France to Establish Military Base in UAE
Just in case buying on the open market gets too hard.
State of Siege in Pakistan as "Al Qaeda" Tightens Grip [quotation marks added]
The War on Drugs (Iraq)
Guess how it's going since we got there.
Work for the government? Is your head one of the ones about to roll? Call now!
Global Warming Speeds up Race for North Pole
“There is a risk that the Northwest Passage will become attractive to those who wish to traffic in weapons of mass destruction, missile components, centrifuges and other things of both national and global security concern,” said Michael Byers, an Arctic expert at the University of British Columbia.
...there is no ban on weapons in the Arctic as there is in Antarctica. "
Dragonfly or Insect Spy?
Robobugs
Presidential Charade Promises Deepening of Criminality and Expansion of War
Presidential Charade Part 2: White House Bought by Big Money
Timber Thieves
NYC Evacuation Plan: Flotilla to New Jersey
How about a flotilla to Spain instead?
Big Bird Flu
Brought to you by the letter P for Pandemic
French base in UAE -- yes, excellent point. Many times I've heard the argument that the US is not in Iraq for the oil because it would be easier just to buy it. Heh. These people never consider that (1) buying the oil won't always be possible, and (2) the primary short-term objective is to lock down the oil. But I guess the argument that you can just buy something is what I'd expect from people raised in the consumer culture.
ReplyDeleteAnd Rice farmer lives in a cave and chants his blog comments to the stars which then digitize his thoughts across the WWW.
ReplyDeleteThis election coverage is ridiculous. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that hell will freeze over before the bush regime gives up power? Executive Order 12919: "the President would put the United States under total Martial Law and Military Dictatorship." I would love to know MCR's prediction for the election if one even happens, Jenna?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Establishing_martial_law_in_the_United_States
chris
ReplyDeletemike is retired and would not comment. but it would be a mistake to believe that bush and clinton, for example, are truly different regimes. see onlinejournal about how all the major candidates are essentially guided by the powers that be.
correct... they follow orders given by the upper echelon...
ReplyDeleteTo dfy their agenda would be suicide to Bush.
The link for the War on Drugs (Iraq) doesn't work.
ReplyDeletethx
ReplyDeletetry it now
rice farmer
ReplyDeletei was on the fence about publishing the comment that follows your last one. let me know if you'd prefer any future comments along the same lines not to be published
I remember reading about those robot bugs in one of Dan Brown's(of "The Da Vinci Code" fame) earlier novels "Deception Point" in which he begins the story by informing the reader that the technologies described in that work of fiction actually exist.On Dan Brown's website there is posted a CNN article from 1998 that mentions those micro robots.
ReplyDeleteAmong other exhisting technologies he weaves into his works of fiction are Stealth Submarines,planes capable of flying at speeds of Mach 15,and improvized munitions weapons that can turn ice into bullets,or concentrate jets of water with enough pressure to break bones.What won't they think of next eh?
FTW Admin -- It's a puerile comment by someone who does not agree but has no counter-argument. But it's your blog, so whether to publish or not is up to you.
ReplyDeleteBTW, sorry to hear that MCR is "retired," but I do remember him saying, "You haven't heard the last from me," or something to that effect. I hope we do hear something from him again, if not as investigative journalism, then in some other form.
ReplyDeleteThat comment to RF was rather rude, but if I could throw in my two cents, it's interesting to see what kind of feedback others are posting.
ReplyDeleteFYI, Rice Farmer,
While oil is certainly a primary objective, I fully believe that we'd be over there even if there was little in terms of energy resources. If you Google "MEFTA" and open the first link with a .gov address, you'll see the US plan to merge the ME into a single regional economy, according to World Bank, IMF, and UN guidelines.
That's why Bhutto had to be assassinated. She was opposed to foreign integration and the deployment of US troops inside Pakistan - contrary to the foerign policy initiatives of the US, the UK, and the dictatorial Pakistani military junta. Pakistan is the corridor from the ME to India, which will be a leading producer and regional trade magnate once ASEAN is fully implemented.
FYI, it's my opinion that MEFTA is also the reason that the Kurds are being sacrificed. The Kurdish people have been fighting fiercely for independence for more than half a century. And independence is the last thing that the empire is looking to achieve for anyone.
Looking at greater Kurdistan on a map, you'll quickly find that they stand directly in the way of the land/trade corridor between the ME and the EU. The Kurds want independence, and the empire wants geopolitical and economic integration, under their control via the UN and other agencies.
The only solution for the Kurds is therefore the Final Solution. Independence cannot be tolerated if integration is to be implemented. Turkey has been given the green light to attack them at will with support form the US (And from Israel, I might add).
I believe that Cheney's secret energy meetings were more than just planning for an invasion or an energy grab. That's the cover story. Look at MEFTA, look at the road to regional economies in the corporate driven globalization effort. It's not about the oil. The energy meetings were likely the planning sessions to keep energy flowing in the midst of war.
For example, the Taliban were in attendance. They were created by the Pakistani ISI. Which is a CIA creation via US aid funneled through Egypt. Just as the Taliban leadership doesn't move without initial approval from ISI, ISI doesn't move without approval from CIA. And we all know where CIA gets it's marching orders.
The ultimate goal isn't energy control. That's only a factor, although it's an important factor. The name of the game is regional economic domination.
That's my not so humble opinion.
Hi Shorebreak -- nice to see you back. Well, you get little in the way of disagreement from me. My comment concerned only the oil, but of course there is much more to the story, as you point out. My view on the oil itself is that it's not just a matter of pumping for profit, a simplistic view that many people express. If we see this from a geopolitical angle, it's clear that taking control of the oil and denying access by competitors is clearly more important than mere profit. The tighter hydrocarbon supplies get, the greater strategic advantage is conferred by whatever supplies one has locked down.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think?
Bush's lies:
ReplyDeletehttp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080123/ap_on_go_pr_wh/misinformation_study_4
I agree completely, Rice Farmer. One of the interesting reports that I've read is the increase in Saudi output within 18 months of the US attack on Iraq, and the continued declining output from Iraq. I'd love to see if the flavor of crude coming from the Saudi's has somehow begun to resemble the Iraqi variety. That's pure speculation on my part, but I'd love to conduct an analysis.
ReplyDeleteIt'd be a great incentive to keep Riyadh happy, wouldn't it?
Oh yeah, I don't recall where I read it, but I just remembered something more about this. Since the origin of crude can easily be identified by chemical analysis, the Saudis can't just sell Iraqi oil and claim they produced it. So it's speculated that -- assuming this is actually happening -- the Iraqi oil is being confined to domestic use inside SA, while they export their own.
ReplyDeleteHere's an interesting new wrinkle on the energy scene:
ReplyDeletehttp://news.aol.com/story/_a/drought-could-shut-down-nuclear-plants/20080123164209990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001
wwswimming said:
ReplyDelete"FYI, it's my opinion that MEFTA is also the reason that the Kurds are being sacrificed. The Kurdish people have been fighting fiercely for independence for more than half a century. And independence is the last thing that the empire is looking to achieve for anyone."
i didn't know about MEFTA.
the divisioning of the region into the countries we see on US maps of the world, reflects the carving up of the Mid-East to suit US, British, and other countries dictates.
it's hard to remember all the details of who did what to whom.
it certainly seems logical to let the Kurds have their own country. though their territory comprises parts of Iraq, Iran, and Turkey.
as Sibel Edmonds has found, the US has made all sorts of interesting bargains with Turkey. and Turkey does not like Kurdish independence.
i had the opportunity to help provide some of the basics for a Kurdish refugee who helped a group of American film-makers (that was what they told me; i think there's a little more to it) named X. he was Kurdish & an albino and real good with computers. the Americans liked him. he got on Saddam's sh*tlist and they gave him a ride out.
i gave him 2 old computers. he sold one for $300 and kept the other for himself.
from meeting him and seeing his relationship with his "film-maker" buddies, i got the impression that the Americans like cooperative Kurds.
I got the impression that the approximate policy toward the Kurds is, let Turkey beat up on the Kurds a little bit, to keep Turkey happy, and use the Kurds to further American objectives in Iraq and Iran (population reduction).
what the Kurds get in return is, to breathe the dust from hundreds of tons of depleted uranium munitions dumped to the East (Afghanistan) and West (Iraq) of Iran.
5:43 PM
Jenna,
ReplyDeleteYes I have read the articles from the Online journal website but I believe that this is a rogue administration playing by their own rules. If I'm wrong I guess we'll have a McCain vs Clinton "election".
Hi rice farmer and shorebreak,
ReplyDeletei am not sure if this is what you were referring to about SA/Iraq oil... but this website supports the idea that Iraqi oil is being diverted to SA to hide the fact their fields have peaked. It's an interesting hypothesis at the very least.
http://www.paulchefurka.ca/Iraq%20and%20Saudi%20Arabia.html
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFTW admin said...
ReplyDeletePLEASE NOTE THAT THE COMMENT BELOW WAS NOT WRITTEN BY "FTW ADMIN" BUT BY "BOSTX"
bostx has left a new comment on your post "France to Establish Military Base in UAE Just in c...":
My comment refers to your constant condescension such as "But I guess the argument that you can just buy something is what I'd expect from people raised in the consumer culture." Did you build your PC or buy it at a store? Quite frankly, you sound [insulting term. Editor's note] Matthew Simmons offers better commentary on peak oil than you do. And Jenna, thanks for publishing my comments. I'm sure rice farmer's ego is not bruised.
5:45 PM