America's and Britain's Dishonrable War For Freedom and Democracy:

" An avidity to punish is always dangerous to liberty. It leads men to stretch, to misinterpret, and to misapply even the best of laws. He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates his duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself."
Thomas Paine

" The trade of governing has always been monopolized by the most ignorant and the most rascally individuals of mankind."
Thomas Paine


" No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the equal rights of another, and this is all from which the laws ought to restrain him. ...the idea is quite unfounded that on entering into society we give up any natural rights. "-- Thomas Jefferson.

" Force, violence, pressure or compulsion with a view to conformity, are both uncivilized and undemocratic. "-- Mohandas Gandhi

" The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion." -- Edmund Burke


Anyway unable to come to grips with our past we continue to blunder onward. Bush Cheney and others claim to be fighting in the cause of freedom and justice and the American Way .But the problem is that it is difficult to support this rationale when Bush and Cheney and their allies seem to accept that torture, renditions , illegal wire-tapings and other forms of surveillance and the silencing of dissenters along with a co-opted media are all taken as part of the American Way . We know that if John McCain were to become president of the United States then nothing will really change as the wars will continue as America tries to hold onto its empire and even to increase its influence around the world through military might.

And we can also expect little to change if Hillary Clinton becomes president. She may do some tinkering with medicare and education etc. but she too believes that America is somehow destined to rule over a large portion of the earth . Whether she believes this is " God's Will " or " Manifest Destiny " or the result of " Realpolitik " in the end the result is the same. Like John McCain and Bush and Cheney she too merely plays on the fears of the American people and the need for revenge for 9/11and by doing so had hoped to defeat Barack Obama . At the end of the day Hillary Clinton is a political animal ; this is her basic nature so it is difficult for her to see things at all differently or as they say these days she is unable to " think outside the box ". Like John McCain she seems to believe in her own entitlement to become the next president and that Obama is some sort of upstart going beyond his " station " as the British would say. For Even she is unable to admit that the the war in Iraq was wrong from the start and that staying the course has been a disaster not just for America but also for the people of Iraq. Hillary Clinton is unwilling to tell the American people that the United States acting unilaterally was wrong. She like Bush and McCain also sees the deaths of a half million or so Iraqis as unimportant in the scheme of things . She like a large number of Americans are unable to care about the deaths of those who are not Americans. She seems to think that Americans do not care about issues such as torture , renditions and the terrorizing of the Iraqi people and so she either ignores the issues or finds ways to defend the indefensible. Maybe she is right; it may be that the American people would prefer the lies and propaganda which tells them that America can do no wrong and that it is the bastion and beacon of freedom and democracy to the world . Maybe those of us outside America find it difficult to accept that Americans in general do prefer the lies and propaganda they are fed over the truth. Maybe Americans do not care what happens to the rest of the world except in terms of how this might have an impact on them. Well that is how the rest of the world now sees the United States . America is seen as arrogant, wilfull ,self-righteous , and in the end a bully who demands that others do what they are told . America is seen as a country without honor. A country that takes part in War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity and breaks international treaties and agreements in order to do whatever it wishes to do and yet expects all other countries to abide by such treaties and international agreements and the rules of engagement. That by definition is a country without honor.

As for Barack Obama if he is as sincere as his rhetoric then America may have a way to redeem itself . But one can not seek redemption without admitting and atoning for one's past sins. I will believe it when I see it. So the question is will Barack Obama if he becomes president tone down American rhetoric and stop bullying other countries including those countries who were supposed to be America's friends and allies.

So as for free speech and the right of dissent and the value of the truth as opposed to lies and propaganda those in authority are the ones who decide what is the truth and what is not. If the leaders in Washington or London or even in Ottawa tell us two plus two equals five then we are told we must as " Good Obeying Citicizens " accept this as a fact. Since they are the ones who define what is and what is not torture or what is or what is not a reasonable search or a reasonable arrest and detention . International Law as such we are told is just a bit of nonsense invented by unpatriotic bleeding heart " liberals ".
So those who know that their government has been lying and has broken various laws of that country and has broken international laws are told to keep their mouths shut. What happens in secret prisons or Guantanamo or what British authorities or the government authorities of other countries do in taking part in War Crimes or Crimes against Humanity in league with the United States is not to be talked about or questioned . Those who dare speak up will be silenced in one way or another.That is they might be detained themselves or a smear campaign against them will be unleashed or the mainstream media will just ignore them which is the one way that often works best .

Ben Griffin: Former SAS, Banned Speech to Anti-War Rally

Ben Griffin speaks to World Against War rally before being gagged by UK Government

"As of 1940 hrs 29/02/08 I have been placed under an injunction preventing me from speaking publicly and publishing material gained as a result of my service in UKSF (SAS).

I will be continuing to collect evidence and opinion on British Involvement in extraordinary rendition, torture, secret detentions, extra judicial detention, use of evidence gained through torture, breaches of the Geneva Conventions, breaches of International Law and failure to abide by our obligations as per UN Convention Against Torture. I am carrying on regardless "
Ben Griffin, Former UK Special forces trooper

Ben Griffin, the ex-SAS trooper who this week revealed the extensive British collaboration with US rendition and torture, was served with an injunction immediately after speaking at the London World Against War rally last night. The government is trying to gag Ben to prevent any more revelations about British involvement in the US policy of kidnapping people and sending them to secret centres for interrogation and torture.

Ben Griffin: Former SAS, Banned speech to Anti-War Rally
Feb. 29/08


Information Clearing House,US: Vets Break Silence on War Crimes

By Aaron Glantz

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 28 (IPS) - U.S. veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are planning to descend on Washington from Mar. 13-16 to testify about war crimes they committed or personally witnessed in those countries.

"The war in Iraq is not covered to its potential because of how dangerous it is for reporters to cover it," said Liam Madden, a former Marine and member of the group Iraq Veterans Against the War. "That's left a lot of misconceptions in the minds of the American public about what the true nature of military occupation looks like."

Iraq Veterans Against the War argues that well-publicised incidents of U.S. brutality like the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and the massacre of an entire family of Iraqis in the town of Haditha are not the isolated incidents perpetrated by "a few bad apples", as many politicians and military leaders have claimed. They are part of a pattern, the group says, of "an increasingly bloody occupation".

"The problem that we face in Iraq is that policymakers in leadership have set a precedent of lawlessness where we don't abide by the rule of law, we don't respect international treaties, so when that atmosphere exists it lends itself to criminal activity," argues former U.S. Army Sergeant Logan Laituri, who served a tour in Iraq from 2004 to 2005 before being discharged as a conscientious objector.

And now besides threatening to attack Iran America is now threatening to attack Syria . Syria as we know has been on the Neocon's shopping list of countries to conquer since before 9/11. The attack on 9/ 11 has become America's excuse for everything it has done since 9/11 and everything it intends to do. 9/11 has become America's get out of jail for free card . America still sees itself as the victim and not as it has become the perpetrator of lies and propaganda and an unnecessary war of aggression against Iraq and the perpetrator of terror.

Charleston daily mail.com:US sends warship to Lebanon as tensions mount with Syria,By ANNE GEARAN,AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States is sending a warship to the Middle East as tensions with Syria get worse.

A U.S. official confirms that the warship U.S.S. Cole will patrol off the coast of Lebanon. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Thursday the deployment is meant as a show of support for regional stability. He addedhat President Bush is concerned about the situation in Lebanon.

The Cole is sailing to the region from Malta. It's a not-too-subtle show of U.S. force in the region as international frustration mounts over a long political deadlock in tiny, weak Lebanon.