Even if Bush could be forgiven for taking the United States, and much of the rest of the world, to war on false pretenses, and for misrepresenting the cost of the venture, there is no excuse for how he chose to finance it. His was the first war in history paid for entirely on credit. As the US went into battle, with deficits already soaring from his 2001 tax cut, Bush decided to plunge ahead with yet another round of tax “relief” for the wealthy.
Today, the US is focused on unemployment and the deficit. Both threats to America’s future can, in no small measure, be traced to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Increased defense spending, together with the Bush tax cuts, is a key reason why the US went from a fiscal surplus of 2 per cent of GDP when Bush was elected to its parlous deficit and debt position today. Direct government spending on those wars so far amounts to roughly $2tn - $17,000 for every US household - with bills yet to be received increasing this amount by more than 50 per cent.
Moreover, as Bilmes and I argued in our book The Three Trillion Dollar War, the wars contributed to the United States’ macroeconomic weaknesses, which exacerbated its deficits and debt burden. Then, as now, disruption in the Middle East led to higher oil prices, forcing Americans to spend money on oil imports that they otherwise could have spent buying goods produced in the US.
But then the US Federal Reserve hid these weaknesses by engineering a housing bubble that led to a consumption boom. It will take years to overcome the excessive indebtedness and real-estate overhang that resulted.
Ironically, the wars have undermined the United States’ (and the world’s) security, again in ways that Bin Laden could not have imagined. An unpopular war would have made military recruitment difficult in any circumstances. But, as Bush tried to deceive the US about the wars’ costs, he underfunded the troops, refusing even basic expenditures -say, for armoured and mine-resistant vehicles needed to protect American lives, or for adequate health care for returning veterans. A US court recently ruled that veterans’ rights have been violated. (Remarkably, the Obama administration claims that veterans’ right to appeal to the courts should be restricted!)
Military overreach has predictably led to nervousness about using military power, and others’ knowledge of this threatens to weaken US security as well. But the United States’ real strength, more than its military and economic power, is its “soft power,” its moral authority. And this, too, was weakened: as the US violated basic human rights like habeas corpus and the right not to be tortured, its longstanding commitment to international law was called into question.
In Afghanistan and Iraq, the US and its allies knew that long-term victory required winning hearts and minds. But mistakes in the early years of those wars complicated that already-difficult battle. The wars’ collateral damage has been massive: by some accounts, more than a million Iraqis have died, directly or indirectly, because of the war. According to some studies, at least 137,000 civilians have died violently in Afghanistan and Iraq in the last ten years; among Iraqis alone, there are 1.8m refugees and 1.7m internally displaced people.
Not all of the consequences were disastrous. The deficits to which the US' debt-funded wars contributed so mightily are now forcing the US to face the reality of budget constraints. US military spending still nearly equals that of the rest of the world combined, two decades after the end of the Cold War. Some of the increased expenditures went to the costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the broader Global War on Terrorism, but much of it was wasted on weapons that don’t work against enemies that don’t exist. Now, at last, those resources are likely to be redeployed, and the US will likely get more security by paying less.
Al-Qaeda, while not conquered, no longer appears to be the threat that loomed so large in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. But the price paid in getting to this point, in the US and elsewhere, has been enormous - and mostly avoidable. The legacy will be with us for a long time. It pays to think before acting.
THANKS YOU FOR HELP
They’re sneaky. They lie. They’re evil. They think everyone else is an animal and therefore without souls. They’re the most despicable people on the planet to say the least. These evil doers are behind Hollywood, the porn industry, race mixing,the homosexual agenda …. you name it … and they’re the ones orchestrating it.?READMORE
They’re sneaky. They lie. They’re evil. They think everyone else is an animal and therefore without souls. They’re the most despicable people on the planet to say the least. These evil doers are behind Hollywood, the porn industry, race mixing,the homosexual agenda …. you name it … and they’re the ones orchestrating it.
1. Until 1965, Singapore was part of Malaysia. Singapore declared its independence on August 9, 1965.
2. Impressed by the Israeli defence system when visiting Israel in 1959, Singapore’s 1st Minister of Defence, Goh Keng Swee (GKS) later invited Mordecai Kidron, Israeli Ambassador to Thailand, over to Singapore to help set up its army. By end- 1965, Israeli teams from Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) began arriving to help Singapore build its army, Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute (SAFTI) and the Defence Ministry.
3. GKS had to be mindful of the sensitivities of neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia, with predominantly Muslim populations. Hence utmost secrecy surrounded the presence and activities of the Israelis, who had specially asked to be referred to as 'Mexicans' to avoid having their cover blown. Israel imposed a total blackout on the story and the secret was preserved. Until the other side could no longer contain itself.
4. In his book, "From Third World to First: The Singapore Story 1965-2000," published in 2000, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister, disclosed the secret that had been kept for almost 40 years: It was the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that established the Singaporean army.
5. Singapore's army is today considered the strongest and most advanced of the military forces in Southeast Asia. The alliance between the Israeli and Singaporean defense establishments intensified and expanded. Along with the two tracks of compulsory service and career army, Singapore also adopted the IDF's model of reserve service.
6. In January 1968, Singapore decided to create an armored corps. In great secrecy, an agreement was signed for the purchase of 72 AMX-13 light tanks from IDF surplus. It was a bold decision: Malaysia, the country's large neighbor, didn't have tanks. On Independence Day, August 9, 1969, a major surprise awaited the invited guests, including the defense minister of Malaysia: 30 tanks rolled past the reviewing stand.
7. In a book entitled “The Israeli Connection: Whom Israel arms and why”, Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi (1988, pg26) wrote, “According to the CIA (1979), Singapore is the location of the main Mossad station in Asia. General Efrain Poran, a former military adviser to (Israeli) PM Begin, served a s Defense adviser to the Singapore Government (Kartin, 1984). In 1969, 45 Israeli advisers were on active duty in Singapore.”
8. Israel Shamir wrote, “Singapore has some similarities to the Jewish state: authoritarian rule, vast employment of foreign guest workers, aggressive stance towards their integrated neighbours. A great friend of Israel and the Far East base of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, Singapore is an important link in the global system of currency trading, an integral part of the New World Order, a supporter of the US and Australia. ”. “By taking a leaf from Israel's book, Singapore declared its 'right' to wage war on Malaysia if the country hikes the price of the water it sells to the island.”.
9. He added,”Singapore poisons the minds of the Malaysian Chinese and encourages their immigration to the island. It is a very unnecessary thing, for the Malaysian Chinese community is well integrated in their country.”
10. I came across an interesting write-up (June 2009) by Matthias Chang in his website futurefastworward, who couldn’t have summed it better: “…the Chinese saw through his (Lee Kuan Yew) devious schemes and rejected emphatically PAP’s politics. Lee Kuan Yew thought he could out-maneuver Tunku and become the Prime Minister of Malaysia. But Tunku beat him at his own game and he was expelled from Malaysia. Considering himself to be intellectually superior to Tunku, he could not accept that he was defeated so resoundingly by Tunku. He was devastated. When he announced that Singapore would be separated from Malaysia, he broke down uncontrollably. This was only to be expected as his dreams of being the Overlord of Malaysia, comprising of Peninsula Malaya, Sarawak and Sabah was shattered and he has to be content with being a bully of a city state! Given such a traumatic experience, and possessing a vindictive disposition, it is a given that Lee Kuan Yew would harbour a secret agenda against Malaysia. And over the years, he has sowed and continues to sow discord among the races in Malaysia.”
11. Matthias Chang continued,” It was reported that one of the reasons for his recent visit to Malaysia is to find out how the Chinese are faring in Malaysia. What arrogance.” “Why is there a need for such an elaborate programme – meetings with the prime minister, the deputy prime minister, an audience with the Agong, the Sultan of Perak and more meetings with other political leaders?” “No country is perfect and devoid of problems. We had our fair share, but we are better off without Lee Kuan Yew. “ Well put, Chang!
12. Chang again warns “Malaysians must be vigilant. Lee Kuan Yew cannot be trusted and while Singapore is our neighbour and a member of ASEAN, we must never forget that Singapore has never ceased to dictate terms to Malaysia whenever she perceives Malaysia as being weak. Do not forget the 1997 financial crisis and how Singapore treated us when we were in need.Today, Singapore is reeling under the weight of the global financial tsunami, but Lee Kuan Yew is behaving as if Singapore has a bottomless vault of financial goodies, ever ready to invest in Malaysia as a favour. We don’t need Singapore’s money! Malaysia doesn’t need any favours from Singapore! And Malaysians have no need for a Lee Kuan Yew telling us how to develop our country!”.
13. Last but not least, let me share with you a thought from someone in a website posted in 2008. He wrote, ”Orang Melayu di Malaysia tidak sedar, Singapura adalah diam berisi. Singapura dijaga oleh Amerika dan Israel. Semua komponen tentera Singapura dibeli dan diselenggara sama ada oleh Amerika atau Israel. Mossad sendiri berpangkalan di Singapura. Maka tidaklah hairan Malaysia Today server dia dah relocated di Singapore-based.( Al-Azharri Siddiq/popcorn-km.blogspot).
THAT WACKY MAHATHIR!
Trained as a medical doctor and skilled in politics, there is no doubt that he is an intelligent man. But events in Malaysia may help explain Mahathir’s ridiculous rants.After developing a dislike for the policies of Anwar Ibrahim, the man he was grooming to take over as PM, Mahathir fabricated charges of sodomy in 1998 and had Anwar imprisoned. He chose who he thought would be a safe replacement, and then stepped down in 2003, handing the reigns to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Badawi pursued his own policies, at times rankling Mahathir, who found himself sidelined by his party, UMNO (after clearly hoping for a position similar to Singapore’s Lee Kwan Yew, who after stepping down as Prime Minister took the position of Mentor Minister, and who still plays a significant role in Singaporean politics). Despite trying to elbow his way back into the room, Mahathir remained marginalized. So he turned to the one outlet where he could still appear to be a player, the blogosphere, and whereREADMOREMahathir's Political Secretary Aziz Samsuddin said
Fernando then took the court through the testimony of Raja Kamaruddin Raja Wahid, a.k.a Raja Komando, who had, in fine detail, revealed how the conspiracy against Anwar originally unfolded and the role he was given in this whole conspiracy.
“Ummi Hafilda is a prostitute,” said Aziz Samsuddin Day three of Anwar Ibrahim’s appeal hearing at the Kuala Lumpur Appeal Court hit a high note today when Christopher Fernando read out transcripts of the previous trial that quoted Aziz Samsuddin as saying Ummi Hafilda Ali is a prostitute.Fernando started by recapping yesterday’s proceeding where he had told the court Ummi had been disowned by the father after she confessed to writing the letter to the Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, accusing Anwar of sodomising Azizan Abu Bakar, one-time driver of Anwar’s wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.Ummi’s father, a religious teacher, just before he died, wrote an open letter to the Harakah detailing the reasons he had disowned her and, in no uncertain terms, implicated her as the prime mover behind Azizan.“Ummi’s father died broken-hearted without ever forgiving his daughter for the role she played in framing Anwar of sodomy charges,” related Fernando.
Fernando had earlier read out Azmin Ali’s (Ummi’s brother) testimony in court that proved she played an active role in the whole conspiracy.
The prosecution never called her to testify in court to rebut this allegation, added Fernando. Instead they expected the defence to call her. The judge, in fact, even mentioned this point in his written judgment. “But Ummi would have been a hostile witness so it should have been up to the prosecution and not the defence to call her,” argued Fernando.Fernando said that the court should have invoked Section 114 (g) of the Evidence Act on the prosecution for failing to call a most crucial witness to testify in court.
Fernando then took the court through the testimony of Raja Kamaruddin Raja Wahid, a.k.a Raja Komando, who had, in fine detail, revealed how the conspiracy against Anwar originally unfolded and the role he was given in this whole conspiracy.
“The evidence of this witness will show he was invited to join the conspiracy with a view to topple the Deputy Prime Minister,” said Fernando.
“The meeting was held in the office of Aziz Samsuddin, the Prime Minister’s Political Secretary, on 26 June 1998.”
In the meeting, revealed Fernando, Aziz confirmed that Ummi and Azizan would pose no problem as “Ummi is a prostitute”.Raja Komando then asked Aziz whether there was any other way to bring Anwar down.According to Raja Komando, “Aziz replied sodomy would be the best way. Other ways would have no affect.”“Raja Komando’s role was to manage the political assassination part of the exercise,” added Fernando. “The sodomy allegation was assigned to Ummi and Azizan.”
“Raja Komando was to disseminate the allegation as far and wide as possible. He was also to spread word that Anwar is a CIA agent.”From what Fernando told the court today, it was clearly established in the meeting Raja Komando had with Aziz Samsuddin that he (Aziz) was the Chief Conspirator and that, while Ummi had written the purported “Azizan” letter to the Prime Minister accusing Anwar of sodomy, Aziz was the one who had edited and redrafted it.
The letter, Fernando said, was based on the book “50 Reasons Why Anwar Cannot be PM” – which somehow found its way into the attaché bags of almost 2,000 delegates at the Umno General Assembly that year.“The judge did not give this evidence the weight it deserved,” argued Fernando. “He erred, grossly.”“If he had given the evidence the weight it deserved, would he have arrived at the judgment he did?”And what about the tragedies befalling the rest of the gang of conspirators? Remember what happened to Aziz Samsuddin, Dr Ristina Majid, Megat Junid, Mohtar Abdullah, Ummi Hafilda Ali, Azizan Abu Bakar, Hamzah Zainuddin, Rahim Thamby Chik, Daim Zainuddin, etc.?
The only two remaining yet to hit the dirt are the AG and the IGP. These two are still awaiting judgment on earth. And when it comes it will come hard and brutal. So stay tuned to see how the remaining scumbags find their faces hitting the shit in time to come
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