**********************************
Elias Davidsson's hjemmeside:
http://www.itn.is/~edavid/
**********************************
To: Multiple recipients of list MER-L <MER-L@middleeast.org>
Sender: owner-MER-L@middleeast.org
Reply-To: MER-L@middleeast.org
Date: Fri, 19 Dec 1997 13:07:53 -0500
From: MID-EAST REALITIES <mer@middleeast.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Subject: Mass Murder In Iraq
- _______ ____ ______
/ ø/ / /___/ / /_ // M I D - E A S T R E A L I T I E S
/ /ø_/ / /_/_ / /ØØ http://WWW.MiddleEast.Org
/_/ /_/ /___/ /_/ ØØ
JEWISH COMPOSER SPEAKS
OUT ON GENOCIDE AGAINST IRAQ
____________________________________________________________________
New MER Newsletter - "ARAFAT's GAZA" -- now at the Web site
____________________________________________________________________
To receive MER regularly just email to INFOMER@MiddleEast.Org
------------------------
MORE THAN ONE MILLION DEAD IN IRAQ
BECAUSE OF USA "SANCTIONS"
MER - Washington - 19 December:
Ramsey Clark, a former Attorney General of the United States,
had called U.S. policies toward Iraq genocidal and repeatedly stated
that these policies are similar to "war crimes". Few in the American
public have heard this perspective, even though Clark once held the
highest legal position in the country and his father served on the
U.S. Supreme Court.
The following article is written by a Jewish composer in Iceland,
Elias Davidsson, and has been translated from Icelandic to English.
The author indicates he wrote it in solidarity with the voiceless
children of Iraq as a plea for understanding and for justice.
We are under no illusions U.S. policy can be easily changed.
Indeed, it is quite likely the U.S. military will soon be striking
again at Iraq and further using economic and covert weapons against
the 22 million people of that country to force it to "disarm",
And make no mistake about it, this is all being with considerable
Israeli prodding as the Israelis now hold the dominant political hand
in Washington and have infiltrated (yes we use that word purposely)
the Clinton Administration as no other American government in history.
Even so, however powerless the various voices speaking up around
the world, it is important that knowledgeable, caring, and independent
people be heard based on the merits and logic of what they have to say;
rather than simply based who has the financial power to purchase and
manipulate the means of mass information in our "modern" world.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
MASS MURDERERS IN DARK SUITS
by Elias Davidsson
Mass murderers are generally considered as mentally disturbed
individuals who commit their heinous crimes in the shadow of
the night. When they are found, such individuals are normally
arrested, prosecuted and sentenced to lengthy imprisonment. Mass
media usually follow-up such cases in detail, both as regards
the acts committed and the persons involved.
Mass murderers in dark suits are a totally different sort of people.
Even when found guilty, they are treated with great reverence. The
most known among them is probably Adolf Eichmann, one of the top
Nazi leaders who presided over the annihilation of Hungarian Jewry
in World War II. In his trial in Jerusalem Eichmann declared that
he never hated Jews. His participation in genocide was merely the
accomplishment of orders given by superiors, which he attempted to
fulfill as conscientiously as possible.
Most heinous crimes of our times are in fact committed by gentlemen in
dark suits: National leaders and high-ranking public officials. Their
weapon is the pen, not guns or napalm bombs. These people never see
their victims cry for mercy and die slowly in agonizing pain. The act
of murder is often committed thousands of miles away from the place of
death. Is there any human act more abhorrent than to kill people
without incurring oneself the slightest risk ?
>From August 1990 until this day governments across the world have
participated in the extermination of 750,000 Iraqi children. Why ? It
appears that these children's "Godfather" (Saddam Hussein) is
threatening world peace, whatever that terms means. As "world peace"
is as elusive as ever, and as there are still children remaining in
Iraq, the infernal machine continues to grind to death 6 Iraqi children
an hour, day and night, seven days a week. The weapon inflicting death
are the so-called "UN trade sanctions against Iraq", a misnomer for what
is an "economic siege of the entire Iraqi population". This collective
punishment of an entire nation has led to large-scale food and medicine
shortages, epidemics, permanent health damage and death, to name but a
few of the dramatic consequences. God have mercy upon those, such as
Madeleine Albright, US Secretary of State, who consider such human
sacrifices as "worth it".
It is sometimes maintained that the aim of the "trade sanctions" is not
hurt Iraqi civilians but to force the Iraqi authorities to respect UN
resolutions (by imposing "hardship" on the civilian population). The
massive deaths of Iraqi children is thus claimed to be an unfortunate
"collateral" in the accomplishment of a noble aim, a price which "we"
must be ready to pay.
Trade sanctions is a weapon. When they are aimed at an entire nation,
they become a weapon of mass annihilation. Those who wield this weapon
are fully aware of the consequences ensuing from its use. That's why
they push the trigger again, and again.
But who are the people who wield this deadly weapon ? They are well
groomed gentlemen, known as cabinet members. And known to each other as
members of an international platoon. Among the members of this platoon
you will probably identify your own Minister of Foreign Affairs,
believing himself (herself?) to represent you in summarily executing
Iraqi children.
And when an international platoon of ministers executes somebody,
somewhere, none is responsible. Absolutely none of them. Because not one
of them knows for sure who had inflicted the fatal signature. When
somebody inadvertently asks what they have been doing in this platoon,
these cowards wail: "It is not me who killed the innocent infant, it is
not me". But they return next day to execute a new batch of infants.
Adolf Eichmann sent half a million human beings to death. He fulfilled
his duty conscientiously in accordance with a superior order. For this
he was rightfully hanged, his body burnt and the remaining ashes spread
over the sea. The act was primarily symbolic for it is not humanly
possible to punish one person for killing half a million people.
What can, what should be done with the members of the international
platoon who individually and collectively signed the death warrant of
over one million Iraqi civilians, and cannot even claim that they were
just following superior orders?
Elias Davidsson
ICELAND
10 December 1997
_____________________________________________________________________
MID-EAST REALITIES is published a number of times weekly and the
MERTV Program shows weekly on Cable TV.
Email to INFOMER@MIDDLEEAST.ORG to receive MER regularly.
Email to: INFOMERTV@MIDDLEEAST.ORG about the weekly TV program.
For past MER articles go to: http://WWW.MiddleEast.Org.
M I D - E A S T R E A L I T I E S
(c) Copyright 1997
MER may be freely distributed by email and on the Internet so
long as there is no editing of any kind. For any print
publication, permission in writing is required.
MER@MiddleEast.Org / Fax: 202 362-6965 / Phone: 202 362-5266
************************************