Letter Never Sent Tell me when to go.

U.S. Promises to Hold Iraqi Oil ‘In Trust’

“If we are the occupying power, it will be held for the benefit of the Iraqi people and it will be operated for the benefit of the Iraqi people,” he said.

“There is no desire for the United States armed forces to remain in charge or to run a country for any length of time beyond that which is necessary to make sure that there is an appropriate form of government to take over from the initial military occupation,” he said.

First they came for the Palestinians. The Israelis are clearly perpetrating a racist ethnic cleansing

1/06/2003: 12:35 P.M. EST

MR. FLEISCHER: Good afternoon and happy New Year to everybody. The President began his day with an intelligence briefing, followed by an FBI briefing. Then he had a series of policy briefings. And this afternoon, the President will look forward to a Cabinet meeting where the President will discuss with members of his Cabinet his agenda for the year. The President is going to focus on economic growth, making America a more compassionate country, and providing for the security of our nation abroad and on the homefront.

And with that, I’m more than happy to take your questions. Helen.

Q At the earlier briefing, Ari, you said that the President deplored the taking of innocent lives. Does that apply to all innocent lives in the world? And I have a follow-up.

MR. FLEISCHER: I refer specifically to a horrible terrorist attack on Tel Aviv that killed scores and wounded hundreds. And the President, as he said in his statement yesterday, deplores in the strongest terms the taking of those lives and the wounding of those people, innocents in Israel.

Q My follow-up is, why does he want to drop bombs on innocent Iraqis?

MR. FLEISCHER: Helen, the question is how to protect Americans, and our allies and friends —

Q They’re not attacking you.

MR. FLEISCHER: — from a country —

Q Have they laid the glove on you or on the United States, the Iraqis, in 11 years?

MR. FLEISCHER: I guess you have forgotten about the Americans who were killed in the first Gulf War as a result of Saddam Hussein’s aggression then.

Q Is this revenge, 11 years of revenge?

MR. FLEISCHER: Helen, I think you know very well that the President’s position is that he wants to avert war, and that the President has asked the United Nations to go into Iraq to help with the purpose of averting war.

Q Would the President attack innocent Iraqi lives?

MR. FLEISCHER: The President wants to make certain that he can defend our country, defend our interests, defend the region, and make certain that American lives are not lost.

Q And he thinks they are a threat to us?

MR. FLEISCHER: There is no question that the President thinks that Iraq is a threat to the United States.

Q The Iraqi people?

MR. FLEISCHER: The Iraqi people are represented by their government. If there was regime change, the Iraqi —

Q So they will be vulnerable?

MR. FLEISCHER: Actually, the President has made it very clear that he has not dispute with the people of Iraq. That’s why the American policy remains a policy of regime change. There is no question the people of Iraq —

Q That’s a decision for them to make, isn’t it? It’s their country.

MR. FLEISCHER: Helen, if you think that the people of Iraq are in a position to dictate who their dictator is, I don’t think that has been what history has shown.

Q I think many countries don’t have — people don’t have the decision — including us.

It just occurred to me that if it had not been for the fall of the Soviet Union I doubt the whole Gulf War thing would have happened. At least during the Cold War there was some balance in the world, as fucked up as that was. Now I have to live in Babylon, in the belly of the Evil Empire praying for the day when normalcy and moderation and peace will emerge.

My heart goes out to all the American and Iraqi people and families that will lose their lives and loved ones in this corporate/military takeover of Iraq. It must be a good feeling to know you might die as part of some power struggle by global elites. If that’s patriotism then you can shove it up your ass. In fact, I hope our wayward military learns a lesson when and if this charade happens. We need to be taken down a notch.

Indian detainee alleges US torture

What next? Attention immediately focused on Iraq. There are three reasons to attack Iraq:

1. Saddam Hussein is unpredictable and potentially a powerful ally for al Qaeda. Whatever the relationship in the past, the threat of a relationship in the future requires the elimination of Iraq’s regime.

2. All wars have a psychological component. There is a real perception within the Islamic world today that the United States is incapable of fighting a war to a definitive conclusion. The United States must demonstrate both its will and ability. Iraq serves the purpose well.

3. Iraq is an extraordinarily strategic country. It touches Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. An occupied Iraq would give U.S. forces the ability to wage covert and overt war throughout the region, setting the stage for the direct engagement and liquidation of al Qaeda, with or without the cooperation of regional governments.

I, for one, would still refuse to go. Maybe that’s the point, but I’m still not sure I like it.
Rangel calls for mandatory military service:

In October, he voted against a joint resolution authorizing military action against Iraq. It passed 296-133 in the House and 77-23 in the Senate.

“When you talk about a war, you’re talking about ground troops, you’re talking about enlisted people, and they don’t come from the kids and members of Congress,” he said.

“I think, if we went home and found out that there were families concerned about their kids going off to war, there would be more cautiousness and a more willingness to work with the international community than to say, ‘Our way or the highway.'”

Massive US buildup continues, inspectors find no arms

Kinda cool. Not cool that people died, but cool that people inside a corrupt government can betray it. It’s hopeful.

Guardian:

Russian security services yesterday began an urgent investigation into their forces in Chechnya, after it was revealed that the truck driven by three suicide bombers into the government building in the capital, Grozny, killing at least 57 people, bore Russian military plates.
As rescuers were still combing the wreckage for survivors, Chechen government sources said both vehicles that ploughed through the gates of the most tightly guarded building in the country had passed through three military checkpoints on their way to Grozny.

The vehicles, the heavier of which bore Russian military plates and caused the greatest number of casualties by speeding a ton of TNT into the canteen during the lunch hour, had been driven from the Nadterechny district in northern Chechnya and passed unimpeded to Grozny.

December 12, 2002; In 1999, a Russian firm, AviaConversia offered for sale four different models of GPS jammers (for about $4000 each). This gear only puts out 4-8 watts, making them very tough to find and bomb. And the jammers can effectively block GPS signals out to 150-200 kilometers, depending on terrain. The jammer can run off batteries and weighs between 18 and 26 pounds (without batteries). When operating, the jammers consume less than 25 watts of power. Since AviaConversia announced their product, plans for building your own (from off the shelf components) have appeared on the Internet. Apparently, the parts can be obtained for less than a hundred dollars. Soldering skills required. Already assembled units are also available on the Internet for as low as $40. AviaConversia has since apparently disappeared. AviaConversia made much of its connections with the Russian armed forces and the implied assurance that its jammer worked. There have been no reports of the cheap jammers on the Internet being used, or to what effect. U.S. military experiments found that the cheap jammers were not that effective, and larger ones, built from off the shelf components, and costing nearly $10,000. For the last few years, the Department of Defense has been building and testing GPS Jammer detectors, and building homing systems sensitive to go after them. Other nations, such as Australia, have also been working on ways to defeat jammers. One method already available is to change the GPS frequency. But someone with access to the GPS satellites has to do this.