Iraqi Lawmakers Forcing End Of Occupation?

   Here is something that you will not hear on Fox News anytime soon or anywhere else on television for that matter.

   The Iraqi Parliament passed a binding resolution that guarantees lawmakers a chance at blocking the extension of the U.N. mandate which keeps coalition troops in Iraq, which is coming up for renewal in December. Of course, Iraqi Bush minion Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, is said to probably veto the attempt.

The law requires that any future extensions of the mandate, which have previously been made by Iraq's Prime Minister, be approved by the parliament. It is an enormous development; lawmakers reached in Baghdad today said that they do in fact plan on blocking the extension of the coalition's mandate when it comes up for renewal six months from now.

Reached today by phone in Baghdad, Nassar al Rubaie, the head of Al-Sadr bloc in Iraq's Council of Representatives, said, "this new binding resolution will prevent the government from renewing the UN mandate without the parliament's permission. They'll need to come back to us by the end of the year, and we will definitely refuse to extend the UN mandate without conditions." Rubaie added: "there will be no such a thing as a blank check for renewing the UN mandate anymore, any renewal will be attached to a timetable for a complete withdrawal."     AlterNet for more

   This could be something in the making here, not to mention the fact that the Iraqi parliament is making our Democratic Congress look sort of wimpy, which they are getting to be. While our Congress and Senate ignore the will of the Americans who gave them the power, the Iraqis are listening to their citizens and are trying to take some action to end our occupation of their war- torn country. Maybe the Democrats in the United States should pay attention and take some notes!

Tags: Iraq parliament Baghdad occupation coalition forces

Will Paid Mercenaries Turn On American Citizens?

   This post and the following story goes right in step with my previous piece concerning companies like Blackwater and what they do in Iraq.

 Philosopher Karl Popper: ” ‘It cannot happen here’ is always wrong. A dictatorship can happen anywhere.”

Mercenary units are a vital instrument in the hands of despotic movements. Communist and fascist movements during the last century each built rogue paramilitary forces. And the appearance of Blackwater fighters, heavily armed and wearing their trademark black uniforms, patrolling the streets of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, may be a grim taste of the future. In New Orleans Blackwater charged the government $240,000 a day.

The word contractor helps launder the fear and threat out of a more accurate term: “paramilitary force.” We’re not supposed to have such forces in the United States, but we now do. And if we have them, we have a potential threat to democracy. On U.S. soil, Blackwater so far has shown few signs of being an out-and-out rogue retainer army, though they looked the part in New Orleans. But were this country to become even a little less stable, outfits like Blackwater might see a heyday. If the United States falls into a period of instability caused by another catastrophic terrorist attack, an economic meltdown that triggers social unrest, or a series of environmental disasters, such paramilitary forces, protected and assisted by fellow ideologues in the police and military, could ruthlessly abolish what is left of our eroding democracy. War, with the huge profits it hands to corporations, and to right-wing interests such as the Christian Right, could become a permanent condition. And the thugs with automatic weapons, black uniforms and wraparound sunglasses who appeared on the streets in New Orleans could appear on our streets.        Philadelphia Inquirer

  So, you complacent, ignorant little asshole's out there in fantasy land just keep on thinking that these things can't happen here. They thought the same thing in Cuba, China, and almost every other communist country and country that are now run by dictators.

  So, to you ignorant asshole's I have one thing to say. When the shit hits the fan and you have no-where to run to, I'll be glad to help you for a small fee of, say, $1,000 per day, same as Blackwater.

Tags: Blackwater Christian Right paramilitary forces mercenaries United States