Why I'm not voting for Bush - Part 1
The War.
To begin with, here's an important link that I think is necessary to read for one to comprehend why I do not want President Bush back in office. I might also quote at times from here and of course here.
To put it bluntly, the war in Iraq was and is illegal according to international law. Since the UN Charter and subsequent treaties were signed and stamped, American actions, especially those of warfare, have fallen under the jurisdiction of the United Nations (this of course violated and pretty much annulled the U.S. Constitution and any other international laws [see Monroe Doctrine]). When the U.S. signed that treaty, they gave authority to oversee their own actions to a "higher authority" as you can read in Chapter I, Article 2 and also Chapter VII, Article 43 in matters of war. Now, of course, I'm not a professional in International Law and their might be some other laws that I have missed, but I'm sure you can understand so far what I'm trying to say.
We superseded the United Nations and made private treaties with Great Britain to invade Iraq on the basis of the 1991 Cease Fire Treaty, which basically says since an actual Peace Treaty was not signed, we can go back to war if we feel it is necessary. To give you an idea of the idiocy of this position, we have never signed a Peace Treaty with North Korea, either and can always declare war on them "legally". In a way, it's a loophole that makes the war legal according to international laws, but at the same time it's a lot like saying that there's a loophole in "Thou Shalt Not Kill" if you decide to command others to kill for you. I mean you're not doing the killing, they are. Completely ridiculous.
Now this war of course was started because of terrorism. The good ol' War on Terrorism. Okay, I'm going out on a limb here, but so what. I could and had told people years before 9/11 that the U.S. was pissing off the wrong people and we should expect drastic repercussions. I'm not saying I'm smarter than the Executive Powers and those preceding them. I am saying that this is mostly our fault. Since World War II, the U.S. has seen itself fit to involve itself in International police actions. Sometimes it has worked out for the betterment of most of International World (i.e. the first Iraqi War circa 1991) and a lot of times it's failed miserably (pretty much every military action during the Sixties and Seventies). Though these police actions, we've pissed a lot of people off. Through sanctions and military backing for other nations, we've made some powerful enemies. Conflicts in question: Israel versus the Arab World at Large, India versus Pakistan, Taiwan versus China, Iraq versus Iran, South Korea versus North Korea, South Vietnam (now defunct) versus North Vietnam and so on and so forth. If you will note, there are a lot of powerful nations that we have pitted ourselves against and for those nations that are not as "powerful" have a propensity to be safe havens for international terrorists.
The President of the United States then encouraged the wrath of the Arab World by calling the War on Terrorism a "crusade" and then mentioned three Nations an "Axis of Evil" (two out of those three were Arab). Wow. Maybe the Arab world should call this War on the U.S. an "Holy Inquisition". Instead of protecting our borders and the sanctity of our life, he has endangered it by pissing off the poorer Nations of the world and poorer Nations have historically fought tyranny (which I'm sorry to say, is what we are to the rest of the world) with guerrilla warfare and ironically, that goes all the way back to the American Revolution. Which brings me to my next point and my closing statement....
So, President-Elect Bush has not only pissed off the poorer Nations and of course the wealthier Nations, through illegal acts of war superseding U.N. Law, but also the Geneva Convention and the Hague Convention. The U.S. is treating Prisoners of War from the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq just like the Japanese treated "our boys" in World War II. Has Guantanamo Bay turned into Changi (Sadly, the link does no justice to the Changi Camp, but you can be assured that it was akin to Auschwitz)? Oh, and let us not forget the treatment of the Iraqi Prisoners in Iraq (you know, the pictures?).
Through President Bush's Foreign Policy concerning the War on Terrorism, the United States of America, which Constitution guarantees freedom for everyone has become nothing more than an International Thug. For those who don't know me, I'm not really that patriotic. In fact, I'm an Undecided because I think that our form of Government has a few serious and catastrophic faults (which has been proven time and time again for the past four years), but I do believe that this Nation was based on honorable principles. I do believe that our Constitution is probably one of the greatest legal documents that the world has ever known. Just because I don't agree with this Country, doesn't mean I want to see it violated and honestly, I still live in it. I like the freedoms I'm given, especially and obviously my First Amendment Right. Through the actions of President-Elect George Bush, I have not only come to decide to vote for Kerry, but maybe even view him as the better choice and not the lesser of two evils.
And I leave you with this quote from the Iraqi Olympic Soccer Team:
"I want to defend my home. If a stranger invades America and the people resist, does that mean they are terrorists?" Manajid says. "Everyone [in Fallujah] has been labeled a terrorist. These are all lies. Fallujah people are some of the best people in Iraq."
To begin with, here's an important link that I think is necessary to read for one to comprehend why I do not want President Bush back in office. I might also quote at times from here and of course here.
To put it bluntly, the war in Iraq was and is illegal according to international law. Since the UN Charter and subsequent treaties were signed and stamped, American actions, especially those of warfare, have fallen under the jurisdiction of the United Nations (this of course violated and pretty much annulled the U.S. Constitution and any other international laws [see Monroe Doctrine]). When the U.S. signed that treaty, they gave authority to oversee their own actions to a "higher authority" as you can read in Chapter I, Article 2 and also Chapter VII, Article 43 in matters of war. Now, of course, I'm not a professional in International Law and their might be some other laws that I have missed, but I'm sure you can understand so far what I'm trying to say.
We superseded the United Nations and made private treaties with Great Britain to invade Iraq on the basis of the 1991 Cease Fire Treaty, which basically says since an actual Peace Treaty was not signed, we can go back to war if we feel it is necessary. To give you an idea of the idiocy of this position, we have never signed a Peace Treaty with North Korea, either and can always declare war on them "legally". In a way, it's a loophole that makes the war legal according to international laws, but at the same time it's a lot like saying that there's a loophole in "Thou Shalt Not Kill" if you decide to command others to kill for you. I mean you're not doing the killing, they are. Completely ridiculous.
Now this war of course was started because of terrorism. The good ol' War on Terrorism. Okay, I'm going out on a limb here, but so what. I could and had told people years before 9/11 that the U.S. was pissing off the wrong people and we should expect drastic repercussions. I'm not saying I'm smarter than the Executive Powers and those preceding them. I am saying that this is mostly our fault. Since World War II, the U.S. has seen itself fit to involve itself in International police actions. Sometimes it has worked out for the betterment of most of International World (i.e. the first Iraqi War circa 1991) and a lot of times it's failed miserably (pretty much every military action during the Sixties and Seventies). Though these police actions, we've pissed a lot of people off. Through sanctions and military backing for other nations, we've made some powerful enemies. Conflicts in question: Israel versus the Arab World at Large, India versus Pakistan, Taiwan versus China, Iraq versus Iran, South Korea versus North Korea, South Vietnam (now defunct) versus North Vietnam and so on and so forth. If you will note, there are a lot of powerful nations that we have pitted ourselves against and for those nations that are not as "powerful" have a propensity to be safe havens for international terrorists.
The President of the United States then encouraged the wrath of the Arab World by calling the War on Terrorism a "crusade" and then mentioned three Nations an "Axis of Evil" (two out of those three were Arab). Wow. Maybe the Arab world should call this War on the U.S. an "Holy Inquisition". Instead of protecting our borders and the sanctity of our life, he has endangered it by pissing off the poorer Nations of the world and poorer Nations have historically fought tyranny (which I'm sorry to say, is what we are to the rest of the world) with guerrilla warfare and ironically, that goes all the way back to the American Revolution. Which brings me to my next point and my closing statement....
So, President-Elect Bush has not only pissed off the poorer Nations and of course the wealthier Nations, through illegal acts of war superseding U.N. Law, but also the Geneva Convention and the Hague Convention. The U.S. is treating Prisoners of War from the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq just like the Japanese treated "our boys" in World War II. Has Guantanamo Bay turned into Changi (Sadly, the link does no justice to the Changi Camp, but you can be assured that it was akin to Auschwitz)? Oh, and let us not forget the treatment of the Iraqi Prisoners in Iraq (you know, the pictures?).
Through President Bush's Foreign Policy concerning the War on Terrorism, the United States of America, which Constitution guarantees freedom for everyone has become nothing more than an International Thug. For those who don't know me, I'm not really that patriotic. In fact, I'm an Undecided because I think that our form of Government has a few serious and catastrophic faults (which has been proven time and time again for the past four years), but I do believe that this Nation was based on honorable principles. I do believe that our Constitution is probably one of the greatest legal documents that the world has ever known. Just because I don't agree with this Country, doesn't mean I want to see it violated and honestly, I still live in it. I like the freedoms I'm given, especially and obviously my First Amendment Right. Through the actions of President-Elect George Bush, I have not only come to decide to vote for Kerry, but maybe even view him as the better choice and not the lesser of two evils.
And I leave you with this quote from the Iraqi Olympic Soccer Team:
"I want to defend my home. If a stranger invades America and the people resist, does that mean they are terrorists?" Manajid says. "Everyone [in Fallujah] has been labeled a terrorist. These are all lies. Fallujah people are some of the best people in Iraq."