5 Acts of Terror By the People We Chose to Protect Us

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http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/5-acts-terror-people-we-chose-protect-us



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1. War Terror

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In the first Iraqi war, two air missions per minute were conducted over 43 days, with the equivalent of seven Hiroshima bombsdropped on a largely defenseless country. Much of the slaughter was caused by "dumb bombs" that fell on civilian areas. U.S. troops attacked retreating Iraqi soldiers with cluster bombs and napalm as American pilots, adopting metaphors such as 'turkey shoot' and 'fish in a barrel,' conducted target practice from above. Some Iraqis were buried alive by bulldozers that spread tons of sand over them.

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2. Drone Terror

In Pakistan, civilians can hear the droning in the sky all day long. Said one resident: "I can't sleep...when the drones are there...I hear them making that sound, that noise. The drones are all over my brain." A humanitarian worker added, "I was in New York on 9/11...This is what it is like."

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3. Unconstitutional Terror

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Since 9/11, numerous measures have been employed in the name of national security: The Patriot Act, Homeland Security, the National Security Agency, and the National Defense Authorization Act. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act has facilitated the monitoring of foreign communications in the name of anti-terrorism.

4. Terror against Opponents of Unconstitutional Terror

In 1778 the Continental Congress created the first whistleblower protection law by declaring "it is the duty of all persons in the service of the United States to give the earliest information to Congress or other proper authority of any misconduct, frauds, or misdemeanors committed by any officers or persons in the service of these states."