SICK AND TIRED, BUT MOSTLY SICK

From the editor of the local (Albany, OR)
paper: "Thanks for the letter. But isn't every-
body getting a little tired of all this back and
forth and citing conflicting 'facts'? Another
critic says in the paper it is the very political
progress in Iraq, not the surge, that has
calmed things down. Now you say there is
no political progress and we can't make any.
Which is it?"

Yes, it is certainly true that people are tired and
confused. That's because the government has
never told the full truth about what is going on,
and is not doing so now. They tell whatever
part of the truth that serves their purpose, and
then hire retired generals to spin their talking
points on TV while posing as objective analysts.
These "expert" authorities are usually on the
payroll of one of the networks, while also being
paid by defense contractors to lobby for them.
They are also drawing handsome retirements
from the armed forces, paid by the taxpayers
being misled by them. So yes, the public is
confused. The process is corrupt, including
the networks we rely on for truth. And the "free"
press is not innocent either. Even the New York
Times helped mislead us into war by parroting
uncritically doctored "intelligence" fed their
respected reporters secretly by the Vice Pres.'s
office.

Here is my answer to the editor quoted above:

(After private pleasantries), Military progress
(of which there is some) should not be mis-
taken for political progress, which is superfi-
cial at best and illusory at worst. It's like rear-
ranging deck furniture on the Titanic! That's
because the Shia majority is determined to rule
or ruin, and the Sunnis are just as determined
that they will rule or ruin.

The Sunnis are backed by the Arab world (and
money) and the Shia are backed by Iran and us.
If we would cooperate with Iran as urged by our
Iraq Study Group's report, this might all be
sorted out. Without that, there isn't a chance.

If Obama wins, we're out of there, and all hell
breaks loose! (Literally). We'll see then how
much political progress has been made! The
condition and performance of the national
police is my factual evidence of no political
progress, and one of the reasons why there is
none. I agree that the surge accomplished only
some tactical success, without solving any of
the underlying problems. I still see no willing-
ness to share power, oil money, or anything
else of substance. This quarrel between Shia
and Sunnis is deep and bitter and has gone
on for at least 1,000 years. Sen. McCain notes
that they got along well under Saddam. That's
true. Saddam simply shot Shia leaders that
bucked him, and anyone else that created
strife. He totally wouldn't have any of it! And
everyone knew that even recognition of
differences was taboo. It was socially unaccep-
table to discuss them. When we pulled the plug
on Saddam, we also pulled the plug that was
holding back sectarian strife! That was just one
of the unintended consequences of removing S.

For the real skinny on Shia-Sunny dealings and
the history thereof, including what is going on
in and with Iran, see Vali Nasr's The Shia Revival.
He is an American Muslim scholar that I have
written about before. He was born in Iran and
keeps close ties there as well as throughout the
Muslim world. I can't speak too highly of him
and his work. Google him and read everything
he writes, if you want to understand anything
going on in that part of the world. He was a
consultant for the Iraq Study Group. "My
people are destroyed for lack of knowledge,"
the O. T. prophet wrote long ago. It's still true
today. Deal with it!