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10.09.09 - 9:24 PM
A Price Too High, A Hand Too Bloody
Six-and-a-half years and too many deaths after Tony Blair sent British troops into Iraq, a commemorative service for those killed turned into a searing critique of the war after the Archbishop of Canterbury blasted policymakers who went to war "without really measuring the price" and the father of a dead soldier refused to shake Blair's hand, calling him "a war criminal." Peter Brierley, whose son Shaun died in 2003, has since become an anti-war activist.
"I'm not shaking your hand. You've got blood on it." – Peter Brierley to Tony Blair.
25 Comments so far
Show AllThese people have the choice to join up to our imperialist, death machine.
The kids we drop bombs on or kill as "collateral" damage do not.
Im sorry but its your choice "boys" and this father should have acted like a real man and stopped his child from joing the army in the first place.
Shoulda, coulda, woulda, is very easy to say.
In the ideal, a father would be happy to see his son go off to serve the country.
In this case, the father did not realize that it was a war based upon a fraud. Had he fully understood that, perhaps the son would not have joined.
why did he wait 6 and 1/2 years?
I highly doubt he had the opportunity to shake Mr Blairs hand in those 6 and a half years and suggest that had he come out against mr Blair before that, he would never have gotten the opportunity.
The MOMENT was all the more telling because of that.
The policy of aggression against the people of Iraq will be a blight on the soul of all the nations involved for years to come. It was all about oil nothing else. I am not just talking about the George W. Bush war but all the policies against the people of Iraq long before George W. Bush became president. I will never understand how the U.N. went along with the cruel economic sanctions against Iraq after Iraq had been bombed into the stone age. They all have blood on their hands. The suffering of the Iraqi children who died long, slow, painful, deaths during the sanctions will haunt me as long as I live. The world owes the people of Iraq an apology and reparation.
England and the West are reaping what was sown over the last four or five hundred years of colonial empire. When oil became necessary for the industrial revolution, the Arabs became useful because huge amounts of oil were discovered in and under their sands. We have been interfering with these people and their religion ever since. Basically, what we've done is set up means for stealing all this wealth. The result is the impoverishment of Arabs and other Muslims and as a reaction the degradation of their religion into its most reactionary and fundamentalist forms. In our arrogance and greed we have ignored the fact that Islam and its peoples represent a civilization at least as advanced as ours, and instead have treated them like barbarians. We not only owe Iraq an apology and reparation, we owe the entire Muslims culture an apology and reparation.
I have always admired Tony Blair and President Obama but I do not understand their support of the war in Afghanistan.
The Indians nor the British nor the Russians could win there. Whatever made President Obama think they could be successful.
We should have helped the Russians when they were there. At least the gave a lot of freedom and education to the women there. It was worth supporting, but of course we didn't.
We refused to help the French in Vietnam but later went in ourselves to the defeat we will almost assuredly see again in Afghanistan.
It is way past time that The whole world realized that WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER.
the US financed the French in Vietnam through "foreign aid."
Thank you, war is not the answer, yet love of money, power, and privilege seem to forever drive this force' ...
As my British ancestors would say "good on" the Arch Bishop of Canterbury and this decent soul who lost his son in this misadventure of and wrong headed war for a pack of lies. Tony Blair, we're talking to you, and "thanks" as well for wrecking the once great British Labor Party.
AD
Peter Brierley, I salute you and admire you! You have my entire respect.
It's high time that criminals the likes of Tony Blair be told what they really are and then be tried for their massive crimes against humanity.
"I'm not shaking your hand. You've got blood on it." – Peter Brierley to Tony Blair.
Truth to Power.
Respect.
Well done.
Bring America Back !!!!.........!....I sure would like to shake hands with Peter Brierley for these reasons, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, as well .
****And a great big Hug would also be in order !
Both the British and American leadership are just dripping with blood on their hands and faces ! May they be condemned for what they have done !
Another 'Casey' to complicate life for war criminals?
Just wait for Tony B. Liar to assend the throne of EU Presidency.
Blair should be prosecuted and there should be plenty of activist attorneys who can tie up this mans life until his deathbed in courts and hardship.
There is no room for this kind of person at any level of responsibility in the world short of mopping latrines.
Blair should be dragged through the international court system or perhaps rendered extraordinarily to a far away place where he can, under the persuasive effects of coercion, explain how he participated in the genocide of the Iraqi people.
Yes, he should have a few confessions extracted in the "usual British way."
Now is this a way to treat a public school good old boy? He speaks perfect English, he has good manners, and he is very accomplished politically. Why, I would set this sly old fox to guard the hen house any day. Mopping latrines, indeed!
If someone spoke to the annointed ex-pres. g w bush in that way the us press would vilify them as un-patriotic, un-american for showing such disrespect.
As if that war criminal, ignorant puppet of the corporate state had EARNED one iota of respect.
Good for Peter Brierley! We need more like him.
Ditto!
There was something missing from yesterday's criticisms of Bliar. Or rather some people. The million and more iraqis who died. All the soldiers killed had chosen their occupation. They were not conscripts, but professional soldiers who loved their work - work that is centred on death. Most of the Iraqis killed were civilians - collateral damage. They should have been explicitly acknowledged.
Great comment !
A Price Too High, A Hand Too Bloody
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Coincidentally, this headline also works as a concise criticism of Obama's Nobel Prize.
· Yr Obd't Servant
Everyone, everywhere - whenever you get the golden opportunity to publicly denounce these horrific criminals - TAKE IT!
Thanks so much to Peter Brierley for your brave act.
And blood gushes unchecked from US middle eastern oil derricks and into the blood for oil reservoirs of the hurricane lamps lighting the heart of its dark neocolonial world!