Tuesday, March 18, 2003

Reality Intrudes

My countrymen, particularly those in positions of power over the making of war, are insane. Why? Whywhywhywhywhy? What possible moral or practical advantage can come to our nation (let alone the rest of the world) by this pig-headed obssession with killing Hussein?

Let's get it straight - this war is not about Hussein being evil, or dictatorial, or in league with al Queda (oh, what a fucking joke that claim is!), or harboring some kind of hideous weapons. This is all about the fact that Daddy Bush lost the presidency because he didn't kill the bastard the last time around, and Prince George isn't going to make the same mistake. There is no more or greater reason than that.

Hussein is a ghastly, awful, brutal dictator. But we knew this decades ago when the West was helping him develop chemical and other warfare resources and encouraging him to use it on Iran (Remember that little war?) in order to keep the Islamic Jihad under control. When he gassed Iranians and Kurds, we didn't give a shit. We sent him money, advisors, chemicals, machinery, engineers, etc., etc., etc. But, our attack dog bit us back when he figured he would nab a little oil field to the south. Then we decided to beat the dog into submission. At that time, the military powers that be knew that we would be involved in a long, drawn out ground war to get him out of power, one that would be "unpopular" (and would kill a fuck of a lot of US soldiers) and Bush the elder's rating were so high, no one would beat him in the next election!

Ha.

But we left the attack dog running around in its yard. And Poppy lost the election for one and only one reason - it's the economy, stupid. No one in the US, once the video-game war was "over" (Over? OVER? Ask the thousands of soldiers who had to deal with the aftermath about how "clean" that war was, and whether it is "over". Ask the soldiers left on patrol. Ask the inspectors who played games of cat-and-mouse. No, that war has never ended; it just went into stealth mode, where Joe six-pack and Jack expense-account could ignore it.) gave a shit about a pissant dictator, who was just like all the other pissant dictators the US has built up and torn down over the years. We cared about what really was hurting us, namely, the looting of this nations wealth and future by George H. W. Bush, family & friends. And we voted the bastard out.

Then the war shifted to the domestic arena, and the new enemy became Bill Clinton. Poppy and Sons waged war on Clinton and did their damndest to destroy a very competant president, the best we've had since Nixon. (Didn't think you'd hear me say *that*, did you?). And they stole the election from Gore. Gore beat Duhbya. He won more votes. By a substantial margin. Even in Florida.

So, Clinton and Gore are gone, and a Bush is back. And now we have to deal with the other person who made Poppy lose the White House, Hussein. If we had just killed the fucker the first time around, so the thinking goes, we would have WON the election. So we're going to kill him this time, and then Prince George's next coronation will be secured.

That's what this war is about - the next US presidential elections. It is not about Hussein, al Queda, terrorism or any of that shit. It is about raising popularity levels for Duhbya so high that he will be a shoe-in during the next election, so he and his buddies can turn this nation into Enron.

It is the economy, stupid.

Or, to be more precise, it is the wealth transference. Read any of Paul Krugman's articles in the New York Times and you will realize that Bush cares nothing about economics except how to pilfer every dime he can. His administration is not just negligent about public economic policy and procedures - they are criminal. They want it all for themselves, and fuck the rest of us.

Look at how callously the administration has squandered all of the international good will that came after 9/11. Understand that it is exactly how it is squandering all of the wealth and economic power that they stole from the previous administration. Just as they are turning an economic slump into a recession without a visible end-point, so will they turn a moderate threat into a morasse of incessant dirty warfare, and for the same reason - to keep control of the government so they can rob this nation blind.

The stakes, of course, are very real terrorist attacks using some kind of chemical or nuclear agent, and our nation plunged into a new Great Depression. All at the same time. Let's hear it for the boy!

I do firmly believe that Iraq is better off without Hussein, but not though these means. We'll "win" this time. We'll find and kill Hussein, and butcher the Iraqi army, and there will be a good deal of celebration in the streets of Baghdad. Then will come the arduous task of nation-building, which this administration is incompetant to perform, and which will have no support from the rest of the world because we have acted criminally and unilaterally.

Take a look at Afghanistan if you wish to know the future of Iraq.

Look at the hole in the heart of Wall Street if you wish to know the future of America. Literally and symbolically, that is the future for us now.

Ang

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