Comments on: The United States of Amnesia and the Big Muddy http://www.newsdissector.com/blog/2005/04/29/the-united-states-of-amnesia-and-the-big-muddy/ Danny Schechter's daily media dissections Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:31:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.9 by: Alan MacDonald http://www.newsdissector.com/blog/2005/04/29/the-united-states-of-amnesia-and-the-big-muddy/#comment-546 Mon, 02 May 2005 01:17:56 +0000 http://www.newsdissector.com/blog/2005/04/29/the-united-states-of-amnesia-and-the-big-muddy/#comment-546 Danny, despite all of the unreported (and reported) parallels between Vietnam and Iraq that you mention, there is one compelling difference that will make the Iraq oil-war much worse than Vietnam ----- namely the oil. Unfortunately, Iraq is not enitely like Vietnam ---- it's worse. Many are projecting onto the Iraq oil-war aspects of the Vietnam war, and aspects of popular democratic protest that no longer have any impact or reality in current America. Iraq is worse than Vietnam, because the US will not only go to the brink, but will go over into the abyss, as it never did in Vietnam. You ain't seen nothing yet. Vietnam was fought for some still poorly understood neoliberal ideas mixed with militarist hubris ---- but with nothing on the table that the US could not walk away from when the situation decayed into a death-spiral. However, in Iraq the situation is, as Margaret Thatcher would say, TINA; There Is No Alternative. Vietnam was only a hubris war, but Iraq is a full-blown, end-of-the-Ponzi-scheme-economy oil war. TINA. If the US does not win (sic) in controlling the MiddleEast oil (which is what Iraq is all about), then the oily, 'old economy' Ponzi scheme that now IS the US will die, and with it all the corrupt corporate whores and king makers who rule the nation-state previously known as the US. Iraq is the first war of a new global corporate empire (only posing as a traditional nation-state war). In Vietnam, the emotions, values, and protests of actual people in the US still had some impact against continuing the war beyond the point where it's immorality and costs were judged by the people to be unsustainable. In Iraq, the imperial oil-war is beyond the reach of mere people. As was seen in the 2004 election, not only the corporate controlled and branded Bush would have continued the empire's essential oil-war, but so would the supposed alternative. TINA. Danny, despite all of the unreported (and reported) parallels between Vietnam and Iraq that you mention, there is one compelling difference that will make the Iraq oil-war much worse than Vietnam —– namely the oil.

Unfortunately, Iraq is not enitely like Vietnam —- it’s worse.

Many are projecting onto the Iraq oil-war aspects of the Vietnam war, and aspects of popular democratic protest that no longer have any impact or reality in current America.

Iraq is worse than Vietnam, because the US will not only go to the brink, but will go over into the abyss, as it never did in Vietnam.

You ain’t seen nothing yet.

Vietnam was fought for some still poorly understood neoliberal ideas mixed with militarist hubris —- but with nothing on the table that the US could not walk away from when the situation decayed into a death-spiral.

However, in Iraq the situation is, as Margaret Thatcher would say, TINA; There Is No Alternative.

Vietnam was only a hubris war, but Iraq is a full-blown, end-of-the-Ponzi-scheme-economy oil war. TINA.

If the US does not win (sic) in controlling the MiddleEast oil (which is what Iraq is all about), then the oily, ‘old economy’ Ponzi scheme that now IS the US will die, and with it all the corrupt corporate whores and king makers who rule the nation-state previously known as the US.

Iraq is the first war of a new global corporate empire (only posing as a traditional nation-state war).

In Vietnam, the emotions, values, and protests of actual people in the US still had some impact against continuing the war beyond the point where it’s immorality and costs were judged by the people to be unsustainable.

In Iraq, the imperial oil-war is beyond the reach of mere people. As was seen in the 2004 election, not only the corporate controlled and branded Bush would have continued the empire’s essential oil-war, but so would the supposed alternative. TINA.

]]> by: David Valentine http://www.newsdissector.com/blog/2005/04/29/the-united-states-of-amnesia-and-the-big-muddy/#comment-537 Fri, 29 Apr 2005 18:09:54 +0000 http://www.newsdissector.com/blog/2005/04/29/the-united-states-of-amnesia-and-the-big-muddy/#comment-537 I am from another war, another time, but in the South Pacific. Am also a Nam vet, only fighting against the war ... any war. Your short articles read like poetry. Moving. May I have permission to link to this page for the readers of my newletter? Hey, brother, keep on ... keeping on. I'm 80 and still got fire in the belly. You're good! You are needed! David I am from another war, another time, but in the South Pacific. Am also a Nam vet, only fighting against the war … any war. Your short articles read like poetry. Moving.

May I have permission to link to this page for the readers of my newletter?

Hey, brother, keep on … keeping on. I’m 80 and still got fire in the belly. You’re good! You are needed!
David

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