Team America; World Police

by Posted on

Not that I count the New York Times as one of my trusted news sources. Lately, I tend to filter from a wide variety of sources and make up my own mind. But this breaking article was definitely worth quoting. An excerpt.

Four Western oil companies are in the final stages of negotiations this month on contracts that will return them to Iraq, 36 years after losing their oil concession to nationalization as Saddam Hussein rose to power.

Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP … are in talks with Iraq’s Oil Ministry for no-bid contracts to service Iraq’s largest fields.

Yeah, I think I’ve just had my “Ah HA!” moment. More follows (if you have the stomach for it).

The no-bid contracts are unusual for the industry, and the offers prevailed over others by more than 40 companies, including companies in Russia, China and India.

Oh, of course. No-one else can get a look in now, and it appears that “suspicion among many in the Arab world” was justified, innit? War for oil? Ya think?

The Bush administration has said that the war was necessary to combat terrorism. It is not clear what role the United States played in awarding the contracts; there are still American advisers to Iraq’s Oil Ministry.

Oh gosh, they’re not even pretending, are they? At this point, it’s also worth remembering George W. Bush’s many family, business and personal ties to the U.S. oil industry.

As the altar-boy said to the priest … are we done yet?

Published by Joe Black

50 Replies to “Team America; World Police”

  2. Ha ha ha ha, RBZ warns banks over forex rates. So, it’s coming back to bite, is it? Lol, Zimbabwe.

    “The interbank rate has particularly risen much faster in the last fortnight, and sought to track the parallel market. Some quarters have linked this to the regime change agenda.”

    Which Herald sub-editor slipped that one in? Nice one, china.

  7. So Tendai Biti has been remanded into custody until July 9. Well after the casting and counting of votes. Do they believe that in the whole MDC he is the only one with a camera and who can announce results? So is this one step closer to crisis mode or does a whole shitload more need to happen before a crisis can officially be declared. Any chances of him doing a Learnmore while he is in custody?

  10. dude, why are you happy that mdc are out of the elections, its seems pretty silly after all the hard work to quite on the eve of the election?

  11. It’s too much. After what happened today (with MDC supporters being fucked up etc when going for a High Court-allowed rally) was the last straw.

    What’s happening here is just not on, and the way people are being done in their own homes, in the city even, is fucked up.

    So it makes sense when they say ‘enough’, we need to consider the people. The state wasn’t even pretending anymore, so what’s the value in contesting an election when the playing field is so skewed?

    Besides, they’d already stuffed the boxes.

  12. … and like MT said, the people of Zimbabwe have done everything democratically possible to deliver a new Zimbabwe under a new government.

  14. God, i really hope shit get sorted out there…. I wanna come back home, but to what…? My heart goes out to everyone in Zim. Dude by the way, if you have any charity or aid drives out there in zim then do let me know, I wanna raise money out here for a worthy Zim cause, like Malaria (mosquito nets), Aids/Hiv affected families etc… Holler at me on your thoughts…. My wife and I just wanna make a difference, even if its a drop in the ocean.
    r

  15. I can’t believe it man. I got nothing witty or articulate or hopeful to add. I just can’t believe it.

  17. Does anyone believe that the run-off was actually going to happen this Friday given the ZEC’s level of preparedness. from what I have heard, people still havent been paid from the March madness. Or were we looking at another interminable postponement?

    RZ, does WOZA count as a charitable organisation or are they too political for your palate. Because they always need money for lawyers, fuel and stuff. I have been contributing fuel for them by buying coupons because I believe in their work.

  19. btw Elle WOZA is not a charity I reckon, it’s more an advocacy group. And a rather confrontational one at that.

    I think RZ was more in a philanthropical mood than anything else.

  20. Just read that the run off will go ahead to prove the nation is behind Mugabe. Kweshen: Where was the so called nation in the first round?

    Man, this totally sucks by the way.

  21. Zimbabwe’s information minister on Monday accused the United States in state media of “putting millions of dollars to fuel violence”, adding that US ambassador James McGee to Harare had “failed to fulfil his duties”.

    Hehehehehe.

  22. What is next? Straight up I want to know how the folks who run the Herald and ZBC who parrot this gruel can look at themselves in the mirror in the morning?

    stay safe my friend

  24. So after hiding away in the Dutch embassy, allegedly, it is now alleged that MT is thinking about running again. If it does turn out to be true, man they should start selling him in Bata coz he is such a flip-flop(per). Whose interests is he serving if the allegations are proven correct?

  28. JB, you’ve been holding out on us. You never mentioned that the ZimBC had an ad going about how BlairBushBrownTsvangirai are losers. Saw it on the Beeb and thought it was ingenious. 🙂

    But on a serious note, that is scary. Does the opposition get to advertise too?

    Ooh ooh, saw some coverage of the campigning by the president and was amazed at the number of people supporting him. Kweshen: Was it like when the Nazis made people salute the Führer. And, you know any people who are for the current regime and are you friends and are you really safe? If not, please let me know after you delete this line of questioning.

  29. First of all, I don’t actually watch Dead BC. So I wouldn’t know about their ads.

    Secondly, the MDC’s adverts were rejected by ZBC because they contained “hateful” or “inappropriate” language. That story is here.

    The support is genuine, there are some … staunch people there.

  30. Eleanor where you getting that news from. Some of us live online and haven’t seen any news of Mogan coming back into the election. I am a big MDC supporter and was a bit disappointed when I heard the news but after much reflection and seeing things unfold over the last few days has convinced me that they made the right decision.

    The way that peeps got tanned at the rally, the looting that took place at the village, the camps in the neighbourhoods, the beat down that is being exacted on peeps for not knowing what WW (and other stupid slogans mean), random arrests on trumped up charges, the declaration of no go zones, peeps being dismembered, etc, etc.

    I don’t know if any of you realise it but the UN Security Council (which includes Russia, China and SA) have said free and fair elections in Zim are not possible. Let me say it to you again – this is bigger than big – it’s humungous. It’s massive. It’s gargantuan. Mugabe needed Tsvangirai to be in this election. The thing that he craves more than power is legitimacy. He can never have that now.

    We live in interesting times.

    Funny how black hasn’t mentioned that despite all his shouting and screaming his lungs out – his team got beaten this weekend by Old Hararians.

  31. Yeah, I was wondering how long it would take you to bring it up BD. Well done for engineering a well-earned victory. It happens.

    As for the whole erection thing … I despair. Back to sex.

  32. BD, you are half right. The man craves legitimacy more than power. You could have mentioned that he will settle for any kind of legitimacy, be it feigned legitimacy or legitimate legitimacy. The requirement being it just has to look like legitimacy. It can stink like hell but if it looks like it, to them, it probably is it.

  33. The constant complaint that has been made about Morgan is that he is a puppet of the west. And what is the first thing that he does to disprove that theory? He runs off to the Dutch embassy. What was wrong with the Batswana one, the country into which he went into hiding after the first round of elections. Obviously the South Africans, still publicly stating that there is no crisis might have been less than receptive. I would like Morgan to be consistent. He seems to feel that he is in some kind of bargaining position and in a position of strength. Well the killing of innocents has put paid to that, as well as the fact that Mugabe can still cling on to power by any means necessary. Morgan has the luxury of running for shelter to the embassies, but those people who were hauled from the relative safety of the MDC HQ, where do they run to for protection. MT is the face of the opposition, it is the people themselves who are the opposition. And he needs to lead from the front, not under someone else’s petticoats.

    And JB, if you take that tone of voice with me again, I will have to walk there and show you what’s what.

  35. Yeah, right. So since he’s the “face” of the MDC then it’s only fair that’s HIS face that gets blown off, instead of anyone else’s?

    Listen, Morgan is a leader. He’s been on the frontlines of the challenge to RGM since 1998. What more do you expect of him? It seems that no matter what he does you can’t help criticising him?

    I’m not in this simply to defend MT, I just wanna know, what the fuck do you want the guy to do exactly?

    Sing “Um’shini wami?”.

  36. Hey, maybe the Dutch embassy was the closest one when he saw what looked like was a mob out for him when he was just taking a stroll down the street. Or maybe he wanted to make sure he could watch all the Holland games in the Euros. 😉 Besides, If the shit hit the fan, I am sure the Dutch have more fire power and global clout than the Twanas.

  37. Okay, one thing about the Dutch mission in Zim. It has had nothing to do with politics, and has always remained neutral. It has also provided substantial humanitarian support to Zim, and was seen as a safe haven from a gov’t it has good relations with.

    Secondly, a spokesman for Tsvangirai, George Sibotshiwe, said today that the opposition leader fled to the embassy in Harare on Sunday after getting a tip-off that soldiers were about to arrive at his home.

    “The moment you have soldiers coming your way, you just run for your life,” he said. “The only way he can protect himself is to go to an embassy.”

    Eleanour, I don’t see YOU prostrating yourself in front of an army vehicle and defying the status quo. (Disclaimer: I’m quite a pussy myself).

  38. Again with the ‘U’ in my name. Are you just being perverse, JB?

    I will have you know that on the day of that final push so many moons ago, my friend Alice and I were ready and kitted out to go and march. then we got wind of the fact that nothing was happening so we stayed put. I have scars on my back to show the punishment that was meted out on me by the riot police once. I couldnt sit or lie on my back for 3 days. That wasnt fun.

    You have a scripture in the Bible that goes something like he who holds on to his life will lose it, and he who looses it will gain it (they say that even the devil can quote scripture). I really have no one or nothing that I feel that I have to hang on to dear life for. I have done nothing extraordinary with my life that makes me think that were I to die today, I would be sadly missed or mourned for too long. I have no dependents so it would just be a minor blip on the radar and then life goes on. Although at this stage I can afford to be philosophical about it because I am not truly faced with the option. But when you die, its not like you can refuse to go, ana handiende.

  39. Okay. Well I’m sorry, not all of us have the courage and constitution you have, my sister. Were we all as selfless and dedicated as thee, nary a tyrant would blot this here land.

    My aplogies for the behaviour of us mere pussy mortals for failing to stand up to The Man.

  40. Zimbabwe’s opposition on Tuesday hand-delivered a letter to the country’s electoral commission confirming it will not participate in this week’s presidential run-off, a party spokesperson said.

    “They are now happy recipients of that letter from the MDC,” Movement for Democratic Change opposition spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said.

    “In the letter we are stating clearly that we are not participating in this election.”

  42. And there you make a false ass-umption. I knew I couldnt outrun them, so I just lay there and took it, which is why they were able to inflict so much damage. They picked me out at will. What was strange though was I didnt even scream in agony or anything at the time of the beating, I was the height of stoic. But afterwards, aa! ndakabongomora! munhu afirwa haaridzi mhere yakadaro! kuita kuhwihwidza.

  44. i stand corrected…shall we say the desire to run was there, but the ability was lacking?

    but good for you for taking it like a man

  45. Elle just went all Playing Possum and tried to play dead. She must have flinched coz the douche bags going all apeshit on her ass weren’t buying it. That or Eleanor’s blood pressure suddenly crashed and not enough oxygen was getting to her brain and she lost counciousness (simply fainted). Terror can do that to the bravest of us. You think McCain was awake the whole time his human rights were being violated. Back to Elle, next thing she knew, if she was lucky enough to have slept through the whole thing, she was all black and blue with a nice set of tracks across her back.

    Me, I am a wimp. Just not too sure where I’d leg it and even get away, or if I’d zhamba. The latter is more likely considering all physical factors.

  47. I managed to duck when I was at college when the Riot chaps made an appearance, no way ten years later will I allow them access to my behind!!!!

  48. For once a discussion a debate that is not polarised by perceptions but by realities and well thought out positions.

    Elle I put it to you that Morgan has had his fair share of beat downs, broken limbs and fractured skull et aliter. To wish him more harm for the cause is the same as those who are hoping that Biti dies in custody to ignite the struggle.

    MT chose the Dutch Embassy because they “don’t matter”. It was a very good choice the flatlanders have been like a modern day Austria – there but not involved. Seeking refuge in an African embassy would have created unecessary pressure and the allegations of bias, particularly ahead of the Sadc Summit today. MT has been well advised – the same way that Zanu-PF has ratcheted up the fight, he has done it diplomatically. Even if his life was not in danger, Zim and MT become the top stories, the time has come where we need a sustained push and things cannot go to the back of peeps minds.

    Yesterday I was telling you about gargantuan events, well for all you cricket lovers Cricket SA has suspended all bilateral engagements with Zim. The ICC is meeting to discuss Zim’s participation in T20 World Cup and futures tours. It’s only a game you say – yes but when your friends abandon you then you know that isolation and pariah status are upon you, quicker than you can say 100% empowerment. Be prepared for the long haul my brothers and sisters. Fill your tanks, your gensets, freezers and beer crates coz here comes the winter our discontent.

    Before I forget it was brilliant listening to George “I’m a wife beater” Charamba saying that MDC had to formally notify ZEC of its intention to engage in coitus interruptus (pull out early for those of you uneducated cads – yes Jameson boy I’m talking to you). He even said that it can not be something that you whisper in the ear of a loved one but something real – well here’s looking at you Georgie Porgie –

    http://www.newzimbabwe.com/pages/electoral276.18386.html

    BTW anyone using Firefox 3 yet?

    JB you’ll love this one. Now lemme see if I can post in HTML Obama talks to Tsvangirai, calls for tough action

  49. I prefer a peaceful life, even when it requires that I be very tolerant of shit from other people. I’d sooner suck it up than protest and have my ass whooped.

  50. Dude, I know what CI is … I practise it often LOLest.

    As for Barack, he should be focused more on defending his own citizens’ civil liberties than positioning himself as a centrist and accenting to a Bush-sponsored spying bill.

    If YOU’ve been paying attention, Hararians boy.

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