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Colin Powell's Legacy of Shame — Poster of the Week


“(Colin Powell) . . . made a career out of being a good soldier and supporting U.S. mass murder around the world, but evading the credit for it.” —Roberto Lovato, Journalist “There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.” —Howard Zinn, Historian The many eulogies for Colin Powell that poured out of the corporate media this week overflowed with praise and acclamation, from Democrats and Republicans. Flags have been at half-mast from Monday through today, and his “firsts” have been stated and restated:

  • He was the first Black national security adviser


  • He was the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff


  • He was the first Black secretary of state.

The fact that he represented so many “firsts” sheds as much light on systemic racism as on his accomplishments. In contrast to the adulation, Roberto Lovato, Kenn Orphan, Amy Goodman, and other journalists remind us of Powell’s war crimes which include:

  • Helping to whitewash the massacre of more than 300 unarmed civilians at My Lai during the war against Viet Nam.


  • Promoting and presiding over the 1989 bombing, invasion, and slaughter in Panama.


  • Promoting and presiding over the Gulf War in the 1990s.