Underlying what passes for “foreign policy” these days is the assumption that America can do whatever it pleases – invade and occupy Iraq, invade Afghanistan, send drones zooming around the world to assassinate whoever we please (fingers crossed of course, that said drone hits the right target but hey, shit happens) and now invade Pakistan.

And while we see considerable outrage over the “play our way or we’re taking our ball” approach to money markets, there’s hardly a whimper as the same thieves act with the same disregard with people’s lives around the world.

The latest adventurism of the Bush administration – as we mentioned last week – is escalating in Pakistan – all while Bush talking heads assure the new Pakistani government that we would never, ever, really, never do any such thing:

In an official statement by the US embassy, spokesman Lou Fintor said, “Admiral Mullen reiterated US commitment to respect Pakistan’s sovereignty and to develop further US-Pakistani co-operation and co-ordination on these critical issues that challenge the security and well-being of the people of both countries.”

Well, hardly ever:

LAHORE: The United States drones continued their flights over various areas of North and South Waziristan on Friday, creating panic and fear among the locals. According to Express News, the US spy planes were seen flying over Ghulam Khan, Hamzoni, Ditta Khel and Mir Ali areas of North Waziristan and Angoor Adda and Mateen areas of South Waziristan. According to the channel, the continued drone flights have increased fear among locals, already worried about the security situation in their areas.

Meanwhile, back in those other sovereign nations Iraq and Afghanistan, the American air war remains deadly for civilians. In Afghanistan, where villagers are offering to dig up the remains of the 90 women and children killed in last month’s air raid and where another 5 children were killed just this past week, the results are all too clear:

"We are poor farmers. We had absolutely no opinion about America five years ago," says Sherafadeen Sadozay, who lost three children and his wife to an aerial attack in the Urozgan Province. "But now we don’t think America is here to help us. If the Taliban will bring peace, we will support them."

In Iraq on Friday, in a move horribly reminiscent of Sarah Palin’s wolf hunts, US forces bombed a civilian house then chased the 5 men and 3 women who fled the bombing by helicopter and shot them:

"The American forces surrounded my cousin’s house then they bombed it," he said. "I was watching from my roof through a hole in the wall. The American forces lit the place with flashlights. I saw my cousin with his wife escape from the back yard, when the American helicopter shot them and killed them immediately."

As Alexas says over at Never in Our Names:

American voters, don’t elect any more wanna-be messiahs, okay? They always take their hostages to misfortune along for the ride. That’d be us. And I for one want off the holy roller coaster.

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A request: Thursday September 25th is a Day of Prayer, Fasting and Witness for the Millennium Development Goals – and also World MDC Blogging Day. Please help to keep the MDGs in the public eye and join this worldwide day.

Related posts:

  1. Intelligence Shortfalls And The Waziristan Offensive
  2. Changing of the Guard: US Troops Withdraw from Iraqi Cities; Maliki Declares “Sovereignty Day”
  3. You Got To Move
  4. Perriello’s Health Care Town Hall: Fear and Respect in VA-5
  5. US Contractors Held in Iraqi Jail for Green Zone Murder