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20 years ago, an American Warcriminal launched invasion that destabilized an entire region, resulted in 1 million dead, and made the world less safe

  • Thread starter Deleted member 8257
  • Start date

Deleted member 8257

Oct 26, 2017
24,586
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March 19, 2003

American President George W Bush launches invasion of Iraq, based on complete lies and deceit to the nation, the UN and the world. Democrats and Republicans, including the current President, give W the authorization to invade the country. Considered a genocidal warcriminal by vast majority of Middle-East and normal people.

American Vice President Dick Cheney is thought to have masterminded the invasion. An ex-Haliburton Oil Company chief and all around disgusting wretched human. Haliburton mysteriously obtained the oil contracts in Iraq.

Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense is considered to be the architect of the invasion plan to topple Saddam Hussein, and install a friendly US government. He oversaw banned, extreme torture on Iraqis, indefinite detention, unfathomable suffering and bloodshed.

National Security Adviser/Secretary of State Condolleeza Rice was instrumental in peddling administation lies to the public, about Weapons of Mass Destruction. Supporter of Torture Program and whitewasher of government lies and horrors.

Paul Wolfowitz, the Deputy Secretary, worked as Rumsfeld's minion and was the key in pushing false WMD claims.

Where are these terrorist warlords, you may ask? Behind bars?

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No, they lived happily ever after in their yachts, ranches and mansions occasionally showing up in public to rehabilitate their image, with the eager help of Democrats and the media. Rumsfeld died, escaping justice.

Some of the heinous events that happened in this timeline include Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal, Torture Memos, White Phosphorous attacks on Fallujah, and many, many, many more. One in particular sticks out - The Haditha Massacre:

The Marine Corps initially reports that Marines opened fire on insurgents after a roadside bomb killed 15 Iraqi civilians and a Marine in Haditha, 140 miles northwest of Baghdad. But Iraqi accounts differ, and the military's own investigation suggests that the Marines methodically killed 24 men, women and children after a roadside bomb that fatally wounded a member of their unit.
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Not too long after that, another atrocity was committed by Americans:

The Mahmudiyah rape and killings were war crimes involving the gang-rape and murder of 14-year-old Iraqi girl Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi and the murder of her family by United States Army soldiers on March 12, 2006. It occurred in the family's house to the southwest of Yusufiyah, a village to the west of the town of Al-Mahmudiyah, Iraq. Other members of al-Janabi's family murdered by American soldiers included her 34-year-old mother Fakhriyah Taha Muhasen, 45-year-old father Qassim Hamza Raheem, and 6-year-old sister Hadeel Qassim Hamza al-Janabi.[1] The two remaining survivors of the family, 9-year-old brother Ahmed and 11-year-old brother Mohammed, were at school during the massacre and orphaned by the event.
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Atrocity after atrocity, Iraq was "liberated", only to fall again when ISIS emerged. That's around when the US forces left Iraq and handed the country over to Iraqis. But that is a different topic.

Here's a recap of how consent was manufactured for the invasion:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFKG8S7K0wM

Recap of how Iraq got to where it is today:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9qe5rWiyNc
 
Last edited:
Uncle at Nintendo

Uncle at Nintendo

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Jan 3, 2018
8,606
Democrats rehab attempts of the Bush admin will always get side eye from me. Him and his entire crew belong in prison.
 
Temascos

Temascos

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Oct 27, 2017
12,539
The fact Bush and Blair were never charged with anything is a stain on our modern history.
 
Weiss

Weiss

User requested ban
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
64,265
But he's folksy. I could sit down and have a beer with him.
 
Pomerlaw

Pomerlaw

Erarboreal
Banned
Feb 25, 2018
8,536
He just happened to be in the strongest country so he has a free pass. He should be rotting in prison.
 
bionic77

bionic77

Member
Oct 25, 2017
30,895
It was the most predictable thing ever that the war was based on a lie, that it would hurt millions of innocent people and that no one would pay for it and that we as a country would quickly move on and forget about it.

Still it was infuriating living through it. Now I just kind of accept that that's what America is about. I am sure we will do something like that again soon enough.
 
steejee

steejee

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Oct 28, 2017
8,629
I remember thinking at the time just how "Off" the whole thing felt, especially with the actions taken immediately after the invasion. I was in college at the time and it was surreal how quickly it seemed to happen.

Whole damn thing is a disgrace and people should have seen their careers ended and others should have seen the inside of a cell.
 
JCR

JCR

Member
Oct 27, 2017
562
But they followed the rules in launching their illegal war. It required lying, misdirection and breaking other laws - but they did it somehow and every other nation watched on.

I remember the protests, nothing helped. For many it began the sense of hopelessness that leads people to believe their vote or action doesn't matter which has had its own consequences.
 
bionic77

bionic77

Member
Oct 25, 2017
30,895
RustyNails said:
Do not forget the media. Especially the "Lincoln Project" types who were warmongerers. Including the likes of Ezra Klein and Matt Yglesias.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFKG8S7K0wM
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Many if not the majority of Americans were in support of almost any military intervention against a Muslim majority nation after 9/11. I don't think you can give the citizens a pass here either.

I was there for the protests, which kept my faith in humanity, but outside of that bubble of decent people even amongst my mostly democratic friends (at the time at least) it was a large majority that supported the invasion. Yes they were lied to but it did not take much. Just some fake pictures and Colin Powell sounding very respectful.
 
OP
OP

Deleted member 8257

Oct 26, 2017
24,586
bionic77 said:
Still it was infuriating living through it.
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bionic77 said:
Many if not the majority of Americans were in support of almost any military intervention against a Muslim majority nation after 9/11. I don't think you can give the citizens a pass here either.

I was there for the protests, which kept my faith in humanity, but outside of that bubble of decent people even amongst my mostly democratic friends (at the time at least) it was a large majority that supported the invasion. Yes they were lied to but it did not take much. Just some fake pictures and Colin Powell sounding very respectful.
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What happened to Dixie Chicks was also something to keep in mind during the War on Terror years. If a band as famous as the chicks could be canceled and booted from radio, imagine how much pressure regular people were under to just keep their mouths shut.

There was a good anti-war movement though, largest since Vietnam. I'm sure they all ended up on FBI list.
 
L Thammy

L Thammy

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Oct 25, 2017
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bionic77 said:
Many if not the majority of Americans were in support of almost any military intervention against a Muslim majority nation after 9/11. I don't think you can give the citizens a pass here either.
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I left two separate video game forums at around that time because of Americans who went around saying that they should just nuke every country off the face of the earth. I think one of them went unmoderated and the other one was a moderator.
 
OP
OP

Deleted member 8257

Oct 26, 2017
24,586
Temascos said:
The fact Bush and Blair were never charged with anything is a stain on our modern history.
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I don't know much about UK, but US has a clause in it's laws to invade The Hague if ICC prosecutes any American. That will deter anyone from prosecting Americans.

As for why Obama did not do anything, well, he's a Democrat who carried on Bush's legacy. The Torture Memos is the clearest fucking evidence of every law being broken, but Obama looked the other way. They're all part of the same club.
 
Rob's Zombie

Rob's Zombie

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Sep 28, 2022
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Manchester, UK
I was 18 at the time and I remember the insane protests happening in London and everyone screaming at Blair, not to follow Bush into war. I know there were those who wanted us to go to war but it felt like the majority in the UK believed it was an unjust war, which most are.

You name drop Tony Blair into any political conversation with anyone and the response is always the same, 'War Criminal' and rightfully so.

I've got the feeling that Blair won't be missed when he takes a dirt nap. Perhaps not in the same way of when Thatcher kicked the bucket 10 years ago but no doubt this will follow him to the grave, as it should.
 
Citizencope

Citizencope

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Oct 28, 2017
6,216
I was duped. I'm not going to lie, at the time I thought he was saving us from imminent danger. I was an idiot.
 
AuthenticM

AuthenticM

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The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
30,132
to think of what the world would look like if Gore had won the election.
 
bionic77

bionic77

Member
Oct 25, 2017
30,895
RustyNails said:
What happened to Dixie Chicks was also something to keep in mind during the War on Terror years. If a band as famous as the chicks could be canceled and booted from radio, imagine how much pressure regular people were under to just keep their mouths shut.

There was a good anti-war movement though, largest since Vietnam. I'm sure they all ended up on FBI list.
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I went to one of the rallies. It's was refreshing that not all of your neighbors were maniacs with no regard to human lives when they lived in the wrong place. But I met enough people to know that the war was popular with a lot of Americans on both sides of the aisles. It was very eerie how quickly and naturally so many Americans went directly from terrified to murderous.

L Thammy said:
I left two separate video game forums at around that time because of Americans who went around saying that they should just nuke every country off the face of the earth. I think one of them went unmoderated and the other one was a moderator.
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I met a lot of people in real life who had similar sentiments. Bush is an evil fuck and it's sad he didn't get punished for his crimes, but it's not like he did it without any support. And I say this as someone who mostly hangs out with left leaning people. God knows what the conversations were like on the right. Outside of rallies most times I felt like I was the one with the minority option when I argued against the invasion. Granted some of those people were reasonable who had reservations and fell for Powell's lies, but a lot were ok with it even before they saw the ballsack pictures.
 
crienne

crienne

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Oct 25, 2017
5,180
9/11 happened my senior year in high school. Up until that point I was still entertaining the thought of joining the military with all of my friends after graduation. The instant jingoism after 9/11 turned me away from that plan and when the invasion finally started I joined the anti-war side of things. All four of my closest friends at the time ended up deployed over there at some point and, luckily, they all came back. Last time I spoke with them (about 2015ish) they still thought everything we did, and everything they specifically did, was 100% justified and right.

I'm glad I finally got away from that group.
 
D_Reynholm

D_Reynholm

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Mar 18, 2020
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Gernau Morat Gurgeh said:
Don't forget Blair's insane messianic desire to drag the UK into the war with a campaign of lies and deception.
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Blair is an evangelical Christian iirc and was very keen to replicate the cosy relationship he had with Clinton once Bush took office. As offended as he was at 9/11 and supportive of the the US he still had people lie in order to provide "intelligence" on Iraq.

Vice and W. are both films that touch on just how fucked up their thinking was at the time, although W. has him seeming reluctant to act without the UN, which is probably generous.
 
Nocturnowl

Nocturnowl

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Oct 25, 2017
26,124
edit: whoops, nothing like posting in the wrong thread when it's about war crimes

Let me add something to this while I'm here, as an Englishman, some of this info is actually new and interesting (so to speak) to me, so good job bringing it up and shining a light on things I could easily have missed
 
Tendo

Tendo

Member
Oct 26, 2017
10,424
I remember being a junior in high school with cnn playing as that 48 hour warning timer counted down like it was the fucking royal rumble. everyone was hype and I swear it was like me and 3 other people that were like uh maybe this is bad actually?

SecondNature said:
I see OPs links, does anyone have any good Youtube videos/docs that go over things in more detail?
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The dollop podcast 2 parter on the iraq war is fantastic.
 
TheXbox

TheXbox

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Oct 29, 2017
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It is not so astonishing that this happened so much as everyone involved got away with it.
 
UnluckyKate

UnluckyKate

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Oct 25, 2017
10,556
France deciding not going to Irak in 2003 gave us the best political speech of our modern era, from Villepin would refused at ONU to follow the US. Its a great speech breaking down all the reason why all the diplomatic solutions weren't dried up and still had lot of room to work with Irak, but it ends in a very moving part:

Et c'est un vieux pays, la France, d'un vieux continent comme le mien, l'Europe, qui vous le dit aujourd'hui, qui a connu les guerres, l'occupation, la barbarie. Un pays qui n'oublie pas et qui sait tout ce qu'il doit aux combattants de la liberté venus d'Amérique et d'ailleurs. Et qui pourtant n'a cessé de se tenir debout face à l'Histoire et devant les hommes. Fidèle à ses valeurs, il veut agir résolument avec tous les membres de la communauté internationale. Il croit en notre capacité à construire ensemble un monde meilleur.

And this is an old country, France, from an old continent as mine, Europe, who say this to you today, who lived through wars, occupation, barbarism. A country that does not forget and who knows it owns it all to the freedom fighters that came from America and elsewhere. And still never stop standing upright facing History and men. Faithful to its values, it wants to act with resolve with all the members of the international community. It believes in our capacity to build a better world together.
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and then the US got butthurt, boycotted french fries and renamed them Freedom Fries and killed 1 million people and created ISIS. Mission Accomplished.
 
SteveMeister

SteveMeister

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Oct 31, 2017
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DiipuSurotu said:
oqnyGjy.png
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I know it's difficult to imagine, but at the time Powell was extremely popular, and people BELIEVED him when he testified before Congress to get support for an invasion. There'd been doubts, but then Colin Powell HIMSELF showed the evidence and that convinced many, in and out of Congress, just because of who he was to them.

When the truth of things came out it was a shock to many that Powell might have lied.

It's easy in hindsight to forget how popular, well-regarded and trusted the man was.

So go ahead and decry everyone who supported the war at its inception, but do so bearing in mind full context of the time and who was used to try to justify it.
 

anamika

Member
May 18, 2018
2,622
Other than the rise of ISIS in the region because of this war, Iraq is already suffering from some of the worst effects of Climate change. Remember the oil wells being burned and the black pumes of smoke during the war? The lack of proper infrastructure, drinking water or really anything being done now to help these people deal with climate change.

After the Wars in Iraq, 'Everything Living is Dying'
 
Tendo

Tendo

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Oct 26, 2017
10,424
UnluckyKate said:
France deciding not going to Irak in 2003 gave us the best political speech of our modern era, from Villepin would refused at ONU to follow the US. Its a great speech breaking down all the reason why all the diplomatic solutions weren't dried up and still had lot of room to work with Irak, but it ends in a very moving part:



and then the US got butthurt, boycotted french fries and renamed them Freedom Fries and killed 1 million people and created ISIS. Mission Accomplished.
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I worked at arbys at the time and we still had regular french fries and curly fries and people would actually order freedom fries and I was always a lil shit and wouldnt' place their order until they'd say french fries. One time a lady threw them back threw the window at me over it. My manager ran out got her plate and about beat her ass haha.
 
Mekanos

Mekanos

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Oct 17, 2018
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It's funny being in middle school at the time and being able to tell the war was bullshit but all the smart adults with degrees apparently couldn't.

Nocturnowl said:
....no fucking way

I'm genuinely not sure whether to laugh or throw my head into my hands, possibly both.
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You really are missing out on a lot of American Freedom Lore here. 9/11 genuinely broke this country's brain.
 
Jebusman

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Oct 27, 2017
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thecowboypoet said:
One of the best things Jean Chretien ever did was say no to the Americans and keep us out of this mess.
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Ehhhh, it's not like Canada played zero role. The country never formally declared war on Iraq, but it was still involved. Troops/officers on exchange fought alongside the US, frigates patrolled the Gulf, CAF pilots stationed with NORAD would fly combat missions.

We also deported a number of army deserters who fled the US, arguing for refugee status as they faced jail time back home for refusing to go to Iraq.
 
DarthSontin

DarthSontin

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Oct 25, 2017
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If the internet was bigger at the time, this would've been an even more legendary meme. I remember JD in Scrubs reading the "Iraq War for Dummies" book then saying "I got to the part where they said 'Mission Accomplished,' but I'm only a quarter of the way through the book"
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manzoman96

manzoman96

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Oct 25, 2017
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I'm still upset that I was so ignorant to the full extent of everything happening going through elementary and middle school in the 2000s.
 
Saganator

Saganator

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Oct 26, 2017
7,108
I was this close to joining up to go fight in that fuckin war. Had my ASVAB scores and was in a marine recruitment office with my hair already buzzed. Luckily I got in trouble being an idiot and had to finish probation, and during that time more and more BS started coming out and eventually decided not to join.
 
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