Colin Powell does not need more humiliation over the manifold errors in his February 2003 presentation to the UN. But yesterday a London jury brought down another section of the case he made for war -- that Iraq and Osama bin Laden were supporting and directing terrorist poison cells throughout Europe, including a London ricin ring.And all the documents presented to support the former Secretary of State's assertions came from elsewhere. It was all bovine manure. But it was no accident.
Yesterday's verdicts on five defendants and the dropping of charges against four others make clear there was no ricin ring. Nor did the "ricin ring" make or have ricin. Not that the government shared that news with us. Until today, the public record for the past three fear-inducing years has been that ricin was found in the Wood Green flat occupied by some of yesterday's acquitted defendants. It wasn't.
The lies were deliberate and they were an essential part of a plan. The plan involved mass deception, and Americans were the victims, and so were the British, and, of course, so were the Iraqis.
It is true that when the team from Porton Down entered the Wood Green flat in January 2003, their field equipment registered the presence of ricin. But these were high sensitivity field detectors, for use where a false negative result could be fatal. A few days later in the lab, Dr Martin Pearce, head of the Biological Weapons Identification Group, found that there was no ricin. But when this result was passed to London, the message reportedly said the opposite.Oh, how easy it is to say the opposite! Just change a word here or there, take out a "not" or throw one in. How easily the truth becomes a lie!
You can learn more about how this particular deception was accomplished by reading the entire article. But it won't make any difference. The damage has already been done. And we -- all of us -- all humanity -- have been the victims. Again.
How much more will we tolerate? When will we finally say "Enough"???