The Bush Administration is hopeful that the Iraqi constitution may pass. Yet because of so many limitations, failure of the constitution, and more constructive debate may well be the better option.
One of the best signs was that many Sunni voters made an effort to vote against the constitution. Compared to the ongoing Sunni support for insurgent violence including planting roadside bombs, using suicide attacks against innocent civilians, or shooting at American soldiers, the fact that many Sunni voters are expressing their opinion about the constitution at the polls rather than insurgent street violence is a constructive step.
The current draft of the Iraqi constitution is hardly a document intended for a future united state of Iraq, Instead it is more of a dissolution document in which the oil assets are divied between the Shiite and Kurdish ethnic groups, only leaving the 22% Sunni minority the sand Western Iraq as a natural resource. More debate onthe Iraqi constitution would likely lead to a document in which a united state of Iraq is actually planned for the future. If Iraq should splinter into three ethnic states, the problems for the U.S. in regards to the policy of these three states would be greatly complicated. Turkey is wary of Kurdish intentions to seek a state of Kurdistan which would involve part of Turkey, and current ethnic tensions among the Turkish Kurdish community would be greatly worsened. And the Shiite state may seek very close relations with Iran, and become either a near satellite state or even worse, annexed. And a Sunni state may well become the haven for terrorists that would be the worst fears of Washington.
Women are not really happy that their role in Iraq seems to be compromised in the current Iraqi constitution. And those seekng a more modern, more secular Arab state, are concerned about the role of the Muslim faith that seems to be heavily part of the current document. There is one of the largest Christian communities in the MidEast in Iraq, as well as a small Jewish community in this state. Both of these minority religious groups may face increased religious persecution if the Muslim faith is officially embraced in the current Iraqi constitution.
The exit of American troops from Iraq is not really tied to the success of the Iraqi constitution. The exit of American soldiers is tied to a success of the Iraqi military and police as a force to defend their own country. And whether the U.S. actually intends to completely exit from Iraq is also an issue. Congress recently approved $500 million for permanent American military base construction in Iraq. And Paul Wolfowitz testified before congress at a time prior to the 2003 Iraq War, about the need for an American military presense in Iraq to secure the Strait Of Hormuz oil pathway that is under Iranian control. And the U.S. has sought military bases in former Soviet and Warsaw Pact states, and still maintains military bases in Japan, Germany and Korea, with little sign of leaving in the near future. One airbase in Germany was recently returned to German control. But bases established since the end of WWII will still remain for the foreseeable future.
What's positive in Iraq is that it has democratic elections. It has elected representatives, and that many in the Sunni community bothered to vote rather than support insurgent activity. These are far better factors than whether the Iraqi constitution passes or fails. If the Iraqi constitution would fail, it would be shortsighted for the media to see it merely as a defeat for America or the Bush Administration. Instead it might well be in the better intersts of Iraq to have more debate on a constitution, that would involve more and more Sunni participation in the debate, and to create a far better document that would help to secure a single united Iraq state for the future.
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Saturday, October 15, 2005
The Moonie Washington Times Disconnect From Reality
The Moonie owned Washington Times is often little more than a mouthpiece for absurd and silly right wing propaganda. A recent feature published by Maj. Gen. Robert H. Scales is a prime example. This absurd feature claimed that Iraq now has 117 battalions, when all recent proof is that a few months ago Iraq had three battalions of about 2,000 soldiers able to fight on their own, but now is down to just one battalion of 700 men. This is no sign of progress in the minds of anyone but the Editors of the Washington Times. It is not the opinion of some antiwar organization that only one Iraqi army battalion exists, it is based on the best military intelligence information given to U.S. Senators such as Joesph Biden and others. Even Republicans such as John McCain and Chuck Hagel, both respected war veterans find real problems with the truth about Iraq.
In fact, the number of American troops was even increased by 14,000 recently in Iraq to 152,000 soldiers. If the military of Iraq was coming together as well as the feature in the Moonie paper claims, then why is this increase in American troops necessary?
But even more troubling is why such an absurd propaganda feature is even published? Is it solely to bolster the sagging poll ratings for the war by dangling false hope for an early American exit from Iraq?
But a good question is this, is there really any intent for the U.S. to leave Iraq or simply to scale back troops somewhat. Congress recently approved $500 million for American military base construction for permanent military bases in Iraq. And Paul Wolfowitz, one of the planners of the Iraq War testified before Congress, arguing that an American presense in Iraq was central to protecting oil supplies from the Strait Of Hormuz, which is controlled by Iran. And the U.S. still has military bases in Germany, Japan, Korea, after those wars. Today the Bush Administration is holding up the hope to America that the vote on the Iraqi constitution is central to American troops leaving Iraq. But is this really true? Is there any evidence that the Bush Administration wants America out of Iraq. In fact, there are new attempts by the Administration to station American soldiers in former Soviet bloc or allied states. Every effort of the Bush Administration is to expand the American military presense around the world, not to roll it back.
Even in Iraq,the war is slowly expanding to other states, as a number of border fights between U.S. Army Rangers and Marines has killed a number of Syrian soldiers, as Syria becomes the new Cambodia for border fighting of foreign invading insurgents. It is only a matter of time before the combat with Syrian soldiers becomes less covert, and an open truth. And only a matter of time before open combat with Iran over their nuclear ambitions and sending of foreign fighters into Iraq becomes a major friction point, rsulting in open warfare between the U.S. and Iran.
It's always curious when American conservatives and even the so-called religious right gathers in support of the Moonie Washington Times. It was not that long ago that that some in Congress helped to stage and participated in a Moonie ceremony in part of the Capitol building in which the leader of the Moonie cult, Rev. Moon was crowned as the new "Messiah", replacing Jesus. It is yet another example of the religious right and conservatives openly accepting false religion as well as the false politics promotted by the Washington Times. Whether it's support for Rev. Moon, The Washington Times, embracing a ceremony accepting a false replacement for Jesus, or accepting nonsense propaganda about the Iraq War, some conservatives seem very gullible to accept outright foolishness as truth.
Sometimes it seems there is the Moonie version of events, and there is the truth.
In fact, the number of American troops was even increased by 14,000 recently in Iraq to 152,000 soldiers. If the military of Iraq was coming together as well as the feature in the Moonie paper claims, then why is this increase in American troops necessary?
But even more troubling is why such an absurd propaganda feature is even published? Is it solely to bolster the sagging poll ratings for the war by dangling false hope for an early American exit from Iraq?
But a good question is this, is there really any intent for the U.S. to leave Iraq or simply to scale back troops somewhat. Congress recently approved $500 million for American military base construction for permanent military bases in Iraq. And Paul Wolfowitz, one of the planners of the Iraq War testified before Congress, arguing that an American presense in Iraq was central to protecting oil supplies from the Strait Of Hormuz, which is controlled by Iran. And the U.S. still has military bases in Germany, Japan, Korea, after those wars. Today the Bush Administration is holding up the hope to America that the vote on the Iraqi constitution is central to American troops leaving Iraq. But is this really true? Is there any evidence that the Bush Administration wants America out of Iraq. In fact, there are new attempts by the Administration to station American soldiers in former Soviet bloc or allied states. Every effort of the Bush Administration is to expand the American military presense around the world, not to roll it back.
Even in Iraq,the war is slowly expanding to other states, as a number of border fights between U.S. Army Rangers and Marines has killed a number of Syrian soldiers, as Syria becomes the new Cambodia for border fighting of foreign invading insurgents. It is only a matter of time before the combat with Syrian soldiers becomes less covert, and an open truth. And only a matter of time before open combat with Iran over their nuclear ambitions and sending of foreign fighters into Iraq becomes a major friction point, rsulting in open warfare between the U.S. and Iran.
It's always curious when American conservatives and even the so-called religious right gathers in support of the Moonie Washington Times. It was not that long ago that that some in Congress helped to stage and participated in a Moonie ceremony in part of the Capitol building in which the leader of the Moonie cult, Rev. Moon was crowned as the new "Messiah", replacing Jesus. It is yet another example of the religious right and conservatives openly accepting false religion as well as the false politics promotted by the Washington Times. Whether it's support for Rev. Moon, The Washington Times, embracing a ceremony accepting a false replacement for Jesus, or accepting nonsense propaganda about the Iraq War, some conservatives seem very gullible to accept outright foolishness as truth.
Sometimes it seems there is the Moonie version of events, and there is the truth.
Friday, October 14, 2005
All The War's A Stage
It seems like in a futile effort to sell the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq, that increasingly pathetic means are being used to sell the war. Thursday morning, Mr. Bush had what was supposed to be a question and answer session with some soldiers in Iraq and one Iraqi soldier. However, a satellite feed before this event involved a Pentagon person using the term "scripted", and the entire question and answer event was a staged event with scripted questions intended to serve as solely propaganda for the war effort. Even pauses in speech by the soldiers were scripted by the Pentagon before the question and answer event. Almost everything, except eye blinks were scripted by the Pentagon it appears.
This scripting of military interaction with the press is nothing new. The military has already warned soldiers they will face discipline or demotion in rank if they are critical of the war with reporters. Only positive and scripted approval of the war is approved by the military, other unscripted talk by soldiers with reporters is officially prohibited.
With all the attempts to stage events to sell the unpopular war by the military, the Pentagon has also lied about some aspects of the Iraq War in a manner that is more befitting of "Baghdad Bob" and not an open and honest republic. The Pentagon has denied the use of a modern napalm type bomb in Iraq. Yet from the beginning of the first Gulf War and again in 2003, a modern version of napalm, a fuel gel bomb, the 750 lb. Mark 77, were used. A total of 530 of these fuel gel bombs have now been dropped in Iraq, despite official denials by the Pentagon, contradicted by pilots who reported the loading and dropping of such bombs. These fuel gel bombs have been outlawed by a U.N. treaty where all of 191 U.N member nations but the U.S. and Russia signed the U.N. treaty and do not use such terrible conventional weapons. It is no wonder that the Pentagon lies to the American public and officially denies the use of such terrible weapons.
But the Bush Administration has made other use of scripted or staged events.
Two well dressed women who drove to the disaster area after the hurricane Katrina disaster simply to loot clothing from damaged homes were used in photo-opt by Bush handlers and presented as disaster victims to the media. This may not have entirely been the fault of Bush handlers, but was certainly yet another outrageous event surrounding this administration in which a photo-opt was constructed solely for political propaganda purposes.
Before the 2004 election, the "granddaddy" of staged photo-opt events by the Bush Administration was the use of an empty warehouse as a "Hollywood" style set for a staged event for an economic address propaganda event by Bush. Bush handlers contracted to have a gaint painted canvas made to be hung in the empty warehouse that appeared to the television cameras as a factory full of American made goods about to be shipped. This is an old Hollywood visual trick, where painted hills or valleys are often a painted canvas on an indoor set. And empty boxes of goods made in China, had phony "Made in USA" labels pasted on. And White House staffers and other Bush workers put on factory worker costumes with hardhats to appear as cheering factory workers against a scripted speech. Never mind that over 30 million American jobs have been lost to China, the event was used to falsely portray the strength of the American economy and factories. It was deeply sad that a real American factory of cheering workers could not be found within the borders of the U.S. This was the real tragedy.
This administration like no other has made use of phony staged events, costumes, scripts, props, painted sets, and rigged photo-opts. Just the other day, Bush was part of a photo-opt in which he donned a hardhat to put a few nails on a Habitat For Humanity home. He certainly did not build the home as many who spent many days, weeks, months or years working for Habitat For Humanity have done. This administration relies on far more smoke and mirrors and illusions than magician David Copperfield it seems, in it's absurdly staged attempts to sell it's unpopular views to an increasingly wary public.
This scripting of military interaction with the press is nothing new. The military has already warned soldiers they will face discipline or demotion in rank if they are critical of the war with reporters. Only positive and scripted approval of the war is approved by the military, other unscripted talk by soldiers with reporters is officially prohibited.
With all the attempts to stage events to sell the unpopular war by the military, the Pentagon has also lied about some aspects of the Iraq War in a manner that is more befitting of "Baghdad Bob" and not an open and honest republic. The Pentagon has denied the use of a modern napalm type bomb in Iraq. Yet from the beginning of the first Gulf War and again in 2003, a modern version of napalm, a fuel gel bomb, the 750 lb. Mark 77, were used. A total of 530 of these fuel gel bombs have now been dropped in Iraq, despite official denials by the Pentagon, contradicted by pilots who reported the loading and dropping of such bombs. These fuel gel bombs have been outlawed by a U.N. treaty where all of 191 U.N member nations but the U.S. and Russia signed the U.N. treaty and do not use such terrible conventional weapons. It is no wonder that the Pentagon lies to the American public and officially denies the use of such terrible weapons.
But the Bush Administration has made other use of scripted or staged events.
Two well dressed women who drove to the disaster area after the hurricane Katrina disaster simply to loot clothing from damaged homes were used in photo-opt by Bush handlers and presented as disaster victims to the media. This may not have entirely been the fault of Bush handlers, but was certainly yet another outrageous event surrounding this administration in which a photo-opt was constructed solely for political propaganda purposes.
Before the 2004 election, the "granddaddy" of staged photo-opt events by the Bush Administration was the use of an empty warehouse as a "Hollywood" style set for a staged event for an economic address propaganda event by Bush. Bush handlers contracted to have a gaint painted canvas made to be hung in the empty warehouse that appeared to the television cameras as a factory full of American made goods about to be shipped. This is an old Hollywood visual trick, where painted hills or valleys are often a painted canvas on an indoor set. And empty boxes of goods made in China, had phony "Made in USA" labels pasted on. And White House staffers and other Bush workers put on factory worker costumes with hardhats to appear as cheering factory workers against a scripted speech. Never mind that over 30 million American jobs have been lost to China, the event was used to falsely portray the strength of the American economy and factories. It was deeply sad that a real American factory of cheering workers could not be found within the borders of the U.S. This was the real tragedy.
This administration like no other has made use of phony staged events, costumes, scripts, props, painted sets, and rigged photo-opts. Just the other day, Bush was part of a photo-opt in which he donned a hardhat to put a few nails on a Habitat For Humanity home. He certainly did not build the home as many who spent many days, weeks, months or years working for Habitat For Humanity have done. This administration relies on far more smoke and mirrors and illusions than magician David Copperfield it seems, in it's absurdly staged attempts to sell it's unpopular views to an increasingly wary public.
Oregon Legislator Girl Gone Wild: Update
Since I wrote yesterday about the situation with Oregon state legislator, Kelly Wirth, much has happened. She turned herself into the police and is being charged with felony drug possession for meth. A statement from the Democratic Party of Oregon leaked out where Kelley Wirth is gong to officially resign her seat in the state house of representatives today.
One person even claimed that Rep. Wirth is known meth user. This is sad because not that long ago she was part of the legislature efforts to rid oregon of this terible problem of meth. But the spiritual evil of drugs have proven themself as Rep. Kelly Wirth got sucked down through the drug world it brought on a sad cycle of poor decisions and bizarre acts that ruined her reputation and destroyed her career in the Oregon state legislature. What started out as almost laughable Jerry Springer typre capitol love triangle nonsense, soon turned sadder and sadder. Rep. Kelly Worth deserves the prayers of all that her life shows an upswing and she leaves her problems behind her very soon. But the Oregon legislature is no place for her or any legislator who cannot responsibly conduct themselves.
I was also pleased that the leadership of the state Democratic Party as well as her fellow representatives made no attempt to defend the absurd conduct of Rep. Kelley Wirth. Rep. Diane Rosenbaum D-Portland, hoped that most persons would remember the legislature for their efforts on behalf of "health care, education and public safety". Most legislators did in fact conduct themselves in a constructive manner. It was only Kelley Wirth would brought disgrace on herself with a scandal of sex and meth.
Oregon state democrats handled the scandals of Kelley Wirth very well. There appeared to be a large behind the scenes effort to urge her to quickly resign and not to tarnish either the legislature or the Democratic Party organization. On the other hand, at the national level, both Tom Delay and Karl Rove have not handled their situations very well at all. Tom Delay has turned on prosecutor Ronnie Earle in a new attack, and claimed partisanship on the part of Earle, although of the 15 politicians that Earle has prosecuted for corruption, 12 of 15 were democrats. And a lobbyist friend associated with Delay even has some association to a recent story on America's Most Wanted that dealt with a murder and organized crime. No major politician should be so close to a lobbyist friend with some ties to any story events on America's Most Wanted. It often seems that you can judge the character of some by who their friends are, and Delay needs at least one new friend.
Delay needs to quickly divorce himself of any relationship to any figures under serious question, or his vindicative attitude towards others and instead build a credible defense for the charge that Delay himself is facing. Delay needs to prove his innocence of the charge and prove to a judge or jury that he's a decent defendant, not some sort of thug . The attack on prosecutor Earle and the reputation of Delay of as "The Hammer" who brutally ruins his opponents is not helping his case . And the scandal involving Karl Rove in which an ambassador's wife was somehow exposed as a CIA officer to possiby retailiate for the ambassadors opposition to the Iraq War, also raises serious issues. Neither case has been handled in the mature way as the fellow legislators or Oregon state democrats have dealt with the scandals of Kelley Wirth.
Voters have the right to expect moral and reasonable leadership in government. Sex scandals, meth abuse, thuggery or other poor conduct is simply not acceptable or moral.
One person even claimed that Rep. Wirth is known meth user. This is sad because not that long ago she was part of the legislature efforts to rid oregon of this terible problem of meth. But the spiritual evil of drugs have proven themself as Rep. Kelly Wirth got sucked down through the drug world it brought on a sad cycle of poor decisions and bizarre acts that ruined her reputation and destroyed her career in the Oregon state legislature. What started out as almost laughable Jerry Springer typre capitol love triangle nonsense, soon turned sadder and sadder. Rep. Kelly Worth deserves the prayers of all that her life shows an upswing and she leaves her problems behind her very soon. But the Oregon legislature is no place for her or any legislator who cannot responsibly conduct themselves.
I was also pleased that the leadership of the state Democratic Party as well as her fellow representatives made no attempt to defend the absurd conduct of Rep. Kelley Wirth. Rep. Diane Rosenbaum D-Portland, hoped that most persons would remember the legislature for their efforts on behalf of "health care, education and public safety". Most legislators did in fact conduct themselves in a constructive manner. It was only Kelley Wirth would brought disgrace on herself with a scandal of sex and meth.
Oregon state democrats handled the scandals of Kelley Wirth very well. There appeared to be a large behind the scenes effort to urge her to quickly resign and not to tarnish either the legislature or the Democratic Party organization. On the other hand, at the national level, both Tom Delay and Karl Rove have not handled their situations very well at all. Tom Delay has turned on prosecutor Ronnie Earle in a new attack, and claimed partisanship on the part of Earle, although of the 15 politicians that Earle has prosecuted for corruption, 12 of 15 were democrats. And a lobbyist friend associated with Delay even has some association to a recent story on America's Most Wanted that dealt with a murder and organized crime. No major politician should be so close to a lobbyist friend with some ties to any story events on America's Most Wanted. It often seems that you can judge the character of some by who their friends are, and Delay needs at least one new friend.
Delay needs to quickly divorce himself of any relationship to any figures under serious question, or his vindicative attitude towards others and instead build a credible defense for the charge that Delay himself is facing. Delay needs to prove his innocence of the charge and prove to a judge or jury that he's a decent defendant, not some sort of thug . The attack on prosecutor Earle and the reputation of Delay of as "The Hammer" who brutally ruins his opponents is not helping his case . And the scandal involving Karl Rove in which an ambassador's wife was somehow exposed as a CIA officer to possiby retailiate for the ambassadors opposition to the Iraq War, also raises serious issues. Neither case has been handled in the mature way as the fellow legislators or Oregon state democrats have dealt with the scandals of Kelley Wirth.
Voters have the right to expect moral and reasonable leadership in government. Sex scandals, meth abuse, thuggery or other poor conduct is simply not acceptable or moral.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Oregon Legislator Girl Gone Wild
Corvallis Oregon is a college town. And 40 year old democratic Oregon state legislator, Kelley Wirth acts as though she is still a college sorority girl out on a wild spring break weekend. Rep. Wirth, who is attractive, and looks a little like a slightly heavy-set and overaged Susan Dey from the old Partrige Family TV Show. And Wirth, who still lives with her mother, has managed to turn her recent reputation as an Oregon legislator into an absurd tale of sex and drugs, much to the disappointment and concerns of both fellow legislators and her district voters.
A few weeks ago, a reported relationship that Wirth had with a young janitor in the state capitol building resulted in a three person argument at the home of the janitor, in which it was reported that Wirth, the janitor, and the former girlfriend of the janitor engaged in a very angry exchange. This angry exchange led to a violent episode later that evening that resulted in the janitor's former girlfriend running down Wirth with her car, causing severe leg injuries to Wirth. For an Oregon legislator who is supposed to act maturely in office, this entire incident seemed like a Jerry Springer Show love triangle gone bad. Who knew the Oregon legislature was ever intended to be a dating agency for the unfulfilled passions of legislators?
In the Oregon legislature, three bills came up for a vote in the last session to tighten-up the supply of chemicals that are used to create meth drugs in Oregon. Oregon has the worst problems in the nation with meth abuse and meth crime. And interestingly, Rep. Kelley Wirth was the only legislator to vote against all three of these bills. One bill, for example puts Sudafed, and similar over the counter drugs behind pharmacy counters and creates a drug log of buyers to prevent large sales to persons who use this medication to produce meth. Another bill that has been signed into law will require a doctor's prescription for drugs such as Sudafed, that often end up in meth . Ebay for example recently banned the sales of large amounts of Sudafed to help to stem the use of this over the counter drug in meth.
Now comes the latest silly episode of the Kelley Wirth saga. The incident last month in which Wirth was injured has now reportedly turned up a user amount of meth that police want to question Wirth about. And despite the fact that Wirth is still injured from last month's automobile assault, she is now missing and cannot be found for police questioning and investigation into the meth evidence found.
At least Wirth is not a hypocrite. She was the only vote against tightening the Oregon meth laws. But this is certainly not the sort of conduct that Oregonian's expect of their legislators. The mounting problems for Wirth are a huge embarrassment.
Oregon democrats were able to win back a majority in the state senate. And every race in the Oregon state house is critical to democrats hopes for regaining support in the Oregon legislature. The Republican speaker of the house has sided with the big tobacco lobby interests and has blocked legislation from even coming to a vote that she personally disagreed with, or was against the interests of big business or big lobby efforts. Oregon democrats need to quickly rid themselves of the plague of Kelley Wirth. 2006 may indeed be a big year of "make it or break it" for the democrats. They cannot afford an anchor like Kelley Wirth to drag along the feet of the party. The Oregon state democrats need to quickly urge Wirth to resign her seat, and seek to find an attractive candidate who will honorably represent the seat that Wirth holds in the Oregon legislature. With every seat vital to a democratic revival in the Oregon legislature for democrats, the bad publicity surrounding Wirth is hardly helpful to the chances of the state democrats. Only serious democrats need apply for political offices. There is no room for politicians like Wirth and her "girl's gone wild" type of politics when serious issues face Oregon, and democrats face a vital test in 2006 to wrest control of the state house from the republican majority.
A few weeks ago, a reported relationship that Wirth had with a young janitor in the state capitol building resulted in a three person argument at the home of the janitor, in which it was reported that Wirth, the janitor, and the former girlfriend of the janitor engaged in a very angry exchange. This angry exchange led to a violent episode later that evening that resulted in the janitor's former girlfriend running down Wirth with her car, causing severe leg injuries to Wirth. For an Oregon legislator who is supposed to act maturely in office, this entire incident seemed like a Jerry Springer Show love triangle gone bad. Who knew the Oregon legislature was ever intended to be a dating agency for the unfulfilled passions of legislators?
In the Oregon legislature, three bills came up for a vote in the last session to tighten-up the supply of chemicals that are used to create meth drugs in Oregon. Oregon has the worst problems in the nation with meth abuse and meth crime. And interestingly, Rep. Kelley Wirth was the only legislator to vote against all three of these bills. One bill, for example puts Sudafed, and similar over the counter drugs behind pharmacy counters and creates a drug log of buyers to prevent large sales to persons who use this medication to produce meth. Another bill that has been signed into law will require a doctor's prescription for drugs such as Sudafed, that often end up in meth . Ebay for example recently banned the sales of large amounts of Sudafed to help to stem the use of this over the counter drug in meth.
Now comes the latest silly episode of the Kelley Wirth saga. The incident last month in which Wirth was injured has now reportedly turned up a user amount of meth that police want to question Wirth about. And despite the fact that Wirth is still injured from last month's automobile assault, she is now missing and cannot be found for police questioning and investigation into the meth evidence found.
At least Wirth is not a hypocrite. She was the only vote against tightening the Oregon meth laws. But this is certainly not the sort of conduct that Oregonian's expect of their legislators. The mounting problems for Wirth are a huge embarrassment.
Oregon democrats were able to win back a majority in the state senate. And every race in the Oregon state house is critical to democrats hopes for regaining support in the Oregon legislature. The Republican speaker of the house has sided with the big tobacco lobby interests and has blocked legislation from even coming to a vote that she personally disagreed with, or was against the interests of big business or big lobby efforts. Oregon democrats need to quickly rid themselves of the plague of Kelley Wirth. 2006 may indeed be a big year of "make it or break it" for the democrats. They cannot afford an anchor like Kelley Wirth to drag along the feet of the party. The Oregon state democrats need to quickly urge Wirth to resign her seat, and seek to find an attractive candidate who will honorably represent the seat that Wirth holds in the Oregon legislature. With every seat vital to a democratic revival in the Oregon legislature for democrats, the bad publicity surrounding Wirth is hardly helpful to the chances of the state democrats. Only serious democrats need apply for political offices. There is no room for politicians like Wirth and her "girl's gone wild" type of politics when serious issues face Oregon, and democrats face a vital test in 2006 to wrest control of the state house from the republican majority.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
One Sunni Party Cooperation Does Not Guarantee Peace In Iraq
It has been announced that one Sunni political party will cooperate with the Shiite and Kurdish elements that are in the driver seat with the design of the Iraqi constitution. Yet this does not necessarily hold promise that the Sunni led insurgency will cease. The support of a single conservative Sunni party to lay down it's deep-set and long running ethnic conflict with the Shiites and Kurds, who are urging their members to vote for the constitution, will hardly quell the most radical elements who are the face of the Iraqi insurgency.
The roots of the conflict in Iraq began shortly after WWI. During WWI, Turkey aligned with other ethnic Arab areas in the MidEast and formed the old Muslim Ottoman Empire which had long sought to impose the Muslim faith throughout Europe in the long running conflict between the Muslim and the Christian world in Europe. Past conflicts left pockets of Muslims in states like Bosnia setting up the ethnic conflict that followed after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
During WWI, Turkey was an ally of Germany, and this set up a conflict where Turkish control of southern Europe would likely mean that Southern European states such as Spain, Italy and other states would likely have the Muslim faith imposed on them if Turkey and Germany should win the war. A combined military of British, Irish, French and Australian soldiers faced a terrible military defeat at the horriby failed invasion of Galliopi in an attempt to battle with Turkey. After the eventual defeat of both Turkey and Germany, the victorious British sought to impose control over parts of the old Ottoman Empire in the MidEast, partially due to the discovery of oil in the region now known as Iraq. In a post WWI hotel room, Winston Churchill drew up a map of Iraq that combined three ethnic groups with nothing in common, and called this artificial state of British occupation "Iraq".
Britain soon found that it was forced to take the Sunni side in the ethnic dispute between the Shiite and Kurdish ethnic groups. Despite this, Britain faced more than 40 years of terrible insurgent fighting and used mustard gas attacks on entire villages by aircraft, armored vehicle attacks, and other mechanized warfare tactics to suppress the growing insurgency in Iraq. However by the 1950's the rise of the Arab socialist movement in Eygpt with the successful coup by Gamel Nasser helped to inspire the Baath Socialist movement in Iraq and the successful 1958 rebellion that forced the British withdrawal from Iraq.
Despite this history, neoconservatives representing themselves as the Project For The New American Century, an organization that was defense contractor funded, and founded by Weekly Standard Editor, William Kristol, advocated a new war against Iraq to wrest power from Saddam Hussein and to put Iraqi opposition forces into power. The PNAC actually served two political factional goals, those who were either affilated with military contractor interests liked the financial windfall aspects of a renewed war with Iraq. This included some like Donald Rumseld, Halliburton's Dick Cheney, John Bolton, Jeb Bush and others. Another faction was a wing of Jewish community conservatives such as William Kristol, Paul Wolfowitz, and Morton Krondrake promotting the notion of a renewed war with Iraq under the guise of fears of WMDs as a form of proxy effort to make the tiny state of Israel more secure from any future threat from Saddam Hussein. Yet due to 12 years of U.N. sanctions and past weapons inspections by UNSCOM, Saddam Hussein was hardly the military threat or WMD threat to Israel that the American Jewish conservatives had feared. He had been reduced to an impotent role in MidEast politics. But others in the oil community as well as some concerned with U.S. national security goals, liked the notion that if Iraq could be brought under a new government, then U.S. efforts to have a closer control of the Strait Of Hormuz, which is under Iranian control, and hence the world's oil supply would be greatly enhanced.
The 1990-91 Gulf War was poorly concluded where the unconditional surrender of Saddam Hussein was not made a primary condition of the ceasefire by the first President Bush. This forced 12 years of cruel U.N. sanctions makng food and medicine supplies tight, while Saddam Hussein's family were able to skim enough funds to build palace after palace, while most Iraqis suffered from a shortage of daily vital provisions and goods.
The current American war, just like the British one in Iraq , has been very bloody. The Pentagon for example has publicly denied the use of Mark 77, a modern form of napalm incediary fuel gel bomb that weighs in at 750 lbs. , in Iraq. However, American pilots have publicly claimed that they dropped such bombs in Iraq. Despite official claims of the Pentagon, 500 of these bombs were droppedby the U.S. during the first Gulf War, and at least 30 more in the 2003 war in Iraq. The U.N. Convention on some conventional weapons outlaws the use of these modern napalm weapons, however the U.S. has failed to sign this treaty. Both the U.S. and Russia continue to defy the world community by their continued military inventory of fuel gel type bombs. And the U.S. made heavy use of depleted uranium bombs as well.
And the despite massive military efforts in the Western sector of Iraq near the Syrian border, the U.S. has failed to stop but small handfuls of foreign insurgent fighters who pour into Iraq from foreign states. There has been civilian deaths, or "colateral damage" as the Pentagon terms it, of civilians whose homes were bombed to rout out a handful of insurgent fighters here or there, leaving many women or children maimed or dead. And electricity, food, water and medicine supplies in Iraq are now at even worse levels than during the 12 terrible years of harsh U.N. sanctions.
And the current government of Iraq, instead of creating a document for the future of Iraq, essentially used the constitution to construct a document dividing the oil assets of Iraq among the more powerful coalition of Shiite and Kurdish ethnic groups, leaving the Sunni minority little more than the sand of Iraq. The current constitution is little more than a dissolution document for Iraq, more similar to divorce papers, and highly unlikely to secure Iraq as a single state for the future of a united Iraq. And Turkey has fears that the Kurds in the North will press for a modern state of Kurdistan, while ethnic tensions with Kurds in Turkey continue to rise.
The worst of the British conflict in Iraq lasted from 1920 to 1958. In all this time, Britain could not impose control over Iraq. Equally the U.S. will likely find itself embroiled for many years in Iraq. It is highly likely that America's sons, and their grandsons, will find themselves in Iraq for quite some time. 40 years of mustard gas attacks and armored warfare against entire Iraqi villages could not bring Iraq under British control. Equally the napalm attacks of Mark 77 bombs, and the bombing of homes in villages in Iraq to fight first the military of Iraq, then the insurgents, has failed to secure the peace as of yet in Iraq. And the most radical Sunni elements will continue to ignore and oppose the Iraqi constitution, and will not likely lay down arms in the near future.
America's ticket out of Iraq, is the elusive peace and stability. But more likely than not, America's sons and their grandsons will be bogged down in this qaugmire for a good many years. Currently only one Iraqi military battlion of 700 men is able to fight on it's own without American military support, down from three battlions of about 2,000 men a few months ago. America has recently quietly increased the number of U.S. troops in Iraq by 14,000 to 152,000 in the last few days. Iraq has proven itself so far unable to effectively unable to govern itself, police itself, provide military for itself, enough food, clean water, electricity or medicine for itself. This leaves America clearly stuck in the Iraq quagmire with little hope of an early exit in the near future by any honest, realistic or objective opinion.
The roots of the conflict in Iraq began shortly after WWI. During WWI, Turkey aligned with other ethnic Arab areas in the MidEast and formed the old Muslim Ottoman Empire which had long sought to impose the Muslim faith throughout Europe in the long running conflict between the Muslim and the Christian world in Europe. Past conflicts left pockets of Muslims in states like Bosnia setting up the ethnic conflict that followed after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
During WWI, Turkey was an ally of Germany, and this set up a conflict where Turkish control of southern Europe would likely mean that Southern European states such as Spain, Italy and other states would likely have the Muslim faith imposed on them if Turkey and Germany should win the war. A combined military of British, Irish, French and Australian soldiers faced a terrible military defeat at the horriby failed invasion of Galliopi in an attempt to battle with Turkey. After the eventual defeat of both Turkey and Germany, the victorious British sought to impose control over parts of the old Ottoman Empire in the MidEast, partially due to the discovery of oil in the region now known as Iraq. In a post WWI hotel room, Winston Churchill drew up a map of Iraq that combined three ethnic groups with nothing in common, and called this artificial state of British occupation "Iraq".
Britain soon found that it was forced to take the Sunni side in the ethnic dispute between the Shiite and Kurdish ethnic groups. Despite this, Britain faced more than 40 years of terrible insurgent fighting and used mustard gas attacks on entire villages by aircraft, armored vehicle attacks, and other mechanized warfare tactics to suppress the growing insurgency in Iraq. However by the 1950's the rise of the Arab socialist movement in Eygpt with the successful coup by Gamel Nasser helped to inspire the Baath Socialist movement in Iraq and the successful 1958 rebellion that forced the British withdrawal from Iraq.
Despite this history, neoconservatives representing themselves as the Project For The New American Century, an organization that was defense contractor funded, and founded by Weekly Standard Editor, William Kristol, advocated a new war against Iraq to wrest power from Saddam Hussein and to put Iraqi opposition forces into power. The PNAC actually served two political factional goals, those who were either affilated with military contractor interests liked the financial windfall aspects of a renewed war with Iraq. This included some like Donald Rumseld, Halliburton's Dick Cheney, John Bolton, Jeb Bush and others. Another faction was a wing of Jewish community conservatives such as William Kristol, Paul Wolfowitz, and Morton Krondrake promotting the notion of a renewed war with Iraq under the guise of fears of WMDs as a form of proxy effort to make the tiny state of Israel more secure from any future threat from Saddam Hussein. Yet due to 12 years of U.N. sanctions and past weapons inspections by UNSCOM, Saddam Hussein was hardly the military threat or WMD threat to Israel that the American Jewish conservatives had feared. He had been reduced to an impotent role in MidEast politics. But others in the oil community as well as some concerned with U.S. national security goals, liked the notion that if Iraq could be brought under a new government, then U.S. efforts to have a closer control of the Strait Of Hormuz, which is under Iranian control, and hence the world's oil supply would be greatly enhanced.
The 1990-91 Gulf War was poorly concluded where the unconditional surrender of Saddam Hussein was not made a primary condition of the ceasefire by the first President Bush. This forced 12 years of cruel U.N. sanctions makng food and medicine supplies tight, while Saddam Hussein's family were able to skim enough funds to build palace after palace, while most Iraqis suffered from a shortage of daily vital provisions and goods.
The current American war, just like the British one in Iraq , has been very bloody. The Pentagon for example has publicly denied the use of Mark 77, a modern form of napalm incediary fuel gel bomb that weighs in at 750 lbs. , in Iraq. However, American pilots have publicly claimed that they dropped such bombs in Iraq. Despite official claims of the Pentagon, 500 of these bombs were droppedby the U.S. during the first Gulf War, and at least 30 more in the 2003 war in Iraq. The U.N. Convention on some conventional weapons outlaws the use of these modern napalm weapons, however the U.S. has failed to sign this treaty. Both the U.S. and Russia continue to defy the world community by their continued military inventory of fuel gel type bombs. And the U.S. made heavy use of depleted uranium bombs as well.
And the despite massive military efforts in the Western sector of Iraq near the Syrian border, the U.S. has failed to stop but small handfuls of foreign insurgent fighters who pour into Iraq from foreign states. There has been civilian deaths, or "colateral damage" as the Pentagon terms it, of civilians whose homes were bombed to rout out a handful of insurgent fighters here or there, leaving many women or children maimed or dead. And electricity, food, water and medicine supplies in Iraq are now at even worse levels than during the 12 terrible years of harsh U.N. sanctions.
And the current government of Iraq, instead of creating a document for the future of Iraq, essentially used the constitution to construct a document dividing the oil assets of Iraq among the more powerful coalition of Shiite and Kurdish ethnic groups, leaving the Sunni minority little more than the sand of Iraq. The current constitution is little more than a dissolution document for Iraq, more similar to divorce papers, and highly unlikely to secure Iraq as a single state for the future of a united Iraq. And Turkey has fears that the Kurds in the North will press for a modern state of Kurdistan, while ethnic tensions with Kurds in Turkey continue to rise.
The worst of the British conflict in Iraq lasted from 1920 to 1958. In all this time, Britain could not impose control over Iraq. Equally the U.S. will likely find itself embroiled for many years in Iraq. It is highly likely that America's sons, and their grandsons, will find themselves in Iraq for quite some time. 40 years of mustard gas attacks and armored warfare against entire Iraqi villages could not bring Iraq under British control. Equally the napalm attacks of Mark 77 bombs, and the bombing of homes in villages in Iraq to fight first the military of Iraq, then the insurgents, has failed to secure the peace as of yet in Iraq. And the most radical Sunni elements will continue to ignore and oppose the Iraqi constitution, and will not likely lay down arms in the near future.
America's ticket out of Iraq, is the elusive peace and stability. But more likely than not, America's sons and their grandsons will be bogged down in this qaugmire for a good many years. Currently only one Iraqi military battlion of 700 men is able to fight on it's own without American military support, down from three battlions of about 2,000 men a few months ago. America has recently quietly increased the number of U.S. troops in Iraq by 14,000 to 152,000 in the last few days. Iraq has proven itself so far unable to effectively unable to govern itself, police itself, provide military for itself, enough food, clean water, electricity or medicine for itself. This leaves America clearly stuck in the Iraq quagmire with little hope of an early exit in the near future by any honest, realistic or objective opinion.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
UnChristian Values?
In Multnomah County, Oregon , Lou Beres, former head of the Oregon Christian Coalition and head of the Multnomah County Republican Party is facing some allegations of sexual abuse according to sources in the Portland newsmedia. While Beres has not been charged or indicted for any crime, it has forced him to withdrawal from any activity associated with the Republican Party or the Christian Coalition.
This is yet another body blow to the religious right and the Republican Party which are suffering from national problems because of problems related to Karl Rove, Tom Delay, Bill Frist and the political freefall of George Bush down to a mere 37% public approval support in a late public opinion poll.
The problem probably lies in the fact that the religious right is merely a self-righteous movement similar to the Pharisees in the Bible. Publicly they appeared to be religious. But their hearts were in the wrong place. And similarly the religious right lacks any credible Biblical support for their political/religious ideology. There is no language to be found anywhere in either the Old or New Testament that God chose the United States to be a God ordained state, only Israel was chosen to be this. And there is no support for the religious right or conservative support for tax breaks for the wealthy, starting the Iraq War, hurting public social service programs for the poor, siding with big industries like tobacco, or other numerous nonBiblical concepts. The religious right preaches a false Gospel contrary to the Gospel of Christ. It is a spiritual counterfeit and is now being exposed by God as a counterfeit faith that dilutes and soils his actual teachings from the Bible. This is likely the reason for the public collapse of and problems for the religious right. God is exposing a false and counterfeit faith movement that is misleading millions into following this false faith. Bible prophecy predicted such an end times event, where false religion would have a huge public rise along with wars, earthquakes and other natural disasters. Since WWI it has been apparent that the events foretold in the Bible as end time events have been greatly increasing. In all likelyhood the public collapse and freefall of the religious right and their allies within the right wing of the Republican Party are yet another endtime event that is now publicly unwinding. It is getting increasing difficult for anyone to deny that end time events are not starting to unfold. It is as if the mysteries from the pages of the book of Revelation are now starting to publicly open.
Every new natural disaster, every new rumor of war, every new revelation of false religion are all examples foretold in scripture of events that would mark the end times.
This is yet another body blow to the religious right and the Republican Party which are suffering from national problems because of problems related to Karl Rove, Tom Delay, Bill Frist and the political freefall of George Bush down to a mere 37% public approval support in a late public opinion poll.
The problem probably lies in the fact that the religious right is merely a self-righteous movement similar to the Pharisees in the Bible. Publicly they appeared to be religious. But their hearts were in the wrong place. And similarly the religious right lacks any credible Biblical support for their political/religious ideology. There is no language to be found anywhere in either the Old or New Testament that God chose the United States to be a God ordained state, only Israel was chosen to be this. And there is no support for the religious right or conservative support for tax breaks for the wealthy, starting the Iraq War, hurting public social service programs for the poor, siding with big industries like tobacco, or other numerous nonBiblical concepts. The religious right preaches a false Gospel contrary to the Gospel of Christ. It is a spiritual counterfeit and is now being exposed by God as a counterfeit faith that dilutes and soils his actual teachings from the Bible. This is likely the reason for the public collapse of and problems for the religious right. God is exposing a false and counterfeit faith movement that is misleading millions into following this false faith. Bible prophecy predicted such an end times event, where false religion would have a huge public rise along with wars, earthquakes and other natural disasters. Since WWI it has been apparent that the events foretold in the Bible as end time events have been greatly increasing. In all likelyhood the public collapse and freefall of the religious right and their allies within the right wing of the Republican Party are yet another endtime event that is now publicly unwinding. It is getting increasing difficult for anyone to deny that end time events are not starting to unfold. It is as if the mysteries from the pages of the book of Revelation are now starting to publicly open.
Every new natural disaster, every new rumor of war, every new revelation of false religion are all examples foretold in scripture of events that would mark the end times.
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