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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.
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 http://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