Subject: US soldiers bulldoze farmers' crops

From: "Barbara Christian" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 17:12:28 +1000

I found the article........and it's just as shocking reading it again as it
was the first three times I read it.

Bobbie

********
US soldiers bulldoze farmers' crops
Americans accused of brutal 'punishment' tactics against villagers, while
British are condemned as too soft

US soldiers driving bulldozers, with jazz blaring from loudspeakers, have
uprooted ancient groves of date palms as well as orange and lemon trees in
central Iraq as part of a new policy of collective punishment of farmers who
do not give information about guerrillas attacking US troops. The stumps of
palm trees, some 70 years old, protrude from the brown earth scoured by the
bulldozers beside the road at Dhuluaya, a small town 50 miles north of
Baghdad.

Farmers said that US troops had told them, over a loudspeaker in Arabic,
that the fruit groves were being bulldozed to punish the farmers for not
informing on the resistance which is very active in this Sunni Muslim
district. Farmers say that 50 families lost their livelihoods.

For full article:
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=452375

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From: Aries <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 10:03:25 +0100

> http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=452375

I haven't heard anything here on the news about that story, but if it is
true then it is despictable.  What a way to make friends and influence
people :(
-- 
val at copelands.co.uk  15-Oct-2003 10:01:47
http://copelands.co.uk/val

---

From: Gordon <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 10:56:31 +0100

Barbara Christian <[email-masked]> wrote
>http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=452375
I was sceptical when this was first posted here, but.....

Reminiscent of the Third Reich's way of dealing with French resistance
in WW2.     :-(
-- 
Gordon

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From: "Barbara Christian" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 22:22:02 +1000

> val
========
It is true. It was on BBC news radio the other day, and was on BBC TV
yesterday. Total destruction of all the trees. Awful!

Bobbie

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From: bforester <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 12:34:31 -0300

>Reminiscent of the Third Reich's way of dealing with French resistance

Well, they probably went to the master (Sharon) for a bit of guidance
before they did that!  He's full of tricks like that.

Paul

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From: "Barbara Christian" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 01:35:06 +1000

> Reminiscent of the Third Reich's way of dealing with French resistance
============
Exactly!

Bobbie

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From: "Barbara Christian" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 01:58:00 +1000

> before they did that!  He's full of tricks like that.
===========
That sounds logical...right up Sharon's ally.
Bobbie

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From: Jan <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 13:31:24 -0400

>before they did that!  He's full of tricks like that.

Paul,
  This is the article to which I referred in an earlier post. I was
reluctant to post it initially because, horrific as it is, I was not
sure of its authenticity. Also I didn't want it to become political
cannon-fodder.   I have since seen, in a Brit ng, that this sorry
episode has been reported on the BBC, which, if their reporting is as
accurate as I remember it, adds the authenticity.
  Obviously this is in direct contravention of the Geneva Convention
on the treatment of non-combatant civilians.  The Convention
specifically states that it is illegal to destroy crops or the means
of lively-hood. The question now is, will the officer responsible for
the decision face a court-martial, or even the international court?
Don't hold your breath.<Ironic Grin>
I feel that this action will stretch American credibility to the limit
unless it is dealt with in the appropriate manner.
  Your comment re Sharon is interesting as I have seen it proposed
elsewhere that the only country to benefit from this attack on Iraq is
Israel.  As there have been rumblings toward Syria, I will not be
surprised if this is the next country on the agenda, in which case,
the US will lose any respect and credibility it happens to have left.
    I don't think for one minute that the UK, even under Tony Blair,
will support yet another foray into another nation.  I recall another
occasion when the British military nearly mutinied against yet another
Labour PM, Harold Wilson. This was when he wanted to send British
forces into Southern Rhodesia to crush Ian Smith and was told in no
uncertain terms that brother would not fight brother, so he backed
down. 
  
Jan

"If you can't take a joke you shouldn't have joined"

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From: bforester <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 14:57:12 -0300

>"If you can't take a joke you shouldn't have joined"

Hi Jan, interesting post and analysis as always! One comment:  it's
always been my belief that Iraq was attacked a) as an object lesson to
the area or b) to remove a potential threat to Israel, so I agree with
whoever suggested that possibility in another group. 

Paul

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From: Aries <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 20:11:22 +0100

> yesterday. Total destruction of all the trees. Awful!

That is so sad :(
-- 
val at copelands.co.uk  15-Oct-2003 20:11:11
http://copelands.co.uk/val

---

From: "Barbara Christian" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 17:45:16 +1000

> uncertain terms that brother would not fight brother, so he backed
============
Jan, like you, I waited to post the article until I was able to check its
authenticity. After seeing TV coverage of the devastation as well
as hearing it reported on BBC, I felt that was sufficient.

I agree it is in direct contravention of the Geneva Convention.
Unfortunately, this is just one of the many contraventions of
the Geneva Convention which have been perpetrated by the
Bush regime. Like you, I won't hold my breath about a
court martial, and the Bush administration has declared that
the US will not accept prosecution of US war crimes.

Like you, I feel Syria will be the next country to be
attacked. Bush will keep adding ME nations to his
list of 'axis of evil' states in the hope that the US and
Israel will rule the ME and have control of all ME
oil fields.

Like you, I doubt that Tony Blair will support yet
another foray into a foreign nation. He wouldn't
dare 'sex up' (euphemism for 'lie') more intel
reports again.

Bobbie

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From: "Barbara Christian" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 17:49:58 +1000

"
> whoever suggested that possibility in another group.
=========
And oil and hegemony. BTW, the Bush admin is paying Halliburton
to ship oil to Iraq.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32446-2003Oct15.html

Bobbie