Thank you for reminding the world that "we" the "coalition of the willing" destroyed a nation because we wanted to. But the catastrophes do not end at 10. There is Catastrophe no. 11, the opportunity costs of squandering trillions of dollars and political focus on war, which should have all been devoted to change global energy systems in order to slow climate change. Millions and millions. maybe billions of humans are going to die horrific deaths, because we wasted on war what should have been invested in climate management. There is Catastrophe no. 12, the destruction of democracy, constitutional government, and rule of law in the USA. The US is the world's largest economy and most militarized society, and now people of the world and US citizens live in fear of the irrational, and brutal monster that the US government has become.
England is now experiencing financial crisis, maybe collapse. What was the contribution of spending borrowed money for the illegal invasion of Iraq that brought no benefit to Iraq or to the UK? The cost of the Iraq war should include accrued reparations costs and interests on those costs. Iraqi families and the society should be paid for unlawful deaths, for injuries, for pain and suffering, for opportunity costs of lost education, lost investments. The reparations should be proportioned among the nations joining the Coalition of the Willing. Iceland signed up and Iceland should sign a reparations check. We have France now in the same situation. A bankrupt nation, borrowing money, to wage illegal war, in a foreign nation. As the song lyrics say, "When will they ever learn?". The Mexican Constitution forbids Mexican military forces from doing anything outside of Mexico. For nations that have murderous impulses, like the UK, France, USA, Canada, Australia, Israel, they should notice their addiction to aggression and similarly try to force themselves to curb or contain those impulses.
We should also add in the cost of reparations we owe to Iraqi individuals and to the Iraqi government for the damages our illegal war caused them. And these damages include 1) the physical damage to property, 2) liability and "pain and suffering" penalties for killing family members, 3) medical costs for hospitalization, medicines, rehabilitation, 4) opportunity costs for the lost income, lost education, lost investments, etc. during the disruption we caused, and 5) interest the accumulated costs of 1) + 2) + 3) + 4). Our reparations will come to another $6 trillion dollars.
Thank you saying what many think. The USA has become unrecognizable to anyone over age 50. Nixon was impeached and forced from office for burglary and obstruction of justice. The Bush-Obama administration is w-a-a-a-y beyond that, and there is not even a motion of impeachment.
Thank you for the clear statement of what many of us in the USA feel. I think our only hope is economic collapse. I read economics and market columns, hoping to see signs of collapse, of hyperinflation, of mass unemployment. Every bit of bad economic news makes me feel hopeful. News of "green shoots" makes me depressed. If we had unemployment at 40%, gasoline at $20 per gallon, bread at $10 a loaf, then we would see the end of corrupt government.
The big three blockers of a climate accord are the USA, Australia, and Canada. The new "Axis of Ecological Evil". It would be justice if the worst of climate change effects were to hit them first and hit them hardest. Forest fires, floods, and hurricanes are mechanisms of environmental justice.
How does Iran oppress women? How about the dress code? Why are women mandated to wear head cover but men are not so mandated?
The Pentagon is the CAUSE of global warming, in its consumption of resources, especially hydrocarbon fuels, but more importantly it is misdirection of risks, to get US politicians and people to believe that the highest risks to the USA are a) Palestinians resisting Israeli seizure of their lands, b) the social cultures of Islamic peoples in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the c) the inability of the USA to loot oil from nations that have oil.
Cynthia McKinney is one of the heroes of our era. Our nation and our world hang by threads, and she is one of them. Please, Ms. McKinney, keep up your spirit and your activism.
If the DemPublican candidates are to be avoided, one can also vote Green Party, or Working Families Party, or any of a dozen other parties. Why do you presume that Libertarian is the only third-party option. I have voted Green Party for the last 3 elections in NY State.
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