ViceZilla’s Views

What says “hey, I embrace the American way of life” more than Mickey Mouse and the Golden Arches? The money that is made by these brands that’s what.

Apparently times-a-wastin’ for American investors to make their mark, or rather to make their millions in Iraq. Basic necessities of life are still considered a luxury for citizens of Iraq, but that doesn’t bother Llewellyn Werner, chairman of C3, a Los Angeles-based holding company for private equity firms, who claims that all Baghdad needs to put an and to all it’s worries is an American-style amusement park!

The same firm that designed Disneyland has big plans for the “Baghdad Zoo and Entertainment Experience,” including a skateboard park, rides, a concert theater and a museum. Werner’s firm is throwing millions of dollars into the project, saying:

The people need this kind of positive influence. It’s going to have a huge psychological impact.

I’m sure the Iraqis will be able to overlook the hardships of unreliable electricity, or running water when they know that they will have a shining beacon of American capitalism right in their very own city. Now that’s a psychological impact!

The project is estimated to cost $500 million dollars and will be manged by the Iraqis. See anything wrong with this picture already? Nothing screams “wasted money” more than when its followed by “managed by the Iraqis.” Lately all I see happening in the country of Iraq, besides the death and destruction of human lives, is the Iraqi Government’s bank accounts around bursting at the seams because of it’s oil revenues. The government is extremely wealthy thanks to it’s oil, but the country is still struggling to attain peace, let alone power and water on a reliable basis for it’s citizens.

It’s bad enough that the American government has built a monument to itself in the form of the US embassy in Baghdad, now we are giving them another US culture staple, the “theme park.” Those in Iraq that already detest out presence, and loathe our way of life, will really be impressed by this new venture!

“There goes the neighborhood!”

Tags: War in Iraq by vicezilla
2 Comments »

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini, said on Sunday that an attack on Iran is unlikely because of the “disastrous situation” facing the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the U.S. domestic situation.

“We think it would be unlikely the Americans would take the decision to get themselves into a new fiasco, the consequences of which they themselves have acknowledged would be painful for the region and the world.”

Think again Mr. Hosseini. If he really thinks that the Iraq or Afghanistan quaqmires, OR concerns about trivial things like money will stop Bush from launching an attack on Iran, he is sadly mistaken. Bush has been beating the war drum for a while now trying to muster support for an attack on Iran. Like Iraq, he is doing his best to find excuses for an attack, and those that he can’t find, he is more than capable of making up.

So a warning to Iran, never ever underestimate the thinking of a man who is really past the point of giving a shit anymore!

Tags: Bush Administration, War in Iraq, War on Terror by vicezilla
No Comments »

Retreating Iraqi Military

Reports of Iraqi soldiers abandoning their posts, and refusing to fight the enemy are getting to be regular headlines. A few weeks back during the Iraqi crackdown in Basra, it was well reported of the soldiers who laid down their arms or deserted, refusing to fight their countrymen. How noble.

I don’t particularly fault the fighting men of the Iraqi military for not wanting to fight their countrymen, it is after all not their war. But that being said, if their country is not worth them fighting for it, then we shouldn’t be fighting for it either.

I can see a nasty trend happening in the future. For as long as our troops remain in Iraq, they will be forced to pick up the slack of the Iraqi military. All it will take for the Iraqi’s to keep us fighting on the front lines, will be for the Iraqi military to turn around and leave, which is just what happened today. About 50 Iraqi troops had enough, and just turned around and left their posts, leaving US troops holding the fort, so to speak.

A US company commander pleaded with the Iraqi major who was leading his troops, urging him to return to the front:

“If you turn around and go back up the street those soldiers will follow you,” Captain Veath said. “If you tuck tail and cowardly run away they will follow up that way, too.”

His pleas fell on deaf ears as the major led his men away from the Sadr City fight.

Regardless of what our politicians tell us, it’s the opinions of the men in the trenches that matter most. Bush says “real progress is being made in Iraq,” but troops opinions differ. A US platoon sergeant had this to say about the Iraqi retreat:

“It bugs the hell out of me. We don’t see any progress being made at all. We hear these guys in firefights. We know if we are not up there helping these guys out we are making very little progress.”

As long as Bush and his successor keep troops in Iraq, without at least a deadline for withdrawal, this scenario will continue to be a common headline in our newspapers. Read more

Tags: War in Iraq by vicezilla
No Comments »

President Bush is once again his biggest cheerleader, as he continues to confuse us as to his meaning of “success.”

In a news conference today, he tries to explain that he is pulling out troops from Iraq because of “success,” a claim that seemed to have even surprised him as the words left his mouth and entered his ears! When Bush proclaimed that 5 battalions would be coming out of Iraq by July, he lsounded shocked and surprised at what he heard himself say!

And by the way, we are withdrawing troops. It’s called return on success. And our intention is to pull down five — you know, five battalions by July. Troops are coming out — five brigades, excuse me. Troops are coming out, because we’re successful. And so, I would view the Australian decision as return on success — returning home on success.

It was a a poor attempt on Bush’s part to sound sincere because you could tell, that even he wasn’t buying his rhetoric! I’ll bet you that in the back of his mind, he was hoping for White House Spokesperson Dana Perino to come bolting through the doors waving her pom poms cheering him boss on!

Tags: Bush Administration, War in Iraq by vicezilla
No Comments »

PBS’s Frontline has aired the definitive account of Bush’s War. Part two aired tonight, with part one airing last night. If you missed it, you can watch it in its entirety here.

PBS Frontline: Bush's War

Tags: Bush Administration, War in Iraq by vicezilla
No Comments »