Please don't believe these two things...

I haven't been doing many political or world affairs type posts lately. And I've been happier, generally, reading about things in less detail. But these two headlines came across today and I can't just leave them alone.




First, don't believe this: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070724/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/iraq_petraeus_plan

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US revises timetable for Iraq security

WASHINGTON - A revised U.S. military plan for Iraq envisions local authorities enforcing security by 2009 but leaves open the questions of how many U.S. troops will still be needed and how quickly Americans can begin to leave in large numbers.

The plan appears to reflect an assertion by U.S. commanders that this year's troop buildup will be needed until next summer, one defense official said...

...

The Petraeus-Crocker plan is based on more than military strategy. It factors in a combination of political, economic, security and diplomatic efforts — along the lines Bush has described in recent months — plus actions to be taken by the Iraqi government. Those include movement on long-stalled legislation on oil-sharing, plus measures to bring more Sunnis who were members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party into the government.

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The truth is in there, just buried. Any revised timeline has little to do with security and everything to do with the oil legislation. So this means they now think it will take that long to get it passed. Then we can bring most of our troops home and hunker down in the massive embassy and PERMANENT bases to enforce our claim to the oil revenue. It's all for Exxon and the rest of 'em.

Also, please don't believe this either: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070724/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush

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Bush warns anew of al-Qaida threat

CHARLESTON, S.C. - President Bush on Tuesday lashed out at critics who say that al-Qaida's operation in Iraq is distinct from terrorists who attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.

"The merger between al-Qaida and its Iraqi affiliate is an alliance of killers and that is why the finest military in the world is on their trail," Bush said.

Citing security details he declassified for his speech, Bush described al-Qaida's burgeoning operation in Iraq as a direct threat to the United States. Bush accused critics in Congress of misleading the American public by suggesting otherwise...

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In broad strokes, Bush linked the Iraq war to an event that Americans remember deeply — the Sept. 11 attacks, not the sectarian strife among Iraqis, which has caused some to question U.S. military involvement.

Al-Qaida, led by Osama bin Laden, orchestrated the terrorist strikes on the United States by turning hijacked airplanes into killing machines. That was almost six years ago. Now a fresh intelligence estimate warns that the United States is in a heightened threat environment, mainly from al-Qaida. The terror group is seizing upon its affiliate, al-Qaida in Iraq, to recruit members and organize attacks, the report found.

"I've presented intelligence that clearly establishes this connection," Bush said after spelling out details of foreign ties and leadership of al-Qaida in Iraq."

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Lies on top of lies. There was no al Queda in Iraq before we invaded, no matter how you spell it. And we went in for weapons of mass destruction that weren't there - that was the stated case for war. We are there for our oil companies and our petroleum based economy - you would have to be either an idiot or horribly mis-informed if you believe anything else. Our presence in Iraq makes us less and less safe the longer we are there and the more civilians we kill. Plus- most of the suicide bombers come from Saudi Arabia.

We need to say no to big oil and this President - if you really support our troops and want to feel safe, bring them home as soon as possible, elect a Democrat, and let's pay some reparations and fix what we broke over there instead of funding this never ending occupation.

The war is long since over - we won it. This is just an occupation.

I also encourage you to pay attention to this: http://www.alternet.org/rights/57689/

Five Ways Bush's Era of Repression Has Stolen Your Liberties Since 9/11

Today's America is a much less free place than the America of 2000. Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Bush administration has, by word and by deed, erected an edifice of repression here in the United States.

We've been living in it ever since. And it's not a comfortable place. The government is monitoring your phone calls and can read your e-mails and open your snail mail.

The government can access records of your large financial transactions, such as buying a house.

Law enforcement officers can bust into your home when you're not there, riffle through your belongings, plant a recording device on your computer, and leave without notifying you for at least thirty days -- and maybe a lot more...

...Under George W. Bush's interpretation of the president's powers during the so-called war on terror he can do just about whatever he wants. He cites the Authorization for Use of Military Force bill, which Congress passed on September 18, 2001, as the justification for this enormous leeway.

"Congress gave me the authority to use necessary force to protect the American people, but it didn't prescribe the tactics,"Bush said in a speech at Kansas State University on January 23, 2006. Those tactics, he presumes, are totally up to him. Under this rationale Bush could send F-16s to attack a residential area in, say, Indianapolis if he thought Al Qaeda suspects were there.

Now back to get togethers, flowers, recipes, and such...