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The
View from the Meadow
Observations
of the Passing Scene
Political
and Social Commentary by Dave Satre
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Change
Parties
Every
Election |
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Politics
is
the
only
field
in
which
the
more
experience
you
have,
the
worse
you
get! |
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| Kinky Friedman recent candidate for governor of Texas | |
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BIG
OIL
Back
in
Iraq Exxon Mobil, Shell Oil, Total and BP are getting ready to return to Iraq, verifying suspicions that the war in Iraq is all about oil, not terrorism. Foreign oil companies were kicked out of Iraq 36 years ago when Saddam Hussein nationalized the country’s oil facilities. The oil companies have now received no-bid contracts to rebuild the country’s oil industry, despite competing bids from Russia, China and India. The Iraqi Oil Ministry claims it needs expertise and modern technologies. Reportedly, oil revenue will pay for the reconstruction costs, although the current Iraqi government is not spending the income from its current oil market to rebuild the country. American tax payers are. Iraq officials say the companies were awarded the contracts because they have been advising them without pay and because these companies have the required technologies. Forty-six foreign companies that hold memorandums of understanding with the Oil Ministry were not awarded contracts Iraq claims these are service contracts and the companies will be paid for their work instead of receiving licenses for the country’s oil deposits. This is the excuse for awarding illegal no-bid contracts until oil legislation is passed that requires competitive bidding. Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish organizations are currently debating oil revenue sharing issues. However, the oil companies stand to gain huge profits at current oil prices and are negotiating with the ministry to receive payment in oil instead of cash. The current contracts enable the companies to match bids from competing companies for the contracts when, and if, they are opened to bidding. Vice President Cheney targeted Middle Eastern oil in a series of White House meetings six months before the 9/11 Twin Tower attacks. This was two years before the US used terrorism as an excuse to invade Iraq. Rupert Murdoch reportedly predicted during these meetings that a successful war in Iraq would provide the US with $20 per barrel oil. Oil prices topped the $140 per barrel mark on June 26th, 2008, and are predicted to exceed the $150 level in the near future. Most of the work involving Iraq’s oil reserves will be carried out by Iraqi subcontractors. We all know where the money America is currently squandering to rebuild the rest of Iraq is going. It is disappearing in a milieu of untraceable subcontracts that have become the standard way of doing business in Iraq.
Dave
Satre Related Links:
Bill
Moyers
Journal Impeach
Bush No American president has ever deserved impeachment more than George Bush. There has never been a worse liar, incompetent or criminal in the White House than GW Bush. No president has ever adversely affected America’s reputation in the world, destroyed its economy, ruined the lifestyle of Americans or bastardized the concept of democracy than Bush. Why waste the next few months before the November elections on a traditional campaign with the continuous lies and propaganda we can expect from the Republican party when we all know this is the worst administration in the history of America? Impeachment will solidify Bush’s reputation for all time. It will more effectively focus on the real problems with the Republicans that have derailed the party away from true Republican values than a traditional campaign. It will also stop Bush from pardoning all of the criminals in his administration when he leaves office. And it’s only fair. We all remember what the Republicans did to Clinton because of his relatively minor transgression, getting a knob job in the oval office, when there is a laundry list of impeachable offenses tied to the Bush administration. Impeach Cheney at the same time! He is definitely more evil than Bush and nobody in his right mind wants him as president. The two of them should be in prison, not the White House. Who Rules the World? If you’re wondering what’s really behind the Bush Presidency and concerned with the future of this country and the world, John Perkins offers some solid information and a plan to change the situation. Perkins was an economic hit man for the CIA and goes beyond the lies and politics of the current administration to the real cause behind our current economic problems. He describes a true conspiracy by the richest and most powerful corporate global leaders to further enrich themselves and control the world. Perkins refers to this group as the Corporatocracy. This movement, based on empire building and the exploitation of the world’s resources has been growing since WW II. It has become the first truly global Empire and is based on economics, not military power, although our military stands behind the movement. It is also the first empire without an emperor. The Corporatocracy is a small group, consisting mostly of men, who own the largest corporations and basically control all of the important governments in the world. It’s not just GW Bush and it doesn’t really matter who is in the White House or controlling Congress. CLICK HERE for the whole story. View Perkins' video Confessions of an Economic Hit Man on YouTube View Part II: Corporatocracy and Central America on YouTube Check out John Perkins' Web Site
A New Deal for America What the People of this Country need is A New Deal. Instead of squandering $12 billion per month on Iraq --- we need to Invest in America. When FDR pulled America out of the Great Depression in the 1930s, he did it by putting the people to work. This country's infrastructure is crumbling. Some experts are predicting America may be on its way to becoming a third world country. Many roads and bridges need repair, others need to be built. The schools need improvement, the healthcare services are strained and costs for basic necessities are increasingly unaffordable for many people. We cannot afford to rebuild Iraq while ignoring the needs of the people in our own country. We need to provide affordable power and fuel for the citizens, as well as assure a sufficient supply of clean water and nutritional food for the future. We need a Green Program to save the planet and provide jobs for future generations. And we need to employ Americans in order to do it. The people employed through Roosevelt’s New Deal built this country. They put in roads and bridges. They built power and sewage facilities. They built dams and water systems, and buildings to house government services, teach our children and provide medical services. They developed parks and recreational facilities for the people. The jobs restored economic balance in the country, which is essential for a true democracy. In today’s world the balance has shifted in favor of the ultra rich, to the detriment of the poor, and outsourcing is destroying the middle class. We need to take care of our own. We must show the world how it is done by example, rather than bankrolling similar projects for other countries around the world while our own lifestyle is deteriorating. If we spend the $3 trillion that is the estimated cost of the war in Iraq on our own country we can afford everything we need. From free healthcare, excellent schools, low cost medications and an adequate retirement system to low cost communications systems and a modernized transportation system. There are many countries, especially in Scandinavia and Europe, where these things already exist and they are their governments’ focus for the future. America needs to rethink its priorities and rid itself of the kinds of politicians that are currently ruining the country.
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