MEET IRAQ’S NEW DICTATOR: General Jay Garner

posted by admin on Tuesday April 08, @06:51AM

Rev. Carol C. Grebing of Bayard, NM writes "Dear Editor:

The Bush administration has chosen Iraq’s ruler for the occupation of Iraq after the conquest. He is none other than retired general Jay Garner, an arms trader, president of SY Coleman ( also known as SY Technologies,) the company responsible for the guidance system of the Patriot missile.

Rumsfeld keeps telling us that he is to be the master of humanitarian assistance. This belies the facts: as head of the Pentagon’s Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance, he will administer every aspect of life in Iraq. He will be dictator over policies of purging too-Saddamist Ba’ath members( to be placed in Guantanamo-type camps or worse?), how and why the oil gets pumped, which Kurds are “preferred,” deciding which “charities” will dispense food, water, and medicine—and when—or if…..and much else, under the radar.

Advertisement

Wouldn’t the Bush administration’s choice for dictator be a person of impeccable business ethics who would not waste a penny of our tax money? Hardly. His firm, SY Coleman, gained by insider connections a $48 million sole-source (no bid) “sweetheart” contract to do work already contracted out to Boeing. When a whistleblower pointed this out, the whistleblower was sued. The GAO cancelled the contract when the facts came out. The whistleblower decided to run for Congress, so Garner contributed $2000 to his opponent. So much for ethics and taxpayer $$.

Wouldn’t the Bush administration have a dictator who would not further inflame the Arab world? Not on your life.Selecting as ruler the CEO that produces and sells the Patriot missile which, while a defensive weapon, is vital to the invasion was hardly the act of an administration that wants to “stabilize the region” and “prevent terror.” Garner also helped design the Israeli missile defense system. Furthermore, he is an advocate of the extreme right-wing Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA.) He signed a statement praising the Israeli Defense Forces for its “remarkable restraint in the face of lethal violence orchestrated by the leadership of a Palestinian Authority.” He also went on many JINSA junkets. Arabs and Muslims are enraged at his appointment by Rumsfeld because they see this as a war to promote Israel. Turkey is already alienated because Garner is going to give a separate region to the Kurds. A real uniter, our President.

Wouldn’t the Bush administration select a respected humanitarian to administer aid or seek the leadership of the UN? No way. Phil Bloomer of Oxfam, a world-wide charitable and relief organization, said, “The worst case scenario would be to put in charge of the reconstruction someone from the US or the UK linked to the arms or oil industries.”(Guardian, 3/30) The people of Iraq will mistrust him and all Americans, and only trust the United Nations and NGO’s such as Oxfam, who have extensive histories in the region. We will lose the battle for hearts and minds even on the humanitarian level.

Iraqi oil has been spent 3 times over. Bush says it belongs to the Iraqi people while he plans to privatize it. Straw wants to use it for reconstruction of infrastructure (and paying the costs of the war!!) Promises have been made to use the proceeds for food and humanitarian assistance so the major power (the U. S.) that invaded does not have to pay.

It’s time to put the United Nations in full charge of all reconstruction, government, and humanitarian areas. Looking at Bush’s best candidate for ruler, we had better do this immediately to avoid further terror and disasters.

Finis.

Source...

<  What Do You Do With Folks Who CONSTANLY Demand PEACE? | Look Who's Back In Town: The Taliban  >