The Illusion of Iraqi Democracy
First let me say it gave me butterflies watching the Iraqi election unfold. I think that Americans have something deep in our genetic make-up that makes us go “Old Yeller” whenever a democratic election is held. This trait likely exists on the same chromosome that carries the trait which makes one involuntarily hoot an holler at the word free (O’er the land of the free…) during the singing of The Star Spangled Banner. With that said, I am not convinced that the Iraqi election was all the administration has cracked it up to be.
On CSPAN’s Washington Journal yesterday the topic of discussion was the following question: “Was the election in Iraq the tipping point for Democracy in the Middle East?” As I listened to the callers try to reason their way around this one I noticed that one thing was missing from this equation. All of the callers were operating under the false assumption that these elections were actually handing full control of Iraq back to the people.
Now I am not arguing about whether we are still and occupier or not, we can discuss that some other time, what I am saying is that regardless of how legitimate the actual election was it does nothing toward giving control of Iraq back to the people. Why? Specifically because of the list of orders or edicts implemented by L. Paul Bremer and the Coalition Provisional Authority prior to his hasty retreat from the Green Zone.
Let me give you two examples of why I think this is so. First, as the International Forum on Globalization duly notes, Order #39 (PDF), amended by Order #46 (PDF), the order on foreign investment, has five significant elements,
(1) Privatization of state-owned enterprises; (2) 100% foreign ownership of businesses in all sectors except oil and mineral extraction, banks and insurance companies (the latter two are addressed in a separate order); (3) “national treatment” of foreign firms; (4) unrestricted, tax-free remittance of all funds associated with the investment, including, but not limited to, profits; and (5) 40 year ownership licenses which have the option of being renewed.
Second, Order #81 (PDF) Iraq’s intellectual property law effectively signs all intellectual property rights in Iraq over to U.S. Corporations. Case in point, the recently uncovered fact that this new law prohibits Iraqi farmers from saving their seeds. ”
Farmers shall be prohibited from re-using seeds of protected varieties or any variety mentioned in items 1 and 2 of paragraph [C] of Article 14 of this chapter.”
The purpose of this order is to ensure that Corporations such as Monsanto have free reign to sell and re-sell all the seed needed to feed the Iraqi population. Note that every year,
“the Iraqis must destroy any seed they have, and repurchase seeds from an authorized supplier, or face fines, penalties and/or jail time.”
I can go on but the facts are clear in my mind, Bremer made certain that regardless of who wins control of the Iraqi assembly, real controlling interest lies with U.S. Corporations. So to answer the CSPAN question,NO, the election represents the tipping point for the illusion of democracy in Iraq and nothing more. For a more detailed review I suggest you read the following article by Naomi Klein which describes this little Neocon scam.
Bastard Neocon’s in Search of a Father
Guess who the Neocon’s are claiming as the founding father of their movement…Winston Churchill.
It was a telling moment. In England right-wing historians are portraying the last lion as a drunk, a dilettante, an incorrigible bungler who squandered the opportunity to cut a separate peace with Hitler that would have preserved the British Empire. On the American right, by contrast, Churchill idolatry has reached its finest hour. George W. Bush, who has said ”I loved Churchill’s stand on principle,” installed a bronze bust of him in the Oval Office after becoming president. On Jan. 21, 2005, Bush issued a letter with ”greetings to all those observing the 40th anniversary of the passing of Sir Winston Churchill.” The Weekly Standard named Churchill ”Man of the Century.” So did the columnist Charles Krauthammer, who in December 2002 delivered the third annual Churchill Dinner speech sponsored by conservative Hillsdale College; its president, Larry P. Arnn, also happens to belong to the International Churchill Society. William J. Luti, a leading neoconservative in the Pentagon, recently told me, ”Churchill was the first neocon.” Apart from Michael Lind writing in the British magazine The Spectator, however, the Churchill phenomenon has received scant attention. Yet to a remarkable extent, the neoconservative establishment is claiming Churchill (who has just had a museum dedicated to him in London) as a founding father.
Today is the Big Day
Yes, you guessed it…
Today is the day that Catch comes back online!
Welcome back.
Governor Swann?
It now looks official (sort of), Lynn Swann is in the race for Pennsylvania Governor and it looks as though he is going to run a Santorumesque Christian values campaign.
“I wasn’t supposed to be born,” Swann said, explaining that his parents wanted to stop at two children.“My mom said, ‘Try for a girl.’ My dad said, ‘No.’ My mom said, ‘Have a scotch.’ And I was born. That’s good enough reason to be pro-life.”
So tell me my fellow Pennsylvanian’s, do you think Swann can beat Ed Rendell? Cast your vote in our very first ever Useless Web Poll (to the left).
Photo Friday - "Ghostly"
Here is my entry for this weeks Photo Friday challenge entitled “Ghostly.” To be honest I know it is a stretch but I didn’t have anything else.
Click the picture to see the larger versions.
The War Over Social Security
Is it just me or does it seem like the “Democratic establishment” is a little bit late to the game on this one?
At the urging of Democratic leaders in Congress, a few political campaign veterans have formed Americans United to Protect Social Security. The nonprofit organization with close ties to organized labor plans to raise $25 million to $50 million to pressure lawmakers to vote against Bush’s proposal.“At Americans United to Protect Social Security, we are going to run a national campaign to defeat the president’s privatization plan,” said Brad Woodhouse, the group’s spokesman and the former communications director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. “The president and his supporters in Congress are messing with the third rail [of politics]; we’re going to make sure they get zapped.”
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees provided seed money of nearly $1 million. Other major players in the coalition include the AFL-CIO; USAction, a grass-roots issues network; and the Campaign for America’s Future, an activist group that pushes issues from the perspective of the political left.
It has been almost two months since the folks over at BlogPAC put together a team to take on the issue of Social Security, what took our leaders in Congress so long to figure it out? In my opinion, if the Democratic party wants to win back control of Congress in 2006 we need to be able to move a little more swiftly than this. Maybe I should make this suggestion to Howard?
And Now for Today’s Orwellian Moment
Check out who made the list of nominee’s for the Nobel Peace Prize…
A record 199 candidates have been nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize including Ukraine’s President Viktor Yushchenko, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and the ailing Pope.
What’s next, H.H. The Dalai Lama getting The Medal of Honor?
The Shallow Duality of the Republican World
Maureen Dowd hits the nail on the head with the following comment in today’s New York Times:
The same Republicans who used to love AARP when it helped them pass the president’s prescription drug plan now hate AARP because it is against the president’s plan to privatize Social Security.
It just goes to show you how ridiculously shallow the black and white world of Republicanism really is. This manifestation of this hypocricy, specifically this little ad, has now sparked an internal debate within the Republican camp.
“This is not very bright politics,” Michael Tanner, the director of health and welfare studies at Cato, said in a telephone interview. In particular, he objected to an Internet advertisement by USA Next that tries to paint AARP as an advocate of same-sex marriage. “Introducing homophobia and other things that are not relevant to Social Security reform is not helpful,” Mr. Tanner said. AARP says it has no position on same-sex marriage.
Hey folks, if your plans were not so ridiculously lacking in substance you might not have to attack old people to get them passed.
And Now For Something Completely Different
Try this and pass it on:
- Grab the nearest book.
- Open the book to page 123.
- Find the fifth sentence.
- Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
- Don’t search around and look for the “coolest” book you can find. Do what’s actually next to you.
From John Perkins’ Confessions of an Economic Hit Man:
“She also taught me a great deal about the consequences of the actions I took in my job.”
Hat tip to Maria via Scooter Blue.
Dubious Anniversary
I have a birthday coming up on the 27th of February so you will not be surprised at the horror I felt when I read this piece by Thom Hartmann, When Democracy Failed - 2005: The Warnings of History, and realized the significance of this date in history.
SCOTT RITTER SAYS U.S. PLANS JUNE ATTACK ON IRAN
The ex-weapons inspector whose pre-Iraq war proclamations were all proven true had something new to say in a speech Saturday to Washington members of United for Peace and Justice.
On Iran, Ritter said that President George W. Bush has received and signed off on orders for an aerial attack on Iran planned for June 2005. Its purported goal is the destruction of Iran’s alleged program to develop nuclear weapons, but Ritter said neoconservatives in the administration also expected that the attack would set in motion a chain of events leading to regime change in the oil-rich nation of 70 million — a possibility Ritter regards with the greatest skepticism.The former Marine also said that the Jan. 30 elections, which George W. Bush has called “a turning point in the history of Iraq, a milestone in the advance of freedom,” were not so free after all. Ritter said that U.S. authorities in Iraq had manipulated the results in order to reduce the percentage of the vote received by the United Iraqi Alliance from 56% to 48%.
Hat tip to leveymg.
In Case You Skipped Science Class…
The Bush Administration’s science adviser John Marburger took the following stance recently on the latest Christian-Right attempt at undermining science education in public schools, intelligent design:
“Intelligent Design is not a scientific theory.” And that’s not all — as if to ram the point home, Marburger soon continued, “I don’t regard Intelligent Design as a scientific topic.”
What he didn’t say is that intelligent design is a farce perpetrated upon the American public, a weak attempt to teach Adam and Eve in public school science classes. But I will take “Intelligent Design is not a scientific theory”…for now.
Swift Boat Firm to Attack the AARP
This should be interesting…
Taking its cues from the success of last year’s Swift boat veterans’ campaign in the presidential race, a conservative lobbying organization has hired some of the same consultants to orchestrate attacks on one of President Bush’s toughest opponents in the battle to overhaul Social Security.The lobbying group, USA Next, which has poured millions of dollars into Republican policy battles, now says it plans to spend as much as $10 million on commercials and other tactics assailing AARP, the powerhouse lobby opposing the private investment accounts at the center of Mr. Bush’s plan.
UPDATE 2.22.05: The first ads are out…courtesy of Ol’Froth.
R.I.P. Gonzo
Hunter S. Thompson found dead this morning from an apparent self inflicted gun shot wound to the head. Suicide? I never would have thought it, overdose maybe but suicide? Sad. Rest in peace Gonzo.
UPDATE: Here is the “Good Doctors’” archive at ESPN.com.
Secret Bush Tapes
It was revealed today in the New York Times that long time Bush friend Doug “Weadie” Wead just released portions of some secret audio tapes made of conversation with then Governor Bush during the 2000 elections. It would seem that on these tapes Bush admits to using illegal drugs:
Mr. Bush, who has acknowledged a drinking problem years ago, told Mr. Wead on the tapes that he could withstand scrutiny of his past. He said it involved nothing more than “just, you know, wild behavior.” He worried, though, that allegations of cocaine use would surface in the campaign, and he blamed his opponents for stirring rumors. “If nobody shows up, there’s no story,” he told Mr. Wead, “and if somebody shows up, it is going to be made up.” But when Mr. Wead said that Mr. Bush had in the past publicly denied using cocaine, Mr. Bush replied, “I haven’t denied anything.”He refused to answer reporters’ questions about his past behavior, he said, even though it might cost him the election. Defending his approach, Mr. Bush said: “I wouldn’t answer the marijuana questions. You know why? Because I don’t want some little kid doing what I tried.”
He mocked Vice President Al Gore for acknowledging marijuana use. “Baby boomers have got to grow up and say, yeah, I may have done drugs, but instead of admitting it, say to kids, don’t do them,” he said
The question now is does it really matter whether or not Bush used drugs? In my opinion, this would be a non issue had he simply come forward with it during the campaign. While I understand his reasoning it is simply flawed. He is suggesting that “instead of admitting” drug use one should not answer the question and instead tell kids drugs are bad. Sounds like spin to me. Look at it this way, now that the cat is out of the bag how will all those impressionable children he acted so piously toward feel about him as a role model?
OMG This is Hilarious
My road trip this week not only kept me from blogging but also from watching The Daily Show, apparently also causing me to miss what is in my opinion the funniest Daily Show piece ever.
Here it is courtesy of Crooks and Liars.
Hat tip to ISOU.
Hume Must Go
In response to the charges levied against them in the film OutFoxed earlier this year the folks over at FauxNEWS used the excuse that all of the instances of lying and propaganda cited in that film came from their “opinion” people. Further, they challenged the left to find examples of bias coming from their “real news” anchor Brit Hume. Well, apparently FauxNEWS decided it is no longer important to keep the propaganda confined to the opinion folks. As you can see from this piece at Media Matters Hume has been caught in a big fat lie that has since propagated throughout the main stream media unchallenged. Keith Olbermann said it best earlier this week,
It’s premeditated, historical fraud, but you will not see Hume nor Fox News backpedal from it (as Jordan did for his misdemeanor), nor apologize for it (as Jordan did), nor save their masters from its shame (as Jordan did - of course there is no shame at Fox).
We at Comments are joining forces with Oliver Willis, Al Franken and others in calling for Hume’s resignation. Use the following links to join this effort.
Contact Hume: brit.hume@foxnews.com
FOX News Channel
1-888-369-4762
Comments@foxnews.com
1211 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036