The permanent occupation of Iraq

By John Cranfill of Ophir, Oregon. John describes himself as a "freelance writer and social commentator."

The Associated Press reports the United States is currently building an "Embassy" in Baghdad that will cover 104 acres and consist of twenty-one buildings. Commentators say it will rival Vatican City in size.

We're also constructing 14 permanent military installations in Iraq, some with bowling alleys and movie theaters. Is it not clear our government intends to stay? Coupled with plans for a "regime change" in Iran, it is apparent to almost everyone by now some group in DC has decided it is OK for us to invade and usurp another country for their natural resources, and concoct some outlandish story to cover their tracks.

Is it any wonder we have an "insurgency" in Iraq? Understandably, they want their country back, and apparently we do not intend to give it to them except through some puppet government.

I might go along with this scheme if I thought it could move the Middle East into the 21st Century. Someplace back in the Middle Ages, they got stuck in history, and left behind. From leading the parade of civilization, they now clean up after the horses. A glorious civilization does not deserve this, but that's what colonization brought.

If we consider the medical advances, economic growth, social advantages, educational change, and jobs that modernization has brought to the rest of the world, only a fool would reject joining us. But that is not what we are offering. An educated population tends to be a pain in the butt. They read, they write, they think, and they question the status quo. They believe in Democracy. Imagine that! They actually want to have a voice in their own governance. The Iraqis see what's being offered, and they want no part of it. If we were invaded, would we do less?

Imagine a political stew that already contains the Israelis, the Palestinians, Hamas, Fatah, Al Qaeda, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Taliban, and hosts of lesser factions with their own axe to grind, and you begin to get a sense of what we face. Add to this simmering pot, China, which already uses one-third the energy we do, and at 9% a year, grows faster than any other country on the face of the planet, and the kettle becomes very crowded indeed. China just signed an oil trade pact with Iran, and may be helping with their nuclear ambitions, as are India, Russia, North Korea, and A.Q Khan, the nuclear George Washington Carver of Pakistan.

What part of this scenario gives you a tremulous hand, gentle reader? Does the news the Chinese are building up their military give you pause? Why the sudden Chinese interest in submarines, and their massive missile buildup across the Taiwanese Straits? What about the role a wild ass state like North Korea might play? They're selling their missile technology to whoever has the money, and according to the CIA, they're now on their way to building eight nuclear weapons. We are holding Naval exercises in the Pacific, even as we speak, as are China and Russia. Cheery, no?

The U.S. gambit in the Mid-East is fraught with danger, if not disaster itself. We tried it in Vietnam. We assumed our lead in war technologies superceded anything else the other side could throw at us, but we found it didn't work. Relentless determination and disregard of casualties by the North Vietnamese proved far more important than guns, bullets, and carpet-bombing B-52's.

So why do we pursue this course again? We've alienated the rest of the world including some of our most important allies, and we are deeply in debt to countries that could be our potential enemies. Why haven't we invested time and money into advanced technologies such as solar, tidal, wind, geothermal, and the like, or even gas/electric or more bio-diesel? Instead we chase petroleum around the world as if it were the Holy Grail?

Because there's money in'nit gentle reader! Instead of building an infrastructure of public transportation many years ago, we chose to invest in the auto industry. We built super highways from sea to shining sea and actually ripped up urban rail lines. Why?

And now, because no one has figured out how to make fertilizers, plastics and a host of other by-products out of something besides oil, we have become totally dependent upon petro-chemicals and oil energy. The oily boys now are trying to drill in our national parks and wildlife preserves for the vaunted goal of "Energy Independence," even though they know full well the oil reserves will last a few short years at best, and run incredible environmental risks all the while.

They don't give squat. "There's gold in them there hills!" the energy boys say. An' they intend to get it. The Japanese design and build multi-fuel vehicles that get 50 miles to the gallon, while we build Hummers and SUV's. The Dutch are using tidal energy to make electricity while we periodically try to bring back nuclear power. What part of our extortionate war plan to gain oil seems incredibly stupid? Over 2500 people have already died in Iraq and 17,000 have been injured. For those who play this economic game, who cares? It earns vast sums for them, and promises more in the future. The dead and injured are just the costs of playing the game. Costs others will bear.

Is the price of gas going up? This year alone, profits for oil companies are up by billions. That's not an exaggeration. That's a figure. You've read our little CEO friend, Lee Raymond, just retired with a $400,000,000 boot out the door from Exxon. Nice golden parachute, Lee! He can certainly fill his tank. Can he survive on $100 a second? Gee, I hope so. While oil companies whine piteously about rising costs, they play us like a badly tuned piano and continue to jack up the prices.

The average monthly income for people on Social Security is $900 dollars a month. That's about $11,000 dollars a year and very near the poverty line. The Exxon guy earns that in 6 hours.... Sound asleep. Retired. Watching TV. Playing golf. Having dinner at "21." Yachting in the Mediterranean. Cleaning his toenails, gambling in Monte Carlo or Vegas, lounging by the pool, taking a sauna.... and that doesn't even cover his earned interest.

Out of all the earth's resources, we have allowed big oil to become the Nobel Prize. The Holy Grail. I don't know what our government is trying to spread in its' pursuit of oil, but it certainly is not freedom. And as frightening as it may seem to anyone paying attention, it looks like we may be slowly drifting towards World War III to divide up whatever of it remains.

June 12, 2006 Posted in guest column.