NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #3/NN_1993_3.iso/spool/misc/activism/progress/10349

Text File | 1993-01-25 | 9.1 KB | 192 lines

Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive
Path: sparky!uunet!gatech!asuvax!ukma!mont!pencil.cs.missouri.edu!rich
From: Hank Roth <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUSH Pardons his own
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Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 23:44:23 GMT
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<<< via P_news/p.news >>>
{From THE WORKERS' ADVOCATE, the theoretical-political newspaper
of the Marxist-Leninist Party, USA, P.O. Box 8706, Emeryville, Ca
94662}

LAWS DON'T APPLY TO IMPERIALISTS

On December 24, Bush pardoned six former Reagan administration
officials involved in the Iran-contra scandal. Thus Reagan's
Secretary of Defense, Casper Weinberger, and the CIA's Duane R.
Clarridge were saved from facing trial on charges related to
their lies to Congress. The four others pardoned had already been
tried and convicted although the punishment they faced amounted
to little more than a slap on the wrist. This includes ex-
Assistant Secretary of State Elliot Abrams, Reagan's National
Security Advisor Robert McFarlane, and CIA officials Clair George
and Alan G. Fiers, Jr.

REMEMBER THE IRAN-CONTRA AFFAIR?

So the travesty continues. The Reagan-Bush administration
organizes a plot to sell arms to Iran to fund a secret, illegal
network to support the contra army in Nicaragua. At that time the
contras are waging a war against the people of Nicaragua, seeking
revenge on the 1979 revolution that overthrew the U.S.-backed
dictator Somoza. The operation is run right out of the White
House by Colonel Ollie North who tranples any law that gets in
his way.

When the scandal comes to light, investigations were begun by the
White House, which cleared itself of any wrong-doing. Then there
were more investigations by Congress, and finally by independent
prosecutor Lawrence Walsh. Charges and trials take place. But
although tons of evidence point in their direction, Reagan and
Bush are left alone. North winds up having his conviction
overturned on appeal on absurd technicalities. Others have
charges dismissed or get sentenced to probation. Only one of the
14 indicted on charges had yet to see a day in jail. Now Bush has
put the crowning touch on this spectable.

THE BUSH DOCTRINE: ANY CRIME IS OK FOR "PATRIOTS"

In explaining his pardons, Bush announced that the Iran-contra
criminals should not be punished because "their motivation--
whether their actions were right or wrong -- was PATRIOTISM".
In other words, Bush declared that he and his cronies should be
able to get away with anything -- and this "anything" just
happens to include funding arson and murder inside Nicaragua and
printing a manual on how to commit sabotage and assassination --
in the name of patriotism. If the policy happens to be illegal,
so what --- carry it out in secret.

Of course, this is nothing new for the White House and the
Pentagon. It is business as usual. But Bush's pardons expose the
fiary tales about being "a nation of laws." Bush has declared the
real principles that guide the ruling class.

Meanwhile, Bush and his pals are crying that any charges brought
by the special prosecutor Walsh amount to "the criminalization of
policy differences." What twisted logic! Reagan and Bush carry
out a policy of arming contras to kill those Nicaraguans who
disagree with them. And then they complain of the
"criminalization of policy differences"?

Of course, Bush and his pals are only referring to policy
differences among American politicans. No one else is supposed to
have any right to a policy of their own. But even here, the
hypocrisy is evident. How can Bush complain that the "policy
differences" should have been debated, rather than being the
subject of court proceedings, when the whole point is that Reagan
and Bush kept these dirty deals secret?

IS THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR A TYRANT?

To hear Bush and his cohorts tell it, the special prosecutor is a
powerful tyrant bullying his helpless "patriots." Why an ordinary
Republican like Walsh should have a vendetta against a Republican
White house is something Bush doesn't bother to explain.

For that matter, the public was told over and over that the law
on special prosecutors was created to restore confidence in the
government; the special prosecutors are supposed to investigate
criminal activity in the executive branch. The special
prosecutors date back to when the Watergate scandal concerning
the crimes of then President Richard Nixon were fresh in
everyone's memory. But now, during the contragate scandal, Bush's
complaint is that the special prosecutor actually showed a bit of
energy in going after the wrongdoers. What a devastating
criticism.

Actually, if the pardons show anything, it is how easy it is for
the high and mighty to turn the special prosecutor's office into
a joke. Even when Walsh was able to overcome all the Shite
Houes's obstructions and get a few convictions, Bush could undo
it all with a wave of his pen.

And take the ongoing refusal of Bush and Weinberger to turn over
to Walsh those parts of their notes which reportedly refute
Bush's lies about being "out of the loop" while the illegal acts
were taking place. This is anohter example of hot top
administration officials have been able to keep covering up their
role in the scandal for years on end.

WHY REAGAN AND BUSH COULD GET AWAY WITH MURDER

Why is it that after six years of investigations, the cover-up
continues and top officials escape punishment?

Yes, Bush did his best to obstruct them. But the truth is
Congress too didn't want the full truth revealed. The
Congressional investigations gave the Democrats a chance to show
their stuff. But rather than let the chips fall where they may,
the chairman of the Senate investigation, Senator Inouye (D-
Hawaii), confessed that the committee's "first priority ws to
make sure we didn't get into Reagan-bashing."

The politicans still remembered the Watergate scandal that had
brought down then President Richard Nixon. This scandal didn't
just bring the Republican administration of Nixon into ill-
repute, but shook many government institutions and brought out
too much dirty linen. The politicans didn't want to go through it
all again. So the Democrats didn't want to push things too far.
They just wanted to use the Iran-contra hearings to put a bit of
pressure on Reagan and Bush to work a bit more closely with
Congress. The crimes would be all forgiven -- after all, one
doesn't maintain a world empire without breaking a few eggs, or
heads as the case may be --- if only Reagan and Bush would be a
bit more diplomatic.

This is why the Democrats could never find the "smoking gun" even
while they were inspecting warehouses overflowing with hot and
direty weapons. This is why they gave immunity right and left to
Reagan and Bush officials, and helped obstruct Walsh's
investigations. And this is why they weren't that upset by Bush's
pardons, with prominent leaders like Speaker of the House Tom
Foley approving them in advance consultation with the White
House.
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