Friday, May 20, 2016

Vengeance is not justice


"To go back is to get back."

Those words of wisdom came via Jane Wagner and Lily Tomlin on one of the nineties animated Edith Ann specials for ABC.

Even children can grasp that, so why can't adults?

Better question, why do journalists act so irresponsibly?

No one's saying don't report the truth.

No one's saying report only happy news.

But I am saying stop pushing vengeance.

There's a world of difference between justice and vengeance as we've been pointing out here over and over (and repeatedly in the last weeks).

Even CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR carries that message.

So why do supposedly responsible and adult journalists work overtime to pimp vengeance?

Even when the people supposedly thirst for vengeance aren't saying that themselves?

A bit like THE NEW YORK TIMES' ridiculous article insisting that Donald Trump had offended an ex-girlfriend when nothing in the story supported that -- and she went on to insist that they had editorialized her feelings and expressed attitudes that she never expressed or felt.

We see it all the time with Iraq.

If you're not a Shi'ite group, the easiest way to get coverage is to express a desire for vengeance.

It's what's fueled the Yazidi coverage after all (that and the right wing p.r. firm using the group to promote further war in Iraq).

It's what fueled the coverage of a group of female fighters in Iraq.

Right now, it's attempting to relaunch the Get Saddam Hussein's Daughter story.

Of course, where there is a vengeance tale, you can usually find THE JERUSALEM POST, right?

Of course.

Yesterday's snapshot dealt with the nonsense of Ibrahim al-Jaafari's demand that Jordan turn Raghad Saddam Hussein al-Majid.

Visitors e-mailing the public account include some wise souls grasping that Iraq does not need to feed this never ending vengeance cycle.  Some also grasp that there's a world of difference between accusing someone of something and proving that they committed some crime.

For those playing catch up, this is the eldest daughter of Saddam Hussein, former president of Iraq.  The kingdom of Jordan granted her asylum.

Ibrahim al-Jaafari is in a tizzy insisting Jordan must return her to Iraq.

Wonder what form of a tizzy he'd be in if Ahmed Chalabi was still alive since one of the leaders Chalabi would imply he had evidence of corruption on was Ibrahim.

(Calm down, Ibrahim, charges and accusations are not proof.)

She left (this time) in 2003.

The issue is settled by both Arabic and Islamic law and has been for years.

Yet since 2006, the Iraqi government (sometimes prodded by the US government, sometimes pushed) will repeatedly insist this woman must be returned to Iraq.

The country will never go forward with this nonsense.

It's also true that those calling for her return are usually those accused of corruption and theft of Iraqi fortunes.

It's a nice red cape to wave in front of the masses, hoping to incite them and keep them from focusing on your own thefts.

Iraq does not need the press helping to fuel more cycles of vengeance.

So when you're reporting on this nonsense, you can stop trying to couch things with INTERPOL, for example.  All INTERPOL did was post Iraq's arrest warrant -- which is not even an INTERPOL arrest warrant.

You can also note that charges are not proof of guilt and, most important, you can note the destructive nature of cycles of vengeance.

If these cycles would be called out, those preaching them would look as ridiculous as they should.

THE JERUSALEM POST has a similar hostage/victim mentality as the Shi'ites who were in exile until the US invaded Iraq in 2003 and then, 'big, brave' men,  they rushed back into Iraq and became 'leaders.'

That outlet pimps retribution and endless violence as well.


Just as justice and vengeance are not the same thing, accountability and vengeance are not the same thing either.


Bully Boy Bush is out of the White House and condemned to life life as a disgrace until he dies.

That's not justice but it's accountability.

And if you notice, in the US, those who still are obsessed with Bully Boy Bush are those who tend to pretend to be obsessed.

They're so outraged, they insist, by the Iraq War.

The Iraq War that they ignore.

The Iraq War that they don't call out.

But, hey, it's an election year, so let's use Bully Boy Bush yet again in the hopes that it will scare up some votes.

A lot of people who cry for vengeance have ulterior reasons for making that call.

Accountability?

That's if Bully Boy Bush crawls out from his hole or if someone who supported the illegal war tries to run for public office -- yes, we mean Hillary.



  1. after voting to send me to Iraq and then made more money for 10 minutes speaking than I did in a year
  2. When she sent 67 Soldiers to their Deaths
    Hillary Clinton's business opportunity in Iraq
    #Hillary2016's "mistake" sent 67 sons and daughters of #Kentucky to their deaths in Iraq. She got rich. #KYPrimary
  3. As a USAF mom, when he voted for the Iraq war! Oh wait...
  4. when he voted for the Iraq war, orchestrated a coup in Honduras and bombed Libya like a bawz...🤔oh wait.
  5. Hey Hillary, your vote for the Iraq War led to the deaths of 4,487 American soldiers. You're unfit as a human being.

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