"The New Master Influence:
Democracy vs. Islam

America has a lot of thought-provoking war memorials. My favorite is the Vietnam memorial in Washington. I like it because my name is not on it.
It has a lot of my friends' names.
The rude awakening for us Vietnam-era troops was that political power really does corrupt the morals and the judgement; the government will send soldiers to die for nothing. It will even lie to them and send them to die for purposes that are dishonorable.
Time and mountains of propaganda have nearly buried this lesson. EWR is one of the few publications trying to keep it alive.
US troops have been told they fought in Iraq to make the Iraqis free. Is this true? Or is Iraq the tip of an iceberg - the first appearance of a new master influence on the economy and investment markets?

Freedom in Iraq

I have been keeping a list of what US officials demand of the Iraqis.
First, Iraqis are now free to travel their own path, but they must arrive at democracy.
Iraqis also cannot allow Baathists in power. Their new government is forbidden to have WMDs. It must have a constitution, be pro-American, and give no support to rebels trying to overthrow Persian Gulf oil dictators.
The new Iraqi government must privatize state-owned industry, rewrite the tax code, reorganize the central bank, and reorganize the stock exchange, but not according to Iraqi custom - according to US instructions. 1
Iraqis also cannot form an alliance with Syria or Iran. They cannot change Iraq's borders.
Above all, Iraqis are absolutely forbidden to set up a Shiite Islamic state like that of Iran, which is based on sharia (shah-ree-ah, Islamic law).
Other than that, Iraqis are free to do as they please, which means they are free to do whatever Washington tells them to do.
If you cannot shake the impression this "freedom" policy was invented by a committee of barking lunatics, do not feel a need to apologize. Let me try to explain what is happening."

Rest of article at:

http://www.chaostan.com/bulletin-082506.html

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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." - Schopenhauer