Marc Perkel Rantz

What are War Crimes?

Here's a little something I snagged off of CBS News - what are War Crimes? Their story is in reference to Saddam - but look at the list and see how many of these apply to Bush. Look to me like Bush has committed most of these crimes himself. No wonder Bush was so interested in trying to get the US to pass a resolution excusing Americans of War Crimes in Iraq. Glad they didn't pass that! Now Bush might some day be put on trial for his criminal acts.

Saddan is a bad man and deserves to be pout on trial. Bush is far worse and is the most dangerous terrorist on the planet.

The following definitions of these crimes were taken from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court:

Genocide
This crime occurs when "the perpetrator killed one or more persons" who "belonged to a particular national, ethnical, racial or religious group," if the perpetrator "intended to destroy, in whole or in part, that national, ethnical, racial or religious group."

Genocide can involve any of the following acts: killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction, imposing measures intended to prevent births, by forcibly transferring children.

Crime Against Humanity

This crime involves conduct that "was committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population." The possible elements of crimes against humanity are:

• apartheid
• deportation or forcible transfer of population
• enforced disappearance of persons
• enforced sterilization
• enslavement
• extermination
• forced pregnancy
• imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty (Abu Ghraib - Guantanamo Bay Cuba)
• murder (Abu Ghraib)
• persecution (Abu Ghraib)
• rape (Abu Ghraib)
• sexual slavery or enforced prostitution (Abu Ghraib)
• sexual violence (Abu Ghraib)
• torture (Abu Ghraib - Guantanamo Bay Cuba)

War Crimes

War crimes cover offenses against soldiers as well as civilians that take place in the context of armed conflict. In addition to the elements listed under crimes against humanity, the possible elements of war crimes are:

• attacking civilian objects (Fake War with Iraq)
  
• attacking civilians (Fake War with Iraq)
  
• attacking objects or persons using the distinctive emblems of the Geneva Conventions
  
• attacking personnel or objects involved in a humanitarian assistance or peacekeeping mission
  
• attacking protected objects
  
• attacking undefended places (Fake War with Iraq)
  
• biological experiments
  
• compelling participation in military operations (Fake War with Iraq)
  
• compelling service in hostile forces (Fake War with Iraq)
  
• cruel treatment(Abu Ghraib- Guantanamo Bay Cuba)
  
• denying a fair trial(Guantanamo Bay Cuba - Patriot Act)
  
• denying quarter
  
• depriving the nationals of the hostile power of rights or actions (Fake War with Iraq)
  
• destroying or seizing the enemy’s property (Fake War with Iraq)
  
• destruction and appropriation of property (Fake War with Iraq)
  
• displacing civilians (Fake War with Iraq)
  
• employing poison or poisoned weapons
  
• employing prohibited bullets (Uranium Shells)
  
• employing prohibited gases, liquids, materials or devices (Uranuim Shells)
  
• employing weapons, projectiles or materials or methods of warfare listed in the Annex to the Statute
  
• excessive incidental death, injury, or damage (Fake War with Iraq)
  
• improper use of a flag of truce (Tricked into disarming - then attacked)
  
• improper use of a flag, insignia or uniform of the United Nations (Falsely Claims Justification by UN Resolution)
  
• improper use of a flag, insignia or uniform of the hostile party
  
• inhuman treatment (Abu Ghraib - Guantanamo Bay Cuba)
  
• killing or wounding a person hors de combat
  
• medical or scientific experiments
  
• murder (Abu Ghraib)
  
• mutilation (Abu Ghraib)
  
• outrages upon personal dignity (Abu Ghraib)
  
• pillaging (Fake War with Iraq)
  
• sentencing or execution without due process (Fake War with Iraq)
  
• starvation as a method of warfare (Fake War with Iraq)
  
• taking hostages
  
• treacherously killing or wounding (Fake War with Iraq)
  
• unlawful confinement (Guantanamo Bay Cuba- Abu Ghraib)
  
• unlawful deportation and transfer (Guantanamo Bay Cuba - Patriot Act)
  
• using protected persons as shields
  
• using, conscripting and enlisting children
  
• willfully causing great suffering (Abu Ghraib)
  
• willful killing (Abu Ghraib)
  

Can Republicans say "Go Fuck Yourself"?

I guess so? That's what Vice President Cheney said on the Senate floor. And - he refuses to apologize for it. So - I'm confused. I thought that the Republicans were the party of family values and that we had a Christian nation? What kind of example does it set for Christian children when Cheney says "Go Fuck Yourself" and doesn't even apologize for it?

On a side note - in the 1990s if Al Gore told a Republican to go fuck himself - do you think that the press would have given him a pass or do you think they would have carved it on his tombstone? You would think that the press would have covered Cheney saying Go Fuck Yourself as much as Deans screech - wouldn't you?

Price of Freedom Fries keeps going up

When France opposed the illegal war in Iraq and led the coalition of the unwilling against being suckered - Bush started calling them "Old Europe" and renamed French Fries to Freedom Fries. Now he goes crawling on his hands and knees begging the French to forgive him and give him money and troops to help bail him out in this important election year.

Now Americans are hated everywhere. He has empowered our enemies and alienated our friends. And his stunts like Freedom Fries will cost the lives of more Americans because he hasn't figured out that if you piss people off they aren't going to do you any favors.