Journal Xerithane's Journal: Green Nazis 36
I'm done trying to say that I support the actions of my country. I supported, and still do, removing Saddam Hussein. This shit that is happening now is a sign, in case the higher-ups haven't figured that out and are reading this. You know why it's a sign? Because you greedy, money-grubbing assholes are so busy giving contracts to American companies that Iraqis realized the US isn't a savior, just trying to make some green and get some peace as a by-product. This war wasn't about oil, it was about the billions in contracts that can be handed out. We would still have to pay for oil, but these contracts are free money from the tax payers to everybody else involved.
The people getting fucked in this arrangement are the US tax payers and Iraqi civilians trying to make a living. The people benefiting are the Good Ol' Boys club. While I sit here without a job, unable to get a government loan to start up a service that will promote the restaurant industry working more hours than I should, these fat pigs are getting fed even more to provide inefficient services that don't even benefit the local Iraqi economy and makes them be reliant upon the United States.
I never agreed to an occupation. I never agreed to The United States of Iraq. I never agreed to a 51st state. You have disappointed me, and the millions of people who have died to allowed me to say these things.
millions? (Score:2)
Re:millions? (Score:2)
I was also counting the people we've killed and have had kill us to make the world where it is today.
Re:millions? (Score:1)
According to this site [civilwarhome.com]:
At least 618,000 Americans died in the Civil War, and some experts say the toll reached 700,000. The number that is most often quoted is 620,000.
So, with that I'm betting we broke a million, but I don't know multiple millions, unless 1.something requires a plural.
Yup, millions (Score:2)
War of Independence: 10,623
War of 1812: 6,765
Mexican War: 17,435
Civil War (combined Federal and Confederate): 970,227
Spanish-American War: 4,108
World War I: 320,710
World War II: 1,078,162
Korean War: 136,935
Vietnam War: 211,471
Gulf War I: 760
Grand total: 2,757,196 casualties in major conflicts (not counting enemy combatants, civilians, etc.) from 1775-1992. This includes deaths
Great point. (Score:2)
Now, I still support the guys in the military who are going over there and doing the job they're paid to do -- they're not the ones setting policy. But it pisses me off to have our country spending ALL this money to "rebuild" Iraq... with fucking fiber optic networks and cell towers?! Sorry. Not on my dime.
Let the fuckers get loans based on their oil. They've got enough to be
Re:Great point. (Score:2)
I've mentioned this before (and I was saying this before the war) but without something like the Marshall Plan, the US would be making itself a target in a whole new sort of way for centuries. Literally. Unless the losing party in a war is completely wiped out or very quickly experiences significant growth and general prosperity (that is, it is generally believed that they are ob
Re:Great point. (Score:2)
There's a Difference? (Score:1)
AFAIK this is true with Rep Dems Commies etc.
Re:Great point. (Score:2)
Re:Great point. (Score:1)
Republicans: You are responsible for yourself and everything that happens to you, good or bad. Especially bad...
Democrats: Society is to blame for anything that goes wrong in your life, and the government is there to get you past social injustice and to make you good and whole and happy.
Theoretically the republicans are generally opposed to big government and social programs, while democrats embrace and promote them. To republicans, the government is the enemy to
Re:Great point. (Score:2)
Ditto for the dems
Re:Great point. (Score:2)
They're not that bad, really. Besides they don't care who you sleep with or what god(s), if any, you pray to.
In all seriousness go take a good look at all 6 of the serious Democratic canidates (Clark, Dean, Edwards, Gephardt, Kerry, Lieberman). Go read the stuff on their web sites, check out a few news articles, watch them on TV. Don't believe everything you might have
Re:Great point. (Score:2)
The Arab world hates Americans when we deserve to be hated.
Re:Great point. (Score:2)
Re:Great point. (Score:1)
Re:Great point. (Score:2)
While I'm glad to see more and people realizing just how bad the Iraq related cronyism is, I hate to say I told you so.
Re:Great point. (Score:1)
The LOGCAP program isn't new with Bush Jr, and even Clinton has Halliburton on retainer. Does that make Clinton the spawn of all evil? (don't answer that!
Re:Great point. (Score:2)
Yes, I agree. We've all heard enough about Clinton's spawn for much more than one lifetime.
....Bethanie....
Re:Great point. (Score:2)
Clinton wasn't the former CEO of Haliburton.
BTW Haliburton has many government contracts. The ones I'm specificly refering to were the inital Iraqi reconstruction contracts which are new with Bush Jr.
I'm not saying that the various Haliburton deals with the US Government since January 2001 make Bush (or Cheney) the spawn of all evil. However few would dispute there are cl
MOD PARENT UP +5 INSIGHTFUL. (Score:2)
Cronyism ... really? (Score:2)
That said, you have my sympathy for the continually frustrating job hunt/app sale struggle.
Sorry, but I disagree (Score:2)
Re:Sorry, but I disagree (Score:2)
This is just bullshit. Yes, they are/were in need of reform, but being turned into Little America isn't the way to do it. We already have Nevada, we don't need another desert.
Cell phones were already very well structured, and internet access was also available. The infastructure needed they are well aware of how best to build it. We don't
internet access?! (Score:1)
Re:internet access?! (Score:2)
How many computers? That number is going to change, but now they have a cutting edge, state of the art network to plug in their imaginary computers and get downloaded on the internet.
The restructuring that American co
A sign? (Score:1)
Maybe I'm too much of a tinfoil hat wearing freak, but I feel that those higher-ups don't need any signs, they know what they are doing to a large extent, and are simply playing a little game with the world, to get themselves more power, money and control.
same shit, different day.
Re:A sign? (Score:2)
It's Vietnam, 2003. That's the sign. Every Iraqi who didn't join the resistance but didn't like the US are now either joining or will soon because of what we're doing.
"America, We'll be your savior and all we ask is your country in return."
Re:A sign? (Score:2)
C'mon! Punch up that tagline up a bit! Try:
Though I make jokes this shit is not a laughing matter, but jokes help from my head popping under the weight of the sheer recklessness of the current administration. This "crusade" will have long term payout, both to contrators AND to terrorists.
huh? (Score:2)
Annoying, ain't it? (Score:2)
Had the Bush Administration taken the Security Council and our allies more seriously from the beginning, rather than first acting like the UN was irrelevant, only going to it as a last resort and then trea
Re:Annoying, ain't it? (Score:2)
How's that White House leak case going? How's the 9/11 investigation going? Hows the anthrax mailer investigation going? We got Osama right? No? We got Saddam, right? No? Huh the Taliban and Al Qaeda are making a comeback? Oh Yeeeeeahhhhhh,*smacks hea
Male Cow Crap! (Score:2)
The "problems" in Iraq right now come from three sources. One, old regime holdouts who want to get back in power. (You can't blame them as some will probably get executed for the way they treated people when they were in power.) Two, criminals. Remember those 100,000 that Hussein released just before the war? Three, foreign terrorists. Money and weapons for the taking, these people want their chance to become martyrs.
As for the croneyism charges go look at the a
Re:Male Cow Crap! (Score:2)
Granted.
Two, criminals. Remember those 100,000 that Hussein released just before the war?
Most of which didn't receive a fair trial...
Three, foreign terrorists. Money and weapons for the taking, these people want their chance to become martyrs.
Not many of those in Iraq, they don't need the help. Besides, didn't most of the Iraq+Ter
Iraqi firms?!? (Score:2)
(The thing is that this is massive work on a huge scale that even few American companies can tackle. Especially when you thr
Re:Iraqi firms?!? (Score:2)
Why not lend expertise, and have an aspiring Iraqi construction firm help. You have seen Iraq right? They have buildings there, they didn't build themselves and they were built long before American construction companies got their hands involved.
Why does Iraq need the things the American firms are building? Fiber optic networks? Bullshit, lets just get