Unbelievable and yet true! On Saturday, July 31, 1999, at the Independent Commission of Inquiry of U.S./NATO War Crimes Against the People of Yugoslavia hearing, held in New York with over 700 participants, former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark presented the 19 counts of the indictment, charging William J. Clinton, the Government Of The United States, NATO and others with international crimes and violations of international and domestic laws causing deaths, destruction, injury and suffering. Here is a brief summary of the charges:
You should make a copy of the full text of the indictment, from the International Action Center web site, since it is necessary material for the game.
What everybody feared but it was too nightmarish to articulate happened. "The Invisible Hand of God", a mysterious, formerly unknown terrorist organization that is widely believed to be funded by the notorious Saudi-Arab billionaire Osama bin Laden, issued an ultimatum, sent via e-mail to the New York Times: either U.S. President Bill Clinton will step down and be tried by an Independent International War Crimes Tribunal, or three atomic devices, planted at different U.S. locations, will start exploding, one at a time, at forty-eight hours intervals.
The publication of the ultimatum created, as expected, widespread uneasiness, but general panic was avoided when, at the six o'clock news, the President himself appeared on national TV to calm down the citizens, dismissing the Invisible Hand of God's ultimatum as a hoax; things seem to return back to normal
The following day, however, at exactly 11:54 am., Groton, a small idyllic Connecticut seaport with a thriving nuclear submarine industry, is obliterated for ever from the face of the earth in a blast of fire...
This time, uncontrollable panic ensues, and masses of people try to depart from New York, Washington, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, and other major cities, creating unprecedented traffic jams.
The following day at 5:35 pm, all major TV networks, interrupt their programming for a special broadcast, in which Bill Clinton, obviously shaken, accompanied by a federal agent at each side, addresses again the nation. After expressing his sincere and heartfelt condolences to the victims of an insensible crime and laying the blame squarely at the feet of the Invisible Hand of God, he declares that to prevent any further unnecessary loss of life he is willing, with a clear conscience, to appear in front of any fair and just tribunal to face the false accusations. After his brief but emotional speech, the new U.S. President Al Gore, serious but self-confident, after thanking his predecessor for his praiseworthy spirit of self-sacrifice, announces that negotiations with the Invisible Hand of God are already under way, that he is happy to announce that, as a gesture of good will, the site of one of the two remaining atomic bombs will be disclosed, and that soon it will be deactivated. The American people, he says, can today sleep better and should return to their homes, to help the restoration of law and order and to help prevent another holocaust by the accidental activation of the remaining, suitcase type, atomic devices by looters. The only still unresolved issue, he adds, is to find a mutually acceptable bunch of a good people, with impeccable moral credentials, who will form the Independent War Tribunal.
This is a party game for 5 to 20 players. One player is the Presiding Judge, one is Bill Clinton, one Ramsey Clark (the Public Prosecutor), one the Defendant's Attorney, and the rest the Jury.
Twenty drinks are prepared, each with a number from 0 to 19 taped at the bottom of the glass; the host brings in the drinks from the kitchen, crying out loudly: "All rise!" The participants rise and buy one or more drinks at a set price (e.g. $1) and the money is deposited in a basket - bank. The trial starts, and each of the 19 counts of the indictment are read; in each case the President, after taking an oath, declares "not guilty". At the end of the examination and counter-examination of the Defendant, the Jury votes on whether or not the President lied under oath. If there is a tie, the Presiding Judge decides the issue.
When the trial is over, the players open their sealed numbers at the bottom of their drinks. The winner is the one whose number equals the number on the counts on which the President was found guilty. If the winner is the Presiding Judge it is declared a mistrial and the conviction is overruled. If the winner is the Defendant, than Bill Clinton is pardoned.
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Please note: I need to upgrade the arrows that point to the next pages with Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. If you happen to have a spare one, I will be much obliged if you send it to [email protected] . |
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