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ENCHANTÉ – CHINA’S DEMOCRACY

Mars Man on Planet Earth and on Mars with Kathryn of Omaha TV

Mars Man is visiting Lu again for an interview on behalf of Mars TV at the Chinese America Office, formerly the Empire State Building, now called The Mao Xi Jinping Tower.

“Morning, Lu, how’s everything?”

“Province America is doing great, thanks to Bernie Sanders, now Chief Comrade of Province America, and Miss Cortez, Vice Chief Comrade. All schools are public now with free education, learning Mandarin as the first language. Healthcare is free. University is free and student loans are forgiven. Everyone has a fixed salary and nobody pays taxes as these are automatically withheld. All commerce and manufacturing is ‘Made in China’ and all revenues are paid into the Chinese Treasury.”

“My wife Kathryn says that her government salary is totally insufficient. I have to support her with Mars gold. The Yen does not have enough purchasing power she says.”

“Everyone’s salary is the same because everybody is equal. It’s about the same level as the old Social Security was. People have to learn how to live in a socialistic society. No jealousy, no keeping up with the Joneses. Bernie wanted that households with a maximum of two children up to eighteen years old get an extra allowance. We agreed to that, but that meant that the average salary had to be lower. All money is government money. Kathryn should be happy to receive money from China.”

“What happened to the money of the rich?”

“Chief Comrade Sanders said to confiscate their money because it was all stolen. So we did. Everybody has the same amount of money. Only the Leader determines who may have more.”

“Do citizens here still have freedom as embedded in the US Constitution?”

“You’re misinformed, Mars. The US Constitution is no more. The Founding Fathers are gone. Province America is ruled by the new Founding Fathers, Mao and Xi Jinping, with Bernie Sanders and Miss Cortez as their valets. Everyone is free within the confines of socialism.”

“What happened to President Trump and his military establishment?”

“President Trump made the mistake of visiting China with his top generals and political entourage to meet President Xi Jinping. They were incarcerated for unfriendly behavior about our legit American market share and shipped to Guantanamo Bay. China took over America with our superior Cyberwarfare equipment without firing one shot.”

“So you helped the American political left to achieve their goal of removing their rightfully elected President. Was there any collusion between you, Biden and Sanders?”

“Don’t ask impertinent questions, Mars. You know the rule. One more and you are out the door.”

“Sorry, Lu, but the former President was accused of collusion. Since you removed him from office in the interest of the left, the question arises. Back on the salary matter, if everyone has the same state salary, do people still have jobs?”

“In a planned economy, everyone has a job. The new State Districts of Province America assign jobs to them. The former states have been abolished. People living in each State District must register at the Xi Jinping Party Office. Those who do not will be imprisoned and they and their relatives forfeit their state salary.”

“But my wife says that her state salary cannot pay for needed groceries in the state commissaries.”

“In China, people have no problem buying in and living on state commissaries, so if we Chinese can, Chinese Americans can too. Most Americans are overweight anyway. Slimming down by living on a state salary is cheaper than paying exorbitant fees for Nutrisystem.”

“That’s tough on what used to be a freedom-loving society. Have there not been any protests?”

“No protests. Do you remember Tiananmen square?  President Xi dictated that everyone must closely adhere to the Communist Party line, or else. There are serious consequences if they don’t, such as life-long labor camps. So far, the inhabitants of Province America got the message.”

“Are people allowed to stay in their multimillion-dollar homes?” 

“Only true Chinese and true Chinese American collaborators can if they contribute to the Leader. Others must move out to make room for them. Chief Comrade Sanders and his pupil Miss Cortez are assigned McMansions of their liking. Miss Pelosi is holed up for free in an assistant-living residence managed by a state commissary.”

“Do South Americans still cross the border?”

“No, for two reasons. The Trump Wall now serves to prevent people from moving out. Second, Central American states are dominated by socialist regimes that closely collaborate with China. China does not tolerate migration.”

“Am I correct that China has destroyed Western democracy?”

“Your premise is wrong. Chinese democracy existed many centuries before Western nations were born. Who is to say that Western Democracy is better than Chinese Democracy? It’s all in the eyes of the beholder. China’s democracy has ruled a population grown to close 1.5 billion. How could you govern a population that large with Western Democracy? American democracy grew decadent with its sexual aberrations and political and religious infighting. Their politicians turned into a class of clowns. They dug their own grave. In a way, China has saved the Americans from themselves. Soon, we will save Mars from the Marsians.”

“I don’t think so, Lu. Our Cyber Power is still a multiple of China’s. I have no problem flying to and from Planet Earth in a jiffy. Mars Democracy is much older than China’s. Be careful, do not touch Mars or we focus our beams on Bejing and obliterate your system. Goodbye, Lu, it was a pleasure meeting you again.”

After kissing off Kathryn in Omaha, Mars Man scooted back to Mars. On the way, cybermalfare rattled the shield of Space Scooter One. Mars Man took his cell phone and dialed Lu. “Lu, stop that rattling right now or I pulverize your Xi Tower with my afterburner.” The rattling died right away.

 

 

 

 

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ENCHANTÉ – MARS MAN’S BAD INTERVIEW WITH LU

Mars Man is back at Lu Kung Si’s office in the Empire State Building for an interview with the Governor of China’s Province America. Mars visits Lu on behalf of Mars City TV which is interested in hearing Lu’s views about China’s Plans to invade Mars to make it a Chinese Province as well. The interview is relayed through Omaha TV with charming anchor Kathryn. Lu speaks first.

“You know, Mars, that Planet Earth’s Napoleon in his days already said that China was a sleeping giant and that Planet Earth should worry when it awoke. You see what happened to what was previously called the USA. You ask what China’s Plans are for Mars? Tell your audience they would never have it any better: daily access to Peking Duck and Chinese food, the main staple of America’s carry outs, even long before it became a Chinese province.”

“May I remind you Lu that Mars people have different bodies than you have. We live underground, have worm farms, plant farms, eat olms, salamanders, and wild bats, a delicacy as good as Peking Duck.  We do not keep messy flee-infested poultry. Chinese could not live on Mars.”

“China would build structures above ground, Mars, acclimatized to Planet Earth conditions, bringing in our own food and drinks.”

“Unlike Planet Earth, we manage our climate and would make sure that storms, heat and cold would wipe you off our surface. My wife Kathryn cannot come with me. I have to come here but I have the ability to change into a human body, and that’s a secret you cannot steal.”

“I must remind you not to speak in adversarial terms, Mars. China does not steal. We acquire technology through partnerships, ‘Made in China.’ Find me one box in Province America without that label. We make things together and in exchange, we use our label. Walmart likes it, so does QVC and so many others, and so do we. Those that do not go out of business.”

“Lu, on Mars, we do not use cheap malnourished Chinese labor to make a profit on what we sell. You have no future on Mars. So spare yourself the trouble and stay away.”

“You don’t understand China, Mars. China aims to rule the universe and Mars will be one of our provinces in space from where we dominate Planet Earth.”

“Mars will import redundant flatulence from the failed New Green Deal and make your landing impossible.”

“Don’t fool yourself, Mars. We acquired NASA and the Russian Space Station. We put our footprint on the Moon. Mars will be next. Venus and Jupiter will follow.”

“The inhabitants of these planets will eat you alive, Lu. Contrary to Marsians, they like Chinese food. It’s a suicidal move.”

“China has 1.5 billion people and that’s too many. We must ship the overload off to space, starting with the Tibetans and Urghs, and unruly residents of Province America. Those deplorables as defined by comrade Hillary Clinton, including racists, sexists, homophobics, xenophobics, Islamophobics. Like the Brits did with sending their criminal crop to Australia. Only true collaborators of China are allowed to remain on Planet Earth.”

“How will China get to Mars?”

“Before you leave, we will X-ray your body to re-engineer it and replicate it for our own use.”

“X-rays do not work on my body, Lu. Besides, if you try that I will turn you into a Mars bar with devastating power.  When somebody eats that bar, that person will also turn into a Mars bar, and so on. That might be a better policy to deal with your population problem.”

“Don’t try April Fools Pranks on me, Mars. I can arrest you for disrespect of a senior Chinese official. I insist you follow me to our health room.”

Lu rises, but his face and body crumble with a painful scream. All that’s left on his desk is a Mars bar.

When Mars Man leaves Lu’s office, he pushes the icon ‘Utilities’ on his smartphone to restore Lu to his human condition. He needs him for further interviews but knows that Lu will think twice before trying to take his body next time.

 

 

 

 

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ENCHANTÉ – TALKING CHINA

  

Talking China: Some of you may remember Mars Man, Chief Anchor at Mars City TV, married to Kathryn of Omaha TV in a happy mixed extraterrestrial marriage. Mars Man visits Omaha TV regularly, landing in a nearby razed cornfield with Space Scooter  One. In view of all the current talk about trade negotiations with China, we repeat Mars Man’s visionary interview a year ago with Lu Kung Si, China’s Governor of the US, about the status of the former US, which is now a prosperous province of China, with the help of Bernie Sanders.

“Dear viewers, I am Kathryn Holliday, spouse of our dear Mars Man. Today we air Mars Man’s long-awaited interview with Lu Kung Si, China’s US representative, in his new office at the Empire State Building in New York, taped last July. We do not have permission from Lu Kung Si to air this interview, but we do so on behalf of Mars TV. Mars City TV, are you connected? All right, here we go:

Mars Man: “Lu, nice meeting you again. You have a magnificent office here. You can see the whole world. On a clear day, you can even see Beijing. On the other hand, I hear you have no clear days in Beijing.”

Lu: “Thanks for your welcoming words Mars Man, but we Chinese usually are more polite at the start of an interview instead of throwing mud.”

Mars Man: “Blame my Americanization for this, my apologies. After all, the US has been sending these rovers to Mars and they infected us with their bad manners.”

Lu: “You are forgiven, but I must give you a red flag in accordance with Chinese State Rule 180437. No democracy or free speech here anymore.  One more and you are out the door.”

Mars Man: “How are you dealing with the US now that you have submitted it to your communist culture of serfdom?”

Lu: “I warn you Mars Man for framing your questions in an adverse manner. Americans will retain freedom more or less like Hong Kong, within prescribed limitations. We use American security systems, which we borrowed from the NSA, to control the Americans. Besides, we have over one hundred scientific torture methods, including our well-known water drop and slow death by a thousand cuts. No Miranda rights and Department of Justice susceptibilities. We have abolished the ACLU and their members have all been sent to labor camps or been incarcerated for life.”

Mars Man: “That must discomfort many American citizens. On Mars, we are concerned about China’s militarism and aggressive totalitarian methods. After you have made the US your subsidiary, other countries of Planet Earth fear losing their freedom. We understand Europe is next.”

Lu: “Who says we do not belong to the free world? We have elections too, you know, but we keep order with our one party system. The US lost the taste for discipline. Other countries, including Europe, should learn from us and adapt. Several are communist already. President Obama was our avid student and did most of our preparatory work so that we could just walk in here and take over without fundamental change. It was too late for Trump to stop that.”

Mars Man: “But your mercurial capitalist policies are pure state rule and make everyone unhappy.”

Lu: “You remember former President Obama crying on TV that he had this messy democracy to deal with? That’s what brought down the US.”

Mars Man: “But all your excess money is invested in your military.”

Lu: “Has Mars forgotten Planet Earth’s history? A century ago, China was invaded by Japan, Russia and Western countries, including the US, and Shanghai was made into an American brothel. We suffered a lot of misery and we don’t want that to happen again.”

Mars Man: “All right, but where do you need all that weaponry for that was reportedly fabricated with what they say stolen US technology?”

Lu: “Mars Man, I must warn you. You sound if Mars is on the side of the West what’s left of it. We only need to open NASA’s files to invade Mars, don’t forget that.”

“Mars Man: “Point taken, Lu, but please answer the question.”

“Lu: On the stolen technology, that’s because we are good at stealing and reverse engineering. We know math. The American kids did not do their math to America’s peril. We must rule the world to protect China. ”

Mars Man: “On Mars, we thought the land of Confucius was the image of peace, wisdom, and respect for humanity. Didn’t he say ‘Don’t impose on others what you don’t wish for yourself?’”

Lu: “That’s grossly taken out of context. Don’t confuse Confucius with Western linear thinking. Confucius also said: ‘The cautious never err.’ Read our White Paper on China’s Peaceful Development. It’s on the Web.”

Mars Man: “I don’t read Chinese. Give me the gist, please.”

Lu: “It makes the case that China does not interfere with other countries’ internal affairs and does not bully other countries, such as America did. We only come when invited, as we were by Obama and Walmart.”

Mars Man: “Your child policy has created a massive growth of only male people. What are the sexual implications of that?”

Lu: “These are questions you are not allowed to ask. Remember our Rule 180437. Your former Vice President Joe Biden fully understands this one-child policy, so go and ask him.”

Mars Man: “Let me put it differently then. How will you deal with the striking increase in Chinese male homosexuality with all these single men? I thought homosexuality was forbidden in China. What do these guys do if there aren’t any girls left?”

Lu: “We have a vibrant girl doll production in China that can satisfy the most sexually driven men. They giggle, coo, wriggle, kiss, moan, and can do it up and down. The military gets them free. We have all types, Asian, Caucasian, Hispanics, you name it. Demand in Province America has already exceeded our wildest expectations. Even lesbians love them. I can send you our vendor list if you want.”

Mars Man: “Thanks but no thanks, Lu, they don’t work on our Mars bodies. Goodbye and see you next time.”

Kathryn of Omaha TV: “That was it, dear audience. OMAHA TV risks to be closed by the Chinese authorities for broadcasting this interview. Only NBC is still functioning with their communist staff under Chinese state control. Soon we will have to travel to Mars to get the real news.”

A blank screen appears.

 

 

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MARS MAN TV: PLANET EARTH CONFUCIUS ON CHINA

Kathryn of Omaha TV: “Dear viewers. Today we show Mars Man’s long awaited interview with Lu Kung Si, China’s US representative, in his new office at the Empire State Building in New York, taped last July. As you know, we are now a prosperous province of China and have special permission from Lu Kung Si to air this interview unabridged. Mars City TV, are you connected? All right, here we go:

Mars Man: “Lu, nice meeting you again. You have a magnificent office here. You can see the whole world. On a clear day you can even see Beijing. On the other hand, I hear you have no clear days in Beijing anymore. Too much pollution?”

Lu: “Thanks for your welcoming words Mars Man, but we Chinese are usually more polite and wish you well at the start of an interview instead of throwing mud.”

Mars Man: “Blame my Americanization for this, my apologies. After all, the USA has been sending these rovers to Mars and they infected us with their bad manners.”

Lu: “You are forgiven, but I must give you a red flag in accordance with Chinese State Rule 180437. Two times more and you are out the door.”

Mars Man: “I hope that by that time our interview is over. Let me start. Soon the American people will remember the fiercest attack on their country by Islamic fanatics, as you know called 9/11. How are you dealing with this, now that you have submitted the USA to your own mentality of serfdom?”

Lu: “I warn you Mars Man for framing your questions in an adverse manner. Americans will retain a substantial freedom of action, more or less like Hong Kong, within prescribed limitations. As to their remembrance of 9/11, we will fully respect their memorial services and any ceremonies will be allowed. As to the Islamic threats, we have our own in China and we know how to deal with them. Islamic extremists will not be allowed to subvert our society, including those we annex. We will mainly use American security systems, which are quite adequate. Besides, now that those terrorists know we are here, they’ll think twice about trying to attack as they will be physically ripped apart without our blinking an eye. We have over one hundred scientific torture methods, including our well known water drop and slow death by a thousand cuts. No Miranda rights and Department of Justice susceptibilities. We have abolished the ACLU and their members have all been sent to labor camps or incarcerated for life.”

Mars Man: “That must comfort many American citizens. However, on Mars we have the impression that the remaining free world is uncomfortable about China’s militarism and aggressive stands. You have now by way of speaking annexed the USA and made it your subsidiary. Are the other countries of Planet Earth right to be concerned?”

Lu: “Who says we do not belong to the free world? We have elections too, you know, but we keep order with our one party system. The USA lost the taste for discipline. Other countries, including Europe, should learn from us and adapt. President Obama was our avid student and did most of our preparatory work, so that we could just walk in here and take over without fundamental change. He had already done that. However, he was a bit too eager and making such a mess of it that he was taking us all down the cliff. So we had no choice but to take over his regime to set things straight and save our own economy from collapsing too.”

Mars Man: “But your capitalist policies are pure state rule and your monetary policies are keeping the Yuan artificially low to encourage exports and keep imports to a minimum. Other countries’ economies are suffering from that.”

Lu: “This problem has been largely solved by our annexation of the USA. It emerged from a simple marketing strategy. Western economists do not make a distinction in our methodologies. We apply capitalist production and marketing policies, but do not accept democratic rule as that fouls up any sound economic system. The western socialists, and that includes Obama’s regime and his socialist cronies in that cackling Congress, don’t understand you need capitalist methodologies to compete and make money and fund your programs. You remember former President Obama crying on TV that he had this messy democracy to deal with? That’s what brought down the USA, as his efforts to impose a one party system collapsed with that Tea Party monster. Mao and Lenin used communist or socialist economic rules and it utterly failed. We have learned from that. Remember Ding Chao Ping? We only apply strict communist state rule to our country management to keep our large population in sync with our state policies. Russia does too. We do not indebt ourselves like Obama did. There is only so much you can tax and spend before the “other people’s money” runs out and you go belly up, as the USA did. We can sell cheaper because we are more efficient without all these ridiculous environmental regulations and do not burden our export industries to pay for nonsensical social programs that don’t work. We abolished all that and most Americans are happy with that. Chinese know how to take care of themselves and Americans will too. We keep our currency in check and don’t use the printing press like the American Bernanke did. There you have it in a nutshell.”

Mars Man: “And all the excess money you make is invested in your military.”

Lu: “Has Mars forgotten Planet Earth’s history? Do you forget that less than one hundred years ago, China was invaded by Japan, Russia and Western countries, including the USA, and that Shanghai was made into an American brothel? We suffered a lot of misery and we don’t want that to happen again.”

Mars Man: “All right, but where do you need all that weaponry for that was reportedly fabricated with what they say stolen technology?”

Lu: “Mars Man, I must warn you. You sound if Mars is on the side of the West what’s left of it. We don’t have plans to invade Mars, as the USA had. So know your friends when you ask questions like these or else we might have to start invading you too. I have to issue you a second red flag. Mind your words. On a Mars invasion, we only need to open NASA’s files, don’t forget that.”

“Mars Man: “Point taken, Lu, but please answer the question, since I am only at the second red.”

“Lu: On the stolen technology, that’s because we are good at stealing and reverse engineering. We know mathematics. The American kids did not to their peril and are now learning it again, and if they refuse they are sent to labor camps till they do. That’ll teach them a lesson. Others on Planet Earth steal as well, Pakistanis, Indians, Iranians. We keep a keen eye on these murky peoples. When their stealing is not in our interest and they get things before we do, we act, another reason why we had to come here. Now we don’t need to steal USA secrets anymore, as they belong to us. Made in larger China, if you wish. On the need for it, we have a large country to defend, and now that we have annexed the USA it is even larger. We want to make sure others respect us for what we are before they do us in. Taiwan and some Russian, Vietnamese and Japanese islands are disputed territory and when the time comes, we will reunite.”

Mars Man: “But is that not a belligerent tone? On Mars, we thought the land of Confucius was the image of peace, wisdom and respect for humanity. Didn’t he say “don’t impose on others what you don’t wish for yourself?”

Lu: “That seems a very liberal translation and grossly out of context. Don’t confuse Confucius with Western linear thinking. Confucius also said: “The cautious never err.” So we took our precautions and Obama gave us the key. He was glad to because he was in over his head, so we did him  and the Americans a favor. Read our White Paper on China’s Peaceful Development. It’s on the Web.”

Mars Man: “I thought China had only pink paper and that’s what I found in Third World country bathrooms. But I can’t read Chinese. Give me the gist, please.”

Lu: “It makes the case that China does not interfere with other countries’ internal affairs and does not bully other countries, such as the past USA did all over. We only come when invited, as we were by Obama and Walmart, because Obama had lost his marbles and Walmart wanted to extend its market share of Chinese goods.”

Mars Man: “How does China intend to deal with its internal issues? As I said at the beginning, you have serious environmental problems. You can’t inhale a breeze of fresh air in Beijing and Shanghai isn’t much better. Then you have that one child policy that has created a massive growth of only male people. What are the sexual implications of that?”

Lu: “These are questions you are not allowed to ask and I am not willing to answer. Remember our Rule 180437. You got a third red flag and have to leave in five minutes or you will be thrown out by my personal thugs. The American former Vice President Joe Biden fully understands this one child policy, so go and ask him.”

Mars Man: “But you said you were a freedom loving nation where you can discuss these things openly, I suppose without handing out red flags?”

Lu: “Free in Chinese does not mean the same as free in English. I cannot answer your question because you don’t speak Mandarin.”

Mars Man: “Let me put it differently then. How will you deal with the striking increase in Chinese male homosexuality with all these single men? I thought homosexuality was forbidden in China. What do these guys do if there aren’t any girls left?”

Lu: “We have a vibrant girl doll production in China that can satisfy the most sexually driven men. They giggle, coo, wriggle, kiss, moan, and can do it up and down. The military get them free. We Chinese take care of our men. You can pack them in your briefcase, your rucksack, your pocket, blow them up at home or in your hotel, take them to the beach, whatever, and they act and feel just like real women. The added advantage is you can make love to them wherever and whenever you want, you never have a fight, no complaints about headaches if you know what I mean, they never age, and when you get tired of them you throw them out and buy a new one. We have all types, Asian, Caucasian, Hispanics, you name it. Demand in Province America has already exceeded our wildest expectations. Even lesbians love them. I can send you our vendor list if you want.”

Mars Man: “Thanks but no thanks, Lu, they won’t work with our Mars bodies. Thanks for the interview, Lu, very informative. I take your red flags as a souvenir back to Mars. Till soon.”

Kathryn of Omaha TV: “That was it, dear audience. I hope you had your remote handy for the kids during the last part of this interview. Mars Man is traveling back to Mars City. All the best and till next time when he and our panels meet again.”

 

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ENCHANTÉ – Don’t Cry For Me Iraq

john
During the ongoing Congress Hearings of the Trump Cabinet nominees, the American relation with Iraq and the Middle-East came up several times. Few of us understand the Middle-East and many scholars who have lived and studied in this mysterious group of nations tend to say they still do not understand it fully either, though they are able to analyze its travels through history better than anyone watching the daily news. I was fortunate to be associated with a World Bank managed UN Trust Fund after the US-led invasion of Iraq and learned much from this experience, among others by traveling frequently to Jordan and Lebanon. Previously I visited Saudi Arabia (Jeddah) several times.

www.britannica.com

I still remember sitting in front of the TV looking at the “Shock-in-Awe” images in 2003, seeing explosions like you see in movies or now on your tablet playing one of those silly war games. Then we saw how the US implemented the invasion thereafter. In my long-time project management experience at the World Bank, my immediate impression was, as it so often happened with well-intentioned projects in my Institution, it is very easy to start something on paper, but getting it implemented well is a wholly different ball game. And so it went: very bad. It had not been thought through. Though I was on the fence on the rationale for invading Iraq, after the surge in 2007 a noticeable improvement occurred in our project management (this will be a repeat of a previous post next time). Perhaps in hindsight, it was a strategic mistake to go after Sadam Hussain, but once that was done, it was even a greater mistake to withdraw from Iraq all together in 2011, without leaving any protection on site. And so, my deepest frustration was that with American foreign policy management, national politics and partisan ideology often screw up world affairs. The hearings brought this out.

That’s why I posted this blog in 2014 and I consider it still very relevant today.

“With respectful reference to Tom Rice’s lyrics and Andrew Webber’s fabulous musical, Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina, I just wonder how it would look like if Saddam Hussein rose from his grave and gave a speech to the Iraqi populace from the statue from which he was toppled, “Don’t Cry For Me, Iraq.”  Saddam would sing it with his heavy baritone (he could surely not sing it like Madonna, www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Spy3Nd2D6w):

 

Saddam Statue toppled

Wikipedia on Saddam Hussain

“And as for fortune, and as for fame I never invited them in” (meaning the Allied forces…)

“Though it seemed to the world they were all I desired” (to show them how he had “no WMD”, just to ridicule “Bush”)

“They are illusions” (Western propaganda about his cruel rule)

“They are not the solutions they promised to be” (my hanging on the gallows)

“The answer was here all the time”(I could do much better than they)

“I love you and hope you love me” (Don’t I look much better now?)

“Don’t cry for me, Iraq.”

Well, with medieval ISIS on the attack, Nouri al-Maliki letting it all happen, and the brave Kurds squeezed, we are all in tears, crying for Saddam, the “good old days”.

Sure, Saddam was a ruthless tyrant. Iraq suffered huge crimes under his reign. Shiites and Kurds got emaciated on various occasions.

 

Kurds gassed by Saddam

Wikipedia on Saddam Hussain

Iraqis were hard-pressed and frequently mistreated. But is Sunni ISIS not infinitely worse? At least under Saddam, Christians could live relatively undisturbed, though forced to pay the minority taxes. Even Jews originally lived relatively well among the Iraqi Arabs until Palestinian partition occurred in 1948, when some 150,000 Jews lived in Iraq. From then on, they suffered harshly and left, and in the seventies, the UN forced Iraq to let the remaining Jews emigrate. Saddam tried to make Mosul more Arab by moving Arabs into Kurdish areas and chasing out the Kurds. Now ISIS is beheading, killing, and torturing infidels on a large scale.

However, there seems some similarity with Eva Peron’s love for Argentina and Saddam’s love for Iraq: he wanted to keep Iraq wholesome with his despicable mixture of Marxism and Nazism that his Baath party emulated, and he felt he had to do so with an iron fist because of Iraq’s multiple religious scissions and millennia-old tribal differences.

Despite the fact that Iran provoked him into it, fighting an eight-year long war with Iran did not achieve anything.

 

Iranian child warrior The mutual slaughter

en.wikipedia org

springtimeofnations.com

Saddam with his troops iranreview.org

the guardian.com

iranreview.org

 

Still, it might have proven to the West that having Iraq doing the fighting was better than having the West to confront Iran. Then the allies came in to punish Sadam for attacking Kuwait and Israel, and later because he was developing and hiding WMD. He had used them against Iran and the Kurds, and to hide them stored them in bunkers, or shipped them to Sunni tribes in Syria or back to Russia where they came from using unseated commercial airplanes (with the help of “Chemical Ali”; remember that weird general jumping on TV?). This in anticipation of UN-resolution 1441 that sent UN “Inspectors” to Iraq as of 2002 but who could not find them anymore. (Remember also the desperate Hans Blix, who was accused of being “pro-Saddam”, finding only empty warehouses?). Proof:  Syria used them in their current war with their rebels (or the rebels found them and used them to terrorize Syrians).

Recently, after ISIS metastasized,  ISIS occupies the Al Muthanna Chemicals Weapons Complex, Saddam’s ultimate chemical weapons facility, located less than 50 miles from Baghdad. Apparently, a lot of that material is still left in spite of what leftist pundits and commentators wanted us to believe that they did not exist during the Bush presidency. And what about Saddam’s nuclear program that was “dismantled”? All that uranium, bought from Niger, which was said to have been shipped to the USA?

 

Syrian use of poison gas Ghouta_massacre1

daylymail.co.uk

cbsnews.com- Wikipedia.com

How eager were the “mainstream media” in the USA and Europe at the time to fall into the trap of the “non-wmd” propaganda! Only to pummel “Bush” who defeated their favorite global warming enthusiast Gore, as eager as they are now to support Hamas in its attacks on Israel. But “mainstream media” pundits are known to disregard history if they ever studied it, or facts when they don’t like them. They go by the emotions of their equally uninformed audience. What a carnival of animals (apologies to Camille Saint-Saens).

Carnival des animaux 1-B&N Carnival 2-

barnesandnoble.com

kgwo.spruz.co

 

These were the last words in Saddam’s letter to his people, issued by his lawyers upon his execution: “Dear faithful people, I say goodbye to you, but I will be with the merciful God who helps those who take refuge in him and who will never disappoint any faithful, honest believer … God is Great … God is great … Long live our nation … Long live our great struggling people … Long live Iraq, long live Iraq … Long live Palestine … Long live jihad and the mujahedeen.”

It’s doubtful that Saddam’s merciful God is helping much in current Iraq or what Saddam thought should be Palestine in spite of UN resolution 181 of 1948. For Arab dictators, it is difficult to accept a majority vote in the UN if they don’t agree. (Today, UN-membership has changed totally and, with it, its political colors. Anti-Israel majority votes are happily agreed.) But it’s also doubtful that Saddam’s “long live jihad and the mujahedeen” would have welcomed ISIS.

Truth be told, the Bush Administration could have found out that most of the WMD had been removed but they did not: they, the allies and Congress wanted to get rid of Saddam as he was a pest in the region. In hindsight, Saddam could possibly have been contained at that time, leaving it to him to deal with the Iranians. The West could have continued protecting Israel with overwhelming military aid while maintaining tough sanctions on Iraq. Too bad hindsight never catches up with actuality. It would have saved many lives, including Iraqis, as well as so many soldiers maimed for life, and trillions of dollars gone up in smoke.

 

Iraqi army takes over

credit: financialspots.om

The name “Iraq” was drawn from ancient Sumerian history dating back to the Sumerian civilization in the “Uruk” (“Ur” meaning ” city” in Sumerian) period that reigned that area some 4000 years BC! The 600-year Ottoman Empire (“caliphate”) which supported Germany and included millennia-old Mesopotamia, was dismantled upon Germany’s defeat in 1918 after World War I. The then League of Nations, established under the aegis of Woodrow Wilson,  turned Palestine, Transjordan and the three Mesopotamian Ottoman provinces (Mosul, Baghdad, Basra) into British protectorates.

Churchill and his “40 Thieves”  (see Churchill’s Folly by historian Christopher Catherwood, 2004, Carrol & Graff) drew up “Iraq”, ignoring tribal regions.  In fact, at the time of the British protectorate, the southern Shiites near Basra tried to form their own regional sovereignty as they were suspicious of the Shiites in the north. For a well-researched article on the creation of Iraq in 1922, read Don Chapman’s interesting 2007 piece on http://archives.midweek.com/content/columns/Print_Story/following_churchills_folly_in_iraq/

 

Past caliphates show the surface they occupied.

 

Abbasid Caliphate and Umayyad Emirate Baghdad capital ca 755 AD  Iraq map

Under the Ottoman empire,  “Iraq” comprised three provinces Mosul, Baghdad, and Basra.

Ottoman Empire

pbs.org

Several upheavals occurred in the Iraqi part, forcing the British to send troops in 1943. Sixty years later American and allied troops, including the British, invaded once more.  The never ending story of the Middle-East.

British troops in Iraq 1941

An honor guard from the 3rd Battalion, 41st Iraqi Army brigade presents arms at a ceremony for Iraq's National Sovereignty Day, June 30, at a defunct sugar factory near Majaar Al Kabir in Maysan province. Iraqi soldiers occupied the base vacated by Soldiers from Company B, 4th Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment attached to 2nd Squadron, 13th Cavalry Regiment following the ceremony. The U.S. Soldiers relocated to Forward Operating Base Hunter in rural Maysan province.
An honor guard from the 3rd Battalion, 41st Iraqi Army brigade presents arms at a ceremony for Iraq’s National Sovereignty Day, June 30, 2008. Financialspots.co

In Iraq’s new Constitution, under American pressure, Iraq was divided into 18 “States”. Federalism, let alone democracy, is an unknown form of Government in the Middle-East and it never worked in Iraq or anywhere else (except for democratic Israel). A unified Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish government is a pipe dream. Now we are dealing with an Iraq shattering back into several pieces, mostly according to religious and tribal adhesion, amidst ruthless intolerance and genocide of religious minorities.

I am sure that Saddam would not have let ISIS cross his border. Nouri al-Maliki and the Iraqi army seemed totally impotent and, like the White House – although warned by its intelligence services that knew of ISIS in Syria -, it was taken by surprise. Maliki being a Shiite politician with strong Iranian ties – after all, he lived in exile in Iran for some eight years during Saddam Hussein’s regime – was unable or perhaps unwilling to form a unified Shiite-Sunni-Kurd government, which created deep Sunni resentment. The USA having withdrawn its troops left a terrible vacuum. Again it shows that short-sighted local American politics based on polls only bring havoc. With some greater effort in trying to convince Maliki, the USA could have left troops to support fledgling Iraq, but Iran told their ally to keep the USA out, and Obama (happily) caved. Saying now that keeping troops would not have prevented ISIS from entering Iraq is trying to justify irresponsible inaction, surely on the side of Maliki but also the USA.

What remains to be seen is what local Iraqi Shiite politicians and activists like Mukthadar Al-Sadar with his Mahdi army and the Grand Ayatolla Ali-al-Sistani will do when ISIS approaches Baghdad, and if Iran will intervene when the Shiites are threatened.

 

MOQTADA-AL-SADR -AFP

AFP

Ayat allah sistani

sheikjehad.com

Sources say the Iranian Qud is already there, assisting Nouri al-Maliki. Sadar, a Sunni Imam, is against US forces propping up Maliki to protect Baghdad, so is Iran.  Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Qatar are the main Sunni states in the Middle East. Sunnis are 90 % of the Islamic population, Shiites only 10 percent (mostly in Iran, Iraq and Oman). Egypt’s role has substantially strengthened politically in its mediation between Israel, the Palestinians, and Hamas. How will they react to Sunni ISIS?

Sunni-Shiite divide

 

Inaction in Syria helped create ISIS and allowed it to grow from a small force to some 10,000 fighters (many more now in 2017), many of whom are radicalized Islamists from Western nations. It is being said polls reveal Americans are sick of fighting other people’s wars. But don’t they realize that rats take vacant territory? Is it not lack of leadership to hide behind that so-called sickness of the American people and do nothing? Should the leadership not point out the dangers of not willing to fight? And that, if you don’t, these rats may finally end up in New York port? Individual Islamists in the US may already have contact with ISIS through cell phones and e-mail and can rapidly be radicalized. Remember the Fort Hood shooting, the Boston bombing.

Why did Hamas come to power in Gaza? Because the Palestinian Authority was unable to manage Gaza after Arafat was gone. What ISIS is doing in Iraq is worse than what Hamas is doing to the Palestinians in Gaza. Hamas and ISIS are both Sunnis. The danger of them connecting is clear. ISIS wants all, and “Levant” includes Jordan and Lebanon, both bordering Palestine and Israel, the reason why ISIS calls itself ISIL, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. A dire prospect.

Unfortunately, for Western countries, they must defend their comfort at the cost of losing it, but tell that to the comfortable TV-looking beer drinking Westerners who imported millions of Islamic people to do work for them they don’t want to do, and who are now protesting in their streets. It takes good leaders to wake up their citizens, and good leaders are rare today. Beware whom you invite into your house!

The origins of World War II stemmed for a good deal from wishful pacifism, cowardice, procrastination, and collaborators (!),  in the hope that it would not be all that bad as some were convincingly predicting. Suddenly Europe was run over and America and Canada had to help to protect themselves. Now America and Canada have large Islamic populations with no sense of assimilation with the history of their hosts, and the pride that goes with it, and, with their open borders, the potential for terrorist attacks is plenty, even more than was the case with 9/11.

 

london-muslim-protest-1 london-muslim-protest-2

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protest3 protest5

English.alarabia.net

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As long as the West has been involved in the Middle-East, it has been unable to implant its “rational renaissance” thinking that began in the Renaissance and overtook Islamic reactionary thinking, despite its past wealth of scientific, medical, and artistic creativity. Oil made it worse. Many different peoples in the Greater Middle East, including Iran, are ruled by religious mantras, outdated historical principles, and an unstoppable array of new masters of intolerance and cruelty, such as ISIS.

My fear is that ISIS is just one more ugly Middle Eastern sore but the most vicious so far that will run its course causing many deaths and suffering, until its dreadful barbarity is eradicated by the Middle East itself, when it finally realizes that the 21st century has arrived and they must adapt to modernity rather than creating outdated caliphates, yelling with rockets to throw the Jews into the sea, screaming fatwas about planting Allah’s flag on the White House, and propagating that Islam is the only true religion.

No US and European pacifism will help. Peace through strength will. It had better start now.”

Next time: a soft-pedaled effort by the UN and World Bank to steer Iraq toward economic development.

(more…)

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