[Rhodes22-list] More Politics

Wally Buck tnrhodey at hotmail.com
Fri Apr 30 11:39:52 EDT 2004 

Steve,

What is just plain wrong? Do you dispute the fact that no Americans were 
getting killed when the French and Russians were controlling the oil? I 
didn't expect you to agree but I did expect you to miss my point.

This war is about oil, the French and Russians wanted to control it, and so 
did we. No oil no war, that simple.

Wally

>From: Steve <rhodes2282 at yahoo.com>
>Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] More Politics
>Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2004 07:08:23 -0700 (PDT)
>
>Wally
>That just plain wrong.
>
>At least when the
> > French and Russian's were on the take no Americans
> > were getting killed.
>
>As the last great superpower: if we don't do whats
>right; who will???????????
>Steve
>
>--- Wally Buck <tnrhodey at hotmail.com> wrote:
> > Steve,
> >
> > I wouldn't call Bush's taking us to war over false
> > hoods a "minor lapse".
> > Talk about understatement!
> >
> > I agree that the French and Russians were on the
> > take. At least when the
> > French and Russian's were on the take no Americans
> > were getting killed. I
> > have said all along this war is about oil and Paul's
> > post supports my view
> > point. WMD, human rights, freedom and so on all
> > sound good but if there
> > wasn't a drop of oil in the area the US, France, and
> > Russia wouldn't give a
> > flip.So now we are at "war " and the US controls the
> > oil. I don't see how
> > this is a big improvement.
> >
> > Wally
> >
> >
> > >From: Steve <rhodes2282 at yahoo.com>
> > >Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
> > <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > >To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
> > <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > >Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] More Politics
> > >Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2004 11:25:08 -0700 (PDT)
> > >
> > >Very interesting, Paul.  You know, I figured it was
> > >only a matter of time before this came out.  A
> > country
> > >such a French putting monetary issue before the
> > safety
> > >of the world.  We should all get down on our knees
> > &
> > >thank God that we have our President (and a GREAT
> > >President at that) & Tony Blair over in England
> > that
> > >was willing to take a stand for whats
> > right!!!!!!!!!!
> > >Where me a flag; I feel like saluting it:-)
> > >Steve
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >--- pdgrand at nospam.wmis.net wrote:
> > > > Forgive me if you receive this twice.  I
> > > > accidentally left out the subject
> > > > on the first try. - Paul
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > April 28, 2004 -- ANYONE who pines for genuine
> > > > international
> > > > multilateralism would do well to follow the
> > bribes
> > > > now being uncovered in
> > > > the United Nations' Oil-for- Food scandal.
> > > > Why did France and Russia oppose efforts to
> > topple
> > > > Saddam Hussein's regime?
> > > > And why did they press constantly, throughout
> > the
> > > > '90s, for an expansion of
> > > > Iraqi oil sales? Was it their empathy for the
> > > > starving children of that
> > > > impoverished nation? Their desire to stop the
> > United
> > > > States from arrogantly
> > > > imposing its vision upon the Middle East?
> > > >
> > > > It now looks like they it was simply because
> > they
> > > > were on the take. Saddam
> > > > was their cash cow. If President Bush has
> > suffered
> > > > some discredit over his
> > > > apparently false - but not disingenuous - claims
> > of
> > > > Iraqi weapons of mass
> > > > destruction, the lapse is minor compared to the
> > > > outright personal
> > > > selfishness and criminality that appears to have
> > > > motivated many of those
> > > > who opposed his efforts to rid the world of one
> > of
> > > > its worst dictators.
> > > >
> > > > Throughout the '90s, France and Russia badgered
> > the
> > > > United States and
> > > > Britain to increase Iraqi oil production.
> > President
> > > > Bill Clinton and Prime
> > > > Minister Tony Blair fought them at each step,
> > but
> > > > then reluctantly gave
> > > > way. First Iraq was allowed to sell 500,000
> > barrels
> > > > daily. Then, on Franco-
> > > > Russian insistence, it was raised to 1 million,
> > then
> > > > to 2 million and,
> > > > finally, to 3 million barrels a day.
> > > >
> > > > Each time, America and Britain - the nations now
> > > > accused of coveting Iraqi
> > > > oil - resisted the increases in Iraqi production
> > and
> > > > urged tighter controls
> > > > over the program. Each time, the French and the
> > > > Russians prattled on about
> > > > the rights of Iraqi sovereignty and the need to
> > feed
> > > > the children.
> > > >
> > > > Now we know why the French and Russians were so
> > > > insistent. Iraqi government
> > > > documents (leaked to the Baghdad newspaper Al
> > Mada)
> > > > list at least 270
> > > > individuals and entities who got vouchers
> > allowing
> > > > them to sell Iraqi oil -
> > > > and to keep much of the money. These vouchers,
> > and
> > > > the promise of instant
> > > > great wealth they carried with them, bought
> > vital
> > > > support in the United
> > > > Nations to let Saddam stay in power.
> > > >
> > > > The list of those receiving these bribes
> > includes
> > > > France's former French
> > > > Interior Minister Charles Pasqua (who's a leader
> > of
> > > > Chirac's party) and
> > > > Patrick Maugein, the head of the French Oil firm
> > > > Soco International.
> > > > France's former U.N. ambassador, Jean-Bernard
> > > > Merimee, got vouchers to sell
> > > > 11 million barrels.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > In Russia, the payoff chain reached right into
> > the
> > > > "office of the Russian
> > > > president." President Vladimir Putin's Peace and
> > > > Unity Party also got
> > > > vouchers, as did the Soviet-era Prime Minister
> > > > Nikolai Ryzhkov and the
> > > > Russian Orthodox Church. Nationalist leader
> > Vladimir
> > > > Zhirinovsky shared in
> > > > the largesse.
> > > >
> > > > Not to be left behind, the Rev. Jean Marie
> > Benjamin
> > > > of the Vatican got the
> > > > rights to sell 4.5 million barrels as recompense
> > for
> > > > setting up a meeting
> > > > between Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz and
> > the
> > > > pope.
> > > >
> > > > Indeed, the list indicates that Benon Sevan, the
> > > > United Nations official in
> > > > charge of the Oil-for-Food program. received
> > > > vouchers. He denies the
> > > > charge, but has decided to retire next month
> > anyway.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > At the start of the Oil-for-Food program,
> > America
> > > > and Britain proposed that
> > > > the money flow only to accounts entirely
> > controlled
> > > > by the United Nations.
> > > > Soon this standard was lowered to include
> > accounts
> > > > not actually controlled
> > > > by the United Nations, but only monitored by it.
> > > >
> > > > Then-Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska) warned that
> > > > "oil is fungible" and
> > > > noted that once Iraq was allowed to pump and
> > sell
> > > > it, Saddam could sell all
> > > > he wanted outside of officially sanctioned
> > channels
> > > > and nobody could tell
> > > > which black liquid was legal and which not. But
> > > > nobody imagined that there
> > > > were actual bribes going to specific French,
> > Russian
> > > > and U.N. officials as
> > > > part of the program.
> > > >
> > > > Now it appears that Secretary-General Kofi
> > Annan's
> > > > sanctimonious posturing
> > > > may have concealed oil bribes which reached high
> > up
> > > > in the ranks of the
> > > > U.N. organization itself.
> > > >
> > > > The defect of international coalitions is that
> > they
> > > > include the just and
> > > > the unjust, the bribed and the honest, the
> > > > democratic and the autocratic.
> > > > And their members cannot be trusted equally. The
> > > > group that stood up and
> > > > backed the invasion of Iraq was nicknamed "the
> > > > Coalition of the Willing."
> > > > Now it appears it was also "the Coalition of the
> > > > Honest."
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > __________________________________________________
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> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
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