On the surface it looks like President Obama is delivering on his pledge to withdraw troops from Iraq. With U.S. troops finally drawing down, many families here at home can finally sleep better at night knowing that their loved ones are out of harms way. There is also hope that the scaling down of U.S. forces will lead to a safer, less violent Iraq, as suggested in an editorial at the Seattle Times by Diane Shaughnessy of Auburn, CA:
This week, the last combat convoy left Iraq. By the end of the month, the remaining combat forces will also leave the country. This puts the Obama administration on track to reduce the U.S. troop level to 50,000 by Aug. 31.
This is an important step, but does not by itself end the occupation of Iraq. The administration vowed to completely withdraw from Iraq by Dec. 31, 2011. That is a deadline we must meet.
Millions of Iraqis have been killed, injured, traumatized, displaced or forced to flee and live as refugees. Breaking our promises and prolonging the occupation will not help solve any of the challenges the war-worn country is facing. In fact, our continued presence would exacerbate the Iraqis’ woes.
Though it may have made President Obama look like he is finally meeting one of his campaign promises, what Ms. Shaughnessy and most Americans may not realize is that the media coverage surrounding the withdrawal of 4,000 U.S. troops last week was mere hype, which failed to give us the whole story (as usual).
For one, the mainstream media ignored a recent Army Times report which suggests that, like other information disseminated by our government, not everything is as it seems:
As the final convoy of the Army’s 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, based at Fort Lewis, Wash., entered Kuwait early Thursday, a different Stryker brigade remained in Iraq.
Soldiers from the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the 25th Infantry Division are deployed in Iraq as members of an Advise and Assist Brigade, the Army’s designation for brigades selected to conduct security force assistance.
So while the “last full U.S. combat brigade†have left Iraq, just under 50,000 soldiers from specially trained heavy, infantry and Stryker brigades will stay, as well as two combat aviation brigades.
…
There are seven Advise and Assist Brigades in Iraq, as well as two additional National Guard infantry brigades “for security,†said Army spokesman Lt. Col. Craig Ratcliff.
Thus, it looks like we are not necessarily removing our “Combat” brigades from Iraq, but simply renaming them. Did the Army just pull a fast one on the American people?
Had we not read 1984 back in high school, we might never know that we just witnessed an Orwellian Newspeak distortion.
On the topic of the 4,000 service members withdrawn from Iraq last week, it is important to note that insofar as manpower on the ground is concerned, we actually doubled our presence. Another Orwellian trick actively in use, it seems, is to simply disregard facts and fail to report that which may be damning to the underlying theme, and the people will assume that there is nothing else to the story but what they’ve been told.
It turns out that, while 4,000 of our troops are headed home, 7,000 private contractors were sent in to replace them:
Earlier this week the Pentagon proclaimed that the last U.S. combat forces had left Iraq. This after an armored unit drove out of the country and crossed the border into Kuwait. However, there’ll still be 50,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. An Iraq veteran turned war critic, Camillo Mejia, said that 4,000 U.S. troops who are leaving Iraq will be replaced by 7,000 employees of private military contractors. Other observers say the U.S. has long outsourced the Iraq occupation to troops from some of the world’s poor nations, such as Uganda, Angola, India, and Bangladesh, and that many of the mercenaries due to replace other U.S. troops will also come from those countries, especially from Uganda.
source: Excerpted from KPFA 94.1 Berkley, CA ; Listen at Youtube
Had the contractors been ex-US military personnel, we could argue that the cost of maintaining a presence in Iraq is actually doubling or tripling, but it turns out that rather than paying Western based contractors $1000 per day for the work, we can hire internally displaced persons (i.e. people living in refugee camps in Africa) to do the work for a 75% discount.
The contractors are recruited from refugee camps in Africa, trained by US military contracting firms, and then deployed for policing actions in the middle east.
Perhaps this time the training and military experience we provide recruits from third-world countries will end on a more positive note than, say, those we trained in Central America and Afghanistan in the 1980’s.
As to the somewhat unrelated question of how the US government intends to deploy militarily trained personnel who would be willing to overlook the U.S. Constitution while engaged in policing actions during a SHTF scenario in the United States, we suggest we may have just found our answer.
Editor’s Note: Patriot One contributed to the information provided in this report.
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More bullshit coming out of washington.  Gee!
It’s the same thing when Nixon swore to the media that there were no U.S. troops in Laos during the Vietnam war. However, my unit was in Laos at the time doing recon missions which led to two lengthy fire fights that never made the news because we were under strict orders to keep our mouths shut. There’s not a nickel’s difference between Tricky Dick and our Kenyan president.
Comments…..
 There’s not a nickel’s difference between Tricky Dick and our Kenyan president.
I beg to differ..one is legally an ex- president..one if a usurper.
You make a good point Mac. Mercs-R-Us could be a real problem after the SHTF.
Guns and ammo bitches.  Obama blows his NWO masters.
Thank you for your service Meat Eater, irregardless of our masters intentions.
“knowing that their loved ones are out of harms way”
Out of harm’s way, as in, returning to a fascist oligarchy that is living on borrowed time fiscally? Returning to a looted country that is on a fast track to Socialism and with unemployment realistically over 20%? God bless them for their service, whether I think it was for Good or not, but just what are they returning to, and are they really out of harm’s way?
lol’ Iraq better get in line, after Germany, Norway, Japan, Somalia …..
Some of these bases are so gigantic they require as many as nine internal bus routes for soldiers and civilian contractors to get around inside the earthen berms and concertina wire.
commondreams.org/views04/0115-08.htm
Comments….. if this story wasn’t so sad, it would be comical. If any rational observer can’t see how the MSM is totally controlled by the PTB on this one story, we are truly done as a nation.
  it seems every day, some new event happens that bolsters what we already know about our national news coverage of daily events. Everything is so controlled it’s pathetic. Not much one can do except be aware, and question everything, plus do your own thinking.
pick on the muslims………..
…………instead of the amalekite wall st. bankers who caused *******
clever huh?
Black Bush says mission accomplished.   Now the real fun begins.
Please look on the bright side boys and girls!
The end is coming …… SOON!!! 14+ TRILLION $ in National Debt, more being added every day, and almost no tax revenue being generated to pay even the interest. We are fighting two wars, talking about a third (Iran) and maintaining a military presence in over 100 locations around the world while our disabled veterans live under freeway overpasses.
No other country is currently buying our National Debt. Every time they have an auction of the worthless paper it is the Federal Reserve Bank that is buying the debt with money that they have just printed, created it out of thin air.
What happens at the end of November when the elections are over and the extended unemployment benefits run out for almost 20 million Americans who can’t find work? The unemployed will start BBQing banksters, stock marketeers, elites & MSM celebs in order to feed their families.
Barkie Obungle will declare martial law you say? With whom??? The military hates him.
I saw this quote on another web site:
Soon it will be time to begin the process of rebuilding our once great country.
Â
You know, everything this man, 0bama, says is a fallacy, a fantasy or a lie. NOTHING he’s said has come true except hope (for something better) and change (…only change left in our pockets.)
America will need a rebuilding phase after these hucksters get done with it. I’m just hoping we don’t run out of rope.
MadMarkle,
I’m going to buy the spits and sauce and DONATE it, if I still have a job.
We will not be able to rebuild until its totally destroyed. A new America is coming but we’re all going to have to walk on coals to get there.
Wheedle,
Mercs-R-Us? Watch the Jericho series. Think RavenWood. Evil isn’t hard to kill, just hard to identify.
Yo NetRanger ~
I’ll tend the fire and turn the spits; I’ve got a great recipe for an excellent ‘dry-rub’. We do need some other folks to kick-in with paper plates and napkins. Can anyone bring some ‘shine’ to the party? These assholes that we are having for the main course are so fat and greasy that they should be self-basting. Yummie boys & girls!!! We’ll have to make this a regular event. Every night starting about sun down????
The Federal F—ing Government have already gotten things
f—ed up way past the point-of-no-return! Now all they are doing is putting on bandaids in an attempt postpone the crash. They have a pretty good idea what’s going to happen to them when the former middle class finally accepts the fact that it’s all over and that it’s now every man & woman for themselves.
God Bless and good luck to you and your families. We’ll se you all there in ‘barter-town’.
Comments…..Mad Markie:
You hit the nail on the head. The elite know they only have a short time to finish their agenda. More people are waking up every day, and seeing that what they see on MSM doesn’t jibe with what they are actually seeing in their day to day lives.
   Your’re also right when you say it will be every man for himself.  When the SHTF, government aid will run out quickly. people will get pissed very quickly as they wait like a young bird, waiting to be fed by it’s mother, sitting there with their mouth open. by that time, the elites will be in their bunkers, as they already know the jig is up.
   I can only hope they get their just deserves. have a great day everyone.
Its funny how things work out. We have been talking about this for 2 days and I have not been able to post due to computers issues and been commenting to Mac via my iPhone.
I just got a call from one of the operators and his new contract that was offered, was $250 per day, needless to say he refused. He just got back from A. and said the place is turning into a shooting gallery, it has not been that bad since the war started.
It appears that A & I are both spinning out of control under the new leadership.
@ greaseman –
Construction folk in general are usually pretty ‘red-neck’, well armed and very clanish; we stick together. I am hooked up with a group where I live made up mostly of veterans and their families. We already have a plan in place and a great fall-back position that is very defensable and has a massive water storage capacity on site. Try to work out a similar arrangement with like minded folk near where you live.
By the way folks …… I am celabrating my first aniversary without a job here today. Exactly a year ago today I was laid-off. Still looking every day but no luck to date. I wonder where all those them there “green shoots” are that that the MSM keeps talking about. I must be looking in the wrong place???
If you have any final preps left to get done so that you are as ready as possible; I would recommend taking care of them as soon as you can. When the end of the United States as we know it happens …….. things will go down hill at ‘warp’ speed.
Remember to keep that silly grin on your faces at all times …. it just drives the PTB crazy wondering what it is that you have to smile about! God Bless and good luck to all.
Comments…..to mad markie:
 best of luck to you sir> I hope you have luck with finding a job. I’m lucky and retired from working for the same company for 33 years. I’m still working part time and enjoy the life. I also have some red on the neck myself. I know about the clannish aspect of the friends. I have thought about trying to get together with some like minded preppers, but unsure about the best way to do it. I know there are many who are thinking the same thing. I’ve already talked to a newer neighbor behind me, and found out we were of the same mind. get this, his wife is a banker, and she was the one who got him into prepping. I guess she knows what’s coming. My other neighbors, I ‘ve known them for 30+years, so you could say we know each other well. They would have my back I’m sure.
      Good luck guys, and remember, keep you preps going, as I don’t think we have too long to go before trouble. The rhetoric gets elevated up a knotch every week. And the facts are there to back up the trends. Not good, but all we can do is work our plans. Good luck.
>Barkie Obungle will declare martial law you say? With whom??? The military hates him.
But they are under oath to follow him to the death.
Any survivors will be rounded up and treated as second(or lower)- class citizens.
The bigwigs will survive, and launch a huge ‘cleanup’ operation against hungry and ragged survivors. That’s h0w Britian was pacified after the departure of the Romans.
@ greaseman –
Thanks for your kind thoughts ….. I always seem to land on my feet. The wife and I both have small Canadian Pensions go along with our so-called Social Security and I have a modest pension from Lockheed. It would be bigger but I only had 13 years in prior to them dumping 2,500 of us in the street and moving our jobs elsewhere.
Network at every opportunity, you will soon find others who are like minded.
They don’t need US trained foreign troops to go against Americans on US soil, they can use US or Canadian troops. The Posse Comitatus Act was repealed allowing US troops to be called against US citizens and not go against the Constitution. And in 2005 Canada and the US signed an agreement allowing either country to call up the others troops when needed.
Why would anyone repeal Posse Comitatus Act when it protects the integrity of the nation and our governmental structure? Because it protects the integrity of the nation and our governmental structure.
Numidia: Look up the oath for enlisted, then compare to the oath for officers. Pay close attention to difference. Most people are not aware. Most military officers do know the difference.Â
Now think about the last General that got relieved. That will lead you to further reading. I’m still waiting on the book, but not holding my breath.