DRAGONFLY GLOBAL PRODUCTIONS, LTD., Blog

Wednesday, July 21:

SUICIDE: #1 CAUSE OF DEATH IN ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES (IDF); ISRAEL'S "CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS"; U.S. SOLDIER SUICIDES IN IRAQ GROW.

The Suicide of Saul, by Pieter Bruegel (1525-1569).

"There is no refuge from confession but suicide, and suicide is confession."Daniel Webster(1782-1852).

The one fear that parents of soldiers fighting abroad fear is the military car that pulls up in the driveway, an officer exits, the nightmare arrives.

Now, in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) 43 soldiers committed suicide in 2003, a 30% increase according to the Hebrew Daily, Maariv (see blog link). It is now the #1 cause of death in the IDF, and these figures have stunned the Ministry of Defense. This is not a transient phenomenon, as Maariv reports, since 15 additional soldiers have committed suicide so far in 2004.

For the U.S. Army, soldier suicides in Iraq are skyrocketing,24 since the beginning of the Iraqi war. "Self-inflicted" deaths as the U.S. military prefers to call them..

On top of this "Conscientious Objectors" are appearing in Israel, according to the Maariv Report.

As an Israeli peace activist sums up the Israeli problem, which can also directly apply to U.S. troops in Iraq:"Israeli soldiers are ordered to do things that go against their moral values ... and they are left with this terrible burden which evolves into depression and eventually leads to suicide."

Not a comforting statement for soldiers and their parents.

Charlie
Charles B. // 8:36 AM

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Wednesday, July 14:

AL-QAEDA CAN EASILY DRIVE UP PRICE OF OIL TO $60/BARREL. IT'S A "SLAM DUNK."

Saudi Oil Field.

Al-Qaeda (Al-Qaeda Manuel) can easily drive up the price of oil to $60/barrel with its intimate knowledge of the Saudi oil industry. Remember Osama bin Laden(biography) was a Saudi before he was stripped of his citizenship by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

On July 9th., Paul Michael Wihbey, president of Global Water and Energy Strategy Team, told a Hudson Institute conference that, "the possibility exists that Al-Qaeda, with its intimate knowledge of the (oil)market, could spike prices up to as high as $60/barrel."

Wihbey continued saying that Al-Qaeda is following the communist example to erode the authority of the Saudi royal family. This erosion of the royal family's once solid power base has been the key contributor to the departure of skilled foreigners in the energy sector.

George Tenet, former head of the CIA who left Sunday just before the Senate posse showed up at his door, famously assured President Bush that the CIA's case for Iraqi WMD's was a "slam dunk" as he offered erroneous information to support his case.

In the case of Al-Qaeda driving the price of oil to $60/barrel, this is not just correct information, it is reality. The $60/ barrel number is significant because it would mean $3/gallon of gasoline in the United States.

Al-Qaeda's "Slam Dunk."

Jane's Foreign Report: Saudi Princes Watch Their Backs.

Regards,

Charlie

Charles B. // 8:43 AM
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Thursday, July 8:

"SHOW ME THE MONEY!," SHOULD BE IRAQ'S INTERIM GOVERNMENT'S CHANT.

Jerry McGuire (Tom Cruise) screaming with Former Football Great Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding,Jr.),On The Other End Of The Line, "Show Me The Money!" in the 1996 Oscar Winning Film, Jerry McGuire.

"We Are Not In The Construction and Engineering Business. We Are In The Business Of Making Money."
Stephen Bechtel, Founder of Bechtel.

A report issued by the White House budget office shows that only $366 Million has been spent of the $18.4 Billion President Bush and Congress provided last year. This is less than two percent of the rebuilding money that the US government has made available. These figures are for the period through June 22.

Further, this money was part of an overall package of $87 Billion signed on November 6, 2003, mostly for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Patrick Clawson, a former World Bank official and now deputy director of the bipartisan Washington Institute for Near East Policy is quoted as saying that the spending rate was too slow for the battle by the US to win the support of Iraqi citizens.

Most of th money allocated to date in contract has just been promises by those companies to perform. They have not fulfilled the vast majority of those contract promises.

Of the $366 Million in expenditures, $194 million was for Iraq's police and armed forces and $109 Million was for the country's electrical system.

The Largest Amount and Most Needed Operations Yet To Be Funded Are The Power And Oil Equipment Portions of the Allocations.

Also, the US government projects it will cost $1.5 Billion just to cover costs of operating the US Embassy in Iraq. This does not include an estimated additional cost of $1 Billion just to build a hugh, secure new embassy in Baghdad.

These costs are getting way out of hand. The most liklely reason is explained in the Asia Times link:The Bottom Line (in Iraq).

Regards,

Charlie
Charles B. // 9:27 AM

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