Iraq’s Insurgency Is Running on Stolen Oil Profits

[babsbunny]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/16/world/middleeast/16insurgent.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

AIJI, Iraq — The Baiji refinery, with its distillation towers rising against the Hamrin Mountains, may be the most important industrial site in the Sunni Arab-dominated regions of Iraq. On a good day, 500 tanker trucks will leave the refinery filled with fuel with a street value of $10 million.

The sea of oil under Iraq is supposed to rebuild the nation, then make it prosper. But at least one-third, and possibly much more, of the fuel from Iraq’s largest refinery here is diverted to the black market, according to American military officials. Tankers are hijacked, drivers are bribed, papers are forged and meters are manipulated — and some of the earnings go to insurgents who are still killing more than 100 Iraqis a week.

“It’s the money pit of the insurgency,” said Capt. Joe Da Silva, who commands several platoons stationed at the refinery.

[elizfeelinggreat]

1. OIL?

Funny how we haven't heard very much about that oil, huh?

It's missing from our national dialog the way our troop's conditions and casualities are.



(In real term$ I mean, not in response to a "why are we in Iraq" question)

[noamnety]

2. To really understand this article

first we'd have to have a dialog in this country about who the insurgents are.

insurgent: a person who rises in forcible opposition to lawful authority, esp. a person who engages in armed resistance to a government or to the execution of its laws; rebel.

That would be us, right?

Then we'd have to talk about who the Iraqi people are "stealing" their own oil FROM.

This is not condoning methods, not condoning kidnapping, threats, violence, all that. But I am looking at that article and seeing some pretty clear signs of propaganda in the way that it's written.

[KharmaTrain]

4. Insurgent = Boogie Man

It's the same red under your bed, now dressed up in a sheet and waiving a Koran instead of a Little Red Book. The term is suited to fit whatever "evil" this regime tries to spin and to confuse people and disguise their own criminality. They need this boogie man to create the fear that they use to jusify their pillage of civil and human rights and the Constitution.

Try asking a repugnican what a "terrorist" is...you'll get a cartoon character.

[KharmaTrain]

3. What A Farce...

IRC, wasn't one of the reasons little sir pissypants invaded was because of oil being smuggled from Iraq that ended up funding Saddam's army...and how this was destabilizing the world's oil supply. Seems like a bad dream now.

The difference between then and now, instead of Saddam, it's booooshie's buddies are are getting the skim...and the rest is going to arm the country...what a screwed up mess.