From What Really Happened....
I promised a reader that I would make some predictions for 2004 in this article. I wish I hadn’t because I am hoping I am wrong on most of them.
1. There will be another fake terror attack. The Neocon war agenda cannot move forward without it. Those who hoped Iraq would be the end of the wars are in for a rude shock. The hawks want the entire planet, either directly ruled by the US, or ruled by obedient puppet regimes. Another “attack” is needed.
2. The US will eventually lose their war of conquest of the world. The US does not have enough troops to garrison the planet, and as Hitler learned much too late, merely having superior weapons isn’t going to win a war when you’ve pissed off absolutely everyone else in the world. On a more practical level, sooner or later the US will wind up at war with someone who really DOES have nuclear weapons of mass destruction. That this is the government plan is witnessed by the numerous underground facilities which have been built or upgraded in recent years. You paid for them, but you won’t be allowed in them. Such an attack on the US is small price to pay for those who promote these wars, not for America, but for another nation standing by while its victims are tricked into fighting each other.
3. Minus a war, the US Government will eventually collapse as did the Soviet Union, dragged down by debt and corruption. As the final collapse looms closer, look for the looting of the nation to become even bolder than it is now. The last official act of any government is to loot the nation.
4. I am opposed to violence. I wish it could be avoided but I do believe that this nation is headed towards a collision between the rulers and the ruled. The government fears this as well or we wouldn’t see so much bullet-proof Lexan between us and our “public servants”. I think that the reason we have not seen it yet is that Americans have been conditioned to expect a hero or savior to come and make things right. We know things have gone wrong, but we are waiting for someone else to fix it, Superman, the cavalry riding to the rescue, Spartacus, the Messiah, Batman, What Really Happened, etc. This belief that one should wait quietly for a hero is part of the slavery mechanism, to keep you in your place, rendering unto Caesar, breeding more slaves, waiting for salvation that never comes. However, as history has shown, even the patience of an entire people can run out, and I predict that when the final upheaval comes, it will arrive as suddenly as that which occurred in Romania. In November 1989, Romania seemed stable under the rule of Nicholai Ceausescu. One month later, a sporting event erupted into a spontaneous political protest and on December 25th, Nicholai Ceausescu was tried and sentenced to death. Ceausescu proved that tyrants should not confuse silence with consent. The Romanian people finally realized that nobody was coming to save them, and they had the courage to save themselves. The collapse of the USSR was equally rapid and almost as unexpected. So shall it be in the US.
Like I said above, I hope I am wrong in my forecasts. However it is clear that the US Government is under the control of individuals intent on personal enrichment, or loyalty to a foreign nation above our own, and seeing no reason at all not to continue on their present course. Confrontation seems inevitable.
The founding fathers set up a nation in which government was by the consent of the people. We The People agreed to certain obligations, and the government we allowed to care for our national sovereignty agreed to abide by certain limits set forth in the Constitution. The present government has broken the agreement, discarding the Constitutional limits on their power and authority while at the same time piling more and more obligations onto the people. Were you able to refuse them? No? This more than any of the other reasons is why you have ceased to be a free human being, and are now a slave.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
Thursday, January 01, 2004
Stock market geek needed
Help. Cannot decipher. Must seek professional help.
The five million dollars generated from the unclaimed 911 American Airline put option is truly chump change.
The morning of 911, US Bonds moved in 3 to 4 minutes by 1.5 points back and forth three times or $1,500 per contract in seconds three times in less than 4 minutes.
Most institutional traders trade in blocks of 500 to 3,000 contracts. Daily transactions are 350,000 to 400,000 contracts traded. The bond market trading was suspended about one half hour after the attack. When it reopened it moved in several days by 5 points. Someone holding 1000 contracts would have reaped five million dollars using one million. International and domestic stock index futures would have reaped over fifteen million using one million. Guess who made the biggest killing on short international and domestic stock index positions? What one group was holding tens of thousands of short positions going into 911 that reaped about 250 billion dollars in the blink of an eye? Hint! Begins with a G and ends with a T.
...If you look at "WHO" was holding the majority of "SHORT" derivative positions on the domestic and international stock index markets prior to 911, and then reaped over a trillion dollars in profits within weeks from the ensuing collapse of those physical markets, you will find in that group who was responsible for 911. There is one problem in finding this out. That being, government controls the release of that information by and through the Federal agencies of the SEC (Securities Exchange Commission) and CFTC (Commodities Futures Trading Commission).
A small conflict of interest exists here, being that the results of that study would show US government was holding the majority of the international and domestic "SHORT" positions! The airline stock option transaction at issue and that most people have heard about promoted in the news is truly minuscule chump change in comparison. article
The five million dollars generated from the unclaimed 911 American Airline put option is truly chump change.
The morning of 911, US Bonds moved in 3 to 4 minutes by 1.5 points back and forth three times or $1,500 per contract in seconds three times in less than 4 minutes.
Most institutional traders trade in blocks of 500 to 3,000 contracts. Daily transactions are 350,000 to 400,000 contracts traded. The bond market trading was suspended about one half hour after the attack. When it reopened it moved in several days by 5 points. Someone holding 1000 contracts would have reaped five million dollars using one million. International and domestic stock index futures would have reaped over fifteen million using one million. Guess who made the biggest killing on short international and domestic stock index positions? What one group was holding tens of thousands of short positions going into 911 that reaped about 250 billion dollars in the blink of an eye? Hint! Begins with a G and ends with a T.
...If you look at "WHO" was holding the majority of "SHORT" derivative positions on the domestic and international stock index markets prior to 911, and then reaped over a trillion dollars in profits within weeks from the ensuing collapse of those physical markets, you will find in that group who was responsible for 911. There is one problem in finding this out. That being, government controls the release of that information by and through the Federal agencies of the SEC (Securities Exchange Commission) and CFTC (Commodities Futures Trading Commission).
A small conflict of interest exists here, being that the results of that study would show US government was holding the majority of the international and domestic "SHORT" positions! The airline stock option transaction at issue and that most people have heard about promoted in the news is truly minuscule chump change in comparison. article
The Oaf of Office
Helen Thomas calls him "the worst president ever." A kinder, gentler Jonathan Chait ranks him "among the worst presidents in US history." No such restraint from Paul Berman, who brands him "the worst president the US has ever had." Nobel Laureate George Akerlof rates his government as the "worst ever." Even Bushie du jour, Christopher Hitchens, calls the man "unusually incurious, abnormally unintelligent, amazingly inarticulate, fantastically uncultured, extraordinarily uneducated, and apparently quite proud of all these things." Only Fidel Castro, it would appear, has had kind words for our 43rd President. "Hopefully, he is not as stupid as he seems..."
...
Hypocrisy comes laced with hair-raising incompetence. The Bush administration deluded itself about a painless war of liberation that would pay for itself. Much has been said already about postwar ineptitude, leading to radical policy shifts every few weeks. (Today's tuesday, so we must be trying to empower the Shi'ites.) For an example of incompetence that would be laughable were it not so tragic, consider Bush's gift of $43 million to the Taliban a mere six months before 9/11. Hey, what's wrong with a little Faustian deal when there is a war on drugs to be fought?
...
The war had one positive consequence—removing Saddam from power—and will have countless adverse ones. But the case against it is not in the numbers. It lies in the near-certain prediction that the world will be worse off for it. As CIA veteran Milt Bearden reminded us recently, in the 20C "no nation that launched a war against another sovereign nation ever won. And every nationalist-based insurgency against a foreign occupation ultimately succeeded." Why should the 21C be any different? Bush is building a world of mistrust and desolation that will not be easily mended. A fresh new wave of anti-Americanism is sweeping the planet today. No one should rejoice in this, for America matters and its estrangement is good for no one. This grave setback in international relations will be Bush's lasting legacy. Once "the worst president ever" retires to his ranch in Crawford, the world will be left to pick up the pieces of a broken trust.
article
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
...
Hypocrisy comes laced with hair-raising incompetence. The Bush administration deluded itself about a painless war of liberation that would pay for itself. Much has been said already about postwar ineptitude, leading to radical policy shifts every few weeks. (Today's tuesday, so we must be trying to empower the Shi'ites.) For an example of incompetence that would be laughable were it not so tragic, consider Bush's gift of $43 million to the Taliban a mere six months before 9/11. Hey, what's wrong with a little Faustian deal when there is a war on drugs to be fought?
...
The war had one positive consequence—removing Saddam from power—and will have countless adverse ones. But the case against it is not in the numbers. It lies in the near-certain prediction that the world will be worse off for it. As CIA veteran Milt Bearden reminded us recently, in the 20C "no nation that launched a war against another sovereign nation ever won. And every nationalist-based insurgency against a foreign occupation ultimately succeeded." Why should the 21C be any different? Bush is building a world of mistrust and desolation that will not be easily mended. A fresh new wave of anti-Americanism is sweeping the planet today. No one should rejoice in this, for America matters and its estrangement is good for no one. This grave setback in international relations will be Bush's lasting legacy. Once "the worst president ever" retires to his ranch in Crawford, the world will be left to pick up the pieces of a broken trust.
article
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
Geez, he didn't even write that stupid poem
TalkLeft wonders who did write that poem that Laura Bush purportedly received from His Slowliness.
We knew he couldn't have written it.
It's becoming clearer and clearer to me that I'm going to have to quit blogging and move to South America. Nothing is real here. It's like living in the Matrix.
....but hey, you do what you want....you will anyway.
We knew he couldn't have written it.
It's becoming clearer and clearer to me that I'm going to have to quit blogging and move to South America. Nothing is real here. It's like living in the Matrix.
....but hey, you do what you want....you will anyway.
Keep it up bloggers
From USA Today:
In the 2004 election, the boys (and girls) on the bus have been joined by a new class of political arbiters: the geeks on their laptops. They call themselves bloggers. Their mission: to remake political journalism and, quite possibly, democracy itself. The plan: to make an end run around big media by becoming publishers on the Internet.
The freewheeling, gossipy Internet sites they operate can be controversial: Matt Drudge, the wired news and gossip hound who broke the story about Monica Lewinsky's affair with Bill Clinton, is a blogger. Many bloggers are not professional journalists. Few have editors. Most make no pretense of objectivity.
Yet they're forcing the mainstream news media to follow the stories they're pushing... article
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
P.S. In case you don't read that article, Daily Kos (a wee bit more popular than You Will Anyway) was on the front page of USA Today. Here are the comments from Kos readers on the Kos blog itself.
In the 2004 election, the boys (and girls) on the bus have been joined by a new class of political arbiters: the geeks on their laptops. They call themselves bloggers. Their mission: to remake political journalism and, quite possibly, democracy itself. The plan: to make an end run around big media by becoming publishers on the Internet.
The freewheeling, gossipy Internet sites they operate can be controversial: Matt Drudge, the wired news and gossip hound who broke the story about Monica Lewinsky's affair with Bill Clinton, is a blogger. Many bloggers are not professional journalists. Few have editors. Most make no pretense of objectivity.
Yet they're forcing the mainstream news media to follow the stories they're pushing... article
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
P.S. In case you don't read that article, Daily Kos (a wee bit more popular than You Will Anyway) was on the front page of USA Today. Here are the comments from Kos readers on the Kos blog itself.
Al's big news
Al Giordano's secret surprise is that Narco News is up and running again. But, it's going to be a wee bit different. Check here.
Sorry, maybe I didn't tell you he had a secret surprise.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
Sorry, maybe I didn't tell you he had a secret surprise.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
What, me worry?
The U.S. dollar's steady decline in value against the euro and other key currencies may cause agony in European capitals but there is little sign it is rising to the level of a major policy concern in Washington.
Analysts say the steady depreciation not only remains orderly but also carries the potential to help America get its whopping trade and current account deficits, which are widely criticized in Europe, back into better balance.
...In just under a year since taking office last January, Treasury Secretary John Snow has toned down the former hard-line U.S. commitment to a "strong dollar," effectively endorsing the fall by saying its value "reflects the fundamentals of the demand and supply for currencies."
Snow replaced former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, who resigned under White House fire before Christmas last year.
article
See? It's good news. Time is an illusion. It's 1984, not 2004. War is peace. Up is down. You are getting sleepy....sleepy....
The December Quiz
Almost forgot again. Here's your December News Quiz (which will always be available from the sidebar). By the way - I was having some coding problems with the quizes, and they are fixed now. Apologies.
All right! You need some good news
People with genital herpes can reduce their sex partners' risk of contracting the disease by taking a daily pill, Seattle researchers concluded in a study out today. article
There. Stop calling me a nattering nabob of negativity.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
There. Stop calling me a nattering nabob of negativity.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
So that's why we bombed Tokyo
In 1935, Kiyomaro Takeuchi discovered 1900 year old document stored in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, containing evidence, that Jesus (Joshua) born in Bethlehem to virgin Mary is buried in Herai Village in Aomori district of Japan. The document contained also Jesus will, requesting that his brother's tomb to be located next to his. The document was SO authentic and news so explosive at the time, that the Japanese government banned the document (photo on the left) from public view and kept it locked in a museum in Tokyo. During World War II Tokyo was severely bombed and the museum with all documents was allegedly destroyed. article
That Jesus guy sure got around. But then, he could.
Forward this link to all your fundamentalist friends to stir up some New Year's fun.
What do you mean you don't have any fundamentalist friends? Bigot.
Jesus, son of Mary of Bethlehem, counted on the intelligence of the future generations. Has he overestimated potential of humanity on Earth?
Well, that'd be my guess.
End Times
Oh, yes we are. Get with the program.
Sorry, I don't have a link for this one - I'm just sorting through my e-mail this morning. Here's some more for your fundamentalist friends.
IRAQ BIBLICAL INFORMATION
You might think of Iraq as "only" an oil rich nation, ruled by an evil dictator for 30 years, whether it has been supporting terrorists or may not be very important. Here are a few facts regarding the important events and roles this nation has played throughout history:
1. The garden of Eden was in Iraq. (it sure doesn't look much like Paradise on earth today thanks to Saddam)
2. Mesopotamia which is now Iraq was the cradle of civilization!
3. Noah built the ark in Iraq.
4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq.
5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq!
6. Isaac's wife Rebekah is from Nahor which is in Iraq.
7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq.
8. Jonah preached in Nineveh - which is in Iraq.
9. Assyria which is in Iraq conquered the ten tribes of Israel.
10. Amos cried out in Iraq!
11. Babylon which is in Iraq destroyed Jerusalem.
12. Daniel was in the lion's den in Iraq!
13. The 3 Hebrew children were in the fire in Iraq (that's good news to know that JESUS has been in Iraq too as the 4th person in the fiery furnace!)
14. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon saw the "writing on the wall" in Iraq. (which hopefully Saddam will too!)
15. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into Iraq.
16. Ezekiel preached in Iraq.
17. The wise men were from Iraq. (where are the "wise" men today?)
18. Peter preached in Iraq.
19. The "Empire of Man" described in Revelation is called Babylon which was a city in Iraq!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And you have probably seen this one. Israel is the nation most often mentioned in the Bible. But do you know which nation is second?
It is Iraq! However, that is not the name that is used in the Bible. The names used in the Bible are Babylon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia. The word Mesopotamia means between the two rivers, more exactly between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
The name Iraq, means country with deep roots. Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very significant country in the Bible. Here's why.
* Eden was in Iraq--Genesis 2:10-14
* Adam & Eve were created in Iraq--Genesis 2:7-8
* Satan made his first recorded appearance in Iraq--Genesis 3:1-6
* Nimrod established Babylon & Tower of Babel was built in Iraq-- Genesis 10:8-97 & 11:1-4
* The confusion of the languages took place in Iraq--Genesis 11:5-11
* Abraham came from a city in Iraq--Genesis 11:31 & Acts 7:2-4
* Isaac's bride came from Iraq--Genesis 24:3-4 & 10
* Jacob spent 20 years in Iraq--Genesis 27:42-45 & 31:38
* The first world Empire was in Iraq--Daniel 1:1-2 &2:36-38
* The greatest revival in history was in a city in Iraq--Jonah 3
* The events of the book of Esther took place in Iraq--Esther
* The book of Nahum was a prophecy against a city in Iraq--Nahum
* The book of Revelation has prophecies against Babylon, which was the old name for the nation of Iraq--Revelation 17 & 18
No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated it than Iraq.
Watch the very near future for fulfillment of revelation prohecy
So let's just bomb the crap out of the Holy Land, snag that oil, and be done with it - after all, the only thing between us and rapture is placing Israel in charge of the area, and besides, Jesus went to Japan.
That Jesus guy sure got around. But then, he could.
Forward this link to all your fundamentalist friends to stir up some New Year's fun.
What do you mean you don't have any fundamentalist friends? Bigot.
Jesus, son of Mary of Bethlehem, counted on the intelligence of the future generations. Has he overestimated potential of humanity on Earth?
Well, that'd be my guess.
End Times
Oh, yes we are. Get with the program.
Sorry, I don't have a link for this one - I'm just sorting through my e-mail this morning. Here's some more for your fundamentalist friends.
IRAQ BIBLICAL INFORMATION
You might think of Iraq as "only" an oil rich nation, ruled by an evil dictator for 30 years, whether it has been supporting terrorists or may not be very important. Here are a few facts regarding the important events and roles this nation has played throughout history:
1. The garden of Eden was in Iraq. (it sure doesn't look much like Paradise on earth today thanks to Saddam)
2. Mesopotamia which is now Iraq was the cradle of civilization!
3. Noah built the ark in Iraq.
4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq.
5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq!
6. Isaac's wife Rebekah is from Nahor which is in Iraq.
7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq.
8. Jonah preached in Nineveh - which is in Iraq.
9. Assyria which is in Iraq conquered the ten tribes of Israel.
10. Amos cried out in Iraq!
11. Babylon which is in Iraq destroyed Jerusalem.
12. Daniel was in the lion's den in Iraq!
13. The 3 Hebrew children were in the fire in Iraq (that's good news to know that JESUS has been in Iraq too as the 4th person in the fiery furnace!)
14. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon saw the "writing on the wall" in Iraq. (which hopefully Saddam will too!)
15. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into Iraq.
16. Ezekiel preached in Iraq.
17. The wise men were from Iraq. (where are the "wise" men today?)
18. Peter preached in Iraq.
19. The "Empire of Man" described in Revelation is called Babylon which was a city in Iraq!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And you have probably seen this one. Israel is the nation most often mentioned in the Bible. But do you know which nation is second?
It is Iraq! However, that is not the name that is used in the Bible. The names used in the Bible are Babylon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia. The word Mesopotamia means between the two rivers, more exactly between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
The name Iraq, means country with deep roots. Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very significant country in the Bible. Here's why.
* Eden was in Iraq--Genesis 2:10-14
* Adam & Eve were created in Iraq--Genesis 2:7-8
* Satan made his first recorded appearance in Iraq--Genesis 3:1-6
* Nimrod established Babylon & Tower of Babel was built in Iraq-- Genesis 10:8-97 & 11:1-4
* The confusion of the languages took place in Iraq--Genesis 11:5-11
* Abraham came from a city in Iraq--Genesis 11:31 & Acts 7:2-4
* Isaac's bride came from Iraq--Genesis 24:3-4 & 10
* Jacob spent 20 years in Iraq--Genesis 27:42-45 & 31:38
* The first world Empire was in Iraq--Daniel 1:1-2 &2:36-38
* The greatest revival in history was in a city in Iraq--Jonah 3
* The events of the book of Esther took place in Iraq--Esther
* The book of Nahum was a prophecy against a city in Iraq--Nahum
* The book of Revelation has prophecies against Babylon, which was the old name for the nation of Iraq--Revelation 17 & 18
No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated it than Iraq.
Watch the very near future for fulfillment of revelation prohecy
So let's just bomb the crap out of the Holy Land, snag that oil, and be done with it - after all, the only thing between us and rapture is placing Israel in charge of the area, and besides, Jesus went to Japan.
I bow to proof
From the CPA briefing December 30...
The causes [of black market profiteering and smuggling] , as we have said before and as the Ministry of Oil has said before, primarily include two elements, one being the increase in demand, almost a quarter-million new cars in Iraq since the fall of the former regime, in part based on the lifting of customs, and also in part there's this new infusion of cash, higher salaries in the economy.
That is definitely a measure of progress - a quarter-million new cars.
And General Kimmit gets his turn at the podium:
First, on behalf of the coalition, let me start by offering our condolences to the nations of Bulgaria, Poland, Thailand and Iraq for the losses suffered in the wake of the criminal attack in Karbala. This cowardly attack on the citizens of Karbala and the coalition forces serving there to maintain security was heinous and senseless.
Obligatory b.s. Heinous and senseless. That might be said of the entire coalition position as well. If General Kimmitt were in charge of an army of resisters in their home country, he might have a different description of the attack. Don't people ever get tired of seeing a situation from just one side? Don't they get bored with the view? I guess that's his job, huh?
In the northern zone of operations, coalition forces conducted a series of cordon-and-search operations against brigade targets. The first operation took place in southwest Mosul, where initial questioning indicated that this was a possible safe house for terrorist activities. The second operation killed three enemy personnel, and three individuals, including two coalition targets, were detained. Other operations resulted in the capture of three additional targets, including an associate of a ranking high-value target.
Dehumanize the enemy. They are targets, not people. Targets.
A possible safe house. We have been razing the country on the basis of eliminating every possible safe house and every suspected gathering place. That will nicely cover anything. It has even included orchards and trees. Some times I think the only reason we don't pull out all the "boots on the ground" and just lay waste from the air to the entire country is that we couldn't protect the oil works. Otherwise, we could just give all the Iraqis five minutes to get out of the way, like we do when we destroy their homes. That should also take care of any targets.
Demonstrating a complete disregard for noncombatants, terrorists detonated a booby trap in Baghdad on Sunday, killing one coalition soldier, two Iraqi children, wounding five coalition soldiers and eight Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers.
Yes, that is the pot calling the kettle black.
Q Tom Frank from Newsday. I just wanted to follow up on the police question. I hear some Iraqis saying two things. One is, they want more police, because obviously security is a big concern. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the full figure will be 71,000 for the entire country.
MR. SENOR: It's a little higher than that. It's between 75,000 and 80,000, but, yeah.
Q Okay. My paper publishes in New York City, a city of 8 million people with 40,000 police. I'm wondering why so few police? And secondly, I understand a lot of the police now are people who were police when Saddam was in power. I'm wondering if you know about how many of the police are, you know, veterans from the prewar period, and if there's any concern about having those people, because there was some, I guess, pretty widespread corruption in those days. So, the two questions.
MR. SENOR: Sure. Your comparison to New York City isn't entirely applicable because we also have these other security forces at work that would tend to address some of the security issues that occur in New York City. We have the Facilities Protection Service that's protecting the infrastructure of the country. As I said, we have the new Iraqi army, members of which are already being deployed. And we have the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps that are working hand in hand -- approximately -- over 14,000 of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps working hand in hand with the American security forces. So, we have a number of Iraqi security forces deployed doing the work, not just the police force.
Will that be a democratic and free country - where the armed forces are used to police the civilians? Hmmmm...
To your second question, yes, we are recruiting Iraqis for police training, some of whom who served in former security forces of the former regime and some who are brand new. Those that served in the Iraqi police force go through what we call the TIP (sp) program, which is a transition training police program. It's a program we bring them in and teach them the skills that they didn't learn under the former regime; basic things like policing with basic restrictions for human rights, and professional investigative skills, and the high standards of professionalism operating in a democratic society.
Well, that should be sufficient. (Mr. Senor calls it "de-Ba'athifciation".) And I guess we can determine from that then, that the only reason Saddam's "security forces" were the beasts they were, was because they simply did not have the proper training in investigative techniques and human rights.
Bridge anyone?
Back to General Kimmit:
Do we fully understand where Saddam fit in? We're putting that puzzle together. We don't think, as some have speculated, that he was the central figure managing the entire anti-coalition operation, nor do we believe that he was simply sitting in a hole waiting for somebody to come and capture him.
Really? I thought that's what they were telling us is exactly what he was doing. The cowardly, unkempt rat.
MR. SENOR: Ambassador Bremer is committed to implementing the November 15th agreement. All our indications are the Governing Council is equally committed to implementing the November 15th agreement. If they choose to engage with other leaders and individuals within Iraqi society, all the power to them. I mean, you know, this process is something that can be accomplished in a free society. A healthy, vibrant, if not at times controversial, dialogue is a critical component of this process. So we encourage debate. We encourage discussion. There was a town hall meeting held yesterday in Basra, in which the governor of Basra was one of the key participants, where they had a very lively debate about the political process. We hope there will be debates like that all over the country.
Yes, he is talking about Iraq. Not America. So don't get excited.
Besides, debate all you want. The big gun wins.
The causes [of black market profiteering and smuggling] , as we have said before and as the Ministry of Oil has said before, primarily include two elements, one being the increase in demand, almost a quarter-million new cars in Iraq since the fall of the former regime, in part based on the lifting of customs, and also in part there's this new infusion of cash, higher salaries in the economy.
That is definitely a measure of progress - a quarter-million new cars.
And General Kimmit gets his turn at the podium:
First, on behalf of the coalition, let me start by offering our condolences to the nations of Bulgaria, Poland, Thailand and Iraq for the losses suffered in the wake of the criminal attack in Karbala. This cowardly attack on the citizens of Karbala and the coalition forces serving there to maintain security was heinous and senseless.
Obligatory b.s. Heinous and senseless. That might be said of the entire coalition position as well. If General Kimmitt were in charge of an army of resisters in their home country, he might have a different description of the attack. Don't people ever get tired of seeing a situation from just one side? Don't they get bored with the view? I guess that's his job, huh?
In the northern zone of operations, coalition forces conducted a series of cordon-and-search operations against brigade targets. The first operation took place in southwest Mosul, where initial questioning indicated that this was a possible safe house for terrorist activities. The second operation killed three enemy personnel, and three individuals, including two coalition targets, were detained. Other operations resulted in the capture of three additional targets, including an associate of a ranking high-value target.
Dehumanize the enemy. They are targets, not people. Targets.
A possible safe house. We have been razing the country on the basis of eliminating every possible safe house and every suspected gathering place. That will nicely cover anything. It has even included orchards and trees. Some times I think the only reason we don't pull out all the "boots on the ground" and just lay waste from the air to the entire country is that we couldn't protect the oil works. Otherwise, we could just give all the Iraqis five minutes to get out of the way, like we do when we destroy their homes. That should also take care of any targets.
Demonstrating a complete disregard for noncombatants, terrorists detonated a booby trap in Baghdad on Sunday, killing one coalition soldier, two Iraqi children, wounding five coalition soldiers and eight Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers.
Yes, that is the pot calling the kettle black.
Q Tom Frank from Newsday. I just wanted to follow up on the police question. I hear some Iraqis saying two things. One is, they want more police, because obviously security is a big concern. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the full figure will be 71,000 for the entire country.
MR. SENOR: It's a little higher than that. It's between 75,000 and 80,000, but, yeah.
Q Okay. My paper publishes in New York City, a city of 8 million people with 40,000 police. I'm wondering why so few police? And secondly, I understand a lot of the police now are people who were police when Saddam was in power. I'm wondering if you know about how many of the police are, you know, veterans from the prewar period, and if there's any concern about having those people, because there was some, I guess, pretty widespread corruption in those days. So, the two questions.
MR. SENOR: Sure. Your comparison to New York City isn't entirely applicable because we also have these other security forces at work that would tend to address some of the security issues that occur in New York City. We have the Facilities Protection Service that's protecting the infrastructure of the country. As I said, we have the new Iraqi army, members of which are already being deployed. And we have the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps that are working hand in hand -- approximately -- over 14,000 of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps working hand in hand with the American security forces. So, we have a number of Iraqi security forces deployed doing the work, not just the police force.
Will that be a democratic and free country - where the armed forces are used to police the civilians? Hmmmm...
To your second question, yes, we are recruiting Iraqis for police training, some of whom who served in former security forces of the former regime and some who are brand new. Those that served in the Iraqi police force go through what we call the TIP (sp) program, which is a transition training police program. It's a program we bring them in and teach them the skills that they didn't learn under the former regime; basic things like policing with basic restrictions for human rights, and professional investigative skills, and the high standards of professionalism operating in a democratic society.
Well, that should be sufficient. (Mr. Senor calls it "de-Ba'athifciation".) And I guess we can determine from that then, that the only reason Saddam's "security forces" were the beasts they were, was because they simply did not have the proper training in investigative techniques and human rights.
Bridge anyone?
Back to General Kimmit:
Do we fully understand where Saddam fit in? We're putting that puzzle together. We don't think, as some have speculated, that he was the central figure managing the entire anti-coalition operation, nor do we believe that he was simply sitting in a hole waiting for somebody to come and capture him.
Really? I thought that's what they were telling us is exactly what he was doing. The cowardly, unkempt rat.
MR. SENOR: Ambassador Bremer is committed to implementing the November 15th agreement. All our indications are the Governing Council is equally committed to implementing the November 15th agreement. If they choose to engage with other leaders and individuals within Iraqi society, all the power to them. I mean, you know, this process is something that can be accomplished in a free society. A healthy, vibrant, if not at times controversial, dialogue is a critical component of this process. So we encourage debate. We encourage discussion. There was a town hall meeting held yesterday in Basra, in which the governor of Basra was one of the key participants, where they had a very lively debate about the political process. We hope there will be debates like that all over the country.
Yes, he is talking about Iraq. Not America. So don't get excited.
Besides, debate all you want. The big gun wins.
Like you need any more confirmation
But you might need some citations for your delusional friends that it is about the oil.
Secret Bechtel Documents Reveal: Yes, It Is About Oil (April 9, 2003)
US plan to invade for oil: secret memo (January 2, 2004)
Yes, it is January 2 somewhere in the world. See what I'm saying about time? It's an illusion. The only thing that matters is timing.
Secret Bechtel Documents Reveal: Yes, It Is About Oil (April 9, 2003)
US plan to invade for oil: secret memo (January 2, 2004)
Yes, it is January 2 somewhere in the world. See what I'm saying about time? It's an illusion. The only thing that matters is timing.
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