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The Emperor Has No Clothes! - Off to Belfast to Confront a Butt Naked Bush!

category national | anti-war / imperialism | feature author Sunday June 15, 2008 21:25author by Ciaron O'Reilly - Catholic Worker/Plowshares Report this post to the editors

Raytheon Outta Derry, U.S.Military Outta Shannon, George W Outta Control!

featured image
(Not) Wanted : Bush

Since George W came to Belfast last time (03) over one million Iraqis, mostly women and children (Lancet Report) have been slain. Most of the U.S. troops doing the slaying have passed through Shannon Airport, Ireland, to get to their victims.. 4,000 of their number have returned in body bags, 20,000 with serious injuries (amputations, loss of sanity etc) they will never recover from and another 20,000 evacuated with injuries they should recover from. Thousands of veterans have suicided on return..

Living at the centre of empire - any empire - is generally relatively cosey. Keep ya head down and your mouth shut and you'll generally have a nice day. It can be kind of liberal and tolerant in the centre while on the fringes of empire the reality is fascism pure and simple You can say anything you want in the safety valve soundproof room of the arts in London , New York and Dublin (see the journo hack war cheer leaders and Irish war supporting politicians swaying to Leonard Cohen's denunciation of U.S. warmaking last Friday night for example)...try dissent on the imperial fringe and they even kill artists there ..........and students and church folks and trade unionists and the list is endless.......

Less than a hundred years ago Dublin was on the fringe of empire, it looked a lot like Baghdad today - death squads, torture in Dublin Castle, military occupation on the streets. Less than 20 years ago, Belfast was on the fringe of empire - state backed military death squads, torture, internment et al.

Ireland - north and south, has been fast tracked to the centre of empire. The deal is if we keep our mouths shut, our heads down, we can reap from the upward mobility within the U.S. empire. The imperial troops will only stop over at Shannon, they will wait until they get to Baghdad to do the raping, killing, torturing and home wrecking. The arms companies will produce their hi tech shite in Derry, it will be dropped on other people in other places.

In the Roman empire they had an annual ritual where everyone would "burn incense for Ceaser" to recognise the emperor's dominion. For the first three centuries Christians refused to do this, or serve in the Roman military, - for this we were criminalised. Not because we worshiped a different God. The Romans were quite flexible in conscripting God and Gods from defeated regions of Empire. We were criminal because we refused to take life - the image of God - in service empire.

So what are we asked to do as the Emperor comes to Belfast. The defeated dissidents, now ensconsed, are asked to offer hospitality, the rest of us are asked to maintain a defeated, if not diignified, silence.

Since George W came to Belfast last time (03) over one million Iraqis, mostly women and children (Lancet Report) have been slain. Most of the U.S. troops doing the slaying have passed through Shannon Airport, Ireland, to get to their victims.. 4,000 of their number have returned in body bags, 20,000 with serious injuries (amputations, loss of sanity etc) they will never recover from and another 20,000 evacuated with injuries they should recover from. Thousands of veterans have suicided on return.

Last time Bush came to Belfast there was tension in the air. We created it nonviolently on the streets http://www.indymedia.ie/article/60059 ....five years into this war, the war has no popular support and the visible opposition has evaporated from view. The opposition in Ireland to the war is massive and passive expressed clearly in the unanimous acquittals of the disabling and disarming
PItstop Ploughshares www.peaceontrial.com
and the recent Raytheon 9 www.raytheon9.org

It is important that people hit the streets in Belfast on Monday...downtown, Stormont, where they least expect it, wherever, whenever to confront the emperor to tell him and anyone in earshot that he has no clothes of credibility, that we don't believe him or his war. To break the consensus of silence on behalf of people being butchered is a powerful and worthy thing.

Today the British government attempts to remove free speech from their people in London http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/06/400898.html so the emperor can have an easy ride down the last bloodsoaked lap of his Presidency. Long after Bush joins Blair, Howard and that Spanish dude in retirement - the wars they kickstarted will still be claiming victims on the fringe of empire. The question will remain will it claim our spirit and our silence at the centre? All that is asked of us in Belfast on Monday is our silence and sedation - as Bush gets on with the killing, Raytheon gets on with the profiteering and our local politicians get on with the collaboration.

Good luck, and respect, to anyone taking to the streets.

Solidarity with anti-war resisters in jails & brigs and before the courts

Military
http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/

and Civilian
http://www.soaw.org/article.php?id=1621

Related Link: http://www.peaceontrial.com

 #   Title   Author   Date 
   LINK-Update from Whitehall     Whitehall Update    Sun Jun 15, 2008 22:40 
   LINK-Photos & (what seems to be an) anarcho analysis&tabloid headline from London     london photos & report    Mon Jun 16, 2008 07:50 
   In 1978 we released a peace song for Ulster here it is Alternative Ulster     from Jake Burns of SLF    Mon Jun 16, 2008 08:03 
   Bush is a hero     Righteous Pragmatist    Mon Jun 16, 2008 08:53 
   Ok this seems to be round 5 in 8 years with Emperor Bush.     Ciaron    Mon Jun 16, 2008 09:20 
   Bush is not an emperor     Righteous Pragmatist    Mon Jun 16, 2008 10:06 
   a few trix from mister monbiot     dunk    Mon Jun 16, 2008 13:30 
   War criminal Bush visits London, Blood on the streets     dunk    Mon Jun 16, 2008 13:43 
   Iraqi flag over Belfast City Hall?     Sean    Mon Jun 16, 2008 13:56 
 10   the flag     brian stewart    Mon Jun 16, 2008 14:01 
 11   It was éirígí that dunnit!     Info    Mon Jun 16, 2008 16:04 
 12   Photos from Belfast Today     Info    Mon Jun 16, 2008 16:17 
 13   eirigi     Watcher    Mon Jun 16, 2008 16:34 
 14   flying the flag     observer    Mon Jun 16, 2008 16:57 
 15   Ciaron texts us....     redjade    Mon Jun 16, 2008 17:13 
 16   Ciaron update #2     redjade    Mon Jun 16, 2008 17:35 
 17   Éirígí has the story up     Con    Mon Jun 16, 2008 17:52 
 18   Cunning Disguise     Confusion Cleared up    Mon Jun 16, 2008 17:57 
 19   Ciaron update #3     redjade    Mon Jun 16, 2008 18:10 
 20   Ciaron update #4 -- Quaker arrested     redjade    Mon Jun 16, 2008 18:21 
 21   Iraq: No. 51     Anonymous    Mon Jun 16, 2008 18:53 
 22   Bush Visit     Tania    Mon Jun 16, 2008 19:46 
 23   Bush - The Graffiti is on the Wall     Noise Hacker    Mon Jun 16, 2008 19:50 
 24   Video from City Hall     Mike    Mon Jun 16, 2008 20:43 
 25   ant war     R,uth    Mon Jun 16, 2008 20:55 
 26   A dose of reality     Militant    Mon Jun 16, 2008 22:10 
 27   Banality of good and evil     Bo Ring Peacenik    Mon Jun 16, 2008 22:50 
 28   every day is anti-Bush day     redjade    Mon Jun 16, 2008 23:39 
 29   Peaceful protest vs Terrorism Act on Ballygowan Road     war crims detecter    Mon Jun 16, 2008 23:49 
 30   ...and that's the last I Think I'll ever see of George W Bush.....     Ciaron    Tue Jun 17, 2008 09:58 
 31   more stuff... Citizen's Complaint     Mark    Tue Jun 17, 2008 11:24 
 32   straight out of "battlefield earth"     John Travolta    Tue Jun 17, 2008 11:55 
 33   Tearing down of Butcher's Apron condemned     CÓB    Tue Jun 17, 2008 11:56 
 34   Ciaron's cynicism about City Hall demo     MM    Tue Jun 17, 2008 15:45 
 35   Reply to MM     Ciaron    Tue Jun 17, 2008 19:24 
 36   The Misuse of Anti terror Legislation and the Silencing of Anti-War Dissent     Ciaron    Tue Jun 17, 2008 19:37 
 37   Preparing for the upcoming War Crimes Tribunals...     redjade    Tue Jun 17, 2008 22:45 
 38   If Bush happened to fly over Belfast     redjade    Wed Jun 18, 2008 12:44 
 39   a view from the bottom of a pile     Ciaron    Sat Jun 21, 2008 01:17 
 40   Free Speech - Bushwacked     Ciaron    Tue Jul 08, 2008 14:37 
 41   YOUTUBE LINK - McCain = Bush...and then they came for the 61 year old librarians (2 mins)     Free Speech Use it or Lose it!    Tue Jul 08, 2008 23:09 
 42   Continued Shriveled Liberties Under Bush-Interview with Daniel Elsberg on WarrantlessWiretappingBill     Ciaron    Wed Jul 09, 2008 15:57 
 43   Ongoing arrests are taking place in England in follow up to Bush's visit to London.     Follow up arrests in England    Tue Sep 30, 2008 04:10 


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