May 20, 2006

Lies by my Leaders

The authorities of my country selected my president

In 2000. It was better, they said, than to recount votes.

My government attacked my country on September 11,

2001, killing more than 3,000 of my fellow citizens. ⁽¹⁾

A month later, my government lied about its reasons

For attacking Afghanistan, labeling it a terrorist state. ⁽²⁾

It was not unusual for my leaders to lie about why war.

Every war my country has waged, was started on a pretext:

The American-Mexican War (1846-1848):

AMexico has shed American blood on American

Soil,@ claimed President James Polk, falsely. ⁽³⁾

The Spanish-American War (1898):

ARemember the Maine,@ admonished President William McKinley,

Blaming the Cubans, falsely, for the sinking of the ship. ⁽⁴⁾

The Philippine-American War (1899-1901, or more accurately, to 1913):

AThe Filipinos fired the first shot,@ was

President McKinley=s rallying cry B again false. ⁽⁵⁾

The First World War (1914-1918):

President Woodrow Wilson=s decision to join the allies, in 1917,

Has been attributed to his idealism. It must have been this

Same idealism that had led him, two years earlier, to invade

Haiti and impose on the tiny island a U.S.-designed constitution. ⁽⁶⁾

The Second World War (1941-1945):

The so-called surprise at the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor

Was none such, but rather, a successful maneuver by President

Theodore Roosevelt to rally the American people for war. ⁽⁷⁾

The Korean War (1950-1953):

An Aunprovoked@ aggression by the North, with the Soviet

Union behind the evil move, declared President Harry Truman.

A pre-emptive invasion, announced Premier Kim Il Sung. ⁽⁸⁾

The Vietnam War (1964-1973):

AThe renewed hostile actions against the United States ships on the

High seas in the Gulf of Tonkin, have today required me to order

The military forces of the United States to take action in reply,@

President Lyndon Johnson told the nation. But it was a hoax. ⁽⁹⁾

The Invasion of the Dominican Republic (1965):

ABecause communists have infiltrated the revolt,@ declared President

Johnson. (A revolt about to topple the island=s military government

And return previously-elected Juan Bosch to the presidency). ⁽¹⁰⁾

The Invasion of Grenada (1983):

ATo help in the restoration of democratic institutions

In Grenada,@ announced President Ronald Reagan. ⁽¹¹⁾

The Invasion of Panama (1989):

ATo apprehend President Manuel Noriega,@ said President

George H. W. Bush. (Manuel Noriega, who was a drug-trafficker,

And known by the CIA to have been one since at least 1972). ⁽¹²⁾

The Invasion of Iraq (1991):

AIt isn=t oil. It is aggression B naked, brutal aggression,@

Emphasized President H. W. Bush. (Aggression by

President Saddam Hussein, who, with the help of the United

States, throughout the 1980=s, had developed, missiles,

Nuclear weapons and pathogenic strains of biotoxins). ⁽¹³⁾

The Bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) (1999):

ATo uphold our values . . . and advance the cause of peace,@

President Bill Clinton assured the American population. ⁽¹⁴⁾

Bombing Raids in Afghanistan (2001):

ATo create conditions for sustained anti-terrorist

And humanitarian relief operations,@ declared

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. ⁽¹⁵⁾

The Invasion of Iraq (2003):

ABecause Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction,@

Secretary of State Colin Powell told the world, shamelessly. ⁽¹⁶⁾

Now poised to attack Iran for enriching uranium,

My country is also the only country in the world

Which has explicitly renounced the United Nations

1970/2005 nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. ⁽¹⁷⁾

My government lies about its use of lethal depleted uranium (DU):

In Kuwait and Iraq, in 1991,

In Iraq from1992 to the present.

In Bosnia, Montenegro and Southern Serbia, in 1994-1995,

In Kosovo and Macedonia, in 1999,

And in Afghanistan, in 2001. ⁽¹⁸⁾

My president lies when he minimizes the threats

Of nuclear radiation, global warming, the

Extinction of species, and genetic engineering. ⁽¹⁹⁾

AI carry this commitment in my soul,@ intoned

President George W. Bush, declaring his goal

Of combating poverty in the world. But it was a lie. ⁽²⁰⁾

Officials lie when they deny spying on American

Citizens, and lie when they claim wanting

To help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

My government says it wants peace in the Middle East.

To believe or not to believe . . .

. . .

Ring . . . Ring . . .

Hello! . . . Oh! Hi! George Orwell!

References

Griffin, David Ray 2006; summarized in Francoise Hall 2006, pp. 58-67. David Ray Griffin 2004; summarized in Francoise Hall 2004b. David Ray Griffin 2005; summarized in Francoise Hall 2005b.

Chomsky, Noam 2006, p. 6, 18 and 268; summarized in Francoise Hall 2006, pp. 6- 7. Noam Chomsky 2003, pp. 204 and 260. David Ray Griffin 2006; summarized in Francoise Hall 2006, p. 61.

Griffin, David Ray 2006; summarized in Francoise Hall 2006, p. 59. Columbia Encyclopedia.

Griffin, David Ray 2006; summarized in Francoise Hall 2006, p. 59. Columbia Encyclopedia.

Griffin, David Ray 2006; summarized in Francoise Hall 2006, p. 59. Columbia Encyclopedia.

Chomsky, Noam 2006, pp. 89, 102, 120 and 153. Wikipedia, AWoodrow Wilson.@

Beard, Charles 1948; quoted in Bruce Cumings 2002, p. 47. Bruce Cummings 2002, pp. 31 and 46-48. Bruce Cummings 2004, pp. 6-7.

Feffer, John 2003, pp. 30-32. Stoessinger, John 2001, pp. 54-59.

Johnson, Lyndon 1964; summarized in Francoise Hall 2005c, p. 13. David Ray Griffin 2006; summarized in Francoise Hall 2006, p. 59.

Solomon, Norman 2005, pp. 1-3 and 22. McPherson, Alan 2003, June 1; cited in Norman Solomon 2005, p. 3. Both references summarized in Francoise Hall 2005c, p. 17.

Reagan, Ronald 1983, Press Conference; quoted in Norman Solomon 2005, pp. 246. Norman Solomon 2005, pp. 7-8 and 21-22; Both references summarized in Francoise Hall 2005c, p. 18.

Bush, George H. W. 1989, the Boston Globe, December 21; quoted in Norman Solomon 2005, pp. 10-13 and 15. Noam Chomsky 1993, pp. 51-52; quoted in Norman Solomon 2005, pp. 242-243. Both references summarized in Francoise Hall 2005c, p. 19.

Bush, George H. W. 1990, Speech at a Republican Campaign rally, Los Angeles; quoted in Mark Miller 2001, p. 89; summarized in Francoise Hall 2005c, p. 7. Noam Chomsky 2006, pp. 28-29; summarized in Francoise Hall 2006, p. 13.

Clinton, William Jefferson 1999, Address to the Nation, Transcript, CNN.com, 1999, pp. 1 and 3; summarized in Francoise Hall 2005c, p. 7.

Rumsfeld, Donald 2001, Address to the Nation, Transcript, National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, p. 1; summarized in Francoise Hall 2005c, p. 20.

Powell, Colin 2003, Address to the United Nations Security Council, Transcript, the White House, p. 7; summarized in Francoise Hall 2005c, p. 11. Chomsky, Noam 2006, pp. 26-30, 133 and 285; summarized in Francoise Hall 2006, pp. 13-15.

Poised to attack Iran:

Chomsky, Noam 2006, pp. 73, 169 and 276; summarized in Francoise Hall 2006, p. 16. John Bolton 2006, Testimony before the House Sub-committee on National Security, Free Speech Radio News, May 2, 2006; summarized in Francoise Hall 2006, pp. 17-19.

Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT):

Chomsky, Noam 2006, pp. 75-76 and 276-277; summarized in Francoise Hall 2006, pp. 9 and 11. Francis Boyle 2004; summarized in Francoise Hall 2004a.

The following references are summarized in Francoise Hall 2005a, p. 3.

Kuwait: Uranium Medical Research Centre undated, p. 4.

Iraq:

1991: Durakovik, Asaf 2004, p. 38. Uranium Medical Research Centre undated, p. 4. Piotr Bein and Karen Parker 2003, pp. 4-5 and 23. Leuren Moret 2003, p. 9. Leuren Moret 2004, pp. 8, 10, 12 and 16. Lauren Kettner 2004, Update, in Peter Phillips and Project Censored 2004, p. 147.

1992-2003 (No-fly Zones): Bein, Piotr and Karen Parker 2003, p. 4.

1998: Bein, Piotr and Karen Parker 2003, p. 4.

2003: Moret, Leuren 2003, p. 10. Leuren Moret 2004, p. 16. International Criminal Tribunal 2004, p. 16. Uranium Medical Research Centre 2003a; cited in Peter Phillips and Project Censored 2004, pp. 49 and 149. Uranium Medical Research Centre 2003b; cited in Peter Phillips and Project Censored 2004, p. 52.

Bosnia: Moret, Leuren 2003, p. 9. Leuren Moret 2004, pp. 8 and 12.

Montenegro and Southern Serbia: Bein, Piotr and Karen Parker 2003, pp. 5 and 20-21.

Kosovo: Bein, Piotr and Karen Parker 2003, p. 5. Leuren Moret 2003, p. 9. Leuren Moret 2004, p. 8.

Macedonia: Johnson, Larry 2002, p. 7.

Afghanistan: Yagasaki, Katsuma 2003; cited in International Criminal Tribunal for Afghanistan at Tokyo 2004, pp. 29 and 36-37; cited also in Peter Phillips and Project Censored 2004, p. 50. Uranium Medical Research Centre 2003a; cited in Peter Phillips and Project Censored 2004, pp. 49 and 149. Uranium Medical Research Centre 2003b; cited in Peter Phillips and Project Censored, 2004, p. 52. Piotr Bein and Karen Parker 2003, p. 4. Leuren Moret 2003, p. 10. Leuren Moret 2004, pp. 8 and 12. International Criminal Tribunal 2004, pp. 16 and 38-39.

The following references are summarized in Francoise Hall 2005a, pp. 3-7.

Nuclear radiation: Albright, David and Kimberly Kramer 2004, pp. 14-16; cited in Worldwatch Institute, 2005a, p. 12. Lloyd Dumas 1999, p. 86.

Global warming: Rapley, Chris 2005. Environmental News Service 2004; cited in Worldwatch Institute 2005b, p. 40. Ross Gelbspan 2004, p. 33. Thomas Karl, Richard Knight and Bruce Baker 2000; cited in Ross Gelbspan 2004, pp. 6 and 29. Myles Allen 2005. Peter Cox et al. 2000; cited in Ross Gelbspan 2004, p. 4. Reuters News Service 2002; cited in Ross Gelbspan 2004, p. 4.

The Extinction of Species: Wilson, Edward O., 1992/1999, pp. xviii, xxii-xxiii, 14-15, 31 and 189-191; summarized in Francoise Hall 2005d.

Genetic Engineering: Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology 2005, pp. 1-3. Clive James 2005, p. 5. Worldwatch Institute 2005a, p. 70; Geoffrey Lean 2004; cited in Worldwatch Institute 2005a, p. 71.

Bush, George W. 2002, Address on the occasion of the creation of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, for the purpose of boosting funding to combat poverty in the Adeveloping@ world; quoted in Noam Chomsky 2006, p. 4; summarized in Francoise Hall 2006, p. 3.

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2004a, APortend of World War III B The United States= Grab of Persian Oil Reserves,@ May 29 (16 pages, unpublished).

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