National Security
How
can we stop these guys...?
Freedom at home, War in Iraq, and Changing Course
Active Resources Bookmark Page Link to site Click to comment Links Get Active!
| War Crimes | Torture is immoral, illegal, and it does not work And here is the proof. | ||||||||
| Revealed |
"Non-military Contributions to
National Security"
http://www.mepc.org/whats/cwf090113.asp
|
||||||||
|
About |
A Dangerously Depleted Guard
Nearly 90 percent of stateside National Guard units are rated less than fully ready because of equipment and training shortfalls. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. The unseemly underbelly of the ignoble corruption in the Bush White House has put our nation at risk. What Choices are left? We can allow George Bush to remain on course and sink the ship of state, or Nancy Pelosi and Senator Byrd can end the war, crush the corruption, and lead us to safe harbor. Security Comes Second for Bush Administration Synapse, CA -
Bush’s
Defeated Foe: US Civil Liberty by Paul Craig Roberts
|
||||||||
|
|||||||||
|
On Losing and Winning in Iraq... and what is at stake... winning, corporate adventurism, military- industrial collaboration, fundamentalism, faith, freedom fascism, lies, corruption, denial, deferral, insanity, a question of balance, or the rule of |
We are losing in Iraq, because we do not know what it is we are supposed to "win." It is good that Powell has weighed in. It was also useful for the George Herbert Walker Bush Iraq Study Group to weigh in. Even Senator Gordon Smith's belated "conversion" was a useful wake-up call. But in the midst of these studies, assessments, and attempts at revisionism... we need to pay closer attention to the facts on the ground. We are "winning" according to the Bush agenda. But is it worth the price? 1. Why did we invade Iraq? a. George hears voices in his head. b. George's father's friends wanted to control oil resources with military bases in Iraq. c. The Bush family and their friends want to make money. 2. Why are we occupying Iraq? a. Because God told George to do it. b. To enforce no-bid, cost-plus contracts. c. So the Bush family and their friends (Bin Ladens and Saudi royalty) can make money. 3. When and how can we leave? a. When God tells George it is OK. b. When we are sure that the no-bid, cost-plus contracts are enforceable, and that "privatized" Iraqi oil rights are secured by transnational cartels. c. When we are certain that Bush, Cheney, and their ilk (Bechtel, Halliburton et al...) have effectively established dominance and control of Iraqi natural resources. 4. Are these goals achievable? Hmmm... a. It depends on what voices George hears next. b. Unending corporate occupation of Iraq will be expensive, lethal, and counterproductive. But as long as Americans remain willing to sacrifice ethics and lives for corporate profits... the short answer is Yes. We can continue to exploit our position. c. Everything so far is going according to plan: Long-term bases are under construction, Saudi Arabia has signed onto the Bush agenda, and so far, the American people are willing to sacrifice fiscal responsibility, national security, our reputation, international credibility, and American lives so that Bush and his "base" can make money at our expense. Grim reminders of where we stand today.... Timothy Martin Flanagan Winning in Iraq and losing faith in America http://activeresource.org/wordpress/archives/56 |
||||||||
| And how we
turn up the heat... accountability, and holding their feet to the fire... Invasion, Failure, Studied Surrender, Hubris, Corporate |
So the game plan is to replace the "Axis of Evil" (Iran, Iraq, and North Korea) with governments imposed on those nations and Syria....by a "Troika of Terror" (United States, Britain, and Israel) This is beginning to sound more and more like a retro-colonial corporate-sponsored fundamentalist crusade... And a recipe for disaster. Iraq, before we invaded was functioning in spite of ten years of sanctions, had not invaded her neighbors in ten years, and posed no threat to the United States. Iran was marginalized due to her over-the-top leader, and did not have the capacity to produce nuclear weapons, thanks to engagement by the west, and oversight by inspectors. North Korea was already a nuclear power who we needed to engage in serious discussion. Now, after six years of efforts by the Troika, Iraq is in chaos... a breeding ground for terror and a failed state. Iran has become more powerful, due to our feckless invasion of Iraq. And North Korea is stronger, has more weapons, and eludes our damaged intelligence apparatus. And the middle classes in Iraq, Iran, and Korea, have fled from the onslaught of shock, awe, & fear-mongering... leaving those nations further at risk-more vulnerable. If Bush ignores the American people, his advisors, and the Pentagon, and Blair ignores the British public, his advisors, and his intelligence services, and Olmert ignores majority voices of moderation in Israel, we will then be plunged into the devastation of a conflict which could easily become World War Three. What can prevent such surrender? In the USA, our no-longer silent majority will have to bypass the corporate press and take it to the streets to wake up the halls of congress and remind the justice system of their constitutional obligations. In Britain, Israel, and across Europe and the rest of the globe, grassroots organizers will help people take control of their nations so we can end this mindless corporate push for an un-winnable war. The most potent enemy we face is not the straw man of Islamic fundamentalism. Nor do any nations pose serious military threats to our country. The enemies we face are corporate seizures of government. This undermines democracy and threatens to globally disinherit hard-working, good-hearted citizens. We cannot allow Bush to "surge" more troops into a Vietnamization of Iraq. Such studied ignorance can only deliver surging body counts and disastrous deficits.... It is time we demand that our leaders stop the madness. "Duty, honor, and country" do not mean you turn a blind eye to the corruption and depravity of an un-winnable war with no defined goals. Waiting until you retire to speak the truth is abdication of responsibility unbecoming an officer, a gentleman, or any honest man of good faith. We cannot continue to watch the spiraling disaster of Iraq's unraveling, deeper divisions in an uncontainable civil war, and rampant lawlessness in the chaos which is now Iraq. Responsible military officers must not wait until retirement to be truthful with our civilian leadership and the American people. The day of reckoning will not wait until Mr. Bush wakes up. There is a glaring truth beyond the horizon. The neo-colonialists have no intention of turning back. Seven hours of electricity per day in Baghdad is not "success." Rudderless response to events is not leadership. And it is time to stand up to these pretenders before they take us the rest of the way down a path of no return. This is not about winning or victory. This is about accountabity, democracy, and the rule of law. We can re-bid the no-bid, cost-plus contracts which are an affront to the American and Iraqi people. We can engage the Iraqi people and their neighbors in rebuilding their own nation, by ending the over-reaching corporate ambitions of "privatizing their oil" and selling off their natural resources to the best-connected corporate cartel. The elephant of corporate hegemony is trampling freedom, democracy, self-determination, peace, and security. Not just in Iraq and America, but around the globe. Studious ignorance is not a solution. Civic-engagement is the answer. We voted, and now it is time to turn up the heat. best regards, Timothy Martin Flanagan |
||||||||
| Across | A Resource for Writing, Writers, & Creative Arts | Until | |||||||
| www.AlternativeNewsResource.org/ | Off | Plus | Till | Unto | |||||
| Against | Below | Considering | Coretta Scott King | To | Up | ||||
| Along | After the Bush league: Where do we go from here? | Upon | |||||||
| Among | Besides | Down | Into | Opposite | Round | Toward | With | ||
|
Alternative News Resource, American Dreams, American Values, Baldwin, Bias, Big Brother, Bill of Rights, Civil Rights, Corporate Bias, Corruption, Creeping Fascism, Critical Issues, Death Penalty, Daily News, Economic Reality, Fake Headlines, Fascism, Fog of war, Freedom, Free Press, Global Index, Human Rights, Impeachment is Prudent, Iraq war, Issues, Thomas Jefferson, KBOO Labor Radio, Liberalism, Lies, Martin, Media Manipulation, Media Messages, Media Spin, MLK Jr. & Labor, Patriotism, Peace News, Portland Peace Portal, Propaganda, Resource for Writing, Rhetoric, Spin City, The Rule of Law, The Wordsmith Collection: A Magazine for Writing and Creative Arts, Thomas Jefferson, Liberal Foundations, Media Messages, Negative Campaign Tactics, Union Resource, Values, Volunteer, Vote, Who Owns US Media, Wiretapping |
|||||||||
Some useful links:
Writing Resources
Day of
Service:
http://my.mlkday.gov/mlkprojects/activeresource/index.aspx
Volunteer!
Interesting
Animations Return
to Main Page
AlternativeNewsResource
The
books at the left are recommended resources for those who want
to write effectively. They can supplement any secondary, college, or
graduate-level writing project. If you would like to obtain either book,
click at left. The Writers Harbrace Handbook is a basic guide and
rulebook for writers. It has particularly useful resources on rhetoric.
Adventures in writing is designed as a practical guide for the writing
process. The book is designed for people who want to improve their
writing, including students from non-English based learning environments.
For questions, contact
Tim@WritingResource.org/
Click the notepad at the right for direct support or
click below to visit our store and
Support our
Public Benefit Nonprofit.