From: Andrew Lang <lang@igc.apc.org>
Subject: Protest US Troops to Somalia
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: daemon@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: ?
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 13:24:57 GMT

/* Written 12:57 am  Dec 12, 1992 by peacenet@igc.apc.org in igc:pn.alerts */
/* ---------- "Protest US Troops to Somalia" ---------- */
From: <peacenet>
Subject: Protest US Troops to Somalia

From afreeman Thu Dec 10 17:10:30 1992
From: Andrew Freeman <afreeman>

           NATIONALLY-COORDINATED DEMONSTRATIONS MON., DEC. 21 TO 
                    PROTEST U.S. OCCUPATION OF SOMALIA

                 What's Wrong With U.S. Troops in Somalia?
     Since the U.S. could certainly have mounted a massive international
relief effort and airlift to flood Somalia with food, but decided instead
to use 30,000 troops to militarily take over the country, the big question
is: What are the real U.S. motives in this operation?
     The International Action Center believes that a primary purpose of the
Pentagon operation is to turn Somalia into a strategic military base along
the Red Sea/Suez Canal shipping route so that the U.S. can tighten its
domination over the vast oil resources in the Middle East. This was a
central aim of the war against Iraq that resulted in over 200,000 Iraqi
deaths.

     The Pentagon also wants to use the operation as a "paid political
advertisement" to justify its annual $300 billion budget in the
post-Cold War era. They are resisting the demands of millions of working
and poor people who are demanding that money be spent for jobs, healthcare,
education, and housing -- instead of weapons of mass destruction.

                  Racism and Colonialism Go Hand in Hand
     In a move that smacks of old-style colonial domination, the U.S.
didn't bother to consult one Somali traditional leader or political and
military figure about the occupation of their country. This is a basic
issue, yet the government and media justified its action by labeling every
leader a "warlord" and every armed unit in Somalia "gun-toting thugs."

     General Colin Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
announcing the operation said: "We wanted to put in a large enough force
that we could dominate the entire country." As soon as the troops arrived,
they started arresting Somalis and conducting massive door-to-door searches
to disarm or arrest those who might be perceived as potential opponents of
the U.S. takeover. Does this sound like a humanitarian relief effort?

     Soldiers have been told they can shoot anyone who "they perceive as a
threat." This is particularly dangerous in an atmosphere where Somali youth
are being called "mad dogs" and "strung out druggies" by racist officers
who are briefing the troops. Typical of this extreme racist thinking, the
Wall Street Journal editorialized on Dec. 7, "U.S. security forces won't
have to read teenaged thugs their Miranda Rights, as they must
for the Crips and Bloods in south-central Los Angeles."

     Ironically, the initial result of the U.S. military operation has been
to shut down many relief operations by ordering foreign relief workers to
stay indoors for at least 48 hours, gravely affecting hundreds of thousands
of hungry people. Rather than spending billions on military occupation, the
people of Somalia and all of Africa deserve reparations from western
countries that got rich from centuries of colonialism, plunder and
enslavement.

This statement is issued by the International Action Center which is
holding nationally- coordinated demonstrations against the U.S. occupation
of Somalia on Monday, Dec. 21, 1992, in Boston, Washington, D.C., San
Francisco (Powell & Market Sts.), New York (Herald Square) and other
cities. For more information or to get involved, call (415) 821-6545 (San
Francisco Bay Area) or (212) 633-6646 (New York).