Who's Victory?

[ US Crusade Home ]

By A. H. Hotep

So many rumors and suspicious news reports about Bin Laden claiming responsibility for the attacks in America but this has nothing to do with the legality or illegality of the present U.S. actions in Afghanistan. Even if Bin Laden admits guilt, there can be no justification for the destruction of a country that did not wage war on America.

The attacks on America were serious crimes and there are legal ways to address such crimes no matter how grave. America's President and spokesmen were saying that no excuses can be made for the attacks on their country and in like manner there can be no excuses for the present attacks on Afghanistan.

This has nothing to do with how many persons were killed in America or the fears of other nations. This is about misleading nations not addressing past and present injustices committed for which many people are aggrieved.

These misleading nations were called upon to discuss racism at the recently held United Nations Conference on Racism and they displayed their conceit and arrogance towards peaceful discussions. Many groups are engaged in struggles to reclaim what was taken from them and this coalition of arrogant nations may silence such groups under the cover of fighting terrorism.

They want people who have been oppressed to negotiate through courts that do not consider Slavery a crime against humanity. These modern courts were set up by nations that victimized people who had their own laws and systems of redress. Many European nations quickly pass laws that excuses them from their actions but criminalizes these same actions of others. How do they expect victims of their abuses to get redress? The United States and Britain do not wait on the court's determinations to act, as we are clearly witnessing today. They however, encourage smaller nations to use their lengthy twisting legal processes that were set up to protect their interests.

American and European powers aligned themselves with groups in Afghanistan that have a track record of human rights abuses. These people are terrorists in the eyes of the Taleban government. How and when did these groups, under the banner of 'The Northern Alliance', cease being terrorists? BBC and CNN are referring to some of them as ministers and they are speaking of The Northern Alliance police force. Who legitimizes any group? When the US and its allies create their own head of state, whose interest do they expect them to serve? Are we not seeing the signs of US and UK military bases in that region?

As long as people are following the dictates of America and its friends they can acquire titles, which are supposed to legitimize actions that they formerly considered illegal. Terrorists by American and British standards are armed groups in pursuit of objectives contrary to the wishes of America and its allies.

Can we really trust the United Nations to act in a democratic manner? Absolutely not! The United Nations was not democratically set up and its members are not democratically elected. They do not represent all nations. Most people do not agree with the operations of the United Nations, especially its unwillingness to take American misleaders to task for their abuses.

Peoples of this world must wake up to the reality of the double standards of these American and European misleaders. Sensible people must come together to address different trade arrangements and other ways to get these tyrant nations to compensate victims of their misdeeds.

I know this would be difficult because European greed is deeply entrenched in many oppressed people who would sell themselves for a few dollars. We are in a crisis for lack of character and it will take those who are cognizant of these past and present injustices to address the pitfalls through developing an education system. Change cannot come through the European concept of Education which is miseducating many.

There should be a whole new approach towards educating victims of American and European abuses especially as they embark on this campaign to misinform the most vulnerable. Presently the cable channels are carrying commercials, campaigning for the US president as he embarks on his Crusade. Our new education should place emphasis on the history of all people and the ills that befell so many of our people. It should explain the historical evolution of religions so people can choose from a greater understanding. It should include the issue of reparations as part of our human rights, which will serve as a reminder to all that they will not escape unscathed for crimes committed.

The education system is where we need to focus in order to build people with character and courage who would not fall prey to greed and self-deprivation. This would ensure that in the future there would be governments with strong will and resolve who would be mindful of the rights of all.

Only the people who have thoroughly engaged the issues of racial and gender discrimination from our common historical perspective are capable of forging the type of alliance that can stand the scrutiny of all manner of people. Only these people could appreciate the shortcomings of the present education and irreligious systems.

Bush and Blair went to school, I guess, and I suspect that most of the people who elected them also went to school. The training did not serve them well as we can see.

The victory in this campaign is for those who are learning the issues and are developing discerning abilities that would serve them long after this present conflict. Those who are realizing that they can be informed through diverse media outlets are also assisting in the development of alternative media. These are the victories in this disaster and it is through these new alliances we can communicate a different message that respects all people.

We cannot leave the development of people to the present crop of politicians who are gutless and are therefore unable to stand on the side of reason. These misleaders are sowing the seeds for strife in their respective countries. In the short-term the angriest victims of this present carnage would not be discerning in their quest for revenge so we can expect the cycles of violence to continue.

It is far cheaper for world powers to invest in restitution for past wrongs than to continue investing trillions of dollars trying to protect themselves from the people whom they have wronged. This has already proven to be unsuccessful. As we see, all it takes is a few persons who do not fear death to be able to wreak havoc on many and no amount of bombing can stop this. They really cannot use the threat of death against someone who is suicidal and each time they compound the injustices they produce more people who are driven to destroy in acts of revenge.

What America and Britain toss around for democracy does not respect the rights of people to self-determination. They have concluded, with a myopic worldview that what they practice is best for all people and they are dictating changes to people whom they consider inferior.

These quotes sum up the mindset and the problem.

On September 11 1973, exactly 28 years before the fires of last week, the Presidential Palace in Chile was stormed. Kissinger had written the epitaph of Allende and Chilean democracy long before when he commented on the results of the elections: "I don't see why we have to stand by and watch a country go communist because of the irresponsibility of its own people."
--The Theatre of Good and Evil By Eduardo Galeano

On September 26, 2001 the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, in a briefing for journalists, praised Western civilization today as superior to that of the Islamic world and urged Europe to "reconstitute itself on the basis of its Christian roots."

Mr. Berlusconi said, the West should trust in the supremacy of its values. "We should be confident of the superiority of our civilization, which consists of a value system that has given people widespread prosperity in those countries that embrace it, and guarantees respect for human rights and religion," Mr. Berlusconi said. "This respect certainly does not exist in Islamic countries." The West "is bound to occidentalize and conquer new people," he said. "It has done it with the Communist world and part of the Islamic world, but unfortunately, a part of the Islamic world is 1,400 years behind. From this point of view, we must be conscious of the strength and force of our civilization."
--NY TIMES

This European arrogance of their superiority is worst that any other form of fundamentalism the world has ever seen.

[ NOVEMBER ] [ HOMEPAGE ]