We've been reading a lot about the "coalition" of forces in the "war" in Iraq. I use quotes because as Bill Hicks said: "It takes two armies to have a war".
The Generals and TV presenters keep saying how "coalition forces" are doing this and that or invading here and there.
So here are the 30 countries making up the coalition:
OK. Except for the UK and Australia how many of these countries either have troops on the ground or money in the pot? Last I saw the Czech Republic is still reeling from the devastating floods of last summer. Last I checked Afghanistan was a warzone and did you know that the US has budgeted exactly $0.00 to help rebuild Afghanistan in 2004? That's right, folks. We blew up the country even worse than it is and now we could give a shit. Who else is here... Ethiopia - great! Macedconia - Yeah Baby! Georgia - Whoo Hoo! Shit, we should have gotten all the Good Ole Boys in our own Georgia to fly over there and let them go hog wild shooting everything in sight and they would do more than the old "Soviet" Georgia.
For those who want to know: Eritrea was part of Ethiopia. It lies between Ethiopia and Sudan and is the gateway to the Red Sea. From the CIA website: "Since independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993, Eritrea has faced the economic problems of a small, desperately poor country." Wow! I'm glad that THEY'RE on OUR side!
While I want our troops to come back unscathed and support them 100% I feel that this action is based on spite. Bush the Elder has had it out for Hussein for years. And while Hussein is a bastard, a torturing miserable despot and needs to be shot into outer space I don't think it's our place to invade countries that we don't like. Wow, I didn't even mention the oil fields!
I have yet to see one Weapon of Mass Destruction to be found in Iraq, I have yet to see one shred of evidence linking Iraq to Al Quaeda or to any international terrorism besides Hussein's giving of money to the families of suicide bombers against Israel. When the world discovered how Idi Amin was killing his own people the world forced the regime change. Same with Baby Doc Duvalier in Haiti...same with South African Apartheid.
While the Administration weilds its immense marketing power and keeps untold millions of Americans in rapt attention watching all the smart bombs explode on Fox News there are the mad scientists like John Ashcroft and John Poindexter coming up with the USA Patriot Act and systematically trimming the Constitution down to nothing and spying on citizens and starting secret military tribunals and we have nothing to say about that... because that would be UN-patriotic.
Well, when there are no trees left and global warming has claimed the last of the ozone and the "education" president has let the last school system go bankrupt we can sit in our chairs, watch Fox News (A Clear Channel Company) and say, "It's good that you done that, George".