The CJTF7 (Combined Joint Task Force 7 - Operation Iraqi Freedom) is a site, it says, "is to provide information and multimedia for the press." It disseminates stories about how wonderfully everything is going in Iraq, and how good we are doing for the Iraqi people, the American people, and the people of the whole world, with stories like: "'Tremendous strides' made in Iraq, Afghanistan", and "Iraqis' spirit liberated with capture of Saddam"
There is even a whole page dedicated to the, "Coalition Humanitarian Efforts in Iraq," with heartwarming pictures like these:
Students from the Hala Bint Khuwaylid secondary girl's school in Baghdad carry boxes of new school bags which contains (sic), pens, pencils, notebooks, a calculator and other school supplies. USAID is funding the purchase and distribution of 1.5 million of the bags through a contract with Creative Associates International.
Iraqi Women and children wait to see a doctor at a primary health care center in the Al-Kargh district of Baghdad, Iraq. (Photo: Thomas Hartwell)
But some of the stories are little confusing, like this one, which we quote in full:
Task Force "All--American" Seizes Black Market Fuel
"HIT, Iraq - Members of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, part of Task Force "All American" discovered a taxicab selling black market fuel in the city of Hit on Friday afternoon.
"The driver of the vehicle fled as the patrol approached the taxi. The patrol confiscated the taxicab along with 250 gallons of black market fuel and turned them over to the local Iraqi Police.
"Black market operations steal from the wealth and future of Iraq. Iraqi security forces and Task Force "All American" will continue to arrest black market operations, seize their goods and turn them over to the local authorities for the benefit of the Iraqi people."
Who is the Black Market?
That phrase, "the people," is one that should always put the freedom loving on alert. Whenever, "the people," is used as the reason for a policy, a law, or an action, whether it is "the people of Iraq, or "the people of the United States, " or "the people of the world," it is never actual individual people that is meant, but some abstraction which supposedly represents them, usually the political systems of some country or countries, or to be exact, the government. The people is almost always a euphemism for the state.
The black market fuel story is a perfect example. Was the taxi driver Chinese, Norwegian, or Iraqi? Were the people buying the fuel Mexican, Italian, or Iraqi? We suspect they were all Iraqi people. Since the article clearly states, "black market operations steal from the wealth and future of Iraq," the Iraqi people selling and buying the fuel obviously are not considered part of the "wealth and future of Iraq."
Since, "Iraqi security forces and Task Force 'All American' will continue to arrest black market operations, seize their goods (that is, the goods of individual Iraqi citizens) and turn them over to the local authorities for the benefit of the Iraqi people," it is obvious, "the Iraqi people," are not individual citizens, but the ruling authorities.
Black markets are only possible where there is government oppression of the free market. It does not matter if that government is a ruling coalition or a home-grown government. If the taxi driver acquired the fuel honestly (we did no say legally) and was selling it to support himself and his dependents and other Iraqis freely chose to buy it, what he was exercising is called free enterprise, something which is only possible in a free society. It is what Capitalism means.
If you supposed it was a capitalist system that is meant for Iraq, (the only system that would be truly moral and provide genuine individual freedom) you are mistaken. In spite of the fact the CJTF7 subtitles itself, "Operation Iraqi Freedom," it is not freedom that will be imposed on Iraq, but democracy, a statist-collectivist concept inimical to freedom. This intention is plainly stated in this CJTF7 article: Learning democracy is Iraq's biggest challenge, Bremer says. [Emphasis added.]
No doubt, it will be a "nicer" kind of oppression than before, at least for a while, but democracies have a way of degenerating rapidly.
These Are, "The People," Who Benefit
Oh yes, you might like to check out this Center for Public Integrity article on just who Creative Associates International Inc.(CAII) are. Just what do these, "creative associates," create that produces a reported annual revenue as high as $50 million (most of which comes from USAID)?
How much is the Iraqi contract worth to this 2-owner, 200-employee company? The article says, "After filing a request with USAID under the Freedom of Information Act, the Center for Public Integrity received a list that showed USAID granted Creative a $62.6 million contract for work in Iraq. However, the Center also obtained the contract itself, which shows that over three years, the contract could be worth as much as $157.1 million."
Not bad for distributing book bags and pencils. We are sure the Iraqi people will greatly benefit from these. At least the Kruvants and Mimi Tse, who own CAII, will benefit; but when did they get their Iraqi citizenship?