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Not Holding Leaders Responsible For Crimes Only Breeds More War
Why We Seek War Part 2
One reason the U.S. is continuously at war is that its leaders “are never held to any criminal responsibility for their actions,” a law school dean writes.
The U.S. hanged World War II German and Japanese war criminals “but no American leaders are held to criminal responsibility by America, no matter how dastardly their conduct,” writes Lawrence Velvel, dean of the Massachusetts School of Law at Andover.
“And we of course will not let any other country or body hold them to criminal responsibility for horrendous conduct,” writes Velvel, in his school’s “Long Term View” magazine. Indeed, he noted the President George W. Bush “with unaccustomed foresight refused to let America support and ‘participate’ in the International Criminal Court lest Americans be triable for their actions.”
Why shouldn’t warmongering leaders enter wars for any reason that suits them, however fallacious or despicable, if they know they can retroactively justify the war if any arguable basis later turns up…and they also know that they face no possibility of criminal responsibility regardless of how terrible their conduct?” Velvel asks.
In Viet Nam, for example, U.S. leaders caused the deaths of thousands of their own men and several million Vietnamese after they already knew they had made probably the worst mistake in American history. Velvel writes, “Our top military men create(d) free fire zones where civilians are killed on sight, and bomb and defoliate to the nth degree.” In Iraq, our leaders unleashed “a horrendous reign of terror from the skies, create a thus far thoroughly destabilized post-war society, and then, when all their other myths have shown to be myths, retroactively justify the war by saying that we got rid of an admittedly horrible dictator, his equally horrible sons, and his entirely horrible government.”
Velvel says the leaders rarely have little or any battlefield experience that might curb their hawkish outlook. “This is an era…where American wars are pretty much fought only by the poor and the lower middle class, while Presidents who deliberately evaded combat blithely send them off to die and never send their own children or their colleagues’ children off to die.”
Examples of hawkish presidents and their high aides who never saw combat abound, Velvel says. These include President Lyndon Johnson, his Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, President Richard Nixon, his Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, as well as Bush Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy Paul Wolfowitz. (Note: As a congressman, Johnson flew as an observer on at least one WWII combat mission.)
Hubris, writes Velvel, is another reason America is usually at war. Defined as “excessive pride or self confidence,” the common belief is: “We are America. We can do anything. We have never lost a war—a statement that could be made before Viet Nam.”
War hawkishness combined with hubris, arrogance, carelessness, and stupidity in a leader often result in disastrous decisions. “It was hubris that caused people to think that today’s Muslims, especially Arabs, can’t fight when we twice made plans to fight Iraq,” Velvel writes. It is hubris for a president to say, as George W. Bush did, “Bring it on” when he personally evaded combat during Viet Nam.
Yet another reason for war, Velvel writes, is because the American public is lied to by its leaders. Velvel cites the Gulf of Tonkin debacle when Vietnamese torpedo boats were alleged to have attacked U.S. destroyers and the latter Bush Administration’s claim that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. Both claims later proved to be unfounded. The reason such outlandish claims are pressed is that the U.S. seeks to maintain its preeminent power and influence, Velvel writes.
The Massachusetts School of Law at Andover is a non-profit law school purposefully dedicated to the education of students from minority, immigrant, and low-income households who would otherwise not have the opportunity to obtain a legal education.
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(Sherwood Ross formerly reported for major dailies and wire services. He is now media consultant to Massachusetts School of Law at Andover. Reach him at Sherwoodross10@gmail.com)
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Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=13381
Posted by Sherwood Ross on Feb 3 2010, With 0 Reads, Filed under WarZone. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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By the time I realized that Viet Nam was a staged event by political stooges for the war machine who became even filthier rich at the cost of over 50,000 US lives plus untold devastating injuries and psychological effects that still plague each of those veterans,their families and communities.
The scenario was replicated with Iraq,Afghanistan and now potentially Iran.We just had to invade Panama to capture Noriega,one of our own stooges.Let’s not forget Granada,Mogadishu and Phoenix City,Alabama many years ago.
Yes!There is a civilian component to War in order to keep the military from overtaking the US Government;however,that civilian component needs to be more than an armchair oversight committee that has no idea whatsoever how to fight a war and win.That’s the only purpose that a country goes to battle-to knock the socks off their adversary.The hell with political diplomacy once it gets to the point that bombs drop,missiles soar and bullets fly.
The criminal element and actions of the CIA and the FBI are worse than any overt military action because they manufacture the evidence if none exists in order to justify attacking someone,anyone to fill the coffers of all those involved.Each member of those agencies needs to be held accountable for the lives of US and foreign casualties.You are correct in reporting that Bush who was AWOL,was and still is a criminal under anybody’s view.This has been exposed so many times yet he and his cabinet cronies are still walking free on ground spilled with American blood shed for freedom and the American way of life.
The American citizens are too apathetic to care.As long as there is alcohol in the fridge,cocaine in the drawer and weed available,the US is in great shape.It’s time to wake up and demand that our elected leaders at all levels act in accordance with our American ideals.Washington DC and Wall Street are not omniscient and omnipotent.Write letters and emails,make phone calls and last but not least make noise to let those in charge that are so because we elected them and we can take that back.
Peace and I am vet from the USMC, an 0811. I got out before the first attack on Iraq. Overall,I am got out before that so I would not have to take part in no
innocent Iraq people being killed. Since I have been out have encounter plenty of
subtle and direct racism in this country. I say without a doubt that leaders
of this country need to be held accountable too. I read this book called
hitler’s Black victims during WW2 and there were black military people killed
by german civilians and nothing was ever done about that.
All this killing and genocide of people is catching up with this country.
Time to shut the war machine down and go with the world wide peace.
It’s the only long term solution.
You’ve got it pegged, Pete.
American veterans have the right to file as candidates in their states for any office without the permission of the established corporation financed party’s. The corporations use the military and kick aside the veterans. Veterans are the only reral people, not corpaorations who will protect America. Veterans must get involved in the 2010 and 2012 elections. Do it or lose it people. George Lovenguth – Florida 2010 TEA
why don’t we try in the International Courts all the cabinet and whole entourage of GWB, who falsified WMD that never was – for all the troopers who died fighting in Iraq. Binladen is still at large and who attacked us with alqueda not S.Hussein. So bin-der-done-that is still a huge threat to us up to now. Someone has to be liable for all these nonsense and got us in this huge $Trillion dollar deficits because of that stupid war and it ain’t over yet…. 9 years later…. watdaf*k
MSGT
How in God’s name ever get to your rank if you cannot back your Commanders or Senior personnel. You sir should be totally ashamed to even consider your self an American.
You apparently have no clue what war is about nor why we go to some of the places we go. War is not good at all but we are under attack world wide. Look around yourself do you see the Muslim movement all over the world. The current status is being challenged Christianity is becoming a crime being Christian is a crime punishable by death, all around the world. Islam is taking over the world and making Shariah Law the rule to be followed.
War is not good when people ask for our help we give it. Now when we are attacked we respond to any and all who support the parties who attacked us if they do not want us there get the Terrorists out give them to us.
Are you also aware that 8 out of 10 released from Gitmo are back attacking us again. If you also let us be tried by world courts you essentially have given everything America stands for away.
Now save us the problem and get the Hell out of the country I fought for
in honor of my forefathers who also fought for my freedom. If you have issues with that let me know I’ll be glad to discuss it with you anytime and place.
Wayne Mc Veigh
1866 739 0824
grampsof40@earthlink.net
McVeigh is it?
I’m impressed, a thoroughly fact free comment.
What the Bush/Cheney regime did was EXACTLY what Hitler did.
Go back and READ about the Nuremberg trials. The chief American prosecutor, Associate Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson maintained that the SUPREME international crime was the plotting, conspiracy, initiating, and waging a war of aggression. German leaders were imprisoned or hanged for their crimes against peace and crimes against humanity.
Those who live by the sword shall die by the sword. Americans should NOT BE EXEMPT.
BTW. I’m a Vietnam era vet.
You guys are on the right track…. the great thing about the new court is that once you have made your grievance in print .. then they are bound by “International Law” to act of your behalf….doesn’t matter then what any high powered position say’s. Good example is the Israeli Minister that was going to be arrested upon leaving her country and then once she found this to be true canceled her trip. BBC story don’t recall name about three weeks ago… so ROCK ON “American Freedom Defenders”
[...] Not Holding Leaders Responsible For Crimes Only Breeds More War [...]
Mr. Ross,
I hope you and Mr Velvel will do some homework so you can produce a fairer document. Where are the hangings for the Japanese of Unit 731 who tested American and Allied POWs to death in WWII? Where was the retribution for Communist Korea, China and Russia for the mind control and drug experimentation on our troops during the Korean War? How about the heinous treatment of our POWs in Vietnam? Look up Captain Humbert Versace if you don’t hate America too much. Then check out the Battle of An Nasiriyah in Iraq where captured Americans like Sgt. Donald Walters, 507th Maint. was murdered in captivity.
While you are at it, you and Mr. Velvel need to get your facts straight about the first Gulf Of Tonkin attack on August 2, 1964. “Alleged” NOT!
Yes, we need to get our own house in order but rabble rousing articles like yours never paint an accurate or fair picture.
How about holding all these other people responsible too?
You mean those weren’t radar blips we fired at? You mean the plucky Vietnamese came out in some kind of patrol craft and took on the U.S. Navy? You can believe what you want but there was never any evidence of damage to American ships in Tonkin’s waters. Kim Il Sung alleged the South Koreans invaded N. Korea and penetrated up to 11 miles. Of course, he was forced to retaliate with overwhelming strength, right? Hitler complained the Poles attacked a radio station on his territory and, of course, he had to respond with overwhelming strength. So he invaded Poland and started WWII. Notice how in these two cases those who wish to make war allege a much weaker power attacks them and starts it. That’s also what happened off in the waters off Viet Nam.
As for the heinous treatment by the Russians, Japanese, and Viet Namese of our troops you are right to condemn that. That’s one area we can agree upon. But it’s not my obligation to write about every wrong that occurs to you. Since you write quite well, I think you should do a piece about it as many people are unaware of how our prisoners were treated by Japan, etc. — Sherwood Ross