Ten years ago Tony Blair stood up in the Mother of all Parliaments and told a yarn about Iraq.
It was a story about weapons of mass destruction and the need for people, other than himself, to take to the gun and the tank, the bomber jet and the bomb and go invade another country.
One that had not threatened the security of the state.
One that would pay a terrible price for the fact it had a wealth of oil.
Meanwhile, Katharine Gun was a young woman working at GCHQ, specializing in speaking Mandarin.
Katharine became aware, through her work at GCHQ, that there was an official drive for the invasion of Iraq, that included spying on the UN and working to ensure a UN mandate for a war based on lies.
To her everlasting credit, Katharine decided to go public with the information, in a bid to stop what was to become one of the most horrific slaughters of human beings not recorded! (It was decided in both London and Washington that a body count of civilian death was not needed!)
“On a per-day basis, the highest intensity of civilian killings over a sustained period occurred during the first three “Shock and Awe” weeks of the 2003 invasion, when civilian deaths averaged 317 per day and totalled over 6,640 by April 9th, nearly all attributable to US-led coalition-forces, reaching 7,286 by the time of President GW Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” speech of 1st May 2003″ ~The Guardian
Katharine Gun lost her job.
Tony Blair went on to become one of Britain’s wealthiest ex-prime ministers.
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I went on the huge London march against the Iraq war (I believe Colette also went on it). I went with my animal rights group as we were so worried about all the potential deaths the war would cause, human and animal alike. I was not given any awards by the Establishment for this …
I learned from the newspapers that my sister was the last person to amend the ‘Dodgy Dossier’ as she sat on the plane ready to fly to the US to pass it on to Colin Powell. This was one of the dossiers (both dodgy) Blair and my sister’s boss, Alistair Campbell, were trying to use to justify the Iraq war. My sister was given an MBE …
The world continues to want the Bush and Blair administrations held accountable for crimes against humanity. In the court of world opinion they are reviled. The call for
their condemnation shall only grow so long as the internet remains the free and powerful
instrument that it is.
I agree…the worldwide condemnation of this pair resonates across the internet daily. They will be held accountable one day…
Blessings from Bealtaine Cottage
Colx
America started like today’s fresh clean snow., then over time has become tainted, dirty corrupt and evil. Many other countries are in the same place as we are. I will think long and hard before voting next time. . Thank goodness for Katherine Gunn she is a beacon showing us the way.
And there’s a hero in your own country in the form of the magnificent woman who brought the Steubenville rape case to light, Alexandria Goddard. Many heroes are emerging from the shadows and many of those heroes happen to be women. There is hope and she’s shining!
Bright Blessings
Colx
Heroes and Villains.
Blessings ro you dear Colette for the coming Equinox xx
A lovely time for all…the days stretch ahead with the promise of sun and warmth!
Equinox blessings to you too, Cicely
Colx
Most thinking people knew that the war on Iraq was illegal, there was no UN resolution allowing this invasion, in fact, since the UN was first formed it has only on two occasions sanctioned war, the first was North Korea and the second one was against Iraq when it invaded Kuwait in 1991. This war was not just for the control of oil, before the coalition invaded they made sure that all contracts for rebuilding Iraq were signed and sealed.
Blair and Bush along with their cohorts should be tried for war crimes, but they seem to be above all laws.
The amazing thing is that it is now common knowledge that the Iraq war was based on lies and everyone just shrugs. Why isn’t Cheney and company in jail? It is shameful! And now we have Obama’s drone attacks. There is a great evil in Washington….and there doesn’t seem to be anything we can do about it. So sad. Patti
That great evil permeates the power bases of so many countries, where we have elected people in good faith, only to be deceived again and again. All this evil is predicated on resources and greed, greed, greed!
Bless Katharine Gun and all who possess integrity!
Blessings from Bealtaine Cottage
Colx
So sad that our countries were tricked into war with Iraq (some newspapers are reporting that it was apparently because Dick Cheney wanted to grab Iraq’s oil not because of any WMD). Now our soldiers are returning to a down economy with no job skills and many with Post Traumatic stress. The rich continue to dodge paying taxes and the rest of us wonder what will happen to our fragile recovery. Most of us would just like to see a little justice done. That the liars are punished, that the bank thieves are put in jail and that the rich contribute their fair share. Not seeming too likely at the moment.
In other words…that morality and integrity be returned to public life and service. Truth, dignity for all, honesty and decency!
in the meantime, we will live these ideals and be the best and most compassionate we can!
Blessings from all at Bealtaine Cottage
Colx