When is a war not a War?

The answer seems to be when Americans are not dying.

Throughout the 1990's, the United States (through Bill Clinton) and Britain lead a bombing campaign in the country of Iraq that killed an inestimable number of people and caused an untold amount of damage to property and wealth in an already impoverished nation. One of the reasons the estimates of damage are impossible to know is that is the chaotic and insane nature of war. Another reason is that this war was not called "A War". By and large, it wasn't called anything. It was hardly referenced in our media, certainly not to the degree the Afghanistan and Iraq wars were later covered by 24 hour news shows, even if that coverage is now dwindling despite the never ending violence that seems to continue.

This campaign was so under-covered that many of our own ruling elite seemed to be unaware of it's existence as evidenced by Rudy Giuliani's reaction to Ron Paul evoking this campaign during a debate in 2007. Giuliani says, "I don't think I've ever heard that." And he wasn't alone it seems, as the crowd cheered on his ignorance and repudiation of Paul's statement of simple fact.

Now *everyone* knows about Iraq War II, because that was a War (with a capital W). We know this was war because that's what most every media source referred to it as. But why? What was the difference between that War, and the non-war during the 90's? One simple explanation would be that there was no declaration of war during the 1990's. But then, this CAN'T be the reason for not calling the war in the 90's a War (with a capital W), because there was no declaration of war for the second Iraq war either.

Yesterday the United States sent predator drones from Afghanistan, a country we ARE at war with, to Pakistan, which we are NOT at war with, and killed dozens of people. This attack is the fourth in the last week and has brought the death total for this week alone to nearly 100 people. This attack also marks the 25th time the United States has bombed Pakistan since Barack Obama has taken office, and the 61st attack since the beginning of 2008.

BUT, we are not at War (with a capital W) with Pakistan. There's no American's dying, the use of predator drones have ensured that as the use of Cruise missiles did in the 90's over Iraq. There's no "boots on the ground" so to speak, despite the claims on the Air Force's propaganda videos that these planes are being used to support troops and "save lives." They are in fact being used to TAKE lives. Lives of children and lives of innocents, but not lives of Americans. So there is no War.

Blowback is a bitch, as the United States learned in 1979 when 53 Americans were held hostage for over a year, and then RE-LEARNED on September 11th. The seeds the Federal Government have planted through their non-Wars take time to grow, but grow they do. It's impossible to say what will be harvested from these consistent and deadly attacks in Northern Pakistan, or if the consequences will be so clearly consequential that they will self-evidently a direct result of these attacks. But actions have consequences nonetheless. And as long as the United States Federal Government continues to act with hubris, ignoring all calls to end it's non-war with Pakistan, it runs the risk of inciting more violence against Americans, which could possibly lead to a "real" War.

The kind with a capital W, and sadly the kind with lots of American deaths.

torture

Report: Unreleased Abu Ghraib Abuse Photos 'Show Rape'

At least one picture shows an American soldier apparently raping a female prisoner while another is said to show a male translator raping a male detainee.

Further photographs are said to depict sexual assaults on prisoners with objects including a truncheon, wire and a phosphorescent tube.

Another apparently shows a female prisoner having her clothing forcibly removed to expose her breasts.

Detail of the content emerged from Major General Antonio Taguba, the former army officer who conducted an inquiry into the Abu Ghraib jail in Iraq.

Allegations of rape and abuse were included in his 2004 report but the fact there were photographs was never revealed. He has now confirmed their existence in an interview with the Daily Telegraph.

The graphic nature of some of the images may explain the U.S. President's attempts to block the release of an estimated 2,000 photographs from prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan despite an earlier promise to allow them to be published.

Maj. Gen Taguba, who retired in January 2007, said he supported the President's decision, adding: "These pictures show torture, abuse, rape and every indecency.

"I am not sure what purpose their release would serve other than a legal one and the consequence would be to imperil our troops, the only protectors of our foreign policy, when we most need them, and British troops who are trying to build security in Afghanistan.

"The mere description of these pictures is horrendous enough, take my word for it."

In April, Mr. Obama's administration said the photographs would be released and it would be "pointless to appeal" against a court judgment in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

But after lobbying from senior military figures, Mr. Obama changed his mind saying they could put the safety of troops at risk.

Earlier this month, he said: "The most direct consequence of releasing them, I believe, would be to inflame anti-American public opinion and to put our troops in greater danger."

It was thought the images were similar to those leaked five years ago, which showed naked and bloody prisoners being intimidated by dogs, dragged around on a leash, piled into a human pyramid and hooded and attached to wires.

Mr. Obama seemed to reinforce that view by adding: "I want to emphasize that these photos that were requested in this case are not particularly sensational, especially when compared to the painful images that we remember from Abu Ghraib."

The latest photographs relate to 400 cases of alleged abuse between 2001 and 2005 in Abu Ghraib and six other prisons. Mr. Obama said the individuals involved had been "identified, and appropriate actions" taken.

Maj Gen Taguba's internal inquiry into the abuse at Abu Ghraib, included sworn statements by 13 detainees, which, he said in the report, he found "credible based on the clarity of their statements and supporting evidence provided by other witnesses."

Among the graphic statements, which were later released under U.S. Freedom of Information laws, is that of Kasim Mehaddi Hilas in which he says: "I saw [name of a translator] ******* a kid, his age would be about 15 to 18 years. The kid was hurting very bad and they covered all the doors with sheets. Then when I heard screaming I climbed the door because on top it wasn't covered and I saw [name] who was wearing the military uniform, putting his **** in the little kid's ***…. and the female soldier was taking pictures."

The translator was an American Egyptian who is now the subject of a civil court case in the U.S.

Three detainees, including the alleged victim, refer to the use of a phosphorescent tube in the sexual abuse and another to the use of wire, while the victim also refers to part of a policeman's "stick" all of which were apparently photographed.

What a sad state of affairs.

Tom Woods on the difference between tooth fairy economics and grown up economics at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Why anyone would want to speak there, I don't know, but it's a very good short speech.

Ron Paul Marijuana debate

Baldwin embarrasses himself by spouting his opinion and stating that is unquestionable fact. "No doubt about it, I don't care what anybody says."

Worse, Baldwin proclaims his position as the Christian one. I have to disagree that putting people in cages for ingesting the wrong chemicals is the position of love.

Baldwin really has no answer for anything Paul says, and I swear at the 8:00 minute mark his face shows that he knows it. This may be the second time that Dr. Paul changes someone's mind on an issue during on air interview as D.L. Hughley gives Paul credit for changing his mind on the necessity of the Civil War during an interview on Bill Maher's show in which they were both guests.

A Picture

I promise a post with a tad more thought in the near future.

Hope.

At Least 20 Killed in Twin US Attacks in Waziristan

Click headline to read the story.

One has to wonder if his highness signed off on these attacks personally, or if the machinations of the Federal Government's War Machine is such that it can make deadly strikes on the sovereign soil of a country we are not at war with, without the green light of the Commander in Chief, but as a matter of course or momentum.