Pentagon 'Shocked' by Old War Crimes, Conveniently Forgets New Ones
The Intercept’s dive into retired Special Forces soldier Mark Kelly's fight to get the Pentagon to care about Vietnam-era atrocities is compelling. It’s an exposé of the military's decades-long pattern of covering up civilian deaths. Yet, while we salute Kelly's dogged persistence for historical justice, the silence on contemporary Pentagon-funded violence is deafening. The U.S. House of
Representatives, for instance, just pushed through HR 8038 providing an additional $26.4 billion to Israel (House Vote Roll Call 117, April 20, 2024), a sum that includes billions for military aid. This is the same military aid that enables the ongoing slaughter in Gaza, where 14,000 children have been killed, according to UNICEF. One might wonder if the Pentagon's institutional memory for
'crimes' only activates years, even decades, after the fact. It seems the machine processes accountability on a delayed feedback loop, ensuring today's atrocities remain well-funded and officially 'unconfirmed' until the public's attention has moved on. Perhaps Kelly should wait until 2060 to ask about accountability for Gaza; by then, maybe the Pentagon will find the time to care.