Chalabigate
"Weapons of Mass Deception"
2004-10-19
Ex-CIA analyst to dissect U.S. war policies
By Kayur Patel
Collegian Staff Writer
Former CIA intelligence analyst and wounded Korean War veteran David MacMichael will address U.S. global human rights violations in a speech at 7 tonight in 119 Osmond Lab.
MacMichael's speech is part of War Crimes Week, a weeklong series of events intending to raise awareness regarding the possible criminality of past and present U.S. government actions, Amnesty International member and speech organizer Pushker Kharecha said.
"A U.S. governmental official has never been held accountable for war crimes," Kharecha said. "The leaders of the Abu Ghraib prison mishandling have never been held accountable."
If you goWhat: "War of Terror: Past and Present U.S. Interventions"Time: 7Date: tonightPlace: 119 Osmond Lab
MacMichael is a member of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), a group of 45 retired intelligence workers dedicated to spreading the message about administrations who misuse intelligence to wage war. Ray McGovern, another former CIA analyst who spoke at Penn State Wednesday, is also a VIPS member.
Kharecha said the former CIA analyst will be giving a non-partisan talk about the human consequences of U.S. foreign interventions in Central America.
Angeliki Vgontzas, Amnesty International co-coordinator, said the group supported MacMichael's talk because it will inform and educate people about human rights violations.
"We thought it would be interesting for Penn State students to learn about human rights violations and their association to U.S. foreign policy though David MacMichael's experience," Vgonpzas said.
Kharecha said people need to be aware that the Bush administration pre-emptive intervention in Iraq is not unprecedented, but it is instead the most recent part of a historical pattern of aggression and intervention.
Kharecha said innocent civilians were killed as a result of previous U.S. campaigns in foreign territory.
"The targets were communists. The targets were lined, in the United States' view, with the Soviet Union. The victims were not communists; the victims were poor people in the third world," said Kharecha, who is also an active member of Amnesty International.
Kharecha said MacMichael's talk will expose the nature of CIA covert operations.
"People need to realize that CIA covert operations are not as glamorous as they are in Hollywood movies," Kharecha said. "Take an honest look at the truth, you will see the sad reality."
Sponsors for MacMichael's talk include Penn State Amnesty International, the Department of Communication Arts & Sciences (CAS), the Department of Science, Technology and Sociology (STS) and the State College Peace Center.
Kharecha said MacMichael headed the drafting of several national intelligence estimates during former President Ronald Reagan's administration.
Lori Bedell, a CAS lecturer, helped organize funding for MacMichael's visit.
"One part of the mission of the department is to provide opportunities for civic engagement," Bedell said. "Since this is non-partisan, this would be advantageous to the department to invoke its mission statement."
Martin Pietrucha, STS program director, said the department was approached because STS has a peace and conflict studies minor.
"When we're in a spot to help students out with speakers, we like to help it," Pietrucha said.
http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2004/10/10-19-04tdc/10-19-04dnews-03.asp
This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Collegian Staff Writer
Former CIA intelligence analyst and wounded Korean War veteran David MacMichael will address U.S. global human rights violations in a speech at 7 tonight in 119 Osmond Lab.
MacMichael's speech is part of War Crimes Week, a weeklong series of events intending to raise awareness regarding the possible criminality of past and present U.S. government actions, Amnesty International member and speech organizer Pushker Kharecha said.
"A U.S. governmental official has never been held accountable for war crimes," Kharecha said. "The leaders of the Abu Ghraib prison mishandling have never been held accountable."
If you goWhat: "War of Terror: Past and Present U.S. Interventions"Time: 7Date: tonightPlace: 119 Osmond Lab
MacMichael is a member of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), a group of 45 retired intelligence workers dedicated to spreading the message about administrations who misuse intelligence to wage war. Ray McGovern, another former CIA analyst who spoke at Penn State Wednesday, is also a VIPS member.
Kharecha said the former CIA analyst will be giving a non-partisan talk about the human consequences of U.S. foreign interventions in Central America.
Angeliki Vgontzas, Amnesty International co-coordinator, said the group supported MacMichael's talk because it will inform and educate people about human rights violations.
"We thought it would be interesting for Penn State students to learn about human rights violations and their association to U.S. foreign policy though David MacMichael's experience," Vgonpzas said.
Kharecha said people need to be aware that the Bush administration pre-emptive intervention in Iraq is not unprecedented, but it is instead the most recent part of a historical pattern of aggression and intervention.
Kharecha said innocent civilians were killed as a result of previous U.S. campaigns in foreign territory.
"The targets were communists. The targets were lined, in the United States' view, with the Soviet Union. The victims were not communists; the victims were poor people in the third world," said Kharecha, who is also an active member of Amnesty International.
Kharecha said MacMichael's talk will expose the nature of CIA covert operations.
"People need to realize that CIA covert operations are not as glamorous as they are in Hollywood movies," Kharecha said. "Take an honest look at the truth, you will see the sad reality."
Sponsors for MacMichael's talk include Penn State Amnesty International, the Department of Communication Arts & Sciences (CAS), the Department of Science, Technology and Sociology (STS) and the State College Peace Center.
Kharecha said MacMichael headed the drafting of several national intelligence estimates during former President Ronald Reagan's administration.
Lori Bedell, a CAS lecturer, helped organize funding for MacMichael's visit.
"One part of the mission of the department is to provide opportunities for civic engagement," Bedell said. "Since this is non-partisan, this would be advantageous to the department to invoke its mission statement."
Martin Pietrucha, STS program director, said the department was approached because STS has a peace and conflict studies minor.
"When we're in a spot to help students out with speakers, we like to help it," Pietrucha said.
http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2004/10/10-19-04tdc/10-19-04dnews-03.asp
This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Milton Frihetsson, 13:55
