Iraq's Non-Election

By: Jack Dalton

18 months ago, the people of Iraq demanded elections be held in Iraq so they, the Iraqi people, would be able to determine their own future. However, the Bush Brigade initially said no! It was not until after the Iraqi's calls for elections became more forceful did the U.S. back down and start the "process" towards holding elections.

The issue of elections in Iraq did not come from the Bush Brigade, it came from the Iraqi people. When the call for elections could not be quieted, only then did BushCo become adamant about 'elections and freedom/democracy on the march' in Iraq.

John Negroponte, of Iran/Contra infamy was sent to Iraq as the 'Ambassador,' as he is one of the best at death squad cover-ups, and in helping to orchestrate coups and government over-throws.

Along with John-boy, the National Endowment for Democracy was sent to Iraq to help 'teach' the Iraqi's all about democracy(Orwell must be rolling in his grave on the organization and its name). Since its creation in 1983, N.E.D. has been 'used' by the C.I.A. to aid in coups, disinformation campaigns, orchestrating over-throws of governments resistive to U.S. policies and multinational corporations.

In fact, the International Republican Institute receives its funding from the N.E.D. Neither NED nor IRI have any U.S. congressional oversight. They are both free to do as they choose. This past summer, congress voted to double the funding of the N.E.D. for the work it is doing in Iraq--yep, N.E.D. is funded with taxpayer dollars, but answers to no one in what it does nor how it spends taxpayer dollars.

N.E.D. was behind the recent mess in Haiti, as well as the disinformation campaign and coup in Venezuela--fortunately Hugo Chavez is well loved in that country so the coup ultimately failed.

Now with the Pentagon and Rumsfeld's War Department implementing their "Salvadoran Option," double-speak for 'death Squads (which is right up Negroponte's alley--he did the same in Nicaragua and Honduras from 1981--1985), the people of Iraq don't stand a chance.

But, to listen to the Bush camp, replete with its talking heads in the media, Iraq will suddenly become a democracy on Sunday--how absurd, how ludicrous!

It matters not how the Iraqi 'election' turns out, it matters not who will comprise this 'new' Iraqi government body, the 'rules' put into play by Jerry Bremmer and 'voted' into place by the Allawi (who was a C.I.A. trained covert operative for over ten years) Interim Government, has effectively privatized ALL of Iraq's assets and infrastructure--and no one in Iraq has the 'authority' nor will anyone even after the 'election' to overturn those Bremmer edicts.

Welcome to freedom and democracy on the march in Iraq. In the meantime, U.S. broadcast media is hyping the Iraq elections like it does the Super Bowl--one great big circus sideshow to be blunt.

It takes a lot more than an election to make a democracy--just look at our elections here in the U.S., and this country has the cahones to pontificate about 'free elections.' And it will also take a lot more than just the U.S. created media blitz and pontifications about freedom on the march in Iraq, when U.S. multinationals literally own the entirety of Iraq, for Iraq to be free.

The first thing Iraq must free itself from is the U.S. occupation, then it must throw out all the U.S. multinationals that want to 'own' Iraq as opposed to working in and for Iraq and the Iraqi people.

The following from the International Action Center has it pretty much correct, January 30th is a diversion as the really important date is March 19th, the two year anniversary of the illegal, and un-necessary invasion, and subsequent occupation of Iraq--including, but not limited to, the selling off of Iraq's infrastructure and assets.

Leaving the Iraqi people in the dark, literally, as electricity (among other needed services) is still very limited and sporadic at best.

So, let us all get ready and prepared for March 19th. Please read the IAC call for and on the 19th of March actions around the country. Lets raise such a loud voice it will be impossible for the Bush Brigade to ignore us any longer. We must join together if we are to stop this madness Bush and Company have unleashed upon us, and the world.

Yours in solidarity and peace
Jack | POAC Co-Editor
http://oldamericancentury.org/index.htm

IF YOU CAN'T VOTE OCCUPATION TROOPS OUT OF YOUR COUNTRY THEN THE VOTE'S FOR THE OCCUPIER, NOT THE OCCUPIED

DEAR FELLOW ANTIWAR ACTIVISTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY:

Join a nationwide response to the "elections" in Iraq Sunday.

January 30 is a diversion - the real date is March 19 when the world says "TROOPS OUT NOW"

The Troops Out Now Coalition encourages you to hold protests and press conferences in your localities on either Sunday Jan. 30, the day of the "elections" in Iraq, or Monday, Jan. 31. The purpose for doing this is to keep the antiwar movement and the rest of society focused on the real need: the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all U.S. occupation troops from Iraq.

The January 30 "elections" in Iraq is a project of the Pentagon, and its purpose is to divert attention away from the ongoing criminal occupation, as well as to legitimatize the war, the occupation, the destruction of cities like Falluja, and the deaths of upwards of one hundred thousand Iraqis, as well as fourteen hundred U.S. troops since the beginning of the war.

The very notion that a country can hold a "democratic" election while it is occupied by a hostile power bent on imposing its designs on that country is profoundly cynical, and an insult to the people everywhere.

And to this insult, Bush wants to add still another injury by asking Congress to approve $80 billion more for his war.

At the same time that Bush, Rumsfeld and Rice are putting their spin on the "elections" this weekend, we need to be calling attention to the need to strengthen the movement to bring the troops home. Wherever we are, let's tell the world this weekend that the important date is not January 20, but March 19, the second anniversary of the start of the war, when people all across the U.S. and the world will take to the streets once again to demand "Troops Out Now".

March 19
Troops Out Now!
March on Central Park in NYC!
Regional Demonstrations Across the U.S. & Worldwide

The International Action Center