Bad Apples

Cross-posted atConyersBlog

An indictment of Karl Rove should be cause for his dismissal for the same reason Libby was dismissed, and the reason DeLay was forced to step down. It points to a rot at the top of the entire Republican rule (yes rule, not govern) of our country.

This of course is not a case of one bad apple spoiling the barrel, it is a case of an entire truckload of bad apples from the start.

Indictments do not mean convictions, and the presumption of innocence still holds, but it is clear that the unethical nature of Mr. Rove's well-documented past willingness to do anything necessary to obtain political gain makes it abundantly clear that this man, a political hack, should not be, and should never have been in a position to influence policy at the highest level. His security clearance should not have been revoked, it should never had been issued. This kind of power in the hands of an amoral man such as Rove should never have been granted in the first place. It seems inevitable that that power would be misused.

I would like to address the questions raised by Nolip in number 7 above. The pre-war comment by Rumsfeld putting a $50 B cost on the war, and then saying Iraqi oil revenue would pay for the war is, and always has been to me, curious.

I mean that on several levels. First look at what reparations did to Germany after WW I. The Paris conference exacted a reparation plan to charge Germany for the victorious allie's costs of executing the war. These reparations destroyed the economy of Germany, and can be said to be a proximate cause of the rise of Hitler, as the people of Germany were looking for a change to reverse the hyperinflation which was caused by the reparations.

Second, in my memory, this was the first time an announcement in advance, before the first shot of the war was fired, our government had already made the decision to exact reparations from Iraq. Since oil revenues was responsible for probably 80 to 90 per cent of Iraq's foreign exchange, we announced in advance that we would decimate their economy.

Third, the oil legitimately belongs to the Iraqi people, not the United States, and the United States should have no claim on the revenue stream from Iraqi oil. Under what means would the United States gain access to this revenue?

Fourth, the United States, the nation declaring war on false pretenses to a nation who was not belligerent with the United States, and then announcing an intent to exact reparations from the driver of the entire economy of the nation gives the lie that oil and its control was not a motivating factor for the United States leadership.

Let's move on to the war cost. For the sake of argument, assume for a minute that the financial cost for the war is $320 Billion (not a real cost because we are executing the entire war on credit, and no figure for interest is included). Then the figure for executing to the end of the war is expected to double. This a clear indication that according to the Congressional Research Service that the war will go on for at least another three years, or to match a doubling of the cost, at the minimum, the engagement will last twice as long. That is just adding 2 plus 2.

Now, the administration is agitating for war once again. This time with Iran, a country that has a modern economy, that has a modern military, a nation with three times the population of Iraq or Afghanistan. A nation with varied topography, not a flat desert like Iraq. Iran is also a nation with a single national identy, and one likely to fight to maintain it, with internal cohesion that has the loyalty of the military forces.

All of that indicates that a war with Iran would be far more costly, both in lives and dollars. The two wars we are engaged in right now have bled us dry. How do we find enough soldiers to fight another war? The only answer is conscription. How do we pay for another war? We can't unless we as a nation choose to tax the Haves and the Have Mores, the President's base. Can you imagine this happening? I can't. Of course the funding source will be American generations, yet unborn. We will owe that debt to two entities. First, it will be the Haves and Have Mores, those who can afford to purchase the 30 year bonds on a tax free basis. Second, it will be our nation's commerical and economic rivals, who will hold the lion's share of the debt.

Again, those who will pay the human and financial cost of the war will be the lower and middle wage earners and our children and five generations of our progeny. In effect, Americans will still be paying for this folly 100 years from now.

I haven't checked this statistic lately, but in years past, the second largest expenditure of tax revenue in the United States budget was debt service, right after defense. In the future, Defense will fall to number two, and debt service, paid by the low and middle wage earners will be far and away the number one expenditure of the American taxpayer.

Congress must stop this madness.
QuestionItNow Blogs

Reflections on Crying Wolf

This evening I was reading "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" to my four year old son. He understood the meaning, but this timeless lesson seems to have been lost on too many Americans.

"We the People" need to continue reminding our fellow Americans how often this administration and their rad-con friends have manipulated fears of terrorists to impose their own twisted theories upon the world.

Tomorrow night I will be reading "The Emperor's New Clothes."

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Illegal Immigrants and Sabre Rattling

The immigration issue has been an issue for a very long time. Prior to 1835, 3 million illegal immigrants from Africa were forcefully removed from their homes to become a source of cheap farm and domestic labor. The illegality of course was perpretated against the immigrants.

Congressman J.D. Hayworth, who was primarily hawking his book on Meet the Press Sunday morning, came out strongly in favor of the "Wall" to keep illegal immigrants out. The problem with creating a wall to keep people out is that it usually winds up being a wall to keep people in. This is unacceptable for America.

Mr. Hayworth went on to say, after plugging his book a couple more times that the biggest problem facing America is the illegal immigrant problem. I disagree. It is the illegal war started by the Bush administration that is killing our boys and girls in Iraq.

The second biggest problem is that the Bush administration is stirring up a campaign of fear, hatred and suspicion against Iran in an attempt to create war fever in a manner similar to the run-up to the Iraq war. Same stuff, Nuclear weapons, WMD, etc. It is all over our newspapers, local and national news media, right wing talk radio, and many other places, war planning for Iran is taking place.

By most rational accounts, Iran will not be nuclear capable for at least 5 years. There is time for diplomacy to work. Not Bush faux diplomacy as practiced by "Aluminum Tubes" Rice, or "I hate the UN" Bolton, or "Lean and Mean Military" Rumsfeld.

Will Congress fall for this again, or if on the off chance that they will not be fooled again, will the Bush admin fall back on the 2001 AUMF - Authority to Use Military Force - as the justification to go to war with Iran?

Will the Bush admin try to put the veneer of a UN Resolution to authorize war with Iran, or will they conclude, as they concluded that the UN would refuse to be used in this manner just prior to the Iraq war, and just decide to put our troops in Harm's way, just to satisfy a desire for hegemony in the Middle East?

The full-court propaganda press for war with Iran is on. The time to say no is before it starts. Cross posted at ConyersBlog

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TRUTH

In this world of illusions, the TRUTH is hard to find.
It hides behind our confusions, distorted by promises & Lies!

REB 84