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CounterPunch
January
4, 2003
Targeting Americans
by JAMES T. PHILLIPS
When the United States of America declares war
on the sovereign nation of Iraq--and bombs Baghdad, Basra and
babies--millions of angry people and a few rusted Scud missiles
will target Americans throughout the world. The resulting body
counts will certainly favor the United States, and the deaths
of innocents will number in the tens of thousands when George
Bush unleashes the overwhelming power of the dogs of war. Scenting
blood, the curs will not discriminate between combatants and
non-combatants and the killing fields will be littered with the
bodies of women, children and war-weary grandparents.
All but a few of the dead will be deemed
enemies of America and, according to the rules of war employed
by the United States, unfortunate collateral damage acceptable
to the majority of its citizens. Many Americans, though, do not
agree with the actions of George Bush and the elite 'special
forces' kenneled in the White House and Pentagon. Millions of
Americans prefer peace talks instead of war hawks, and they do
not want their fellow citizens to suffer the same fate that will
soon be visited upon Iraq.
Americans who want to give peace a chance
do not want to kill Iraqis, and they have voiced their dissent
in newspapers, on the Internet, and on the streets of America
during demonstrations against the War on Iraq. Bush and his desk-bound
warriors have ignored their objections and, except for a few
brave editors and publishers, the media in the United States
have denigrated and dismissed opposing views. Pleading for a
peaceful solution is a lost cause in the United States of America.
The targeting of Iraqis (Operation Just Because) is--in a language
understood by the majority of Americans--a done deal.
However, with the assistance of the international
media, the targeting of Americans can be limited, legal and restrained.
Publicizing the following 'rules of war' could, if complied with
by Saddam Hussein, free Iraq from the taint of war crimes and
keep hope (and peace-loving Americans) alive. If Saddam honors
a code of conduct that precludes the killing of innocents, the
dissenting minority in America might become the ruling majority
and peace with justice will prevail throughout the civilized
world.
Please, for the sake of humanity...
Do not kill Americans living, working
or traveling through nations where they are the aliens. Exceptions
to this rule are allowable if the Americans are armed, aggressive
and intent on killing the innocent.
Do not use weapons of mass destruction
against civilian populations, whether as a pre-emptive action
or in retaliation to American nuclear, biological or chemical
weapons attacks.
Do not allow the killing or torture of
prisoners of war.
Do not incarcerate alien American civilians
without access to competent legal representation and, if charged
with a crime, allow fair, impartial, and public trials. Do not
execute the guilty.
Do not target the civilian infrastructure
of the United States of America. Food supplies, water sources
and electric power plants sustain the lives of Americans who
are attempting to stop war, and the destruction of these life-supporting
necessities would be counter-productive.
Do not threaten or bribe other nations
for their allegiance. If support is offered, be certain that
the allied forces will abide by the 'rules of war'.
Do not hesitate to negotiate any possible
peaceful solution offered by an enemy; once upon a time they
were your friends.
The war against Iraq will soon enter
a new phase, escalating in intensity from strikes by American
and the British warplanes to an all-out assault by various nations
united in a cause that isn't just. The aptly named War Party--the
civilians who man battle stations in war rooms, boardrooms, and
newsrooms in the United States, panting for war like dogs in
heat--does not have much to worry about during the coming conflict.
Saddam has a limited arsenal of weapons, no history of attacking
American soil and, if he is able to read this commentary, an
opportunity to conform to a code of conduct opposite to the one
observed by the President of the United States: War Rules.
James T. Phillips can be reached at: jamestphillips@yahoo.com
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