Unlamented (a poem by Genki)

The lineup marches forward
Unlamented
Surging broken & gristly
Optimism mutilated
America's Finest
Taste distant desert sand
Final finest service.

It happened slowly; Unlamented
A tragedy. A hero.
The President himself repeats.
A loss to all who knew her
Family beyond recovering
That last understanding
of dust

LaVena Johnson
Major Gloria D. Davis
Two names, among many
Heroes. Enlisted to serve.
But systematically outmaneuvered.
Pray gone to heaven
Not lost to blackness
White bones wonder why.

Withdraw from Iraq? Don't hold your breath...

The US government is under pressure from a wide range of interests, both foreign & domestic, to withdraw military forces from Iraq. This is unlikely to happen - here's why:

The USA, with close ally Israel behind & urging them forward, needs the military bases now commandeered/occupied/rented in Iraq. Most US resources have now been withdrawn from Saudi Arabia, esp. Prince Sultan Air Base. (This gave a key victory to Osama Bin Laden -- as forcing US withdrawal from Saudi Arabia was a central focus for 9/11 terrorism, where 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi Arabian).

The new US embassy compound in Iraq will be the world's largest embassy by far. On 104 acres (42 hectare) in the heart of Baghdad, the riverside site would fit three Pentagon buildings (that building is 29 acres plus a 5 acre central plaza) - and the Pentagon is one damn big building; the US Capitol building footprint is just four acres. How many visas they plan to issue?

US claims for staying in Iraq to install democracy seem poppycock. The duly-elected lawmakers of Iraq themselves asked for a US withdrawal timetable (8 May 2007), and have been thus far ignored. As with Guantanamo and many other US bases around the world, "y'all Irakis'd best prepare 4 permanent Aw-Q-Pay-Shun."

Haiku by Genki

One skinny lawyer
Truth Quest leveraged: Gandhi
Lead by example
-- 2007-05-27 Seoul


Outside traffic sounds
4 AM; slumber beckons
Enough Now for now
-- 2007-05-27 Seoul

Colin Powell: A Murderous Duck

Colin Powell is no longer the U.S. Secretary of State. Where is he? As Powell's deception and the multiple lies of Bush White House unravel, Powell is playing duck-and-cover. Doing a bit of charity work, trying to hunker down and wait until the day seems right for rehabilitation.

Forget it Colin. You are worse than bankrupt. You were trusted as a voice of reason and balance. Now thousands of Americans & tens of thousands of Iraqis are dead, the killing continues, and it is largely due to you. Your complicit absence with empty near quotes -- "according to statements from an associate" or "a former colleague of Powell explains" -- only compound your crimes. Months pass, taxpayer dollars in the hundreds of billions are poured into Iraq (and denied to US domestic needs), yet from you we hear only very quiet whimpers of "i didn't know..."

Yet you told the United Nations, and the entire world, "WE KNOW..." 32 times. It was baloney. You spoke also of obligations; now you duck all codes of honor.

Wolf at the door

The saga of Paul Wolfowitz at the World Bank continues. Yes there has been misunderstanding, but the underlying problem is politicization. Some of this was generated by Wolfowitz, some of it from the favoritism allowed to the US government and its stranglehold insistence on deciding who can be the World Bank President.

Many definitive statements can be seen at:
http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.3302.aspx

Quoting from the above report (by Bank Information Center, a 'watchdog' organization), perhaps the statements by former World Bank General Counsel Roberto Dañino are most condemnatory:

• Dañino: "PW [Wolfowitz] acted incorrectly, not only providing the additional benefits discussed...above, but also by trying to blame the Board, the EC, the General Counsel and the VPHR (Vice President of Human Resources) when these actions became public. It is only after the inaccurate assertions of PW or his spokespersons were denied by the affected parties and when PW's express instructions in writing became public, that PW admitted he had made a mistake.

• Dañino: "In my opinion, the matter presents not merely questions of legal compliance but also - and more importantly - questions about the moral authority of the Bank's President and the confidence he commands from the Bank's own staff and around the world. I believe that PW made serious substantive errors by providing unauthorized benefits to a person with whom he had a relationship that created a conflict of interest...He then failed to disclose these actions and later blamed them on others, apparently trying to deceive the board, the staff and the general public. He or his spokespersons falsely suggested that his actions had been approved by the Board, the EC, the GC and/or the VPHR. Later statements have charged his accusers with political motivations. In my judgment, these actions and statements have badly hurt the morale of the staff, damaged the reputation of the Bank, and eroded his moral authority to lead the Bank."
  

Maybe there was misunderstanding and miscommunication. But there also seems a try to steamroller underlings and summarily to stifle criticism.

At least Wolfowitz has done the world a service by highlighting the anti-democratic dimensions of how the World Bank President is appointed.

Y Iraq?

Picture a nation in mourning, which had been grievously attacked. People around the world supported America's loss on 9/11 with sympathy, but many Americans responded with anger, and military enlistments soared. Soon the US military would begin a "war on terror" for justice.

Five and a half years later, many of the top planning perpetrators of 9/11 remain at large. The US leadership moved the battle to Iraq; thousands of American young people (and dozens from the Coalition of the Willing) are dead.

Those on the sidelines talk and wring their hands. Those who lost loved ones wonder deeply - just what the hell is going on?

Deadly Anomalies

War is most perverse when only a few people are involved in a life & death struggle, and others are essentially unaffected. Too many Americans contribute to supporting war merely through displaying a tacky ribbon on their automobiles...

But there are other anomalies even less explainable.

Young American men are required to register with the Selective Service within 30 days of their 18th birthday. This has been the law since 1980. The system is for "emergency manpower needs of the Military by conscripting untrained manpower, or personnel with professional health care skills, if directed by Congress and the President in a national crisis."

According to the government's website:

Registration is the law. A man who fails to register may face a fine of up to $250,000 and/or a prison term of up to five years.

STUDENT FINANCIAL AID
Men who aren't registered won't qualify for Federal student loans or grant programs: Pell Grants, College Work Study, Guaranteed Student/Plus Loans, and National Direct Student Loans.

CITIZENSHIP
Registration is a condition for U.S. citizenship if the man first arrived in the U.S. before his 26th birthday.

FEDERAL JOB TRAINING
The Workforce Investment Act offers programs to train men (& women) for jobs in auto mechanics and other skills; (but for men,) only open to those who register with Selective Service.

FEDERAL JOBS
A man must be registered to be eligible for jobs in the Executive Branch of the Federal government and the U.S. Postal Service (required only for men born after December 31, 1959).

Some states have added additional penalties for those who fail to register.

We live in a society that demands equality. Why are women not part of the system?
We live in a democracy. But women are not directly threatened by the Selective Service or its penalties. Why not? Perhaps because if all voters needed to register for the draft, those involved might adjust the system. Only putting young men at risk is sexist, inequitable, and perhaps illegal.

Many young men detest appearing cowardly. They would serve their nation honorably. Yet allowing others to weasel away (women & Dick Cheney) is wrong. Women could proudly serve if called. This system now places us all closer to war, and closer to a draft.

America in Iraq: A deceptive "bill of goods"

Many otherwise-clever Americans have been led to believe that the USA should "stay the course" in Iraq, because a U.S. military withdrawal would leave a dangerous and tragic vacuum.

But there are nearly 200 other nations in the world; those concerned can assist if necessary, probably in cooperation with Iraq's nearby neighbors.

Various others people of the world (also) have vested interests in Iraq. Most Americans do not.

Many Iraqi and Kurdish people detest continued American interference. Most Americans would be better served by US federal spending at home, not in far-off Iraq. Persistent violence in Iraq is killing & brutalizing far too many people. The USA never should have taken the unilateral decision to invade; the key reasons given at the time have now been accepted as erroneous.

Let's imagine a North American scenario -- the USA and Mexico are presently arguing about border security: what if a belligerent European, African or Asian nation inserted troops?
No way José.

Bring US troops home from Iraq.

Haiku

by Genki 元気


A single red rose
Graces a saké bottle
By my Chinese lunch
      -- 2006-01-23

Bohemian road
Aimless Czech discovery
Balance elusive
      -- 2006-08-07

Mountains and water
Rhythms to be listened to
Away from the crowds
      -- 2006-08-07

Ultimately one
Life is shared, I die alone
Calm, scared -- otherwise
      -- 2006-09-24

Big Italian meal
With pickles in Korea
Very far from home
      -- 2006-11-26

Lights beneath the clouds
Night glimpses from a jet plane
Hurdling the globe
      -- 2006-12-03

Twelve hours thus far
Still yet I'm folded narrow
Seat 46K
      -- 2006-12-03

Watada and Nuremberg

US Army 1st Lt. Ehren Watada has been on trial -- in essence, for undermining the military. Is he guilty - most certainly! What should be his penalty? The case should be dropped. He should receive our thanks.

The government of the USA took a great and costly risk to unilaterally enter war. There actually was no clear and present danger from Iraq. The Bush administration claimed to know of weapons of mass destruction, etc.; but they did not know. They were wrong, or perhaps deliberately they lied.

Is this important? Yes.

An article by Paul Rockwell in the Baltimore Sun (1 Feb 2007) discusses this key issue (here is an excerpt):

"Under the enlistment contract, every soldier has a right, even a duty, to disobey illegal orders. The legality of Lieutenant Watada's orders pursuant to a "war of choice" is the central issue of the trial.

No American soldier has any obligation to participate in military aggression, in "crimes against peace," or in any operations that violate the Geneva Conventions. Under constitutional government, the authority of military command derives not from one person alone but from the rule of law itself.

There are only two conditions in which a war is legal under international law: when force is authorized by the U.N. Security Council, or when the use of force is an act of national self-defense and survival. Apart from these conditions, war is an act of aggression. The U.N. Charter, based on the Nuremberg Conventions, prohibits war "as an instrument of policy." And the war in Iraq is just that - a war of choice.

There is a common tendency among lawyers and military commanders to sneer at international law. But the Constitution is unambiguous. Article VI states: "All treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land, and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby."

There is no exception for the military, no wall between domestic and international law.

Lieutenant Watada reminds us that the U.S. Army Field Manual states: "Treaties relating to the law of war have a force equal to that of laws enacted by Congress. Their provisions must be observed by both military and civilian personnel with the same strict regard for both the letter and spirit of the law which is required with respect to the Constitution and statutes.""

>> full article at: http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0201-30.htm

Ultimately this is the bottom line. We say soldiers must stand up to their leaders in refusing illegal orders. Concentration camp SS guards and common soldiers were held personally responsible for atrocities. If this war is illegal, our soldiers should not be there. End of story.

--------------------------------------
Ehren Watada (和多田) grew up in Hawaii and was an Eagle Scout. He completed deployment to Korea before refusing to deploy to Iraq.

The Waiting Alien

published in The Korea Herald, 2007-01-23
Op-Ed (p.13)

The Waiting Alien

Waiting in an immigration line is never pleasant. Aliens face long waits, while returning nationals pass quickly by. Waiting in line offers time to reflect; some lines are more enduring and unpleasant than others.

Where I live, in Stockholm, Sweden, the wait at immigration is never more than a minute or two; I look at the quickly-moving line for EU nationals and imagine the day not far off that I can join that line, as a dual national of the USA and Sweden. The line at Seoul's modern Incheon International Airport is much longer, and more bitter. The boundary to Korean nationality, perhaps insurmountable in my lifetime, clearly separates those coming home from us who are visitors. The boundaries of East Asian nations are often a focus of national pride, while the boundaries of the EU (and of ASEAN, and even South America), grow more flexible. With many worldwide opportunities for the highly-skilled, I patiently wait to enter Korea; perhaps I'm a fool.

Prof. Bruce Henry Lambert