For several years now, the law itself has been under assault by the most powerful actors on the planet. The way this works is popularly known as "Do it first, apologize later." 47 nee 45 (almost certain to return to the White House) didn't start this trend, but carried it quite far while he could, pardoning mass-murderers and so forth.
As proof-of-concept, or I guess we call it gain-of-function now, the Biden administrations policies are more or less the equivalent of shooting somebody on Fifth Avenue and staring down the the International Court of Justice. Daring the SCOTUS or Justice Department to lift a finger isn't even necessary anymore. In fact, forget apologies. And if anybody who matters doesn't like it, just double down. It seems to have become a status symbol, the very definition of "f*k-you-money": enough to secede from the human species. An exclusive club for people who can get away with anything...or maybe their fall-guys.
In a stunning variation on this, charges are brought against anyone for actions that are quite legal, like being a journalist. "See something, say something," they urged. Julian Assange took them at their word, and may well be dropped down the old oubliette for a level of journalistic integrity his pre-punishment is designed to extirpate.
Now, somebody is finally saying something, and they are people who matter. They've paid heavy dues on battlefields where many of them were conscripted, and lives are still being lost. Even survivors lost their lives, and then their families, who struggle on under burdens they cannot comprehend. Some of find new life. It's always possible, with human beings.
Veterans for Peace has written a letter to Anthony Blinken and his staff, demanding immediate suspension of arms shipments to Israel, citing numerous egregious violations of national and international laws, and reminding them that in the United States of America, "Genocide is punishable by fines, imprisonment up to life, or the death penalty, depending on circumstances."
The letter quotes US Law extensively. The Genocide Prevention Act does indeed mention the death penalty:
The War Crimes Act, 18 U.S.C. - 2441,34 via sundry acts of complicity. Punishment for Basic Offense.--
The punishment for an offense under subsection (a) is--
- in the case of an offense under subsection (a)(1), where death results, by death or imprisonment for life and a fine of not more than $1,000,000, or both; and
- a fine of not more than $1,000,000 or imprisonment for not more than twenty years, or both, in any other case.
(c) Incitement Offense.-- Whoever directly and publicly incites another to violate subsection (a) shall be fined not more than $500,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
See also the federal aiding and abetting statute, 18 U.S.C. - 2(a) and (b).
18 U.S.C. 2441(a) Offense.-- Whoever, whether inside or outside the United States, commits a war crime, in any of the circumstances described in subsection (b), shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for life or any term of years, or both, and if death results to the victim, shall also be subject to the penalty of death.
The letter goes on:
"...vetting and investigations required by the Leahy Laws, Arms Control Export Act, and Foreign Assistance Act arguably might comprise either direct acts in support of genocide, or aiding and abetting genocide. Genocide is punishable by fines, imprisonment up to life, or the death penalty, depending on circumstances."
In the face of full-spectrum politicizing, demonizing, fear-mongering media blitz (the relentless manifestation of denial), these ordinary citizens, who have reason to know so much more about the real issues than they ever wanted to know, are unequivocal.
"Unless no one in the entire U.S. State Department has seen the news in the last four months, they have to be aware of Israel's illegal activity. But just in case, our letter to the Inspector General spells it out in chapter and verse. We believe the State Department - from the Secretary down to every staff person working on arms transfers to Israel - is in criminal violation of U.S. statutes regarding how U.S. weaponry can be used. There's no 'Israel exception' that makes it okay for U.S. weapons to be used in genocide even if it's labeled self-defense."
--Mike Ferner, National Director, VFP
It's hard to see how genocide can be denied, much less justified, much less doubled-down now. But it's a substantial portion of the global economy, hundreds of thousands of jobs. Just about every Congressional district is, well, implicated. And implicated is a problem. Implicated, in that my car runs on this industry, that runs on mass murder. It keeps the lights on. So accusing the administration of war crimes may be a very heavy lift. Maybe the law will stand up to this catastrophe.
But it means, too, that none of us are spectators now. The issue is central to civilization as we know it. It's like microplastics, now in every cell of every living being on Earth. It means we have to deal with it in our own souls. If we disavow, instead of continuing merely to deny genocide; if we see that we are confronted with the necessity of repudiating this most heinous of crimes; then we now have to say something. If not, we will lose that on which we cannot put a value.
We are confronted with that necessity. The law is a lot of words on paper that has no will of its own. We are each caught red-handed, red-faced, each of us burning children alive just to get to work and back, just to put our own kids through school, just to pay for "healthcare." We're all in this together, and if we're going to get out of it, climbing over each other won't do. We will have to get each other out of it, together.
Let's not act like cannibal horror-movie zombies, and turn on our accusers. We are our own accusers. There is nobody else to blame. Instead, we can stop it.
