September « 2008 « Even The Media Must Admit Iraq Is Lost

John McCain Advocates Military “Iraq” Tactics Be Used In Civilian Life

September 5, 2008

Of all the issues we will not hear about John McCain at any point during this current election cycle, the call by McCain to use similar tactics in US urban areas as those being used in Iraq by US and Iraq forces military forces is perhaps one of the most troubling. McCain called for a “crack down” in many inner city areas while speaking at a gathering of the National Urban League.

John McCain was asked how he, as President, would handle the issue of crime in some of the poorer urban neighborhoods. McCain used the opportunity to push the idea of using military tactics as a model for fighting crime.

“And some of those tactics, very frankly—you mention the war in Iraq—are somewhat like that we use in the military. You go into neighborhoods, you clamp down, you provide a secure environment for the people that live there, and you make sure that the known criminals are kept under control. And you provide them with a stable environment, and then they cooperate with law enforcement.”

To understand what exactly this would entail, one can check out a three part series featured in the Guardian London newspaper, by journalists, Chris Hedges and Laila Al-Arian. The series focused the testimony by US soldiers who have come forward to discuss the abuses they had either observed or taken part in. The stories were compiled by hundreds of transcripts which never saw the light of day in the papers or TV stations run by the great PR firm. The stories consisted of US forces raiding the homes of civilians, unarmed people with no connection to the rebel fighters, and killing men, women and children, some still in their night clothes. It is important to note that these were not isolated events.

As was pointed out in the first article, many of those who participate in these actions are able to do so by almost dehumanizing their victims. A report released by the Surgeon General’s on May 4^th show that that only 47% of soldiers and 38% of marines agreed that Iraqi civilians should be treated with respect and dignity. Furthermore only 55% of soldiers and 40% of Marines said that they would report a member of their unit who killed an innocent civilian. This is important to remember when recognizes the wall of silence which already exists in every police department across United States. It is helpful to think about the transfer of these conditions to the US urban environment.

The explicit murder of US citizens in different neighborhoods is certainly not hypothetical. The Katrina disaster in New Orleans, which eventually led to a “shoot to kill” order against African Americans, would no doubt be used to justify such a policy which McCain is proposing.

Until next time.