Dishonest and Incompetent Is Too Much

The Bushits pushed us into a war on lies, and then, purely from hubris and astounding incompetence, managed to turn us into hostages to the insurgents in Iraq. Gas prices are soaring (which, if it finally moves us to more fuel conservation will be a good thing after the initial shock), supplies are getting iffy, and Americans are still dying for the cause of Big Oil. Yes, I'm partial to a particular viewpoint, but this time the rather conservative Financial Times is making the case:

But in the words of another US oil company executive, "it all turned out a lot more complicated than anyone had expected". Instead of the anticipated post-invasion rapid expansion of Iraqi production (an expectation of an additional 2m b/d entering the world market by now), the continuing violence of the insurgency has prevented Iraqi exports from even recovering to pre-invasion levels.

In short, the US appears to have fought a war for oil in the Middle East, and lost it. The consequences of that defeat are now plain for all to see.

And you are seeing them now, like it or not. Coffins and amputees coming back, gasoline at $2.50 a gallon, and no end in sight. Of course, does your mainstream media link this all together for you, or even acknowledge the war in Iraq? Not bloody likely, what with such essential news as Charles and Camilla's wedding, Michael Jackson, and the most ghoulish deathwatch over the Pope since, well, Terri Schiavo the week before.

What disturbs me even more is when I look at my students, almost none of whom have any awareness of how vulnerable they are becoming to an imminent draft, which will place many of them under the direct control of the most corrupt and incompetent administration in my lifetime, and that's over five decades. We are facing disaster and turning our heads away, hoping it will just go away. It's time for action, folks, to get rid of these crooks and liars and warmongers and fascists and hatemongers and their compliant enablers as well. It will take a kind of revolution to clean these shit-filled houses of shame. I just hope that there is something worth salvaging before it's too late. I do love my country, but the people running it have turned it into a whorehouse for the corporate and the wealthy. The people hold the power, but just as there is little difference between someone who doesn't read and someone who can't read, those who don't exercise the political power they do have are, in fact, as powerless as the most downtrodden in any dictatorship.