The Dire Situation Today

The Dire Situation Today

Comment by Larry Ross,

(Founder in 1981 of the New Zealand Nuclear-Free Zone Committee)

With Bush's popularity at an all-time low of 38% and various domestic crises facing his regime I expect he will try and stage a 'Pearl Harbour' like event. PNAC's neo-conservatives said another "Pearl Harbour" was needed before the American people would support a war on Iraq. (A similar attack called 'Operation Northwood's, was a plan for a Pentagon-generated attack on the U.S. in order to blame and then justify a war on Cuba. It was approved by the top Pentagon Generals and officials but vetoed by the Kennedy Administration in 1962) See Operation Northwoods details on http://www.nuclearfreenz.org.nz under the title of 9/11)

It's over 40 years later, and there has been a considerable decline in American political, ethical and moral standards as demonstrated by the Bush Administration. Something similar to 'Operation Northwoods' could be used by a corrupt and evil American regime desperate to retain its power, reverse the present downward trend and gain popular support for the next phase of U.S. expansion in the Middle East - such as the planned war with Iran and/or Syria. The pre-planned illegal U.S. war on Iraq, justified by a litany of lies, was actually planned well before Bush came to office in 2000. Yet this phoney war of illegality, bombing, invasion, deceit, murder and torture has become 'the new American democratic morality', initiated by President Bush and subscribed to and defended by Prime Minister's Blair and Howard. It's too late now for Bush to stop. He might be stopped by a more aware American people. Unfortunately that seems unlikely - especially with the intentionally blinkered and obedient U.S. media.

The 'Pearl Harbour'-like 9/11 attack (whoever planned it) certainly made everything possible for Bush in 2001. He emerged as the new, very popular, hero/defender of America, and quickly began his litany of lies to justify his pre-planned illegal war on Iraq that had nothing to do with the 9/11 attack or terrorism. In addition to being used to justify new wars (as in Northwoods), a new 'terrorist attack on the U.S.' would allow many domestic benefits for the Bush regime that would facilitate Bush's neo-con plans. These could include more anti-terror laws designed to increase pressure on domestic critics, suppress dissent, take pressure and headlines off his regime and crimes.

It's recognised now, that Bush's tactics greatly increase the number of so-called terrorists and the frequency of so-called terrorist incidents. Bush, Blair and Howard use these terrorist incidents as a post-invasion justification for their illegal war based on lies. This is the 'proof' they desperately need to persuade people that their war is moral and just. The more terror and chaos they can covertly create, the more justification they can claim and more support they think they can get.

This process may be increased by Bush as he launches one or more new wars in the Middle East and perhaps elsewhere. Stimulating greater foreign opposition to his invasion and wars on other countries provides Bush with more 'evidence' allowing him to justify and even escalate his continuing aggression as "wars on terrorism".

(All opponents are called terrorists or terrorist sympathizers, and, like the Spanish Inquisition, often tortured until they confess). Torture, often done for the U.S. by foreign dictatorships, provides the kind of evidence Bush uses to lend weight to his 'terrorist' claims.

With an obedient, compliant, unquestioning media that suppresses most dissenting views and gruesome truths, Bush has proved he can get away with anything he wants. No crime is too great, and any crime can be effectively marketed to the people, such as Bush's new 'Pre-emptive nuclear war on whoever the Administration chooses and accuses' doctrines; and the new 'nuclear weapons-use when militarily needed' doctrine. These doctrines were unthinkable a few years ago when Americans were still rational and worried about nuclear war threats, and how any nuclear weapons use could escalate to global destruction. Today the media markets such doctrines as perfectly normal and nothing to be worried about. Unfortunately most people accept such views without a second thought or objection, even in New Zealand. People are subtly led to believe, that nuclear war is something you and your leaders are allowed to do to others unilaterally with impunity, not something that is done to you. Most people know very little about the unending, horrific effects of a nuclear war, and how easily it can happen by accident, intention or madness.

So it is that the machinery and doctrines to justify a nuclear holocaust are quietly put in place. Bush strategists must marvel at how easy it has been to deceive both their own people and many in other countries and gain acceptance for the most horrifying nuclear doctrines. It really is one of the malignant miracles of modern public relations and psychological warfare techniques, that people are so easily deceived and misled on vitally important issues.

Everything and anything is allowed against anybody under Bush's new military and nuclear weapons-use doctrines. Bush and his neo-cons are so inflated with hubris and success so-far, they are not worried about triggering a nuclear catastrophe. Besides, with millions of good American hard-core Christian Fundamentalists backing them, such as would-be 'foreign leader assassin' Rev. Pat Robertson, they have the ideology which supports any step toward what they believe is God's promised final Armageddon. Any excuse will do and every justification is believed by the faithful. No 'Doubting Thomas's in God's (Bush's) American army of true believers.

Like New Zealand's Exclusive Brethren, who put their money (Est $500,000) where they're beliefs are, American Fundamentalists do the same with many, many millions of dollars. Although there is a majority of normal peace-loving people in the U.S. and elsewhere, they don't usually express their beliefs with a financial or other commitment. That's why a small minority of dedicated fanatics can win in the U.S. and almost win in New Zealand. Also, people are conditioned to be apathetic and silent and to regard active peace people with suspicion as potential enemies or terrorist sympathisers.

A few years ago they were called 'communist or communist sympathisers'. This Orwellian technique worked well then and, redesigned, works well today in the 'Coalition-of-the-Willing' countries - U.S., U.K. and Australia. It does not work so well in New Zealand where a Labour/Green movement valiantly still maintain a degree of independence from Bush's war and nuclear policies. However the National Party almost won the 2004 election, promising to reverse the nuclear-free laws, and again, become a loyal unthinking ally, follow the U.S. into any illegal or questionable war no matter what the consequences might be. National's real campaign slogan could be a resurrection of the old saying:

"Our's is not to question why, our's is but to do and die" for Bush's new empire. That could include much of New Zealand's resources and people. National could win next time, and next time could be soon, if Labour's unusual Government combination fails. It could happen and everyone is involved in the consequences like it or not.

People would like to go about their own business and amusements without time-wasting worrying about what may seem to be remote issues they cannot influence, like global warming, the Iraq war and Bush's real intentions, N.Z.'s nuclear-free policies etc.

Most elections focus on 'bread and butter and what's in it for me' issues rather than what calamities might happen tomorrow.

That's why it is so necessary to educate people about some of the issues that might seem more remote, and make them very real, easy to understand and immediate. People must realise they could be potentially very calamitous for everyone if they are ignored and the general public remains poorly informed.

Overturning NZ's nuclear free laws, now a very thin line of protection, and becoming a U.S. ally again, is an example of how a political party's action could initiate a series of steps which would lead to the destruction of this country, or at least, many people and resources.

There is an epic battle going on right now for the minds and souls of people, especially in the Western Democracies. Will the criminals in possession of huge power and resources continue to win this battle and take us all into the abyss, or will somehow, the truth, our domestic and international law, and committed people emerge to sweep the criminals away?

Everyone should become better educated and more awake and aware, make a choice, and a commitment, for the sake of themselves, their children and future generations..

The following are introductions to excellent articles from Bush Watch, which is one of the best sources of real news and analysis.

From: Inside Bush Watch

Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2005 1:18 PM

Tuesday, November 8, 2005

Today's 100+ bush headlines: Selected from around the world
by the editors of Bush Watch ...get our headlines in your e-mail

Quotes: U.S. Use Of Chem Weapons In Iraq, ed. by Jerry Politex

Saddam And Bush: In soldier slang they call it [MK77} Willy Pete. The technical name is white phosphorus. In theory its purpose is to illumine enemy positions in the dark. In practice, it was used as a chemical weapon in the rebel stronghold of Fallujah. And it was used not only against enemy combatants and guerrillas, but again innocent civilians. The Americans are responsible for a massacre using unconventional weapons, the identical charge for which Saddam Hussein stands accused. An investigation by RAI News 24, the all-news Italian satellite television channel, has pulled the veil from one of the most carefully concealed mysteries from the front in the entire US military campaign in Iraq. --Daily Kos as reported in Uruknet.info.

Video: I have uploaded both a Macromedia Flash 8 video presentation and backed up the WMV file at this website (click here for video) for those who are interested in viewing this video documentary produced by Italian satellite TV, RAI News 24. Jeff Englehard, one of the former US soldiers who speaks out has some very interesting revelations on the attack on Fallujah that he took part in. --Caribmon at Daily Kos.

U.S. Lies: Despite persistent rumours of injuries among Iraqis consistent with the use of incendiary weapons such as napalm, Adam Ingram, the Defence minister, assured Labour MPs in January that US forces had not used a new generation of incendiary weapons, codenamed MK77, in Iraq.
But Mr Ingram admitted to the Labour MP Harry Cohen in a private letter obtained by The London Independent that he had inadvertently misled Parliament because he had been misinformed by the US. "The US confirmed to my officials that they had not used MK77s in Iraq at any time and this was the basis of my response to you," he told Mr Cohen. "I regret to say that I have since discovered that this is not the case and must now correct the position."
Mr Ingram said 30 MK77 firebombs were used by the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in the invasion of Iraq between 31 March and 2 April 2003. They were used against military targets "away from civilian targets", he said. This avoids breaching the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), which permits their use only against military targets. --Independent

Description: "Usually we keep the gloves on," said Army Capt. Erik Krivda, of Gaithersburg, Md, the senior officer in charge of the 1st Infantry Division's Task Force 2-2 tactical operations command center. "For this operation, we took the gloves off." Some artillery guns fired white phosphorous rounds that create a screen of fire that cannot be extinguished with water. Insurgents reported being attacked with a substance that melted their skin, a reaction consistent with white phosphorous burns. Kamal Hadeethi, a physician at a regional hospital, said, "The corpses of the mujahedeen which we received were burned, and some corpses were melted." --San Francisco Chronicle as reported in Uruknet.info.

"You smell that? Do you smell that? Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning... The smell...that gasoline smell...smell[s] like...victory." -- Robert Duvall, "Apocalypse Now" (1979

Opinion: Bird Flu is Real -- and You're on Your Own, Ernest Partridge

Several leftish bloggers have published their doubts that the alleged avian flu menace is anything more than another Bushevik distraction. - and just in time to draw our attention away from Plamegate and the "Scooter" Libby indictments. Who can blame them? After all, as Keith Olberman recently pointed out, each of the Department of Homeland Security's thirteen color-coded "terror alerts" shortly followed some instance of Bush Administration bungling. And sure enough, the orange alerts took the embarrassments off the front pages and the TV newscasts.

Unfortunately, this time the threat is all-too real.

And how might we know this? Certainly not because the mainstream media says so. We've been forewarned: if the Bush regime chooses to concoct another convenient "emergency," we can be sure that the corporate media will obediently do their part by sounding the alarm. We can know that the bird flu is an oncoming disaster because the scientists tell us so. I count myself among the apparently declining minority of Americans who believe that science remains the most reliable source of factual information. Far more reliable than faith or George Bush's gut....

GOP Words: ALARMIST, n. Any respected scientist who understands the threat of global warming. (Dave Nold, Berkely, California)

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