking head around the absolute bullshit that has been fed to him by both his govnt and his superior officers. Dont let anyone try and tell me that this isnt the fourth reich in action. Im not listening if they do.

US Pressures Intl. Censorship of Ongoing War Crimes

US Pressures Intl. Censorship of Ongoing War Crimes

4th reich - make no mistake.

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