Monday, January 24, 2005

Here We Are, Still



Briefly, the SSB is watching you. They're also watching whomever they want in Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen and anywhere else baddies are lurking. Your American tax dollars are paying for it, and Army special forces are the muscle. It's on your tab--the most expensive bottle of wine you never ordered. "Maitre'd, uh, what's this SSB on my bill? "Oh that? Courtesy of Mr. Rumsfeld. Sorry he did tell you, he thought it was in your best interest, despite the price."

Washington Post broke this story, but you'll probably get better analysis on Counterpunch, Drudge or Guerriilla News Network. Operation Condor '05 anyone?

This coming a week after Condi Rice told Congress during her confirmation hearings, in effect, the US must continue to isolate Cuba because Castro uses tourist dollars to tighten his own grip on power. 'Nasty mean dictator, that Castro', huffed Leezy, 'and Chavez too!'

Meanwhile, as the US isolates Castro's Cuba, it funds Egyptian dictator Hosny Mubarak to high heaven: From the UK's The Times : "Countries with poor human rights records to which the Americans have delivered prisoners include Egypt, Syria and Uzbekistan, according to the files. The logs have prompted allegations from critics that the agency is using such regimes to carry out “torture by proxy” — a charge denied by the American government." So, in essence, if you're a dictator and useful to us, the funds (and sometimes prisioners) will flow.

Will the US become the next nation of disappeared's, like the mass executions by death squads in Argentina from '76-'83? And how many secret detention centers are out there waiting for us?

Here we are still, for the time being.