The upside to losing Iraq? An empire falls

[know buddee]

The upside to losing Iraq? An empire falls
By Robert Jensen,

Published by the Austin American Statesman



The United States has lost the war in Iraq, and that's a good thing.

I don't mean that the loss of American and Iraqi lives is to be
celebrated. The death and destruction are numbingly tragic, and the
suffering in Iraq is hard for most of us in the United States to
comprehend. The tragedy is compounded because these deaths haven't
protected Americans or brought freedom to Iraqis - they have come in
the quest to extend the American empire in this so-called "new
American century."

So, as a U.S. citizen, I welcome the U.S. defeat, for a simple reason:
It isn't the defeat of the United States - its people or their ideals
- but of that empire. And it's essential the American empire be
defeated and dismantled.

The fact the Bush administration says we are fighting for freedom and
democracy (having long ago abandoned fictions about weapons of mass
destruction and terrorist ties) does not make it so. We must look at
the reality, no matter how painful. The people of Iraq are better off
without Saddam Hussein's despised regime, but that does not prove our
benevolent intentions nor guarantee the United States will work to
bring meaningful democracy to Iraq.

Throughout history, our support for democracies has depended on their
support for U.S. policy. When democratic governments follow an
independent course, they typically end up as targets of U.S. power,
military or economic. Ask Venezuela's Hugo Chavez or Haiti's
Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

In Iraq, the Bush administration invaded not to liberate but to extend
and deepen U.S. domination. When Bush says, "We have no territorial
ambitions; we don't seek an empire," he tells a half-truth. The United
States doesn't want to absorb Iraq nor take direct possession of its
oil. That's not the way of empire today - it's about control over the
flow of oil and oil profits, not ownership.

In a world that runs on oil, the nation that controls the flow of oil
has great strategic power. U.S. policymakers want leverage over the
economies of its competitors - Western Europe, Japan and China - which
are more dependent on Middle Eastern oil. Hence the longstanding U.S.
policy of support for reactionary regimes (Saudi Arabia),
dictatorships (Iran under the Shah) and regional military surrogates
(Israel), aimed at maintaining control.

The Bush administration has invested money and lives in making Iraq a
platform from which the United States can project power - from
permanent U.S. bases, officials hope. That requires not the liberation
of Iraq, but its subordination. But most Iraqis don't want to be
subordinated, which is why the United States in some sense lost the
war the day it invaded. One lesson of contemporary history is that
occupying armies generate resistance that, inevitably, prevails over
imperial power.

Most Iraqis are glad Saddam is gone, and most want the United States
gone. When we admit defeat and pull out - not if, but when - the fate
of Iraqis depends in part on whether the United States (1) makes good
on legal and moral obligations to pay reparations, and (2) allows
international institutions to aid in creating a truly sovereign Iraq.

We shouldn't expect politicians to do either without pressure. An
anti-empire movement - the joining of antiwar forces with the movement
to reject corporate globalization - must create that pressure. Failure
will add to the suffering in Iraq and more clearly mark the United
States as a rogue state and an impediment to a just and peaceful
world.

So, I'm glad for the U.S. military defeat in Iraq, but with no joy in
my heart. We should all carry a profound sense of sadness at where
decisions made by U.S. policy-makers - not just the gang in power
today, but a string of Republican and Democratic administrations -
have left us and the Iraqis. But that sadness should not keep us from
pursuing the most courageous act of citizenship in the United States
today: Pledging to dismantle the American empire.

This planet's resources do not belong to the United States. The
century is not America's. We own neither the world nor time. And if we
don't give up the quest - if we don't find our place in the world
instead of on top of the world - there is little hope for a safe, sane
and sustainable future.

###

Jensen is a journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin
and the author of "Citizens of the Empire: The Struggle to Claim Our
Humanity."


copied from: http://thirdcoastactivist.org/jensen-statesman.html

Link to original story (requires registration):
http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/12/3jensen_edit.html

====================

A few good sources for news that are not controlled by insanely greedy
Americans:

http://informationclearinghouse.info/
http://DemocracyNow.org
http://www.TruthOut.org
http://www.BuzzFlash.com/
http://www.CommonDreams.org/
http://Alternet.org
http://www.commondreams.org
http://english.aljazeera.net/HomePage
http://www.counterpunch.org/
http://www.villagevoice.com/
http://www.tompaine.com/
http://www.americanprogress.org
http://www.dailykos.com/

==============

"...mankind [will advance] into a civilization and a state of
consciousness in which right human relations and worldwide
cooperation for the good of all will be the universal keynote."
Djwhal Khul

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

check this out if you haven't already:

http://www.Share-International.org

=====================================

.

..

...

[Scott Marquardt]

Post by know buddee
The upside to losing Iraq? An empire falls
By Robert Jensen,
Published by the Austin American Statesman
The United States has lost the war in Iraq, and that's a good thing.
I don't mean that the loss of American and Iraqi lives is to be
celebrated. The death and destruction are numbingly tragic, and the
suffering in Iraq is hard for most of us in the United States to
comprehend. The tragedy is compounded because these deaths haven't
protected Americans or brought freedom to Iraqis - they have come in
the quest to extend the American empire in this so-called "new
American century."
It isn't the defeat of the United States - its people or their ideals
- but of that empire. And it's essential the American empire be
defeated and dismantled.

It's going to be fascinating to observe the historical irrelevance of this
rube's stuff in coming years. Of course, the "Yeeeah, how 'bout that?"
brigade will clamber aboard the train, huzzahing mindlessly as they
disappear in the distance. This is the great thing about freedom of speech;
the imbeciles mark themselves for years to come.

[Danzig]

opinions, on either side of the coin, will be irrelevant

Post by Scott Marquardt

Post by know buddee
The upside to losing Iraq? An empire falls
By Robert Jensen,
Published by the Austin American Statesman
The United States has lost the war in Iraq, and that's a good thing.
I don't mean that the loss of American and Iraqi lives is to be
celebrated. The death and destruction are numbingly tragic, and the
suffering in Iraq is hard for most of us in the United States to
comprehend. The tragedy is compounded because these deaths haven't
protected Americans or brought freedom to Iraqis - they have come in
the quest to extend the American empire in this so-called "new
American century."
It isn't the defeat of the United States - its people or their ideals
- but of that empire. And it's essential the American empire be
defeated and dismantled.

It's going to be fascinating to observe the historical irrelevance of this
rube's stuff in coming years. Of course, the "Yeeeah, how 'bout that?"
brigade will clamber aboard the train, huzzahing mindlessly as they
disappear in the distance. This is the great thing about freedom of speech;
the imbeciles mark themselves for years to come.

[LeftRight]

Great, we can all live in grinding poverty and ruthless social mayhem.

Post by Danzig
opinions, on either side of the coin, will be irrelevant

Post by Scott Marquardt

Post by know buddee
The upside to losing Iraq? An empire falls
By Robert Jensen,
Published by the Austin American Statesman
The United States has lost the war in Iraq, and that's a good thing.
I don't mean that the loss of American and Iraqi lives is to be
celebrated. The death and destruction are numbingly tragic, and the
suffering in Iraq is hard for most of us in the United States to
comprehend. The tragedy is compounded because these deaths haven't
protected Americans or brought freedom to Iraqis - they have come in
the quest to extend the American empire in this so-called "new
American century."
It isn't the defeat of the United States - its people or their ideals
- but of that empire. And it's essential the American empire be
defeated and dismantled.

It's going to be fascinating to observe the historical irrelevance of this
rube's stuff in coming years. Of course, the "Yeeeah, how 'bout that?"
brigade will clamber aboard the train, huzzahing mindlessly as they
disappear in the distance. This is the great thing about freedom of speech;
the imbeciles mark themselves for years to come.

--
Anti-communism is a prejudice like
any other; the evil acts of some taint all.
Slander is an act of the guilty and
lies of the cowardly. Humans are as reeds
in the wind; they are forcable
in any direction.

http://groups.msn.com/taxationjustice
http://www.columbiajournal.ca/04-04/index.html
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=15344
http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CRG204A.html

[k***@hotmail.com]

It seems important to note that the source of much misunderstanding &
ignorance in the USA is the so called "liberal" news media.
Americans are led to believe that they are the luckiest people in the
world, living in the "greatest" country in the world. Truth is we all
are overworked slaves (see below) and the crooked greedy 'masters' lie
to us each and every day.

Few grasp the fact that the politicians and the news media (and most of
the people) are controlled by a handful of billionaires (not all of
the billionaires but some) who simply can't amass enough money - in the
same way a morbidly obese person can't get enough to eat. Their greed
has no end and if they aren't stopped, they will destroy the world.

If it weren't for their greed and the complacency of the people here -
we could all have things like 7 weeks of paid vacation per year, ~4
day - 30 hour work weeks, health care for everyone, much less fear,
violence and drug/alcohol addiction, much less competition and much
more cooperation, much less violence and incarceration, inexpensive
high speed rail, more meaningful jobs for everyone, cleaner cities,
free universities, and no warmongering politicians. Robots could be
used to work for the people, rather than for the billionaires as is now
the case... etc etc.

=========================================================
Relevant
Facts about America:

American's are putting in longer hours on the job now than we did in
the 1950s, despite promises of a coming age of leisure before the year
2000.

In fact, we're working more than medieval peasants did, and more than
the citizens of any other industrial country.

Mandatory overtime is at near record levels, in spite of a recession.

On average, we work nearly nine full weeks (350 hours) LONGER per year
than our peers in Western Europe do.

Working Americans average a little over two weeks of vacation per
year, while Europeans average five to six weeks.

OVERWORK HURTS ALL OF US IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

Overwork threatens our health. It leads to fatigue, accidents and
injuries. It reduces time for exercise and encourages consumption of
calorie-laden fast foods. Job stress and burnout costs our economy
more than $200 billion a year.

Overwork threatens our marriages, families and relationships as we
find less time for each other, less time to care for our children and
elders, less time to just hang out.

It weakens our communities. We have less time to know our neighbors,
supervise our young people, and volunteer.

It reduces employment as fewer people are hired and then required to
work longer hours, or are hired for poor part-time jobs without
benefits.

It leaves many of us with little time to vote, much less be informed,
active citizens.

It leaves us little time for ourselves, for self-development, or for
spiritual growth.

It leads to growing neglect and abuse of pets.

It even contributes to the destruction of our environment. Studies
show that lack of time encourages use of convenience and throwaway
items and reduces recycling.

http://www.simpleliving.net
Above lines were copied from there.

------------------------

If more Americans had more time to read and think, more would realize
what a bunch of horrific jerks we've got in the white house.

---------------------

"People in the United States work really hard, much harder than any
other advanced industrial society and this causes a lot of stress.
People are always concerned about their work and they live in fear.
Although there is a lot of crime in the United States, it is
approximately the same as comparable societies, but fear of crime is
far higher. In many ways, this is the most frightened nation in the
world!" Noam Chomsky

[k***@hotmail.com]

It seems important to note that the source of much misunderstanding &
ignorance in the USA is the so called "liberal" news media.
Americans are led to believe that they are the luckiest people in the
world, living in the "greatest" country in the world. Truth is we all
are overworked slaves (see below) and the crooked greedy 'masters' lie
to us each and every day.

Few grasp the fact that the politicians and the news media (and most of
the people) are controlled by a handful of billionaires (not all of
the billionaires but some) who simply can't amass enough money - in the
same way a morbidly obese person can't get enough to eat. Their greed
has no end and if they aren't stopped, they will destroy the world.

If it weren't for their greed and the complacency of the people here -
we could all have things like 7 weeks of paid vacation per year, ~4
day - 30 hour work weeks, health care for everyone, much less fear,
violence and drug/alcohol addiction, much less competition and much
more cooperation, much less violence and incarceration, inexpensive
high speed rail, more meaningful jobs for everyone, cleaner cities,
free universities, and no warmongering politicians. Robots could be
used to work for the people, rather than for the billionaires as is now
the case... etc etc.

=========================================================
Relevant
Facts about America:

American's are putting in longer hours on the job now than we did in
the 1950s, despite promises of a coming age of leisure before the year
2000.

In fact, we're working more than medieval peasants did, and more than
the citizens of any other industrial country.

Mandatory overtime is at near record levels, in spite of a recession.

On average, we work nearly nine full weeks (350 hours) LONGER per year
than our peers in Western Europe do.

Working Americans average a little over two weeks of vacation per
year, while Europeans average five to six weeks.

OVERWORK HURTS ALL OF US IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

Overwork threatens our health. It leads to fatigue, accidents and
injuries. It reduces time for exercise and encourages consumption of
calorie-laden fast foods. Job stress and burnout costs our economy
more than $200 billion a year.

Overwork threatens our marriages, families and relationships as we
find less time for each other, less time to care for our children and
elders, less time to just hang out.

It weakens our communities. We have less time to know our neighbors,
supervise our young people, and volunteer.

It reduces employment as fewer people are hired and then required to
work longer hours, or are hired for poor part-time jobs without
benefits.

It leaves many of us with little time to vote, much less be informed,
active citizens.

It leaves us little time for ourselves, for self-development, or for
spiritual growth.

It leads to growing neglect and abuse of pets.

It even contributes to the destruction of our environment. Studies
show that lack of time encourages use of convenience and throwaway
items and reduces recycling.

http://www.simpleliving.net
Above lines were copied from there.

------------------------

If more Americans had more time to read and think, more would realize
what a bunch of horrific jerks we've got in the white house.

---------------------

"People in the United States work really hard, much harder than any
other advanced industrial society and this causes a lot of stress.
People are always concerned about their work and they live in fear.
Although there is a lot of crime in the United States, it is
approximately the same as comparable societies, but fear of crime is
far higher. In many ways, this is the most frightened nation in the
world!" Noam Chomsky

[k***@hotmail.com]

It seems important to note that the source of much misunderstanding &
ignorance in the USA is the so called "liberal" news media.
Americans are led to believe that they are the luckiest people in the
world, living in the "greatest" country in the world. Truth is we all
are overworked slaves (see below) and the crooked greedy 'masters' lie
to us each and every day.

Few grasp the fact that the politicians and the news media (and most of
the people) are controlled by a handful of billionaires (not all of
the billionaires but some) who simply can't amass enough money - in the
same way a morbidly obese person can't get enough to eat. Their greed
has no end and if they aren't stopped, they will destroy the world.

If it weren't for their greed and the complacency of the people here -
we could all have things like 7 weeks of paid vacation per year, ~4
day - 30 hour work weeks, health care for everyone, much less fear,
violence and drug/alcohol addiction, much less competition and much
more cooperation, much less violence and incarceration, inexpensive
high speed rail, more meaningful jobs for everyone, cleaner cities,
free universities, and no warmongering politicians. Robots could be
used to work for the people, rather than for the billionaires as is now
the case... etc etc.

=========================================================
Relevant
Facts about America:

American's are putting in longer hours on the job now than we did in
the 1950s, despite promises of a coming age of leisure before the year
2000.

In fact, we're working more than medieval peasants did, and more than
the citizens of any other industrial country.

Mandatory overtime is at near record levels, in spite of a recession.

On average, we work nearly nine full weeks (350 hours) LONGER per year
than our peers in Western Europe do.

Working Americans average a little over two weeks of vacation per
year, while Europeans average five to six weeks.

OVERWORK HURTS ALL OF US IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

Overwork threatens our health. It leads to fatigue, accidents and
injuries. It reduces time for exercise and encourages consumption of
calorie-laden fast foods. Job stress and burnout costs our economy
more than $200 billion a year.

Overwork threatens our marriages, families and relationships as we
find less time for each other, less time to care for our children and
elders, less time to just hang out.

It weakens our communities. We have less time to know our neighbors,
supervise our young people, and volunteer.

It reduces employment as fewer people are hired and then required to
work longer hours, or are hired for poor part-time jobs without
benefits.

It leaves many of us with little time to vote, much less be informed,
active citizens.

It leaves us little time for ourselves, for self-development, or for
spiritual growth.

It leads to growing neglect and abuse of pets.

It even contributes to the destruction of our environment. Studies
show that lack of time encourages use of convenience and throwaway
items and reduces recycling.

http://www.simpleliving.net
Above lines were copied from there.

------------------------

If more Americans had more time to read and think, more would realize
what a bunch of horrific jerks we've got in the white house.

---------------------

"People in the United States work really hard, much harder than any
other advanced industrial society and this causes a lot of stress.
People are always concerned about their work and they live in fear.
Although there is a lot of crime in the United States, it is
approximately the same as comparable societies, but fear of crime is
far higher. In many ways, this is the most frightened nation in the
world!" Noam Chomsky

[k***@hotmail.com]

It seems important to note that the source of much misunderstanding &
ignorance in the USA is the so called "liberal" news media.
Americans are led to believe that they are the luckiest people in the
world, living in the "greatest" country in the world. Truth is we all
are overworked slaves (see below) and the crooked greedy 'masters' lie
to us each and every day.

Few grasp the fact that the politicians and the news media (and most of
the people) are controlled by a handful of billionaires (not all of
the billionaires but some) who simply can't amass enough money - in the
same way a morbidly obese person can't get enough to eat. Their greed
has no end and if they aren't stopped, they will destroy the world.

If it weren't for their greed and the complacency of the people here -
we could all have things like 7 weeks of paid vacation per year, ~4
day - 30 hour work weeks, health care for everyone, much less fear,
violence and drug/alcohol addiction, much less competition and much
more cooperation, much less violence and incarceration, inexpensive
high speed rail, more meaningful jobs for everyone, cleaner cities,
free universities, and no warmongering politicians. Robots could be
used to work for the people, rather than for the billionaires as is now
the case... etc etc.

=========================================================
Relevant
Facts about America:

American's are putting in longer hours on the job now than we did in
the 1950s, despite promises of a coming age of leisure before the year
2000.

In fact, we're working more than medieval peasants did, and more than
the citizens of any other industrial country.

Mandatory overtime is at near record levels, in spite of a recession.

On average, we work nearly nine full weeks (350 hours) LONGER per year
than our peers in Western Europe do.

Working Americans average a little over two weeks of vacation per
year, while Europeans average five to six weeks.

OVERWORK HURTS ALL OF US IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

Overwork threatens our health. It leads to fatigue, accidents and
injuries. It reduces time for exercise and encourages consumption of
calorie-laden fast foods. Job stress and burnout costs our economy
more than $200 billion a year.

Overwork threatens our marriages, families and relationships as we
find less time for each other, less time to care for our children and
elders, less time to just hang out.

It weakens our communities. We have less time to know our neighbors,
supervise our young people, and volunteer.

It reduces employment as fewer people are hired and then required to
work longer hours, or are hired for poor part-time jobs without
benefits.

It leaves many of us with little time to vote, much less be informed,
active citizens.

It leaves us little time for ourselves, for self-development, or for
spiritual growth.

It leads to growing neglect and abuse of pets.

It even contributes to the destruction of our environment. Studies
show that lack of time encourages use of convenience and throwaway
items and reduces recycling.

http://www.simpleliving.net
Above lines were copied from there.

------------------------

If more Americans had more time to read and think, more would realize
what a bunch of horrific jerks we've got in the white house.

---------------------

"People in the United States work really hard, much harder than any
other advanced industrial society and this causes a lot of stress.
People are always concerned about their work and they live in fear.
Although there is a lot of crime in the United States, it is
approximately the same as comparable societies, but fear of crime is
far higher. In many ways, this is the most frightened nation in the
world!" Noam Chomsky

[DGVREIMAN]

Post by know buddee
The upside to losing Iraq? An empire falls
By Robert Jensen,
Published by the Austin American Statesman
The United States has lost the war in Iraq, and that's a good
thing.

Doug Says: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Tell that crap to those terrorist
goons that are running away with their gleaming yellow stripes
down their backs glistening in the sun, and their forked tails
squarely between their legs. The US Military cleaned out
Fallujah with just 200 men, and they will do the same to every
city in Iraq until the goons are all dead or have ran back into
Iran where they came from. In truth, Iraq has become a "turkey
shoot" and the coalition forces are on the offensive, and the
elections will be held, and the goons have already lost.

Doug Grant (Tm)

[RHS]

Not quite a turkey shoot, more like whack-a-mole. They will appear somewhere
else to fight another day.

The Pentagon wouldn't be sending in more troops if the U.S. was "winning".

The elections may happen as scheduled, but very premature. This
administration knows that, but with their "stay the course" unflexible
mentality, they will not admit that it is premature. At least not yet
anyway.
Evidently saving face is more important than saving lives.

rhs

Post by DGVREIMAN

Post by know buddee
The upside to losing Iraq? An empire falls
By Robert Jensen,
Published by the Austin American Statesman
The United States has lost the war in Iraq, and that's a good thing.

Doug Says: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Tell that crap to those terrorist
goons that are running away with their gleaming yellow stripes
down their backs glistening in the sun, and their forked tails
squarely between their legs. The US Military cleaned out
Fallujah with just 200 men, and they will do the same to every
city in Iraq until the goons are all dead or have ran back into
Iran where they came from. In truth, Iraq has become a "turkey
shoot" and the coalition forces are on the offensive, and the
elections will be held, and the goons have already lost.
Doug Grant (Tm)

[k***@hotmail.com]

i agree.

It seems important to note that the source of much misunderstanding &
ignorance in the USA is the so called "liberal" news media.
Americans are led to believe that they are the luckiest people in the
world, living in the "greatest" country in the world. Truth is we all
are overworked slaves (see below) and the crooked greedy 'masters' lie
to us each and every day.

Few grasp the fact that the politicians and the news media (and most of
the people) are controlled by a handful of billionaires (not all of
the billionaires but some) who simply can't amass enough money - in the
same way a morbidly obese person can't get enough to eat. Their greed
has no end and if they aren't stopped, they will destroy the world.

If it weren't for their greed and the complacency of the people here -
we could all have things like 7 weeks of paid vacation per year, ~4
day - 30 hour work weeks, health care for everyone, much less fear,
violence and drug/alcohol addiction, much less competition and much
more cooperation, much less violence and incarceration, inexpensive
high speed rail, more meaningful jobs for everyone, cleaner cities,
free universities, and no warmongering politicians. Robots could be
used to work for the people, rather than for the billionaires as is now
the case... etc etc.

=========================================================

Relevant
Facts about America:

American's are putting in longer hours on the job now than we did in
the 1950s, despite promises of a coming age of leisure before the year
2000.

In fact, we're working more than medieval peasants did, and more than
the citizens of any other industrial country.

Mandatory overtime is at near record levels, in spite of a recession.

On average, we work nearly nine full weeks (350 hours) LONGER per year
than our peers in Western Europe do.

Working Americans average a little over two weeks of vacation per
year, while Europeans average five to six weeks.

OVERWORK HURTS ALL OF US IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

Overwork threatens our health. It leads to fatigue, accidents and
injuries. It reduces time for exercise and encourages consumption of
calorie-laden fast foods. Job stress and burnout costs our economy
more than $200 billion a year.

Overwork threatens our marriages, families and relationships as we
find less time for each other, less time to care for our children and
elders, less time to just hang out.

It weakens our communities. We have less time to know our neighbors,
supervise our young people, and volunteer.

It reduces employment as fewer people are hired and then required to
work longer hours, or are hired for poor part-time jobs without
benefits.

It leaves many of us with little time to vote, much less be informed,
active citizens.

It leaves us little time for ourselves, for self-development, or for
spiritual growth.

It leads to growing neglect and abuse of pets.

It even contributes to the destruction of our environment. Studies
show that lack of time encourages use of convenience and throwaway
items and reduces recycling.

http://www.simpleliving.net
Above lines were copied from there.

------------------------

If more Americans had more time to read and think, more would realize
what a bunch of horrific jerks we've got in the white house.

---------------------

"People in the United States work really hard, much harder than any
other advanced industrial society and this causes a lot of stress.
People are always concerned about their work and they live in fear.
Although there is a lot of crime in the United States, it is
approximately the same as comparable societies, but fear of crime is
far higher. In many ways, this is the most frightened nation in the
world!" Noam Chomsky

[k***@hotmail.com]

i agree.

It seems important to note that the source of much misunderstanding &
ignorance in the USA is the so called "liberal" news media.
Americans are led to believe that they are the luckiest people in the
world, living in the "greatest" country in the world. Truth is we all
are overworked slaves (see below) and the crooked greedy 'masters' lie
to us each and every day.

Few grasp the fact that the politicians and the news media (and most of
the people) are controlled by a handful of billionaires (not all of
the billionaires but some) who simply can't amass enough money - in the
same way a morbidly obese person can't get enough to eat. Their greed
has no end and if they aren't stopped, they will destroy the world.

If it weren't for their greed and the complacency of the people here -
we could all have things like 7 weeks of paid vacation per year, ~4
day - 30 hour work weeks, health care for everyone, much less fear,
violence and drug/alcohol addiction, much less competition and much
more cooperation, much less violence and incarceration, inexpensive
high speed rail, more meaningful jobs for everyone, cleaner cities,
free universities, and no warmongering politicians. Robots could be
used to work for the people, rather than for the billionaires as is now
the case... etc etc.

=========================================================

Relevant
Facts about America:

American's are putting in longer hours on the job now than we did in
the 1950s, despite promises of a coming age of leisure before the year
2000.

In fact, we're working more than medieval peasants did, and more than
the citizens of any other industrial country.

Mandatory overtime is at near record levels, in spite of a recession.

On average, we work nearly nine full weeks (350 hours) LONGER per year
than our peers in Western Europe do.

Working Americans average a little over two weeks of vacation per
year, while Europeans average five to six weeks.

OVERWORK HURTS ALL OF US IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

Overwork threatens our health. It leads to fatigue, accidents and
injuries. It reduces time for exercise and encourages consumption of
calorie-laden fast foods. Job stress and burnout costs our economy
more than $200 billion a year.

Overwork threatens our marriages, families and relationships as we
find less time for each other, less time to care for our children and
elders, less time to just hang out.

It weakens our communities. We have less time to know our neighbors,
supervise our young people, and volunteer.

It reduces employment as fewer people are hired and then required to
work longer hours, or are hired for poor part-time jobs without
benefits.

It leaves many of us with little time to vote, much less be informed,
active citizens.

It leaves us little time for ourselves, for self-development, or for
spiritual growth.

It leads to growing neglect and abuse of pets.

It even contributes to the destruction of our environment. Studies
show that lack of time encourages use of convenience and throwaway
items and reduces recycling.

http://www.simpleliving.net
Above lines were copied from there.

------------------------

If more Americans had more time to read and think, more would realize
what a bunch of horrific jerks we've got in the white house.

---------------------

"People in the United States work really hard, much harder than any
other advanced industrial society and this causes a lot of stress.
People are always concerned about their work and they live in fear.
Although there is a lot of crime in the United States, it is
approximately the same as comparable societies, but fear of crime is
far higher. In many ways, this is the most frightened nation in the
world!" Noam Chomsky

[k***@hotmail.com]

i agree.

It seems important to note that the source of much misunderstanding &
ignorance in the USA is the so called "liberal" news media.
Americans are led to believe that they are the luckiest people in the
world, living in the "greatest" country in the world. Truth is we all
are overworked slaves (see below) and the crooked greedy 'masters' lie
to us each and every day.

Few grasp the fact that the politicians and the news media (and most of
the people) are controlled by a handful of billionaires (not all of
the billionaires but some) who simply can't amass enough money - in the
same way a morbidly obese person can't get enough to eat. Their greed
has no end and if they aren't stopped, they will destroy the world.

If it weren't for their greed and the complacency of the people here -
we could all have things like 7 weeks of paid vacation per year, ~4
day - 30 hour work weeks, health care for everyone, much less fear,
violence and drug/alcohol addiction, much less competition and much
more cooperation, much less violence and incarceration, inexpensive
high speed rail, more meaningful jobs for everyone, cleaner cities,
free universities, and no warmongering politicians. Robots could be
used to work for the people, rather than for the billionaires as is now
the case... etc etc.

=========================================================

Relevant
Facts about America:

American's are putting in longer hours on the job now than we did in
the 1950s, despite promises of a coming age of leisure before the year
2000.

In fact, we're working more than medieval peasants did, and more than
the citizens of any other industrial country.

Mandatory overtime is at near record levels, in spite of a recession.

On average, we work nearly nine full weeks (350 hours) LONGER per year
than our peers in Western Europe do.

Working Americans average a little over two weeks of vacation per
year, while Europeans average five to six weeks.

OVERWORK HURTS ALL OF US IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

Overwork threatens our health. It leads to fatigue, accidents and
injuries. It reduces time for exercise and encourages consumption of
calorie-laden fast foods. Job stress and burnout costs our economy
more than $200 billion a year.

Overwork threatens our marriages, families and relationships as we
find less time for each other, less time to care for our children and
elders, less time to just hang out.

It weakens our communities. We have less time to know our neighbors,
supervise our young people, and volunteer.

It reduces employment as fewer people are hired and then required to
work longer hours, or are hired for poor part-time jobs without
benefits.

It leaves many of us with little time to vote, much less be informed,
active citizens.

It leaves us little time for ourselves, for self-development, or for
spiritual growth.

It leads to growing neglect and abuse of pets.

It even contributes to the destruction of our environment. Studies
show that lack of time encourages use of convenience and throwaway
items and reduces recycling.

http://www.simpleliving.net
Above lines were copied from there.

------------------------

If more Americans had more time to read and think, more would realize
what a bunch of horrific jerks we've got in the white house.

---------------------

"People in the United States work really hard, much harder than any
other advanced industrial society and this causes a lot of stress.
People are always concerned about their work and they live in fear.
Although there is a lot of crime in the United States, it is
approximately the same as comparable societies, but fear of crime is
far higher. In many ways, this is the most frightened nation in the
world!" Noam Chomsky

[DGVREIMAN]

Post by RHS

Post by DGVREIMAN

Post by know buddee
The upside to losing Iraq? An empire falls
By Robert Jensen,
Published by the Austin American Statesman
The United States has lost the war in Iraq, and that's a
good
thing.

Doug Says: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Tell that crap to those terrorist
goons that are running away with their gleaming yellow
stripes
down their backs glistening in the sun, and their forked tails
squarely between their legs. The US Military cleaned out
Fallujah with just 200 men, and they will do the same to every
city in Iraq until the goons are all dead or have ran back
into
Iran where they came from. In truth, Iraq has become a
"turkey
shoot" and the coalition forces are on the offensive, and the
elections will be held, and the goons have already lost.
Doug Grant (Tm)

Not quite a turkey shoot, more like whack-a-mole. They will
appear somewhere
else to fight another day.

Doug Says: Hard to do when the mole is dead. More than 2000
goons were killed in Fallujah alone - by only 200 American
troops.

Post by RHS
The Pentagon wouldn't be sending in more troops if the U.S. was "winning".

Doug Says: The need for more troops is necessary to garrison and
hold secure each town as it is cleansed of goons. That is what
an Arm and Anvil tactics is designed to do. Moreover, once the
Iraqi Army is at full forced and trained then it will take over
the garrisons and allow the American troops to be ready to
address the Iranian problem.

Post by RHS
The elections may happen as scheduled, but very premature. This
administration knows that, but with their "stay the course"
unflexible
mentality, they will not admit that it is premature. At least
not yet
anyway.
Evidently saving face is more important than saving lives.

Doug Says: The Bush administration believes the elections will
save lives. It also will give Iraq a legitimate government that
all Iraqi people can endorse and support.

Doug Grant (Tm)

Post by RHS
rhs

[k***@hotmail.com]

The Bush administration believes it will serve their interest$ best to
make the people there believe (like they do in the USA) that their
votes count.

The only Iraqis who are giving in to the invaders/occupiers are those
who are AFRAID that the US will "win". They are all living in fear.

The "insurgents" are faithfulling and courageously doing what they
think is best, to defend their homeland from a bunch of very rude and
murderous invaders - whose justification for the invasion was based on
lies. They are refusing to let fear control their lifes.

We've killed aournd 100,000 of their people - including women and
children and have thus touched them all. We've installed a puppet
regime and have leveled tens of thousands of their concrete homes that
were built to last forever.

If we were in their shoes, the bravest and sanest amongst us would NOT
be kissing the boots of the invaders.

These dark days, those who vote determine nothing. Those who count the
votes determine everything. Don't forget that he darkest hour is right
before the dawn.

KB

----------------------------------------------

"The developed nations of the world cannot remain secure islands of
prosperity in a seething sea of poverty. The storm is rising against
the privileged minority of the earth, from which there is no shelter in
isolation and armament. The storm will not abate until a just
distribution of the fruits of the earth enables men everywhere to live
in dignity and human decency." Martin Luther King, Jr

<><><>

"Without sharing there can be no justice; without justice there can be
no peace; without peace there can be no future." Maitreya - The World
Teacher

[Henery Vorhees]

Post by know buddee
The upside to losing Iraq? An empire falls
By Robert Jensen,
Published by the Austin American Statesman
The United States has lost the war in Iraq, and that's a good thing.
I don't mean that the loss of American and Iraqi lives is to be
celebrated. The death and destruction are numbingly tragic, and the
suffering in Iraq is hard for most of us in the United States to
comprehend. The tragedy is compounded because these deaths haven't
protected Americans or brought freedom to Iraqis - they have come in
the quest to extend the American empire in this so-called "new
American century."
It isn't the defeat of the United States - its people or their ideals
- but of that empire. And it's essential the American empire be
defeated and dismantled.
The fact the Bush administration says we are fighting for freedom and
democracy (having long ago abandoned fictions about weapons of mass
destruction and terrorist ties) does not make it so. We must look at
the reality, no matter how painful. The people of Iraq are better off
without Saddam Hussein's despised regime, but that does not prove our
benevolent intentions nor guarantee the United States will work to
bring meaningful democracy to Iraq.
Throughout history, our support for democracies has depended on their
support for U.S. policy. When democratic governments follow an
independent course, they typically end up as targets of U.S. power,
military or economic. Ask Venezuela's Hugo Chavez or Haiti's
Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
In Iraq, the Bush administration invaded not to liberate but to extend
and deepen U.S. domination. When Bush says, "We have no territorial
ambitions; we don't seek an empire," he tells a half-truth. The United
States doesn't want to absorb Iraq nor take direct possession of its
oil. That's not the way of empire today - it's about control over the
flow of oil and oil profits, not ownership.
In a world that runs on oil, the nation that controls the flow of oil
has great strategic power. U.S. policymakers want leverage over the
economies of its competitors - Western Europe, Japan and China - which
are more dependent on Middle Eastern oil. Hence the longstanding U.S.
policy of support for reactionary regimes (Saudi Arabia),
dictatorships (Iran under the Shah) and regional military surrogates
(Israel), aimed at maintaining control.
The Bush administration has invested money and lives in making Iraq a
platform from which the United States can project power - from
permanent U.S. bases, officials hope. That requires not the liberation
of Iraq, but its subordination. But most Iraqis don't want to be
subordinated, which is why the United States in some sense lost the
war the day it invaded. One lesson of contemporary history is that
occupying armies generate resistance that, inevitably, prevails over
imperial power.
Most Iraqis are glad Saddam is gone, and most want the United States
gone. When we admit defeat and pull out - not if, but when - the fate
of Iraqis depends in part on whether the United States (1) makes good
on legal and moral obligations to pay reparations, and (2) allows
international institutions to aid in creating a truly sovereign Iraq.
We shouldn't expect politicians to do either without pressure. An
anti-empire movement - the joining of antiwar forces with the movement
to reject corporate globalization - must create that pressure. Failure
will add to the suffering in Iraq and more clearly mark the United
States as a rogue state and an impediment to a just and peaceful
world.
So, I'm glad for the U.S. military defeat in Iraq, but with no joy in
my heart. We should all carry a profound sense of sadness at where
decisions made by U.S. policy-makers - not just the gang in power
today, but a string of Republican and Democratic administrations -
have left us and the Iraqis. But that sadness should not keep us from
pursuing the most courageous act of citizenship in the United States
today: Pledging to dismantle the American empire.
This planet's resources do not belong to the United States. The
century is not America's. We own neither the world nor time. And if we
don't give up the quest - if we don't find our place in the world
instead of on top of the world - there is little hope for a safe, sane
and sustainable future.
###
Jensen is a journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin
and the author of "Citizens of the Empire: The Struggle to Claim Our
Humanity."
copied from: http://thirdcoastactivist.org/jensen-statesman.html
http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/12/3jensen_edit.html
====================
A few good sources for news that are not controlled by insanely greedy
http://informationclearinghouse.info/
http://DemocracyNow.org
http://www.TruthOut.org
http://www.BuzzFlash.com/
http://www.CommonDreams.org/
http://Alternet.org
http://www.commondreams.org
http://english.aljazeera.net/HomePage
http://www.counterpunch.org/
http://www.villagevoice.com/
http://www.tompaine.com/
http://www.americanprogress.org
http://www.dailykos.com/
==============
"...mankind [will advance] into a civilization and a state of
consciousness in which right human relations and worldwide
cooperation for the good of all will be the universal keynote."
Djwhal Khul
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http://www.Share-International.org
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