Essay Sample on the Top Censored Stories of 2007 and 2008: Violation of Local and Foreign Human Rights

Introduction

An absolute concentration of executive power has characterized the final year of the Bush administration. Draconian executive orders without regard to the constitution have caused a massive violation of local and foreign human rights. However, nobody seems to be aware of the gravity of the situation as corporate media is engrossed in non-relevant campaign coverage. Congress, on the other hand, has also turned a blind eye or become collaborators in the apparent violation of the constitution.

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Project Censored, together with independent journalists across the globe, have covered the unchecked abuse of human rights through military force and elimination of dissent. The following stories demonstrate the desperate demand by American corporations to acquire international resources at whatever cost. The stories seek to create awareness by spreading the truth and responsibility as the only weapons against the travesty that is overt abuse of freedom and justice for all.

Over one million Iraqi deaths caused by US Occupation

A study by the British polling group Opinion Research Business (OBR) revealed that more than one million Iraqis have died due to the US invasion in 2003. To put the numbers into perspective, the Iraqi Invasion killings exceeds the infamous Rwandan genocide and Cambodia's "Killing Fields" where 1.7 million died. The OBR research only represents 15 out of Iraqis 18 provinces. The most volatile provinces of Arbil, Anbar and Kerbala were excluded since the authorities refused to cooperate, meaning the situation could be even worse.

Although the US government argued that Iraqis domestically perpetrated most of the deaths, Interviews and independent reports indicated that the US directly perpetrated over 80% of Iraqi deaths. The 2006 Lancet report noted that 56% of Iraqi families lost loved ones and family members from US forces and their allies. Since the US occupation, 5000 Iraqis have died every month. The numbers have been increasing since the invasion, especially after the 2007 surge.

According to the military statistics, 5000 patrols, each covering 30 homes are sent out in Iraqi villages with strict orders of interrogating, arresting or killing suspects. The patrol troops do not take any chances, and every youth considered suspect is executed. Further reports by Brookings Institute reveal that many innocent lives have been lost in the hands of the troops. Over 1000 US patrols with excessive firepower charged with responding to any hostile act mean that more civilians are bound to die.

A refugee crisis has occurred as Iraqis attempt to flee the violence. The United Nations Refugee Agency indicate that the violence has displaced almost 5 million Iraqis since the invasion in 2003. The conditions for refugees are deplorable in host countries as they do not have opportunities. Still, more continue to escape citing that staying means accepting death. Officials have denied these assertions saying that some areas such as Fallujah are safe. However, victims narrate of the horrible experiences they face in Iraqi in the disguise of peace.

US General David Petraeus and General Raymond Odierno heading the Multi-National Force in Iraqi have provoked anger and protest from many Iraqi refugees. The two generals have been responsible for the destruction of Iraqi. The Iraqis have to collaborate with the US occupants, failure to which they are detained in extremely harsh conditions. Those who return are displaced once again as the security conditions continue to worsen.

Numerous reports about the Iraqi war casualties have suffered little recognition and mainstream media blackout. A poll conducted by the Associated Press to see how Americans viewed the Iraqi war revealed a large extent of ignorance as to the number of casualties. Most Americans indicated that the number of deaths was smaller than the actual deaths. This ignorance has been the main reason as to why the carnage continues unnoticed. However, various media outlets such as Democracy Now, Dahr Jamail's MidEast Dispatches and websites such as Antiwar.com have increased the war coverage and received a rapidly growing audience.

The Bush administration maintains that the conditions in Iraqi are improving. Assisted by the complicit mainstream media, the narrative seems to stick. However, the war continues with multiple explosions frequently happening at areas such as Fallujah. The over 1.5 Iraqi refugees in Syria and almost one million in Jordan are a testament that the situation is still deplorable; otherwise, they would have gone back.

Security and Prosperity Partnership: Militarized NAFTA

In a secret mission of secretly expanding the NAFTA, leaders of Canada, Mexico and the United States have been meeting to integrate a more militarized tri-national Homeland security force deeply. In March 31st 2005, the US president George W. Bush, Mexican president Vicente Fox and Prime Minister Paul Martin of Canada launched the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) in a meeting held in Waco, Texas. With its headquarters in Washington, SPP aims at integrating the three countries to a single political, economic and security bloc without the awareness or consideration of public opinion.

Described in the official US webpage as "a White-house led initiative" among the three nations, SPP is neither a treaty, law nor signed agreement. However, the head of DHS Michael Chertoff, Finance Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have been attending SPP meetings reflecting its interpretation as a US security initiative in the "war on terror" political climate.

Mexico has militarized its Southern border as the pressure to coordinate security increases. The FBI and DEA have started training programs for Mexican security officers now involved in the drug war. Mexico had to guarantee its political stability that would ensure US interests such as access to oil and trade are protected. The US would invade Mexico if factors such as economic and social chaos or a political coup threatened such interests. Canada's Department of National Defense has also pledged its military support of America's war on terror. Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor and Chief of Defence Staff General Rick Hillier have declared their support for the program.

The North American Competitiveness Council (NACC) was created to serve as an official SSP working group among the three countries. Thirty major North American companies including General Motors, Ford, Walmart, Merck and Chevron compose the group which centres on the involvement of the private sector as a vital step to enhance growth, innovation and the global competitiveness of North America. According to NACC's policy, secure imported energy is essential for the prosperity of the US. Both Canada and Mexico have allowed privatization of state-run corporations to the US, a move that has been criticized as a public front for monopoly and dominance of the US. Halliburton has received about $2 billion worth of contracts with Mexico's PEMEX, a nationalized oil company, to carry out oil exploration operations. The US also intends to have unlimited access to Canada's water.

The SPP has received a lot of opposition and is seen as a move to dissolve the sovereignty of Canada and Mexico while benefiting most of the US corporate giants. Protesters held a "people's summit" against the fourth SPP summit in New Orleans aimed at promoting resistance against the corporate-sponsored initiative. Connie Fogal of the Canadian Action Party has termed SPP as a hostile attack on the democracy and operations of Canada, Mexico and the US government. Without regard to the Congress, House of Commons or Canadians, the US and Canada governments have deployed military operations such as the US Northern Command (NORTHCOM) established in October 2002 in Canada. These militarization measures by the SPP are illustrations that things could get worse if the American interests were jeopardized, especially with the military agents operating freely in those countries.

APA Complicit in CIA Torture

American Psychological Association (APA) leaders assembled a task-force to investigate allegations that the CIA and US military were working with psychologists in developing crude investigation methods. Within just two days of investigation, the ten-member task force concluded that their professionals were offering vital assistance to the US agents. The members were prohibited from disclosing the proceedings, including attendees. The deliberations were kept a secret for 12 months until Salon.com revealed that the voting was biased. Out of nine voting members, six were from the intelligence and military agencies directly linked with CIA black sites and Guantanamo interrogations operating out of Geneva Conventions.

A month after Salon's publication of the psychologists' involvement in CIA training of brutal investigation techniques, Vanity Fair further exposed the participation and creation of interrogation programs to be used in Iraqi and Afghanistan. In 2008, the Washington Post published an article citing how the US government continued to abuse the rights of detainees by such methods as sleep deprivation, sexual humiliation and exposure to stress. Investigation reports by the DOJ concerning the allegations confirmed that the National Security Council failed to act upon FBI claims of CIA involvement with brutal interrogation techniques.

In light of further allegations and evidence of psychologists helping design lethal interrogation tactics without regard for human rights, the Psychological Ethics and National Security (PENS) task force were created. Among the evidence tabled was the involvement of two psychologists Jams Elmer Mitchel and Bruce Jessen who both worked in the Survival, Evaluation, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) military training program. The two psychologists were accused of reverse-engineering a training program that conditioned captured soldiers to withstand in enemy hands. The classified program was meant to be applied to the suspects caught in the "global war on terror". However, the task force defended its professionals, arguing that they should help the military in security concerns. The move has since seen more application of the brutal interrogation techniques which include waterboarding being used demonstrating a complete disregard for humanity and a decayed conscience of the US.

While the American Medical Association and American Psychiatric Association which banned their professionals from being involved in military programs since 2006, APA still allows its almost 150,000 members participation in the interrogation programs. Of course, the conclusions of the task force were pre-determined by high powers in the Department Of Justice as Dr Jean Maria Arrigo, civilian PENS member asserted. APA president Gerald Koocher highly controlled PENS task force decisions and deliberations. Majority of the members also represented DOJ interests and only stamped what was stated: redefining torture within the US jurisdiction and not the international definition and involvement of psychologists in the interrogations.

The APA policy has aroused a lot of anger among psychologists who perceive the involvement as enabling torture. During the APA annual convention, a moratorium was presented to the representative Council amending the APA resolution restating that the role of the association was advancing the discipline as a science and profession that promotes education, health and welfare. The involvement of APA members in the deprivation of detainee rights in interrogations should, therefore, be limited.