Ah, the good old days in Cuba. After living for 30 years in Miami and listening to the old so-called "Exilios" and all their propaganda about the "Monster" and the halcyon days of Fulgencio Batista before he took over, you'd think they were thrown out of Eden or something.

Actually, under Batista, most Cubans were dirt poor, most had no electricity or running water, and anyone who dared complain was locked up or shot. The only ones who made out well in Cuba mainly lived in Havana in princely comfort where they counted their ill-gotten profits from the cheap labor they employed on their sugar cane plantations. These were the same people whose families made out well under the Spanish, too. Same as it ever was -- until the Revolution that is.

I was just listening to writer T. J. English on Fresh Air and he was talking about his new book "Havana Nocturne" on the era of the mob and Batista.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.p...

Harper Collins:

"As the Cuban people labored under a violently repressive regime throughout the 1950s, Mob leaders Meyer Lansky and Charles 'Lucky' Luciano turned their eye to Havana. To them, Cuba was the ultimate dream, the greatest hope for the future of the American Mob in the post-Prohibition years of intensified government crackdowns. But when it came time to make their move, it was Lansky, the brilliant Jewish mobster, who reigned supreme. Having cultivated strong ties with the Cuban government and in particular the brutal dictator Fulgencio Batista, Lansky brought key mobsters to Havana to put his ambitious business plans in motion.

Before long, the Mob, with Batista's corrupt government in its pocket, owned the biggest luxury hotels and casinos in Havana, launching an unprecedented tourism boom complete with the most lavish entertainment, the world's biggest celebrities, the most beautiful women, and gambling galore."

http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061...

See, this is what the dozen or so old coots, the ones who can still manage to get out to protest in front of Elian's family's house, want back. Not freedom, clearly, because there was no such thing, but gambling and sex! The original "exiles" were the rich Cubans who benefited from the largess of Meyer Lansky.

McCain on Cuba policy:

McCain's policy is basically more of the same. He says: "As president, I will not passively await the day when the Cuban people enjoy the blessings of freedom and democracy."

He plans on keeping the Embargo in place until Raul and Co. agree "To release all political prisoners unconditionally, to legalize all political parties, labor unions and free media, and to schedule internationally monitored elections. ... Make no mistake Cuba is destined to be free. Cuba is destined to be free."

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2...

Uh huh. When was Cuba ever free?

I don't know, it's been almost 50 years now and the Embargo hasn't done anything to convince the Cuban regime to knuckle-under. Simply saying you won't lift the Embargo is sort of just sitting passively by, isn't it?

Maybe, sending the Marines down to wrap this problem up just before the election, a la Granada, would be just the thing.

Something the Cubans should keep in mind about the US coming down to "liberate" them and their resources, btw . . .

George W. Bush on his Cuban policy:

"Some of you are members of the Cuban military, or the police, or officials in the government. You may have once believed in the revolution. Now you can see its failure. When Cubans rise up to demand their liberty, they -- they -- the liberty they deserve, you've got to make a choice. Will you defend a disgraced and dying order by using force against your own people? Or will you embrace your people's desire for change?"

October 2007
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/20...

George W. Bush in his message to the Iraqis:

"I urge every member of the Iraqi military and intelligence services: If war comes, do not fight for a dying regime that is not worth your own life.

And all Iraqi military and civilian personnel should listen carefully to this warning: In any conflict, your fate will depend on your actions. Do not destroy oil wells, a source of wealth that belongs to the Iraqi people. Do not obey any command to use weapons of mass destruction against anyone, including the Iraqi people."

March 17 2003
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/03/17/... /

Obama on Corn:

And, what about Obama on Cuba? Who knows? But just think of all the sugar cane in Cuba they could sell to us for ethanol (that would get their economy going) but as the NYT reports, Obama is in the pocket of the corn ethanol interests.

NYT:

"Mr. McCain advocates eliminating the multibillion-dollar annual government subsidies that domestic ethanol has long enjoyed. As a free trade advocate, he also opposes the 54-cent-a-gallon tariff that the United States slaps on imports of ethanol made from sugar cane, which packs more of an energy punch than corn-based ethanol and is cheaper to produce. . . Mr. Obama, in contrast, favors the subsidies, some of which end up in the hands of the same oil companies he says should be subjected to a windfall profits tax. In the name of helping the United States build 'energy independence,' he also supports the tariff, which some economists say may well be illegal under the World Trade Organization’s rules but which his advisers say is not."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/us/polit...

The WaPo:

"MESEBERG, Germany, June 11-- President Bush said Wednesday he was confident the United States would reach an agreement on the role of U.S. forces in Iraq, calling opposition to a U.S. proposal part of the 'noise' of a freer Iraqi society. . . There's all kinds of noise in their system, and our system,' Bush said. 'I think we'll get the agreement done"

(Nice to know he considers legitimate opposition to his policies in a "free society" merely "noise.")

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...

Iraqis opposed to the US moving in for the next hundred years can apparently make "noise" about their impending absorption but they don't have enough "freedom" stop it.

Those among the noisiest Iraqis include Sami al-Askari, a senior Shiite politician on parliament's foreign relations committee who is close to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who says, "If we can't reach a fair agreement, many people think we should say, 'Goodbye, U.S. troops. We don't need you here anymore.'"

And, Haider al-Abadi, a parliament member from Maliki's Dawa party, who says, "What the U.S. wants is to take the current status quo and try to regulate it in a new agreement. And what we want is greater respect for Iraqi sovereignty. . . Signing the agreement would mean that the Iraqi government had given up its sovereignty by its own consent. And that will never happen."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...

Obviously, all crazed followers of the radical, anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

No? They're all members and close associates of our puppet al-Maliki?? Al-Maliki himself, though, isn't making any noise, right? He's our good buddy, after all.

What? He is?

It's not only the 'sovereignty" issue that's causing all this noise (and the black mailing over the $40 billion in Iraqi accounts the US is holding), it's also the small print that says the US doesn't have to come to Iraq's defense if attacked.

WaPo:

"U.S. negotiators also said the agreements would not obligate the American military to protect Iraq from foreign aggression, Iraqi officials said, a promise they believe was a fundamental part of a declaration of principles signed by Bush and Maliki last winter.

'The prime minister is not happy about this,' said Askari, who helped negotiate the declaration of principles, which outlined the strategic framework. 'This is not what we agreed on.'"

So, we and our contractor friends can come and go as we please, kill and imprison Iraqis citizens willy nilly and set up bases where ever we want for as long as we want, but if the Iraqis need us for anything, we're not obliged to help them at all. Such a deal!

More small print :

"Bush administration officials say a deal is necessary to preserve order in the battered country, and that a new agreement 'will not involve permanent bases, nor will it bind any future president to troop levels."

You can take that to the bank. Our word is as good as gold; the definition of "word," though, is another matter.

The WaPo points out that the term "permanent bases" is somewhat fluid:

"In a Senate hearing in April, a senior Defense Department lawyer acknowledged under questioning by Sen. James Webb (D-Va.) that the Pentagon had no definition for the term 'permanent base' and that it 'doesn't really mean anything.'"

If I were the Iraqis, I'd get a few good lawyers and a real big magnifying glass before I signed anything W. & Co. put in front of me.

I'd say the same for Congress, but they apparently couldn't care less about this whole staying in Iraq for the next hundred years issue. No noise at all coming from the other end of Pennsylvania Ave.

again, doesn't it?

"Exiles . . . used as agents of a foreign intelligence service ... to reach into and influence the highest levels of the U.S. government."

One of the members of the group of the OSP who met with Gorba & Co. was Larry Franklin, since sentenced to 13 years in prison, convicted of spying for . . . you guessed it:

Israel.

In Franklin's indictment it states:

"It was part of the conspiracy that defendant LAWRENCE ANTHONY FRANKLIN would and did use his position as a desk officer in the Office of the Secretary of Defense to gather information, classified as affecting the security of the United States, for subsequent unlawful communication to the FO from Foreign Nation A."

"FO" stands for foreign official. One guess as to who "Nation A" is.

Further:

One of Franklin's co-conspirators ("CC-1") "was a senior executive at a Washington, D.C. lobbying organization."

http://www.physics911.ca/USDOJ:_Larry_Fran...

"Washington, D.C. lobbying organization." Hmmm . . . I wonder which one?

But, what's the big deal? All foreign lobbying firms spy on us anyway, right? They all have access to members of the DoD who funnel them top secret intel on the deliberations of the highest levels of the administration, right? I mean, Chad is doing it every damn day!

It's all purely coincidental, I'm sure, but the meetings in Rome in Dec 2001 were totally facilitated and promoted by . . . a "Foreign Intelligence Service."

I'm sure this is just all "conspiracy nut/ foil hat" stuff.

Surely our bestest buddy in the whole world, Israel, wouldn't be spying on us! They wouldn't be attempting to pervert our foreign policy to their own ends; using the US as their cat's paw to get us into costly wars they themselves couldn't afford or win? They wouldn't be engaging in actions that would result in, as the Franklin indictment puts it, "the injury of the United States and to the advantage of a foreign nation"? Surely not!

And if anyone were to imply that, well, there's possibly some big time treason going on here: They would be not only holocaust deniers and anti-Semites, but also crazy. Perish the thought. Argue this line at your own peril.

http://intelligence.senate.gov/080605/phas... .

What I think is of even more interest than the initial report on Bush & Co. inflating the threat of the "relationship" between Saddam and Al-Qaeda is the second report regarding the Rome meetings in Dec 2001 between DoD officials working for Douglas Feith's notorious Office of Special Plans and Michael Ledeen, Manucher Ghorbanifar and two supposed Iranians who claimed to be big shots in the regime, whose bona fides were never proven, btw. (Never a worry with Rummy's Feith-based intelligence operation, though, Ghorbi's word is good enough for them!)

Interestingly, the meeting was set up in the first place by an officer of a "foreign intelligence service" (one guess as to which one) and Ledeen, whose sources were regarded by US intelligence services as "nefarious and unreliable."

Knowing that the names Ledeen and Ghorbanifar were mud with the CIA, none of the DoD participants wanted either the CIA or the State Department to know about the meeting.

Ledeen and Co. actually went so far as to fabricate a story that the Iranian "defectors" wouldn't talk if they knew the CIA was involved, which was a total lie.

What the Ledeen bunch was afraid of was anyone finding out they were talking to anyone associated with Ghorbanifar.

Naturally, it wasn't long before Ghorbanifar was talking about how much money he would need for the US Gov for his brilliant plan to overthrow the Iranian regime.

What at the meeting had started out as a $5 million plan scrawled out on a a table napkin (sort of like the post-Iraq invasion plan) soon mushroomed into $25 million with more installments needed down the road.

Luckily, ultimately word got about about this meeting and the adults intervened. The report states the DoD's HUMINT service (after about thirty seconds of reviewing the intel provided by the Iranians and Ledeen) determined that "no further contact with Ledeen was warranted or advisable."

What's also very interesting about this whole affair is AIPAC's Larry Franklin (subsequently sentenced to 13 years in jail for spying for Israel) using "intel" he got at this meeting to inform a Special Forces officer in Afghanistan about some supposed Iranian death squads who were hunting for US troops. He never apparently sent this info up the chain of command to be vetted or anything crazy like that, he just picked up a satellite phone and called this guy in Afghanistan.

Ledeen and Franklin claim the intel gleaned from these Iranians "saved American lives," but this is only based on the word of this one officer Franklin talked to, who miraculously was able to find these Iranians almost immediately. Beyond Franklin's recollection, there is no documentary evidence that any of this ever occurred according to the DoD.

No wonder al-Qaeda is panicking in their boots about the departure of this administration! With enemies like these who needs friends?

In closing, it wasn't too long before Ledeen and Ghorbanifar were able to find another sucker in the person of former Pennsylvania congressman Curt Weldon, who lapped up their scary fairy tales about Iranian terror squads in Canada plotting to blow up nuclear power plans etc., helpfully provided by Ghorbanifar's secret contact codenamed "Ali" (referred to in the report as Ghorbi's brother in Paris).

It's really true what they say: 'There's one born every minute.'

Too bad there were so many all clumped together working for this administration all at one time.

There's about 4,090 Americans who would be a live today and another 50 or 60 thousand or so who would be whole right now if not for the criminal stupidity of those working in the Office of Special Plans.

See more on the OSP in Mother Jones: "The Lie Factory"
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/20...

http://www.airforce.com/achangingworld/?er...

Apparently, the Air Force has some sort of inadequacy issues; the Lord's Air Force is really tired of being the Marine's and Army's bitch all the time.

"Air Dominance!" "Space Dominance!" "Cyberspace Dominance."

Very butch!

The part where they say our national defense is no longer from sea to shining sea, though, but to the shining stars is particularly scary.

Note that Lt. Gen. Edward Anderson, deputy commander of U.S. Northern Command, said a couple years back, regarding the Chinese space program:

"In my view it will not be long before space becomes a battleground. Our military forces ... depend very, very heavily on space capabilities, and so that is a statement of the obvious to our potential threat, whoever that may be. I believe space is the place we will fight in the next 20 years. I think the Chinese are telling us they're there, and I think if we ever wind up in a confrontation again with any one of the major powers who has a space capability we will find space is a battleground."

http://www.omnicenter.org/warpeacecollecti...

Note also that the WaPo reported two years ago, that despite all the international treaties we've signed designating space as off limits for weapons:

"President Bush has signed a new National Space Policy that rejects future arms-control agreements that might limit U.S. flexibility in space and asserts a right to deny access to space to anyone 'hostile to U.S. interests.'"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...

And by "Hostile to U.S. interests" he means . . . the Chinese.

Not the Russians, naturally, we're going to need them and their 1960's space technology to get our people up the ISS after the Space Jalopy is grounded in ten more flights. It seems our next generation of space craft are having some manufacturing over-runs and won't be ready in time.

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/The_COTS...

And that $8.1 billion contract with Lockheed Martin for the Orion space craft is right on schedule, right? No?

Btw, isn't the Air Force's catchy new slogan "Above All" actually an exact translation of "über alles" in German?

The fighting in Sadr City is starting to look a lot like Fallujah and the rhetoric, too.

Naturally, civilians -- sorry, "human shields" are taking the brunt of the fighting:

"On Wednesday, al-Maliki accused the Mahdi Army of using civilians as human shields, and vowed to continue the crackdown against militias."

Isn't that what the terrorists in Fallujah were doing, too? Using Mosques and civilians as shields?

"Tahseen al-Sheikhly, the spokesman for the civilian side of Baghdad security operations, said Wednesday that a total of 925 people had died and 2,605 were wounded in Sadr City. But he gave no timeframe or details about how the figure was reached. . . Previous Interior Ministry casualty figures for the past month had indicated that less than 400 people had perished. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the conflicting figures. Officials at the Baghdad military operations center said they could not confirm al-Sheikhly's count."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080430/ap_on_...

Typically, our super duper high tech weaponry is surgically targeting only militants:

"Also in Sadr City, AP Television News footage showed a school that had been badly damaged by an explosion on Tuesday. Parts of the two-floor building had pancaked as the result of the blast. Desks were hanging down from the slanting classrooms where the outer walls were blown out by the blast."

Blast from the past, it could have been yesterday:

globalsecurity.org:

"Some members of the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council strongly criticed the US military over civilian casualties in Al-Fallujah. They said the US response has been disproportionate and indiscriminate. US officials insisted they are doing everything they can to minimize civilian deaths. US military spokesman Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt said insurgents in the city are using Iraqi civilians as human shields and are firing weapons at US forces from inside schools, mosques, and hospitals"

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/wor...

Operation "Phantom Fury begins: Nov. 8 2005:

"Clashes with the insurgents holed up in Fallujah were fierce, with a barrage of rocket, mortar and gunfire raining down as they tried to raise the new Iraqi flag above the hospital. . . The Pentagon said US forces seized the hospital first to provide medical care but also in the expectation that the presence of embedded reporters at the hospital would prevent inflated reporting of civilian casualties."

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/11...

As if any civilians in their right minds would cross the battle lines to go to a hospital held by US forces.

How long before the first reports of the use of White Phosphorus show up in the media? If they're using heavy armor, hellfire missiles and fixed wing aircraft, Willy Pete can't be far behind.

Along with the civilian casualties, three more US troops died yesterday, bringing the number of dead this month to 47.

U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner told reporters in Baghdad, "So, the sacrifice of our troopers, the sacrifice of Iraqi forces and Iraqi citizens reflects this challenge," the challenge of . . . what's this all about again?

Sign those checks, get people to work. Public works, massive government action.

Check this video out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POsz_MgrBDk...

This is the kind of ACTION this country needs now!

Harry Hopkins is the sort of man we need now. No one knows about him, but his influence on the past 70 years or so of this country is HUGE.

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1610.htm...

Harry Hopkins as head of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1599.htm...

put people like Studs Terkel and Orson Wells to work.

http://www.wwcd.org/policy/US/newdeal.html...

'Even artists have to eat,' to paraphrase Hopkins.

FDR's first inaugural:

"Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. The joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits. These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men.

As FDR said, admitting the failure of his first term to weed out privilige:

"We find our population suffering from the old inequalities, little changed by our past sporadic remedies. In spite of our effort and in spite of our talk, we have not weeded out the overprivileged and we have not effectively lifted up the underprivileged....We have...a clear mandate from the people, that Americans must forswear the conception of the acquisition of wealth which, through excessive profits, creates undue private power over private affairs and, to our misfortune, over public affairs as well. In building toward this end we do not destroy ambition, nor do we seek to divide our wealth into equal shares on stated occasions. We continue to recognize the greater ability of some to earn more than others. But we do assert that the ambition of the individual to obtain for him and his a proper security, a reasonable leisure, and a decent living throughout life is an ambition to be preferred to the appetite for great wealth and great power."



But as he admited in 1936:

"Better the occasional faults of a Government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a Government frozen in the ice of its own indifference."

Imagine such sentiments from either Hillary or Obama.

Listen to FDR's words and his actions and compare the the weak-tea being offered as "change" in a time now as critical as what the American people faced more than 70 years ago.

We're in deep doo doo and we need real leadership. Learn your history and reflect. Obama ain't very inspiring when you compare his snappy come back to Hillary's attacks to the sheer audacity of the New Deal years and what they accomplished.

Unless, Obama or Hillary is prepared to really upset the applecart and take this nation in a whole other, radical, direction then what's the point? Things have gone way beyond sound bites and poll numbers.

The American people desperatley want a leader and, sadly, none of the above is capable.

FDR:

"The people of the United States have not failed. In their need they have registered a mandate that they want direct, vigorous action. They have asked for discipline and direction under leadership."

Where is it? Where is this generation's rendesvous with destiny? (it's not Obama)

Reuters reports:

"Fourteen Mexican drug gang members were killed and eight others were injured in a gun battle near the U.S. border on Saturday that was one of the bloodiest shootouts in Mexico's three-year-long narco-war. Rival factions of the local Arellano Felix drug cartel in Tijuana on the Mexico-California border fought each other with rifles and machine guns in the early hours of the morning, police said. Some 190 people have been killed in Tijuana so far this year. In 2007, there were more than 2,500 drug killings across Mexico and there have been more than 900 this year."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080426/ts_nm/...

There's a war going on right over our southern border and for this we can thank good old American entrepreneurs and the Second Amendment.

ABC reports:

"U.S. gun stores and gun shows are the source of more than 90 percent of the weapons being used by Mexico's ruthless drug cartels, according to U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials.

'It's a war going on in Mexico, and these types of firearms are the weapons of war for them,' said Bill Newell, the special agent in charge of the Phoenix field division of the ATF, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which has primary law enforcement jurisdiction for investigating gun trafficking to Mexico.

'It's virtually impossible to buy a firearm in Mexico as a private citizen, so this country is where they come,' said Newell."

Yay, American freedom!

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=469...

Maybe Eric Thomson, the online gun dealer who sold weapons to the Virginia-Tech and Northern Illinois University shoohers should think about moving to San Diego?

Eric Thomson initially said he was "blown away" by the fact that both the Virginia Tech killer and the guy who blew away five people at Northern Illinois University both got their guns from his online gun store. He said then: "I'm shaking. I can't believe somebody would order from us again and do this," but now, after some deep reflection and soul searching, he's decided to cash-in by getting his face plastered all over the news for offering guns at cost to everyone and anyone who needs a firearm to protect themselves from the crazy people he sells guns to.

What a virtuous circle.

Raw Story reported yesterday on the "incident" of the Navy's 'Blackwater USA' of the high sea's cargo ship firing on boats approaching it the Persian Gulf, which led to a $119 barrel of oil:

"More than one Iranian 'fast boats ... were approaching this vessel at a high rate of speed,' in the Persian Gulf, MSNBC's Pentagon correspondent said. US military personnel on board fired eight .50-caliber rounds and three warning shots from M-16s when the boats got within 100 yards of the cargo ship. After the shots were fired, the ships veered off, according to MSNBC.

Miklaszewski said the military believes the Iranians were mostly trying to harass the ship and perhaps see how close they could get before being fired upon."

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2008/UScontra...

Those damn Eye-ranians, they're really asking for it! It WAS the Iranians right? No?

A report by Reuters today says:

"U.S. defense officials, speaking only on condition of anonymity, first said they suspected the boats were Iranian.

But a Fifth Fleet spokeswoman quickly backed away from that charge.

'We cannot speculate on who they are. We just don't know. We have no proof of who they were,' said Lt. Stephanie Murdoch, another spokeswoman for the Fifth Fleet.

In Tehran, an Iranian navy source denied that any confrontation had occurred with a U.S. ship in the Gulf. But the source, quoted by a journalist for Iran's state-owned Arabic Al-Alam TV channel, said any shooting that may have occurred could have targeted a non-Iranian vessel."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/usa_iran_navy_d...

And, that may certainly be true. If we will all recall, another Navy contractor ship also fired "warning shots" at fast boats approaching them in the Suez Canal back on March 25. In that incident these "warning shots" killed one man on the boat and wounded two others, according to the Egyptian government. In that case, the offending boat was manned by Egyptians, couldn't pin it on the Iranians that time (damn it!).

Reuters reports that in the Suez: "Small boats selling cigarettes and other products often swarm the civilian ships moving through the canal. These waterborne merchants know not to approach military vessels but the 'Global Patriot' looked like a civilian, said the official, speaking on customary condition of anonymity."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/25/...

And the Iranians aren't the only ones that use the Strait of Hormuz, but we've got a war to start, so . . .

The fact that the Fifth Fleet is saying they don't know who was on these boats hasn't stopped the belligerent talk coming from the administration and now the JCS.

Reuters:

"The latest incident came as America's top military officer charged Iran with increasing support for Iraqi militias and warned that the United States had military options to force Tehran to stop.

"When I say I don't want to take any military options off the table, that certainly more than implies that we have military options,' said Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. 'That kind of planning activity has been going on for a long time. I think it will go on for some time into the future,' he told reporters."

Looks like they have all their ducks in a row at the Pentagon now that Admiral Fallon has been made an example of. Fallon and Petreaus didn't see eye to eye on the whole global aspect of the situation. Fallon was looking toward the problem of AQ in Pakistan etc. Petreaus sees everything within the prism of Iraq and the Iranian threat, just like W.! Fallon is out and Petreaus is taking over his job very soon. You do the math.

(In DC, though, probably not too much.)

After calling al-Sadr a coward for hiding out in Iran (had to get them in there somewhere), Rice got on to praising our good Shiite friend al-Maliki (and brave lion of the desert), kissing Jalal Talibani and then explained that al-Maliki's "government" had to go after all militias. (For "militias" read: The Mehdi army; not the Badr brigade, or the "Sons of Iraq" or anyother militia.)

"The prime minister has laid down some ground rules which any functioning democratic state would insist upon, having to do with, you know, arms belonging to the state, not to -- not in private hands."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20080420...

Arms belonging to the state, not in "private hands."

Hmmm...what does the second amendment say: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed" . . . yadee, yadee.

I thought everyone being armed was a prerequsite for a democratic state; espeically one we've spent five years, 4000 dead and about a trillion dollars to force into being.

"The good Lord didn’t see fit to put oil and gas only where there are democratic regimes
friendly to the United States” - Richard Cheney

The AP reports that the Italians, by accident, uncovered a Libyan deal to buy "$64 million" worth of "hundreds of thousands of Chinese-made assault rifles."

"The case, detailed in documents obtained by The Associated Press, raises questions about whether Libya, a country eagerly shedding its reputation as a sponsor of terrorism, is still surreptitiously supporting suspect groups and regimes . . . court papers say at least part of the shipment was expected to go to other countries, and experts believe likely destinations were African countries including war-torn Chad and Sudan, where killings of civilians are widespread."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080412/ap_on_... ;_ylt=AnGc6e3Q5I5iWkpobm1iOi0UewgF

How about that?

Sure, Moammar gave up his WMDs, such as they were, and became a "statesman," according to former UK foreign minister Jack Straw, and as W. claimed also "renounced all acts of terrorism and pledged cooperation in the international fight against terrorism,"
but it looks like, despite all the hype, he's still up to his old tricks.

Funny how the Chinese (our good, peace loving, torch barring friends) are involved in this whole buisness, too.

The AP:

"Since the 1 million-gun order for Libya was daunting, the Italians decided to seek an initial 500,000 rifles and 10 million bullets in China, according to the arrest warrants issued in Perugia. They held talks with a trading company called China Jing An Import & Export Corporation, which in turn was to procure the arms from China's giant, state-owned North Industries Corp., also known as Norinco. In 2005, the U.S. government barred Norinco from doing business in the United States, accusing the company of helping Iran's missile program. Norinco has denied that allegation."

The Norinco web site states:

"Bearing the brand of NORINCO, the company has gained trust from clients for its high quality products and excellent service. Meanwhile the company has established a global operation and information network and formed a worldwide market set-up. Over the years, the company has been focusing on meeting the ever-changing market needs. As a market needs driven company, we have strong capabilities for comprehensive integration and quick reaction."

http://www.army-technology.com/contractors... /

I bet, like the situation in Tibet right now, you really need a company which can react quickly to something like that:

For instance . . .

"RIOT CONTROL EQUIPMENT:

To aid and protect riot control personnel, the company supplies anti-riot body armor and shields, capturing nets, gas masks, water jet exploder-disrupter, road blocks and anti-riot vehicle."

And, luckily for the Libyans . . .

"FIREARMS AND AMMUNITIONS

The company manufactures a wide range of firearms and ammunition. It manufactures sporting rifles and in the shotgun category has single-barrel shotguns, side-by-side shotguns, pump-action shotguns and semi-automatic shotguns. The company also manufactures muzzleloaders, SKS series semi-auto rifles, 56s series semi-automatic sport rifles, air guns, handguns and a wide range of ammunition."

As George W. Bush said upon announcing our new found friendship with the oil rich Lockerbee bomber (you know who):

"As Libya becomes a more peaceful nation, it can be a source of stability in Africa and the Middle East."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/333615...

Can't you just feel the stability?

Why are we so into the Libyans right now? Well . . .

"A MAJOR INTERNATIONAL EXPORT OPPORTUNITY:

With its reserves of 39 billion barrels of proven crude oil (OPEC figures) Libya has the largest reserve base in Africa (42%) and 3% of world reserves. Libya aims to boost oil production from today's 1.6 million b/d to 2 million b/d by 2008/10 and 3 million b/d by 2015, which is estimated to require an investment of around US $30 billion. . .

The U.S. Department of Commerce has granted Trade Fair Certification for this first official exhibition in Libya and for a U.S. Pavilion at the Infrastructure Libya Exhibition. The Department has stated it believes the exhibitions will be an excellent opportunity for U.S. companies to showcase their products and services."

http://www.tradefairgroup.com/libyaoilandg...

And, an interesting little tid-bit from Citizenworks.org:

(From 1995, while Dick Cheney was CEO of Halliburton)

"Halliburton pleads guilty to criminal charges of violating a U.S. ban on exports to Libya by selling
Col. Qaddafi six pulse neutron generators, devices that can be used to detonate nuclear weapons. Halliburton pays a $3.8 million penalty to settle alleged violations of the U.S. trade ban."

http://www.citizenworks.org/corp/warcontra...

That must have hurt! But all is forgiven now.

W.:

"I hope that other leaders will find an example in Libya's announcement today . . . when leaders make the wise and responsible choice, when they renounce terror and weapons of mass destruction, as Colonel Gaddafi has now done, they serve the interest of their own people and they add to the security of all nations."

Right, or they serve the interest of the multinationals at the expense of the peoples, in this case, of Africa.

I wonder where Gaddafi was going to send those Chinese AK-47s; Darfur, perhaps?

They may need then closer to home soon, though.

It's not just Tibet:

NEWSWEEK (April 2):

Just two weeks after Tibetan monks first took to the streets in protest against Chinese rule, unrest broke out among Muslim Uighurs in China's remote Xinjiang region. Details about the demonstrations remain murky, but Rebiya Kadeer, president of the World Uighur Congress, believes that at least 400 people are being held in detention. Kadeer, 61, says the outburst was triggered by a combination of factors, including the death in detention of local businessman and philanthropist Mutallip Hajim; a Chinese-imposed 10 p.m. curfew in the southern Silk Road regions of Kashgar and Khotan on March 11, one day after the monks' protests began in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, and subsequent attempts to prevent Muslim Uighur women wearing head scarves that led to protests by at least 1,000 women in Khotan on March 23 and 24."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/130198

The wheels are coming off, but no one cares as long as they keep lending us money, I guess. Follow the money, as always.

The NYT reports:

"The shelling started just before 6 a.m., mortar fire shaking buildings and sending early risers in the Green Zone here running for shelter. Sirens went off, and loudspeakers blared, 'Duck and cover! Duck and cover!' A thick column of gray smoke rose above the embassies and government buildings in the area. The early morning onslaught on Sunday was one of the fiercest and most sustained attacks on the Green Zone in the past year, and it ushered in a day of violence that claimed the lives of at least 51 Iraqi civilians and soldiers, including two children."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/world/mi...

The US State Department's career opportunities page lists helpful hints on what their embassy staff can expect while stationed at "Embassy Baghdad"

http://careers.state.gov/iraq-jobs/baghdad...

CLOTHING:

"It is important for employees to be aware of local customs when planning wardrobe choices. Modest dress is critical for employees working with the Iraqi public. During the winter months, local government officials and other contacts generally wear business attire. Inside the Embassy, especially for administrative jobs, business casual clothing is acceptable. It is recommended that some professional clothing for meetings and receptions be packed. There are exercise and swimming facilities available. Bring towels, but bed linen is issued. Jackets and sweaters are a must for the cooler months. Sunglasses are strongly recommended. Clothing and shoes become dirty and worn very quickly from the fine dust, gravel, dirty air, and, sometimes, mud."

Presumably, all that dust and gravel, and sometimes mud, is what is thrown up from all that "indirect fire" raining down on the Green Zone every day.

Of course, one little thing got left out of the "wardrobe choices" the average embassy employee might want to bring along.

McClatchy papers reported last summer:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/...

"The dress code at the Blue Star restaurant inside Baghdad's Green Zone now calls for vest and hat. Flak vest and Kevlar helmet, to be precise. . . A State Department official, after initially denying that State had ordered its 1,000 Baghdad personnel to wear protective gear, said that a copy of the order obtained by McClatchy Newspapers was an undiscussable security breach.

'As a result of the recent increase of indirect fire attacks on the International Zone, outdoor movement is restricted to a minimum,' it states. 'Remain within a hardened structure to the maximum extent possible and strictly avoid congregating outdoors. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is mandatory until further notice. 'Public places that are not in a hardened structure - such as the Blue Star Restaurant - should be frequented only in conjunction with the use of your PPE.'

An embassy spokesman on Saturday initially denied that State now requires workers to wear body armor in the Green Zone.

He got upset when shown the memo. 'You're asking me to comment on an internal document?' he said, refusing to give his name. 'How did you get it? We don't talk to what our security posture is.'"

HOUSING:

Nearly all 3161 employees are housed in modular units on the heavily guarded and fortified Embassy Annex compound. . .Each modular unit consists of two separate rooms with a shared bathroom/shower. Rooms typically contain at least one single bed, a small closet, an air conditioning/heating unit, a small refrigerator, and a television."

Yes, how about those "modular unit?" They're trailers aren't they?

McClatchy reports:

"While some 100 British embassy workers and about 55 United Nations personnel living in the Green Zone sleep in hardened housing, State Department personnel sleep unprotected. Asked how State could require workers to walk around outdoors in body armor while making them sleep in unprotected quarters, the embassy official said: 'I wouldn't characterize it as being a mixed message.'

U.S. embassy workers, speaking on condition of anonymity, have told McClatchy that they're angry and scared."

Hmm ... Or they're just finding it hard to breath.

They're not only trailers, they're FEMA trailers!

The WaPo reported on a leaked State Department cable complaining about the faulty construction of the Embassy.

The cable states:

"'The 252 prefabricated residential trailers, with either two or three rooms each, filled with formaldehyde fumes. The trailer manufacturer, a Saudi company called Red Sea Housing Services Co., confirmed to the embassy it had used the toxic chemical in preparing the housing. Red Sea told the embassy to keep the windows open and use charcoal in the rooms to absorb the odor, but 'the fumes are still prevalent,' the cable said."

http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/196

So run down to the Foggy Bottom and sign up right now for your exciting stay in Embassy Baghdad.