Chalmers Johnson: The 'Rape' Of Okinawa

[babylonsister]

The 'Rape' Of Okinawa

By Chalmers Johnson



07/03/08 "Asia Times" -- -- It all seemed deadly familiar: an adult, 38-year-old US Marine sergeant accused by the Okinawan police of sexually violating a 14-year-old Okinawan schoolgirl. He claims he did not actually rape her but only forcibly kissed her, as if knocking down an innocent child and slobbering all over her face is OK if you're a representative of the American military forces. The accused marine has now been released because the girl has refused to press charges - perhaps because he is innocent as he claimed or perhaps because she can't face the ignominy of appearing in court.

Let us briefly recall some of the other incidents since the notorious 1995 kidnapping, beating and gang rape of a 12-year-old girl by two marines and a sailor in Kin village, Okinawa. The convicted assailants in that outrage were Marine Private First Class Roderico Harp, Marine Private First Class Kendrick Ledet and Seaman Marcus Gill. Other incidents of bodily harm, intimidation and death continue in Okinawa on an almost daily basis, including hit-and-run collisions between American troops and Okinawans on foot or on auto bikes, robberies and assaults, bar brawls and drunken and disorderly conduct.

On June 29, 2001, a 24-year-old air force staff sergeant, Timothy Woodland, was arrested for publicly raping a 20-year-old Okinawan woman on the hood of a car.

On November 2, 2002, Okinawan authorities took into custody Marine Major Michael J Brown, 41 years old, for sexually assaulting a Filipina barmaid outside the Camp Courtney officer's club.

On May 25, 2003, Marine Military Police turned over to Japanese police a 21-year-old lance corporal, Jose Torres, for breaking a 19-year-old woman's nose and raping her, once again in Kin village.

In early July 2005, a drunken air force staff sergeant molested a 10-year-old Okinawan girl on her way to Sunday school. He at first claimed to be innocent, but then police found a photo of the girl's nude torso on his cell phone.

After each of these incidents and innumerable others that make up the daily police blotter of Japan's most southerly prefecture, the commander of US forces in Okinawa, a Marine Corps lieutenant general, and the American ambassador in Tokyo, make public and abject apologies for the behavior of US troops.

more...

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19481.htm

[IndyOp]

1. K&R. Its all in a day's work for the emporers. (n/t)

[stillcool]

2. Great writer..

every time I read one of his books, articles, I am stunned by my ignorance.
Edited to add his page on Third World Traveler: http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Chalmers_Johnson/Chalmers_Johnson_page.html

[Johnny Potpie]

3. Ahhh...

The price of empire. Why do we even need to have our stormtroopers in Okinawa nowadays? I thought we were too busy stealing oil in the ME???:eyes:

[PDJane]

4. Because the American Empire

is all about showing the military face, all over the globe. That is the face of America that the world sees. It's rather depressing, but explains why the entire world hasn't simply yanked the UN out of the US and put sanctions and limits on the "American way of life."

[Agony]

5. In reading CJ prepare to have any illusion of shine on US foreign policy destroyed...

You know...the city on the hill stuff you learned in high school.
Thanks for the post. I am chewing my way through the CJ "trilogy".

Blowback (pub before 9/11)
The Sorrows of Empire (04)
Nemesis, The Last Days of the American Republic (06)

Video intro to CJ ---->http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7303977515865379321

[yowzayowzayowza]

6. Okinawa is not being raped.

I've lived there. Sofa & policy are certainly overdue for review, but smearing the 100,000 troops with those four incidents is disgusting ... as if the sum total of our participation in their country is mayhem. Japanese living "cheek-by-jowl" ... color me surprised. :eyes: