earth is a lie

A Child’s Guide To United States Foreign Policy, 2003

Q: Daddy, why did we have to attack Iraq?
A: Because they had weapons of mass destruction honey.
Q: But the inspectors didn’t find any weapons of mass destruction.
A: That’s because the Iraqis were hiding them.
Q: And that’s why we invaded Iraq?
A: Yep. Invasions always work better than inspections.
Q: But after we invaded them, we STILL didn’t find any weapons of mass destruction, did we?
A: That’s because the weapons are so well hidden. Don’t worry, we’ll find something, probably right before the 2004 election.
Q: Why did Iraq want all those weapons of mass destruction?
A: To use them in a war, silly.
Q: I’m confused. If they had all those weapons that they planned to use in a war, then why didn’t they use any of those weapons when we went to war with them?
A: Well, obviously they didn’t want anyone to know they had those weapons, so they chose to die by the thousands rather than defend themselves.
Q: That doesn’t make sense Daddy. Why would they choose to die if they had all those big weapons to fight us back with?
A: It’s a different culture. It’s not supposed to make sense.
Q: I don’t know about you, but I don’t think they had any of thoseweapons our government said they did.
A: Well, you know, it doesn’t matter whether or not they had those weapons. We had another good reason to invade them anyway.
Q: And what was that?
A: Even if Iraq didn’t have weapons of mass destruction, Saddam Hussein was a cruel dictator, which is another good reason to invade another country.
Q: Why? What does a cruel dictator do that makes it OK to invade his country?
A: Well, for one thing, he tortured his own people.
Q: Kind of like what they do in China?
A: Don’t go comparing China to Iraq. China is a good economic competitor, where millions of people work for slave wages in sweatshops to make U.S. corporations richer.
Q: So if a country lets its people be exploited for American corporate gain, it’s a good country, even if that country tortures people?
A: Right.
Q: Why were people in Iraq being tortured?
A: For political crimes, mostly, like criticizing the government. People who criticized the government in Iraq were sent to prison and tortured.
Q: Isn’t that exactly what happens in China?
A: I told you, China is different.
Q: What’s the difference between China and Iraq?
A: Well, for one thing, Iraq was ruled by the Ba’ath party, while China is Communist.
Q: Didn’t you once tell me Communists were bad?
A: No, just Cuban Communists are bad.
Q: How are the Cuban Communists bad?
A: Well, for one thing, people who criticize the government in Cuba are sent to prison and tortured.
Q: Like in Iraq?
A: Exactly.
Q: And like in China, too?
A: I told you, China’s a good economic competitor. Cuba, on the other hand, is not.
Q: How come Cuba isn’t a good economic competitor?
A: Well, you see, back in the early 1960s, our government passed some laws that made it illegal for Americans to trade or do any business with Cuba until they stopped being communists and started being capitalists like us.
Q: But if we got rid of those laws, opened up trade with Cuba, and started doing business with them, wouldn’t that help the Cubans become capitalists?
A: Don’t be a smart-ass.
Q: I didn’t think I was being one.
A: Well, anyway, they also don’t have freedom of religion in Cuba.
Q: Kind of like China and the Falun Gong movement?
A: I told you, stop saying bad things about China. Anyway, Saddam Hussein came to power through a military coup, so he’s not really a legitimate leader anyway.
Q: What’s a military coup?
A: That’s when a military general takes over the government of a country by force, instead of holding free elections like we do in the United States.
Q: Didn’t the ruler of Pakistan come to power by a military coup?
A: You mean General Pervez Musharraf? Uh, yeah, he did, but Pakistan is our friend.
Q: Why is Pakistan our friend if their leader is illegitimate?
A: I never said Pervez Musharraf was illegitimate.
Q: Didn’t you just say a military general who comes to power by forcibly overthrowing the legitimate government of a nation is an illegitimate leader?
A: Only Saddam Hussein. Pervez Musharraf is our friend, because he helped us invade Afghanistan.
Q: Why did we invade Afghanistan?
A: Because of what they did to us on September 11th.
Q: What did Afghanistan do to us on September 11th?
A: Well, on September 11th, nineteen men, fifteen of them Saudi Arabians, hijacked four airplanes and flew three of them into buildings, killing over 3,000 Americans.
Q: So how did Afghanistan figure into all that?
A: Afghanistan was where those bad men trained, under the oppressive rule of the Taliban.
Q: Aren’t the Taliban those bad radical Islamics who chopped off people’s heads and hands?
A: Yes, that’s exactly who they were. Not only did they chop off people’s heads and hands, but they oppressed women, too.
Q: Didn’t the Bush administration give the Taliban 43 million dollars back in May of 2001?
A: Yes, but that money was a reward because they did such a good job fighting drugs.
Q: Fighting drugs?
A: Yes, the Taliban were very helpful in stopping people from growing opium poppies.
Q: How did they do such a good job?
A: Simple. If people were caught growing opium poppies, the Taliban would have their hands and heads cut off.
Q: So, when the Taliban cut off people’s heads and hands for growing flowers, that was OK, but not if they cut people’s heads and hands off for other reasons?
A: Yes. It’s OK with us if radical Islamic fundamentalists cut off people’s hands for growing flowers, but it’s cruel if they cut off people’s hands for stealing bread.
Q: Don’t they also cut off people’s hands and heads in Saudi Arabia?
A: That’s different. Afghanistan was ruled by a tyrannical patriarchy that oppressed women and forced them to wear burqas whenever they were in public, with death by stoning as the penalty for women who did not comply.
Q: Don’t Saudi women have to wear burqas in public, too?
A: No, Saudi women merely wear a traditional Islamic body covering.
Q: What’s the difference?
A: The traditional Islamic covering worn by Saudi women is a modest yet fashionable garment that covers all of a woman’s body except for her eyes and fingers. The burqa, on the other hand, is an evil tool of patriarchal oppression that covers all of a woman’s body except for her eyes and fingers.
Q: It sounds like the same thing with a different name.
A: Now, don’t go comparing Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. The Saudis are our friends.
Q: But I thought you said 15 of the 19 hijackers on September 11th were from Saudi Arabia.
A: Yes, but they trained in Afghanistan.
Q: Who trained them?
A: A very bad man named Osama bin Laden.
Q: Was he from Afghanistan?
A: Uh, no, he was from Saudi Arabia too. But he was a bad man, a very bad man.
Q: I seem to recall he was our friend once.
A: Only when we helped him and the mujahadeen repel the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan back in the 1980s.
Q: Who are the Soviets? Was that the Evil Communist Empire Ronald Reagan talked about?
A: There are no more Soviets. The Soviet Union broke up in 1990 or thereabouts, and now they have elections and capitalism like us. We call them Russians now.
Q: So the Soviets, I mean, the Russians, are now our friends?
A: Well, not really. You see, they were our friends for many years after they stopped being Soviets, but then they decided not to support our invasion of Iraq, so we’re mad at them now. We’re also mad at the French and the Germans because they didn’t help us invade Iraq either.
Q: So the French and Germans are evil, too?
A: Not exactly evil, but just bad enough that we had to rename French fries and French toast to Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast.
Q: Do we always rename foods whenever another country doesn’t do what we want them to do?
A: No, we just do that to our friends. Our enemies, we invade.
Q: But wasn’t Iraq one of our friends back in the 1980s?
A: Well, yeah. For a while.
Q: Was Saddam Hussein ruler of Iraq back then?
A: Yes, but at the time he was fighting against Iran, which made him our friend, temporarily.
Q: Why did that make him our friend?
A: Because at that time, Iran was our enemy.
Q: Isn’t that when he gassed the Kurds?
A: Yeah, but since he was fighting against Iran at the time, we looked the other way, to show him we were his friend.
Q: So anyone who fights against one of our enemies automatically becomes our friend?
A: Most of the time, yes.
Q: And anyone who fights against one of our friends is automatically an enemy?
A: Sometimes that’s true, too. However, if American corporations can profit by selling weapons to both sides at the same time, all the better.
Q: Why?
A: Because war is good for the economy, which means war is good for America. Also, since God is on America’s side, anyone who opposes war is a godless un-American Communist. Do you understand now why we attacked Iraq?
Q: I think so. We attacked them because God wanted us to, right?
A: Yes.
Q: But how did we know God wanted us to attack Iraq?
A: Well, you see, God personally speaks to George W. Bush and tells him what to do.
Q: So basically, what you’re saying is that we attacked Iraq because George W. Bush hears voices in his head?
A: Yes! You finally understand how the world works. Now close your eyes, make yourself comfortable, and go to sleep. Good night.

And I fucking LOVE how Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and other neo-con war(chicken)hawk blowhards would have you believe America is WEAK, militarily, on the world stage, due to Obama’s policies. Are you fucking kidding me? We spend hundreds of billions more dollars on “national defense” (the capability to occupy/invade/attack anyone, anywhere on the planet, by maintaining hundreds of international military bases) than any of our “enemies”. The world defense budget? The US has a 41% slice of pie. The next country, China, has 8%. The next is Russia with 4%. Where does Iran stack up in world defense spending? They’re #25.

The US kills people with remote controlled drones all over the world. Do you really think anyone thinks America is “weak”? If China flew drones over US soil and shot missiles at your friends and family, would you think of China as “weak”? Get the fuck out of here.

Iraq oil output to double by 2020: IEA

Iraqi oil production could double by the end of this decade, putting the country on track to become the second-biggest supplier to world markets after Saudi Arabia by the 2030s, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday.

Production could reach 6.1 million barrels per day by 2020, up from the current output of around 3 million barrels a day, and top more than 8 million barrels by 2035, the Paris-based agency said in a special edition of its World Energy Outlook.

Iraq’s ability to increase exports will have a major impact on world markets.

Such rapid growth would generate $200 billion a year of revenue for Iraq and transform the country’s economy, the IEA said.

Iraq is already the second-biggest oil producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) - having overtaken Iran, whose oil output is suffering from the impact of international sanctions.

“Developments in Iraq’s energy sector are critical for the country’s prospects and also for the health of the global economy,” said IEA chief economist Fatih Birol. “But success is not assured, and failure to achieve the anticipated increase in Iraq’s oil supply would put global oil markets on course for troubled waters.”

Iran’s faltering output is not the only source of concern for oil consuming nations. Some analysts say that Venezuela, which has the world’s largest reserves of crude oil, could see production decline further as foreign investors are deterred by Sunday’s re-election of Hugo Chavez as president.

The IEA said Iraq would need to invest $530 billion in energy infrastructure through 2035 to achieve projected levels of oil, gas and power output. Any delay to that investment would mean reduced supply to world markets and could add $15 a barrel to the price of oil by 2035.

The Iraqi government and partners such as Exxon Mobil, BP, Chevron and Total have already been working together to repair existing fields and hunt for new sources.

Oil exports make up 72% of Iraq’s economy, compared with just over 52% for Saudi Arabia.

Most of the projected growth would come from the vast oilfields of southern Iraq, ideally placed for exports to China and other fast-growing economies in Asia. The increased output would push Iraq ahead of Russia as the world’s second-largest exporter.

“This landmark study confirms the increasing importance of Iraq to the global energy system, highlighting the key role it is expected to play in meeting growing energy needs and the responsibilities it will assume as a strategic source of world oil supply,” said IEA executive director Maria van der Hoeven.

“Time to invade Iraq! Oh wait…”

$535 billion to upgrade production through 2035… I wonder where they’re going to get that money?

And it’s so heart-warming that the new-and-improved “democratic” Iraqi regime is able to cooperate with western oil companies to produce and distribute its own domestic product. Who doesn’t love cooperation? Group hug!

I mourn the loss of all human life, be it American or otherwise. It is regrettable that so many people died on 9/11, and while I do not buy into the mainstream story of what transpired that day, suffice to say it is deeply troubling that in response to terrorists killing innocent people in an act of vengeance for the American military industrial complex’s history of war crimes, the American military industrial complex opened up whole new theaters of war, invaded sovereign nations, fabricated justification for invading others, killed thousands of “enemy combatants” and innocent civilians, displaced hundreds of thousands more, curtailed domestic civil liberties, and created a remote-controlled assassination drone program which has killed US citizens abroad with no regard for due process or other constitutional law, amongst other blighted acts, all while so many Americans cheer them on, and hold in highest regard the men and women who volunteer to participate.

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—	earthisalie

The threat of Islamic terrorism is a problem of our government’s own making. It is grounded in American arrogance, ignorance, racism, imperialism and support for the terrorist state of Israel. President Bush’s so-called war on terror was an insidious campaign to create fear and hatred among Americans and Europeans towards Muslims so as to rationalize a foreign policy aimed at doing whatever is necessary to control their oil in the Middle East. Under President Obama it’s more of the same. Plus the threat of terrorism helps justify trillion-dollar plus defense budgets, 1.6 million American troops stationed in 1,000 bases in over 153 countries, special operations strike forces in 120 countries and pilotless drone aircraft operating worldwide.

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—	Thomas H. Naylor

If the Bush administration didn’t like somebody, they’d kidnap them and send them to torture chambers. If the Obama administration decides they don’t like somebody, they murder them.

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—	Noam Chomsky

Before anyone jumps to any bold let’s-go-to-war conclusions about Iran and their alleged nuclear ambitions, I humbly submit Exhibit A: the Iraq war was jammed down our throats under the pretense of weapons of mass destruction.

National Defense =/= International Occupation

Defense spending in the USA is outrageous. We are brought up to believe that sacrifice for our country is noble and heroic, and we are constantly bombarded with messages of a cruel, evil world, where terrorists desire to kill us because they’re jealous of our freedom, and malign, shadowy governments and fiery, tyrannical dictators alike plot to destroy us with weapons of mass destruction. The true state of affairs is that our government is run by corporations who use our young men and women to further their own economic gains by securing access to resources around the globe and further enhancing their positions as the imperial monopolists of Earth. We’re soothed into complacency by the many distractions afforded by a first-world “capitalistic” republic, while they brainwash us into thinking they know what is best for us. They use most of our tax dollars to fund their war machine which lines their pockets, while young men and women are marched off to die for our “national defense”. Their sacrifice is not noble, nor heroic. They are not dying to protect us. They are not dying to keep America “free”. They are dying because of greed. They are dying because of our ignorance and apathy. The American War on Terror is the greatest scam in history.

I am not going to go into a diatribe on conspiracy theories, whether or not 9/11 was an inside job, if Osama bin Laden died in 2001, etc. I’m going to look at facts. Facts like the amount of money we spend on defense in this country, all over the world, vs. what other countries spend. Facts like ~3000 people died on 9/11, which sparked our War on Terror and trillions of dollars spent on our defense. Facts like since then, we’ve lost double that number in American lives in war, while the number of civilian deaths in foreign countries is staggeringly exponential in comparison. Domestically we’re experiencing the worst economic climate since the Great Depression. Discontent is at an all-time high. Our government is committing troops to Arab nations who are clamoring for freedom, while here in America, peaceful protestors are subject to police brutality and widespread scorn and derision by the general populace spurred by the mainstream media (the mouthpiece of the establishment).

The numbers speak for themselves. Common sense does the rest. If you want to defend America, surely you want soldiers in America? Assuming 9/11 was a 100% terrorist act with no forewarning. Is it feasible that if we have American soldiers in every airport screening every single passenger and their carry-ons that 9/11 could have been avoided? Before you cry out how unrealistic that is due to time/budget constraints, look at how much time and money we spend internationally on our “defense”. Surely you would rather be safe and sacrifice a little bit of personal time to ensure your plane isn’t going to be hijacked? We are currently flying remote controlled weapons in other countries, assassinating people at will, every day. Why? What threat do they pose? Are they shooting weapons at our troops on the ground? Then bring our troops home, out of harms way. Now what? Everyone is safe and happy. If you are afraid of WMDs, then instead of spending money trying to occupy the world, invest in satellites/radars to take out projectiles (we already have all of this in place). So then what danger is posed to America from the world if we bring our troops home and ensure a global missile defense system? None. If someone inside America wants to blow something up, Big Brother will most likely find them, and if not, such is life. We will never live in a society where you will be 100% secure unless you sacrifice 100% of your personal freedom and liberty. Do you want to live in a police state? Do you want to live in Nazi Germany?

People who don’t feel safe and want to spend trillions of dollars globally to ensure our safety from terrorists are hypocrites. Your fear for your safety means you want to live, right? Do you smoke? Do you drink? Do you eat healthy and exercise daily? Do you know about all the chemicals in our water supply, all the pesticides and toxins in our food? All the industrial chemicals that leak into what you eat through toxic can linings and plastic packaging? All the antibiotic-resistant bacteria you’re consuming and encouraging to grow through non-organic industrialized food production? Chances are you don’t care about all of that, you’re content to die of cancer or heart disease, just so long as it’s not from a terrorist. As long as you can have your DVR, NFL, celebrity gossip news and a cheeseburger, you’re content.

Don’t let anyone you care about join the military. Don’t let a loved one die to secure economic gains for the people who took our country away from us. Support the troops by bringing them home. Take your money out of big banks and put it into credit unions. Do not consume mainstream media as your main source of information. Inform yourself. Educate yourself. Open your eyes and your mind and encourage those around you to do the same. Have discussions and conversations with strangers about what is happening in our country and in the world. Critically analyze everything you see, think, and hear. Challenge yourself on any beliefs you hold. Logic will prevail. Liberty, freedom, and the will of the people will prevail. Down with the state. Up with the revolution.

Budget Breakdown for 2012

Defense-related expenditure 2012 Budget request & Mandatory spending^[18]^[19]Calculation^[20]^[21] DOD spending $707.5 billion Base budget + “Overseas Contingency Operations” FBI counter-terrorism $2.7 billion At least one-third FBI budget. International Affairs $5.6–$63.0 billion At minimum, foreign arms sales. At most, entire State budget Energy Department, defense-related $21.8 billion Veterans Affairs $70.0 billion Homeland Security $46.9 billion NASA, satellites $3.5–$8.7 billion Between 20% and 50% of NASA’s total budget Veterans pensions $54.6 billion Other defense-related mandatory spending $8.2 billion Interest on debt incurred in past wars $109.1–$431.5 billion Between 23% and 91% of total interest Total Spending $1.030–$1.415 trillion

U.N. agency approves full Palestinian membership

The U.N. agency focusing on education and science voted Monday to accept a Palestinian bid for full membership, in the first vote on the matter by a part of the world body.

The vote, which required two-thirds approval by UNESCO members, passed with 107 votes in favor, 14 against, and 52 abstentions.

The vote is separate from the Palestinian bid for full membership in the United Nations. Representatives of several countries pointed out that currently that bid is being discussed by members of the U.N. Security Council.

Huge applause broke out at the meeting in Paris when the results of the vote were announced.

The vote risks the agency — the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — losing its U.S. funding, which accounts for more than a fifth of its budget.

Some U.S. lawmakers have threatened to cut off the funding, which a spokeswoman for the U.S. Mission to UNESCO said totals $80 million a year.

The lawmakers cite U.S. law, which states that funds must be denied to any organization granting the Palestine Liberation Organization “the same standing as member states.”

It’s a good thing then that the Palestine Liberation Organization wasn’t given the same standing as member states and that PALESTINE, THE NATION, WAS FORMALLY RECOGNIZED by UNESCO, adding it to the list of OVER A HUNDRED NATIONS AROUND THE WORLD who have previously done so (as of September 2011, 127 (65.8%) of the 193 member states of the United Nations have recognized the State of Palestine - Wikipedia).

Suck it, Israel.

[Strongly recommended reading: The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy]

Read CNN Article Here