by Stephen Lendman
Three nations among others stand out: America, Israel and Ukraine.
America’s deplorable history reflects barbarism writ large. Killing civilians is longstanding policy. Doing so violates core international law.
It prohibits collective punishment. It forbids attacking noncombatants. Targets unrelated to military necessity are strictly off-limits.
Lawless attacks constitute crimes of war, against humanity and genocide. Committing them reflects official US policy. It’s been so throughout America’s sordid history.
It’s guilty as charged. Its drone program alone is damning. It reflects out-of-control state terror.
Attacks are indiscriminate. Mostly noncombatant civilians are killed. A 2012 “Living Under Drones” reportexplained.
Stanford University’s International Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Clinic (SU) and New York University School of Law’s Global Justice Clinic (NYU) jointly prepared it.
Credible firsthand documentation was compiled. It “present(ed) (clear) evidence of the damaging and counterproductive effects of” Obama’s drone-strike policy.
So-called benefits don’t exist. Mostly noncombatant civilians are harmed. Men, women, children, infants, the elderly and infirm are murdered in cold blood.
“Living Under Drones” exposed what official accounts suppress.
US imperial wars killed millions of civilians. Indiscriminate mass murder reflects longstanding US policy.
March 19 marked the 10th anniversary of Washington’s Iraq war. Waging it destroyed the cradle of civilization.
It’s one of history’s greatest crimes. It followed Gulf War devastation and punishing sanctions.
They caused about 1.5 million Iraqi deaths. Most were young children. Up to 7,000 died monthly.
Former UN humanitarian coordinator Dennis Halliday resigned in protest. He refused to be part of what he called “genocide.”
Weeks of so-called “Operation Iraqi Freedom” destroyed virtually everything needed for normal functioning.
Terror bombings and ground assaults damaged or demolished targets unrelated to military necessity.
They included power plants, dams, water purification facilities, sewage treatment and disposal systems, telephone and other communications, hospitals, schools, mosques, residential neighborhoods, factories and private businesses, government buildings, historical sites and much more.
The region’s most developed country was systematically destroyed. The cradle of civilization no longer exists. Dystopian hell replaced it.
Millions of Iraqis suffer horrifically. They struggle daily to survive. Their nation remains a cauldron of violence and instability.
US installed stooge governance remains. So-called elections are farcical when held. Democracy is pure fantasy.
Crimes of war and against humanity continue. Iraq is a virtual free-fire zone. Washington bears full responsibility. Obama continues what Bush began.
Hegemons operate this way. Fascist regimes give no quarter. America represents the worst of imperial barbarism.
Conquest, domination, colonization and plundering nations for profit matter most. Millions of human lives lost attest to Washington’s ruthlessness.
They’re inconsequential. They’re considered a small price to pay. Coverup and denial suppress the worst of US policy.
America’s human rights record is appalling. It’s by far the world’s worst. Every imaginable crime and then some was committed.
They continue out-of-control. They’re largely out of sight and mind. They’re unreported.
Torture is sanctioned. Peace and stability are verboten. Permanent war is official policy. So is global state terror.
America operates the world’s largest gulag. Thousands of political prisoners fill it. Global torture prisons supplement it.
Crime bosses make policy. Monied interests control them. New World Order ruthlessness reflects official policy. Rule of law principles don’t matter. Washington rules alone apply.
Israel operates the same way. So-called “Dahiya Doctrine” lawlessness is official policy. It’s named after a Beirut suburb.
It reflects how all Israeli wars are waged. Former IDF Northern Commander Gabi Eisenkot explained earlier, saying:
“What happened in the Dahiya quarter of Beirut in 2006 will happen in every village from which Israel is fired on.”
“We will apply disproportionate force at the heart of the enemy’s weak spot (civilians) and cause great damage and destruction.”
“From our standpoint, these are not civilian villages (towns or cities). They are military bases. This is not a recommendation. This is a plan. And it has been approved.”
Terror bombings target civilians. They’re murdered in cold blood.
Israel’s preemptive 2006 Lebanon war horrific. Weeks of slaughter, destruction, mass displacement and human misery followed.
Over 1,000 died. One-fourth of Lebanese people fled for their lives. Terror bombings were merciless.
They destroyed or damaged ports, Beirut International Airport, roads, bridges, other infrastructure, schools, hospitals, power stations, commercial sites, factories, dams, civilian neighborhoods, government buildings, mosques, churches, radio and TV stations, an orphanage, Sidon’s refugee camp and other non-military targets.
Jiyeh’s utility plant south of Beirut was struck. Doing so caused massive oil spillage. Over 90 miles of coastal waters were polluted.
Biodiversity was damaged. Heightened cancer risk followed. Many thousands of Lebanese remain vulnerable.
A land, sea and air siege was imposed. Illegal weapons were used. They included depleted uranium, chemical agents, as well as white phosphorous bombs and shells. They burn flesh to the bone.
So-called thermobaric bombs were dropped. They contain polymer-bonded or solid fuel-air explosives. They penetrate buildings, underground shelters and tunnels.
Their blast pressure sucks oxygen out of affected areas. It horrifically affects people in them. It’s a terror weapon designed to kill and destroy monstrously.
Israel’s December 2008/January 2009 Gaza war replicated Lebanon atrocities. Appalling crimes of war and against humanity were committed.
Israel did so with impunity. Goldstone Commission findings were damning. They showed clear “evidence indicating serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law…”
They said Israeli “actions amount(ed) to war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity.” Indisputable evidence explained.
Over 1,400 Palestinians died. They were murdered in cold blood. Roads, bridges, other infrastructure, residential neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, mosques, public buildings, factories, Gaza’s sole power plant, police stations, other structures and facilities were damaged or destroyed.
Israel’s lawless siege prevents proper reconstruction. So do repeated air, ground and sea attacks.
They inflict more death and destruction. Children are affected most. Longterm trauma persists.
World leaders able to make a difference turn a blind eye. Doing so lets Israel get away with mass murder. Committing it is official Israeli policy. Unaccountability follows every time.
Ukraine represents America’s latest imperial adventurism. Democratic governance was destroyed. Illegitimate coup-appointed fascists replaced it.
They’re committing the unthinkable. They’re waging war on their own people.
They’re using tanks, artillery, mortars, APCs, helicopter gunships other heavy weapons, and toxic chemicals against lightly armed Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters.
They’re willfully murdering unarmed civilians. They’re doing it daily. The May 2 Odessa massacre killed around 300 defenseless city residents.
Doing so reflects how far they’ll go. It suggests much worse to follow. Washington endorses their worst barbarism.
Orders come straight from the White House. No-holds-barred death and destruction was OK’d. Tyrants operate this way. One fascist regime supports another.
Washington blamed victims for their own deaths. It blames Russia for its crimes. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki consistently turns truth on its head. She lies for power.
She suppresses what people most need to know. She does it in regular press briefings. She substitutes misinformation Big Lies for vital truths.
On Friday, she outrageously “condemned the outbreak of violence caused by pro-Russian separatists…in Mariupol…”
Fact: Kiev putschists bear full responsibility.
Fact: They acted on direct orders from Washington.
Fact: They murdered around 20 civilians in cold blood.
Fact: They injured many others.
Fact: They violated core international law provisions.
Fact: They operate with impunity.
Fact: They likely plan much greater bloodbaths.
Fact: Eastern Ukrainian self-defense forces aren’t separatists.
Fact: They’re not terrorists.
Fact: They’re federalist supporters.
Fact: They’re freedom fighters.
Fact: They reject US-installed Kiev fascist putschists.
Fact: They want local autonomy.
Fact: They’re Ukraine’s best and bravest.
Fact: They fighting for rights everyone deserves.
Fact: They merit worldwide support.
Fact: Kiev putschists have no legitimacy.
Fact: They demand universal condemnation.
It bears repeating. Fascist regimes operate this way. America is by far the worst. Kiev putschists serve US interests.
They do so at the expense of their own people. Exploiting them ruthlessly is planned. So is letting Western corporations plunder Ukraine’s resources. IMF diktats demand it.
War on Eastern Ukraine continues. Mass slaughter may follow. Bloodbath conditions promise much worse ahead.
It bears repeating. Hegemons operate this way. Proxy stooges serve their interests. One fascist regime supports another.
Longstanding US policy reflects its dark side. It shows America’s true face. It exposes the depths of its depravity. Humanity’s fate hangs in the balance.
A Final Comment
Jaime Lopez and Dallas Peavy endured weeks of political imprisonment. They’re US citizens.
From March 14 through April 22, they were held lawlessly in Djibouti. They committed no crimes. They’re uncharged.
US consular officials are complicit with Djiboutian authorities. They want Lopez/Peavy abuse kept under wraps. They want Congress US media kept uninformed.
On Saturday, Lopez emailed this writer. He asked for help. He explained what happened.
He detailed how grievously he and Peavy were treated. He explained:
“US embassy (officials) provided derogatory written and verbal information to US military base (Camp Lemonier)” authorities.
Doing so got its commander “to declare us to be persona non-grata at the base.” Misinformation claimed “Mr. Peavy (was) wanted by the FBI.”
US consular officials hold Lopez’s passport. They won’t return it. Both men committed no crimes. They want to go home.
They’re prevented from doing so. They remain effectively imprisoned.
US consular officials lied. They claimed “they are no longer involved in the legal matter,” said Lopez.
Even though both men are uncharged. US citizens warrant consular protection. Their fundamental rights were violated.
It bears repeating. Washington is complicit with Djiboutian authorities.
It’s acting against the welfare of two of its citizens. It doesn’t give a damn how they’re treated. Lopez emailed this writer for help.
He and Peavy are two among countless victims of America’s contempt for fundamental human rights. They’re trapped against their will in Djibouti.
They can’t get out. They can’t go home. They’re stuck where they don’t want to be.
Consular officials haven’t done a thing to help. Whether things get resolved appears unlikely short-term. Both men remain in limbo.
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian 
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