Like most Americans, I’m hoping the January elections in Iraq can bring some stability to that country and reduce the attacks against our soldiers. That is why recent predictions by Bush and Rumsfeld that violence could increase even more are so distressing. Are their predictions of increased violence based on some logic they are not telling us about?
Obviously, the mission was not accomplished. Every “milestone” has been met with more, not less, violence. Baghdad was taken and Saddam’s statue toppled - violence increased. Uday and Qusay killed - more violence. Saddam pulled from his hole - more violence. An interim government appointed - more violence. With over 100 attacks per day, including many in the green zone and now in our soldiers’ mess tents, how could it get worse? But like all the other miscalculations, the upcoming elections could well be a launching pad to new levels of violence.
Right now most, but not all, of the violence is coming from Sunnis who are about 20% of the population. The Shia areas are relatively calm with their religious leaders promoting the upcoming elections which everyone agrees they will win since Shiites are 65% of the population. Polls find that while many Shia are happy Saddam is gone, they also overwhelmingly want our troops gone. What happens when the new government asks us to remove our troops? Are we going to abandon those permanent bases we’re building and more importantly the oil? No way!
If the Shia join the Sunnis in attacking our soldiers, the violence will increase to a magnitude that will shock us. What if an elected Iraqi government declares war on the U.S. and asks other countries to come to their aid? Our soldiers are a long way from home, it might be time to think about giving the Iraqis back their oil in exchange for the safe return of our soldiers.
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
When Johnny (and Joanie) come marching home
When will our troops be able to come home from Iraq? First we thought the homecoming would follow our capture of Baghdad and the toppling of Saddam’s statue. Even President Bush declared, “Mission accomplished!”
But occupied Iraq showered us with roadside bombs not flowers. Many thought soldiers would be coming home when Saddam’s sons, Uday and Qusay, were killed. Surely they would come home after Saddam’s capture. But the occupied stepped up their attacks and more Americans came home in hospital planes and in flag draped boxes than returned to march in Fourth of July parades.
We were told turning the government over to our ex-CIA operative, Ayad Allawi, would let the troop come home. But the occupied didn’t buy it and we were forced to ship more troops to rather than from Iraq, bringing our occupying force to an all time high of 150,000.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe it will be the January elections. If not we can hope the adoption of a new constitution brings the troops home. But if all else fails, the troops will return once we have drained the oil.
But occupied Iraq showered us with roadside bombs not flowers. Many thought soldiers would be coming home when Saddam’s sons, Uday and Qusay, were killed. Surely they would come home after Saddam’s capture. But the occupied stepped up their attacks and more Americans came home in hospital planes and in flag draped boxes than returned to march in Fourth of July parades.
We were told turning the government over to our ex-CIA operative, Ayad Allawi, would let the troop come home. But the occupied didn’t buy it and we were forced to ship more troops to rather than from Iraq, bringing our occupying force to an all time high of 150,000.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe it will be the January elections. If not we can hope the adoption of a new constitution brings the troops home. But if all else fails, the troops will return once we have drained the oil.
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Flu shots and Big Government Health Care
The political ads tell me to fear big government health care but the sound bites are so brief and none are specific. I didn't know what to fear so I did a little research on big government health programs and here is what I found.
As I expected, the big government programs covered virtually all their citizens while the U.S. system leaves about 15% with no coverage and many others with minimal or inadequate coverage. Unlike our decentralized private enterprise system, the centralized big government health care systems have plenty of flu vaccines for everyone.
With fewer people covered, I thought our system might cost less but I was surprised to find that was not true. Our system is the most expensive on the planet with expenses increasing faster than the big government systems. Since big government systems are financed by taxes, citizens in those countries pay higher tax rates but they do not have to pay health insurance premiums and they have minimal co-pay or out of pocket expenses.
Also surprising was that big government health care leads to lower mortality rates and longer life expectancies. U.S. infant mortality is among the highest for industrial nations, nearly twice the infant death rate of nations with big government health care systems. And their people live several years longer than we do in the U.S.
Contrary to what I'd been led to believe, both the citizens and health professionals in big government systems prefer their system to ours. Sure there are stories of someone having to wait for cosmetic surgery or a doctor disgruntled at not making the big bucks U.S. doctors make, but neither patients nor health providers are demanding a change to the system. In fact, international satisfaction surveys find that both patients and health providers in big government programs are more satisfied with their system than U.S. patients and health care providers are with our system.
I hope this summary of the differences helps. Now when you see those ads telling you to fear big government health care you will understand why and vote accordingly.
As I expected, the big government programs covered virtually all their citizens while the U.S. system leaves about 15% with no coverage and many others with minimal or inadequate coverage. Unlike our decentralized private enterprise system, the centralized big government health care systems have plenty of flu vaccines for everyone.
With fewer people covered, I thought our system might cost less but I was surprised to find that was not true. Our system is the most expensive on the planet with expenses increasing faster than the big government systems. Since big government systems are financed by taxes, citizens in those countries pay higher tax rates but they do not have to pay health insurance premiums and they have minimal co-pay or out of pocket expenses.
Also surprising was that big government health care leads to lower mortality rates and longer life expectancies. U.S. infant mortality is among the highest for industrial nations, nearly twice the infant death rate of nations with big government health care systems. And their people live several years longer than we do in the U.S.
Contrary to what I'd been led to believe, both the citizens and health professionals in big government systems prefer their system to ours. Sure there are stories of someone having to wait for cosmetic surgery or a doctor disgruntled at not making the big bucks U.S. doctors make, but neither patients nor health providers are demanding a change to the system. In fact, international satisfaction surveys find that both patients and health providers in big government programs are more satisfied with their system than U.S. patients and health care providers are with our system.
I hope this summary of the differences helps. Now when you see those ads telling you to fear big government health care you will understand why and vote accordingly.
Why Iran needs nuclear weapons
Should I believe Bush or Iran? Last time I believed Bush but Saddam was telling the truth. If Iran isn’t trying to build nuclear weapons, it should be.
Iraq was no treat to the U.S. Iraq had no Navy, no Air Force, and their Army was so weakened by UN sanctions the Louisville Police could have handled them. North Korea is a formidable military threat with weapons of mass destruction.
Weak and defenseless Iraq experiences daily bombings losing 100,000 citizens, half women and children. Trying to blackmail them, Iraqi prisoners were sexually humiliated. Others were murdered by U.S. soldiers.
Stronger and more threatening North Korea was not attacked. We are offering them financial and economic support to cooperate. Iranians are not fools. North Korea is getting a much better deal than Iraq.
Our very different treatment of Iraq and North Korea was predicted 50 years ago. To keep the peace after WWII, U.S. and USSR diplomats formulated the MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) policy. MAD called for both sides to have offensive nuclear weapons with virtually no defense. The logic was that one nation would not attack the other if it realized the other could retaliate. The policy worked. Neither the U.S. nor USSR attacked the other and we are now allies.
While I really don’t want Iran to become a nuclear nation, it is their only logical option. To protect its citizens from the violence of the Bush neocons, Iran must emulate North Korea and develop a nuclear deterrence.
Iraq was no treat to the U.S. Iraq had no Navy, no Air Force, and their Army was so weakened by UN sanctions the Louisville Police could have handled them. North Korea is a formidable military threat with weapons of mass destruction.
Weak and defenseless Iraq experiences daily bombings losing 100,000 citizens, half women and children. Trying to blackmail them, Iraqi prisoners were sexually humiliated. Others were murdered by U.S. soldiers.
Stronger and more threatening North Korea was not attacked. We are offering them financial and economic support to cooperate. Iranians are not fools. North Korea is getting a much better deal than Iraq.
Our very different treatment of Iraq and North Korea was predicted 50 years ago. To keep the peace after WWII, U.S. and USSR diplomats formulated the MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) policy. MAD called for both sides to have offensive nuclear weapons with virtually no defense. The logic was that one nation would not attack the other if it realized the other could retaliate. The policy worked. Neither the U.S. nor USSR attacked the other and we are now allies.
While I really don’t want Iran to become a nuclear nation, it is their only logical option. To protect its citizens from the violence of the Bush neocons, Iran must emulate North Korea and develop a nuclear deterrence.
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