Iraq wants Exxon out, Russia in

Kinda makes me wonder what strange forces are driving the World's economy....

EAT THE RICH, THERE IS NOTHING ELSE LEFT!

This video is making a lot of sense. Someone is getting rich at the expense of the rest of us, and the price is becoming very dear.

U.S. SOLDIERS SPEAK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES ON DEPLOYMENT

Please leave comments below.

Iraq War Raw Combat Footage

This is some pretty gripping war footage. I don't understand why we send our soldiers halfway across the planet to blow stuff up. Why can't they build rails, wind turbines, hospitals, schools, and other positive stuff that we need at home now?

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS

"Support Our Troops." Used early in the invasion and occupation of Iraq as a counter to the growing anti-war movement, this patriotic slogan has since undergone a metamorphosis. As the scores of injured and mentally disturbed soldiers return from the battle fields to their home-towns and try to re-integrate into society, their friends and families are learning that no amount of support can ever heal the psychological wounds that soldiers suffer.

Although I have respect for people who put themselves in harm’s way to protect others, I believe heroism should be associated with a just cause. The illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq has caused such widespread destruction that any glory claimed from taking part in cleaning up the mess, should be carefully examined. Don't tell me they are fighting for my freedom, because in my opinion that is pure garbage! The war was sold to the American people with lies and propaganda. Even among the right-wing there are few who will now deny that the invasions and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan have had much more to with energy resources and geopolitical strategic posturing than anything else.

There is no justification for the illegal, immoral invasion and occupation of a peaceful country.

World War III, Get Both Sides Of The Story

After reading books such as George Orwell's, 1984, or Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, and seeing movies with the same general message like Brazil, THX-1138, Wag The Dog, etc., I have had little trust in the mainstream sources for world news. Accordingly, I spend a lot of time looking for alternative information sources whenever I am trying to find the truth on global political matters.

The PAK-ALERT PRESS stands out as an excellent source for independant stories and articles out of the Middle- East and especially with respect to the situation in the region of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The photos and stories that I find there, give a realistic perspective to the stark reality of a distant war that most Americans are insulated from by our sterile and impotent media giants.

Here is the article that inspired me to write this: The Anatomy Of America's Defeat In Afghanistan

World War III

How does one make a distinction between "occupation" and "invasion"? It should be obvious right? Most would immediately say that an occupation is temporary and an invasion permanent.  But, let us look more closely at these words.

My Encarta Dictionary tells me that the first definition of "occupation" is "1. the job by which somebody earns a living." That makes sense when I think about what the United States is doing in the Middle-East. But wait, we're talking about a military action, right? The traditional military use of  the word "occupation" according to Encarta, is "4. MILITARY the invasion and control of a country or area by enemy forces."  Hhmmn, there is nothing there about leaving the invaded country...

The order by which Encarta lists the definitions for any given word are supposed to be representative of the commonality of their usage, so I was not surprised when I looked up "invasion" to find that the first definition was perfectly military in its application, "1. a hostile entry by an armed force into a country's territory, especially with the intention of conquering it."  Again, there is nothing here about leaving the invaded country. I like this word better for a description of what our country has done in the Middle-East; there is no deception with this word.

Of course our troops in the Middle-East are planning to leave...just as soon as they are done building a few more permanent military bases. Just like in Viet Nam, our presence there will eventually change the culture into a more "American friendly" place to be. The US military never had a plan for "leaving" Iraq, because that is not what an "invasion" is all about.

Let us use words that convey the true meaning of our actions in the Middle-East when we talk about our "enterprises" there. And let us not pretend that we are conducting "police actions" or "occupations"--this is not a "war on terror." We are in the middle of nothing less than World War III! How many nations are involved in this global power struggle? I think they all are...

Please leave your comments below.  Especially if you disagree with me!

Let Us Remember The Heroes

Do you recognize this man? Most will say he looks vaguely familiar, and he should...in my opinion, this is the greatest hero of the war in Iraq. This man had the courage and the fortitude to stand up and say what he believed in, in spite of the swift and brutal retaliation that he knew he would receive for doing so. This is the famous Shoe Throwing Reporter, Muntadhar al-Zeidi. He had the nerve to throw both of his shoes at Former President Bush in a show of disgust for the lies and propaganda spread by the Bush administration. He endured nine months of torture in an Iraqi prison for his act of defiance, and was released last September.

After his release, al-Zeidi said that he believes US forces "...will spare no efforts to track me as an insurgent revolutionary in a bid to kill me..." He has since gone into hiding with his family.

Please post a comment below...especially if you disagree with me!

Iraqis Celebrate US Troop Withdrawal

The news media has been so focused on the death of Michael Jackson that people in the United States may not have noticed that US troops withdrew from Iraqi cities today.

The Iraqi people noticed though, and they have been celebrating the event with great joy. In an article from the Associated Press, one Iraqi man, Waleed al-Bahadili, is reported to have said "All of us are happy _ Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds on this day....the Americans harmed and insulted us too much." One Iraqi woman said that she "...finally feel[s] liberated."

A flagrant violation of international law, the invasion and occupation of Iraq has lasted over six years. It has destabilized the entire middle-east; caused the needless deaths of thousands (some say millions) of innocent Iraqi civilians, and seriously damaged the reputation of the United States all over the world; it has cost the US taxpayers trillions of dollars and destroyed the United State's (and the world's) economy.

The pullout is mostly symbolic, as some US troops will remain in the cities to "...train and advise Iraqi forces...," while the vast majority of them will be conducting operations from their newly built permanant military bases, outside of the cities.

Coincidental to the pullout, Iraq's oil interests were placed on the world market, allowing international investors to buy shares of Iraqi oil.

Is Waterboarding Torture?

I my opinion, waterboarding is torture. Check out this video and see how long this guy lasts:

via videosift.com

There is a big difference between what this guy is enduring and what a suspected "terrorist" would be enduring, because he had the option of ending the experiment at any time. The person being "interrogated" doesn't have the ability to stop the procedure and therefore is enduring an excruciating  experience that can and has led to death.

The ACLU has posted the secret memos which they forced the Bush administration to release with a lawsuit; see them here: http://www.aclu.org/accountability/olc.html

Iraqis Mark Sixth Anniversary of Invasion With Protests

Watching the news this morning I noticed that there was little to no mention of the thousands of Iraqis who turned out to protest the invasion and continued occupation of their country.

Even internet searches fail to produce results for the protest, which dwarfed the handful of paid protesters that were filmed pulling down Saddam Hussien's statue with the aid of US soldiers after the sacking of Baghdad in 2003. There are few people who don't remember the video footage of that event, which was aired over and over again.  

The failure of the US media to report on today's protest is reprehensible.  In fact there has been very little mention of Iraq in the news lately.  Meanwhile, US military spending continues to increase, despite the soaring national debt which has resulted from the illegal and immoral war in the middle east.

With some difficulty, I did manage to find this article on the protest. 

I welcome your comments, especially opposing viewpoints...