Mumia-"an imperial war expands"

[Guest Frank Zappa Mask]

AN IMPERIAL WAR EXPANDS

[Col. Writ. 2/4/02] Copyright '02 Mumia Abu-Jamal

 

  With characteristic imperial arrogance, George W.

Bush's 'State of the Empire' speech was a blustering

threat to several states that have yet to learn how to

kneel properly to the United States -- Iraq, Iran and

North Korea.

 

  By calling them the world's "Axis of Evil," the Bush

regime is clearly trying to mobilize public support for

some sort of militarist adventure in those regions of

the world.  If they cannot be tied to the acts of 9/11/01,

then they are violative of the US edict that no state,

except by their leave, may acquire or construct

"weapons of mass destruction."

 

  For many Americans still smarting from the blows

of 9/11, and unsated by the aerial bombardment

and humbling of the Taliban in the dusty ruins of

Afghanistan, the challenges of Iran, Iraq, and

North Korea may seem tempting.

 

  What makes Washington's charge almost laughable

(if it were not so serious) is that at least two of those

states were either clients or customers of the U.S.,

in their drive to become regional military powers.

The U.S. was, and indeed remains, the world's

pre-eminent arms dealer.  When the bloody, 8-year

Iran-Iraq war raged on, the U.S. supplied it's then-ally

(Iraq's Saddam) with what can only be termed

weapons of mass destruction, as in the poisons

used by Iraq to liquidate their Kurdish minorities on

their border regions.  As for the Iranian theocracy,

it would not exist today were it not for the U.S./CIA

intervention which overturned the Iranian parliamentiary

democracy of Mohammed Mossadegh of the early

1950s, and the backing of the autocractic Shah.  Were

it not for this Western rape of Iranian democracy there

would not now be the rule of the clerics in Iran.  The

Khomeini-led Islamic revolution was, in essence,

a reactive movement that strove to purge the nation

of the Western and foreign influences pushed by the

Pahlevi regime.  Why did the US CIA and British M1-5

oppose the Mossadegh government?  It had nothing

to do with "democracy," for Mossadegh's was, if

anything, too democractic for their tastes, for he

backed nationalization of British oil, to provide more

for the nation.  The U.S. didn't back democracy,

it backed a neocolonial, repressive autocracy.

 

  From Iran's perspective, where does the "axis

of evil" lie?  What must they think of a nation that

deposed their president, installed a brutal, fascist

regime, and then armed their neighboring enemy

(Iraq) with conventional and chemical weapons,

which led to over half a million dead on both sides?

Isn't that "mass destruction?"

 

  But being an empire means never having to say

you're sorry; it means telling others what they must

do, or else.  It means always seeking enemies.

 

 

Copyright 2002 MAJ

 

==================================

 

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WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED!!

 

******************************************************

This column may be reprinted and/or distributed by

electronic means, but only for non-commercial use, and

only with the inclusion of the following copyright

information:

 

Text © copyright 2001 by Mumia Abu-Jamal. All rights

reserved. Reprinted by permission of the author.

******************************************************

 

Mumia Abu-Jamal is the author of three books: 'Live

from Death Row', 'Death Blossoms', and 'All Things

Censored'.

 

Write to Mumia directly at:

Mumia Abu-Jamal AM 8335

SCI-Greene

175 Progress Drive

Waynesburg, PA 15370

[Guest AaronMarco]

At first glance, this looks like spam/trolling, so it gets my standard response:

 

FEH!

 

(I can't delete it, but would if I could.)

[Guest Frank Zappa Mask]

Take another glance.  You might see something different from your opinion, but that would be wrong, and that should be deleted according to your "enlightened" ways....

[Guest Mad Dog]

Mumia constantly writes all this crap, yes I consider it crap, in an attempt to make people forget that he killed a cop.

[Guest AaronMarco]

Take another glance.  You might see something different from your opinion, but that would be wrong, and that should be deleted according to your "enlightened" ways....

I took another glance, and I still don't agree with your point of view. Guess I'm just not sophisticated enough.

 

Seriously, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

 

(End of my comment on this particular subject, since I don't see it going anywhere productive.)

[Guest Trojanman]

The U.S. was, and indeed remains, the world's

pre-eminent arms dealer.

 

How can anyone take him seriously when he spews crap like this.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

This guy constantly bitches about how awful the United States is. Guess what if this cop killer was in any of those other countries he would of been executed years ago.Thank your lucky stars, Mumia. You got a liberal judege to repel your death sentence.

[Guest TheMikeSC]

With characteristic imperial arrogance, George W.

Bush's 'State of the Empire' speech was a blustering

threat to several states that have yet to learn how to

kneel properly to the United States -- Iraq, Iran and

North Korea. >>

 

Hmm, sympathizing with those states?

 

Gee, Mumia is nothing if not consistent with his rampant idiocy

 

<< By calling them the world's "Axis of Evil," the Bush

regime is clearly trying to mobilize public support for

some sort of militarist adventure in those regions of

the world.  If they cannot be tied to the acts of 9/11/01,

then they are violative of the US edict that no state,

except by their leave, may acquire or construct

"weapons of mass destruction." >>

 

They CAN be tied to terrorism easily.

 

Israel's inteligence agencies, very early on, said that Hussein was a major financial backer and provider of intelligence for those sub-humans who caused the current problems.

 

Iran's support of terrorism is legion.

 

Ditto N. Korea

 

Bush should have lumped Saudi Arabia into the list as well.

 

<< For many Americans still smarting from the blows

of 9/11, and unsated by the aerial bombardment

and humbling of the Taliban in the dusty ruins of

Afghanistan, the challenges of Iran, Iraq, and

North Korea may seem tempting.

 

 What makes Washington's charge almost laughable

(if it were not so serious) is that at least two of those

states were either clients or customers of the U.S.,

in their drive to become regional military powers.>>

 

As irrelevant a point as can possibly exist.

 

It's like holding the piloting schools as being responsible for some of their sub-human students plowing planes into a few buildings.

 

<<The U.S. was, and indeed remains, the world's

pre-eminent arms dealer.  When the bloody, 8-year

Iran-Iraq war raged on, the U.S. supplied it's then-ally

(Iraq's Saddam) with what can only be termed

weapons of mass destruction, as in the poisons

used by Iraq to liquidate their Kurdish minorities on

their border regions.  As for the Iranian theocracy,

it would not exist today were it not for the U.S./CIA

intervention which overturned the Iranian parliamentiary

democracy of Mohammed Mossadegh of the early

1950s, and the backing of the autocractic Shah.>>

 

Yup, no chance of Muslim extremists rising up and gaining power there.

 

No sir.

 

<<Were it not for this Western rape of Iranian democracy there

would not now be the rule of the clerics in Iran.>>

 

Iranian democracy?

 

That's a good one.

 

<<  The Khomeini-led Islamic revolution was, in essence,

a reactive movement that strove to purge the nation

of the Western and foreign influences pushed by the

Pahlevi regime.  Why did the US CIA and British M1-5

oppose the Mossadegh government?  It had nothing

to do with "democracy," for Mossadegh's was, if

anything, too democractic for their tastes, for he

backed nationalization of British oil, to provide more

for the nation.>>

 

Call "nationalization" what it is---theft.

 

They wanted to steal the equipment that belonged to the British.

 

<< The U.S. didn't back democracy,

it backed a neocolonial, repressive autocracy. >>

 

No, it backed a regime that didn't support stealing from their allies.

 

<< From Iran's perspective, where does the "axis

of evil" lie?  What must they think of a nation that

deposed their president, installed a brutal, fascist

regime, and then armed their neighboring enemy

(Iraq) with conventional and chemical weapons,

which led to over half a million dead on both sides?

Isn't that "mass destruction?" >>

 

No.

 

<< But being an empire means never having to say

you're sorry; it means telling others what they must

do, or else.  It means always seeking enemies. >>

 

Boo-friggin-hoo, Mumia.

                              =Mike

 

..And the left RESPECTS this thug?

[Guest Frank Zappa Mask]

What is terrorism?  How do you define it?  I'm assuming many of you define it by what happened on 9/11.  On that note, it never occurs to you that the country you so blindly support is very guilty of terrorism itself.  This may not be an official Oxford definition, but to me terrorism is defined "as the use of terror by the powerful to subdue and/or coerce the powerless." If you don't agree with that, I would like to hear your own definition..

 

Examples:

-Our "wonderful" ancestors traveling over to the New World, only to rob the inhabitants of this New World blind and kill them in ways varying from outright slaughter to spread of disease.  That is terrorism.

 

-My Lai.  That is terrorism

 

-Forced Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands over the past 50 years, not to mention the various Crusades of ancient times.  That is terrorism.

 

-The dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  That is terrorism. Yes, it is war, but it's still terrorism.  The line is often blurred.

 

-World Bank and IMF monetary policies that have left much of the Third World stripped of its resources and riddled with disease.  That is terrorism.  

 

-CIA-assisted deposing of democratic government in Chile in the early 1970's, to be replaced by yet another military dictatorship with no regard for human rights.  That is terrorism.

 

-Just to be fair.  Munich, 1972, Summer Olympics.  That is terrorism.

 

Let the knee-jerk reactions begin.

[Guest Big McLargeHuge]

Ya know I used to actually consider these "America is evil" arguments. Not to that extent, but I would at least consider them. But when you hear it enough times, it gets boring and repetitive.

 

"Americans are evil. Yes all of them, even if they don't support their government, and protest decisions by trigger happy officials. They do not suffer. They're evil."

 

Blah, Blah, Blah...

[Guest J*ingus]

"-Our "wonderful" ancestors traveling over to the New World, only to rob the inhabitants of this New World blind and kill them in ways varying from outright slaughter to spread of disease.  That is terrorism."

 

That wasn't terrorism, that was medieval conquest.  Terrorism as a means of global warfare didn't exist prior to the 20th century.  

 

"-My Lai.  That is terrorism"

 

No.  It was a terrible tragedy which certainly shouldn't have happened.  However, it was committed by uniformed soldiers, and therefore is not terrorism under the laws of the Geneva convention.  

 

"-Forced Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands over the past 50 years, not to mention the various Crusades of ancient times.  That is terrorism."

 

The Crusades were so long ago that it was a different world in every way.  And an individual's opinion of Israeli occupation of Palestine tends to depend on which side they like better.  

 

"-The dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  That is terrorism. Yes, it is war, but it's still terrorism.  The line is often blurred."

 

Once again, done by uniformed soldiers, upon the country which had been the agressor in the conflict.  War is not terrorism.  

 

"-World Bank and IMF monetary policies that have left much of the Third World stripped of its resources and riddled with disease.  That is terrorism."

 

Debatable over exactly what World Bank and IMF did to them in the first place.  Furthermore, only physical violence is officially defined as being terrorism, economic policies don't count.  

 

"-CIA-assisted deposing of democratic government in Chile in the early 1970's, to be replaced by yet another military dictatorship with no regard for human rights.  That is terrorism."

 

Debatable, but a better example than your previous ones.  

 

"-Just to be fair.  Munich, 1972, Summer Olympics.  That is terrorism."

 

That is terrorism.

[Guest Frank Zappa Mask]

Like I said (or did I?), I have a different definition of terrorism than most people.  It's broader over time and place, and it doesn't excuse any country...

[Guest TheMikeSC]

<<What is terrorism?  How do you define it?  I'm assuming many of you define it by what happened on 9/11.  On that note, it never occurs to you that the country you so blindly support is very guilty of terrorism itself.  This may not be an official Oxford definition, but to me terrorism is defined "as the use of terror by the powerful to subdue and/or coerce the powerless." If you don't agree with that, I would like to hear your own definition..>>

 

Its a good definition, but your usage of it is quite questionable.

 

<<Examples:

-Our "wonderful" ancestors traveling over to the New World, only to rob the inhabitants of this New World blind and kill them in ways varying from outright slaughter to spread of disease.  That is terrorism.>>

 

As opposed to those same inhabitants who did the same to one another?

 

And, again, not really relevent to today's world.

 

<<-My Lai.  That is terrorism>>

 

No. It was causd by the Viet Cong and N. Vietnamese military not wearing uniforms and having small children lob grenades at soldiers for no reason.

 

<<-Forced Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands over the past 50 years, not to mention the various Crusades of ancient times.  That is terrorism.>>

 

Giving the Jews a homeland for the first time in centuries is no small deal. It was the right thing to do for a group that has been treated worse than any group in history.

 

And why even mention the Crusades when the topic is American terrorism?

 

<<-The dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  That is terrorism. Yes, it is war, but it's still terrorism.  The line is often blurred.>>

 

It was not terrorism.

 

It was war.

 

Pearl Harbor was terrorism.

 

Everything else was a response.

 

<<-World Bank and IMF monetary policies that have left much of the Third World stripped of its resources and riddled with disease.  That is terrorism. >>

 

You can't be serious.

 

The governments of those countries are largely responsible for the problems.

 

<<CIA-assisted deposing of democratic government in Chile in the early 1970's, to be replaced by yet another military dictatorship with no regard for human rights.  That is terrorism.>>

 

Yes, yes it is.

 

<<-Just to be fair.  Munich, 1972, Summer Olympics.  That is terrorism.>>

 

Wow, pretty darned nice of you there to mention that the Arab community has once in a while committed an act of terrorism.

 

<<Let the knee-jerk reactions begin. >>

 

But, of course, you're not judging people responding to you, huh?      

                -=Mike

[Guest Frank Zappa Mask]

<<Examples:

-Our "wonderful" ancestors traveling over to the New World, only to rob the inhabitants of this New World blind and kill them in ways varying from outright slaughter to spread of disease.  That is terrorism.

 

As opposed to those same inhabitants who did the same to one another?

 

And, again, not really relevent to today's world.>>

 

-Let me ask you this, because every time I bring up what happened to the Native Americans, you always have the excuse that they weren't innocent themselves.  That is true, but you have to remember and respect the cultural differences.  I don' t remember ever reading of an Inquistion in the New World, or having all the different tribes "united" under an oppressive, power and money hungry Church.  I can also hardly imagine any Native tribes traveling all the way across the Atlantic to slaughter and steal all the riches of the Europeans.  In any case, we hardly know too much of what Native American culture was truly like, because our ancestors did their damndest to wipe out every trace of the "savages."  What we do know shows us that they were many different cultures who lived a natural and peaceful existance (I'm not forgetting the tribal wars, for man has never figured out how to avoid conflict), and who were then raped by men like Columbus who we here in America practically worship.  And yes, this does apply in a very broad sense to today's world, because it all goes back to the conquest of the New World.  I think we still have a lot of bad karma to deal with from what we did to those people.  Because the Native Americans weren't perfect people does not excuse what happened to them, and it never will.

 

<<-Forced Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands over the past 50 years, not to mention the various Crusades of ancient times.  That is terrorism.

 

Giving the Jews a homeland for the first time in centuries is no small deal. It was the right thing to do for a group that has been treated worse than any group in history.>>

 

-I'm not 100% familiar with the whole history of the Holy Land, but it has always seemed that whenever the Jews or the Christians want to stake a claim out there, it involves forcibly removing and pissing off a lot of the Arabs who had already lived there.  If I'm wrong, please show me an example.

 

<<-The dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  That is terrorism. Yes, it is war, but it's still terrorism.  The line is often blurred.>>

 

It was not terrorism.

 

It was war.

 

Pearl Harbor was terrorism.

 

Everything else was a response.>>

 

-Loosing the atom bomb on thousands upon thousands of innocent, civilian Japanese just to prove a point about America's superior military strength (and ending WWII the way we did was proving that point) falls under my definition of terrorism.

 

<<-World Bank and IMF monetary policies that have left much of the Third World stripped of its resources and riddled with disease.  That is terrorism.

 

You can't be serious.

 

The governments of those countries are largely responsible for the problems.>>

 

-Let me ask you this.  Why do we insist on holding many Third World countries in debt when a) we don't need it and b)forgiving their debts would be the first step towards any kind of economic independence in the Third World since before colonizaliation.  Yes, it's true that it is very much the fault of their own governments, but the fact that the majority of American citizens support a president who insists on spending trillions of dollars upon military expenditures that will only serve to keep violence going in this world, when we could be spending that money on saving Africa from the scourge of AIDS, shows to me that we are all guilty of terrorism in a sense. I suggest you start reading up on the exact history of colonization/globalization.  You might be surprised at what you read.

 

<<Let the knee-jerk reactions begin.

 

But, of course, you're not judging people responding to you, huh?>>

 

-Hey, at least you respond with arguments.  I'm talking about the people on this board who claim that when I post an article from Mumia (or anything that isn't Accepted American Popular Opinion) that I am "spamming" and the topic should be "deleted".  It doesn't take a lot of thought to be an ignorant jackass, and a lot of people on this board fit that category quite nicely.

[Guest El Hijo Del Lunatic]

Oh, Zappa, you just love stirring shit up.  You da man wit' dat, yo, fo sho'.  

[Guest AaronMarco]

I'm talking about the people on this board who claim that when I post an article from Mumia (or anything that isn't Accepted American Popular Opinion) that I am "spamming" and the topic should be "deleted".  It doesn't take a lot of thought to be an ignorant jackass, and a lot of people on this board fit that category quite nicely.

Woah. I'm sorry...did you just call me an "ignorant jackass"? And after I said we could be nice, and agree to disagree...

 

I may be many things, and a "jackass" is as apropos a title as any, from time to time. But anyone out here who 'knows' me can surely attest that I am not "ignorant".

 

As this has degenerated into simple name-calling, I'll take my leave of this (and you) for good.

[Guest Frank Zappa Mask]

Well, next time I post a column by Mumia (which is meant to start discussions as has occurred in this thread), don't accuse me of "spamming" and don't wish it could be "deleted".  That sounds ignorant to me, and I'm going to call you out on it, and I really don't care whether you want to whine about it or not....

 

And I forgot to say please.  Excuse my rudeness.....

[Guest TheMikeSC]

<<Examples:

-Our "wonderful" ancestors traveling over to the New World, only to rob the inhabitants of this New World blind and kill them in ways varying from outright slaughter to spread of disease.  That is terrorism.

 

As opposed to those same inhabitants who did the same to one another?

 

And, again, not really relevent to today's world.>>

 

<<-Let me ask you this, because every time I bring up what happened to the Native Americans, you always have the excuse that they weren't innocent themselves.  That is true, but you have to remember and respect the cultural differences.>>

 

Killing is killing.

 

There is no cultural relativism involved.

 

<<I don' t remember ever reading of an Inquistion in the New World, or having all the different tribes "united" under an oppressive, power and money hungry Church.>>

 

To be perfectly frank, we know our history infinitely better than we know their history.

 

We know that human sacrifices weren't rare.

 

We know that the Aztecs (or was it Incas) that the Spanish conquered were an empire of their own---so they're not innocents.

 

<<I can also hardly imagine any Native tribes traveling all the way across the Atlantic to slaughter and steal all the riches of the Europeans.>>

 

They lacked the technological know-how to do so.

 

And, you forget---they ALSO migrated to North America years ago.

 

<< In any case, we hardly know too much of what Native American culture was truly like, because our ancestors did their damndest to wipe out every trace of the "savages.">>

 

It's not like the Indians had meticulous written records as to their history. All they had was verbal history,which is not exactly the most accurate history.

 

<<What we do know shows us that they were many different cultures who lived a natural and peaceful existance (I'm not forgetting the tribal wars, for man has never figured out how to avoid conflict), and who were then raped by men like Columbus who we here in America practically worship.>>

 

So, outside of the warfare, they were peaceful?

 

Um, kum-ba-ya, I guess.

 

<<And yes, this does apply in a very broad sense to today's world, because it all goes back to the conquest of the New World.  I think we still have a lot of bad karma to deal with from what we did to those people.>>

 

And I don't.

 

I did nothing.

 

My family came to this country in the 19th Century, so we really had nothing to do with the displacement of the Indians.

 

As I've said before, I don't feel a lot of "bad karma" over actions my family did not make, nor could they stop.

 

<< Because the Native Americans weren't perfect people does not excuse what happened to them, and it never will.>>

 

And pretending that everything here was just peachy until the evil white man arrived is ludicrous.

 

<<-Forced Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands over the past 50 years, not to mention the various Crusades of ancient times.  That is terrorism.

 

Giving the Jews a homeland for the first time in centuries is no small deal. It was the right thing to do for a group that has been treated worse than any group in history.>>

 

<<-I'm not 100% familiar with the whole history of the Holy Land, but it has always seemed that whenever the Jews or the Christians want to stake a claim out there, it involves forcibly removing and pissing off a lot of the Arabs who had already lived there.  If I'm wrong, please show me an example.>>

 

I seem to remember Muslims not exactly being tolerant of Christian and Jews.

 

And let's not forget why Israel is as big as it is---because they were attacked and still won the wars.

 

I will support the Israeli democracy over the totalitarian regime of the Palestinians.

 

<<-The dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  That is terrorism. Yes, it is war, but it's still terrorism.  The line is often blurred.>>

 

It was not terrorism.

 

It was war.

 

Pearl Harbor was terrorism.

 

Everything else was a response.>>

 

<<-Loosing the atom bomb on thousands upon thousands of innocent, civilian Japanese just to prove a point about America's superior military strength (and ending WWII the way we did was proving that point) falls under my definition of terrorism.>>

 

It spared millions of lives.

 

An American invasion of the island would have cost more of their lives and, more importantly, more American lives (since the Japanese STARTED the conflict, I don't feel their losses are equal to ours).

 

<<-World Bank and IMF monetary policies that have left much of the Third World stripped of its resources and riddled with disease.  That is terrorism.

 

You can't be serious.

 

The governments of those countries are largely responsible for the problems.>>

 

<<-Let me ask you this.  Why do we insist on holding many Third World countries in debt when a) we don't need it and b)forgiving their debts would be the first step towards any kind of economic independence in the Third World since before colonizaliation.>>

 

Why in the heck SHOULD we forgive their debts?

 

To gain their approval? Lord knows Europe appreciates us rebuiding them, giving them tons of money, and forgiving debts.

 

Part of being a real country is being able to pay one's obligations.

 

<<Yes, it's true that it is very much the fault of their own governments, but the fact that the majority of American citizens support a president who insists on spending trillions of dollars upon military expenditures that will only serve to keep violence going in this world, when we could be spending that money on saving Africa from the scourge of AIDS, shows to me that we are all guilty of terrorism in a sense.>>

 

We spend more to take care of AIDS in Africa than any African state.

 

And, we NEED a military build-up.

 

I know, the left likes to pretend that such things are never needed, but it seems odd that we have problems with belligerent states when military funding is slashed.

 

Unlike curing AIDS in Africa, national defense is expressly stated in the Constitution as an obligation of the federal gov't.

 

<<I suggest you start reading up on the exact history of colonization/globalization.  You might be surprised at what you read.>>

 

All I know is that Africa is worse off NOW than they were under colonialism.

 

<<Let the knee-jerk reactions begin.

 

But, of course, you're not judging people responding to you, huh?>>

 

<<-Hey, at least you respond with arguments.  I'm talking about the people on this board who claim that when I post an article from Mumia (or anything that isn't Accepted American Popular Opinion) that I am "spamming" and the topic should be "deleted".  It doesn't take a lot of thought to be an ignorant jackass, and a lot of people on this board fit that category quite nicely. >>

 

When you post with hostility, many people will respond in kind.

                         -=Mike

[Guest Marius714]

Hey Frank,

 

I am wondering if MAJ is innocent then why didn't his brother testify at his trial? If my brother were on trial for his life you can bet that I'd do whatever it took to help him out yet MAJ's does or says nothing.  I am no expert on MAJ and his situation but this sure makes me wonder.  I'd also consider this: If MAJ were to be freed where would he go? He's probably much safer in prison than outside. Someone would most certainly murder him or worse.

 

 

Anyhow, peace, love and happiness.

[Guest Vyce]

"Our "wonderful" ancestors traveling over to the New World, only to rob the inhabitants of this New World blind and kill them in ways varying from outright slaughter to spread of disease.  That is terrorism."

 

Speaking as someone who has extensive Native American ancestry, I don't consider that terrorism.  I consider it conquest.  And frankly, it doesn't really bother me that many of my ancestors died at the hands of the white man, directly or indirectly.  Because I know and have accepted that any great civilization is built upon the bones of another.

 

Mumia is one of my favorite rabble rousers.

 

But if I had my wish, it would have been Mumia that the cops had shot 41 times instead of Diallo.

[Guest Mad Dog]

Basically Mumia has a common theme in all his writings:

 

Wah wah I killed a cop and America is making me pay for my bad choices wah wah.

[Guest the Goon]

goddammit, people. show some objectivity will ya?

 

I don't know if he killed a cop or not, and i would never campaign for his release because of the doubt. I don't really care for his writings too much either.

 

However, the FACT is that the trial was faulty and theres way more than enough evidence to warrant a new trial.  the Philadelphia Police Dept historically has proven to be among the most racist and corrupt in the United States and beyond that, the whole world.  The way everything has been handled through the years is obvious proof of that as well.  Anyone who is objective and can get past the sentimental "but he killed a cop!" defense would allow a new trial to prove that they actually believe in justice.

 

and more than anything, and apply this especially if you believe Mumia did it: you have to protect the rights of the worst in society in order to protect your own. even if it means scumbags get out on a technicality, tough shit, its the job of the police to put it all together fairly, and think about what you would do if the same unfair conditions were placed upon you.

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

I wonder if Mr. Bush would have called the FBI, CIA and LAPD the "axis of evil" if that cop-killing piece of sh*t would have busted a nut so hard that it would have resulted in his death via heart attack.

 

Glad this latest article was posted. I have printed it up and now have an emergency stash of toliet paper...

[Guest Dangerous J]

This is the first time I've posted on an Ikonboard, so please forgive any editing errors.

 

Our "wonderful" ancestors traveling over to the New World, only to rob the inhabitants of this New World blind and kill them in ways varying from outright slaughter to spread of disease. That is terrorism.

 

The error in that statement is that you assume there was a concerted effort from the get go to subdue and destroy the aboriginal inhabitants of North America. The only interest many of the european "invaders" had, was to exploit the raw materials that they had come upon. And much of what they decided to exploit was in the beginning unclaimed.

 

Neither can the spread of disease be considered a terrorist act. There was very little knowledge regarding contamination during the earliest times of colonization. In fact, the only time your arguement would hold up is during the 19th century, when American Indians were sold disease infested blankets. This of course was centuries after the first arrivals.

 

That is true, but you have to remember and respect the cultural differences.

 

Why?

 

I can also hardly imagine any Native tribes traveling all the way across the Atlantic to slaughter and steal all the riches of the Europeans.  In any case, we hardly know too much of what Native American culture was truly like, because our ancestors did their damndest to wipe out every trace of the "savages."

 

Not across the Atlantic, but many did travel far distances to slaughter the native inhabitants. The Aztecs being a prefect example.

 

What we do know shows us that they were many different cultures who lived a natural and peaceful existance (I'm not forgetting the tribal wars, for man has never figured out how to avoid conflict), and who were then raped by men like Columbus who we here in America practically worship.

 

That's just not true. Many neighbouring tribes were constantly fighting. Just look at the brutal fighting between the Iroquoi and Algonquin.

 

As for Colombus, most people respect his endeavors, but find the man revolting.

 

I think we still have a lot of bad karma to deal with from what we did to those people.  Because the Native Americans weren't perfect people does not excuse what happened to them, and it never will.

 

Sadly, it won't really matter. In a thousand years, all will be forgotten. Otherwise much of Europe would be descending on Italy for the abuses of their ancestors.

 

Forced Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands over the past 50 years, not to mention the various Crusades of ancient times.  That is terrorism.

 

It's not quite so simple. The Israeli "occupation" came about for a number of reasons. You have to remember that there were a number of Jewish settlers living in Palestine before 1948. Many had dreamed of a home free of the persecution that they had felt in Europe and Russia. When they began to settle into Palestine, they came under attack by the inhabitants and other Arab groups who were not so friendly. This eventually lead to the creation of groups determined to protect the settlers.

 

After WWII, Britain decided to forego its claim in Palestine, leaving it up for grabs. After a number of hostilities, a war between Israelis and Arabs from seven other nations took place. The Israelis won, and took claim of the land.

 

Since that time, they've used totalitarian means to prevent the destruction of their nation and it's peoples by those who don't just want the land back, they want every Jew dead. As the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures. Hopefully the Israelis will learn from the South Africans, and limit their divisive policies. Of course, that won't happen as long as Palestinian schools rear children to believe that killing defenseless citizens is noble.

 

I'm not 100% familiar with the whole history of the Holy Land, but it has always seemed that whenever the Jews or the Christians want to stake a claim out there, it involves forcibly removing and pissing off a lot of the Arabs who had already lived there.  If I'm wrong, please show me an example.

 

They did have an historical claim to the land. It was stolen from them by the Romans, who in turn lost it to the Arabs.

 

The dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  That is terrorism. Yes, it is war, but it's still terrorism.  The line is often blurred.

 

Hiroshima was necessary. In fact if that bomb hadn't been dropped, the invasion of Japan would have done more damage than two A bombs could. Plus it was estimated that 200,000 American lives would have been lost if the invasion had taken place. There was also an unknown factor. It was later determined that Japan had sent subs on a suicide attack on America. They were called back after the news that Hiroshima had been attacked.

 

The bombing of Nagasaki was terrorism, no doubt about it.

 

World Bank and IMF monetary policies that have left much of the Third World stripped of its resources and riddled with disease.  That is terrorism.

 

No disagreement there. The fact that these nationless institutions can make laws that affect Amercians is quite scary.

 

Yes, it's true that it is very much the fault of their own governments, but the fact that the majority of American citizens support a president who insists on spending trillions of dollars upon military expenditures that will only serve to keep violence going in this world, when we could be spending that money on saving Africa from the scourge of AIDS, shows to me that we are all guilty of terrorism in a sense. I suggest you start reading up on the exact history of colonization/globalization.  You might be surprised at what you read.

 

It's not our job to save the world. Many of these countries don't even provide the basis for health care because so much of the money that is borrowed is stolen by corrupt regimes and used to buy weapons or other devices to control the population (e.g. Rwanda). What's the point of giving if that money will not go where it's needed (e.g. Haiti).

 

Hey, at least you respond with arguments.  I'm talking about the people on this board who claim that when I post an article from Mumia (or anything that isn't Accepted American Popular Opinion) that I am "spamming" and the topic should be "deleted".  It doesn't take a lot of thought to be an ignorant jackass, and a lot of people on this board fit that category quite nicely.

 

The problem is, regardless of whether or not Mumia is right, he killed another human being. If looks very hypocritical to be condemning others brutality when you yourself have been apart of that brutality. If you had quoted someone like Noam Chomsky, who holds a similar although more balanced view, you probably would have never been attacked.