Scapegoats of September 11th: Hate Crimes & State Crimes in the War on Terror (Critical Issues in Crime and Society) [Paperback]

Michael Welch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 16, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0813538963 | ISBN-13: 978-0813538969

"Welch does a meticulous job of breaking through a rather terrifying period of national denial and gets real about transforming violence into genuine social safety."-Harold Pepinsky, professor of criminal justice, Indiana University, Bloomington "Michael Welch argues convincingly that the Bush administration's response to 9/11 was an extension of racialized patterns of fear mobilizing and scapegoating that have deformed American democracy long before that terrible day."-Jonathan Simon, associate dean for jurisprudence and social policy and professor of law, School of Law, University of California, Berkeley From its largest cities to deep within its heartland, from its heavily trafficked airways to its meandering country byways, America has become a nation racked by anxiety about terrorism and national security. In response to the fears prompted by the tragedy of September 11th, the country has changed in countless ways. Airline security has tightened, mail service is closely examined, and restrictions on civil liberties are more readily imposed by the government and accepted by a wary public. The altered American landscape, however, includes more than security measures and ID cards. The country's desperate quest for security is visible in many less obvious, yet more insidious ways. In Scapegoats of September 11th, criminologist Michael Welch argues that the "war on terror" is a political charade that delivers illusory comfort, stokes fear, and produces scapegoats used as emotional relief. Regrettably, much of the outrage that resulted from September 11th has been targeted at those not involved in the attacks on the Pentagon or the Twin Towers. As this book explains, those people have become the scapegoats of September 11th. Welch takes on the uneasy task of sorting out the various manifestations of displaced aggression, most notably the hate crimes and state crimes that have become embarrassing hallmarks both at home and abroad. Michael Welch is a professor of criminal justice at Rutgers University.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Welch is a professor of criminal justice at Rutgers University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press (November 16, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813538963
• ISBN-13: 978-0813538969
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,704,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Expose on a covert operation, December 17, 2008

By 

E. Brotherton "silverwing6700" (Utica, New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scapegoats of September 11th: Hate Crimes & State Crimes in the War on Terror (Critical Issues in Crime and Society) (Paperback)

This book is an important exploration of a situation that has been operating behind the scenes of American society since 9/11. Indeed, Muslims and Arabs have been singled out in this country simply on the basis of their ethnic and religious backgrounds. How do I know this? Because my husband has been a victim of this profiling and unfair treatment. Unfortunately he is far from being the only one. There are literally thousands of Muslims and Arabs who have been singled out for these harsh measures. Although many of them are illegal, a sustantial amount are citizens, naturalized immigrants and even Muslims from friendly nations who have been caught up in these excessive security measures Additionally, millions of innocent Muslim and Arabs have been effected by these harmful, violent and discriminatory practices here in the States and overseas! It is shameful how America has been treating Muslim and Arab immigrants and citizens since 9/11. I believe this book, and others like it, will prove to be an important and vital record of a very dark period in American history. If you want to wake up--this is the book for you!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hard-hitting title on an unresolved social issue., March 11, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scapegoats of September 11th: Hate Crimes & State Crimes in the War on Terror (Critical Issues in Crime and Society) (Paperback)

Scapegoats of September 11: Hate Crimes & State Crimes in the War on Terror is an essential title for any college-level collection on criminology and social sciences: it comes from a criminologist who argues that the 'war on terror' is a political charade which produces scapegoats for emotional relief. These scapegoats were not involved in the attacks - but have been targets: displaced aggression is the focus of a hard-hitting title on an unresolved social issue.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

4 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Academic dishonesty: Never let the facts get in the way of a personal agenda., March 20, 2007

By 

Eoin Finn (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scapegoats of September 11th: Hate Crimes & State Crimes in the War on Terror (Critical Issues in Crime and Society) (Paperback)

I have not read this book, nor do I intend to. In my own academic research using Google Books, I came across one page in this book which truly highlights the academic dishonesty of this self-described criminologist. I have served in the Global War on Terrorism as a United States Marine currently ranking as a Corporal in the reserve. Perhaps if Mr. Welch had actually served his country in a more direct fashion, rather than reading second-hand accounts and inaccurately paraphrasing their contents to fulfill his perception of events, his knowledge of this country's conduct in waging war on her enemies is in fact not reflective of the vitriol found upon the pages of his book and in its title.

I am not a criminologist and therefor will not attack Welch's criminology expertise, but will instead condemn Welch on his flagrant disregard of the facts regarding an honorable United States Marine, Lieutenant Ilario Pantano (retired). I haven't the expertise to evaluate Mr. Welch's knowledge of criminology, but as a Marine, as a student of honorable warrior culture, I can condemn Mr. Welch on his honor-- or rather, his lack thereof.

Many of the facts I discuss can be found in Pantano's book, 'Warlord: No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy', and can verified by the legal records of the Judge Advocate General's office of 2nd Mar Div, Camp Lejeune, NC. 2nd Lt Pantano was, by all accounts of his superiors and those who served under him (excepting a Sgt Coburn), an outstanding infantry officer and United States Marine. Lieutenant Pantano originally served as an enlisted scout sniper before being honorably discharged. Following his exit from the Marine Corps, he studied at NYU and became a financial trader in New York, his hometown. Following September 11, Pantano, in true warrior fashion, aggressively fought to reenter the Marine Corps, even telling a recruiter that he would accept a demotion in rank (to Corporal) in order to get back into the fight. Pantano was eventually commissioned and entered service in Iraq as a platoon commander (2nd Lt).

Mr. Welch, on page 111 of his book, writes (quoted without permission of the author, publisher or copyright holder, only for the purposes of this review and constituting Fair Use under United States copyright law):

'Similarly, Second Lieutenant Ilario Pantano was cleared of criminal wrongdoing in a murder case of two Iraqis who were shot in the back with as many as 60 rounds of ammunition. On April 15, 2004, Pantano unloaded two magazines from an M-16 rifle then left a sign reading "No Better Friend-No Worse Enemy" as a warning to other Iraqis to stay away from the insurgency, a message that was likened to a "head stake." Pantano claims that it was an act of self-defense. The hearing officer wrote in a report that Pantano used poor judgement in the incident but his behavior did not constitute a crime" (DeSantis 2005a, A10; see www.defendthedefenders.org). Major General Richard A. Huck, commander of the Second Marine Division, found that evidence presented at a later hearing did not support accusations of premeditated murder (DeSantis 2005b, A18).'
---

I have spoken with Pantano's former battalion executive officer, Major Neil (unsure of spelling Neil/Neal), now commanding officer of Recruiting Station Albany, NY. Maj Neil described the events of that day as absolutely routine, with Pantano's conduct as exemplary, making his radio checkpoint calls timely and consistently throughout the mission. Pantano's conduct prior to the day he engaged and killed the two Iraqis was also described as outstanding by Maj Neil. Pantano's conduct prior to, during, and after the mission where he engaged two Iraqi men was not conducive of someone who had "lost it" or who had cracked and was thirsting for an excuse to smoke a few innocents. Maj Neil also described that when he was interviewed by the press regarding the events of that day, he said something to the effect of it being a good day, which the press quoted him in an improper context as meaning the Major felt it was a good day because they had killed some Iraqis. In actuality, it was a 'good day' for the Major because the mission was successfully executed in an organized fashion, and no Marines were injured.

Accusations arose from a Sgt Coburn that the two Iraqis were detained, bound, and shot in the back, execution style. Pantano was subjected to a court martial hearing, which is the civilian equivalent of a pre-trial hearing, to determine if the government had a sufficient case to formally charge Pantano with two counts of Article 118: Murder. The credibility of Coburn was destroyed during the hearing, and the spotless honor, discipline, and conduct of Pantano gave him the benefit of the doubt in the matter.

The government, which could not pursue charges based solely on the hearing, ordered the bodies of the two killed Iraqis to be exhumed and autopsies conducted-- an impossibility at the time of the hearing due to security concerns where the bodies were buried. This is where the relevance to my summary of the events of that day come into relation with Mr. Welch's accusation toward former 2nd Lt. Pantano. If the results of the autopsies were consistent with murder, new charges would have been brought forth, but they were not. The results of the autopsies were consistent with the testimony presented in the hearing, that the Iraqis were in fact shot in a fashion not consistent with execution, and were shot in the front side.

This information was available long before Mr. Welch wrote his book, but he chose to instead commit the sin of omission, which I view to be equal to dishonesty. Considering his complete lack of disregard of official documents, documents that nullify the inaccurate statements he makes regarding Pantano's lawful engagement of two Iraqis who engaged him without weapons by rushing toward him, constituting a threat to his life, I cannot recommend this book to anybody who seeks truth regarding my honorable brothers in arms.

The fog of war is very real, and the circumstances of a combat situation may not allow for extraordinarily precise judgment during battle. Our military is not free of unlawful acts by its members who have broken the laws dictated in our military legal system and rules of engagement, but it is subject to due process of military law. Incredibly, this criminologist chooses to ignore the due process that exonerated Pantano, accusing the due process of the Marine Corps judicial system of wrongfully clearing Pantano of wrongdoing. The Marine Corps followed the matter even after the hearing initially cleared Pantano's name, and the results simply placed the final nail in the coffin of possibly prosecuting him.

It is disturbing to me that such painstaking legal procedure on behalf of the military to uphold its highest principle, honor, is simply not enough for Mr. Welch. The aggressive nature in which Pantano defended himself, ensuring he returned home to a wife and newborn son, is simply too much for the weak-willed Welch, who instead sees a greater conspiracy of the military wrongfully protecting one of its own in order to escape criticism brought on by an unlawful act.

Thankfully for warriors such as myself, my fellow Marines, former Lt. Pantano, and my brothers and sisters in arms of other branches, we are given due process under military law and protected from a kangaroo court convictions Mr. Welch would certainly bring about if he were a military prosecutor. In his world, appearances of events speak louder than the facts and truth of honorable men who do their duty under fire.

Semper Fidelis