Hipocrisy on Steroids: Yet Another Whistleblower is Being Persecuted

Wanton disreguard for war-crimes is not even the half of it.

[Whistleblower, David McBride, above. Some Gorgons, who make a late entry into the narrative, below him. The McBride picture is by Karleen Minney and ‘borrowed’ from the Canberra Times.]

Published: 2023-11-07

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This series was begun a year preceeding this article and continues.

Joining the War Crime Brigade

When the US needs to build a "coalition of the willing" it knocks on the diplomatic and military doors of their English language speaking intelligence network. The top tier is the US itself and their "special relationship" friends "across the pond" in Britain. The next port of call is the next tier of (in alphabetic order): Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Before the US invaded Iraq on totally false pretenses, lying to their own population and the rest of the world and ignoring the largest anti-war demonstrations since the Vietnam war, they invaded Afghanistan. The bogey man was the son of a Saudi construction magnate, one Osama bin Laden, a former CIA asset who helped the US and others give the USSR its Vietnam in the mountainous country during the 1980's while the US was also selling arms to both sides of the Iran-Iraq war, including providing the chemical weapons to Iraq which they used to partially justify the illegal 2003 invasion.

Whenever Australia needs to support its overlord in military operations the same force is always involved. It is named after its British counterpart, the Australian Defence Force's elite force, its Special Air Services or SAS.

While the world is currently outraged over the killing of the babies of refugees in Gaza by another US "ally", Israel, its ally Australia's SAS executed similar war crimes in Afghanistan. Civilians were summarily executed. Unit members were "blooded" by murdering prisoners. These are cut-and-dried war crimes.

Military forces do have lawyers, for there are limits on what is acceptable, even in war. An Australian military lawyer for their SAS learned of the outrageously illegal actions which were being performed by this elite unit. Like so many other whistleblowers, he went through the "chain of command" to learn that nothing would be done, except for "hushing it up". Having absorbed the discipline and believing in the honor of this force when he trained at the UK's officer training school, Sandhurst, David McBride felt a need to see military justice do its job to remove these elements of Australia's SAS who were bringing dishonor to the ADF via its elite force.

It is not a military lawyer's job to question the political legitimacy of a mission, but to ensure that the mission is performed within the restrictions of military law. McBride may or may not have had qualms about the SAS's mission in Afghanistan, but he knew that elements, commanders, of the force were instructing those under their command to commit war crimes. He informed his superiors.

Without a legal service which is able to operate effectively the Australian SAS is nothing more than a gang of very well trained and armed, expensive thugs wearing a uniform.

Hipocrisy on Steroids

Next week, on Monday, the Australian government will begin prosecuting in relation to war crimes committed by its military in Afghanistan. They will be prosecuting David McBride, the whistleblower. Nobody else has even been charged.

I am outraged by the wanton murder which is happening in Gaza at the hands of the IDF. I am apoplectic about what is going to happen on Monday.

If you would like to know more of the details, and there are plenty, including a government report issued by a High Court Justice (of New South Wales) who documented 39 instances of war crimes, an article was issued by this newsletter a year ago, almost to the day. To quote that article, referring to Justice Brereton's report:

In describing where 'responsibility resides' Justice Brereton does not mince his verbs. The 'criminal behaviour' (read as war crimes) was "conceived, committed, continued and concealed". To re-express: they were planned, done, repeated and covered up. Brereton is a Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. He understands the importance of language. He is not asserting that war crimes were committed he is declaring it. His report provides the evidence which supports and documents his declaration. There is no question whatsoever that war crimes were committed.

How can any political leader in Australia call out the IDF for their disgusting, criminal behaviour when David McBride is going to be tried for exposing the exact same heinous criminality by Australia's SAS and they are not demanding that the government drop this abuse? This is hypocrisy on steroids.

This author shall be casting a nasty eye on anyone who exposes themselves as unable to universally apply principles of military justice. On top of that, a list of those who deserve unpitying derision cast upon them is being drawn up. The Gorgons of public scorn shall be released, with Medusa herself leading the finger pointing.

McBride faces up to 100 years in prison for whistleblowing on war crimes.

Let the condemnation flow. Let the naming and shaming begin!

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Sources

The Intolerable Persecution of David McBride: Moral Courage Shines Again, YesXorNo, 2022-11-06

Whistleblowers on trial: Richard Boyle and David McBride, Human Rights Law Centre (Australia), 2023-10

As David McBride readies himself for trial, his fellow whistleblowers have a message for the government, Adele Ferguson, ABC Investigations, 2023-11-06

Afghanistan war crimes report released by Defence Chief Angus Campbell includes evidence of 39 murders by special forces, Matthew Doran, ABC, 2020-11-19

VIDEO: Killing Field, Four Corners, ABC, 2020-03-16

Ex-Elite UK Troops Recount War Crimes in Iraq & Afghanistan; Brett Wilkins (Common Dreams); Consortium News; 2025-05-14

Culture

The Cruel Sea - The Honeymoon Is Over, the title track from the 1993 album, uploaded 2023-05-09

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