Ever notice how the RW attacks real patriots as being mercenaries?

[bobthedrummer]

This is one of the first things the RW rapid-response team does whenever knowledgable Americans break rank with the lies propagated by the George W. Bush administration and speak out truthfully in contradiction to whatever fictional narrative is in play-the individual is accused of being motivated of profiteering, usually the follow-on shot to this is an attack on veracity and character.

This is all framed within a horrible false patriotic zealotry, the Crusade/War on Terror, much worse than the "anti-American", "communist" charges inherent to the McCarthyism of the 50's. Now it is much broader and scarier, because of the linkage to terrorism, terrorists, and terrorist support.

I have no doubt that this tactic is a reversal of the core values of the RW attack dogs, it is tied up in some kind of perverted Calvinist/capitalist hybrid where wealth is viewed as a sign of approval by God, no matter how the wealth is garnered (the Bush family, for instance, where wealth came partially from The Holocaust).

The latest example of this tactic can be seen in the charges that Richard Clarke's statements before the 9/11 Commission were made to promote and sell his book.

We need to turn this back on them because they are following PNAC and are profiting from this possibly illegal war.

Who are the real mercenaries? Aren't they really what President Eisenhower warned us about at the end of his term-the military/industrial complex, now reinforced with organized religion and a largely captive media?

Here is just a partial list of post-war contractors, mercenaries that also made a lot of political contributions before the Iraq war.

Campaign Contributions of Post-war Contractors
http://www.publicintegrity.org/wow/resources.aspx?act=contrib

Post-war Contractors Ranked by Total Contract Value in Iraq and Afghanistan
http://www.publicintegrity.org/wow/resources.aspx?act=total

Who can you add to these mercenaries? Do you feel as I do, that we (America) are on the brink of allout fascism?

[bobthedrummer]

1. All in the (Profiteering) First Family by Margie Burns

http://www.populist.com/04.7.burns.html

[izzie]

2. Well with our Private military looting the tax payers money

we should be at war for years and on our side we will be the anti-American people. I do not even think we should stay in Iraq now that we made it a great big mess. Get out now and bring the military home and get some people in congress that will control this money give- a way. It is going to take this country down.

[bobthedrummer]

4. I think permanent war is part of PNAC, izzie, and I share your concern

about the future if we don't get this straightened out democratically.

PNAC link
http://www.newamericancentury.org/

[bobthedrummer]

3. 9-11 Profiteering: A Framework for Building the "Cui Bono?"

http://globalresearch.ca/articles/FIT403A.html

[chookie]

5. Authoritarianism

>>Aren't they really what President Eisenhower warned us about at the end of his term-the military/industrial complex, now reinforced with organized religion and a largely captive media?<<

Boy -- that's as concise an effective description of these times as any I have come across.

The outcome of the occupation of Iraq and the faux war or terror is irrelevant to the M/I complex -- as they stand to make incredible fortunes no matter how well or how badly things go -- nor will they ever have to face the consequences. In times of "peace" -- they sell their weapon systems to people like Saddam Hussein and Manuel Noriega, as though they build them up to later taken them down. Really -- it's a win/win highly profitable business for them, and from their perspective, we are living in the "good times" that Bush keeps telling the American people we are living in!

Funny how Mr Humble Foreign Policy surrounded himself from Day One with guys from Halliburton, and chose his advisors from PNAC. Yeah, right.... Pat Buchanon tried to defend His Chimperial Highness from charges of going into this mess as a Plan , but had been duped by his advisors -- I argue that given the fact that he chose such militaristic advisors that have pretty big plans for restructuring the middle east for decades.

Eisenhower left us with that wisdom -- he understood all too well that it existed, and how it would adversely effect our national security if they took over, as they have. I think they have always been an element in our government, always working on the sidelines or secretly, but now pretty much in the open. Because of the "election" of Bush, they feel they are free to operate openly -- although the mainstream media does not report what they really think and do, but only reports the PR talking points these facists issue out for mass consumption, for people who don't like to think for themselves, or are afraid of the conclusions they make when they do in fact think for themselves.

One of the bleakest ironies of the present age is that just as we are supposedly on a mission from God to take out authoritarian regimes, one has risen in our own country. An authoritarian cult of personality has arisen around George W Bush, not unlike that which arose around Mao, or Saddam, or the Duvaliers. There is a zealotry among fundamentalists and right wing extremists that is reminiscent of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, or the spread of "Marxist science." There is a glorification of the purifying beauty of war that is reminiscent of movements in Germany that proceeded both World Wars.

When Americans protest Bush, or criticize him, measures of many kinds are taken to silence them -- from First Amendment Zones, to rubber bullets and tear gas, to public mockery, to character assassination. When anyone complains of harsh measures taken against Americans dissenting against the rule of Bush, we are told that we should feel lucky that we are not just mowed down in a hail of gunfire. I get the impression that a lot of the manufactured outrage against Saddam Hussein these days is a form of psychological projection, and that there is an element of "repression envy." I sadly believe that the extremists in our country would just love to have the freedom to "go Saddam" on the left wing/non-insane Americans.

Just where is all of their anger towards their fellow country men going to go? It's not going to go away....

Bush has assembled a brilliant team of propagandists to get him "re"-elected. They tend to use phrases that have different meanings to different groups. "Diversity in Education" means, for the left, minority outreach, but to the right wing, it means creationism and jingoism in American classrooms given equal weight." When he talks of "justice", to sane Americans, it means fairness, but it means the power to bring down horrific punishment on "evil-doers" to the right wing.

They have managed to keep Americans confused and off-balance for over 3 years now. Their operating procedure is "Who do you believe, me, or your own eyes?"

We are in times of growing authoritarianism. This is just the beginning. A few years from now, we may be looking back to 2004 as a time of calm before the storm.

[bobthedrummer]

7. As a student of history I often feel like this is The Weimar Republic

phase of something that we've always assumed couldn't happen here, chookie.
We've all been warned about it from many sources for many years, most people never heard the alarms going off though.

[bobthedrummer]

6. Firms Awarded Iraq Pacts Tied to D.C. (Guardian)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3851109,00.html

[bobthedrummer]

8. Halliburton and Dyn Corp are mercenaries

making a killing right now. Getting away with crimes including sex slavery, looting and robbing, contracted killings for organized crime-they have some very sick employees indeed.

Halliburton
http://www.corpwatch.org/issues/PID.jsp?articleid=6008

Dyn Corp
http://www.corpwatch.org/issues/PID.jsp?articleid=6328

The criminal corporate culture of Dyn Corp
http://www.truthout.com/02.24C.DynCorp.Disgrace.htm

http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/VAR207A.html

http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/ROB108A.html

[bobthedrummer]

9. War Inc.

http://www.cryptome.org/us-war-inc.htm

[bobthedrummer]

10. Unfinished business in Iraq

http://www.onlinejournal.com/Special_Reports/Chin111402/chin111402.html