Multi billion dollar contracts for permanent bases in Iraq aren't considered part of the military industrial complex? ...and in case you haven't noticed, GWB doesn't really give a fuck about the Republican party, or it's short term electoral needs... or 'empire'. He IS the poster child for "get in, get over, get out.", and he's on his way out, but not his buddies who are the operational brains of the neocon outfit.
...and I disagree about the chaos not serving any US purpose in Iraq. I can show billions of dollars made (churned) for only the low cost of 2500+- (known) US soldiers killed. That BK job they'd be handed when they were done wasn't going to make for much of a tax base anyway.
Can you show where the mayhem *doesn't* serve the purposes of a small vicious group of people currently masquerading as the executive branch of the US government?
The difference between you and I Doug, as an ex-paramour once told me, is "...you are a hopeful". You don't want to believe that these people, the neocons, are
1: That stupid 2: That vicious 3: That short tem oriented, despite their wishes for a new 'American Empire'..
But I beg to differ, and so do many, many folks that used to trust the US government almost unconditionally, just to find out that what was once an aspiring social democracy is now nothing of the sort.
Here's the underlying philosophy of the neocons: (The part that Leo Strauss left out.)
"When life hands you apples, you make applesauce." (AKA opportunism)
They'll make their money and achieve their power despite a 'minor' setback in the middle-east.
The oil is there, therefore, the American Way Of Life"(tm) is dependent on the region, and our military will be there at whatever troop level we can maintain, until it's ALL GONE.
It's really that stupidly simple. But I forgot, for marxists, nothing is ever simple. Unlike us 'hippies', where we tend to K.I.S.S. alot.
The neocons are far from fucked, Wolfie's at the WB, and John Bolton is our representative at the UN (although not very effectual, see below). There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of people who have been insinuated in the US government that hold exactly the same beliefs, but you'll never see their names in print unless they do something atrociously stupid from the confines of their cubies.
As soon as the current adminstration is retired, everyone can relax, right?
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Jurist Paperchase: Thursday, February 23, 2006
UN adopts labor standards for maritime workers in global treaty Joshua Pantesco at 4:03 PM ET
[JURIST] The International Labour Organization (ILO) [official website], a UN agency, on Thursday officially adopted [press release] the long-debated Maritime Labour Convention [ILO materials], a bill of rights applicable to maritime workers that sets minimum standards for wages, work-to-rest ratios, and lays out comprehensive health and safety standards. The convention will become effective upon ratification by 30 of the 100 ILO member states who account for at least 33 percent of shipping weight worldwide, a process officials expect will take between 3 to 5 years to complete.
The labor standards will apply to the 1.2 million workers who work on ships weighing more than 500 gross tonnes, excluding those who are employed by fishing ships and traditional vessels such as junks. The ILO attributes 90 percent of all shipping accidents to preventable human error, which is considerably worsened by fatigue. Most of the goods that are traded between nations are transported by ships, which predominantly employ workers from developing countries with inadequate labor standards. Reuters has more. The UN News Centre provides additional coverage.
[active links @ page] http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2006/02/un-adopts-labor-standards-for-maritime.php
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