December Washington Memo
Kissinger's death, Palestine McCarthyism in the 1990s, restoring the Bill of Rights against the surveillance state
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As a civil libertarian and human rights advocate, I don’t celebrate the death of any individual. Death is always a tragedy for someone’s family and loved ones. But when it comes to public figures, I do not believe there is any reason to lie about or distort their records.
The recent passing of Henry Kissinger illustrates the deep moral rot of our society. Kissinger’s crimes--sabotaging peace talks between the US and North Vietnam, the illegal bombing of Cambodia, overthrowing the democratically elected government of Chile, and personally giving the greenlight to multiple dictators to start wars and carry out human rights violations--are too numerous to completely list here. According to historian Greg Gandin, at least three million deaths can be attributed to Kissinger.