The economic war against Iraq

Wednesday, October 27, 2004
by Greg Palast
Why were Iraqi elections delayed? Why was Jay Garner fired? Why are our
troops still there? Investigative reporter Greg Palast uncovers new
documents that answer these questions and more about the Bush
administration’s grand designs on Iraq. Like everything else issued
during this administration, the plan to overhaul the Iraqi economy has
corporate lobbyist fingerprints all over it.
In February 2003, a month before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, a 101-page
document came my way from somewhere within the U.S. State Department.
Titled pleasantly, "Moving the Iraqi Economy from Recovery to Growth,"
it was part of a larger under-wraps program called "The Iraq Strategy."
The Economy Plan goes boldly where no invasion plan has gone before:
the complete rewrite, it says, of a conquered state's "policies, laws
and regulations." Here's what you'll find in the Plan: A highly
detailed program, begun years before the tanks rolled, for imposing a
new regime of low taxes on big business, and quick sales of Iraq's banks
and bridges—in fact, "ALL state enterprises"—to foreign operators.
There's more in the Plan, part of which became public when the State
Department hired consulting firm to track the progress of the Iraq
makeover. Example: This is likely history's first military assault plan
appended to a program for toughening the target nation's copyright laws.

Alas, this makes sense of the whole mess. But I note my own reaction: without "evil" intent, there is no outrage. There it is, in a nutshell. This is how the preditors move through the flock. There will be an occasional flurry, but then, all is quiet again.

Cape Times - Bird flu could kill 100 million in just weeks

Interesting. Who will die? Where? People? that is not a very descriptive term.

Rights Groups Urge Scrutiny Of Gonzales (washingtonpost.com)

Bush is courting conservatives. Latinos (Cubans in particular) will vote with the GOP and so will the conservative African Americans. The word is out: get with the program.

A Girl's Chilling Death in Gaza (washingtonpost.com)

Four minutes later, Israeli troops opened fire on the girl with machine guns and rifles, the radio transmissions indicated. The captain walked to the spot where the girl "was lying down" and fired two bullets from his M-16 assault rifle into her head, according to an indictment against the officer. He started to walk away, but pivoted, set his rifle on automatic and emptied his magazine into the girl's prone body, the indictment alleged.

Jews don't do this.
But the State of Israel does.
Then how can Israel claim to be a Jewish state.
I want no part of it. How can I visit a state that "investigates" such things? How can anyone be asked to "understand" people who value their own comfort and safety above other lives.
The Israeli's step on Pallestinians like they were bugs.
The Halocaust museum should be draped in black and closed in mourning. This museum stands in the United States. This museum is not an political wing of the State of Israel.
Any association between the halocaust museum and the State of Israel must be severed.

Bush Wants N. Korea to Resume Disarmament Talks (washingtonpost.com)

SANTIAGO, Chile -- Facing nuclear challenges on two fronts, President Bush warned Saturday that Iran's suspected weapons program is "a very serious matter," and he stood with leaders of Asia and Russia in demanding North Korea's return to stalled disarmament talks.
Iran and North Korea, two nations in what Bush has branded an "axis of evil," dominated the president's attention along with trade and economic issues at the opening of a 21-nation summit of Asian-Pacific leaders.
The president also tried to ease global concerns about the sinking value of the dollar, a drop based in part on investors' fears about the huge U.S. trade and budget deficits. He said the United States is committed to a strong dollar and pledged to work with Congress to reduce short-term and long-term deficits.

I am one of what I think is a large number of Americans who would rather see the country fail that continue to be so un-American and repressive. Facism is not right wing. It's facism.

Bloomberg.com: Putin claims new nuclear missiles

Bush violates the biblical eye for an eye and no more!
Now any nation that wishes to be safe from the US needs nukes. Russia, now wealthy from the high oil prices of he Bush energy policy re-enters a nuclear race. Iran has missles. North Korea has missles. Japan will manufacture the stuff for anyone, and they build GREAT shit... so, if the US cannot threated you (with a weak dollar and a crushing national debt and an overextended military) why buy from us?
Bush the Christian is a disaster. The Christian part is NOT an incidental quality.
What is the sound of one hand clapping? It is the sound that is not produced when there is no hand to strike against.

Trouble Spots Dot Iraqi Landscape (washingtonpost.com)

By Karl Vick
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, November 15, 2004; Page A01

BAGHDAD, Nov. 14 -- The fighting started in Mosul two days after U.S. tanks entered Fallujah. Armed men appeared in a sudden tide on a main street in Iraq's third-largest city, a wide avenue where so many American convoys had been ambushed that locals nicknamed it Death Street.'"

People don't like being occupied. I don't even like it when the sweet come to Jesus people come to my door. Now, suppose they insisted that this was really the best thing for me. What could one possibly object to, taking Jesus into your life. Unless, of course, there was something wrong with you. Maybe evil? Pagan?

Pro Birth is NOT Pro Life!

From the chew-on-this-one dept:
as heard on NOW, 11/12/2004.
How was that missed so many years.
Let's say that one again:
pro Birth is NOT pro Life.
Its pro Birth, and by and large, to hell with life. It's the same logic that loves kittens but drowns the cats.

Ten Reasons Not to Move to Canada

A good read: there is work to be done.
People fled other countries to avoid persecution. We would be fleeing the country that is a source of persecution. That's different.
Leaving will not slow global trade, global warming, acts of war. Staying for say, a national strike? Now that might help.

USATODAY.com - Saudi religious scholars support holy war

"The scholars said inter-Iraqi fighting would cause 'great damage to the Iraqis and give a free service to the Jews who are infiltrating into Iraq and to the coalition forces which exploit differences to consolidate their domination.'"

Nonsense! Jews go to Florida this time of year.

'It's a Victory for People Like Us' (washingtonpost.com)

"Dear Lord," Cary Leslie is saying for the sixth time since waking up at 3:45 a.m. to go to work. He has prayed for strength not to hit the snooze button on the alarm clock. He has prayed for a safe day for his wife and three children. He has prayed for patience with the foul-tempered customers he deals with at the car-rental counter. He has prayed for a job that will pay enough for a struggling family of five to keep up with the bills. He has prayed for a quick resolution to the presidential election. And now, with the election decided, he is thanking God for listening to his prayers.

The term "mental masturbation" comes to mind.

Who will speak these words?

We have lost and there is a call for unity, and I say, unity for the sake of unity is weakness. Remember Munich.
There will be no appeasement of this movement.
The President has called for compassion, for bi-partisanship: I call for NON partisanship: peace and justice is not a partisan issue.
For 4 years this president has yielded nothing, compromised not in the least and found that he can find no errors in his 4 years. Surely, surely, in everyone of use who believe in god and everyone who does not, but in every man with humility worthy of the word knows our errors and we repent from heart. Not this president.
Unity?
Kennedy said "Let them come to Berlin!". It is time for Bush to come to America. It is time for Bush to set aside his oil interests, his paucity for creative thought, his links and ties to industry, his vice president hot wired to Haliburton.
Enough. No appeasement.
Who will speak these words? This is the preson who will lead. This is the person I will follow. The man who came closest in these years: Howard Dean. I'll follow him.

What did he know and when

Bush was calm. Rove does not lose.
Aim, shoot, score.
Largely legal.
One helluva national election.
Ohio? It is right for Kerry to play the final closing minute of the game.

I didn't think legitimacy had anything to do with it...

I was wrong.
That's today. I'll check back tomorrow. See if I'm still here.

I met a liberal today

I was at district 5 & 9 for Woodstock, in Wittenberg. Everyone was working hard and was real nice.
A lady came in, all eager, and by the way, could she pass out some do's and don't's about bears?
Sure.
There was a whole lot of stuff. About don't feed them by hand (remind's me of Lenny Bruce's comment on the $50K study "Do's and don't's for swimmers in shark infested waters") and About not leaving garbage out. And, ummm, birdfeeders are out? And no compost (garbage and the like)... well, no way am I NOT composting.
"That's what's wrong with people like you," said the liberal.
Yep, that's how a liberal thinks.
I think that certain late term abortion procedures might be being abused.
All together now: "That's what's wrong with people like you."

Woman takes five people hostage at N.C. plant, sheriff says

"'Apparently, she is an acquaintance or friend of an employee terminated recently, and she's demanding answers,' Bizzell said. 'She's irate about the treatment that her friend got.'"

I can deal with that. Let's have some answers, and then nobody gets hurt.

Army destroys suicide bomber's home

Guilt is collective. In this very very reasonable degree, it is absolutely collective. Indeed, it is at least one of the foundations of family.
If you fuck with mine, you have to deal with me. If mine fucks with you, you get to deal on me. What goes around comes around.