<http://www.daralhayat.net/actions/print2.php> The Fall of Reason Paul Forest Dar Al-Hayat 2004/11/23 Condoleezza Rice is the latest cabinet member to gush out of the oil patch. She is an obvious choice as Secretary of State for President Bush, who is disenchanted with General Powell's ability to mouth the words given to him by the White House spin barons, and yet, convey the impression that he is not really comfortable as a bearer of false tidings. With Dr. Rice, President Bush will be admirably served. Obviously an extremely articulate illusionist, at the time of the Iraq justification period, she was in the foxhole shooting back at all proponents of factuality and, actually, did get in some good shots, when judged more on intellectual acrobatics than accuracy. Of her many masterful quotes, one stands out: "Whoever's fault it is, it is certainly not mine, unless you think it's the President's, in which case it's mine." It is doubtful that the international world of diplomacy will understand her nomination and doubtlessly accept credentials, which they can so clearly identify as that of a studious perpetrator of deceit. She is unlikely to abandon her credo of: "Our truth above all," and while trying to outdo herself, she will preside over the destitution of what remains of U.S. integrity. Few people doubt, that her assertions that this administration's sole objective was to surgically remove Saddam Hussein, would have received ample support from the majority of Arab states. It seems self-evident, however, that despite the U.S. air strike success in Kosovo, the Bush Administration nurtured a hidden agenda that required massive intervention by ground forces, and the establishment of a loyal and friendly new controlling block in Iraq. This machination was conceived as a manner of controlling a sufficient amount of world oil reserves, for the U.S. to be a significant factor in the world price for oil. In modern history, as well as present times, there are numerous examples of dominant powers and individuals, venting their anger on the innocent when the true culprits are beyond their reach. The U.S. military and the current administration at some point, must have decided that using a surgical knife is not time effective when seeking to carve out for itself a sizable niche in the world's most desirable geography. It is truly amazing that when a despicable act is perpetrated by the U.S. military, whether in a prison or as recently, in a Mosque, a camera appeared to have been pointed at the malefactors. We may ask ourselves, is this the superior work of talented embedded cameramen, or could the camera have been pointed anywhere with matching results? These barbarian acts have considerably traumatized much of the world community of Arab and Muslim nations, which are now firmly convinced that the President's "war of vindictiveness" may have been intended to dislodge Saddam Hussein and his regime, but as much thought went into humanitarian concerns for the population, as in the governance of a post-war Iraq, very little. The shortsighted view is that terrorism will once again strike U.S. soil, and recent utterances by the Sultan of Terror confirm that this is in fact their intent. Should a disastrous terrorist act again occur on U.S. soil, the fear mongers in the White House will then feel vindicated by the tangible validation of their long-held views, and they will point fingers at their detractors. These, in turn, will likely respond that a more conciliatory attitude by the administration towards the Arab and Muslim people, replacing the current militaristic course of action, might well have prevented that which by then will have taken place. The longer-term implications, however, are that Arab investments in the U.S., which are now valued near 2 trillion dollars, will dry up, and may in fact be downsized in favor of investments in the growing, potentially friendly and peaceful European Community, whose currency appears destined to supplant the Dollar as the principle world currency. The U.S. treasury and financial markets have been surviving on a steady influx of outside capital, and will be caught in a war of financial attrition which they are not in a position to win. Israel's well-being is directly linked to American benevolence and the Israeli Government may discover the wisdom of having a greater array of able and willing supporters. A considerable concentration of American Jewish wealth and influence has been creatively positioned in the American National Media, and this condition does not exist in any other nation. This was unmistakably exhibited recently in a promo on itself by CNN, in which they present, as most trustworthy, six of their regular hosts, of which four are of Jewish legacy. Simple calculation reveals that since American Jews represent 2% of the total American population, the selected hosts amounted to 33 times the proportional representation within the American population. True friends of Israel, mainly Americans of Jewish heritage, must demonstrate to Israel's fanatic right that the citizens of the world other than North Americans, are not conditioned to readily endure the economic, human and traumatic sacrifices that the U.S. experience clearly indicates are to be expected, when fully committed to the exclusive support of Israel in the relentless pursuit of its political expansionism. The dire consequences previously described, have stealthily begun, and may be experienced by anyone approaching a Foreign Exchange counter. Graver concerns may occur sooner than we might normally expect, at the current rate of irresponsible deficit spending, gargantuan trade deficits and progressively increasing labor outsourcing, unless a total policy reversal is implemented. First, the U.S. must, somehow, find a way to express their support for Israel, without openly exhibiting hostility towards the Arab and Muslim community, their culture, and their leaders. To that end, Israel, whose only derived benefit in the Middle East conflict has been the ephemeral inflow of U.S. capital and military resources, must join the U.S. in this resolve. There has always been, and there continues to be, an unwritten rule among journalists in the U.S., that you do not make a connection between the U.S. total support of Israel in everything of concern to them, and the bottommost esteem of the U.S. and Americans by most of the world and particularly Arab/Muslim descendants. Yet, it is clearly obvious that this is a fact. We must ask ourselves: "What other reason could there be?" No one can now reverse the momentum of militant intervention by Muslim terrorists, without a complete agreement between warring parties in Israel and Palestine. The economic and military support freely given to Israel by the U.S. is the breath of life that is keeping the Middle East conflict alive and well. Any potential solution to this basic Middle East conflict must take the form of an agreement acceptable to the Palestinians of their own free will. For this to happen, perhaps new lines must be drawn in the sand, which would provide a restated Palestine with a significant Mediterranean shoreline, a united West Bank and Gaza and all Palestine lands south of the West Bank. In a dream-like state, one might visualize a peaceful Israel, clearly separated from the equally peaceful states of Palestine, Syria and Lebanon, not by a wall, but by a multilane highway, perhaps to be appropriately known as the "Jerusalem International Highway," under the watchful supervision of the UN. George W. Bush has yet to exhibit any capacity for reversing himself on matters before him, and unless he becomes a born-again rationalist, we can logically conclude that the developing crisis will inexorably degenerate into the colossal tribulation that it appears headed for. Colchester , Vermont PolForest@aol.com )2003 Media Communications Group -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah@ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'