The Rag Blog

The course they are staying on is locking up Iraq’s oil drilling/selling options for decades. Once that is a sure thing then the majority of U.S troops can come home. Of course there is not now nor has there ever been any desire to bring democracy or freedom to the Iraqi people or anyone else near or far. The Iraqi people would all be dead instantly if the Western oil barons could make that so. So the actual course is very reality based and we should all address that reality. There is nothing illogical about what they are doing. The premise is wrong. They have spent a trillion of our dollars in the quest for more than three trillion for themselves and they will not give that up. The Iranians and the Iraqis can make it difficult for the oil barons to achieve their goal. Many Republicans may lose their political offices. The premise of U.S. foreign policy remains the same everywhere.

Alan Pogue

See also our other posts on this topic, such as here, here, and here.

Midterm Ad Spending Outpaces 2004 Presidential Race
Spending on Congressional Advertising Will Exceed $2 Billion This Year
By JIM KUHNHENN, AP

All this money has contributed to one of the greatest saturation of political and issue ads on television. Combined with money spent on ads for governor races and scores of ballot initiatives in the states, the spending on congressional advertising will exceed $2 billion this year, more than was spent in the 2004 presidential election.

Read the rest here.

Cameras Show Army Recruiters Misleading Students
Colonel Says Incidents Are the Exception, Not the Rule

During the ABC News sessions, some recruiters told our students if they enlisted, there would be little chance they’d to go Iraq.

Read it here.

Fear and beyond

This is too much…

Source

“A Growing Number Of Active-Duty Service Members Are Expressing Their Opposition To The Occupation Of Iraq”
From: Liam Madden
To: GI Special
Sent: November 01, 2006

2) The human cost.

Read the entire article here.

If your workplace is safe; if your children go to school rather than being forced into labor; if you are paid a living wage, including overtime; if you enjoy a 40-hour week and you are allowed to join a union to protect your rights — you can thank liberals. If your food is not poisoned and your water is drinkable — you can thank liberals. If your parents are eligible for Medicare and Social Security, so they can grow old in dignity without bankrupting your family — you can thank liberals. If our rivers are getting cleaner and our air isn’t black with pollution; if our wilderness is protected and our countryside is still green — you can thank liberals. If people of all races can share the same public facilities; if everyone has the right to vote; if couples fall in love and marry regardless of race; if we have finally begun to transcend a segregated society — you can thank liberals. Progressive innovations like those and so many others were achieved by long, difficult struggles against entrenched power. What defined conservatism, and conservatives, was their opposition to every one of those advances. The country we know and love today was built by those victories for liberalism — with the support of the American people.

Joe Conason, “Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth”

Many thanks to Randy Kirchhof at his blog, Epistemic Ingemination.

This mental midget was well-coached by Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and cohorts.

US general likens Iraq to “work of art” in progress
02 Nov 2006 15:25:32 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Claudia Parsons

“Every great work of art goes through messy phases while it is in transition,” Caldwell said.

Read the entire nauseating article here.

As Dancewater, over at Today in Iraq reminds us, “That would be 8 to 10% of the entire population of the country. Imagine 15 million Americans moving to Canada or Mexico, and another 12 million internally displaced. That is vastly more than from Katrina.“

U.N.: Nearly 100,000 Iraqi refugees flee monthly to Syria, Jordan
The Associated Press
Published: November 3, 2006

The Jordanian government says another 1,000 a day are entering Jordan, he said.

Read it here.

IRAQ: Insurgents using children to fight US-led forces
02 Nov 2006 15:27:43 GMT
Source: IRIN

‘Shahid’ is a religious term in Islam that literally means ‘witness’. It is a title that is given to a Muslim after his death if he died during fulfilment of a religious commandment, or during a war for the religion.

Read the rest here.

This is from a friend in Iowa (these are Iowa soldiers). Nick Hopkins

COMMUNIQUÉ FROM THE POPOULAR ASSEMBLY OF THE PEOPLE OF OAXACA

In these moments, the Federal Police (PFP) are trying to enter Ciudad Universitaria (the university facilities in Oaxaca), they have launched tear gas inside and some elements have entered the premesis. Before these facts which violate any judicial orders including University Autonomy, which the Autonomous University Benito Juárez, in Oaxaca, won after a great student struggle, and which cost the lives of many of their best students.

The Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca makes the energetic call for the absolute defense of Ciudad Universitaria. We cannot permit that these university students be assaulted by the forces of occupation that the despots of the PFP have become.

We call the people of Oaxaca to the absolute defense of Ciudad Universitaria, en past days we have called for the peaceful withdrawal from the points where the APPO were established, and we did that to demonstrate the APPO’s disposition towards dialogue in this conflict, despite the fact that the government of Fox and Calderón, evidenced by the invasion of federal troops, was not. We showed ourselves to be prudent, willing to dialogue, the invading forces were not assaulted, and we only called for peaceful resistance; all of our actions were carried our in an orderly and peaceful manner, we ordered withdrawal so as not to fall into provocations, we called for people not to fall into confrontations with the PFP despite their aggressions. But as imperialist lackeys, you, Fox and Calderón, confuse prudence with weakness, peacefulness with cowardice, and thinking that the people of Oaxaca are a cowardly people, you are trying to put an end to them.

We give, then, the instructions to all the people of Oaxaca to advance in an organized and determined manner towards Radio Universidad, and to defend at all costs Ciudad Universitaria, and the University Autonomy that is being trampled upon.

The people of Oaxaca are a valiant people, and this we have demonstrated in these 5 months, we have demonstrated it throughout history, we defeated the French Army during that occupation, despite our technological disadvantages, and even then some stateless people collaborated with them, and history has judged them; the same people that in those times collaborated and applauded the intervention of the French Army are today applauding the death of 19 of our compañeros, applauded the intervention of the PFP, are now complaining that their businesses have been looted by the PFP, lament that their daughters are being sexually threatened by the PFP, and this is just the beginning.

Just as President Juárez showed us how to defend the principles of the Republic, just as Juárez and Magón showed us how to fight and to defend the dignity of the people, today, the people of Oaxaca will go to battle in defense of Ciudad Universitaria, in a disciplined and organized manner, we will defeat the invaders, the army of occupation, and if Fox doesn’t order a stop to this offensive, he will bite the dust, our lives and our blood will not be spilled in vain, justice and reason are on our side, and we are hundreds of thousands of Oaxacans that will fight on this day.

Sirs, Vicente Fox, Carlos Abascal Carranza and Felipe Calderón, you all are responsible for the deaths at the hands of the PFP and the PRIista paramilitaries, and you all will be responsible for the deaths that results from your stupidity and political interests.

NOT ONE STEP BACKWARDS
FOREVER, UNTIL VICTORY

ALL THE POWER TO THE PEOPLE

Also, see here.

This video brought tears to my eyes – for everyone who remembers Gentle Thursday, a gift, a song, and a hug! Thanks to Kate’s friend (and mine!), Austin musician Gail March, for passing this along!!!

Thanks,
Mariann