News – Starting in 1968, the United States and Britain began forcibly removing 2,000 Chagossian people from an island in the Indian Ocean so the U.S. could build a military base.
the majority of "our" 800 military bases strung around the world have at least some formal agreement with a host country. in this case, we just evicted everyone living there.
Why are you surprised by this? The american "elite" does exactly the same thing with americans. Forcing americans to live in nuclear waste dumps is how you get enough corruption backing to be a presidential candidate.
Senator McCain's history of Human Rights Violations
Do No Evil รข;; The Dineh-Navajo were literally swept off of lands they'd owned since 1500 A.D. by legislations authored by Senator McCain on a ruse that handed the coal beneath them over to the largest unsustainable energy corporation in America. Forced resettlements have led to disease and early death among more than 7,000 of the Dineh-Navajo.
http://donoevil.propeller.com/story/2008/04/02/...
Will there be any "Overlooked" entries featuring items which were originally submitted by mere mortals which deserved more attention than they got, or is this feature just a way to stroke the egos of the Netscape staff?
This "Overlooked" entry is about a story originally submitted by berkeley, not one submitted by the Propeller staff.
Then why doesn't the Dakota give berkley credit? A previous "Overlooked" entry, initially submitted by a "Scout," acknowledged the original contributor. Or is it only staff members that get credit?
Do you think that Dakota is as petty as you are, Neophile? I suppose that's the REAL question.
FTA:
"Diego Garcia may be far away, but Propeller member Berkeley certainly noticed the story on the AntiWar.com site (where Vine's story appeared), one of many web sites that he reads every few days. "It's a story that gives an excellent brief summary of the military take-over, " he writes in email. "And it [covers] the crime of removing the inhabitants, and the CIA prison."
Oscar, did you actually read the story? Dakota gives credit to Berkeley in a paragraph near the end, at which point she also quotes the submitting member. All Overlooked stories now incorporate such contributions--they are intended to spotlight the community. If anybody is being petty here, it's you.
Few erros in the story:
One the american media reports from the island every now and then. (Note the quote saying that they can't get a reporter there)
The people from the Island are the 'Ilois' not 'Chagossian'.
And finally, the origin of the 'Ilois':
Probably the place's prickliest subject is the issue of the 1,200 to 2,000 members of the Ilois, former inhabitants the British moved off the island in the late 1960s. They now live 1,200 miles away on the isle of Mauritus. As the descendants of workers who arrived on the island in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,
And one other note, if you look at the map in the article and then a map of were DG is, you will notice that the map show in the article is not even close.
Until 1971 Diego Garcia had a native population of 2,000 Chagossians or Ilois, descendants of Indian workers and African slaves who had been brought to the island in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to work on the coconut and copra plantations. They lived in three settlements: East Point, the main settlement on the eastern rim of the atoll; Minni Minni; and Pointe Marianne, on the western rim. The islanders were forcibly depopulated to the Seychelles and then to Mauritius amid starvation and intimidation tactics by the UK government. Since their expulsion the Chagossians have continually asserted their right to return to Diego Garcia. In April 2006, 102 Chagossians were allowed to visit Diego Garcia for a week, to tend to graves and visit their birthplaces.
Perhaps not as egregious as this, but in 1941, Hawaii was placed under martial law after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The US Navy, by virtue of their power under martial law, ordered all the residents of the Island of Kahoolawe to vacate the island and used the island for bombing practice. The US military continued using the island for bombing practice many years after the end of WWII until 1990. The island was returned to the Hawaiian people in 1993 after years of pressure from native Hawaiians who fought for its return.
And lets not forget how we acquired Hawaii. It too was a sovereign nation until we used our gunboat diplomacy. I guess we were kind enough then to let the inhabitants stay.
Actually our gunboat diplomacy to steal Hawaii was not too different from now. The American military was used to steal the islands for the benefit of corrupt "plantation" owners. Not too different from our "liberation" of Nicaragua or Iraq.
And lets not forget those pesky native americans as well. The empire is ever expanding... for our benefit of course.
That's another pure example of why economics, land, commodities etc. determine what's Good, and what's evil. It was good to do, because we needed it. It has nothing to do with the Bible or some other ethical guidelines. Just as we project our military might into the world, we always think that we are right no matter the circumstance.
Britain, France and other imperial powers, most especially the USA, find it very easy to tell other countries to give people 'freedom' through independence but ignore the hypocrisy of the indisputable, historical fact that they are without a shadow of a doubt the world's foremost land and resources thieves, and the primary perpetrators of cultural genocide.
This is because all of them have their own agendas. That being the acquisition of the land, resources and strategic importance of those nations that have been or may soon be supposedly 'freed.'
You know, if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and waddles like a duck, it is probably a duck. I don't doubt for a minute the UK and US would pull such crap. They both have a history of doing such. Yes, these islanders ought to be given their island back plus restitution if the events prove even close to being true.
Perhaps we could let them build a casino on the Island where it isn't covered with a military base.
The island, in addition to being one of America's most strategic bases especially in regards to its proximity to the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, is the supposed resort-style living offered to military personnel there. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if there was in fact a casino on Diego Garcia, but it's unlikely to be built or run by anyone other than the US government.
I spent many a time on an aircraft carrier off the coast of Diego Garcia. We never got to disembark. We almost always got our mail and supplies sent to us while we patrolled the waters of the Indian ocean. Diego Garcia was the closest base available to us at the time. Our main operating area was known as "Gonzo station". A patch of water in the Northern Indian ocean. Thanks for the story. I never knew that there were indigenous natives there.
There needs to be return, compensation, and punitive damages paid to these people.
The US Navy's interests are better served by island-like super structures that can ply the seas, service entire battle groups at a time, and provide 5,000' runways for both military and emergency use.
One per ocean ought to do it.
yeah, with a great big bullseye on all of 'em! btw.... the US Navy's interests? one per ocean? 5000 runways? you have to be kidding me but in case you're not, what might those interests be, hmmmmm georgia? you planning on having the empire take over the world sometime soon?
There are already plans in the private sector to create a huge floating city, complete with landing facilities for private aircraft.
A military application is not that far-fetched. Huge, modular, mobile. Carriers already are 1,000 feet in length, with the flight deck limited by by ship's superstructure. Eliminate the superstructure, attach 5 in a row, and you're there. That's not the only configuration...starting from scratch would be better. But that's the easiest way on a budget.
And clearly it's the solution that permits the US Navy to have autonomy at sea without having to displace basic human rights to perform their missions.
You have failed to grasp the lesson to be learnt from the experience of Diego Garcia. What is fortunate in this instance for you and your nation is that the people of Diego Garcia are unable to fight back. The world is not your backyard for your country and its "missions." How many debacles does it have to take before you wake up to that reality?
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Were they paid or not for their land. That was not mentioned in the story. If they were not paid they have a valid complaint. If they were tough. I went through it when I was a kid. I80 went diagonally through our farm. End of farm.
you are a citizen of the United States and that is the law of the land.
this was a sovereign nation, with a unique culture, that was forcibly removed.. rounded up, watched their pets exterminated, and then shipped as cargo to somwhere else. exiled from their own home by a foreign power, because it wanted control of their land. how evil. how truly opposed to the ideals of America. shame.
Given that this is all true, obviously they weren't 'paid.' The manner of their expulsion was barbaric, and completely unwarranted. That would make those who decided on the means for doing it quite evil, & I would have to wonder AGAIN about the mentality of those who have been given positions of power in this country.
"Were they paid or not for their land. That was not mentioned in the story. If they were not paid they have a valid complaint. If they were tough. I went through it when I was a kid. I80 went diagonally through our farm. End of farm."
What a disgusting attitude. It's find to steal peoples' land as long as they're paid for it? Is that how you felt when the government took your land?
OMG!
You libbies crack me up!!
Look, our military nation has got to funnel the BILLIONS AND BILLIONS that we extract in taxes SOMEWHERE!!
What better than some far off distant island that nobody hears bout!
The futher away it is, the more money we ken off load there!
Look, 42% of our tax dollors goes directly to the Military!! Do you realize how much money that is?
We could solve ALL our nations problems if we cut just 10% out of that budget!
JUST 10%!!
But we Christian Cosnervatives will have NONE OF IT!
NONE OF IT I TELLS YA!
We got to give ALL available money to the military so as to keep the rest of the nation in Dire Straits!
The Military, its liek a nation within a nation.
Free health care.
Early retirement.
Expense accounts.
Unlimited budgets.
The only ones on the short end of the stick is the soliders fightin in war. Republicans dont much care for soldiers or veterans ... just the GRAND MILITARY INDUSTRIAL MACHINE.