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The Western Regime Change Cards
04/30/2003
Isn't this cute:
In the wake of the U.S.'s "pre-emptive" destruction of Iraq, her people, and her culture, the Trade Regulation Organization is issuing a "55 most wanted" playing-card deck similar to the one that the Pentagon issued two weeks ago in Iraq.
The TRO, estimating that the U.S. governing regime is no longer consistent with world peace or prosperity, hopes that the playing cards will show the way to regime change and, eventually, large-scale war crimes proceedings. [See the comments section for further information about the TRO.]
The Pentagon's deck includes torturers and planners of mass civilian death; the TRO version includes talk show hosts, CEOs, and politicians. Funny that the Pentagon didn't include the Disinformation Minister, but the equivalence mongers think Rush Limbaugh deserves a card.
However, giving the Western deck some thought, I've come to realize that it might be a useful tool to understand the West's pernicious effects on Iraq. The TRO missed some, though:
The New Media:
Bloggers such as Glenn Reynolds, as well as the legion of "new media" sources of information, contributed to the Three Weeks War by unearthing and reporting facts involving Iraq and Saddam Hussein that the old/big media apparently considered too inconvenient to the maintenance of "peace." Such venues also fostered honest, intelligent debate and enabled those who supported war to avoid being made to feel like a vast minority. (Note: in my batch of suggested cards, this is the "one that doesn't fit" because 1) I supported the war and thought this group was, and continues to be, a magnificent addition to our society and 2) the TRO might actually have included such a card if they were well enough informed.)
The Useful Idiots:
From famous folks like Susan Sarandon to the average drop-of-a-hat collegiate protestor, the Useful Idiots convinced Saddam Hussein that he could avoid war with a minimum of compliance. Had Hussein realized that war could not be undermined through a "fifth column," he may very well have been forced to reassess his calculations of resistance.
The League of Legitimators:
Kofi Annan, the United Nations, and the entire cadre of "international law" fetishists not only legitimated Hussein's regime, they advanced a moral equivalence that further persuaded the dictator that he could avoid war through intransigence. Moreover, sanctions were prolonged and war further ensured though Annan's undermining of the only moderately effective inspections team (UNSCOM) through, and for the purposes of, "diplomacy."
The Axis of Weasels:
In addition to being perhaps the most effective members of the Useful Idiots and the League of Legitimators, the Axis of Weasels directly supported Hussein throughout his reign, including during the buildup to war. The Axis also undermined the effectiveness of sanctions by continuing to supply Hussein with the very goods and largesse that were the targets of the economic leverage.
(TRO nonsense via Sheila Lennon)
ADDENDUM:
Apologies to Glenn Reynolds for giving him such a low ranking on this list of infamy. I should note that, in the deck from gatt.org, President Bush is the four of clubs and the three of clubs is a Supreme Court justice.
Posted by Justin Katz @ 10:53 AM EST
4 comments
Sheila Lennon has fallen for a hoax. She incorrectly interprets the web page as belonging to the WTO.
The URL is "gatt.org", which is currently registered to one Andy Bichlbaum.
This article in Fortune talks about him and the "gatt.org" domain.
Steven Den Beste @ 04/30/2003 03:19 PM EST
Thanks for the link, Steven (I'll forward it to Ms. Lennon).
I suspected that something might be up when I noticed the non-WTO URL and, of course, based on the nature of the content. That's why I limited my references to the TRO.
Many in the media and NGO universe are striving for a new plane of self-parody, however, so I can understand giving imposters a misguided level of credulity.
Justin Katz @ 04/30/2003 03:30 PM EST
Anyone who reads this should know that this is all a hoax by some jerk named Any Beichlbaum who mimicked the WTO website to spread his own anti-capitalist propaganda.
There is a short article on this idiot at http://www.fortune.com/fortune/articles/0,15114,373038,00.html
The real WTO website address is www.wto.org
MW @ 04/30/2003 03:31 PM EST
The funny thing is that the URL is gatt.org. GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) was a precursor to the WTO, and since it was dibanded, the URL went up, if GATT ever owned it in the first place. The guy is a putz, but a clever putz.
Timothy Dreier @ 04/30/2003 08:20 PM EST