The Pentagon says it needs another $190 billion dollars to keep the invasion and occupation of Iraq going another year.

I remember the good old days when, instead of fighting them over there so we wouldn’t be fighting them here, we just told them if they started fighting over here, we’d launch the nuclear arsenal. But, once we let 9/11 happen (and there’s tons of evidence that a subset of folks at the top DID let 9/11 happen…), the holes in that plan must have become clear. Else, we would have just made a parking lot out of Afghanistan — the country that had allowed al-Qaeda to set up all those training camps.

But we didn’t (thank the Universal Intelligence…you know Allah, Santa Claus, God, the Collective Unconscience — whichever name of reference you prefer), and so we find we probably spent way more on those missile silos than we should have.

Or not.

Actually, we’re thinking about this all wrong. The billions of dollars we spent on those missiles, and the $760 billion we’ll appropriate to get an already dead bin Laden (oops, I’m sorry…forget bin Laden, let’s just call it the war on terror…gosh, we gotta hurry up and get into Iran before everybody and his brother realizes bin Laden has actually been dead for years…), didn’t go toward missiles and it didn’t go toward war.

No, all those billions are going toward the Military Industrial Complex. And let’s get specific, $18 million went to Robert J. Stevens, Lockheed Martin’s CEO. And part of that $190 billion dollars the Pentagon is asking for will go to more $2 million bonuses, like the one Raytheon’s CEO, William Swanson, got on top of his nearly million dollar salary and another $2 million in restricted stock awards in 2005. And General Dynamics’ CEO Nicholas D. Chabraja got an $18 million cut of that pie, too. And there’s Northrop Grumman, United Technologies, General Electric, the Carlyle Group, and Blackwater.

And what about all those average grunt soldiers on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan? The real troops make around $22,000 a year. And don’t feel too bad for them because they have to work 24/7, because you know…clothes, food, tents, and tax breaks are included.

But, do keep that in mind when the Pentagon asks you to fork over $190 billion for the troops. $190 billion would pay the salaries of over 8 million pairs of boots on the ground. Divided among the 160,000 troops in Iraq, that comes to over a million dollars in support for each soldier.

Yes, I know the Pentagon has to pay for gas and groceries and improperly-armored Hummers, too. But clearly, more of the $190 million they’re begging for is headed towards some CEO’s frivolous lifestyle than is going to support our troops.

Read More: Iraq War

When you read the Main Stream Corporate American Media accounts of Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s speech to the UN, you get the idea that he is a radical nut who wants to kill you, along with all of America and Israel.

But, that’s just not what he’s saying.

Let me preface the rest of the post by saying I am not apologizing for anything Ahmadinejad has said or done or believes. I just want to know the truth. And at the least, Americans who hate Ahmadinejad should want to know the truth, too, under the wise proverb, “Know thy enemy.” And yet, so many of us stick our heads in the sand — or let our “free” press stick our heads in the sand for us.

There are two big myths that need to be debunked before getting to the UN speech. These two myths are still being spread by main stream media, even though the truth is readily available. First, Ahmadinejad never said he wants to wipe Israel off the map. Second, Iran is not forbidden from enriching uranium. Under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran is well within its rights to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Weapons grade uranium must be enriched beyond 90 percent, and UN inspectors have certified that Iran has not enriched uranium beyond the level of five per cent. If they decide to go for the bomb, it’ll take them another decade. In any case, there is no need to bomb them tomorrow, any more than there is a need to preemptively bomb any other country for an attack they may or may not carry out a hundred years from now.

But back to Ahmadinejad’s speech:

0, Almighty God, all men and women are Your creatures and You have ordained their guidance and salvation. Bestow upon humanity that thirsts for justice, the perfect human being promised to all by You, and make us among his followers and among those who strive for his return and his cause.

Hmmm…that’s a part of Ahmadinejad’s speech I haven’t seen on Fox News and CNN.

Whether you just want the whole truth, or you want to know your enemy, you owe it to yourself as a citizen of the world to read Ahmadinejad’s words instead of hearing bits and pieces of propaganda through the bitter war-mongering corporate grapevine.

The full text can be found here: Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s U.N. Speech.

Read More: Ahmadinejad, Iran, U.N. Speech, Main Stream Media

This post from the files of Hard-boiled Dreams originally appeared on 14 November 2006.

In 1951, Iran elected it’s first Prime Minister, Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh. He was Time Magazine’s 1951 Man of the Year.

Mossadegh was popular, and, to stop Britain from taking 85% of the profits from his country’s oil, he nationalized the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. Unfortunately for democracy, this pissed off Britain and the US.

The British and US complained to the International Court of Justice, but were told to get over it. Still seeking their unfair share of Iran’s natural resources, Britain and the US launched Operation Ajax.

Operation Ajax was a CIA operation that killed over 300 demonstrators in the streets, triggered a military coup, and the Iranian democracy was overthrown. So much for spreading democracy in the Middle East.

What did the US replace democracy with? A dictatorship under the Shah. The Anglo-Iranian Oil Company was renamed British Petroleum (yep, BP) and the company resumed operations in Iran.

Meanwhile, a religious leader, the Ayatollah Khomeini, became an active critic of the Shah. He started a grassroots campaign against the US-installed police state. It took years, but public anger against the Shah grew until, in 1979, the people of Iran overthrew the Shah in the Iranian Revolution.

After running the Shah out of the country, Khomeini let the people decide what kind of government they wanted. All males and females over 16 were allowed to vote, and 98% voted to replace the old US-installed monarchy with an Islamic Republic.

Iraq’s leader, Saddam Hussein, seeing Iran’s military temporarily disbanded after the revolution, launched a surprise invasion.

Did the US defend Iran, as it defended Kuwait when Iraq invaded?

Nope, the United States and Britain, still thinking about oil profits and control of the country, provided Saddam with chemical weapons and intelligence that helped kill over 500,000 Iranians.

Iran ratified the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in 1970. Under the treaty, Iran has an unambiguous right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. Since 1992, Iran has allowed the IAEA to inspect its nuclear facilities.

Despite frequent rumors perpetuated by the Bush administration and the Main Stream Media, no proof has ever been presented that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program.

While most Americans have forgotten Operation Ajax, most people in Iran have not.

Just stating facts…

Read More: Iran, nuclear, Mossadegh, Shah, Khomeini, Hussein, Bush, Operation Ajax, CIA, coup, Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, British Petroleum, BP, oil

On Saturday, 9/15, riot police arrested Iraq War veterans and handcuffed them face down on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

The anti-war demonstration that swept Washington went largely downplayed, underestimated, and unreported by the Corporate Media in the United States.

Click the video below to see what’s been happening in the U.S. Capital:

Read More: 9/15 protest, anti-war, Iraq War, Washington DC, U.S. Capitol

Something magical happened over the weekend. It was more than a change of seasons coming, more than crisp swirls of autumn in the air. The America I love — the country that disappeared several years ago — finally showed up.

You remember America — that underdog group of colonies that kicked empire’s butt when they’d had enough of the king’s taxing, spying, and attacks on due process? The America that fought against the idea of a grand empire ruling the world? The America modeled on nurturing peace, not war?

On Saturday, while George W. Bush slunk off to Camp David, an estimated 100,000 people protested the Iraq War in Washington. And this time, police didn’t confine the protestors to some free speech zone underneath a parking garage in a bad part of town.

No, this time, protestors were led by 50 veterans who served in Iraq, and they came with banners bared, marched down Pennsylvania Avenue and then camped out on the Capital lawn. The ANSWER Coalition, which organized the event, promised a full week of civil disobedience.

God Bless America, land of the free.

Read More: Iraq War, protest, Washington, revolution