Bush calls for militarism and repression at home and abroad By MC17 President Bush spoke to an emergency joint meeting of Congress on September 20. Called to address the attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, this was the first such emergency address by a President in 60 years. Bush used the opportunity to call for increasing militarism abroad and repression at home. Bush started off by correctly recognizing that governments that aid and abet murder should be held responsible for committing murder. "By aiding and abetting murder, the Taliban regime is committing murder." And MIM turns this around to President Bush pointing out that the u.s. is the biggest murderer in the world. The Amerikan government has a long history of aiding and abetting murderous regimes throughout the world, financing military attacks on the people of Colombia, openly bombing the people of Iraq, helping to overthrow the legitimately elected government in Chile (to establish a military regime that murdered tens of thousands of people). The U.$. finances and provides the military support for reactionary governments, willing to do the bidding of the Amerikan government, throughout the world. The Amerikan government does not care that they are leaving the people living under these reactionary governments to the hands of dangerous militias or starving to death or dying of preventable diseases while those governments spend money on services for the capitalist corporations that come to exploit the people for the profit of Amerika. This sudden concern for aiding and abetting murder is false love of peace by Bush and the murderous Amerikan government. Bush went on to list demands "not open to negotiation of discussion," making it clear that the Taliban would be attacked if they failed to comply: "Deliver to United States authorities all of the leaders of Al Qaeda who hide in your land. Release all foreign nationals, including American citizens you have unjustly imprisoned. Protect foreign journalists, diplomats and aid workers in your country. [A Catch-22. Bush fails to mention that these journalists, diplomats, and workers left Afghanistan because of imminent Amerikan bombing raids. Amerika makes it impossible to keep them safe, and then uses this as a justification for bombing.] Close immediately and permanently every terrorist training camp in Afghanistan. And hand over every terrorist and every person and their support structure to appropriate authorities. ["Every terrorist"? By whose definition? Is everybody who simply "smiled upon hearing of the WTC attacks" a "terrorist," as some reactionary pundits say? If the Taliban did decide to turn over a gaggle of "terrorists," what's to stop the united $tates from simply saying, "Nope, that's not all"?] Give the United States full access to terrorist training camps, so we can make sure they are no longer operating." These demands are so broadly defined as to be impossible. After declaring war on the Taliban Bush forged ahead to declare war on countries throughout the world: "Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there… we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation in every region now has a decision to make: Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists." This leaves no room for anti- imperialism in the equation. Nations are either friends of imperialism or they are friends of terrorism. Bush has effectively declared war on all governments that refuse to bow to Amerika's every wish, as well as on revolutionary movements around the world. And he has been given carte blanche by Congress to use all military means necessary to dispose of these governments and movements. "We will direct every resource at our command -- every means of diplomacy, every tool of intelligence, every instrument of law enforcement, every financial influence, and every necessary weapon of war -- to the destruction and to the defeat of the global terror network." And just to be clear, Bush was willing to put a number on the enemies of Amerika: "There are thousands of these terrorists in more than 60 countries." In effect, President Bush declared war on more than 60 countries last week, demanding that they either surrender to the U.$. or be attacked. Preparing the Amerikan people for a long military campaign devoted to making the world safe for the small number of wealthy who exist at the expense of the majority of the worlds people who are live in poverty, Bush made it clear he does not expect to win this war with a few quick "surgical strikes". "Our response involves far more than instant retaliation and isolated strikes. Americans should not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign unlike any other we have ever seen. It may include dramatic strikes visible on TV and covert operations secret even in success." With an overwhelming majority of Amerikans supporting military action (see MN article "Amerikan public opinion turns to war following attacks"), Bush is taking full advantage of the situation to pursue imperialist domination of the world on an unprecedented scale. Activist groups calling for "justice" for the attacks on Amerika need to keep in mind who is administering this "justice". There is no such thing as abstract justice, it is always within the context of the arbiter of justice and Amerika has declared itself the global police with renewed vigor this week. Any activist calling for justice in the abstract is effectively uniting with u.$. imperialism by giving it an excuse for its campaign of terror against the people of the world. Such abstract calls -- however they may seek to distance themselves from Amerika's war for vengeance -- are concrete betrayals of internationalism. MIM calls for an international peoples tribunal to deal with the terrorists of the world, starting with the biggest terrorists: the U.$. imperialists. Bush went on to make it clear that he also expects to take tighter control of domestic affairs within u.s. borders. The Amerikan people, terrorized by the vision of thousands being killed in New York City, seem ready to accept limitations on civil liberties in a campaign to remove the threat of attacks on imperialism at home. But MIM expects these limitations to target activists who oppose Amerikan government policies, in addition to foreign nationals within the u.s. and in general all people of oppressed nations, the same people targeted by the FBI's internal surveillance programs of the 1960s and 70s. President Bush announced the creation of a Cabinet-level position to coordinate internal repression by the various government agencies: the Office of Homeland Security. And he appointed Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge to this position. Ridge is known to activists as the reactionary governor who has signed more than 200 execution warrants to administer the death penalty during his reign as governor since 1995, including two death warrants for Mumia Abu-Jamal. Ridge campaigned for his second term as governor on a promise to sign Mumia's death warrant. Ridge is the man reactionary enough to win election in the city that brought you the bombing of the MOVE headquarters and more recently the arrest of C. Clark Kissinger for exercising what he thought was his right to free speech at a protest demanding Mumia's freedom. Anti-imperialists should take Bush's speech as a warning that the war at home and abroad is just beginning. We can not afford to be fooled by his declarations of war on terrorism. The U.$. is the biggest terrorist and as long as it continues to act as global police it will continue to aid and abet murder throughout the world.