Friday, December 27, 2019

The War Crimes of Iraqs Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was born on April 28th, 1937 in al-Awja, a suburb of the Sunni city of Tikrit. After a difficult childhood, during which he was abused by his stepfather and shuffled from home to home, he joined Iraqs Baath Party at the age of 20. In 1968, he assisted his cousin, General Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, in the Baathist takeover of Iraq. By the mid-1970s, he had become Iraqs unofficial leader, a role that he officially took on following al-Bakrs (highly suspicious) death in 1979. Political Oppression Hussein openly idolized the former Soviet premier Joseph Stalin, a man notable as much for his paranoia-induced execution sprees as anything else. In July 1978, Hussein had his government issue a memorandum decreeing that anyone whose ideas came into conflict with those of the Baath Party leadership would be subject to summary execution. Most, but certainly not all, of Husseins targets were ethnic Kurds and Shiite Muslims. Ethnic Cleansing: The two dominant ethnicities of Iraq have traditionally been Arabs in south and central Iraq, and Kurds in the north and northeast, particularly along the Iranian border. Hussein long viewed ethnic Kurds as a long-term threat to Iraqs survival, and the oppression and extermination of the Kurds was one of his administrations highest priorities. Religious Persecution: The Baath Party was dominated by Sunni Muslims, who made up only about one-third of Iraqs general population; the other two-thirds was made up of Shiite Muslims, Shiism also happening to be the official religion of Iran. Throughout Husseins tenure, and especially during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), he saw the marginalization and eventual elimination of Shiism as a necessary goal in the Arabization process, by which Iraq would purge itself of all perceived Iranian influence. The Dujail Massacre of 1982: In July of 1982, several Shiite militants attempted to assassinate Saddam Hussein while he was riding through the city. Hussein responded by ordering the slaughter of some 148 residents, including dozens of children. This is the war crime with which Saddam Hussein was formally charged, and for which he was executed. The Barzani Clan Abductions of 1983: Masoud Barzani led the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), an ethnic Kurdish revolutionary group fighting Baathist oppression. After Barzani cast his lot with the Iranians in the Iran-Iraq War, Hussein had some 8,000 members of Barzanis clan, including hundreds of women and children, abducted. It is assumed that most were slaughtered; thousands have been discovered in mass graves in southern Iraq. The al-Anfal Campaign: The worst human rights abuses of Husseins tenure took place during the genocidal al-Anfal Campaign (1986-1989), in which Husseins administration called for the extermination of every living thing--human or animal--in certain regions of the Kurdish north. All told, some 182,000 people--men, women, and children--were slaughtered, many through use of chemical weapons. The Halabja poison gas massacre of 1988 alone killed over 5,000 people. Hussein later blamed the attacks on the Iranians, and the Reagan administration, which supported Iraq in the Iran-Iraq War, helped promote this cover story. The Campaign Against the Marsh Arabs: Hussein did not limit his genocide to identifiably Kurdish groups; he also targeted the predominantly Shiite Marsh Arabs of southeastern Iraq, the direct descendants of the ancient Mesopotamians. By destroying more than 95% of the regions marshes, he effectively depleted its food supply and destroyed the entire millennia-old culture, reducing the number of Marsh Arabs from 250,000 to approximately 30,000. It is unknown how much of this population drop can be attributed to direct starvation and how much to migration, but the human cost was unquestionably high. The Post-Uprising Massacres of 1991: In the aftermath of Operation Desert Storm, the United States encouraged Kurds and Shiites to rebel against Husseins regime--then withdrew and refused to support them, leaving an unknown number to be slaughtered. At one point, Husseins regime killed as many as 2,000 suspected Kurdish rebels every day. Some two million Kurds hazarded the dangerous trek through the mountains to Iran and Turkey, hundreds of thousands dying in the process. The Riddle of Saddam Hussein: Although most of Husseins large-scale atrocities took place during the 1980s and early 1990s, his tenure was also characterized by day-to-day atrocities that attracted less notice. Wartime rhetoric regarding Husseins rape rooms, death by torture, decisions to slaughter the children of political enemies, and the casual machine-gunning of peaceful protesters accurately reflected the day-to-day policies of Saddam Husseins regime. Hussein was no misunderstood despotic madman. He was a monster, a butcher, a brutal tyrant, a genocidal racist — he was all of this and more.But what this rhetoric does not reflect is that, until 1991, Saddam Hussein was allowed to commit his atrocities with the full support of the U.S. government. The specifics of the al-Anfal Campaign were no mystery to the Reagan administration, but the decision was made to support the genocidal Iraqi government over the pro-Soviet theocracy of Iran, even to the point of making ourselves complicit in crimes against hu manity.br/>A friend once told me this story: An Orthodox Jewish man was being hassled by his rabbi for violating kosher law, but had never been caught in the act. One day, he was sitting inside a deli. His rabbi had pulled up outside, and through the window he observed the man eating a ham sandwich. The next time they saw each other, the rabbi pointed this out. The man asked: You watched me the whole time? The rabbi answered: Yes. The man responded: Well, then, I was observing kosher, because I acted under rabbinical supervision.Saddam Hussein was unquestionably one of the most brutal dictators of the 20th century. History cannot even begin to record the full scale of his atrocities and the effect they had on those affected and the families of those affected. But his most horrific acts, including the al-Anfal genocide, were committed in full view of our government — the government that we present to the world as a shining beacon of human rights.Make no mistake: The ouster of Saddam Hussein was a victory for human rights, and if there is any silver lining to come from the brutal Iraq War, it is that Hussein is no longer slaughtering and torturing his own people. But we should fully recognize that every indictment, every epithet, every moral condemnation we issue against Saddam Hussein also indicts us. We should all be ashamed of the atrocities that were committed under our leaders noses, and with our leaders blessing.

Thursday, December 19, 2019

The Paradox of Capitalism - 2320 Words

Capitalism is an engine of economic growth that drives innovation faster than any sports car imaginable. Driving into oblivion can be thrilling, but it always has risks. The paradox of capitalism is subjective. For the working class, capitalism is a derogatory term symbolizing the exploitation of the poor by the strong and powerful. For the ruling class, it symbolizes a system where opportunities abound for those who are devoted, innovative, and work hard. Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim, prominent social theorists studied the division of labour in a capitalist economy and both of their views have merit. Marx, well renowned German philosopher was one of the first incredibly influential social activists in history. He fear that we live in a†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, the laws of motion suggest that surplus value will gradually lead to overproduction and declining profits and this leads to mergers, closures, and monopolies. Marx is correct, this is inevitable because capit alists are forced into competition to win, and those losers become proletarians, which ultimately decrease the size of the capitalist class. More importantly, the secret of labour power and surplus value is exploitation, â€Å"the material well-being of the exploiter casually depends upon the ability to appropriate the fruits of labor of the exploited (Wright, in the course kit, #3). Oppression alienates the proletarians and Marx hoped they would unite against the capitalists as a collective class-consciousness, but it never happened. According to Marx, the danger of capitalism lies in the problem of surplus labor. Capitalism was inevitably a flawed system because it deprived the worker of profits for his work. Hypothetically speaking, Marx suggests if a workers labor produced fifty dollars worth of goods in an hour, than he should be paid fifty dollars per hour. If he was not paid the full value of what his labor added to the materials, than he was being robbed of his earnings. He is adopting fellow economist Adam Smiths concept of labour theory value (Appelrouth and Edles: 63). By taking a communist approach and eliminating profits, he fails to comprehend the improbability andShow MoreRelatedThe Communist Manifesto By Karl Marx Essay1426 Words   |  6 Pagescommunism. In the first chapter of his great manifesto, Marx argues that as the bourgeoisie, motivated by ruthless capitalism and industrialization, accrued more and more wealth, the proletariat would gain class consciousness and move from being a class in itself to a class for itself; in essence, the growth of capitalism would paradoxically be its own undoing. 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Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Relationship With Religion And Music Essay Example For Students

Relationship With Religion And Music Essay One of the most talked about religion is the Rastafarian religion. If you dont know about the religion I will give you the definition and the rules and regulation that you must follow as a Rastafarian. Rastafarianism is a politico-religious movement among elements of the black population of Jamaica and several other countries. The followers of this religion do not believe in God, instead they worship Haile Selassie, the former emperor of Ethiopia. The word Rastafarian was originated from his name Ras (Prince) Tafari.They believe that the Ethiopian emperor to have been a divine being, the Messiah, and the champion of the black race. Some Rastafarians believe that blacks are the Israelites reincarnated and have been subjected to the evil and inferior white race in divine punishment for their sins; they will eventually be redeemed by repatriation to Africa, their true home and heaven. The various groups that make up the Rastafarians rejected Jamaican-European-oriented culture and Christianity revivalist religion and develop their own identity while awaiting the exodus. Since the early 1950s the Rastafarian movement has grown in numbers and complexity. The identification with the Africa remained, but the repatriation concept received less emphasis and the Rastafarians mysticism supported by the Old Testament and incorporating African forms. The lifestyles of Rastafarians are very different from other religions over the world. Rastafarians dietary mainly vegetarianism. Their hair must be worn as uncombed locks and dreads. The most important part of the religion is the smoking of ganja (marijuana).The reason why the smoking of ganja is so important to the religion is because; it is used for medication and to keep the body pure.They believe that everything they eat or use must be natural. Even though the Rastafarian religion as been around since 1953 a lot of people didnt know about it. Some people did not know the requirements of this religion until the 1970s and 1980s. The person who spread the word about the religion was Robert Nester Marley or Bob Marley. Bob Marley was born in St. Ann, Jamaica and he was born under a Christian religion. In 1961 he started is own group that was called The Rudeboys. This same group later went on to become one of the most famous reggae groups known as The Wailers. Bob Marley later went on and converted from Christianity to Rastafarianism, this was a religion that has had a profound influence on reggae music. Marley and the Wailers music contain elements of spiritualism and mysticism. Some of their songs called for personal freedom through revolution, while others embrace carefree attitudes toward life or convey stories of love. Their music also focused a lot on their religion; most of their songs and title is always related to their Rastafarian religion in one way or another.Bob Marley and the Wailers went on to produce a lot of music albums.Most of the title were named after the Rastafarian religion or there believes.Some people also think that there music came close to been associated with movement toward black political independence. As mention above Bob Marley and his band has made a lot of songs that talks about their religion.There is a lot but there are two that reflects these believe more than the others do. These two focuses only on there God Haile Selassie and their believes in what a Rastafarian should do to be faithful to there religion. The name of one of these songs is Forever Loving Jah. In this song Bob Marley and his band was focusing on their religious leader. In this song Bob Marley is trying to say that he found the correct path in life and it a thanks to Jah. Bob Marley is telling everyone that he is loved and that no matter what he or she says wont affect him. The reason behind this is that he knows that Jah protects him. In Bob Marley words he knows that Haile Selassie created him on earth for a specific reason and when his time is right he will be called forth by jah. .u2d5325e2c9d23b88560b4d127d2a4edc , .u2d5325e2c9d23b88560b4d127d2a4edc .postImageUrl , .u2d5325e2c9d23b88560b4d127d2a4edc .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u2d5325e2c9d23b88560b4d127d2a4edc , .u2d5325e2c9d23b88560b4d127d2a4edc:hover , .u2d5325e2c9d23b88560b4d127d2a4edc:visited , .u2d5325e2c9d23b88560b4d127d2a4edc:active { border:0!important; } .u2d5325e2c9d23b88560b4d127d2a4edc .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u2d5325e2c9d23b88560b4d127d2a4edc { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u2d5325e2c9d23b88560b4d127d2a4edc:active , .u2d5325e2c9d23b88560b4d127d2a4edc:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u2d5325e2c9d23b88560b4d127d2a4edc .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u2d5325e2c9d23b88560b4d127d2a4edc .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u2d5325e2c9d23b88560b4d127d2a4edc .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u2d5325e2c9d23b88560b4d127d2a4edc .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u2d5325e2c9d23b88560b4d127d2a4edc:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u2d5325e2c9d23b88560b4d127d2a4edc .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u2d5325e2c9d23b88560b4d127d2a4edc .u2d5325e2c9d23b88560b4d127d2a4edc-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u2d5325e2c9d23b88560b4d127d2a4edc:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Reconstruction EssayOne of the verses in the songs sings;Cause just like a tree planted by the river of waterThat bringeth forth, fruits in due seasonEvery thing in life got its purposeFind its reason in every season, forever Yeah!As you can see from the above verse that he believe strongly in Haile Selassie and his believes.Also can you see in the above verse and the way he talk as if no one believes in Haile Selassie. Bob Marley also express in is word that Jah will come, he is just waiting for the right time. Cause just like a tree planted by the river it will brighten when the time is right. This is how Bob Marley felt about his God that he will wont let them suffer he is just waiting for the right time. Another song that focuses on the Rastafarians and their religion is called the Rastaman Chant.The reason behind this song was to tell his fellow Rastafarians in codes that they will soon be home very soon. In this song he focus on telling them that they will be going home to Zion soon. In the song Zion refers to the promise land where all the Rastafarians will meet their Jah Haile Selassie for the first time.This was telling the Rastafarians not to worry about what everyone says about that their thrown is gone down. This was one of the songs that have had an impact on the Rastafarian religion. In this song he kept repeating the term Babylon which means leaders. In this song he also kept saying I, in the song I was referring to him as a Rastafarian.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Unibomber Essays - Green Anarchists, Civil Disobedience, Nonviolence

Unibomber here's been some talk on this list lately about how we should distance environmentalism from the Unabomber, and foil attempts by the media to unite the two. Shouldn't we also look inward, and see if in any way a love of ature does or can lead to antipathy to humans? he relationship between environmentalism and violence had been on my mind prior to Ted Kaczynski's arrest, because I had been reading _MindHunter_, John Douglas's memoir of his career heading the FBI's serial crimes unit. In passing, Douglas mentions a number of cases in which the killers were ardent environmentalists or living back to nature. It was hard to know what, if anything, to make of this (or of the author's contention that an inordinate percentage of serial killers drive Volkwagen Beetles). atching the FBI take Kaczynski away as the prime suspect in the Unabomber case, I thought, of course, of Henry Thoreau. Both were Harvard graduates who chose to remove themselves from industrial America to go it alone in a simple wilderness retreat. Thoreau is America's most famous recluse -- isn't it likely that Kaczynski is familiar with Thoreau's writing, even that he was emulating him to a degree? If Kaczynski is the Unabomber, then an intellectual connection to Thoreau is even more possible. After all, Thoreau is the father of North American environmentalism, and the Unabomber is most definitely an environmentalist. In his manifesto, after an exceedingly long discussion of how technology had overwhelmed society and smothered persnal freedom, he writes, But as an ideology, in order to gain support, must have positive ideals well as a negative one; it must be FOR something as well as AGAINST something. The positive ideal that we propose is Nature. That is, WILD nature; those aspects of e unctioning of the Earth and its living things are independent of human management and free of human interference and control. Such sentiment would not be misplaced on the ASLE list. Of course, most of us would take issue when he wrote, In order to get our message before the public with some chance of making a lasting impression, we've had to kill people. There have been, as we know, strands of the environmental movement that have been too often linked to an anti-human mindset. Regardless of his renunciation of EarthFirst!, Dave Foreman did at one time oppose famine aid to Ethiopia, saying the best thing would be to just let nature seek its own balance, to let the people there just starve.... Up here in Canada, naturalist John Livingston, in his Governor General's Award-winning _Rogue Primate_, refers to AIDS dispassionately as a natural response to human overpopulation.... I think environmentalists are people who understand that humans are part of nature, and they seek to live accordingly. Unfortunately, it sometimes seems that we are impatient for the rest of humanity to figure this out, and pessimistic tht we as a species are smart enough to make it happen. Some environmentalists, I think, find other humans (the more, the less merry) as basically troublesome. All this led me back to Thoreau. Was there anything in his writing that could have led Kaczynski (if he is the Unabomber) -- and maybe all environmentalists astray? On first glance, of course, Thoreau can be seen to be radically pro-nature and anti-society. He looked around his America and saw a civilization in which everyone was so intent on business, trade, and industry, so intent on eking out a living, that they forgot how to live. _Walden_ is a back-to-the-land how-to book, a carefully-crafted naturalist's diary, a witty response to Ben Franklin-industriousness, and a philosophical treatise on self-reliance. A Ted Kaczynski could draw inspiration from it. But Thoreau does not renounce society in _Walden_; he takes a trip from it to experiment with isolation, to learn more about himself and his surroundings. When his experiment is completed, he moves back to Concord and announces, I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. The publishers of my edition of _Walden_ put Civil Disobedience at the end. I wondered if Kaczynski (if he is the Unabomber) also united the two. In this essay Thoreau defends opposition to unjust governments and describes a night spent in jail for refusing to pay taxes, protesting the American war with Mexico. Thoreau argues that one who wishes to be true to himself may need to live outside of government. Again, a Ted Kaczynski could draw inspiration -- some environmentalists certainly have. Though Foreman left EarthFirst!, in Defending the Earth_