Thursday, May 29, 2008

Bu$h Lied

Bu$h Lied and The Corporate Media Went Along

“WASHINGTON — Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan writes in a memoir that the Iraq war was sold to the American people with a sophisticated ‘political propaganda campaign’ led by President Bush and aimed at ‘manipulating sources of public opinion’ and ‘downplaying the major reason for going to war.’ McClellan, 40, includes the charges in his book, What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception, that delivers a harsh look at the White House and the man he served for close to a decade. He describes Bush as demonstrating a ‘lack of inquisitiveness,’ says the White House operated in ‘permanent campaign’ mode and says he was deceived by some in the president's inner circle about the leak of a CIA operative's name.” http://existentialistcowboy.blogspot.com/2008/05/scott-mcclellan-bush-misled-americans.html

The corporate mind control apparatus is making a big deal over former White House Press Secretary and long time George W Bu$h supporter Scott McClellan’s revelations in his new book the Bu$h administration lied about Iraq and used a “sophisticated political propaganda campaign’ to dupe and deceive the AmeriKKKan public into supporting an imperialist war. Tell me something I don’t already know! Most thinking people knew this all along. After the Downing Street Memos revealed the truth about the Bu$h administration cooking intelligence and twisting the “facts” to support its hubris and warmongering, it should come as no surprise an insider like McCellan is spilling the beans about the inner workings of the Bu$h regime. Now all we need is some brave soul to come forth and tell us the real deal about 9-11 and how the Bu$hites having been warned by as many as eleven foreign governments and intelligence agencies either allowed it to happen or, as I believe, actually facilitated the attack and blamed it on some patsies to further their domestic and imperialist agendas.
The interesting thing about the corporate media’s response to McClellan’s book is, they are reluctant to look in the mirror and accept responsibility and culpability for helping Bu$h dupe the masses. The New York Times was the main majorette for the invasion of Iraq. Judith Miller was just one of the Times employees who served as a trumpeter for the Bu$h war agenda. If you get a chance look at the PBS special Selling The War. Bill Moyers the intrepid PBS producer and host chronicles exactly what McClellan revealed only he focuses on the corporate media’s abysmal failure to question, challenge or debunk the administration's claims Saddam Hussein had Weapons of Mass Destruction and that he posed a threat to the US.
The truth of the matter is without the corporate media lap dogs and sycophants validating and repeating Bu$h’s okey-doke and then embedding their employees with the invading US military to juice support for the invasion, the AmeriKKKan people would not have had to endure the colossal losses of life and treasure this misadventure is wracking up daily. The corporate media’s role in marketing Bu$h’s imperialist overreach would have made Joseph Gobbles the Nazi propaganda chief proud. Gobbles and his Nazi minions were masters of the Big Lie, the belief that if you repeated a lie often and vociferously enough people would accept it as truth. For its part the corporate media followed the fascist dictates and class interests of its owners and shareholders dutifully promoting war and imperialism under the guise of Bu$h’s bogus War on Terrorism. The right wing corporate media ( which is mis-characterized as being “liberal”) relentlessly pushed for war. “Unfortunately instead of asking hard questions, the corporate-owned mass media has everything it could to provide a broad audience for the Bush Administration’s propaganda and lies. Paul Krugman was right in pointing out that the American public opinion support for war was largely a consequence of the biased US media. 71% of the American public believe that Saddam Hussein was involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks and a majority did not know that none of the hijackers were from Iraq.” http://paxhumana.info/article.php3?id_article=160
So now the talking heads are making McClellan the story when the real story is their lack of due diligence and independence. With rare exceptions the prostituted press served as the three monkeys: see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil for Bu$h’s warmongering. Of course they are covering their behinds now by helping the Bu$h administration spin McClellan’s revelation as “disloyalty” to Bu$h rather than doing any introspection, soul searching or admitting their complicity in the deliberate deception of the AmeriKKKan people.
For some of us McClellan’s revelations are nothing new, in fact they are too little too late. I’ve been saying this for eight years, trying to wake people up to the massive hypocrisy and lies the corporate elites and their flunkies in the government have been running on us. It would be easy for me to say “I told you so.” or “See, I was right.’ But being right is no consolation. It is a hollow vindication because it’s not about me; too many innocent people have died, too much money has been wasted and AmeriKKKa has descended deeper and deeper into a moral abyss. AmeriKKKa has become a pariah and major threat to the peace and stability of the world. We now have ample proof Bu$h and Co. are war criminals: they initiated a preemptive war, torture, privation and genocide. McClellans’ book merely provides another piece of evidence. They all should be arrested and tried for their crimes!
What are we going to do about it? How will justice be served? Will we be like the Germans who stood passively by and allowed Hitler to run roughshod over Germany and Europe? Or will we find the courage and moral fortitude to resist, to take our place as righteous leaders, assert ourselves and thwart the criminal cabal’s agenda? Thoreau, Ghandi and King proved civil disobedience, economic boycotts and passive resistance work against overwhelming odds and repressive regimes. In fact they are the most practical tools short of all out revolution available to us. The question is will we use them to alter the course of human history for the better?

-30-

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Thank You Mrs Rosalie Pazant

Thank You Mrs. Rosalie Pazant

This past weekend I traveled with the Cheyney University National Alumni Association to the annual Gullah Festival in Beaufort South Carolina. This was my first trip to South Carolina. I had heard about the Gullah People years ago and the festival. Last Fall one of my fraternity brothers mentioned he was thinking about sponsoring a tour to the Gullah festival. To make a long story short, I didn’t hear anything more from him and when my alumni association announced it was sponsoring a tour I jumped on the chance.
The Gullah people are the direct descendants of West Africans who were kidnapped, captured and stolen from their native soil and brought to this hemisphere to work the cotton, sugarcane and rice plantations, clear the land, till the soil, to make it bloom and profitable for whites, most of whom were absentee owners. The most interesting aspect about the Gullah people is because of their location and isolation on the islands off the coast of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, their extremely limited contact with Europeans, they retained much of the culture, folkways and traditions of their immediate African ancestors. You probably have heard the term Geechee. That was the name given to Gullah people, which when I was growing up was an extremely pejorative word. To call someone a Geechee was an insult, on the order of calling you black before black became positive, or calling you trifling or a nigger.
Geechees are the Gullah people who spoke a blended language comprised of African and European words but with a distinctly African syntax and flow. While the Gullah people used European words, the sounds, phrasing and order were entirely different from the way Europeans, their imitators and surrogates sounded. As with all things African in this country, Gullah culture and language was viewed as “less than” backward and inferior by whites. It was also denigrated, derided and made fun of by black people who had no idea what Gullah culture was. To their credit however, the Gullah people steadfastly refused to acquiesce to white notions of what proper language was or what it meant to be human. The Gullah people are fiercely proud of their heritage and background. Over the centuries, even though they too were enslaved they developed a different approach to bondage, they were more self-sufficient and they were the first to be liberated when the Union troops invaded the area. It was in South Carolina where General Sherman, in attempting to deal with the “contraband” which is what they called our ancestors took it upon himself to order the Gullah people be given up to forty acres of land vacated by the whites who had fled the area. (This is where the term “forty acres and a mule” originated.) The Gullah people of South Carolina were the first large group of Africans to be land owners and to be given the opportunity to purchase land for themselves.
During the brief period following the US Civil War called Reconstruction, Africans in South Carolina as well as other parts of the South played a monumental role in shaping the reorganization of America with regard to how it treated all its citizens. Alas the democratic idealism and zeal of Reconstruction was short lived. The ruling elites in both the North and South reverted to their oppressive ways. Ironically they devised even more pernicious forms of peonage. But folks on the islands, because they were still isolated from whites and close knit, experienced more autonomy and self reliance then their mainland brethren. Because of this, the Gullah people tend to have more pride in who they are, their past and their potential albeit still living in a virulently racist country. It wasn’t until they ventured off the islands or as more and more whites infiltrated the coastal regions that the Gullah people experienced overt contacts with racism and a blatant denigration of their culture. In recent decades as more and more whites came to the coastal islands, as usual they brought their psychosis and greed with them. Over the years many Geechee families have lost their lands due to a myriad of reasons and whites have eagerly gobbled up thousands of acres.
In the ‘80's a few descendants of the Geechees decided to do something to celebrate themselves, venerate who they were and honor their unique heritage. Mrs Rosalie Pazant who worked at Savannah State College at the time was retiring soon but she wanted to get involved in something positive to remain active. Some friends encouraged her to rekindle the spirit of a local tradition called “Decoration Day” but with an emphasis on education and preservation. So she and several others set out to plan what has evolved into what has become the Gullah Festival. The festival is a unabashed celebration of Gullah history, its’ African roots, its’ unique culture and legacy. This year the festival was held from Friday May 23 through Sunday May 25. The 2008 festival featured plays, panel discussions, artistic creativity, and assorted edutainment. But more importantly the Gullah Festival serves as a homecoming celebration ,it is also an initiation and baptism into Gullah culture. 2008 was the twenty-second year of the festival. Most of the festival’s activities are held on the newly renovated waterfront area of the Beaufort River in downtown Beaufort. This is prime land. Naturally there are elements in Beaufort that don’t want a festival that unashamedly celebrates being African held at that location even though the festival brings in major tourist revenue for the hotels and restaurants in the region.
Nevertheless, Mrs. Pazant and her supporters remain steadfast and undeterred. They plan to keep having the festival far into the future. If you want to experience what it genuinely means to be proud to be an African on a daily basis, attend the Beaufort Gullah Festival. In November the historic Penn Center in St Helena Island, across the bridge from Beaufort, also sponsors a Heritage Festival. This celebration is another opportunity to discover the richness and revitalizing power of the Gullah people. It is an opportunity to see first hand the Geechee people’s uncompromising pride in their African heritage. I was just as energized attending the Gullah Festival this weekend as I was in 2000 when I went to Kemet and saw for myself the wonders created by our ancient African ancestors. For facilitating this experience for me, I thank the Cheyney National Alumni Association but I especially appreciate Mrs. Rosalie Pazant who is now 91 years old. Mrs Pazant is still the president of the festival. I thank Mrs Pazant, her daughters who support her and their board for holding fast to the vision despite the myriad obstacles they’ve faced over the years. Thank you Mrs. Rosalie Pazant!

-30-

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Remembering Malcolm X

Remembering Malcolm X

“You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom. ” Malcolm X

It is right and proper to pause and remember the life, legacy and works of El Hajj Malik El Shabazz also known as Malcolm X on his natal day. His dedication and sacrifice for the upliftment and liberation of our people are exemplary. Malcolm Little aka “Red” aka Malcolm X aka El Hajj Malik El Shabazz is a shining example of transformation, personal redemption, true manhood, integrity and courage in an age of wholesale emasculation, cowardice, mindlessly treacherous self-negation. Many of us are familiar with his story, how he was born into a family who were supporters of the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey. His father Earl Little was a fiery and courageous preacher who was an organizer for the UNIA. His father died under mysterious circumstances which left a gaping hole in the family structure. Malcolm’s mother who was suddenly forced to raise her family without the support of her murdered husband suffered a nervous breakdown and was institutionalized. The family was scattered, forced to live in foster homes and with relatives. Young Malcolm was naturally bright but his intellect was not nurtured in the white schools he attended in Michigan. Like many black boys, then and now, his white teachers discouraged him and deliberately attempted to crush his spirit and frustrate his dreams of becoming a lawyer.
Eventually Malcolm left the Mid-West and went to stay with a half sister in the Boston area where he fell into the thug life which landed him in jail. While incarcerated, Malcolm was introduced to the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. Malcolm was accepted into the organization and began training in its doctrines and philosophy. His mental agility and love of earning helped him grow and demonstrate his natural leadership skills which were soon recognized within the NOI . Malcolm went on to become one of the NOI’s top organizers and recruiters and eventually became the national spokesman for Mr Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. A subsequent rift with the Nation lead to his suspension and eventual departure from the NOI. Nevertheless, Malcolm used that situation to expand his horizons and offer a broader message of liberation, political engagement and global awareness. Once out from under the constraints of the Nation of Islam and their parochial message, Malcolm attempted to link up with world leaders in an effort to bring the United States before the World Court for its crimes against Africans in America and its imperialist and genocidal policies around the world. His activities caused the US government much concern and so he was “neutralized” to use their language in a futile effort to halt the rise of African consciousness and liberation.
Malcolm X was the catalyst for a much more militant and global response to European colonialism and AmeriKKKan oppression. His speeches and his fearlessness were a beacon showing the way to manhood to a new generation of Blacks. Hence the plutocrats exploited ideological differences between Malcolm and the NOI and used it as a cover for his assassination. They killed Malcolm but not the movement he ignited. Malcolm was the direct progenitor of the Black Power, Black Arts, Black Consciousness and Pan-African movements still alive today. Despite his assassination and the vicious counter insurgency activities of the US government like COINTELPRO, Operation CHAOS, the militarization of local police and the corporate media these movements still percolate within our consciousness. Malcolm’s words are just as relevant and powerful today as they were in the mid ‘60's mainly because our enemies are just as psychopathic and lethal , some might say even more so than they were then.
Regarding US imperialism and oppression which is just as rampant today in Haiti, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and threatens to erupt in Iran, Syria and Lebanon as it was in Southeast Asia in the ‘60's Malcolm said, “The same rebellion, the same impatience, the same anger that exists in the hearts of the dark people in Africa and Asia is existing in the hearts and minds of 20 million black people in this country who have been just as thoroughly colonized as the people in Africa and Asia.” Malcolm put our struggle in global context and this unnerved the ruling oligarchy. We have to familiarize ourselves with his message today because it; just like Martin Luther King’s latter speeches makes the link between domestic violence and oppression here and the dastardly deeds the US government is doing overseas on behalf of their corporate masters. The system has neither repented nor reformed in the thirty three years since Malcolm’s murder. It has gotten worse.
Speaking of the system, just as Malcolm astutely revealed the weaknesses of the Civil Rights movement versus a genuine human rights struggle; I’m sure if he were alive today he would point out the blatant contradictions of Barack Obama’s candidacy. Malcolm was an uncompromising champion of truth and freedom. He knew the US system was throughly corrupt which is why he talked about revolution. In his “The Ballot or The Bullet” speech he outlined the options: true reform or revolution. Given the stranglehold the corporate elites have on the government today, humane reform appears unlikely.
What are our options? Do we have any viable choices? Our options appear to be limited to: continuing the insanity, the delusion of inclusion or going into serious survival mode based upon race first, ethnocentric organization, mobilization and actualization of our innate genius, resources and energies. Once we do this we can begin providing for our own protection, security, food, commerce and necessities. This was the same message of Booker T Washington, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Noble Drew Ali, Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X. It is fitting on his natal day we revisit Malcolm’s message and rededicate ourselves to bringing it into fruition.

-30-

Friday, May 09, 2008

Curretn Thought About Current Events

Current Thoughts About Current Events

“Israel's lobby in the U.S. has been calling for confrontation with Iran ever since "Mission Accomplished." AIPAC, the powerhouse lobby for the Jewish state, has made the Iranian "threat" the centerpiece of its legislative and "educational" agenda. The Lobby's neoconservative allies have been clamoring for a fresh conflict, using their key positions as columnists, publicists, think-tank gurus, and television talking heads to beat the drums for war. And those neocons still in positions of power in the government, centered in the office of the vice president, have been making the case inside the administration, with some success.” The Silenced Majority No one wants another war – so why does it seem inevitable? by Justin Raimondo http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=12812

I watched CNN last night as they kept replaying Barack Obama’s interview with Wolf Blitzer. I couldn’t help but think to myself, “here we go again, Obama is being set up by media again.” Keep in mind it was CNN that broadcast Rev. Jeremiah Wrights whole speech at the Detroit NAACP which was later augmented by C-Span’s broadcast (and CNN’s replay) of Wright’s National Press Club speech the following day which allowed the corporate mind control apparatus to keep the Wright “controversy” alive and in the forefront of our consciousness. Last night CNN was focusing on Obama’s response to a comment John McCain made about Obama’s supposed support from Hamas the militant Palestinian organization. McCain’s camp was ‘upset” to hear CNN tell it, about a veiled dig at McCain’s age by Obama in his response to McCain’s comments . This is another contrived controversy created by the corporate media. It’s goal is to keep Obama on the defensive using the backdrop of events in Lebanon, Palestine, Iran and Iraq to trap him, trip him up and ultimately force him bow down to the Zionist elites and embrace their agenda in the region. Events unfolding in the region will set the stage for another fiery crucible to challenge Obama’s mettle and his integrity. But first they must make Obama prostrate himself publicly, pledge his fealty to Israel and pander to the Israeli lobby. In the unlikely event Obama fails to do so, the corporate media will viciously turn on him, unleash its propaganda hounds to paint him as totally unprepared and “unelectable” like they did Michael Dukakis in 1988.
It’s no secret Israel is still smarting from the thumping they took from Hizbollah when they invaded Lebanon in 2006. The myth of Israeli invincibility was thoroughly shattered as the disciplined grass roots militia flummoxed the professional Israeli military and made them look like the amateurs. So now the US backed puppet government in Lebanon is making waves threatening Hizbollah. Of course Hizbollah is not going to back down nor give up their telecommunications network which for them is the lifeline that helps prevent another Israeli invasion. This way Israel doesn’t have to risk another confrontation and loss in Lebanon. If Hizbollah is targeted by the Lebanese government, attacked and criminalized so much the better. It severely weakens of eliminates one more enemy of Israel.
McCain challenged Obama on Hamas but what the Zionist controlled corporate media in the US fails to point out is, Hamas is the legally elected government entity in Palestine! The Palestinians chose Hams, a self-styled militant Pro-Palestinian organization to represent them. The Palestinians want respect and to be treated fairly, something the imperialist Israelis are loath to do. So the Palestinians turned to the people they thought would stand up to Israeli aggression. Hamas is a force to be reckoned with in the region. Why not talk to Hamas? Why must the US always take the side of Israelis who are the aggressors in the region?
Ever notice how the media demonises anyone who dares to speak out about the lopsidedness of US foreign policy in the region or who takes the side of the Palestinians? Look at what the media did to Jimmy Carter recently or how they tried to trivialize Bishop Desmond Tutu’s observations and comments that the Israeli treatment of the Palestinians is very similar to how the European invader/settlers treated the indigenous Africans under apartheid.
In the midst of all this CNN and ultimately the corporate media will keep pressuring and hammering Obama until he capitulates on Hamas, Hizbollah, Iraq and Iran just like they made him do in the Rev. Jeremiah Wright set up. The pro-black Wright issue was the media litmus test for Obama. The next one will be Israel. Obama will be forced to come out strong in support of Israel in order to circumvent establishment pawns like Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain’s claims he is “unknown, unpredictable and untested”. What they mean by that is, Obama hasn’t completely sold out to toe the Zionist line like they have. But if he is to get the nomination and ultimately the presidency he will!
In the meantime the Israeli lobby is pressing their case for a strike against Iran even as they beat the drums for conflict in Syria and prepare for another assault (this time by proxy) on Lebanon. This is all part of their overarching plan to subdue the region with the help of their AmeriKKKan lackeys. “It is impossible that Israeli governments remained unaware that their efforts in the West Bank and Gaza would impoverish the Palestinian people. It is inexcusable that once noting the obvious results of these efforts that a government would not amend its direction in order to prevent a total breakdown of a people’s life. It is inconceivable that a government would defy world institution laws and the appeal for a change in course in order to remedy the disastrous consequences inflicted upon the Palestinians. It is obvious that Israel’s polices have prepared the complete destruction of the Palestinian people. Is this agenda part of a larger agenda that intends to reshape the Middle East regardless of the destruction committed against Arab people? The last sixty years have witnessed several wars in which Israel has expanded from the original partition plan to control of all Mandatory Palestine. The Golan has been seized from Syria and its territory cleared of almost all Syrian inhabitants and their previous villages. Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt during wars in 1956 and 1967 and was forced to relinquish its occupation. In several wars, Israel occupied Lebanon until the Litani River and was responsible for mass displacement of Lebanese civilians, almost 1 million in the 2006 war.” The Harsh Reality of the Middle East Conflict by Dan Lieberman / May 3rd, 2008 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/05/the-harsh-reality-of-the-middle-east-conflict/
Of course the corporate media invariably sides with Israel and touts the Israeli line making the criminals the victims and the victims the criminals. Look for the corporate media to hammer Obama about his loyalty to Israel and its’ right to “exist” despite the fact Israel is the only country aggressively capturing land in the region! This will be a key element in the media’s treatment of Obama; not the economy, not taxes but the Zionist agenda. Wall Street is already in his camp and he’s in theirs’ so the economy is really not an issue. The media scrutiny of Obama about Israel will get more intense as the situations in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Iran play out in the very near future. This may be the “October surprise” the Clintons, McCain and their warmongering supporters need to pull this thing out.

-30-

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Deja Vu All over Again?

Deja Vu All Over Again?

“Iran has switched from dollar to euro and yen in oil trading, says international affairs director of the National Iranian Oil Company. Hojjatollah Ghanimifard in an interview with Fars news agency said since last year Iran's oil transactions have been conducted in euro and yen, and dollar has been completely replaced by these two major currencies. ‘Iran has reached agreements with all its crude oil buyers to pay in foreign currencies other than the US dollar,’ he added. Ghanimifard also noted that Iran's crude oil transactions in Europe are conducted in euro, while both euro and yen are used for its oil sales in Asia.” Iran using euro, yen in oil deals
Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:33:23 http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=53742&sectionid=3510213

The US corporate media serves as a megaphone for the Bu$h administrations continuous saber rattling and threats against Iran, charging that country is a nuclear threat to the region, the world. The Bu$h administration, and the Zionists are saying Iranian “special elements” are the ones supplying the Iraqi anti-AmeriKKKan occupation with moral support, weaponry and training. Of course just like the run up to the invasion of Iraq, there is not one iota of real proof any of these claims are true. They are repeated incessantly by the corporate media, key Bu$h administration officials and the Zionist lobby. As the master of the malapropism Yogi Berra once said, “this looks like deja vu all over again.”
It sure does, in more ways than one. Remember the lies and the deluge of anti-Iraq propaganda we were subjected to prior to the US invasion of Iraq? Remember when Colin Powell, the only person in the Bu$h administration who had one scintilla of credibility destroyed it all by going to the United Nations and putting on a dog and pony show to demonstrate to the world body Iraq had stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons? Remember how none of that turned out to be true? Remember Donald Rumsfeld saying at a press conference the US intelligence and military knew exactly where Saddam Hussein was keeping his store of WMD, then when they turned out not to be there he claimed he never said it? If you are not familiar with Rumsfeld’s lies about WMD watch yourself at http://youtube.com/watch?v=EYI7JXGqd0o&feature=related.
Rumsfeld wasn’t the only one; they all lied Bu$h, Cheney, Rice, Powell, especially the NeoCons and the Zionist lobby. I remind you of this because, “this looks like deja vu all over again.” Not only is the Bu$h-Cheney cabal doing the same thing over again, lying to start an aggressive imperialist invasion of a nation that poses no threat to the US, its’ neighbors or US allies in the region, they are planning to attack Iran for the same reasons they attacked Iraq: US dollar hegemony, oil and Israel.
In 2000 Saddam Hussein instituted a change in policy and began exchanging Iraqi oil not for US dollars but with European Union Euros. Following WWII the US dollar was the world medium of exchange even during recessions and slumps. At first Hussein’s move didn’t make much of a splash because the US dollar was valued higher than the Euro. But by 2003 when Bu$h fabricated his lies about WMD, the US dollar was in decline and the Euro was on the rise, threatening US dollar preeminence. Hussein’s move posed a major dilemma for the keepers of the dollar. As his move benefitted Iraq’s economy (the Euro was beginning to overtake the dollar in value) and other OPEC members started to think about doing the same thing, Uncle Sam said, “oh, hell no!” Since the US was pummeling Iraq via sanctions and thirteen years of bombing they couldn’t change course so they escalated the assault into a full scale invasion. They deposed Hussein to teach the rest of the world a lesson.
Of course the US corporate media will never tell the truth but this is the real deal, “It is now obvious the invasion of Iraq had less to do with any threat from Saddam’s long-gone WMD program and certainly less to do to do with fighting International terrorism than it has to do with gaining strategic control over Iraq’s hydrocarbon reserves and in doing so maintain the U.S. dollar as the monopoly currency for the critical international oil market. Throughout 2004 information provided by former administration insiders revealed the Bush/Cheney administration entered into office with the intention of toppling Saddam Hussein. Candidly stated, ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom’ was a war designed to install a pro-U.S. government in Iraq, establish multiple U.S military bases before the onset of global Peak Oil, and to reconvert Iraq back to petrodollars while hoping to thwart further OPEC momentum towards the euro as an alternative oil transaction currency (i.e. “petroeuro”). However, subsequent geopolitical events have exposed neoconservative strategy as fundamentally flawed, with Iran moving towards a petroeuro system for international oil trades, while Russia evaluates this option with the European Union.” Petrodollar Warfare: Dollars, Euros and the Upcoming Iranian Oil Bourse by William Clark http://www.energybulletin.net/7707.html
Looks like deja vu all over again, because Iran recently announced the opening of its oil exchange and they are only selling their oil in exchange for Euros and Japanese Yen! This of course does not sit well with Wall Street and the big oil consortium. Since the Bu$h administration is their lackey willingly doing their bidding as all previous administrations have, they are now poised to try to intimidate and coerce Iran back into the US dollar fold. Keep in mind neither Saddam Hussein nor the Iranian leaders want war with the US. They want to be sovereign nations, left alone to do what is best for them and their people.
The US is a bully. The US government is like the bullies we may have dealt with in junior high school who tried to take your lunch money. If you gave in, they took your money any and every time they felt like it. If you fought maybe you lost, but often if you fought at least you got respect and quite often they left you alone. If you won, their reputation as a tough guy and bully was obliterated and you, the under dog, became a hero.
Saddam Hussein stood up to the bullies. He refused to back down. He had no air force or missile defense to counter the US vicious “Shock and Awe” bombardment of Baghdad that killed thousands of innocent men women and children. Nevertheless he stood his ground refusing to flee or abandon his people. The rest, is history. Now the bully is bogged down in a convoluted and winless occupation in Mesopotamia. Keep in mind this is the ancient land of “an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth” philosophy. The Bu$hites failed to grasp this culturallegacy. The NeoCons planned to make the Iraq occupation, colonization, permanent (the US has been in the Philippines for over a hundred years, Japan and German for over sixty years) but now they have Iran in their cross-hairs. Iran like many other countries, is looking outside the US dollar as their medium of exchange, especially since the Federal reserve is devaluing the US dollar almost weekly. So holding or trading in a devalued currency is not in Iran’s best interests. Naturally in a situation like this, there is tension. But for the US empire to survive, they cannot allow another country especially a major oil producing country to abandon the US dollar for another currency.
The saber rattling and sending the US carriers into the Persian Gulf are meant to intimidate Iran. It has nothing to do with Iran’s supposed nuclear weaponry (remember what they said about Iraq), it is about their dropping the US dollar and selling their oil in Euros and Yen. The Iranians originally scheduled to open their oil exchange in 2006 but they set the time frame back. Now it is open. The US is frantic getting ready to go into panic mode. As the threats and bellicose posturing escalate, the US is faced with major decisions: attack Iran and risk a larger regional (and possibly global) war, do nothing and watch the empire collapse faster or negotiate and try to work something out.
The bully is in a precarious predicament. But Iran is not Iraq. Iran has allies and business relationships with Russia and China. Iraq had relationships with France and Germany. Which countries do you think are more likely to give the bully are rougher time? Plus, Iran is a greater threat militarily because it has powerful allies in Russia and China. “Beijing's increasingly close ties with Moscow and Tehran will thwart Washington's foreign policy goal of expanding US security footholds in the Middle East, Central Asia and Asia. However, the primacy of economic stability will most likely prevent a proxy-style military confrontation, in Iran or North Korea, between China and the US. Initially, Moscow supported Washington's 'war on terrorism'. However, the US invasion of Iraq changed this support into resistance, and later into active efforts to counterbalance the US. In the past two years both Washington and Moscow have sought to strengthen their influence in Central Asia and the Caucasus. ... More significantly, Moscow is working diligently to strengthen its ties with Iran, Syria and China - countries that Washington considers to be adversaries,’ Gundzik wrote in March 2005. Additionally, since the ‘beginning of the war in Iraq,’ he said, ‘Beijing has worked feverishly ... in an apparent effort to prevent US military action against the remaining 'axis of evil' members, Iran and North Korea. In addition to recent massive energy deals with Teheran, which place Iran in China's security web, both Beijing and Moscow have accelerated the transfer of missile technology to Teheran, while selling the Islamic republic increasingly sophisticated military equipment. ‘Armed with a vast array of anti-ship and long-range missiles, Iran can target US troop positions throughout the Middle East and strike US Navy ships. Iran can also use its weapons to blockade the Straits of Hormuz through which one-third of the world's traded oil is shipped. With the help of Beijing and Moscow, Teheran is becoming an increasingly unappealing military target for the US.’” China-Iran-Russia axis http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=China-Iran-Russia_axis
The question is, can the US, NATO and Israel afford to get into a real war with Russia, China, Iran and a host of stateless adversaries? Iran is not Iraq! The US is broke. What if Japan, China or the international bankers decide to stop lending the US money to operate every day? This is the one thing that will make the psychopaths pause before they do something insane. Is this deja vu all over again or will sanity be the order of the day?

-30-