Are soldiers fighting and dying in Iraq for an 'alternative to democracy'?

[bigtree]

bottom of the article: (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/17/world/middleeast/17military.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print)


"Some outside experts who have recently visited the White House said Bush administration officials were beginning to plan for the possibility that Iraq’s democratically elected government might not survive.

“Senior administration officials have acknowledged to me that they are considering alternatives other than democracy,” said one military affairs expert who received an Iraq briefing at the White House last month and agreed to speak only on condition of anonymity.

“Everybody in the administration is being quite circumspect,” the expert said, “but you can sense their own concern that this is drifting away from democracy.”


That's a far stretch from the rhetoric that Bush used to get us into Iraq and keep us there looking for a 'victory.' We're going to have to settle for whatever type of government the Iraqis decide they will support and defend. The problem has been that the Bush regime has been busy trying to impose their own with the assistance of our military. If our troops are now going to be fighting and dying to protect and defend anything less than democracy there, that's yet another definition of proper use of the defensive forces of our nation's military by this dissembling administration.

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. No, they are fighting to secure "huge oil reserves" from terrorists

bush said so yesterday.

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3. did you see the article today about Iraq increasing imports of oil?

they can't even pump and refine enough to supply their own needs.


Iraq doubles funding for oil imports

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Even though Iraq has the world's third-largest proven oil reserves, it is forced to depend on imports because of an acute shortage of refined products such as gasoline, kerosene and cooking gas. Sabotage of pipelines by insurgents, corruption and aging refineries have been blamed.

A gallon of gasoline now sells on the black market in Baghdad for about $4.92, although its official price is $0.64. Lines of cars at many Baghdad fuel stations stretch several miles, and drivers sometime wait overnight to fill their cars.

Iraq has been plagued by periodic fuel shortages since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. The current crisis comes amid higher demand for fuel to power generators and cool homes and offices as summer temperatures reach 120 degrees.

Alamri said the shortage was further aggravated by the closure of the Beiji refinery north of Baghdad, which produces 140,000 barrels a day. Sabotage of pipelines carrying crude from Kirkuk oil fields shut down the refinery for the last four weeks before resuming operations earlier this week, he said.

Iraq's three main oil refineries — Dora, Beiji and Shuaiba — are working at half their capacity, processing only 350,000 barrels per day compared to 700,000 barrels a day before the war.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060817/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_fuel_shortage

[yurbud]

7. less oil pumped equals more profits for the oil that does get pumped

[JAYJDF]

6. I wonder why the new US compound isn't above

one of those precious oil fields? I mean, that's what we're there for. Building a multi billion dollar faculity in Iraq should at least help defend an oil field/supple. Heck, if they had done that, maybe at least some oil that our military are dieing for would be used. !@#$%

[sinkingfeeling]

2. No, it's for a noble cause (un-named as yet).

[angstlessk]

4. Well, Cindy Sheehan has been exonerated by this bad news...

what 'noble' cause, indeed! I guess bush is afraid to answer, cause he knows 'this week's' noble cause will be next weeks garbage, just ripe for North West employees to pick over?

[damntexdem]

12. Ah, but it will be noble garbage.

Of course, we do already have a surplus of that, just not of oil.

[EST]

5. They are fighting for democracy and freedom.

The fact that said democracy and freedom are nothing more than a huge, outrageous lie by the ruling crime syndicate is too great to bear by those who participated and still believe in the lie.
Challenging these poor folks, or their survivors, is a direct threat to their own survival. IF they should admit that * and his minions lied and manipulated the whole thing, their reason for living takes a huge hit and it looks unsurvivable.

Such an admission is simply too awful to contemplate. We all have our own snakes to kill.

[bigtree]

8. It's a huge admission that they are willing to compromise

on the most basic of principles that our defensive forces operate under. It's one thing to muckrake with our military under the guise of a threat to our nation's security, but that excuse went out the window years ago. The most salient excuse Bush has used is the defense of Iraq's 'democracy'. Now, it seems, they have abandoned this last lie as Iraqis continue to throw off any product of Bush's imperialism he repeatedly claimed was in the Iraqi's interest.

[azurnoir]

9. Yep, they're fighting for an alternative

to democracy in Iraq and the US

[whistle]

10. Right, it is a puppet fascist government what the Bush

...administration is installing in Iraq

[damntexdem]

11. They're fighting to eliminate Iraq's WMDs. Uh, no WMDs.

Because Iraq conspired with Al Qaida in 9/11. Uh, no conspiracy, no links at all.

To eliminate secret prisons, death squads, and tyranny. Uh, all that still exists, except to the extent that violent chaos has replaced tyranny.

Because we can fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here. Uh, we keep hearing that we have to watch out for terrorism back here.

To bring democracy to Iraq. Uh, that hasn't worked out as Dubya wished.

To topple Saddam. Well, that was done, and he is in custody and being tried.

To impose an alternate to democracy. Aha, that's doable!!! Let's put Saddam in charge!

[Khayembii Communique]

13. The IFC are the only ones fighting for a democratic Iraq

Both the imperialist occupation and the fundamentalist resistance are fighting to further their own interests, all of which are against democratic rule within Iraq. This is pretty obvious. If you want to support a democratic, secular Iraq, then I suggest that you support the Iraq Freedom Congress (http://ifcongress.com/).

[bigtree]

14. Iraq Freedom Congress

IFC strives to establish the sovereignty of the people of Iraq by mobilising people to take control of the country, to whatever extent possible, and take it out of the sphere of control of both the US occupiers and the Islamic currents.

The aims of the Iraq Freedom Congress are to:
• End the occupation of Iraq
• End the interference of the Islamic currents in people’s lives
• Restore civil life to Iraq
• Guarantee the right of the Iraqi people to make an informed and free decision on the future of political system in Iraq

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/05/311816.html

don't know much about them, but this mission statements have elements that I could support. I'm not much of a joiner though. I'll keep watching them.

[Khayembii Communique]

15. IFC Information

They have support from numerous unions within Iraq, totalling to support in the tens of thousands. They also are being supported by various groups internationally, including US Labour Against the War, the Communist League, and the Movement for Democratic Socialism (Japan).

Right now they are working on raising $1 million to start up a satellite television station (last I heard they were around $500k-$600k so I'm not sure how far they are on that goal yet), they are working on setting up "People's Houses" which are houses used for community events and community gatherings, and setting up community self defense militias whose aim is to protect the community from both imperialist and fundamentalist violence. These militias are made up of volunteers within the community.

I would definitely suggest that you keep watching them, and check out their site as well. If you ever feel like you want to get involved, you can always email them or US Labour Against the War (or if you really want to get involved you can contact your local anti-war organizations and organize a fundraising/support coalition). :)

[WinkyDink]

16. Bushco will call it a democracy NO MATTER WHAT. And 31% of

Americans will believe them.
And FOX will parrot them.
And the pundits will not question them.