A nice Orwellian twist

Why has the “evidence” Bush used as justification to invade Iraq proven to be false? Was it because our leaders were lying through their teeth and knew it? Was it because they falsified data and launched a propaganda campaign to convince us war was the only option?

No no no. Silly you. It was because Saddam made it all up and had sneaky bogus defectors tell it to us, poor unknowing dupes that we are, and thus we were forced, forced I tell you, into invading them. Yes, those fiendish Iraqis tricked up into going to war against them!

I am not making this up. This “explanation” is front page in the LA Times this morning. Yet a careful reading shows NO facts to back up this conjecture. None, zero, zip. Lots of innuendo, lots of “we suspect”, but, as usual, no actual facts. This is a common Bush tactic. Make outrageous statements, pretend they are facts, then fight tooth and nail when called on them.

In other words, their lying and propaganda machine continues. But it does seem they’re getting a bit desperate, eh? The lies are getting threadbare and transparent, with people more and more understanding the Emperor has no clothes.

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Is North Korea next?

From MSNBC

President Bush argued Tuesday for sustained involvement in Iraq in the face of mounting casualty tolls and calls to pull out, promising veterans that he would remain “on the offensive against terrorism” even if it meant expanding operations to other countries.

Hello North Korea! A cynic might opine Bush will invade just before the 2004 election for maximum effect on voters.

However the US already has so many troops occupying countries across the globe that there are none to spare to invade yet another country. This could be a blessing!

An ANSWER volunteer was in North Korea in July with Ramsey Clark, and she took pictures and wrote about it on the ANSWER L.A. website. Yes there’s terrible poverty there, some no doubt due to the embargo and U.S. pressure. Yet by viewing her photos, it’s clear they aren’t all exactly living in mud huts, are they?

The first photo is a celebration in Kim Il Sung Square, the second is Pyongyang out her hotel window. 

South Korean friends tell me that North Koreans are more unified that our media might have you believe. I suspect we will all be learning more about North Korea rather quickly as the Bushies appear to have it in their gun sights. Yet one more reason Bush must not be re-selected in 2004.

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Bremer: Billions needed for Iraq

Iraq will need “several tens of billions” of dollars from abroad in the next year to rebuild its rickety infrastructure and revive its moribund economy, and American taxpayers and foreign governments will be asked to contribute substantial sums, U.S. occupation coordinator L. Paul Bremer said yesterday.

“Occupation coordinator”? Golly, what a perky NewSpeak title for someone who is, for all practical purposes, a hand picked dictator running the civilian end of things for the occupying army. And let’s not forget the reason Iraq needs rebuilding is precisely because of the damage that occupying army did in two invasions plus the havoc caused by years of sanctions.

So now they want everyone else, US taxpayers and other govenments included, to help clean up their mess. Note the unctuous doublespeak language, asking for “contributions”, like they’re raising money for a worthwhile charity or something like that…

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World Beyond Borders

World Beyond Borders just launched their website. They hope for a world without artificial borders, and invite all to join in.

With your help, we hope to grow as an organization and spread a vision for the future that isn’t restricted by the arbitrary political boundaries of nations and the brutal conflicts created by sustaining them. Now more than ever, we are coming to realize that a world beyond borders is the only solution for building a sustainable human civilization in which a global constitution and bill of rights provide liberty and justice for all.

There’s some seriously good writing on the site - thoughts about global government, ideas on different models of governments, and more. Yes it’s Utopian, but there’s practical stuff too! “Head in the clouds and feet on the ground”, a good mix indeed. Plus it’s a fun site.

And check out their contest to design a Earth Flag and Anthem for when the first spacecraft from Earth lands on Mars in 2019! (Click Interactive Activities on the Home Page)

This was co-founded by Eli-Williamson-Jones and Jane Shevtsov. I know Jane a bit, she’s a creative, brilliant thinker, and I predict much good stuff from World Beyond Borders!

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How gas prices got so high

There are lots of reasons for rising prices, says MSN

Crude oil prices have stayed higher than expected, in part because it’s taken longer to get Iraq back on line. In addition, about 300,000 to 400,000 barrels daily of Nigerian oil production are curtailed because of local political turmoil. At the same time, Venezuelan oil production has not returned to pre-strike levels. And on top of everything else, OPEC has cut back on quotas  <and yadda blah blah blah>

Yet oil prices always seem to spike higher and faster than other commodities - and take considerably longer to fall back. Other commodities have supply problems, yet their prices don’t soar like oil. Could it be an opportunistic oligolopy is taking advantage of minor supply problems to make windfall profits knowing their “campaign contributions” and lobbyists have everything covered in DC should the populace get restless?

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