PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Mumia Abu-Jamal: Pakistan, Iran, and Blackwater
by Mumia Abu-Jamal Saturday, Sep. 29, 2007 at 5:04 PM

Pennsylvania's own death-row journalist, Mumia Abu-Jamal (imprisoned just outside Pittsburgh) continues his prolific journalist career. Here are three different essays focusing on Pakistan, the Iranian President's attempted visit to the WTC, and Blackwater's wars here at home in New Orleans.

Listen to the radio-essay: http://prisonradio.org/PakistanMumia.htm

PAKISTAN: The 'democracy' of boots, bullets and brutality
{col. writ. 9/15/07}
(c) '07 Mumia Abu-Jamal

America's 'allies' in the so-called 'war on terror', are often at war with their own societies -- and more often than not, they are at war with democracy.

It is an odd thing to hear the Bush regime and its media puppets echo the claim that the wars in the Middle East are to 'spread democracy', when the very countries that have signed up for this dubious project are -- well, let's not beat around the bush -- dictatorships.

In Pakistan, a country carved out of the northwest of India, as the British Imperial Raj was on the wane, is a huge country of roughly 150 million people, and roughly the size of California (or, from another perspective, 1/2 the size of Alaska).

It may be an ally, but it's hardly a democracy.

Pakistan has been ruled, since a 1999 coup, by a military dictatorship, headed by Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Musharraf came to power after a row between the military and the elected leadership over Pakistan's intentions on Kashmir ( a majority Muslim region that is part of India).

When the former Pakistani prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, tried to discipline the army by firing Gen. Musharraf from his post, the military struck back.

From then till now, Pakistan has been under the thumb of its military.

The military runs vast swathes of Pakistan's economy, from construction companies to bottled water industries.

It runs the nations's media, and sits at the highest levels of the nation's universities.

As the demonstrations that erupted hen Gen. Musharraf attempted to remove a sitting Supreme Court justice has shown, there is considerable social discontent with the heavy hand of the military over almost all sectors of Pakistani life.

When Nawaz Sharif boarded a plane in London several days ago, to try to return to his homeland, he described his efforts as "a final battle" between "dictatorship and democracy."

The former prime minister said his return signified it was "time that we put an end to this menace of dictatorship." *

But if this was a battle between dictatorship and democracy, dictatorship won. For police and military officials cordoned off the airport, and stopped traffic to it for miles around.

Sharif was arrested shortly after his arrival, and hundreds of his supporters were beaten in Rawalpindi.

According to an account in the New York Times (9/11/07) almost the "entire leadership" of Sharif's opposition party were arrested.

A Pakistani Supreme Court ruling recently held that Sharif was free to return to Pakistan, and to run for office.

According to Sharif, "Mr. Musharraf does not believe in the rule of law."

Before 4 hours had passed, Sharif was back on a plane, but bound, once again, for Saudi Arabia, exiled by his military opponents.

Sharif questioned how an American president could support Musharraf.

"President Bush is somehow supporting an individual who today has become a symbol of hatred in Pakistan, a man whom everybody in Pakistan wants to get rid of."*

How does one 'spread democracy' by supporting military juntas?

For generations, we heard the same claims used to support death squads which ravaged Latin America. Men trained at the place called Las escuelas de golpas, (or coup school) led to brutal wars against workers, trade unionists, nuns, priests, and indigenous people, all in the name of 'protecting democracy,' (Those schools are here in the US!)

And what is an ally, which must be threatened with extermination, in order to secure it's alliance?

Published reports have already assured us that high level US officials, in the aftermath of 9-11, threatened to 'nuke Pakistan' unless it joined this so-called 'war on terror.'

Why not the use of terror in this so-called 'war on terror?'

Why not the use of military dictatorships in this claimed war 'to spread democracy?'

-- (c) '07 maj

{*Source: Gall, Carlotta, "Pakistan Edgy As Ex-Premier Is Exiled Again, " New York Times, Tues., Sept. 11, 2007, pp.A1 - A8.}

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The Diplomacy of Children

{col. writ. 9/23/07}
© ’07 Mumia Abu-Jamal


With the news of the wish of Iran’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to visit the site of the World Trade Center, and the refusal by local government, on the basis that it is a “sacred” site, too holy to be visited by the likes of one such as he, is the latest expression of silliness masquerading as politics.

It is the politics of emotion and imagery posing as reason.

First of all, since when does the NYPD engage in international diplomacy?

Secondly, what will Ahmadinejad’s mere presence do to the Manhattan site? Desecrate it?

Lastly, the Trade Center is a national site: it is an historic site – but how can it be a religious site?

People (and not just Americans!) from a wealth of faiths and beliefs died at that site on Sept. 11, 2001.

The Islamic Republic of Iran had nothing to do with Sept. 11th – and neither did Ahmadinejad.

Some have said that his anti-Israeli comments should've disqualified him from the visit, but he’s not trying to visit Yad Vashem (the holocaust memorial in Israel).

This is the politics of pettiness; the politics of illusion, certainly; but it’s also more – for powerful forces in the U.S. government want to push the nation into a new war –one with Iran.

To be sure, Ahmadinejad’s raps haven't helped, but it’s dangerous and misleading to assume that a foreign president, under a different system, has the powers and prerogatives of an American president.

Under the Iranian system, Ahmadinejad represents the executive, but he is not Commander-in-Chief.

Since the time of the Islamic Revolution, real power is held by a religious figure, known as the Supreme Leader, or collectively, the Majles-e-Khabrgran Rahbari, or the Assembly of Experts for the Leadership.

Ahmadinajad couldn't declare war on the U.S. if he wanted to; and he doesn't want to.

Iran is in a power position today not because of anything it’s done – but because of everything the U.S. has done to destabilize and wreck Iraq.

Iraq and Iran fought a vicious, bloody war, called ‘The War of the Cities’, which cost nearly a million lives on both sides. When the U.S. crushed their hated enemy, Saddam Hussein, Iranians, albeit briefly, danced in the streets.

If the Iraq War has taught us anything, it’s that diplomacy is preferable to war; for what is diplomacy, but talking?

Those who want Ahmadinejad barred from the Trade Center are most likely those who cheered when the U.S. began its long night of occupation over Iraq.

They prefer war against symbols, rather than war against real people, who think, who hear, and who speak.

--© ’07 maj

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Listen to the radio-essay: http://prisonradio.org/MumiaBlackwater.htm

The World of Blackwater: Private Wars for Public Money

{col. writ. 9/20/07}
(c) '07 Mumia Abu-Jamal

The news running off the wire was unexpected in its rarity: the Iraqi 'government' announced that the U.S. private security company, Blackwater, would no longer be able to function in the country, following the killing of over 20 Iraqis by Blackwater personnel.

According to published reports, the U.S. State dept. will essentially ignore the Iraqi order, announcing that Blackwater would continue to work in the country.

Blackwater provides security for many Americans working in Iraq, as well as some of its chosen puppets.

(So much for 'a sovereign nation.')

The recent Blackwater shootout wasn't the first, and unless I miss my guess, it won't be the last.

For folks who've been following the American security company (and others like them), it should surprise no one that this company was involved in the shooting of civilians.

According to some researchers and reporters, Blackwater was getting down similarly -- in the U.S.!

Think back to 2005, when the winds, rains, and gushing waters from Lake Pontchartrain swept through New Orleans, another force beset the already besieged town.

Blackwater was one of the number of such companies, armed with automatic weapons and contracts from the Dept. of Homeland Security. They were allowed to play cowboy when people were suffering from this natural disaster.

Several years ago, writer and "Democracy Now!" correspondent, Jeremy Scahill reported a conversation he had with a man from one of those private security companies during the height of the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

Scahill described his conversation with a man named Michael Montgomery, who worked with an Alabama-based company known as Bodyguard and Tactical Security (BATS). This guy told Scahill that he was in New Orleans on the second night of the catastrophe.

As Scahill explained:

They got stopped in the ninth ward. He said they came under fire from a group of people on an overpass that he described as black gang bangers. He said, "At the time I was on the phone with my business partner." I said, "What did you do then?"
He said, "I dropped the phone and opened fire." I said, "With what kind of weapons?" --"AR-15 assault rifles and Glock 9's."
Fired up at the people he described as black gang bangers on this bridge. I said, "Then what happened?
Did you kill them?" He said, "Well, let's just put it this way, I heard a lot of moaning and screaming, and the shooting stopped. Enough said. "

Scahill was making his remarks on the Friday, Sept. 23rd, 2005 edition of the nationally broadcast program, "Democracy Now!"

According to Scahill, these and other such groups were functioning in Louisiana, without licenses to operate in the state. What they had were contracts from the Homeland Security Dept., and a letter from the Governor of Louisiana!

Thus, armed with automatic weapons, they patrolled the property of the rich, while they waged war against the poor.

Scahill explained that after the shooting, army officers and Louisiana State Troopers came on the scene - but neither agency filed a report.

Scahill continued:

So this is the climate of impunity.....[H] ow do we know that he was fired upon? How do we know what that incident was? Why wouldn't law enforcement file any kind of report on a shootout in which this guy is openly bragging to having shot up a bunch of people he described as black gang bangers on an overpass? [p.4 of downloaded text]

There are almost as many contractors working in Iraq as there are U.S. soldiers -- but the Blackwater people make a whole lot more money, and are better equipped.

That's because they aren't fighting for 'democracy', they're fighting for good old American money. They are fighting for those who can afford them.

What do they care about Iraqis?

What did they care about 'Americans' in the midst of the whirlwind and the storm?
--(c) '07maj


[Mr. Jamal's recent book features a chapter on the
remarkable women who helped build and defend
the Black Panther Party: *WE WANT FREEDOM:
A Life in the Black Panther Party*, from South
End Press ( http://www.southendpress.org');"> http://www.southendpress.org); Ph.
#1-800-533-8478.]
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