Interesting how right after the UK’s Chilcot Inquiry (on the run up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq) came out, we had news of more police-related killings here in Amerika. Many would offer the rebuttal that one has absolutely nothing to do with the other. Well, allow me to explain my theory.
We attacked and occupied Iraq in the most deadly way, by destroying its infrastructure and turning it into a mirror image of 1939 Warsaw, 1942 Stalingrad and 1945 Berlin. The civilian population in Iraq’s cities, as in those places, was without vital essentials, including housing, drinking water and enough sustainable food. By the summertime, with little or no electricity, thus no air conditioning in 110-degree heat, and having to wait in long lines to get water for drinking and washing, do you think this could have ‘angered’ the masses? Then factor in the death of many civilians from our Shock and Awe carpet bombing and our use of depleted uranium shells, along with foreign soldiers occupying your cities, and you have a nation ripe for violent insurrection. One wonders how my neighbors, the ones who continue to support Amerika’s jackboot overseas, would react if let us say the Chinese had attacked and occupied us.
When you live in a society whereupon your government thinks nothing of laying waste to entire countries . . . based (as we now know for sure) on lies and innuendos . . . the public can feel the negative vibes. Negative energy is real folks and it does have a way of affecting things, as with Operation Barbarossa, when Germany invaded Russia in June 1940. What the Germans did to the civilians and POWs during their sweep through that country was horrific. Go and read accounts of the brutality administered to those people. And what was the blowback from that? What the surging Russian army did to the civilians of Germany in ’45 , especially German women, was equally horrific. There is a direct correlation between a nation’s actions and those of its citizenry. ‘Monkey see and monkey do’ is real folks!
After 9/11 our country was propagandized to do violence in retaliation. Of course, we did it to the wrong enemy, but who cared in Washington and down our myriad Main Streets? Our violence became almost rational and acceptable. So, when the people we trust to ‘protect and serve’ us sense how the power of the gun is paramount, many of them can and do act irrationally and with prejudice. When emotionally unbalanced citizens feel the same way, they perpetrate terrible violent acts . . . sometimes on our police. Regardless, the bottom line is that the ‘rot travels down. The cop in Minnesota who kills the driver with no weapon in his hand, or the sniper who selects policemen to assassinate are both part of this irrational violence . . . just like with ISIL and just like with our attack on Iraq. When the little kid sees his father smack around his mother repeatedly, the rot can and many times does travel down. Now, if that same father was held accountable by the law, maybe that son would learn a different lesson.
The liars and con men and women in the Bush/Cheney and Tony Blair gangs got away with literal murder. The invasion and occupation of Iraq has already been recognized as the most heinous action by our two governments in over 50 years. The blowback will haunt us for God knows how long. We helped finance and support the Mujahedeen to fight the Russians, who then became Al Qaeda and ISIL. What the Bush/Cheney and Tony Blair gangs wanted was twofold: Control of the Middle East oil and territory away from Chinese and Russian influence and of course justification for continued obscene military spending increases. They got their wish and guess what: It won’t matter which of the two phony political parties represents Amerika. As far as the UK, if they can get socialist Jeremy Corbyn out of power, then their two major parties will also continue to represent empire and not working stiffs.
And the violence sadly will continue worldwide. If only enough of our countries’ public will demand holding those war criminals accountable, and keep at it . . . then we will send the rest of the world a sincere message.
Philip A Farruggio is a semi-retired baby boomer born and bred in blue collar Brooklyn, NYC. He is the son and grandson of Brooklyn longshoremen, and educated at ‘free tuition’ Brooklyn College, class of ’74. Philip has written over 300 columns since 2001 and his work is found on many fine progressive sites like World News Trust, Nation of Change, Information Clearinghouse, Intrepid Report, Sleuth Journal, Dandelion Salad, Counterpunch and Dissident Voice. He can be reached at paf1222@bellsouth.net.
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Violence begets violence
Posted on July 13, 2016 by Philip A Farruggio
Interesting how right after the UK’s Chilcot Inquiry (on the run up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq) came out, we had news of more police-related killings here in Amerika. Many would offer the rebuttal that one has absolutely nothing to do with the other. Well, allow me to explain my theory.
We attacked and occupied Iraq in the most deadly way, by destroying its infrastructure and turning it into a mirror image of 1939 Warsaw, 1942 Stalingrad and 1945 Berlin. The civilian population in Iraq’s cities, as in those places, was without vital essentials, including housing, drinking water and enough sustainable food. By the summertime, with little or no electricity, thus no air conditioning in 110-degree heat, and having to wait in long lines to get water for drinking and washing, do you think this could have ‘angered’ the masses? Then factor in the death of many civilians from our Shock and Awe carpet bombing and our use of depleted uranium shells, along with foreign soldiers occupying your cities, and you have a nation ripe for violent insurrection. One wonders how my neighbors, the ones who continue to support Amerika’s jackboot overseas, would react if let us say the Chinese had attacked and occupied us.
When you live in a society whereupon your government thinks nothing of laying waste to entire countries . . . based (as we now know for sure) on lies and innuendos . . . the public can feel the negative vibes. Negative energy is real folks and it does have a way of affecting things, as with Operation Barbarossa, when Germany invaded Russia in June 1940. What the Germans did to the civilians and POWs during their sweep through that country was horrific. Go and read accounts of the brutality administered to those people. And what was the blowback from that? What the surging Russian army did to the civilians of Germany in ’45 , especially German women, was equally horrific. There is a direct correlation between a nation’s actions and those of its citizenry. ‘Monkey see and monkey do’ is real folks!
After 9/11 our country was propagandized to do violence in retaliation. Of course, we did it to the wrong enemy, but who cared in Washington and down our myriad Main Streets? Our violence became almost rational and acceptable. So, when the people we trust to ‘protect and serve’ us sense how the power of the gun is paramount, many of them can and do act irrationally and with prejudice. When emotionally unbalanced citizens feel the same way, they perpetrate terrible violent acts . . . sometimes on our police. Regardless, the bottom line is that the ‘rot travels down. The cop in Minnesota who kills the driver with no weapon in his hand, or the sniper who selects policemen to assassinate are both part of this irrational violence . . . just like with ISIL and just like with our attack on Iraq. When the little kid sees his father smack around his mother repeatedly, the rot can and many times does travel down. Now, if that same father was held accountable by the law, maybe that son would learn a different lesson.
The liars and con men and women in the Bush/Cheney and Tony Blair gangs got away with literal murder. The invasion and occupation of Iraq has already been recognized as the most heinous action by our two governments in over 50 years. The blowback will haunt us for God knows how long. We helped finance and support the Mujahedeen to fight the Russians, who then became Al Qaeda and ISIL. What the Bush/Cheney and Tony Blair gangs wanted was twofold: Control of the Middle East oil and territory away from Chinese and Russian influence and of course justification for continued obscene military spending increases. They got their wish and guess what: It won’t matter which of the two phony political parties represents Amerika. As far as the UK, if they can get socialist Jeremy Corbyn out of power, then their two major parties will also continue to represent empire and not working stiffs.
And the violence sadly will continue worldwide. If only enough of our countries’ public will demand holding those war criminals accountable, and keep at it . . . then we will send the rest of the world a sincere message.
Philip A Farruggio is a semi-retired baby boomer born and bred in blue collar Brooklyn, NYC. He is the son and grandson of Brooklyn longshoremen, and educated at ‘free tuition’ Brooklyn College, class of ’74. Philip has written over 300 columns since 2001 and his work is found on many fine progressive sites like World News Trust, Nation of Change, Information Clearinghouse, Intrepid Report, Sleuth Journal, Dandelion Salad, Counterpunch and Dissident Voice. He can be reached at paf1222@bellsouth.net.