Lulua
11-12-2001, 13:17
ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS!
By Eric S. Margolis
The Toronto Sun
30 November 2001
http://www.foreigncorrespondent.com
Crusades are messy, bloody affairs, and its often hard to tell the
good guys from the bad guys. Exhibit A: Afghanistan, where the United
States just suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the wily
Russians. Happily for the White House, neither the US media or the
public understand what just happened. They continue to cheer on the
president, who is mighty thankful he is leading a jolly little war
against evil Muslims instead of having to explain to voters why the
economy is nose-diving and hundreds of thousands are losing their
jobs.
* The Northern Alliance is not, as believed, a merry band of pro-
American freedom fighters battling the wicked Taliban, but a Russian-
front organization run by leaders of the revived Afghan communist
party. It has also re-opened the heroin trade that Taliban had shut
down. The Alliance proclaimed itself Afghanistan's legitimate
government last week. Moscow recognized the Alliance, and rushed
`advisors into Afghanistan.
On 11 September, Alliance forces amounted to a mere 10,000 men. A
month later, it fielded 30,000 men with an array of Russian armor and
artillery. It's likely, though the media has not yet noticed, that
regular troops from neighboring Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and
Uzbekistan all Russian satellite states - were sent into Afghanistan.
*Russia now dominates Afghanistan, thus reversing its historic defeat
of the 1980s, shutting the US and Pakistan out of Central Asia, and
ensuring future Russian control of the Caspian Basins oil and gas
resources. Texas Ranger George Bush was too busy trying to `smoke out
outlaws Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar to notice his new best
friends the Russians had ambushed him and grabbed the lions share of
Afghanistan.
*The much ballyhooed Afghan unity conference in Germany last week,
hailed as a `breakthrough and beginning of a viable `democratic
government in Afghanistan by the US and UN was a farce staged for the
credulous media. The US, UN, and Europe are waiting to shower tens of
millions in aid on a `new, non-Islamic Afghanistan. The Northern
Alliance, no dopes, realize they need a window-dressing of a few
toothless royalists and women to create the illusion of multi-party
government in order to cash in on western aid. Armed, supplied and
`guided by the Russian Army and KGB, the Alliance remains the real
power in Afghanistan.
*Last week, hundreds of Taliban prisoners of war were massacred in
the Mazar-I-Sharif fort by soldiers of communist warlord, Rashid
Dostam, assisted by US and British special forces, and air strikes by
the US warplanes. The US says the prisoners tried to break out and
had to die. But some neutral observers claim the prisoners were
murdered en masse. Amnesty International is calling for an
investigation. US troops also watched while a 140 Taliban prisoners
were executed in southern Afghanistan. The US has been using fuel air
munitions Ð almost mini-A bombs Ð that rights organizations claim are
inhumane weapons that should be banned. American soldiers could end
up being charged with complicity in war crimes.
*Last week, bin Laden's holy war syndrome seemed to infect the White
House. Bush proclaimed a new jihad against Saddam Hussein, warning
Iraq was next on his Lord High Executioner's list. Saddam was moved
into the terrorist column by Bush for `planning to develop biowarfare
weapons that threatened his neighbors. The president somehow forgot
to mention Israel and India, who have repeatedly threatened their
neighbors with nuclear attack.
While Bush was preaching a new crusade against Iraq, other high
administration officials were warning that Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen,
Sudan, Lebanon and even Pakistan might be added to the president's
jihad list. A decade go, such ravings would have been called
warmongering, or rightwing craziness. Now, the frightful 11 September
attacks on the US are being used to justify all sorts of irrational
adventures abroad, and the curtailment or abuse of civil rights and
free speech at home.
The Bush Administration's anti-Muslim crusading policy is being
advocated by a cabal of hard-line Israeli-Americans called `neo-
conservatives - the Washington chapter of Gen. Ariel Sharon's far-
right Likud Party. These later-day Dr. Strangeloves want to use
America to destroy all of Israel's enemies, block peace between
Israelis and Palestinians, and eradicate Muslims who are not docile
and obedient. After last weekendÕs bombings in Israel, the Bush
Administration, trapped by its own false logic in the crusade against
terrorism in Afghanistan, was forced to give a green light to Sharon
and his fellow hawks to kill `terrorist Palestinians.
Fortunately, the Administration's sharpest mind, Secretary of State
Colin Powell, has been trying to restrain the Sharonistas, who seem
dangerously close to convincing Bush to launch a crusade against much
of the 1.2 billion-person Islamic world. They failed with clever Bill
Clinton, but are succeeding with the unwordly, unread Bush.
America's European, Asian, and Muslim allies are extremely nervous
over the dire threats emanating from Washington but, so far, no one
dares publicly break ranks and tell the wild west president to
holster his sixguns, simmer down, and have a good think.
American is not refighting World War II. In fact, it is not even at
war, since none has been declared by Congress. It is fighting a
handful of small but deadly international criminal organizations.
This is not D-Day, nor the Alamo, and certainly no reason to launch
America on the 21st Century's First World War. 30
copyright eric s. margolis 2001
By Eric S. Margolis
The Toronto Sun
30 November 2001
http://www.foreigncorrespondent.com
Crusades are messy, bloody affairs, and its often hard to tell the
good guys from the bad guys. Exhibit A: Afghanistan, where the United
States just suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the wily
Russians. Happily for the White House, neither the US media or the
public understand what just happened. They continue to cheer on the
president, who is mighty thankful he is leading a jolly little war
against evil Muslims instead of having to explain to voters why the
economy is nose-diving and hundreds of thousands are losing their
jobs.
* The Northern Alliance is not, as believed, a merry band of pro-
American freedom fighters battling the wicked Taliban, but a Russian-
front organization run by leaders of the revived Afghan communist
party. It has also re-opened the heroin trade that Taliban had shut
down. The Alliance proclaimed itself Afghanistan's legitimate
government last week. Moscow recognized the Alliance, and rushed
`advisors into Afghanistan.
On 11 September, Alliance forces amounted to a mere 10,000 men. A
month later, it fielded 30,000 men with an array of Russian armor and
artillery. It's likely, though the media has not yet noticed, that
regular troops from neighboring Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and
Uzbekistan all Russian satellite states - were sent into Afghanistan.
*Russia now dominates Afghanistan, thus reversing its historic defeat
of the 1980s, shutting the US and Pakistan out of Central Asia, and
ensuring future Russian control of the Caspian Basins oil and gas
resources. Texas Ranger George Bush was too busy trying to `smoke out
outlaws Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar to notice his new best
friends the Russians had ambushed him and grabbed the lions share of
Afghanistan.
*The much ballyhooed Afghan unity conference in Germany last week,
hailed as a `breakthrough and beginning of a viable `democratic
government in Afghanistan by the US and UN was a farce staged for the
credulous media. The US, UN, and Europe are waiting to shower tens of
millions in aid on a `new, non-Islamic Afghanistan. The Northern
Alliance, no dopes, realize they need a window-dressing of a few
toothless royalists and women to create the illusion of multi-party
government in order to cash in on western aid. Armed, supplied and
`guided by the Russian Army and KGB, the Alliance remains the real
power in Afghanistan.
*Last week, hundreds of Taliban prisoners of war were massacred in
the Mazar-I-Sharif fort by soldiers of communist warlord, Rashid
Dostam, assisted by US and British special forces, and air strikes by
the US warplanes. The US says the prisoners tried to break out and
had to die. But some neutral observers claim the prisoners were
murdered en masse. Amnesty International is calling for an
investigation. US troops also watched while a 140 Taliban prisoners
were executed in southern Afghanistan. The US has been using fuel air
munitions Ð almost mini-A bombs Ð that rights organizations claim are
inhumane weapons that should be banned. American soldiers could end
up being charged with complicity in war crimes.
*Last week, bin Laden's holy war syndrome seemed to infect the White
House. Bush proclaimed a new jihad against Saddam Hussein, warning
Iraq was next on his Lord High Executioner's list. Saddam was moved
into the terrorist column by Bush for `planning to develop biowarfare
weapons that threatened his neighbors. The president somehow forgot
to mention Israel and India, who have repeatedly threatened their
neighbors with nuclear attack.
While Bush was preaching a new crusade against Iraq, other high
administration officials were warning that Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen,
Sudan, Lebanon and even Pakistan might be added to the president's
jihad list. A decade go, such ravings would have been called
warmongering, or rightwing craziness. Now, the frightful 11 September
attacks on the US are being used to justify all sorts of irrational
adventures abroad, and the curtailment or abuse of civil rights and
free speech at home.
The Bush Administration's anti-Muslim crusading policy is being
advocated by a cabal of hard-line Israeli-Americans called `neo-
conservatives - the Washington chapter of Gen. Ariel Sharon's far-
right Likud Party. These later-day Dr. Strangeloves want to use
America to destroy all of Israel's enemies, block peace between
Israelis and Palestinians, and eradicate Muslims who are not docile
and obedient. After last weekendÕs bombings in Israel, the Bush
Administration, trapped by its own false logic in the crusade against
terrorism in Afghanistan, was forced to give a green light to Sharon
and his fellow hawks to kill `terrorist Palestinians.
Fortunately, the Administration's sharpest mind, Secretary of State
Colin Powell, has been trying to restrain the Sharonistas, who seem
dangerously close to convincing Bush to launch a crusade against much
of the 1.2 billion-person Islamic world. They failed with clever Bill
Clinton, but are succeeding with the unwordly, unread Bush.
America's European, Asian, and Muslim allies are extremely nervous
over the dire threats emanating from Washington but, so far, no one
dares publicly break ranks and tell the wild west president to
holster his sixguns, simmer down, and have a good think.
American is not refighting World War II. In fact, it is not even at
war, since none has been declared by Congress. It is fighting a
handful of small but deadly international criminal organizations.
This is not D-Day, nor the Alamo, and certainly no reason to launch
America on the 21st Century's First World War. 30
copyright eric s. margolis 2001