Monday, May 28, 2012

May 28, 2012

On this Memorial Day, Blair's testimony in a London courtroom was interrupted with cries of "WAR CRIMINAL!!!" -- a perfect reminder that we should remember the leaders who lied to start wars and who forced unnecessary sacrifices we sadly memorialize -- on this day. 
 
David Lawley-Wakelin, a freelance documentary film maker, entered the courtroom from behind a curtain and shouted quickly, while he had the chance: "Excuse me. This man should be arrested for war crimes. JP Morgan paid him off for the Iraq war; three months after we invaded Iraq they held up the Iraq bank for £20bn. He was then paid $6m every year, and still is, from JP Morgan, six months after he left office. The man is a war criminal."
 

(Photo from the Huffington Post site)
 
See video here.
 
To honor those who lost their lives, we can and should hold these leaders responsible. There is no statute of limitations for war criminals. Augusto Pinochet was arrested 30 years after his crimes. So, the truth is that Bush, Cheney, and Blair can never rest easy. (To learn more, there's this significant Fresh Air interview with Phillipe Sands .)
My thanks to today's courageous protestor, David Lawley-Wakelin.
 
This is not Mr. Lawley-Wakelin's first public accusal of Tony Blair.  He was previously interviewed on the BBC's Question Time where he accused Blair of being a liar prepared to kill for oil.  He has also made a 45 minute documentary called The Alternative Iraq Enquiry.
 
Mr Lawley-Wakelin will not be prosecuted.