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Tag(s): Bush Admin; Bush GW; Iraq; Iraq Oil Law; Iraq War Funding; Lies Bush; Oil; Oil Demand Supply; Oil Supply Routes; Signing Statements; War For Oil; War Iraq; War Lies To Start War
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February 1, 2008 at 05:16:35

Headlined on 2/1/08:
Iniquities and Inequities of War

by Ray McGovern Page 1 of 4 page(s)

www.opednews.com

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“For the oppressors, what is worthwhile is to have more—always more—even at the cost of the oppressed having less or having nothing. For them, to be is to have and to be the class of the ‘haves.’”
Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Finally, the truth is seeping out. Contrary to how President George W. Bush has tried to justify the Iraq war in the past, he has now clumsily—if inadvertently—admitted that the invasion and occupation of Iraq was aimed primarily at seizing predominant influence over its oil by establishing permanent (the administration favors “enduring”) military bases.

He made this transparently clear by adding a signing statement to the defense appropriation bill, indicating that he would not be bound by the law’s prohibition against expending funds:

“(1) To establish any military installation or base for the purpose of providing for the permanent stationing of United States Armed Forces in Iraq,” or

“(2) To exercise United States control of the oil resources of Iraq.”

But, if you have been asleep for the past five years, you may ask, what about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction and its ties to al-Qaeda? A recent study by the Center for Public Integrity found that Bush made 260 false claims about these in the two years following 9/11. He was followed closely by then-Secretary of State Colin Powell with 254. Nor can they any longer pretend they were deceived by faulty intelligence, since hard evidence that continues to accumulate shows they knew exactly what they were doing.

Moreover, it has become abundantly clear that the “surge” of 30,000 troops into Iraq was aimed—pure and simple—at staving off definitive defeat until Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are safely out of office. Some, but not all, of those 30,000 troops are slated for withdrawal, but those who still expect more sizable withdrawals have not been reading the tea leaves. It is altogether likely there will still be 150,000 U.S. troops, and even more than that number of contractors, in Iraq a year from now.

In the administration’s view, the oil-and-bases prize is well worth the indignity of refereeing a civil war and additional troop casualties. That view was reflected recently in the words of a well-heeled suburbanite, who suggested to me, “You must concede that a few GIs killed every week is a small price to pay for the oil we need. Many more died in Vietnam, and there wasn’t even any oil there.”

That person was unusually blunt, but I believe his thinking may be widely shared, at least subconsciously, by those Americans who are not directly affected by the war—which is to say he vast majority. It is easier to assimilate and parrot the administration’s dishonesty than to confront the reality that these are consequential lies. They bring untold death and destruction—and not only in Iraq, where several hundred thousand civilians are dead and one out of six families have been displaced—but to thousands of our fellow citizens as well.

The Human Cost

Not only have almost 4,000 American troops been killed, but another 30,000 have been wounded in action. Veterans Administration documents obtained by Veterans for Common Sense show that nearly 264,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans already have been treated at VA hospitals, including more than 100,000 for mental health conditions.

According to a Harvard University report, the VA is projected to spend up to $700 billion over the next 40 years for medical care and disability payments for veterans of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Add the billions sunk every week into the quagmire of Iraq—it is madness.

We are approaching a trillion-dollar war, while our Treasury is bankrupt, our economy is in shambles, and our infrastructure crumbles. The only things on an upward swing are the profits of oil companies...and suicides in the military.

For a fraction of the money wasted on an un-winnable occupation-cum-armed-referee-duty in Iraq, premium health care could be provided to every American, including veterans, whom we owe big time, and the almost 50 million of our brothers and sisters who lack health insurance.

The iniquities of war have widened the inequities in our society, stretching the gap between the haves and the have-nots. It is not right for me, one of the haves, to have so disproportionate a share of the nation’s wealth and opportunity. Nowhere is this more obvious than the access to excellent health care to which privilege has “entitled” me. A recently discovered challenge to my health brought this home to me like a ton of bricks.

Why Me?

The doctors said they needed more tissue from what they called the “mass” in my lower abdomen, so they could determine what kind of cancer had set up shop there. There was some sense of urgency, so just days later a surgeon made room for me at the end of a very busy New Year’s Eve.

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Ray McGovern works with Tell the Word, the publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in Washington, DC. During his 27-years as a CIA analyst, he chaired NIEs: he is now on the Steering Group of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS).

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7 comments

A political junky from childhood cut my teeth on vietnam era protests.Have lived in Bucks county all my life.My favaorite saying" Good ani't cheap and cheap ain't good,never has been never will be"
tjbA political junky from childhood cut my teeth on vietnam era protests.Have lived in Bucks county all my life.My favaorite saying" Good ani't cheap and cheap ain't good,never has been never will be"

Damn

My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Back in the sixties I stood by as I had to watch my mom pass from cancer . At that time the aircraft carrier JFK was put in service, another magnificent 'merican murder machine and I realized the true cost of this folly. My best to you

by tjb (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 195 comments) on Friday, February 1, 2008 at 10:39:52 AM

I am a concerned citizen(and musician) of Canada,watching the madness unfold to my south. I am hoping to connect some of the dots between the Bush/Cheney regime, the neo-conservatives, the C.I.A, the military, and of course oil and the banking institutions. It is becomming quite obvious to most people who still retain their critical thinking skills the corruptness that pervades the current administration.
nakedtruthI am a concerned citizen(and musician) of Canada,watching the madness unfold to my south. I am hoping to connect some of the dots between the Bush/Cheney regime, the neo-conservatives, the C.I.A, the military, and of course oil and the banking institutions. It is becomming quite obvious to most people who still retain their critical thinking skills the corruptness that pervades the current administration.

THANK-YOU

I just want to say for many that are watching these world events with horror and concern, your words and actions have inspired us. Your wise and informed anaylsis is quite evident and and welcome, in this time of secrecy and disinformation.

I hope this question does not border too much on the paranoid, but a small part of me questions the many ailments and deaths that the truth movements seem to be prone to, especially if they are particularly annoying to the 'men behind the curtain' ( Aaron Russo ?) When you consider events like9/11 and the many covert assasinations worldwide , then exposing individuals, covertly to cancerous substances could easily fit into the program.

Have you explored this possibilty, or do you feel comfortable that the cancer came 'naturally'?

(my apologies if thjis sounds paranoid delusional)

I am hoping you ( and I) live long enough to see the conviction and imprisonment of all who had a complicit hand in the Iraq War and it's false flag components. It would be ironic if 'waterboarding' was deemed justand neccessary to extract some valuable information.

by nakedtruth (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 26 comments) on Friday, February 1, 2008 at 12:54:44 PM

Avid reader, jazz musician, philosopher, chef, stone mason, carpenter, writer, painter, poet,humanist, teacher, holistic ethicist who believes consciousness and love pervade the universe, except among self-obsessed humans. I perceive the philosophical unified field to be consciousness and joy. The entire universe is composed of waves, which we surf by understanding.
martinweissAvid reader, jazz musician, philosopher, chef, stone mason, carpenter, writer, painter, poet,humanist, teacher, holistic ethicist who believes consciousness and love pervade the universe, except among self-obsessed humans. I perceive the philosophical unified field to be consciousness and joy. The entire universe is composed of waves, which we surf by understanding.

the force that through the green fuse drives the flower

I'm sure I speak for many when I thank you and your associates, Mr. McGovern, for your service to the America we were taught to believe in as children.

If there are among OpEdNews readers any who have suspicions about the ruling families' and institutions' relative beneficence, Google: "bush family and the bodies".

Nothing definitive but definitely food for thought.

The real America, the only viable America, is the one which is governed by the consent of the governed, not governed by a moneyed class with only their own interests at heart. Their interests have proven to be short-sighted. The consent of the governed is an inexorable force that will never be exhausted-- a phenomenon of nature.

by martinweiss (13 articles, 3 quicklinks, 10 diaries, 248 comments) on Friday, February 1, 2008 at 3:35:16 PM

retired and loving it
dave stanleyretired and loving it

Ray

you forgot to mention the other reason

as in the petrol dollar falling out of favor fright the Americans got when Saddam switched to euros and lobbied hard for the rest of opec to follow his lead

by dave stanley (5 articles, 1 quicklinks, 7 diaries, 286 comments) on Friday, February 1, 2008 at 4:51:23 PM

http://www.mtrnews.com/
C Piper, Aka Cheri Roberts, lil...is a longtime activist and writer who has worked in mixed media for 15 yrs. With 911 Truth as her primary focus, she participates in and organizes for events both locally and nationally always striving to get people out of their chairs and in the streets. She believes the biggest strength of the 911 Truth movement is the one strength they have yet to embrace, unity.
Cheri Roberts-Piperhttp://www.mtrnews.com/
C Piper, Aka Cheri Roberts, lil...is a longtime activist and writer who has worked in mixed media for 15 yrs. With 911 Truth as her primary focus, she participates in and organizes for events both locally and nationally always striving to get people out of their chairs and in the streets. She believes the biggest strength of the 911 Truth movement is the one strength they have yet to embrace, unity.

Thank you so much.

By telling this you have bridged a small piece of the inequality you speak of because you have just allowed yourself to be seen for what you are, a human being that can be touched - not just by cancer, but by the ever growing human element of need that surrounds us.

There are those who hold that priviledge and flaunt it and there are those that have no appreciate for holding that priviledge...let alone for those who do not share it.

You Sir, however insignificant it is, have earned my utmost respect. Your gentle spirit inspires me.

by Cheri Roberts-Piper (16 articles, 15 quicklinks, 9 diaries, 430 comments) on Friday, February 1, 2008 at 6:41:17 PM