Coal in Powell

[mojo filters]

The former Secretary of State and Chair of the Joint Chiefs just passed away from Covid related complications at Walter Reed hospital.

First Black Secretary of State, first Black Chair of the Joint Chiefs, 4 Star General serving for 35 years, first Black National Security Advisor.

Forever tainted by his reluctant participation in starting the 2003 Iraq war sadly, however remembered fondly as a great public servant. He served in the Reagan presidential administration, as well as Bushes 41 and 43.

[robhug]

rip Co Lynn

his military career was pretty good but he could have improved it by being a bit more specific

[Indomitable Spirit]

nearly there

[Fambo Number Mive]

Also helped cover up the My Lai massacre in Vietnam:

...Those attitudes governed Powell's small role in the Army's cover-up of atrocities in the March 16, 1968, My Lai massacre, in which 500 defenseless Vietnamese civilians, mostly women, children, infants and old men, were brutalized and murdered by soldiers of the Americal Division's 11th Infantry Brigade three months before Powell joined the brigade.

Within hours, word of the disturbing incidents at My Lai spread up the chain of command, reaching the Americal commander, Maj. Gen. Samuel Koster, Gettys' predecessor.  Koster's senior deputy recommended a formal investigation, but the Americal commander instead directed brigade commander Henderson, Powell's soon-to-be superior, to conduct an "informal and quiet" investigation. Henderson suspected that his soldiers had killed a large number of civilians, but he conducted a superficial and biased investigation to satisfy his superiors.

The brigade's after-action report and Henderson's April 24 written account brazenly praised the unit involved for killing more than 100 Viet Cong soldiers.

In late November 1968, just before his tour ended, Spc. 4 Tom Glen of the 3rd Infantry, 11th Brigade, penned an eight-page letter to the top U.S. commander in Vietnam, Gen. Creighton Abrams. Glen's scathing broadside, which did not mention My Lai specifically, stated: "Far beyond merely dismissing the Vietnamese as 'slopes' or 'gooks,' in both deed and thought, too many American soldiers seem to discount their very humanity; and with this attitude inflict upon the Vietnamese citizenry humiliations, both psychological and physical . . . [And] fire indiscriminately into Vietnamese homes and without provocation or justification."

Several Americal officers, including Powell, were ordered to respond to Glen's accusations. In a memorandum, Glen's former commanding officer, Lt. Col. Albert L. Russell, dismissed the substance of the letter and condemned Glen as a coward who waited to level his charges until he rotated out of his unit.

Powell followed Russell's lead. He wrote that it was "unfortunate that SP4 Glen did not bring these allegations to his immediate superiors or the IG [inspector general] prior to the end of his tour." Powell admitted that there might be "isolated cases of mistreatment" of civilians but boasted that "in direct refutation of [Glen's] portrayal is the fact that relations between Americal soldiers and the Vietnamese people are excellent" (emphases added).

In Powell's 1995 autobiography he did not mention the Glen letter and his whitewashed response to it. Moreover, he chose not to make any reference to his close association with Henderson, who had extolled Powell's performance.

Powell's 1968 memorandum responding to Glen's letter grossly and intentionally exaggerated the state of friendly relations between U.S. soldiers and South Vietnamese civilians...

Powell's book defended the practice of shooting male peasants from helicopters. If Vietnamese men, he wrote, wore "black pajamas," "looked remotely suspicious" and "moved" after a warning shot, they were killed. "Brutal?" Powell asked. "Maybe so. . . . The kill-or-be-killed nature of combat tends to dull fine perceptions of right and wrong."...

https://www.historynet.com/colin-powell-the-vietnam-war-years.htm

[selectivememory]

"A great public servant" lmao

[idunnosomename]

Just heard the news and was like haha nice.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Liberal blue tick journalists gushing over him on Twitter.

[mojo filters]

"A great public servant" lmao

His career overall was notably trailblazing. Right now Richard Hass (chair of council on foreign relations) is eulogising on our break-in to the 8am repeats. I'm just reporting the basic facts, obviously his most notable public service is cause for controversy.

[bgmnts]

May he be carried on angel's wings to the gates of paradise.

[idunnosomename]

A riposte to the ol "Brits have bad teeth" thing gone. rip you incompetent warmongering coward

[Thursday]

Remember his name was Colin like the guy from The Brittas Empire, no matter what Americans like to pretend the pronunciation is.

[Wonderful Butternut]

But guys, the man is like dead. Y'know? Not alive anymore. That's tragic that a 84 year old utter cunt is dead. You shouldn't make jokes about it. Have some respect.

I swear this place is becoming such a hard left hate group. CHANGE MY MIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[madhair60]

see ya colin powell mate

[mojo filters]

Remember his name was Colin like the guy from The Brittas Empire, no matter what Americans like to pretend the pronunciation is.

I'm absolutely determined to get the Stew angle into my obit...editors may not like and/or get!

[idunnosomename]

But guys, the man is like dead. Y'know? Not alive anymore. That's tragic that a 84 year old utter cunt is dead. You shouldn't make jokes about it. Have some respect.

I swear this place is becoming such a hard left hate group. CHANGE MY MIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yeah but he had COVID so he probably died quite painfully, like Captain Tom. so lol

[mojo filters]

Interesting perspective from John Heileman's curious media enterprise:

https://mobile.twitter.com/therecount/status/1450079001494659073

[idunnosomename]

War Crimes man, War Crimes man
does whatever War Crimes he can
Lies to the UN, invades Iraq
the establishment's got his back
Look out, here comes War Crimes man!

oh wait he died!! hahaha.

[Petey Pate]

Good thing he didn't get stabbed so we can all have a good laugh about his death.

[chveik]

couldn't be happier with this news

[Shit Good Nose]

Colin Powell is not openly black.  Colin Powell is openly white.  He just happens to be black.

etc

[Harry Badger]

I am delighted to hear of the death of Colin Powell.

[Thursday]

A man is dead

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

A reminder of happier times for white supremacists when black people could be quelled by visibly allowing one or two to have a go on the guns.

[Buelligan]

Liberal blue tick journalists gushing over him on Twitter.

Was he burned to death?

[studpuppet]

It's like the bloke that invented the GIF. Anyone that can't pronounce their own fucking name gets everything they deserve.

[idunnosomename]

J.K. Colin

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Please, people, a man (plus millions of Iraqis and Afghanis) is dead.

[jamiefairlie]

He did kill loads of people but he was just trying to create the rivers of blood that his brother Enoch foretold.

[beanheadmcginty]

Colin in the deep

[rack and peanut]

Thrownin Towell