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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.


  • Giving the green light to Ariel Sharon to attack the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank in 2002. Human Rights Watch called the high number of civilian casualties a war crime.


  • Lying to the United Nations in 2003, when he promoted the war against Iraq. Iraq never attacked the US and did not have “weapons of mass destruction.”

When will we ever learn? CSPG’s Poster-of-the-Week is a Mad Magazine spoof of the actual film poster for "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" (2002). It features the whole cast of characters/collaborators listed below, including Colin Powell (lower right).


Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones Drew Struzman Offset, 2002 United States

Poster Text: Coming Soon! The Bush Administration In Association With The Other Bush Administration Presents Gulf Wars Episode II Clone Of The Attack Starring George W. Bush · Condoleezza Rice · Donald Rumsfeld - Reprising Their Roles From Episode I Dick Cheney · Saddam Hussein · Colin Powell · And Introducing Osama Bin Laden As The Phantom Menace · Based On An Idea By George Bush, Sr. Production Designed To Distract You From The Failing Economy Produced By The Military-Industrial Complex In Association With Exxon, Texaco, Mobil, Et Al. Directed By A Desire To Win The November Election The Success Of This Military Action Has Not Yet Been Rated A Mad Magazine Poster

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