Evil Empire – Innocent Citizens

I belong to the uncivilized part of the world. I am not ashamed to conceal the fact that my first reaction on seeing the destruction of Pentagon and WTC Towers was jubilation. For that matter, it was the reaction of the overwhelming majority of our people. The mighty power on earth was slapped on it's face!

But, when we witnessed the T.V. images of people jumping from the towers, wailing women and people running for their lives…. we really felt bad. Especially, when we realized that a sizable section of the people killed were ordinary workers, we were back to our senses.

Because you know, we are not civilized enough to watch this horror in the T.V. Screen, munching Chocolates and sipping Coke, as America did during the "Operation – Desert Storm".

First it was "Terror on America" ; Then "War on America" ; Now it is "America's new War". U.S. Marines and F.B.I. sleuths are landing in Pakistan. Standing in the midst of rubbles, putting his arms around the shoulder of a fireman, American President declares War. It reminds me of the Hollywood Trash "Independence Day". But the reality is far more vulgar than the illusion. I am surprised to see that the civilized people of America are politically more naïve than the illiterate peasants of India.

Now America is seething with Anger. The Anger is caused not by the loss of lives. It's the indignation to the "Great Nation". America wants Retribution. Immediate Retribution. The Empire Strikes Back! It need not care for the international law. It need not place the evidence before the world. It need not approach the U.N. ‘cause U.N. after all is a confederacy of the Empire.

Even Hitler had to hold a mock trial against the Communists falsely accused of torching the German Parliament. But Mr. Bush has no time for such trivialities. The Emperor need not prove his democratic credentials to anybody.

The Empire says that Osama Bin Laden is the suspect. Means that the Empire does not possess any hardcore evidence to reveal. Still, it has the right not only to kill the suspect, but also to punish all those who gave him food and shelter. The fact that the ‘Evil' itself was created by the ‘Good' is not relevant here. All Evil is Good when it serves the Empire. Saddam is fine when he remains an instrument to attack Iran. Noriego's drug is fine until he defies the Empire.

Thus when the Empire so desires it will bomb any country. In 1986 it bombed Libya and killed unknown number of people including Gadaffi's child. It was a retribution for a bomb blast in a Berlin's Discotheque in which two American Marines died. Involvement of Libyan Govt. in the blast is yet to be proved. But Retribution over.

In 1998, a pharmaceutical factory in Sudan was bombed. Number of deaths unknown. The factory was accused of manufacturing chemical weapons for Terrorists. The owner is sewing the U.S. now. The accusation against the factory is yet to be proved. But Retribution over.

The body count of the people killed by the Empire throughout the World may run into millions. May be, it is
Un-American to probe into the loss of Non-American lives.

We also lost more than 5000 Indian lives in a day, way back in 1984 at Bhopal. 5000 dead and more than 100,000 paralyzed for life. The American TNC Union Carbide, responsible for the killing said, "It was a gas leak – just an accident". The real leakage was a military secret. A secret research on chemical weapons for the Pentagon.

The prime accused was Mr. Anderson, the president of Union Carbide. There was a criminal case; There was a warrant; But he was happily ensconced at his corporate headquarters. We could not "smoke him out of his hole" . Not because Mr. Anderson was not a terrorist; but because India is not America.

Also the U.S. Supreme Court proclaims Jurisdiction over ‘criminals' abducted from other countries by the U.S. Police. Sanction for the infringement of the sovereignty of nations and sanction for the corporate terror by Bill Gates comes from the same judiciary. The Judiciary of the Empire.

At least, the citizens of Bhopal could have killed a couple of American tourists as Retribution. But even to kill people like that, you have to feel indignant. For that you should have at least ‘a drop of civilized blood' – to use Colin Powell's phrase – In your veins. "The purple American fury" as Lance Morrow states in TIME special issue, now attacks Asian Americans. What really is the colour of American Fury? Purple or White?

Whenever we are asked to mourn for the killing of innocents, we readily mourn. But, are people really innocent? Are they really ignorant of all the happenings around them?

When asked about the death of half a million Iraqi children due to American sanctions, Ms. Madeline Albreight replied: "The price worth paying". If the Iraqi children – the real innocents – should pay the price for Saddam's alleged crimes, and if this is what is called American Justice, then the price America paid is also justified.

But, it is altogether another question whether the price is worth paying. If you ask Ms. Albreight, she will readily say that the price is worth paying in the interest of the American Global Hegemony.

"Operation Infinite Justice" will pull America into a bottomless pit, where ‘innocent' Americans may have to feel Fascism from inside and face Terrorism from outside.

Shed your innocence. Raise your head and see the debris ‘created' by your Empire throughout the world.
Shed your ‘innocence'. Else, America may have to shed the lives of many more innocents.
Sadly, this is History.

Editor – Puthiya Kalacharam – Tamil Monthly, Published from Tamil Nadu, South India, India

Puthiya Kalacharam is a Marxist-Leninist cultural magazine published in the language Tamil.

arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)