Rudiments of a Tyrant's Reign

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by Ron Fullwood

http://www.opednews.com

At the beginning of the Iraq invasion, the Bush regime was at war with the entire country. They couldn't have cared less who they killed or maimed in their rush to occupy. They isolated and drove away the very same sects they now claim they want to share power with the Shiite-dominated authority. They engaged in search and destroy, 'anti-insurgent' raids to suppress these groups before, during, and after the 'elections'.

Now the American cabal seems torn between going back to ignoring the killings (which haven't abated since they started their own carpet-bombings), and using the Iraqi violence as both justification for a permanent occupation and portraying the escalation as another 'evil' that Bush will posture our military to 'defend' the region from as he 'spreads democracy'. The examples of Bush's democracy that he offered with his invasion for those who fell outside of the protected interim authority were of the efficacy of violent overthrow, of military dominance, and bloody suppression to achieve power.

Missing from all of the junior Bush's adventures in nation-building is the provision by the U.S. of any of the tools and levers of actual democracy that the citizens of the region might actually begin to use to achieve any of the liberty and self-determination he pretends he wants for them. They regard most expressions of freedom as obstacles to their consolidation of power. But they assumed that they could replicate the toadies they had initally installed in the interim authority for positions in their new junta.

The dirty secret that they are loath to say out loud is that it has become clear they were ignorant of the way the balance of power would shift away from the advantage they had of Saddam's hostility to the Iranians, to a ruling power in Iraq whose majority openly favors Iran.


full article: http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_ron_full_060309_rudiments_of_a_tyran.htm

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1. kick for web-published version

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_ron_full_060309_rudiments_of_a_tyran.htm

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2. THERE ’S something quieter than sleep

Within this inner room!
It wears a sprig upon its breast,
And will not tell its name.

Some touch it and some kiss it,
Some chafe its idle hand;
It has a simple gravity
I do not understand!

While simple-hearted neighbors
Chat of the “early dead”,
We, prone to periphrasis,
Remark that birds have fled!

-Emily Dickinson

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3. gratuitous addition

Rumsfeld says U.S. would act against Iranians endangering U.S. troops in Iraq

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2006/03/09/national/000rian.txt

WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Thursday U.S. forces would take "appropriate steps" to stop any hostile acts by Iranians in Iraq.

Rumsfeld made the comment at a Senate hearing in response to a question from Sen. Robert Byrd about any actions that the United States may take against Iran.

Rumsfeld said there are no plans to attack Iran, but added that Iran is "inserting people into Iraq and doing things that are damaging and dangerous to our forces."

He said, "Clearly, in the event we were successful through intelligence of locating people, Iranians, in Iraq that are engaged in acts against our forces, we certainly would take the appropriate steps to stop them."

Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the United States has no plans to take military action inside Iran. But, making the same point as Rumsfeld, said, "If there are Iranians fighting us inside Iraq, then of course we would treat them like the enemy in Iraq."

. . . and if we happen to actually produce any we'll let you know.

[WildEyedLiberal]

4. Excellent article, kick!

:kick:

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5. Thanks!

295 or more hits to go . . . :D

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6. link to final

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_ron_full_060309_rudiments_of_a_tyran.htm

:P kidding . . . where are my adoring fans?