Empires, Evil, Etc.

I see that Israel continued with their strategy of throwing gasoline on flames by killing Hamas leaderSheik Ahmed Yassin--boy, that'll go over well with the Palestinians. Read As'ad abu Kahlil's reaction here. Meanwhile, The White House is protesting too much, if you ask me, regarding Richard Clarke's interview and book.

I posted below that the cabal of shitheads running the government seems to be wishing for Armageddon--and, if they have to, they'll hasten the process. In doing so, it looks like the idea will be to ensure the primacy of defense spending and related industries--turn the terrorist threat into the 21st Century equivalent of the Cold War.

After the Soviet Union fell--and right wingers, when you bloviate about Reagan winning it, you're full of shit--the group of industries that Eisenhower referred to as the Military Industrial Complex realized the gravy train was at the end of the line. They needed something to justify the fat military contracts--especially when you consider that most of the procurements made not a single contribution to the national defense, unless you think an $800 dollar toilet seat is somehow justified. As long as the USSR and it's godless ideology was around, anyone questioning such an expense was dismissed as "soft on communism."

Now, the idea will be to eventually inflate large portions of the Arab world to the status of--well, since they aren't exactly godless, they'll be accused of something equally hideous in the eyes of the right. And you can take your pick: swarthy, wild-eyed, worshippers of a "different" god (that's for the truly ignorant, but hey, never underestimate....). Once sufficiently slimed, the public will hopefully clamor for blood, ensuring a cycle of violence and continued profits. Fun, no? Even better, "soft on terrorism" sounds enough like "soft on communism" to ensure maximum lunacy and minimal analysis amongst the masses. The end of the line becomes the start of the line for the next trip.

That's the major reason why Bush et al bray about Iraq being tied somehow to Al Qaeda. In their view, anyone who isn't with us is against us and therefore in their bizarro world de facto allied. Of course, the tortured logic of this might be one reason why Condolezza Rice seems to have a chronic case of the yips, but the program is the program--even if careerists like Clarke rely on conventional logic, which no longer has a place in this administration.

The War on Terror already has its hot spots: Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan--by the way--you gotta laugh at Musharraf basically pulling a fast one on us--remember how breathless the media was last week about the impending capture of Ayman Adh-Dhawahiri? Some speculated Osama himself might come crawling out of the woodwork. Well, folks, you've bin had. In the same way that National Guard personnel have bin had--one weekend a month, and five years or so overseas fighting the wars that justify Richard Perle's expense account.

Which brings us to the final lie: Bush claims he'll be able to fight his wars without raising taxes. Hm. Perhaps in his little fantasy world, credit card bills don't have to be paid. That, or it's a task for the hired help. Because the borrow-and-spend spree he's launched upon guarantees that taxes will be raised down the road. Whether or not it's during his tenure in office, his expenses will have to be confronted. And when they are, it's not going to be a pretty sight.

Which is why Europe is looking to opt out. They realize the lunacy of bankrupting the nation in pursuit of vainglorious victories--victories that will mean little if you've gutted the country to pay for them. Furthermore, being a little closer to where the action is, I believe they've got the good sense to try to keep a lid on the battle: it's a lot easier for terrorists to get from the Middle East to Europe than to Fortress USA these days.

In the end, if Bush wins, we're in for a rough ride. The new Cold War will further isolate the US, while at the same time increasing the likelihood for more war (as Team Bush would flail away at those who simply don't want us around). The economy would continue to go down the tubes, and the possibility of the various hot wars getting out of control and going postal would be quite high.

What was it that Jefferson said? Something about being troubled when he reflected upon the fact that god is just?