Friday, December 08, 2006

Howard’s Head in the Sand Over Iraq?

Messrs Howard and Downer will deny until they’re black and blue in the face that oil had anything to do with the invasion of Iraq. Just before the invasion, they parroted the lies of influential members of the American establishment – both those in the Bush administration and some in News Limited – that the war was being fought to make us safe from terrorism.

Later, when it turned out Iraq had no WMD’s and the Iraqi Ba’ath Party had no links to Islamist terror groups, other excuses were put. We were told democracy and peace would be restored to Iraq. We were told that human rights of Kurds and other groups were at stake.

Iraq remains a quagmire, heading for what seems inevitable sectarian and ethnic civil war. Groups like al-Qaida continue to murder and maim innocent Iraqi civilians in a manner they could never have dreamed of when Saddam Hussein was in power. We are part of the mess.

It says a lot about John Howard that he wasn’t prepared to come clean with the Australian people about taking them to a Middle Eastern war. Yet a member of his government was prepared to tell his buddies in the Australian Wheat Board as far back as February 2002, well before the first Bali bombing that Howard reminded us constantly of when arguing his case for war.

Mr Howard says that the Australian official who told AWB of the government’s intentions of joining the American war in Iraq was expressing a personal opinion. If that is the case, how is it that an Australian diplomat knows more about American intentions in relation to Iraq than the PM himself? Maybe Howard isn’t surely he must be wondering how much intelligence and how many security decisions the Bush administration shares with him.

On a Saturday night some weeks back, American comic Azhar Usman posed this question to his Sydney audience: “Why did they call the invasion Operation Iraqi Freedom? They should have called it Operation Iraqi Liberation. That would have made more sense. O.I.L.”

And at a conference on The Journalist and Islam co-organised by Macquarie University and UTS, The Australian’s opinion editor Tom Switzer acknowledged that his newspaper made a huge blunder in supporting the war in Iraq.

Journalists and editors like Switzer are honest enough to acknowledge the war was (in his words) a “complete disaster”. So has the Iraq Study Group appointed by President Bush.

Yet John Howard and his ministers have their heads plonked firmly in the sands of Iraq. Howard is the only world leader left who unconditionally supports indefinitely staying in Iraq. Hardly a statesmanlike position to be in.

© Irfan Yusuf 2006

26 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:23 pm

    From what I saw on today's ABC TV news, it's seems like Howard's position has shifted a little in the last 8 hours. About three years too late for Iraq, but only about three months later than Blair and three weeks later than Bush.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous12:29 pm

    They should never of asked white men to die on behalf of muslims.

    Many mistakes were made and not enough muslims were killed. They should have been aiming for 10,000 civilians for every American at the very least and trying to actively start a genocidal civil war with a view to depopulating the muslim parts of Iraq

    As soon as the pullout has finished it will be advisable to gather every single aircraft that can carry a bomb and just do Baghdad leb-style. Every plane they have from around the world massed over Baghdad. Christmas Eve next year would be perfect.

    The Iraqis were very keen on setting fire to Kuwaiti oil fields which served no purpose. I say set fire to the Iraqi oil and keep throwing muslims into the inferno.

    With all the stress that the American boys have had they deserve some payback. For the 24 hours of New Years Day every American should be allowed to go on a raping rampage. The next day they go on a torture rampage. The day after they go on a killing rampage, then on a renewed raping rampage then torture then killing and on the seventh day they rest. In this way they have some variety and that all important Sunday for rest and prayer.

    Also as part of the pullout I advocate that every single American and Australian man woman and child be given the chance to go to Iraq if they want to get on the 7 Day Iraq Program. It should be compulsory for muslims. All Australian muslims will be required to stay in Iraq as a humanitarian contribution and as the Australian committment to world peace and the war on terror. These new Iraqi citizens will have plenty of opportunity to compare the preferability of Christian culture to muslim culture.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous4:50 pm

    The people of the world must work together for the sake of the children. The world needs more love and harmony. The muslims are the problem and genocide is the answer.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous7:13 pm

    Howard is heaps better than all of that baby-boomer trash that is still being demolished by the political process. When will these baby-boomer jokers just go away? Must we fight and defeat every single one of them? They are worse than Japanese Kamakazee pilots, each wanting to make a bright flame. They are all duds.

    Hey Irfan, how about you START A LIST of baby-boomer trash that must be taken out?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous6:36 pm

    Hey Anonymous,

    You're a bloody traitor to our country. Is the war just a big joke to you? Do you think that threatening to rape Iraqi women will not have an impact on our troops in the Middle East? Do you think that this website is not publicly available? This kind of shit is what is used against us. You are a disgrace to Australia.

    With people like you, its no wonder that teh US, Aussie, Israeli armies are such failures in spite of all their firepower.

    If I want someone to speak for Aussies to Muslims, it sure as hell isn't going to be someone calling for rape. Or is that what we stand for now?

    Bloody loser.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous11:56 am

    What can the West do to help? Muslims killing Muslims is a good thing. There are some people in Iraq who don't have guns. It is Americas duty to the West to buy more guns and distribute them amongst the population especially to school children and the mentally ill or anyone who will kill their fellow muslims without compromise or mercy.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous4:44 pm

    Thanks Anonymous for clarifying your political stance. The KKK/neo-nazis will never amount to anything more than misfits who feel superior by getting into large groups and bashing up women and children (thus explaining the call to rape in an earlier post).

    It's a pity that we obviously have such social problems in Australia that would produce such people as yourself. I mean, young men who feel unloved and do not know how to deal with their feeling of rejection and loneliness, and inability to have a family and care for others, sitting at the computer calling for mass murder in language laced with references to the porn they are addicted to.

    Poor, lonely man. I mean, come on, do you really have friends who you share these ideas with? Do repressed losers such as yourself hang around in groups? I cannot for the life of me imagine you would.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous6:28 pm

    "The new rules will mean prospective Australian citizens will have to sit an internet-based test to demonstrate their knowledge of the English language and Australia.

    They will also have to sign a statement saying they are aware of and understand Australian social values including freedom of religion, equality of men and women, a commitment to obeying local laws and a respect for individual freedom."

    -Today in the DT

    It's only a matter of time before no muslims of any sort are allowed into Australia. That's one step towards having race-traitors like warren j. exported to a muslim country where he can live with the mud people wishing to come back to white Australia.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous6:49 pm

    "Do you think that threatening to rape Iraqi women will not have an impact on our troops in the Middle East?"

    Sexual discrimination is a terrible thing. Its about time Iraqi men got raped as well by platoons of homosexual Americans. But let's not forget the torture and murder of muslims. Lets have a new Iraq filled with American negro /Iraqi muslim crossbreed subhumans. This is why the US Army should be raping it's way the length and breadth of Iraq. Rape torture and execution squads will make a lasting positive cultural contribution to Iraq.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous9:48 pm

    Irfan, while to some extent it is a good idea to let these posts through. Isn't it time to pull the plug on it? The obvious aim is to flood the message board with nonsense so that your ideas cannot be discussed.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous7:13 am

    Warren J. you say that Irfan's ideas cannot be discussed. At no point have you discussed any of Irfan's ideas. You are a revolting little censor akin to a nazi or a communist of the most pathetic self-righteous and self-aggrandizing sort.

    I didn’t notice anonymous insulting you or commenting on your mental health. Are you qualified to make medical pronouncements about strangers on the internet? That Anonymous may be a loser but he doesn’t appear to be ‘repressed’. It’s not your call to call someone else a loser when they have not attacked you in anyway. It’s just not netiquette. Are you so rude and so judgemental in real life?

    You say: “ Do you think that threatening to rape Iraqi women will not have an impact on our troops in the Middle East?” Keep it real. Anything said on this forum is not going to affect either the Australians or the Muslims in Iraq.

    I can say: “War is wrong. Stop the killing”. Do you think my statement, because it occurred in this forum, will have any affect on what happens in Iraq? Coming from your position I recommend that you not make comments about other peoples mental health when there seems to be some doubt about yours.

    Anonymous is probably right. You are probably a race-traitor. You are perhaps proud of that. Please allow me to break with netiquette and call you a loser on behalf on anonymous.

    If there is one thing I can't stand on the internet it's a politically correct, sanctimonious amateur psychologist such as yourself pompously making pronouncements about other netizens while also touting themselves as somehow more Australian than somebody else.

    Even more pathetic is you writing a public appeal to Irfan to censor his own blog because you in all your enlightened wisdom think it should be censored. You don't think Irfan can make up his own mind without you proffering advice? He needs you to help him with decisions does he? Is Irfan some sort of idiot or a child? Do all muslims need advice from clever white people such as yourself? Oh so are you the smarter better type of racist then?

    BTW the town of Warren is a hole filled with really slow Australians. What sort of stupid skippys would name a child Warren? Crawl back into your burrow you rabbit.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anon @ 7:13, if you want to say nasty things about others, come out of hiding and tell us who you are. Otherwise, from now on, your offensive white supremacist posts won't be allowed on.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous4:49 pm

    I don't read consored politically correct drivel. The comments by anonymous are the only reason I bother to read this blog.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous5:09 pm

    Anonymous wrote:

    "Keep it real. Anything said on this forum is not going to affect either the Australians or the Muslims in Iraq... "

    ...So Anonymous praises the rape and murder of innocent women women and children, and calls for more of the same but on a wider scale, and the defense of the argument is that not many people will read his post. Then Anonymous winges that I am trying to deny his rights through censorship. Sort of ironic don't you think? I will, however, think about your point as to how we can have a civilised discussion based on Voltairean principles on the pros and cons of raping women and murdering children.

    "It’s not your call to call someone else a loser when they have not attacked you in anyway."

    I think labelling Anon as a "loser" is a fair call, for the following reasons:
    1) His misguided belief that Australia can still spout racist threats against its neighbours and will be protected by big brother Britain or US. Wake up mate and look at what is going on in the world outside.
    2) His support of the failed US-Israeli strategy of the Middle East. War is already lost.
    3) His support of torture and murder, when it is increasingly your white soldier friends in Iraq and Afghanistan who are suffering the blowback from this.
    4) The fact that the KKK is irrelevant to Australia, and will never be accepted by more than a minority of people who have not been able to deal with a tragic childhood.

    With such a misguided approach to world issues it is no wonder that all Anon can do is yell abuse and threats. There is a website called "Stormfront" where you will find more friendly posters you can share ideas with.

    Good day.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous7:50 pm

    When the revolution comes you'll be standing naked in an extermination camp doing the Hitler salute with your right hand and covering your small penis with the left. And then you will be made into soap.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous11:11 pm

    Anyone who thinks that anonymous is one person is very wrong. There are many anonymous Australians, and @ the ballot box we vote against Muslims and the multi-culti industry. Why do you think no leader of a political party has used in a very long time, the offensive term "multicultural"?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous5:38 pm

    Muslims are nothing more than tools of the Australian Jewry in their divide and conquer tactics employed upon the Australian population. Whilst muslims are not welcome in this country, non-Jews should NOT be dragged into fighting a civil war against muslims. They should be given the option of leaving peacefully NOW before muslim numbers in this country reach the point in which violence becomes inevitable.

    Do not get sucked into warring with muslims on behalf of the the Australian Jewry. Take the least violent option now and press for the removal of muslims and jewish traitors that have manipulated the immigration system for their own purposes - to establish a multicultural society to engender inter-ghetto friction and violence. The Jewish view is that whilst we are fighting eachother we aren't focusing upon them and their treacherous, self-serving, greedy behaviour.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous6:50 pm

    "Anyone who thinks that anonymous is one person is very wrong."

    Why do you care? Oh yeah, that's right, you think that the average Australian is a half-wit and can be easily tricked.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous12:48 am

    I must be a half-wit or a miniscule-fraction-wit, because there are an enormous number of anonymous posters here.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous1:29 am

    i agree with 538 and 1248

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous3:36 pm

    I disagree with 1111, who is 538, who is 1248, who is 129.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous12:26 am

    I disagree with Wali and look forward to the day when the Federal Police feed him to the muslimators ie a herd of pigs for being a smelly muslim security risk.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous12:22 pm

    The Borg Anonymous said at 4:49 PM I don't read consored [sic] politically correct drivel. The comments by anonymous are the only reason I bother to read this blog.

    Then Anonymous can start Its own blog and fill it to the brim with Its shit. Oh, sorry, It can't. It doesn't have the intellectual capacity or courage to create and maintain a blog of any substance that anyone, beyond a small crowd with a shared lobotomised brain, might visit and read. Moreover, It knows that such a blog would attract the righteous attention of the law quick-smart and It would be publically identified and humiliated for Its unacceptable vilification. So It is reduced to pathetic anonymous sniping from the sidelines. My, what a Big Brave boy It is! Let's all congratulate It on how clever It is, to be so original as to post anonymous bile to a blog. I mean, what an ingenious unheard-of thing to do. No one has ever done that before. Mind blowing. Stunning. Revelatory. Miraculous. Who would have, could have, thought?

    Seriously, fellas, stay away from the crystal meth. It fucks up your already polluted minds.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous9:30 pm

    whimandaprayer has this profile:

    Profile Not Available

    The Blogger Profile you requested cannot be displayed. Many Blogger users have not yet elected to publicly share their Profile.

    If you're a Blogger user, we encourage you to enable access to your Profile.

    He is just another anonymous windbag.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous, you're one stupid fuck.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous5:01 pm

    Messrs Howard and Downer will deny until they’re black and blue in the face that oil had anything to do with the invasion of Iraq. Just before the invasion, they parroted the lies of influential members of the American establishment – both those in the Bush administration and some in News Limited – that the war was being fought to make us safe from terrorism.

    Later, when it turned out Iraq had no WMD’s and the Iraqi Ba’ath Party had no links to Islamist terror groups, other excuses were put. We were told democracy and peace would be restored to Iraq. We were told that human rights of Kurds and other groups were at stake.

    Iraq remains a quagmire, heading for what seems inevitable sectarian and ethnic civil war. Groups like al-Qaida continue to murder and maim innocent Iraqi civilians in a manner they could never have dreamed of when Saddam Hussein was in power. We are part of the mess.

    It says a lot about John Howard that he wasn’t prepared to come clean with the Australian people about taking them to a Middle Eastern war. Yet a member of his government was prepared to tell his buddies in the Australian Wheat Board as far back as February 2002, well before the first Bali bombing that Howard reminded us constantly of when arguing his case for war.

    Mr Howard says that the Australian official who told AWB of the government’s intentions of joining the American war in Iraq was expressing a personal opinion. If that is the case, how is it that an Australian diplomat knows more about American intentions in relation to Iraq than the PM himself? Maybe Howard isn’t surely he must be wondering how much intelligence and how many security decisions the Bush administration shares with him.

    On a Saturday night some weeks back, American comic Azhar Usman posed this question to his Sydney audience: “Why did they call the invasion Operation Iraqi Freedom? They should have called it Operation Iraqi Liberation. That would have made more sense. O.I.L.”

    And at a conference on The Journalist and Islam co-organised by Macquarie University and UTS, The Australian’s opinion editor Tom Switzer acknowledged that his newspaper made a huge blunder in supporting the war in Iraq.

    Journalists and editors like Switzer are honest enough to acknowledge the war was (in his words) a “complete disaster”. So has the Iraq Study Group appointed by President Bush.

    Yet John Howard and his ministers have their heads plonked firmly in the sands of Iraq. Howard is the only world leader left who unconditionally supports indefinitely staying in Iraq. Hardly a statesmanlike position to be in.

    ReplyDelete