Then & Now: By deception, they make war. . .
U.S. soldiers carry a wounded comrade through a swampy area in Viet Nam, 1969.
They had been deceived by their government, lying them into an unjust war.
The mass media is still complicit in war crimes, by reporting official lies uncritically.
Photo: NATIONAL ARCHIVES
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The Long Reach of Vietnam War Deceptions
by Todd E. Pierce, August 09, 2014
A half century ago, on Aug. 10, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution though he knew its justification was based entirely on deception.
Indeed, it was a continuation of a pattern of deception begun with a series of clandestine acts of war against North Vietnam by U.S. forces known as “Oplan 34-A.”
Oplan 34-A consisted of sabotage and
psychological warfare attacks directed against and into North Vietnamese
territory. This reality was only brought to light seven bloody years later with
the release of the “Pentagon Papers” by courageous whistleblower Daniel
Ellsberg…
...This process of over-classification and
excessive secrecy has reached an apex with the presidencies of George W. Bush
and Barack Obama despite the latter’s promises of greater “transparency.”
Instead, the antagonism toward a free press – and an informed public – that
came out of the Vietnam War have continued to guide information policy,
including aggressive prosecutions aimed at whistleblowers, such as Pvt. Chelsea
(formerly Bradley) Manning and National Security Agency contractor Edward
Snowden, and legal intimidation of journalists, such as James Risen and Glenn
Greenwald…
For decades now, the deadliest “stab in the back” to the
American Republic has been the one inflicted on the Bill of Rights, with
President Obama seeming to give it a final twist.
Todd E. Pierce retired
as a Major in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps in November
2012. His most recent assignment was defense counsel in the Office of Chief
Defense Counsel, Office of Military Commissions.
50
years on, fateful Vietnam resolution resonates
NEW YORK — A dubious threat to
U.S. interests. A swift vote in Congress for broad presidential war powers in
response. A long, costly and bitterly debated war.
Fifty years ago Sunday,
reacting to reports of a U.S. Navy encounter with enemy warships in the Gulf of
Tonkin off Vietnam - reports long since discredited - President Lyndon Johnson
signed a resolution passed overwhelmingly by Congress that historians call the
crucial catalyst for deep American involvement in the Vietnam War.
Many also
see it as a cautionary tale that has gone unheeded…
Among many popular myths about the American War against
Viet Nam, perhaps believed by most people because it has been
repeated so many times, is that the U.S. "lost the war, but never lost a battle".
To debunk that myth, here is list of 70 battles the U.S. lost in Vietnam: http://www.g2mil.com/lost_vietnam.htm
And to debunk the popular Israeli myth that they are just defending themselves against Hamas rocket attacks, read this excellent account of how and why the war in Gaza really began. This is very different to the official propaganda line of the Western corporate-owned mass news media!
Israel’s target is not Hamas, but Palestinian statehood
By Dan Glazebrook
"...Genuine sovereignty would end Israel’s current presumed right
to steal Palestinians' land, control their borders, place them under siege, and
bomb them at will..."
READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE:
http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/israel-s-target-not-hamas-palestinian-statehood-1483362297
http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/israel-s-target-not-hamas-palestinian-statehood-1483362297
Telling the Truth About Gaza...
Because the "mainstream" media won’t
And the truth is that Gaza is an open air prison turned into a shooting gallery: Israeli air strikes are killing primarily civilians. Israeli snipers are targeting civilians. And the Israeli political class no longer believes in the very concept of civilians, as prominent political figures call for all-out war against the Palestinian people. Hospitals, UN schools, basic infrastructure like water and electrical facilities – all are being deliberately targeted. Yes, even kids playing on a beach.
These war crimes are being committed while the whole world watches – except, of course, for the Western media, which "spins" each and every atrocity as Israeli "self-defense."
To debunk the official lies about current wars in Gaza, Ukraine, Iraq, etc.,
click on every day to Information Clearing House:
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