Powell to Represent U.S. at Closing Ceremonies of Olympics

[Nambe]

U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information

Secretary of State Colin Powell will leave for Athens on August 28 to represent the United States at closing Olympic Games ceremonies and to meet with Greek government officials, the State Department says. ..

Ride Don’t Drive * * It’s Global Cool

[T Roosevelt]

1. Yes...America CAN do better

hope he doesn't get on stage in his Village People outfit...

[moof]

2. That's a fitting representative alright, a war criminal & a liar

[Mad As Hell]

3. Barf

:puke: fHave you noticed that Powell and Rice are coming out to "campaign." * told us they wouldn't. Smells like desperation to me.

[GalleryGod]

5. YUP. The Old My Lai Whitewasher,Himself!

:puke:

[allemand]

7. Sorry, but no connection between Powell and My Lai cover-up

Let's be more accurate than the Swift Boat Vets For "Truth".

"Powell has never been implicated in any of the wrongdoing involving My Lai. No evidence ties him to the attempted cover-up. But he was part of an institution (and a division) that tried hard to keep the story of My Lai hidden--a point unacknowledged in his autobiography. Moreover, several months before he was interviewed by Sheehan, Powell was ordered to look into allegations made by another former GI that US troops had "without provocation or justification" killed civilians. (These charges did not mention My Lai specifically.) Powell mounted a most cursory examination. He did not ask the accuser for more specific information. He interviewed a few officers and reported to his superiors that there was nothing to the allegations . This exercise is not mentioned in his memoirs."

Colin Powell's Vietnam Fog

by David Corn

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml%3Fi=20010514&s=corn20010502

[moof]

8. Would it do any good to post the information showing he covered up

war crimes includeing My Lai or do you want to keep this myth intact ?

[allemand]

10. Bring it on !

I did an extensive search on the subject and I didn't find anything linking Powell to My Lai. I did find a lot of BS, though.

[0007]

9. There is much proof!

nitial investigations of My Lai were undertaken by the 11th Brigade's CO, Col Oran Henderson, under orders from Americal's Ass't CO, BG Young.

Six months later a young soldier of the 11th Light Infantry (The Butcher's Brigade) named Tom Glen, wrote a letter accusing the Americal division (and other entire units of the U.S. military, not just individuals) of routine brutality against Vietnamese civilians; the letter was detailed, its allegations horrifying, and its contents echoed complaints received from other soldiers. Colin Powell, then a young US Army Major, was charged with investigating the massacre. Powell wrote: "In direct refutation of this portrayal is the fact that relations between American soldiers and the Vietnamese people are excellent." Later, Powell's refutation would be called an act of "white-washing" the news of the Massacre, and questions would continue to remain undisclosed to the public.

Do a google and find more.......

[allemand]

11. Did you bother to read the quote I provided?

"Moreover, several months before he was interviewed by Sheehan, Powell was ordered to look into allegations made by another former GI that US troops had "without provocation or justification" killed civilians. (These charges did not mention My Lai specifically.)"

The "former GI" is, of course, Tom Glen and his "allegations" are made in the letter.

The article you quote misrepresents it:

"the letter was detailed" - wrong. The letter describes abuses in general terms.

"Colin Powell, then a young US Army Major, was charged with investigating the massacre."

The letter doesn't describe a massacre.

The article I quoted is very critical of Powell, but it doesn't criticize Powell for things that he didn't do. That is a standard we should adhere to.

I did an extensive google search on this subject. There is a lot of BS out there, basically one journalist copying from another without ever checking the facts. Sadly, that is the way many journalists work.

[moof]

12. Ok so that's a " NO "

This is going to be so much more time and attention than you, or the war crminal deserve so rather than go into any depth siffice it to say that
if you are not Rumsfield you could work for him.

this line from above
"The letter doesn't describe a massacre."
seems to indicate the degree to which your thinking is still influnced by the logic of most of the media.

This is the same tactic used to sidestep the torture "problem " the administration had. Torture ? , ... a problem ?..... no it's not a problem, just look at the new inproved version of the definition of torture,.... see they never tortured those people. As long as the term Massacre does not appear there was not a massacre. Well it's not likely that any of the murders of innocent unarmed civilians in Iraq will ever be refered to as a massacre by anyone in the media that likes their job
but that does not mean that the term is not correct.
Nice to know that people of the same type mind as you 30 years or so in the future will be able to look back and say with such authority as you seem able to use with such abandond
" Iraq, that was no massacre, there was no mention of the word massacre in the NYT.

sorry for any typos but this is not worth the time or effort already expended.

[allemand]

13. My Lai was a massacre, but the letter was not about My Lai

That is all I wanted to point out.

Powell was asked about My Lai and the letter when he visited Vietnam:
"I was not there. I came months later. And the letter that I received and acted on made no reference to any particular place or any time or any date or any particular unit and that's the way I handled it...''

http://www.hungnguyen.com/PRNews/news_072601.htm

Should he be criticized for that handling of the investigation? Yes.
Does this make him part of the My Lai cover-up? No.

My logic is as follows:
My Lai was a massacre.
The letter doesn't describe a massacre.
The letter wasn't about My Lai.
Powell was in charge of investigating the letter.
Powell was not "in charge of investigating My Lai".

I regret that you resort to personal attacks instead of providing arguments. That is no way to hold a discussion.

[moof]

16. HE should be sent to the Hague, tried, convicted and imprisoned for LIfe

for the war crimes he comitted and the ones he covered up which is itself a war crime. Nearly his entire career is owed to his willingness to cooperate with covering up all sorts of crimes.

Hope that makes it clear now because no further replys from you will be acknowledged.
Nothing personal, just a matter of return for the time and effort expended.

P.S. Should you find yourself wondering what "other" or "how many " war crimes are being refered to in this post, that seems to be part of the problem, you are either not aware or are unwilling to research all the crimes this guy has been involved in.

[allemand]

17. Now you are using the "logic of most of the media"

Your syllogism:

Powell is guilty of war crimes.
My Lai was a war crime.
Powell is guilty of My Lai.

Sorry, but that is a logical fallacy (certainly common among the media).

I think that the same fallacy is at the root of your anger:

Allemand disputes involvement of Powell in My Lai.
My Lai was a war crime.
So, Allemand disputes involvement of Powell in any war crime.

That is equally wrong.

The point I am trying to make is that we should be accurate in our criticism. Accusing a person of crimes that he didn't commit cannot be right, whatever else you might think of that person.

I don't see how that argument would qualify me to "work for Rumsfeld". Quite the contrary.

[SOS]

4. Rumsfeld and Cheney

weren't available next weekend?

[theoceansnerves]

6. the boos have been pretty subdued so far

but if this dude shows up in public over there you won't hear a word he's saying they will be so loud.

[David Zephyr]

14. Groan.

Grrrrrrrrrrroan.

[karlrschneider]

15. Are they building a replica of Uncle Tom's Cabin for him to stay in?

:eyes: