Prison Radio
Mumia Abu-Jamal

The airwaves are thick with talk of ‘war crimes’, how Russia should be sanctioned, and even how the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, according to one congressional war-hawk, “has blood on his hands.”

This is not to downplay the very real losses sustained in the destruction of Malaysia Air 17, but a look at how easily the imperial media slips into war-talk, and assigning blame. In this environment, military brass are as thick as thieves on corporate media, usually counseling war.

Who remembers Iran Air Airbus A300, which was blown to smithereens on July 3, 1988?

Over 280 souls were killed during this act of destruction, because of a missile fired by the U.S. Navy warship Vincennes over the Persian Gulf.

Question: Was there any talk of U.S. war crimes?

Was any American president held to account?

And remember, this wasn’t the act of a non-state, unofficial, badly trained militia.

This was the U.S. Navy.

The officers aboard the Vincennes reportedly ‘misidentified’ the Iranian ship – a civilian craft – as a military flight.

Sorry. Oops!

‘My bad.’

290 Iranian men, women and children blown into bits — while flying over their own national territory.

A war crime?

Or a mistake?