[CLUE-Talk] More reasons why the War is about greed / oil / capitalism

[Jeffery Cann]

On Tuesday 01 April 2003 09:39 am, Randy Arabie wrote:

> There are many who question the effectiveness of the UN.  It certainly
> doesn't represent US interests.

You just made my point.  Why is the fact that the UN doesn't represent US 
interests an issue if this war is about liberating Iraq?  If the Bush 
administration's goal was liberation through altruism, then why wouldn't they 
want help from the U.N. and other countries?  I would think that the Iraqi 
people would want the U.N. because it has a much broader point of view.

I think the answer to why the Bush administration rejects the U.N. notion is 
because the U.S. wants to control Iraq, specifically its natural resources.  
This is why I called it imperialism (m-w.com):

"the policy, practice, or advocacy of extending the power and dominion of a 
nation especially by direct territorial acquisitions or by gaining indirect 
control over the political or economic life of other areas; broadly : the 
extension or imposition of power, authority, or influence"

> FWIW, tend to agree the with the Powell plan for postwar Iraq.

Me too.  Too bad it won't happen.  It's clear the Colin Powell no longer 
yields any influence.

> > Also, why has the period of U.S. military control
> > moved from 6 months, as reported at the start of the
> > war by Donald Rumsfeld to an 'indefinite period'?
>
> Where was that reported?  I don't recall hearing Rumsfeld say that, nor
> do I recall any quotes stating that.

I heard it in an NPR report which used the 6 month occupation to estimate the 
$75 Billion cost.  The NPR archive search was no help and I tried to find 
other references and could only find dates between 2 years and 'forever'.  
So, perhaps I wasn't listening closely.

> It doesn't even mention the Iraqi oil.

I didn't state my underlying assertion - that the Bush administration's desire 
to control the rebuilding of Iraq is an extention of the desire to control 
how the future distribution of oil.  

Maybe I'm all wet about this, but I am just too skeptical to believe the Bush 
administration suddenly woke up and said, 'Gee, Saddam is such a bad guy.  We 
need to get rid of him and liberate the Iraqi people'.

I wonder if $75 Billion spent this year by mine and your tax dollars could 
have been put to use to bring about the end of Saddam Hussein's regime 
without a war.  But, I don't think the American people would have wanted to 
pay this price for peace - they will for a war though.

Jeff
-- 
Life is a tie. In the end, no one wins. 
 -- Oswald Neimo