Torture, terrorism, and Pentagon's proposed death squads for Iraq.

This is a short article, but important in reminding us that the basic purpose of death squads is political terror -- terror with the purpose of putting and end to political opposition. The fact that the Pentagon is openly considering such an option exposes their absolute desperation in Iraq.

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/gonzales_harvest.php

Gonzales' Harvest
Mark A.R. Kleiman
January 10, 2005

snip>

Eventually, an administration willing to embrace torture to fight terror was going to embrace terror as well: especially an administration populated by moral monsters like John Negroponte, who had embraced terror before, and gotten away with it.

Death squad activity is terrorism. Its purpose is never merely the assassination or kidnapping of a small number of leaders, but always the cowing of entire populations.

This case is no different. Note the language carefully:

One military source involved in the Pentagon debate agrees that this is the crux of the problem, and he suggests that new offensive operations are needed that would create a fear of aiding the insurgency. "The Sunni population is paying no price for the support it is giving to the terrorists," he said. "From their point of view, it is cost-free. We have to change that equation."

The target isn't a few dead-enders or foreign terrorist; the target is "the Sunni population," which needs to be taught a lesson.

snip>



For a quick history of the US supported death squads in El Salvador and elsewhere, see:

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/US_ThirdWorld/deathsquads_ElSal.html,

which reminds us of the prevalence of torture in the tried and true practices of of US-proxy death squads over the past half century.

"We have met the enemy.....it is us "(US)