BernieHund: The Political Watchdog

According to The Guardian

A $5bn (£2.5bn) tourism and development scheme for the Green Zone being hatched by the Pentagon and an international investment consortium would give the heavily fortified area on the banks of the Tigris a “dream” makeover that will become a magnet for Iraqis, tourists, business people and investors. About half of the area is now occupied by coalition forces, the US state department or private foreign companies.

The US military released the first tentative artists’ impression yesterday. An army source said the barbed wire, concrete blast barriers and checkpoints that currently disfigure the 5 sq mile area would be replaced by shopping malls, hotels, elegant apartment blocks and leisure parks. “This is at the end of the day an Iraqi-owned area and we will give it back to them with added value,” said the source, who requested anonymity.

At then end of the day in New Orleans, people are being forced to move out of the formaldehyde tainted toxic FEMA trailers.  All I can ask is where is Kanye West when we need him?

And, perhaps the idea isn’t all that impressive to the citizens of Baghdad either.

For many Baghdad residents, the Green Zone has been a no-go area for years, first under Saddam and now under the occupation. “What do I care?” shrugged one, Ahmed Hussein. “I don’t have electricity, I don’t have fresh water and I don’t have a job.”

Is this new project a bit premature?  According to the present administration we cannot draw down our troops.  According to John McCain we may need to keep troops in the area for up to 100 years.  And, according to the Pentagon we need to build Disney World in Baghdad?

Well, I can only shake my head and wonder if Bush and Cheney with all their special ties to the mid-east are encouraging mall buildings and skate parks so the little ladies can shop at Needless Markups… ah… Neiman Marcus when they go for a visit once the administration leaves office. 

Seriously, this tops the list of ridiculous.  If anything it slaps Americans in the face…. and it is a “bitch slap” if you know what I mean.  New Orleans is struggling to become functional and someone at the Pentagon is planning shopping malls and amusement parks for Baghdad.

Yesterday Laura Bush chastised Myanmar for not being ready to accept aid immediately and for not treating their citizens as humans.  She spoke of the aftermath of the cyclone although I didn’t hear her voice the day after Katrina.  Now, the Pentagon is designing architectural masterpieces for a war zone and what has the government done for New Orleans?

As we can see, the present administration is so far off target as far as America goes and as far as American citizens are concerned that the best we can hope for is to keep them corraled until they leave office.  At best, we have 260 days left of the total corruption and insanity that has filled this administration.