I don't even know where to begin with my absolute contempt for what I have read over the past few days. And I won't even talk about the death and destruction that Dear Leader and the neocon war criminals have wreaked or contributed to in the past two weeks alone.
No, what I want to direct my disgust at are the numerous things that I have seen lately - whether it be domestic policies, the absolutely horrible position that Bush and Condi's antics (because you can't call them "actions") have put us in around the world, and the horrible reflection this is on our once-proud country and its beliefs.
Not only do we have the world's other countries dissing us left and right, we have them working with each other in a manner that is purposely against the United States - largely if not completely because of the arrogant, lying, chest thumping, hypocritical and contradictory actions that have been taken by our so-called "leaders" who sadly are calling the disastrous shots (literally and figuratively) which will ensure that this country falls further and further behind, alienates more and more of our former allies and leaves us looking like the countries whose throats we are trying to force democracy down.
Let's start on the oil and gas front.
We already know how high the gas prices are here and that people were pawning their possessions in order to pay for gas. We already know that ExxonMobil earned over $10 billion last quarter. So what does this past week tell us? Well, for starters, anyone that thought Bush's little "tit-for-tat" with Pootie-poot wasn't going to come back and bite us in the ass, you are sadly mistaken.
According to the UK Guardian Observer from earlier this week, Putin has decided to shut out the US oil companies from the growing and lucrative gas/oil market in Russia. And what was one of the big reasons? Putin was pissed that the US fought Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organization, which he felt was an embarrassment to him, even moreso since the G-8 was in Russia around the same time:
President Vladimir Putin is set to keep US oil companies out of a lucrative gas field in the latest sign of the deteriorating relationship between Moscow and Washington.
The Russian leader is expected to favour Norwegian companies and reject bids by America's Chevron and ConocoPhillips after failing to secure backing from the United States for his country's attempt to join the World Trade Organisation.
The tit-for-tat snub will be a blow to US companies scrambling for access to Russia's huge gas reserves at a time of high energy prices. It comes after Putin failed to resolve differences with US President George Bush over trade and human rights at the G8 conference in St Petersburg last week.
---snip---
'There is very little chance the American majors will win that tender now,' a Russian oil analyst said yesterday. 'Putin was hoping WTO membership would be wrapped up in time for St Petersburg. The failure to do that is a blow to his prestige.'
But why stop there? We already know that Hugo Chavez has decided to stop selling and distributing CITGO gas to around a dozen states. And now, we find that Chavez has a new best friend in Putin. Yup. Chavez will be in Russia to discuss joint venturing in the oil and gas industry, as well as boosting military trade:
Venezuela currently accounts for 15 percent of U.S. crude oil supplies. But Chavez, a staunch U.S. opponent, is eager to steer oil supplies toward other countries, including oil-thirsty China.
---snip---
"Russia produces very high-quality pipeline pipes and has a tremendous experience in laying pipelines. The Venezuelans probably can't do it themselves and they're certainly not going to get much help from the Americans," Kraus says.
---snip---
Finally, Kraus says, a partnership with Russia is a "political statement" for Chavez: "the Venezuelans want to decrease their dependence on the United States."
A pipeline deal with Russia is likely to anger Washington, which has already voiced strong concerns over the planned sale of Russian military aircraft to Venezuela.
"We certainly hope that the Russians will reconsider this sale," a U.S. State Department spokesman said, referring to the aircraft deal. "We don't think it's in the best interest of Russia or Venezuela."
I'm sure that both Venezuela and Russia are real concerned with they US position that this is not in their best interest. What is most maddening about this is how much of a bind the US population is in with respect to gas, energy and the heatwave (but no, there is no global warming, of course).
But that isn't even close to all that we have seen which is a colossal embarrassment and black eye for US.
Even worse is the fact that yet another report was released by a UN Rights Panel slamming the US yet again for secret prisons, torture as well as not allowing detainees due process.
"The committee is concerned by credible and uncontested information that the state party has seen fit to engage in the practice of detaining people secretly and in secret places for months and years on end," according to the 12-page UN Human Rights Committee report.
The committee, which held a two-day hearing last week on U.S. compliance with the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, said such practices also violated the rights of detainees' families.
---snip---
The panel said it was also concerned that the United States, for a period of time, authorized the possible use of interrogation techniques including prolonged stress positions and isolation, sensory deprivation, hooding, exposure to cold or heat and sleep and dietary adjustments.
And what is the response? Crickets. Silence. "A response will be forthcoming". So now, we don't even care to respond to charges of torture or violations of the Geneva Conventions. How any of these mental midgets representing the US expect anyone to have anything other than contempt and disgust for anything that comes out of our mouths is beyond me. And if they don't care and are paying lip service, then they most certainly are violating their oath to this country and the Constitution.
What else?
Well, today's NY Times is reporting on how Arab countries are now lining up behind Hezbollah, with our War On TerrorTM buddies Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt even pretending that they don't know us.
The Saudi royal family and King Abdullah II of Jordan, who were initially more worried about the rising power of Shiite Iran, Hezbollah's main sponsor, are scrambling to distance themselves from Washington.
An outpouring of newspaper columns, cartoons, blogs and public poetry readings have showered praise on Hezbollah while attacking the United States and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for trumpeting American plans for a "new Middle East" that they say has led only to violence and repression.
Jeez - where will we send detainees to be tortured now?
And through all this, what is Dear Leader doing? Well, hard stuff like hosting the cast of American Idol at the White House and then his annual vacation.
What a fucking joke. Actually, it isn't funny - it is pathetic, sad and an embarrassment to anyone that has any sense of compassion, intelligence or a conscience.
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