Thursday, March 27, 2003

 
Crushing Dissent in the Era of Bush

First, the Dixie Chicks were castigated for expressing their embarrassment toward sharing the same home state as George W. Bush. Next, the red carpet was tossed back into storage for the Oscars out of fear that... say it isn't so...someone might speak out against the Bush invasion of Iraq. Now, Drudge is reporting that Chris Rock has been warned by Dreamworks executives "not to engage in any Bush-bashing during the promotion of his new film HEAD OF STATE."

Now I don't blame Dreamworks one bit. They have to make a living and it certainly isn't their responsibility to promote a political position one way or the other. Indeed, when the Dixie Chicks go on tour or when Chris Rock promotes his movie, they are doing so in the name of their employer. I know that if I started spouting off about the gross incompetence and obvious satanic motives of the Bush Administration while representing my boss, I would be sporting little more than a pink-slip for my efforts.

Indeed, the blame for this McCarthyite demonization falls squarely on the shoulders of George W. Bush and his minions.

Fresh on the minds of the American people are scenes of Ari warning people and especially journalists to "watch what they say" and "First-Amendment Zones" designed to protect Bush's illusionary political capital. At every point the Administration has stressed that you are either "with them or with the terrorists". Not much of a choice. Nevertheless, the implication is clear. Dissenters are terrorists.

Unfortunately, the promotion of such Orwellian philosophies have created a culture ensconced in fear and reactive to any sign of contrary thinking. Perhaps the change in the world over the last two years has been too much for many people. Maybe the stress created by catastrophic foreign and domestic policies have overwhelmed the public so much that they will do anything to gain some sort of stability, even if it means quashing any further rabble-rousing.

Who knows?. The only thing I am sure of is that such censorship has to end... and soon. There has to be some way to halt the Administration's tromp down this path of Constitutional destruction in the name of 9-11 and national security. Indeed, the unsettling nature of our current political climate seems to exist not because of the despicable acts of 9-11 but rather because of the Administration's response to those acts.

So what can we do? Well, we can keep speaking out for one thing. We can also show up to the polls, united against Bush.

The problem is that a) The Administration and accompanying Republican Guard will always be a louder voice and b) If they can steal one election, what makes you think they can't do it again.

But don't let that get you down. That should only invigorate us to act more aggressively and with greater conviction. So, in conclusion, take to heart Chris Rock's immortal assessment of the hero that is our Commander in Chief:

"He's not stupid, he's just drunk."

Not stupid eh? Well, I guess I misunderestimated Bush..

Good Luck!

Join our mailing list!

posted by Thomas Ball 1:35 PM

 
Ritter: "The American military will leave Iraq with its tail between its legs."

In an Irish radio interview (RTE1 radio, Sunday Show with Vincent Browne, March 24, 2003, Audio Transcript), former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter said that America will lose the war in Iraq and "the American military will leave Iraq with its tail between its legs."

"We find ourselves... facing a nation of 23 million, with armed elements numbering around 7 million --who are concentrated at urban areas. We will not win this fight. America will loose this war."

"We're in Iraq --carrying out the right-wing neo-conservative motives of a handful of people. The Richard Perle's, Paul Wolfowitz's; the Dick Cheney's. And we've allowed them to hijack our foreign policy."

Contrary to the Administration's spin that the American forces would be "greeted as liberators" by the Iraqi people, Ritter notes that significant resistance exists as a result of nationalistic and religious ideals.

"They're doing it because, the American Crusader Infidel has invaded and violated Holy Iraq, and they will resist us, and they will resist us strongly."

"We are not liberating Iraq, we are destroying Iraq,"

Scott Ritter is a ballistic missile technology expert who worked in military intelligence for 12 years. In 1998, he resigned from the U.N. Special Commissions team to protest Clinton Administration policies that he said subverted the weapons inspection process.

Below is a partial transcript of the interview:

Vincent Browne: Scott Ritter... are you surprised by how the assault in Iraq is going?

Scott Ritter: No actually, I wrote a paper that was published last Fall, that predicted just this. And I'm a little disturbed in listening to some of the analysis going along here.

I think that one of the reasons the American find themselves in such difficulties in Iraq, is that so many in the Pentagon have listened to the... blithering of Iraqi expatriots who have spoken out --rightly so-- against Saddam Hussein, and who think that it's a) the role of the United States to liberate Iraq; and b) think that the Iraqi people want us to liberate them from Saddam.

And I think that the harsh reality is that in buying off on the expectations of being greeted in the streets of Iraq with song and flowers... we now find we are being greeted with bullets and bombs.

And it's the Shia in the south who are fighting us. They're not doing it because Chemical Ali is down there with his death squads threatening to execute 'em.

They're doing it because, the American Crusader Infidel has invaded and violated Holy Iraq, and they will resist us, and they will resist us strongly.

And no matter how many Iraqi's we kill and slaughter, I predict that America will loose this war and ultimately the American military will leave Iraq with its tail between its legs.

Unfortunately, we're going to inflict a tremenduous amount of death and destruction on the people of Iraq; the American soldiers and Marines will also pay a price.

And all those who sit outside of Iraq and courageously encourage Americans to go in and slaughter Iraqi's should be ashamed of themselves.

Vincent Browne: ...You think the Americans will lose this war?

Scott Ritter: We lost Vietnam....

Remember we can kill many, many Iraqis and we will do so. But I am telling you right now, that we do not have sufficient combat power in Iraq --as we speak-- to win this battle. So we will have to reinforce considerably.

The current posture, in terms of American deployment, is predicated on a presumption that the Iraqi Army would surrender; that the Iraqi people would welcome; that the internsational community would support.

The exact opposite is happening.

And now we find ourselves with fewer than 120,000 boots on the ground; facing a nation of 23 million, with armed elements numbering around 7 million --who are concentrated at urban areas.

We will not win this fight. America will loose this war.

Saddam Hussein may die... But you know what?

I'm betting that Saddam's gonna be around a lot longer than anyone can predict.

I'm betting that we don't capture Bhagdad.

I'm betting that we stall outside Bhagdad.

I'm betting that this becomes an absolute quagmire.

I hope I'm wrong, for the sake of the American lives that are going to be lost. Remember I'm a 12 year veteran of the Marine Corps. I fought in the first Gulf War. I know what war is about. I know what defending my country is about.

This is a bad war, because it has nothing to do with the defense of the United States of America. Iraq doesn't have weapons of mass destruction. The Bush Administration has pulled an enormous lie to the international community; to the American people.

And now we're in Iraq --carrying out the right-wing neo-conservative motives of a handful of people; the Richard Perle's, Paul Wolfowitz's; the Dick Cheney's. And we've allowed them to hijack our foreign policy.

And they've been cheered on by these Iraqi expatriots, who have zero credibility in my eyes. They're so brave and they want Iraq liberated... Then my goodness man, go to Iraq... fight and die for your country... But don't ask Americans to do it.


To hear the full interview, go here.

Join our mailing list!

posted by Thomas Ball 11:56 AM

 
Combat Report - March 27, 2003

(Note that the report yesterday of a 1,000 vehicle convoy heading south from Baghdad was not true. Officials blame inaccurate measurements form various instruments designed to sense troop movements.)

0950 GMT - British tanks destroyed a convoy of 14 Iraqi tanks and four armored cars in southern Iraq on Thursday morning, a UK military spokesman says

0900 GMT - Iraqi officials say 36 people were killed in the previous day's US and British air strikes on Baghdad

0845 GMT - American troops are involved in heavy fighting with Iraqi forces in the town of Samawah, about 150 miles south of Baghdad

0700 GMT - US military says 37 Marines were injured when they were hit by fire from their own side near the city of Nasiriya

0651 GMT - British forces take Iraqi state radio and television off the air in Basra

0556 GMT - The British Royal Navy says the first ship bringing aid to Iraq has been delayed by 24 hours because of the discovery of mines

0058 GMT - US defense bosses say there is "no conclusive evidence" that coalition forces were responsible for the bombing of a Baghdad market place on Wednesday which left 14 dead. At least none that they would admit to.


Combat Report - March 26, 2003 (Second half of day)

1840 GMT - US officials admit coalition forces used precision guided weapons to attack an Iraqi missile base, which was less than 100 meters away from people's homes near Baghdad

1820 GMT - Iraqi armored vehicles leaving Basra are come under heavy fire from coalition troops.

1315 GMT - General Vincent Brooks says he does not have any information about Wednesday's explosions in Baghdad's shopping area, adding that he is not even certain that they were caused by the US-led forces.

1310 GMT - US military spokesman General Vincent Brooks tells a news briefing at the US Central Command headquarters in Qatar that coalition against Iraq is growing. The spokesman says 47 countries now back the US-led forces. (of course, they include France as one of the coalition members, so you can see that the "coalition" is a bunch of smoke and mirrors)

1300 GMT - The first shipments of humanitarian aid reach the southern Iraqi town of Safwan, after several lorries cross from Kuwait, escorted by US troops.

Join our mailing list!

posted by Thomas Ball 9:21 AM