KarzaiVs.Airstrikes:
Our puppet Afghan Pres. Demands we curtail airstrikes,
which KILL TOO MANY CIVILIANS.
CBS
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/25/60minutes/main3411230.shtml

Airstrikes inevitably BACKFIRE, by killing civilians and
RECRUITING ENRAGED SURVIVORS INTO INSURGENCY.

 
ALLAWI backed again—for money.
He was Bushie man in Baghdad—till his party lost miserably.
Now a former Bushie functionary is getting a million to back Allawi again—(AFTER KILLING Iraq Democracy.)
NYTIMES

You’d think that this crony-functionary being named BUSH’s ambassador to India would DISGRACE him so that he’d be useless as lobbyist.

But no—foreign countries find his lobbying worth $11 million.

Our govt. is broken.

 
IranWarThreatSpikesOil
Just the POSSIBILITY of our bombing Iran has spiked
World Oil prices up to over $90 a barrel.
Bushie spokesman says the whole world is to blame, also ‘supply & demand’.
UNITED PRESS
http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Energy/Briefing/2007/10/26/white_house_talks_iran_and_oil_prices/7238/

Yeah, the possibility of a big cut in supply
AFTER our bombing is the worry.

 
BAQUBA NOT SO PEACEFUL:
TV news just showed Baquba, formerly a hotbed of insurgency,
as now pretty peaceful.
But 50 casualties were just wreaked by one bicycle bomber,
and 10 ‘US-friendly’ sheiks were just kidnapped on their way back to Baquba.
NYTIMES
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/30/world/middleeast/30iraq.html?hp

What will happen when GIs leave (now or a year from now!)
and the insurgents surge back?

Also, a bomber struck lethally at Kirkuk.
-------------
HILARIOUS: Bushie general just announced that
the friendly sheiks were kidnapped by SHIA SADRITES !
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL2916463420071029?pageNumber=1

 
Obj.toIraqPartition:
Letters to NYT cite 2 objections to (inevitable& desirable) partition:
--1) ‘Wall did not work for Germany’ Ah, but it did, separating the 2 Germanies peacefully until Soviet collapsed and they could unite.
Also, 2 Germanies had a long history of unity.
History of artificial unit called ‘Iraq’ is only a few decades.

--2)”India partition was great mistake, causing a million deaths.” We’ll never know what slaughter might have happened WITHOUT the division of India.
India & Pakistan have avoided real war (sometimes narrowly)For decades.

Partition has worked for many 'nations'.

 
WhatDifferenceBetweenBodyCounts?
Counts of US casualties vs. counts of ‘insurgents killed’?

The first count is admitted by the side that lost the casualties,
is therefore reliable as Least Estimate..

2d count is NOT admitted by insurgents, just claimed by Bushies.

Bushes didn’t used to offer ‘enemy body count’, remembering disgrace
of such ‘counts’ in Viet war.
But now they’re so desperate they’re resorting to same silly claims.

(Who knows what proportion of Iraqis killed by US are insurgents,
and what proportion are innocent civilians?)

 
ShiaGovtBalksAtSUNNI Cops
US pushing,govt. not helping--or even resisting.
NYTIMES

Small wonder--how could Bushies tell if new cops are
insurgent infiltrators?

 
QaedaWeakerInBaghdad, says Petraeus.
But he admits new ‘mafia’ problem there.
USATODAY

Bushies gain from relative peace in BAGHDAD,
which has taken Iraq off the ‘front pages’
of tame US media;

It’s said that US reporters cower in GreenZone.

Only threats, not rewards, persuade dipl.functionaries To take post in Iraq.

 
WashPost warns we could lose in Afghanistan unless more troops are sent in.
DAWN

No sign that more troops are on the way.
(Bushies sent only 15k troops, because they were obsessed with Iraq.)

"We could lose" = we are losing.

 
OneHundredAfghanSuicideBombs this year, with 5200 dead.
Aussie Hawk resents NATO countries that send their troops ONLY TO SAFER REGIONS.
GUARDIAN27OCT.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7028987,00.html

Gates says victory 'at real risk'--i.e., already lost.

 
Hawk Hilary now says she opposes any RUSH to Iran war;
Presumably a leisurely stroll in that insane direction is OK.
cbsnews

 
‘MilitaryAloneCan’tWinAghanStruggle—it may take years.”
Says Brit Mil.Honcho.
ThisIsLondon

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23418143-details/The+military+will+not+win+in+Afghanistan,+says+Chief+of+Defence+Staff/article.do?ito=newsnow&

Nothing foreseeable could be ADDED to military, to prevail !

 
UNDERSTATEMENTS OF YEAR

Europe’not committed to winning’ in Afghanistan,says Gates.

Puts victory at ‘real risk’.
NYTIMES

 
OIL SpikesOverIran:

Up over $92aBarrel, afterBushies increased sanctions.

(Speculators must fear this increase is prelude to war,
not a substitute for war.)

“The door is open for $100 a barrel…”
Bloomberg
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a.L8UOpO_2Qc&refer=home

Awful aftermath of this nutty war might sink HawkHilary,
who voted to authorize.
---------------
OtherNationsEXCEPT ISRAEL !
ignore/denounce Bushie sanctions.
NYTIMES

 
StrangeWarningFromBushieAmbassador:
‘Sadrites may not be shooting at GIs, Iraq soldiers..
but they control gas stations,etc.”
(so we bomb their neighborhoods!)

“It’s not clear what role Iran is playing. BUT…”
REUTERS

 
Now FOR GOD’S SAKE!
they have LAURA Bush spouting propaganda
about ‘progress’ in Iraq.

They know that when her husband talks this way,
there’s a big snicker factor.

 
FirstLabel,thenAttack
Hobbes said that the legitimizing of killing ‘tyrants’ meant, in practice, that you first label the ruler a tyrant, then kill him.

Similarly, Bushies first label Iranian military as
‘supporting terrorists’
(with no proof, no agreement from outside US)—
then get ready to bomb Iran.

 
Turks:USwon’tStop us
From Invading Kurd/Iraq.
SeattlePI
Meanwhile, Kurds say
they Will’fight (GIANT) Turkey’.
(Perhaps they stupidly think US will defend them.)

Goodbye to the only peaceful part of Iraq,
the only part friendly to US.

 
WHO CARES?
The 2 Bushie wars will end up costing
$8000 for each American.
USATODAY, 24Oct, p.1

But who cares? It’s all borrowed money;
to be paid back by our children.

US is not really ready for democracy.

 
LyonsRootingForInsurgents?
Hell,no: I loathe them as well as murderous Bushies.

I’d love to see REAL US successs there,
so we could declare ‘VICTORY’ and bugout.

But I’m bothered by PSEUDOsuccess
that could prolong our involvement,
with hundreds more GI casualties.

The only thing I root for is PULLOUT:
The sooner the better, the later the worse.

 
USplanForPakExploded:
After the huge explosion vs. Bhutto ,
DC planners have to think of some altern.to Bhutto/Musharref axis.
AsiaTimes
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/IJ24Df01.html

 
Calif.FireEquipmentIs In Iraq !
Half of needed equipment has been drained off.
(TV NEWS,23Oct)

 
LowerCasualtyRATE=HigherTOTAL Casualties?

IraqWarDisappears from DC conversations—
but not from reality.
Iraq pols, assured that we won’t pull out,
ignore need for reconciliation.
[seeT.Friedman,NYT24Oct,p.A21]

If lower rate makes GOP pols more stubborn in backing
Bush’s continued war,
We may end up with a HIGHER TOTAL
of GIs killed, maimed, wounded.
(Analogous to frog perishing because water was raised SLOWLY to boiling.)

 
PoorShia, bombed both by insurgentsAND by US !
SEATTLEPI
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107AP_Iraq.html

How long before they strike back at both enemies in a big way?

 
BinLadenVs.’disunity’ among insurgents
is being touted by Bushies as
‘proof that SURGE is working.’
MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21443444/
Split between secular vs. Qaeda insurgents may have little to do with US Surge, more to do with stupid Qaeda atrocities vs. Iraqis.

In any case, we could bug out now without worrying about
‘Quaeda taking over all or part of Iraq’.

 
INEVITABLE PARTITION
As I have said for many months, a breakup of Iraq
is sure to happen, into Kurdistan, Sunnistan, and Shiastan.

The present constitution allows for this;
Kurdistan is already a deFacto separate ministate;
they don’t even allow central army/police into their region.

Under this constitution, central govt. can’t even TAX the other regions.
See PeterGalbraith,NYTIMES,23Oct,p.A29.

 
Bushies' Iraq allies are peeling off.

So.Korea will extend(but cut in half) its soldiers in Iraq.
VoiceOfAmerica
http://voanews.com/english/2007-10-23-voa5.cfm


Polish slate elected with ‘bugout’ plank.

One Japanese House calls for bugout.
Australian hawk up for election running behind in polls.

 
Bushies pick war with Shia (80% of ArabIraqis!)
But then they give one billion dollars (unaccountable) to Shia'police'
(often Shia militia).

Demented Bushies.

 
Flood ofDottyOldies, beginning already.
Huge medical, nursing-home expense (Medicare/Medicaid);
they’ll get it too, because THEY VOTE.

You’d think govt. would be happy to help
those who want to bow out early,
ahead of super-humiliation of advanced age—
you’d think govt. would welcome assisted suicide.

But nurse-home lobby, life-insurance lobby, and Catholics
will fight reforms tooth-and-nail.
Health-Insurance Industry, on other hand, will back MDassistedSuicide.
(Most health-expenses are in last 6 months of life.)

 
Noproof ofIranArmsCrossing into Iraq, generals admit..
but they FEEL SURE// it’s happening !
Border is NINE HUNDRED MILES long !


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-border20oct20,1,2595268.story?page=1&coll=la-headlines-world

If we bomb Iran, they’ll have no trouble sending troops in to SLAUGHTER our GIs;

Also they claim they can fire ElevenThousandRockets (e.g., at our GreenZoneEmbassy, our central army bases, ANDat Baghdad airport)
in the 1st minute of the war.

 
Crazy KurdsAttackIranAlso:
Besides provoking Turkey, Iraq Kurd PKK is ambushing Iranian troops.
NYTIMES

US is very upset about Turkey invading Iraq
(Kurds are the only US allies);

But Bushies would love it if Iran invaded..
giving another excuse for bombing Iran.

 
AfghanOptimismDown:
From 44% last year to 42% this year.

This poll taken BEFORE surge in Taliban attacks.
REUTERS

 
GOP SPENDING:RELATIVE COSTS:
Bush demands $190 billion MORE for his 2winless wars.
On the other hand, he'll VETO (as too expensive)
bill spending $35 billion on children’s health-care.

On the 3d hand, he’s demanding almost $700 billion for bloated Pentagon
for ’08.

He couldn’t get away with this
if Congressional GOPs weren’t backing up these demands.

 
US Inspector: little progress
A US honcho says SURGE made little progress in Iraq.

Our projects not maintained: 'TrainWreck Coming'

BaltimoreSun

 
IraqiPols:askUNto restrain US?
As Bushies admit they’re switching to airpower war,
Iraqi pols may ask UN to restrain authorization of US
In Iraq.
LATIMES

 
Pent.HonchoWantsHighBudgetEvenAfterTheseWars.
NYTIMES
Who’s surprised? Already
funding for both wars is small part of gross Pent.Budget.

 
World Oil Supply dips sharply—also coal, uranium,gas
GUARDIAN
http://www.guardian.co.uk/oil/story/0,,2196435,00.html

Now is the time to bomb IRAN, which can wreck world oil supply.

Quake, oh owners of giant vehicles !Prepare to sell virgin daughters
to keep those huge tanks full.

 
Bushies move Fight to Shia: “as Sunni quit fighting us..” (oh?)
“The danger is more from criminals, some shia..”
UnitedPress

Small wonder; we’re bombing Shia neighborhoods, deliberately starting a second front with 80% of Arab Iraqis!

 
COUNTERPRODUCTIVE AIRSTRIKES:
Airstrikes backfire in guerilla wars.
--they are necessarily indiscriminate, killing civilians as well as enemies.

--Even if they don’t, eyewitnesses always say some civilians were killed.
And natives believe the native eyewitnesses, not the foreign invader.

--As such, bombing generates new guerillas among the enraged survivors.

It is really upsetting to hear that the Pentagon is relying more and more on airstrikes, not on ground warfare in Iraq. “We’re using airpower in lieu of extensive ground forces.”
(FiveFold Increase!)
But an expert warns,
”You don’t want bombing to be a recruiting method for insurgents.”
Afghan President (our puppet) denounces bombing of civilians.

(USATODAY,22Oct)

(An interesting oddity: this story leads on page one of the print version, but can’t be found at all in the online version)

 
Half of Iraqis polled want US IMMEDIATELY OUT !
NBC TV,21Oct

(Over half of Arabs, subtracting the US-friendly Kurds).

 
GIdeathsDrop: (Pent. Version)
78inJan/March71/May120/July66/Oct15sofar

(about 8 wounded for every GI killed.)

It’s also claimed that # of ‘attacks’ (vs. GIs?vs.Iraqis?)
have dropped.
No claim about # of Iraqi casualties.

DavidIgnatius in DenverPost21Oct,p.3e/

 
DesperateThreat

“We’ll PullOut ofKosovo if Nato doesn’t give more Afghan help!”
(1600GIs in now-peaceful Kosovo).
REUTERS

 
MoreInsurgentsGenerated:
BushiesKill49 Shia ’criminals’, by ground&air-attacks vs. SadrCityneighborhood.
eyewitnesses saw one corpse in diapers;
(Many more wounded, of course.)

Elsewhere they admit 15 civilians were killed.

ABC

 
WeCAN AttackIran
Says Pent.honcho
LONDON TELEGRAPH
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/20/wiran120.xml

Of course we CAN LAUNCH A THIRD LOSING WAR!
but would we enjoy Iranian Retaliation?
(Iranians claim they can launch 11,000 rockets per minute--
mostly at IraqGIs,we assume.)

 
Mil.IndustryFundsHawkHilary

NOT funding GOP.

InfoClearingHouse

 
AfghanWarAlreadyLost,
Says former UN rep.
“Results of failure would be worse than failure in Iraq.”
http://www.dawn.com/2007/10/19/int14.htm

 
19TONSofExplosives neutralized by US.
WashPost

One wonders where insurgents are getting
all these explosives.
True, GIs watched at invasion-time as looters hauled off truckloads of high-explosives. But 5 yrs later?…!

Perhaps they are smuggled in from SaudiArabia. Certainly,
Shia Iran is not supplying explosives to blow up Shia !

 
Oil OVER90$Barrel
Bushies meddle in Turk/Kurd relations;
oil-futures spike up.
If we bomb Iran, a REAL spike…
GUARDIAN

Too bad for owners of huge vehicles,
Many of whom still back Bush.

 
2ndWinlessWar:
Afghan Suicide bombs up 50% this year.
Of course Bushies blame Iran !
Any day now they may blame Iran for awful Pak.bombing.

Our ‘allies’ WELSH on providing more troops, $.
REUTERS

Other nations are too sensible to throw good resources after bad.

 
RICE PRAYS FOR PEACE IN BETHLEHEM
SeattlePI
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107AP_Rice_Bethlehem.html

Hitlerians may have prayed publicly for peace
all the time they were making war—
especially after they started losing.

 
WhatGainInStayingOn?
Bush says there’s progress in Iraq—but another report by a govt.watchdog says NO. Our attempts to reconstruct Iraq are bedeviled by corrupt police, continued violence, and crumbling infrastructure.

Provincial govts. aren’t funding the maintenance of our projects.
Little foreign investment, dangerous transport of goods to market,
and little sign of reconciliation.
USATODAY,18Oct.
If we stay in for another year, little reason to think situation will be any better; but hundreds of GIs will be killed or wounded in the meantime.

 
HawkHilary’sIranVote:
Alone of Dem candidates, she voted to ask Bush to declare Iran’s regular army a ‘terrorist’ group.
(Implication: we could attack Iran as ‘harboring terrorists’.)

Why? Speculation is that she’s already thinking of appeasing right-wing in general election; ALSO SHE’S APPEASING ISRAEL LOBBY.
NYTIMES
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/weekinreview/14cooper.html

That will save peaceniks money; we’ll contribute nothing to Hilary’s campaign.
----------------
'terrorist'excuse Not needed--who could stop Bushies/Israel from bombing Iran?
Excuse worthless: who'd believe such a declaration?

 
China,Japan sell $ bonds:
TELEGRAPH
If bond-holders start a big sale, the bonds they own will lessen. But those who sell first will lose the least. That’s a recipe for a panic.
(WeMUST increase interest rate we pay to foreigners if this panic happens.)

Why did Bushies choose this time to enrage China over the Dalai Lama?

China, along with US, as oil-consumers, will lose a lot if we bomb Iran and oil-prices spike up. One wonders if China is warning Bushies NOT to do that, or they’ll face a bond-crisis.

 
MD-assistedSuicideDoesNOT threatenVulnerable.
Enemies of this provision claim it would lead families to pressure vulnerable patients to die sooner.
(Enemies: Nursing-Home Industry, LifeInsuranceIndustry, Catholics /
Friends: Health-Ins.Ind.—
most health expenses happen during last 6 months of life.)

But studies in Oregon & Netherlands (permittingMDaS)
Show this pressure on vulnerable is NOT happening.
USATODAY,17Oct., p. 9D

 
WorstEnemy ofLiberty
WAR is this enemy, excusing govt takeover.

WAR is also the enemy of conservatism.
‘Fog of war’ weakens all predictions.
5 empires rushed into WWI, which destroyed them all.

Blind war change is the enemy of order.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18562.htm

 
WantToKillYou,butNotToday
US is arming, funding ‘former’ Sunni insurgents
if they SAY they will fight Qaeda.

MalikiGovt. Denounces this practice.

Many Iraqis worry that US CAN’T TELL
true Quaeda foes from Quaeda infiltrators.

(This desperation move has lowered casualties In Anbar.)
ECONOMIST

Cunning Quaeda might cut attacks just to persuade Bushies
that this move is working.

 
WhoCaresWhatReallyHappened?
Hundreds of Afghans protested the ALLEGED desecration of a Koran by UStroops.
REUTERS
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSB38320720071017

What really happened doesn’t matter. Hundreds of Afghan civilians have ALLEGEDLY been killed by Western troops.
Afghans generally will believe any accusations about infidel invaders.

 
MakingWarThinkable
McCain ‘prays’ that Iran war won’t happen.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/335709_campaign17.html

forOUR sake, we'd better second his 'prayers'.

 
90Iraqi casualtiesTues,Wed
NYTIMES

 
VOCABULARY & MATURE CHARACTER:
It is a step forward in maturity when a little child learns to quit saying “I hate you!” all the time, substituting
“I resent what you did.”
--------------------
Similarly, a child matures when he learns the difference between aggression, competition, challenge, proficiency and achievement.
(Many ‘kidults’ NEVER master these distinctions.)

AGGRESSION is when you set out to HARM someone or something. (It’s silly to talk of ‘aggressive salesmanship’—unless this is seen as a kind of predation.)

Two kinds of aggression:
In a ‘fight’ you harm an EQUAL, your FOE.
In predation or hunting, you harm an Inferior,
your PREY or Victim.

You play PREDATOR against a harmful virus, hoping to impede, weaken, or kill it.

We DON’T fight against HUNGER, which is a lack.
We try to REMEDY hunger & ignorance.

All aggression involves COMPETITION (winner/loser), but not all competition involves aggression. In fact, competing bridge players or athletes might be quite friendly; the only harm they want to inflict on the RIVAL is to make him/her lose this one contest.

A cross distinction: Becoming “better than ‘they’are” may NOT mean you’ve become better than YOU WERE—not if the rival ‘they' are inferior. Winning at aggression or competition vs. inferiors may make you FEEL better than you were, but this is a delusion.

Successfully facing a real CHALLENGE (which might be abstract, like calculus, or physical, like a mountain, or a worthy competitor)—this usually does mean you have become better—in some dimension--than you were.

ACHIEVING is doing well (or getting done)
something importantly worth while.

PROFICIENCY (doing SOMETHING well) is not necessarily achievement; indeed, doing trivial things exceedingly well is probably ratrace.

Achieving may NOT involve facing a difficult challenge; Mozart wrote his masterpieces effortlessly.

When you’ve climbed a mountain, you have neither CONQUERED nor WON against the mountain, which is unaware of you altogether.
What you’ve done is to succeed in mastering a CHALLENGE. (Whether mountain-climbing counts as ACHIEVEMENT is debatable.)

Once again, aggression and competition usually involve facing a difficult CHALLENGE, but the reverse is not true. Challenge need not involve any winning/losing.

(It’s sad that Americans see ‘successful’ people as ‘winners’ and ‘failures’ as ‘losers’—even more foolish is when they think you must be either a winner or a loser—since most people are successful compared to X and failures compared to Y. Really dumb is this aphorism:
“A good loser is one kind of loser.”—a good loser may seldom lose.)

In successful aggression and competition, you have made someone/some animal worse off; NOT SO necessarily in meeting a challenge (indeed the challenge might be to make someone better off—e.g. to teach a difficult student.)

And of course achievement need not make anyone worse off—it usually makes someone better off (e.g., listeners to Mozart’s masterpieces).
Aggression is often no achievement; it might not be even meeting a challenge, since harm is so easy to cause in our downhill world. A brawny fellow bragged to St.Augustine that he could kill a man without needing any weapons. Augustine retorted, “So could any bad mushroom; you’re no stronger than a bad mushroom”.

 
GOPsfleeingCongress, not Dems.
LATIMES

So Dems might have veto-proof Congress
even if GOP takes WhiteHouse.

However, if Bush manages to prolong war till ’09, then
a Dem Pres will have to bear onus for ‘bugout’,
and Dem majority might not last past 2010.

Dems might be best off in long run if they take Congress in ’08
by landslide, but GOP takes Whitehouse, has to bugout.
(Peaceniks won't be too upset if HawkHilary loses.)

 
NoQaedaWorryIfWePullOut:
Bushie Generals say Quaeda in Iraq is defeated.
CBS

Then they lose argument that
our bugout would leave Qaeda in charge of all/part of Iraq.

ALSO: remaining attacks on GIs will be from SECULAR insurgents,
our 'new allies'.

Generals will try to ascribe these to SHIA insurgents.

 
RussWarnVsIranAttack, BUT…

5 Nations (Russ,Iran,3 formerSoviet ‘stans’) border Caspian Sea.
Russ warn
a) vs. US plans for pipeline across Caspian,
bypassing Russia.

b) vs. Any ‘stans’ helping US attack Iran.

But Iran better not count on friendly Caspian neighbors.

World oil prices have spiked on chance of
Turk inv. Of Iraq.

HOW MUCH MORE would they spike
if US/Israel bomb hell out of Iran?

Russ & ‘stans’ would profit greatly from such an oil-spike.
(US would greatly lose.)

 
WhichAllyWillBushiesBetray?
Kurds are our only Iraq ally, especially now that Bushies have picked
a 2d-front war with Shia.

But we need Turkish airspace to move 70% of our supplies to Iraq.
UnitedPress

So,US will likely only scold Turkeyfor invading Kurdland.

But then, Kurdland will NOT be a safe place for US to pull back into.
And supplies thru Turkey must also pass thru (hitherto safe) Kurdland.
One more sign of Bushie stupidity in blundering into complex MiddleEast tensions.

 
IraqSilenceFromUSmedia:
Even NatlPublRadio never mentioned Iraq Mon, or Tues.AM

But 71 casualties happened Monday.

And world oil prices spike on fear of Turk invasion of Kurd/Iraq.

Count on SeattlePI for Iraq news.

 
Shia HonchoHakim WantsUSOUT !
He also favors partition.
(soSadrites & BADRITES turn against us.)
[QatarPaper]

 
OILprefiguresTurk/KurdWar?

Oil hit a new high of over $85 a barrel..$90 predicted.

Sinking US dollar one reason.

Really Possible Turk Invasion of Iraq/Kurdland another reason.
US must pick which ally to back..I'd guess they'll back Turkey.

(Also, possible Bushie attack on Iran.)
REUTERS
http://www.reuters.com/article/hotStocksNews/idUSSP10407020071015?pageNumber=1

Look out, huge-vehicle owners!
-------------
RationaleFor’Nutty’ Resolution?
Our HseOfReps. Voted to label a century-old Turk slaughter of Armenians
as ‘genocide’.

What’s the point? It enraged Turkey.

But heavy-handed Turk reaction may make it
more difficult for Bushies to back
Turk invasion of Iraq Kurdland.

 
LivingRoomElephant
People are asking if 2 Bushie wars are worth $190 billion next year;
but nobody talks of total Pent.Budget of
nearly $700,000 MILLIONS next year !

 
CasualtiesVeryLowSaturday,but Sunday…
SeattlePI

 
ShiaReligiousHonchoBacksPartition
USATODAY

 
Alliance with ‘former’ foes

Story about 1 Sunni shiek now ‘allied’ with US.

He complains that US ‘occupiers’ have NOT met terms
of their pact, so they will feel free to back out.

Of 22 Saddamite officers, only 2 have come over.
SeattlePI

 
Nightmare,NoEndInSight
Says former Iraq general.
“They still think they can win by mil.power.”

“Congress has failed in oversight..due to (GOP) party loyalty.

We can’t win, we can’t pull out, we can only stave off defeat.”
CNN
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/13/iraq.sanchez/

Truth is, we face CONTINUAL DEFEAT.

We COULD pull out.

 
HWY CULTURE:
Vehicles threaten YOUR life/limbs MORE than any war--
or any set of terrorists--(except war-germs--
against which grossly funded Pent. is absolutely useless.)

 
Insurgents & US kill civilians/
GUARDIAN

Ho-hum. Another day.

 
ExpertOpposesPartition:
Cordesman says it will lead to more violence & interference by neighbor-nations.
GUARDIAN
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6988921,00.html

HOWEVER:
--Partition is inevitable; Iraqis are fleeing to areas where their sect dominates.

--violence between two separate REGIONS is LESS BLOODY
than anarchic violence between NEIGHBORHOODS..

--CentralGovt. is impotent to ward off neighbors.

At least Partition is now being discussed !

 
MarineHonchosWantOUT of Iraq.
They want to focus on Afghanistan.
(trading 1 winless war for another).
UnitedPress

 
42CasualtiesAtUSbase:
‘Camp Victory’ gets rocketed again.
(“GreenZone” US HQ gets rocketed or mortared regularly.)

(Shia/Iran blamed by Bushie Generals, of course.)
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/5205427.html

Indication that pulling back into central bases
(rendering troops even more useless than now)
won’t work to completely eliminate US casualties.

 
DecadeInAfghan,Iraq?
Army honcho raised possibility.
Honchos divided over role of ‘allied-army training’:

a) Some say “We want our friends,not us, to do the fighting.” So they want big SPECIAL UNITS to train (e.g. Afghan police)—
e.g., trained in FOREIGN LANGUAGES.

b) Others say,”We don’t have enough troops for such specialization. We need to give ALL troops some skills in this line.” (Minimal, you bet !)

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-army10oct10,0,6610262.story?page=1&coll=la-home-center

War they’re thinking of, perhaps, is invasion, occupation of Venezuela.

 
AlliesVotingWithFeet
Our ‘allies’ in Iraq have pulled out 3 in 4 of their troops,
and withdrawals are speeding up.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/09/iraq/main3348238.shtml

Thus they show their knowledge that ours is
a WINLESS war.

 
QUAEDA WEAKENED?
170 casualties (many attacks) in one day.
LATIMES

 
FriendsOrFoes?
That’s the insoluble problem for US troops in Iraq,
When foes don’t wear uniforms, AND GI’S DON’T EVEN UNDERSTAND THE LANGUAGE.
SEATTLEPI ,7Oct


We’ll continue to bomb friendlies, turning survivors into foes.

 
IraqiHonchoFavorsPartition: (the 1st to do so)
Kurdish Pres. Wants (nominal) central govt. to defend borders, arbitrate oil-sharing.

He wants 100,000 GIs out by end of ’08, keeping 3 bases
to protect Kurdistan, Sunnistan, and Shiastan from foreigners.
VoiceOfAmerica
http://voanews.com/english/2007-10-08-voa7.cfm

(You’d think Kurds & Shias would be willing to call off Sunni insurgents by giving them a mere 1/5th of oil-revenues.
But Sunnis wouldn’t be willing to disband insurgents, because there’d be no way to ENFORCE continued sharing.

Only ceding some rich oil-LANDS to Sunnis would reassure them…
never happen.)

 
USmired inAfghanistan
25k GIs in Afghanistan; a given GI has about as much chance to be killed there as one in Iraq.
Afghanistan expert’s view of this war:

“Rummy couldn’t wait to pull our troops out (obsessed with Iraq).

Now Bushies have reversed (never admitting they were wrong) planning to stay for years in this chaotic country, with nothing to gain for US in stay,
except avoiding Bushie humiliation.

“[Bushies] have no strategy with a reasonable chance of success.”

“The Taliban are winning strategically, even if we win every tactical engagement.’

“We may stay 5 or 10 years”, says Colonel.
DenverPost

US helped Afghans drive out Soviets.
It wouldn't be surprising if NEWLY ARROGANT RUSS
helps Afghans drive out Bushies' America.

 
4 millionIraqis haveFled their Homes
REUTERS
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L0590234.htm

That never happened under Saddam.
US has made bad situation worse, by unleashing civil war
That the dictator prevented.

In both Yugoslavia & Iraq,
disappearance of dictator triggered bloody anarchy.

Bushies learned nothing from Yugo experience.

 
JAPANmayScaleBackAfghanHelp
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/07/world/main3339591.shtml

Along with huge Aussie majority opposing their Iraq help,
& Europeans welshing on Afghan commitments--
this symbolizes world’s pulling away from Bushies.

 
MillionsToInciteUS vs. Iran:
A wealthy group connected with Bush & Cheney has funded
FREEDOM WATCH, a propaganda effort to convince us
that Iran is a ‘DIRECT’ threat to US.

(These may be oil honchos whose income would be INCREASED
by skyrocketing oil prices resulting from bombing Iran !
Never mind that OTHER Americans will suffer from high oil prices.)


Meanwhile, a Brit honcho has said that such US claims should be taken
‘with a grain of salt’.

GUARDIAN

 
Iran’sDirtyBombPotential:
Iran may not have material for real nukes;
But already it certainly has
AMPLE RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL
For constructing ‘DIRTY BOMBS’ (with radioactive stuff
just surrounding an ordinary explosive base).

If we bomb the hell out of them, they could rocket our
half-billion-dollar GreenZone embassy next door with a dirty-bomb.
No doubt, most of that embassy is underground; but a dirty bomb would compel the thousand functionaries to flee
(only ten of them understand Arabic anyway).

Iran wouldn’t set fire to its oilfields; Hussein tried that, and we put out fires.
But it could ‘dirty bomb’ its own oil-fields,
rendering them inaccessible for a long time.
When they finally gained access,
price of their oil in ground would have skyrocketed.

It could also ‘dirty bomb’ the Strait of Hormuz, making inaccessible
a huge portion of world’s oil.

 
DEFENDING THE KILLING OF INNOCENTS:
Defender of Joe says,”He killed an innocent person,
claiming he thereby prevented (as a last resort) a worse evil.
‘Now he can’t SHOW the latter claim is true,
BUT YOU CAN’T SHOW IT’S FALSE EITHER.
So his killing is justified.”
Nonsense.

Much worse nonsense: “You can’t show this war we’re starting
will NOT prevent more evil than it constitutes
(killing, maiming thousands of innocents).
So this war is justified.”

(Given the incompetence of our intel.svces..
defender of Iraq war COULDN’T offer
RELIABLE predictions to defend the war.)

Burden of proof is on DEFENDER of killing,
Not on its critics.

 
ShiaFactionLeadersMakeNice
HoustonChronicle
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5193638.html

If fighting drops between Badrites & Sadrites,
we’ll know this agreement is working.

However, US still feels free to bomb Sadrite neighborhoods,
claiming it’s attacking ‘rogue’ Sadrites not under Sadr’s control.

We’ll also know agreement is working
if the Badrites raise hell with US
for bombing Shia neighborhoods.

 
ChildDeathRateDown by simple,cheap measures.
GLOBE&MAIL

GREAT! Now if only BIRTH-control spread faster.
Morning-after pill is simple, cheap.

 
Bush:We don’t Torture
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/04/terror/main3330989.shtml

Another flat lie, of course. Water-boarding is torture (holding head under water for fear of drowning, then pulling up, then down again).

All govts/ torture when ‘needed’.
That’s what makes SUICIDERS so effective;
They can’t be captured, tortured to squeal on their ‘team’.

That’s why spies carry cyanide pills.

That’s probably why Roman Church (after going to bed with Roman Empire) Inspired such a horror of suicide—
to make its people more TORTURABLE.

 
2 in 3AussiesWantOut ofIraq
BLOOMBERG

Citizens get their way: IF their way agrees with rulers !

 
IRAQI OPTIMISM FADES:
In Nov.2005, most Iraqis were optimistic about their lives and their futures.
Today most are pessimist.
USATODAY

So much for Bushie claims of ‘PROGRESS’.
SURGE was supposed to BUY TIME for pol. progress
...buying time till PIGS FLY.

 
StrangeAgreementVs.Hilary:
Right-wingers hate her as pushy feminist, promoter of ‘socialized medicine’ and wife of awful Bill;

Peaceniks reject her as hawkish pawn of ferocious Israel—
she’d be just another Bush.

 
US CAN'T PROTECT ALLIED LEADERS:
3 killed in 1 day.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/05/world/middleeast/05iraq.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin

 
‘Suspected (Shia) insurgents’ include women&children.
US says it killed 25 insurgents by airstrike.
Iraqi says 17 were killed, including women & children
Bloomberg
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aWdcgx9cm1F0&refer=home

Guess whom Iraqis will believe !
-------
UNITED PRESS headline says SOLDIERS killed..
but STORY said AIRSTRIKE killed.. This trick was also worked
by AssocPress.

 
GUARDIAN columnist reluctantly admits
PARTITION IS INEVITABLE.
-----------
USdreams ofCentralOilLaw inIraq
Even tho Kurds have ignored central ‘govt’ in signing deals
with outside firms (including one Bush ally!)
UnitedPress 4Oct

‘Soft’ partition means toothless central govt.
How could they enforce any oil deal they want?

 
NewInsurgentCoalition/non-Qaeda/
Says will negotiate with US,
only if pullout soon, and
Baathist security force restored !
That might happen, only after partition,
And only in Sunni region.
SeattlePI

 
‘Soft Partition ofIraq’
is recommended by 2 think-tank experts. (as by a huge majority in Senate!)

(‘Soft’ means retention of NOMINAL central Govt.)

They note it’s inevitable, and the only road to peace.
They say US shouldn’t force it, but
BUSHIES SHOULD QUIT TRYING TO BLOCK IT !
USATODAY,3oCT
After all, KurdIraq is already in deFactoSecession
from Arab Iraq.
The only issue is whether Shia Iraq can do the same.
The Constitution allows it.

Shia and Sunni are voting with their feet for separation.

Alternative to partition:
Shia govt. tries to control Sunni Anbar Province. Absurd!

 
70% of Americans want a cut in extra war-funds demanded by Bush.
REUTERS

 
GenesAffectDecisions:
UnitedPress

That means that our emotions are influenced by inheritance,
like our eye-color.

Now gene-changes are incredibly slow; so
many of our emotions are suitable for
the world thousands of yrs ago,
not for today’s megatech world.

Parents should raise their children to check their emotions with REASON,
just as Plato said.

 
IraqWounded/Killed ratio:
7 GIs wounded for every GI killed.
(Pentagon figures, probably grossly undercounting of wounded.)
SeattlePI

So, during ‘successful' month of Sept.,
2 a day killed, FOURTEEN A DAY WOUNDED.
(from other sources, about 6 a day SERIOUSLY maimed or wounded.)
--------------
Americans are foolish to ignore # of wounded.
--Some (e.g., brain-injuries) are worse off than the dead.

--Those killed will be forgotten, except by families & friends.
(Memorial Day is for shopping).

But the 14,000 SERIOUSLY wounded (SO FAR) will haunt us for decades.

(No—the huge number of GIs rendered ‘disabled’ from Gulf War I
are cheerfully ignored.)

 
DemsCatchOn: to Bushie scheme to dump ‘bugout’ stigma on Dems in ’09.

Head of HseAppropr.Comm. says he won’t even let the Bushie fund request
out of committee this session !

he demands that Bush promises to end our war by End of ’08.
REUTERS

 
WhoBenefitsFrom OilSpike?
Scenario: Israel/US(joined at hip) bomb hell out of Iran.

Iran wrecks world oil mkt—oil price spikes up enormously.

Who benefits? Oil producers:
Saudis, Russ,etc.

Who suffers?
US, Israel, China, Japan,Europe.

China may retaliate by wrecking US bond mkt.

If Iran is smart, they won’t count on help from Russ
In preventing bombing.
Rich Putin will be ever more arrogant in defying US.

Above all, US owners of SUVs,Trucks
will face Gas at over $5 a gallon.

By Nov.08, the insane folly of our attack will be obvious to all;
Result shd be LANDSLIDE FOR DEMS.

(Bushies may think that’s already determined,
so GOP wd lose nothing.)

Why haven't savvy speculators already GOOSED UP OIL FUTURES?

 
DayAfterWeBombIran:
IRAN RETALIATION:
A writer in YAHOO NEWS
http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20071002/cm_huffpost/066706
1) says it looks as if we’ll bomb Iran, and
2) speculates on their response:
--vs. our forces in next-door Iraq;
--vs.US interests in other places.
--vs.world oil market.

 
BritsBuggingOut--SMART BRITS !
They’ll pull out 1000 troops soon.
InternatlHeraldTribune
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/10/02/news/iraq.php

They were responsible for BASRA
(2d city,only seaport, route for GI exit)

Already they’re cowering uselessly outside Basra.

Now either we’ll have to accept anarchy there,
Or we send scarce GIs there.

 
FifteenThousandMRAPS Needed
Pentagon has long known thatMRAPS are safer for GIs
than death-trap Humvees.

(Half of all GI deaths are from road-bombs.)

But over 4 years into the war, only 400 have been delivered to Iraq,
with ‘dozens’ more arriving each week—
usatoday,2OCT
while we have shoveled to Pentagon
well over $1000 MILLIONS EACH DAY.

 
BestDefenseNow NOToffense !
Says Stephen Flynn (once a CoastGuardCommander),
in 2 books.
He disagrees with
‘Fight ‘em there so we needn’t fight ‘em here.’
(There are enough terrorists to fight us there AND HERE !)

His main point: in order to guard against terrorist emergencies, we need to invest in protection against ALL emergencies (e.g., Mpls.bridge-collapse).

But of course we can’t afford that while we shovel nearly $700,000 millions (next year)—nearly $2000 millions EACH DAY!-- to useless Pentagon.

 
KirkukArabsLikeKurdistan.
Once Arabs in oil-soaked Kirkuk region resented Kurds’ attempt
to annex region to (deFactoIndependent)Kurdistan.

But now chaos in ArabIraq, plus peace,prosperity in Kurdistan,
makes many Arabs there approve Kurdish annexation.
LATIMES

 
US/IraqEmbassyBlastsPartition
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/01/iraq/main3313069.shtml

Of course!They don’t want a rich Shia ministate,
with most Iraqis, MOST OIL, the ONLY SEAPORT, friendly with hated Iran !

Also, central govt. pols oppose weakening of central govt.
Surprise !

 
GIdeathsDown: to 2 a day, lowest in a year.
(# maimed or wounded each day,not given by Pent., is usually much higher.)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107AP_Iraq.html
(If rate goes down to 1 a day, pressure to pull out will be eased.
More killed in long run.)

Civilian deaths also down by 53% !
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6962386,00.html