Guess Who's Back Back Again?
Shady's Back, Tell a Friend EMINEM
Most American's knowledge of our history tends to focus on three periods; the American Revolution, the Civil War and World War II. Even these areas are somewhat shaky for most, but beyond that, we really have a pitiful understanding of who we are as a nation.
Throughout history, many colorful characters make a huge stir, and then peter out over time. We all know of Chappiquiddick, Monica Lewinski and Anita Hill, but these are personal indiscretions that have had major effects on individuals but little effect on us as a whole. Why is it that we remember these and forget some very major scandals that had more lasting effects on a great number of people? Could it be that they involve sex, and the media feeds it to us like pushers peddling crack to junkies? Yeah, I think it could.
With this in mind, I ask you to take your mind out of the gutter for a moment and follow me through a tale that has no sex, no pubic hair and no wet drunks stumbling home from a remote bridge. But there will be death, piles of putrid death......
Way back in 1981, while Rick Springfield was pining for "Jessie's Girl," a remote, hot, war torn, Central American nation was coming to terms with a massive atrocity. In El Salvador, a little town by the name of El Mozote was suddenly no longer there. In it's place was an open-air slaughterhouse. It's 800 residents, tortured, machine gunned and burned to death. Of all the men, women and children, in this town there were no survivors. None. Whoever did this, left the bodies where they were murdered, to rot in the hot, tropical sun. The leftist, FLMN guerrillas arrived on the scene and broadcast to the world that there had been a massacre in the jungle.
The American backed government didn't seem to care. America's hilariously misnamed 'Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs,' Elliott Abrams said that the reports "were not credible" and that "it appears to be an incident that is at least being significantly misused, at the very best, by the guerrillas." Abrams implied that reports of a massacre were simply FMLN propaganda. But it wasn't.
The guerrillas smuggled several American reporters and cameramen in and the lid was off. The "American smear machine" kicked into high gear and the Reagan Administration started to accuse the reporters of being "communists" and "malcontents," but did nothing to investigate the atrocity.
History has shown that the El Mozote Massacre and dozens of others were committed by a special forces unit, known as "The Atlacatl Battalion." This battalion was trained by American special forces soldiers and continued it's murderous ways for years and years. Eventually, they lost their support after, in 1989, they murdered 6 Jesuit missionaries, their cook and his daughter. One Special forces trainer quipped "We've always had a hard time getting them to take prisoners instead of ears." Funny.
The final tally finds that of the 22,000 atrocities that a 1993 UN Truth Commission investigated in the El Salvador War, 85% of them (that's 18,700 to my mathematically challenged readers) were caused by government troops.
What does Elliott Abrams have to say about that? "The Administration's record on El Salvador is one of fabulous achievement." What exactly did you set out to achieve Elliott?
Elliott Abrams eventually plead guilty to two counts of lying to congress about his Central American adventures (but not about sex!) but he was pardoned by "Daddy Bush" in a blatant attempt to curtail any future investigations that might eventually lead all the way to the top..
"So why" you ask," are you bringing up all of this old history, Paul?" Because reader, Elliott Abrams once again has his blood-stained fingers in our national affairs.
That's right, say hello to the Bush Abomination's newest "re-engineered" felon: Deputy National Security Advisor Elliott Abrams. And while your at it, say hello to a couple of his former clients.
Most American's knowledge of our history tends to focus on three periods; the American Revolution, the Civil War and World War II. Even these areas are somewhat shaky for most, but beyond that, we really have a pitiful understanding of who we are as a nation.
Throughout history, many colorful characters make a huge stir, and then peter out over time. We all know of Chappiquiddick, Monica Lewinski and Anita Hill, but these are personal indiscretions that have had major effects on individuals but little effect on us as a whole. Why is it that we remember these and forget some very major scandals that had more lasting effects on a great number of people? Could it be that they involve sex, and the media feeds it to us like pushers peddling crack to junkies? Yeah, I think it could.
With this in mind, I ask you to take your mind out of the gutter for a moment and follow me through a tale that has no sex, no pubic hair and no wet drunks stumbling home from a remote bridge. But there will be death, piles of putrid death......
Way back in 1981, while Rick Springfield was pining for "Jessie's Girl," a remote, hot, war torn, Central American nation was coming to terms with a massive atrocity. In El Salvador, a little town by the name of El Mozote was suddenly no longer there. In it's place was an open-air slaughterhouse. It's 800 residents, tortured, machine gunned and burned to death. Of all the men, women and children, in this town there were no survivors. None. Whoever did this, left the bodies where they were murdered, to rot in the hot, tropical sun. The leftist, FLMN guerrillas arrived on the scene and broadcast to the world that there had been a massacre in the jungle.
The American backed government didn't seem to care. America's hilariously misnamed 'Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs,' Elliott Abrams said that the reports "were not credible" and that "it appears to be an incident that is at least being significantly misused, at the very best, by the guerrillas." Abrams implied that reports of a massacre were simply FMLN propaganda. But it wasn't.
The guerrillas smuggled several American reporters and cameramen in and the lid was off. The "American smear machine" kicked into high gear and the Reagan Administration started to accuse the reporters of being "communists" and "malcontents," but did nothing to investigate the atrocity.
History has shown that the El Mozote Massacre and dozens of others were committed by a special forces unit, known as "The Atlacatl Battalion." This battalion was trained by American special forces soldiers and continued it's murderous ways for years and years. Eventually, they lost their support after, in 1989, they murdered 6 Jesuit missionaries, their cook and his daughter. One Special forces trainer quipped "We've always had a hard time getting them to take prisoners instead of ears." Funny.
The final tally finds that of the 22,000 atrocities that a 1993 UN Truth Commission investigated in the El Salvador War, 85% of them (that's 18,700 to my mathematically challenged readers) were caused by government troops.
What does Elliott Abrams have to say about that? "The Administration's record on El Salvador is one of fabulous achievement." What exactly did you set out to achieve Elliott?
Elliott Abrams eventually plead guilty to two counts of lying to congress about his Central American adventures (but not about sex!) but he was pardoned by "Daddy Bush" in a blatant attempt to curtail any future investigations that might eventually lead all the way to the top..
"So why" you ask," are you bringing up all of this old history, Paul?" Because reader, Elliott Abrams once again has his blood-stained fingers in our national affairs.
That's right, say hello to the Bush Abomination's newest "re-engineered" felon: Deputy National Security Advisor Elliott Abrams. And while your at it, say hello to a couple of his former clients.
posted by Paul Skogstrom at 6:17 PM
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