CORRECTION: It was about oil AND Israeli interests. That second part never gets a mention in "progressive" media. You're not allowed to call it like it is. A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm by Richard Perle, James Colbert, Charles Fairbanks, Jr., Douglas Feith, Robert Loewenberg, David Wurmser, and Meyrav Wurmser, and "A New Israeli Strategy Toward 2000:" "Israel can shape its strategic environment, in cooperation with Turkey and Jordan, by weakening, containing, and even rolling back Syria. This effort can focus on removing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq ' an important Israeli strategic objective in its own right ' as a means of foiling Syria's regional ambitions." http://www.iasps.org/strat1.htm Same gang in Project for a New American Century, Rebuilding America's Defenses, 2000 plus Cheney and Rummy: "...the need for a substantial American force presence in the Gulf transcends the issue of the regime of Saddam Hussein." The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy By John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt http://ksgnotes1.harvard.edu/Research/wpaper.nsf/rwp/RWP06-011 As we speak Israelis are pressuring the US congress to approve an ACT OF WAR against Iran, by mandating a NAVAL BLOCKADE. House Resolution Calls for Naval Blockade against Iran America’s powerful pro-Israel lobby pressures the US Congress http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9377 This happens as they are also pressuring US military and political leaders to bomb the Iranian nuclear reactor at Natanz and/or to support them in their own (criminal) attack on Iran. So NO, Bill Moyers, et al. It is not "all" about oil. Crimes of the State http://crimesofthestate.blogspot.com/

Of course it is about oil. That and permanent bases. Remember the criticism that the administration had no exit strategy from Iraq? No exit was ever intended. We will be there to guard the oil until the oil is gone.

Where were you and your cronies back in '03 when maybe we could of stopped these idiots? We wanted blood and you and yours helped us get it. While I sincerely appreciate that you are finally opening your eyes, you are too late. The damage is done for the next several generations. The fear mongering you helped bring to politics through your LBJ atomic bomb ad has set the tone for the manipulation of the masses. This was the same reference to the "smoking gun" used so well by the Bushies. We elect a failed oil man - what the hell did we expect. He did repay this debts to his people. 41 should be proud. Keep up the good work, but don't cast too many stones. Best Regards, Bruce

Yo Bill We Love You. Keep following the trail! It goes beyond Oil, to the BIG Money, which Orchestrates the US National Debt (buy- the -debt deals with Oil Producers), including keeping the DENOMINATION in US dollars and 'fixing' Oil Prices (all contrived) ....and emptying the US Treasury into Familiar Pockets though any and all kinds of Inflated Contracts... Do you think the Smart Money will be 'in US $' when the it (necessarily) tumbles? Stay Safe!

I have said it before and I will say it again: If we REALLY want to know why the Bush government lied so shamelessly to lead us into an unnecessary and illegal war... and even why 9/11 was allowed to happen... we need look no further than to ask the question: WHO PROFITED FROM IT?? For these corrupt, heartless, greedy bastards who are REALLY running things, it's all about money!

Of course it was for oil. The Project for a New American Century (PNAC), of which Cheney, Wolfowitz and many other key members of the Bush Administration were members, declared their intentions to attack those oil fields as early, I believe, as 1995 in PNAC policy reports. This earned them the nickname, "The Crazies", in DC power circles. In 2000, the Crazies took the White House and immediately implemented their plan, beginning perhaps with Cheney's secret meetings above. Then the either knew of in advance and allowed the attack on the Twin Towers on 911 (as FDR did with Pearl Harbor, which they wrote that they would need to justify taking America to war in the Middle East) or coordinated the attacks themselves, then craftily controlled the reactions of a fearful American public, identifying Hussein with Osama bin Laden in the public's mind along with other pretexts, now revealed as lies, to get us over there. While the individual members of PNAC (read The Bush White House) have all prospered tremendously along with their Big Oil/Big Corporate/Big Military pals. It's sick and disgusting high treason and crimes against humanity. They should all be publicly hanged!

What else would it be about? This was being reported in Mother Jones before the invasion. But they went further to make a very good point: it is also about controlling China's growth by limiting her access to the vast Iraqi oil reserve. We get cheap gas and they don't

That Bush, Cheney and their cohorts, along with big oil and many corporate entities have destroyed so much with their lust for power and their greed is truly one of the travesties of modern times. The US economy is in ruins along with an insurmountable debt burden placed on the American people. Who will bring these liars and thieves to justice. Not the judicial system that they have corrupted. Not the Congress that for the most part has been bought off with big money and war profits. Not the upper levels of the Pentagon and military that have become bloated with yes men and compliant stooges. That leaves only the American people, but I fear that they too have allowed themselves to become "victims" of this corrupt and amoral government. How sad that so few men, relatively speaking, could do so much damage in such a short period of time. What will they do with all their blood money when the econonmy and the environment comes crashing down on them and their families in the very near future. There are no words to express the anger and disgust that the world has for them. Shame on all of them!

I blame the Congress for giving the worst president ever the most power ever. I blame Pelosi for not adhering to the constitution (viz: Impeachment cannot be taken off the table--by anyone).

No intelligent and moderately informed citizen here or abroad questions that it was largely about oil, control of oil pricing and world access, military basing in a critical resource area, a protective arm for Israel, and the usual and requisite corporate plunder. At center as well and predictably neglected in the discussion is the U.S. claim to God's special privilege, the kind of exceptionalist attitude that "we" are always entitled to more. The dirtiest four-letter word in the American languate is "less." An old, 70's vintage movie, 3 days of the Condor, is prophetic. Americans want the oil and the material comfort it supports. They don't want to know what maintaining a privileged lifestyle requires.

Duh!

What doe's it take to get it right,,,, expletives all over the place,, how much B. S. do you think we can listen to?????????????? Yes it's always been about oil,,,,, I love Bill Moyers, he's a hero of mine,,, and brave to question what is,,,,, and yes he's right what does t take for people to hear?????????? Thank you for tis post,,, R. W. B.

Mighty Brazen.. Cheneys secret energy strategy meetings, Neo Con think tanks, the entire sly but obvious theft of Iraq oil. .nsarly a perfect crime.

Let me raise the bar a bit and state a higher case. This case is a logical progression and is not without a logical under-pinning. Those of you who listen to Ron Paul will remember that he notes how weak the US dollar is, being built on a house of cards. Nonetheless the dollar is currently the global monetary symbol but threatened by the euro. If Saddam Hussein sold his oil for euros, which I understand he wanted to do, this would put pressure on the dollar’s status. The principal competitors to the US in trade are in the same boat as to oil, not enough. Europe has need of oil for running its economy which competes with the US. Same for China. Thus if Iraq and the rest of the Middle East chose to sell for euros and not dollars, the US might be in a world of hurt. The point here is this, was it euros vs. dollar or just oil by itself that is the underlying issue for the US intervention in Iraq? If the US competitors have free access to oil what happens to the US industrial base----what’s left of it? Think along these lines---if we can’t have it (oil) no one will, and then look at troubled areas around the globe. Is there oil in the Sudan? How about Somalia? I was in both of these areas and as we opened the new US mission in Somalia following the Russian withdrawal, we just happened to occupy the old Sinclair offices. A cheap way to keep others out if you can’t have something is to create turmoil. Civil wars are a cheap answer and soon they are self sustaining. Thus oil may be the immediate answer but the underlying issues may lie at the feet of our foreign policy and its impacts on our economy and our worthless dollar. Thus we have a retrogressive slide into black gold mercantilism. To protect what we have we slip into a state of imperium, and thus use military command to extend dominion over populations distinct culturally and ethnically from ourselves. But this is not just imperium over any different group but groups with strategic resources. If we can’t help them into giving us their resources, we may be sure that they can’t share with others.

The piece needed drastic editing. Excess passion can kill nuanced commentary in a heartbeat. :). The real question to ask is why these bastards are not at the Hague awaiting trial for war crimes. Congress is complicit with the BA in the greatest screwover of the US public in history. (Chomsky is right in saying the public is irrelevant in this age of unbridled corporate power.) 2008 in the US is Network writ large and the only reasonable course of action to correct it is to have a revolution to take this nation back from the cororate/government criminals who are ruining it. We are in the most precarious position in history. We have no money, the oil age is ending, climate change is accelerating and the politicians and their corporate masters haven't a clue in knowing how to deal effectively with this grave situation. Combine that with the fools we have running for President and one concludes that George Carlin was right in stating the owners of this country own you and what they want are people who are smart enough to run the machines but not smart enough to question, something that has worked very well for the powers at be for the last 100 years but no longer as this once great country slowly slides into a depression that will make 1929 look like a walk in the park. Moyers is a prince among jackals, a reporter who tells the truth. We need more people like him to wake this country up and get people to change things for the better. Good piece here. RM

Underlying the convergence of interests . . . oil. If there were no oil in Iraq, there would have been no invasion/occupation. Everything else is either secondary or related to the control of the oil.

Remember, the 2003 ruse about this war not having anything to do with oil was concocted by the same crew that has repeatedly gotten the vast majority of Americans to vote against their own interests with the artful use of wedge issues. These are not stupid people here. I put it to you that sometimes politicians and members of the Power Elite will streach the truth in furtherance of money and power.

What do we do now other than turn off Fox t.v. and other B.S.M.S.M. news and radio talk networks that have made millions on our gullibility?

It's a shame the media didn't ask the hard questions in the beginning of this mess. Journalists tiptoed around this administration and need to take some responsibility for the consequences. The oil barons, along with Cheney & Company wrapped themselves in the flag of black gold while thousands died and countless thousands have been scared for life. I guess the smell of money surpasses the odor of death.

What should WE do?

Lao-Ren is right: "So what was the purpose of the invasion? This isn't rhetorical; I'm asking. Perhaps, if you are a conspiracy theorist, it wasn't to secure access to more oil, but rather to take the Iraqi reserves off the market so that oil might go to $100+/barrel making much more profit to the companies, at less corporate expense, than actually extracting the stuff." And conspiracy is not a dirty word as it has been painted... cannot the actions of Cheney/Rice/Rumsfeld/Bush and their croneys be considered a conspiracy? But that's a topic for another debate (read the intro on page 8 of David Ray Griffin's "Deunking 911 Debunking") I would posit a second and longer term agenda for all the duplicity and death brought about by the illegal unconstitutional Iraq war: Access to new monetary markets by world bank czars. I don't have empirical evidence I can cite on this, but maybe other folks can point Mr. Moyers in an additional direction of research.... isn't it against the Islamic faith/tradition to loan money with interest? What will be the other industry that gains a needed foothold in order to advance its agenda for more control? The fractional reserve banking cartels... install a government that is coerced by force to accept a fiat as their currency and you are well on your way to paying the "vig" to the cronies who run the world's finances.... it's a triple play, or perfect storm: suppress oil reserves, control pricing gain a foothold on new lending markets churn the military / industrial complex all the while on the backs of taxpayers good work if you can get it (and keep it). Can you imagine Moyers taking over Meet the Press?! brilliant! (will never happen, he speaks too much truth to power, we can't have that).

DARFUR an OIL ISSUE? You also might write in as a sideline that the Darfur Genocide is an oil play. Just take a look at what the Chinese are doing there relative to exploratory drilling. Add to this the location and direction of the World Bank's pipeline terminus that runs up through the Cameroon as as a final element how the council of Foreign Relations and State Department vehemently deny that oil is a driving factor. You certainly would not believe our Department of State would you?

It was mostly about Bush getting re-elected. But it was also about oil, Israel, and corporate profits.

If we don't get our diplomatic juices flowing and start to communicate and cooperate with the people and governments on the rest of the planet, the whole place is going to go up in multiple conflagrations over oil. Iran is on the pyre now and there are those who are desperately trying to light the fuel wood. We will end up in mortal competition and armed struggle with the Chinese over oil pretty fast if we can't get it together around figuring out how to get along. There is a great deal we can do to help each other out--if we choose to do so! Meanwhile, The Far Right will have us going to war for the right to drive our Humvees into Hell. It seems quite likely this will happen if Greed Inc. is allowed the continued use of our government and the military as their minions.

It was all about shutting the Iraqi oil-spigot OFF, creating the demand for oil that we now have... with billions in profits for the Oil Companies. BRILLIANT don't you see? Bush aint no dummy. However, he and his cadre are war profiteers, and war criminals. As for the rest of you, "sing while you slave". PS; Vote all you want, the flight plan is NOT going to change. THE PARTY (Republicrats) will make sure of that... they count the votes, and own the voting machines. PPS; Moyers is a rare journalist. "During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." Orwell

Yea, nice for all of you to join the rest of the world! Everyone else knew what this war was about, our media is a tool of these super rich and powerful people, all used to manipulate us with fear and lies to go along with whatever they say! And here you all are, finally aware, but you know what?? You wont care that the war was about oil once those refineries come online and drop the price of your gas, as soon as gas is back to $3 or lower you'll all believe the war was worth it, and forget the lies, death, and tarnished reputation because in the end it's all about YOU isn't it.. and if a government is all about itself, then you have a lot in common as a parasite on a host. You feed off what it feeds on. Complain now only because our economy sucks, but as soon as it's better you all quit complaining. No one here bands together against the tyranny of the government unless they're affected. When was the last time you stood for something? The return line at Walmart?

As I read all these post I can't help but think of Smedley Butler USMC and his address to congress "war is a Racket" We should all learn from him.

duh.

The lure of oil was the incentive to do Israel's bidding. AIPAC - not to be confused with most pr0-peace, Jewish-Americans - runs this country. Facts don't lie; do the math, do your research, follow the money, and the truth will ultimately set us free.

It's not about oil - it's about PEAK OIL. It's not about making more money, it's about keeping petrodollars viable a little longer. It's also about controlling the flow of oil, the most concentrated energy source. In the desert, which way water flows determines where food can grow. In our industrialized economy, the direction that oil flows determines where "growth" can happen. Solar energy is great (I'm using it to type this) but it could only power a steady state economy not based on exponential growth (which is what our monetary system needs to function). If you want "energy independence," stay home, don't fly, grow food in your lawn. Two thirds of the world's remaining oil is in a narrow slice of land in the Persian / Arabian Gulf. No amount of "energy independence" rhetoric is going to change this fact. US oil production peaked in 1970, and there is no way to reverse this. Sorry. The claim that the invasion was to keep oil off the market is misguided - the reality is that the powers that be have known about Peak Oil (and other finite resources) for a long time, and now that it is here, they've activated their long planned response to it. It is unfortunate that the liberal "alternative" media chose to ignore Peak Oil before the global peak (essentially three years ago). But most of the alternative media has refused to "connect the dots" that show how Cheney/Bush have had Peak Oil as their prime motivator -- the 2001 Energy Task Force, allowing 9/11 to happen, and the attack on Iraq, to cite a few examples. Here are some better links than the Moyers article: www.aspo-usa.org www.peakoil.net Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas www.fromthewilderness.com Peak Oil and 9/11 www.postcarbon.org what grassroots can do about Peak Oil and Climate Change www.oilempire.us a political map to understand Peak Oil Wars

Living in the past ........... While I have a great deal of respect for Bill Moyers, the question that this article provokes for me is "What has happened to living in the present?" This dialogue should have been at the forefront of national debate in 2002 at latest. The real victory for this administration is that they have, in their demonic brilliance, through all all branches of the media put real time on a multi-year delay. They exert their will and then have a public debate about it after the fact which promotes a continual delay of relevant facts debate. Bill Moyers and other credible journalists need to fast-forward into the present and shift the dialogue to one of post-oil economics. Please stop enabling the current administration and MOVE FORWARD to the most current pressing issues that are on delay (i.e. financial meltdown, etc...)

I'd be willing to bet that Gore and his "green"initiative is just as much about giving the finger to Bush/Cheny and their oil profits as it is about global warming.

Well. unfortunately you are right, all of you. Inside the United Hates of America, it is--I shall say impossible--to understand how universally hated you all are. I am a Canadian. I grew up as your best friend. I despise you now. So you've killed a million Iraqis who included people who could have been your friends; who never lifted a finger against you. But Iraq had the same population as Canada--30 million. You've killed one in 30. For every one you've killed, how many have you wounded? Do you even begin to realize what you have done? These people were never, ever your enemies. They had nothing whatever to do with Sept 11. You won't hear Canadians saying they hate you. You won't hear Norwegians saying they hate you, or Chinese saying they hate you. You know why not? Because, when you walk into a party and you are bristling with your own massive weapons for mass destruction, no one will tell you they hate you. Enjoy your isolation. It's what you asked for. Only one country in the world ever has believed your propaganda, though. Guess which one. Not Canada. Canadians may be masterful in looking away, in hypocrisy, in prostituting their values to the comfortable path of least resistance. Sure. But the only country that ever believed all the lies, the only country in the entire world, was the country to the south of Canada.

Big brother is watching you,this being the reason for many of the comments being anonymous?another spin off of the peak oil wars and the zionist policy supporters? There is another country, where most comments are anonymous,is run by another Bush`s stooge,he is number 82 of a list of Medellin cartel criminals, coincidentally, the only president to support the invasion of Irak in South America. Guess who?

One thing americans can do to thwart the criminal monopolization of the oil companies is to buy ALL your fuels from CITGO which is an oil company that was netionalized by Chavez in Venezuela. As a result at least a portion of his oil profits goes to the Venezuelan people, who by the way, are hugely appreciative. What a concept. The actual citizens/owners of a netional resource benefiting from its exploitation VIVA CHAVEZ!

Iran is a immoral state that clearly sponsors terror. We need to be clear about this. Oil is a consideration in this region but so is the proliferation of terrorist/nuclear ambition. To deny this is to join the ostriches. Also it won't be long before China is included in the axis-of-evil. The dragon is even now starting to breathe fire. China must be denied middle east oil until it joins the family of democratic nations. GAIA

This is typical of the so-called anti-war left. They never address the real cause of the war, because it's safer to blame the whole thing on oil. Here is the truth about the Iraq war Mr. Moyer. Too bad you don't have the courage or the integrity to tell the people: ”Why would Iraq attack America or use nuclear weapons against us? I'll tell you what I think the real threat (is) and actually has been since 1990 – it's the threat against Israel,”…”And this is the threat that dare not speak its name, because the Europeans don't care deeply about that threat, I will tell you frankly. And the American government doesn't want to lean too hard on it rhetorically, because it is not a popular sell,” - Phillip Zelikow – President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (PFIAB), 2001 – 2003 “A stronger Israel is very much imbedded in the rationale for war with Iraq. The destruction of Saddam’s Iraq will not only remove an enemy of long standing, but will also change the basic power equation in the region.” - Joe Klein Time Magazine, Feb 5, 2003 "American Jews are responsible for pushing the country to war with Iraq"…"If it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this," – Congressman James P. Moran Jr., Virginia “Those who favor this attack {against Iraq} now will tell you candidly, and privately, that it is probably true that Saddam Hussein is no threat to the United-States. But they are afraid at some point he might decide if he had a nuclear weapon to use it against Israel.” - General Wesley Kanne Clark, August 2002 “The war in Iraq was conceived by 25 neoconservative intellectuals, most of them Jewish, who are pushing President Bush to change the course of history” – Ari Shavit, April 5, 2003 Haaretz News Service-Israel “With Iraq no threat, why invade a sovereign country? The answer: President Bush’s policy to secure Israel.” “My own answer is that the lie {that a massively-armed Iraq posed a grave and imminent threat to the U.S.} was fabricated by the neo-conservatives in the administration whose first loyalty is to Israel and its interests and who wanted the United-States to smash Iraq because it was the biggest potential threat to Israel in the region. They are known to have been pushing for the war with Iraq since at least 1996, but they could not make an effective case for it until after Sept 11, 2001” -Senator Ernest F. Hollings, U.S. Senator South Carolina-May 2004 “For whose benefit these endless wars in a region that holds nothing vital to America save oil, which the Arabs must sell us to survive? Who would benefit from a war of civilizations between the West and Islam? Answer: one nation, one leader, one party. Israel, Sharon, Likud.” Patrick Buchanan, March 2004 “What has been happening over the years is a predictable routine of foreign visitation from the head of the Israeli government. The Israeli puppeteer travels to Washington. The Israeli puppeteer meets with the puppet in the White House, and then moves down Pennsylvania Avenue, and meets with the puppets in Congress. And then takes back billions of taxpayer dollars. It is time for the Washington puppet show to be replaced by the Washington peace show.” – Ralph Nader, consumer advocate, author and Presidential candidate, July 2004 “For Bureaucratic reasons we settled on one issue, weapons of mass destruction, because it was one reason everyone could agree on…“I’m not concerned about weapons of mass destruction.” - Dept Sec of Defense Paul Wolfowitz “My son joined the Army to protect America, not Israel” – Cindy Sheehan, mother of Spc. Casey Sheehan, 24, killed in Baghdad on April 4, 2004 "I think it's the worst kept secret in Washington. That everybody - everybody I talk to in Washington has known and fully knows what their agenda was and what they were trying to do. "And one article, because I mentioned the neo-conservatives who describe themselves as neo-conservatives, I was called anti-Semitic. I mean, you know, unbelievable that that's the kind of personal attacks that are run when you criticize a strategy and those who propose it. - Anthony Zinni, Retired General US Marine Corps, (CENTCOM) "Israel controls the United States Senate. We should be more concerned about the United States' interests." - William Fulbright - US Senator / Chairman of the US Foreign Relations committee The Jews rule the world by proxy. They get others to fight and die for them.” - Mahathir Mohammed, Prime Minister of Malaysia, October 2003 "I've never seen a President -- I don't care who he is -- stand up to them [the Israelis]. It just boggles the mind. They always get what they want. The Israelis know what is going on all the time. If the American people understood what a grip those people have got on our government, they would rise up in arms. Our citizens certainly don't have any idea what goes on."-Admiral Thomas Moorer, Chairman US Joint Chiefs, Reagan Admin As far back as 1974, writing in his book, “Jews and American Politics”, highly regarded Washington Post Jewish reporter Stephen Isaacs revealed that, even then, well over 50% of the Republican Party’s campaign money on a national level came from Jewish sources, somewhat less than the estimated 70% to 80% of Jewish funding for the Democratic Party. In recent years, however, top pro-Israel fundraisers have increasingly lent their support to Republicans. “Don't worry about American pressure on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans know it."– Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, October 8th, 2001

Even though I agree with Bill Moyers on his article, I agree with others that this should have been written about 5 years ago. Nothing NEW has come out since then and I think the biggest debacle of this whole war is the media NEVER questioning it from the beginning. If the citizens of the US continue to let their govt start wars around the world, it has been prophesied that the US will be attacked and destroyed by several countries around the world. Go to theyfly.com and read about our current path to the future. As citizens, we are at fault for letting our politicians get out of hand and our responsibility to put them in their place. If not now, when?

Look closely and you might see the soon to be thousands of dead American boys and girls all of whom will be swept up in a draft. It's about death , not oil. The perpetual genocide our leaders have loved for generations. When no war is to be had , there is abortion , the handlers and the bosses love death..just as long as it's not their kids.

Look...all of you need to pipe down a bit. I have done this to spare world war over shortage of oil. We invaded Iraq to guarantee oil for the US. Can you imagine what might happen to the world if the US lost access to oil? Many more people would get killed in that war than the one in Iraq You are allso short-sighted. If it wasn't us who went into Iraq it would have been China or Russia or maybe even India. I'll Bet all you Liberals would just love the respect for the environment they would have in Iraq. The real war is much bigger that what is perceived. Sure we make profit from our good work. We are Americans and it is still legal to make a profit. One day you will all thank us for the work we have done for not only America, but the world. You will think the profits we have made were a very small price compared to what might have been paid if America crashed because of lack of oil. Your Patriotic Vice President Dick Cheney

These posts, if not the actual article, are surprising. Thank you to those who included more resources to check out. That goes a long way to helping the discussion be productive (by which I mean, I find more facts to bring up to friends and family who've been bamboozled). One of you pointed out that we've killed 1 in 30 Iraqi's... this is something I think about a lot (although I don't actually know if that number is correct). Many of my older family members fell hook, line and sinker for the FOX news line. I personally knew it was "about the oil" back before 2002, which does not mean it's "too late" to bring it up now. Many of those who voted for that asshat TWICE (unforgivable, yes, but forgiveness is what it will take) are now questioning the whole scheme... and we need to keep repeating the truth until it finally sticks. That said, I'm sorry to hear that Canada, et al, hates me. I marched against this regime every year, volunteered for democratic campaigns at every level, and tried to work on a one-on-one basis with friends and family to convince them. I've had some major successes there, but the damage to participatory government is now too great for just an angry few of us to correct. So I'd like to address another topic: what to do now. You can still vote with your dollar, peeps. Even though it's not worth as much (and just take a look at all the hatefilled Canadiens loving the lower prices at our resort towns now! They seem so nice... are you SURE they all hate us? Maybe they're capable of more nuanced thinking - like separating the gov't from the people - after all.) Even though our economy has been in a true recession (I'll explain in a sec) for a while now, you can still make some powerful choices every day of your life. The US has an obesity issue: why not ride your bike to work? It's really not so hard once you get used to it. Why not eliminate businesses whose practices you disapprove of from your budget: avoid Walmart, limit yourself to $X of gas per week until you see where else you can cut, take public transport when possible, buy ONLY locally grown produce, start small. Then get loud. Fight for your local clinic (where the uninsured go) talk to you reps about municipal or county windpower... you know what's possible in your town, now make it a priority and get annoying about it. If your power is generated by coal ("clean" - cough! cough! - or otherwise) cut your power use mercilessly... start by turning off the tv! This is overly simplistic, but maybe that's what it takes to start. If we eliminate the very people who voted for dubya and his evil empire, it won't work. We need to convince them we've got our act together in the last 8 years, or they're going to keep believing that BS about "the left". And yes, my little blue state friends, civil war IS a great way to halt progress. Even when no one fires a single shot (or only shoots abortion doctors... 'cause we need to all agree on morals before we can make a simple decision on growth, don't we? Uhhh, don't we? NO.) Culture wars, civil wars, Confederate flags at NASCAR or Chomsky over latte's... the truth is, we all watch our tax money mispent and we all hate it. We all have lost someone because of this war, and we all are hurt. It's time for the MoveOn crowd to, um, move on. (Speaking as one who has been a member since '99) This is survival without compromise of Rights, and if you look at our history, we have been training for this for centuries. So step up. Remember democracy only works when it's participatory - which means finding a way in even when the polls are no longer accurate. No excuse. Find a non-violent way, and you will inspire others to do likewise. (Using violent ways usually just inspires revenge - another waste of precious time and dwindling resources.) As for my theory about our economy: our largest growth for years was in the service industries. Simply put, it takes one Wall-Street type in a city like NYC to support 4 service industry types. So every time they lay off the cream at Enron, it could affect thousands in their neighborhoods, on their trains, at their dry-cleaners... you get the idea. Now look at the bigger picture: among other issues, we're sending thousands of soldiers to be fodder overseas. What industries grow then? Weapons manufacturers, armor, vehicles, "private contractors"... so how much of our economy is now in effect controlled by the military-industrial complex Ike warned us about? Keep piling all our eggs in that basket, and you'll find we are unable to stop having wars soon - or face economic collapse. In this global market, there's bound to be some "allies" who'd rather we bomb somebody than face a world-wide depression. As much as I love FDR, we can't wait for our government to grow a brain: this will have to done with private money. SO start saving up for the solar panels and the windmills now... Oh, you mean you can't save any money? That's odd. Because that would imply that the cost of living has exceeded people's ability to support themselves, preventing new ventures and preventing people from saving money in the banks that use the accumulated savings to give loans to new ventures... how is that not a recession again? Wall Street still traded during the Great Depression, you know... some companies made gains. Guess which ones? It's time to start building new ways of acquiring energy. Even if it's you and three neighbors splitting the cost of a windmill, make it a priority. Get us off oil. Get everyone you know off oil. Get your town, your county and your state off oil. Our history is filled with battles over the Rights of States vs. the Rights of the Feds - there's no law that says we HAVE to buy oil, and there never will be. Do what YOU can. And be annoying! As for the media... Moyers is great, but here are an awful lot of great journalists out there who've been fired, intimidated, marginalized, and shut out. Wanna help get truth back into the public discussion? Put down the newspaper and buy more books. Believe me, we notice trends. Vote with your dollar - every damn day.

War for oil is the cover story. The real goal was and continues to be to exterminate the mass of humanity in an all out nuclear war. We are the Living Dead. We have been 'sucker punched' with nuclear weapons several times over the decades. The Iran attack the central bankers have scheduled is designed to escalate into a nuclear world war and lead to our absolute and total destruction. Large numbers of Our nuclear war fighting elite are hiding in the underground at the moment, they don't want to get caught in the rush. We continue to exist only because "Somebody up there loves us."

zeitgeist

Bill Moyers seems to mean well, but he is a gatekeeper. Oil was an incentive, as was opium - they are the two biggest money-making rackets in the world. The main reason for the wars, of course, is ZIONISM. Israel is a Zionist state, NOT a "Jewish" state - having a Jewish state is against the true Torah of Judaism. Zionism is the enemy of mankind, which it intends to enslave. 9/11 was done by Zionists, as were most of the other false-flag attacks and assassinations, including JFK and RFK. For further information, I recommend reading: Christopher Bollyn, Mike Piper, Patrick Grimm, John Kaminski, Wayne Madsen. There are many other fine writers on this subject, but those are some of my favorites. Be careful of gatekeepers, who seem real, but divert us from the truth. People like Moyers and Cockburn at Counterpunch are dangerous, because they support the absurd official conspiracy theory of 19 Moslem terrorists on 9/11. The engine laying in the street was from a 737 NOT a 767, and that is a hard fact nobody can debunk. That alone unravels the official conspiracy theory, and there is so much more. We need to educate the police and military especially, because only they can save this country. We need for them to uphold their vows to defend us against all enemies foreign AND DOMESTIC!!

Yesh, it was about oil alright, and W privately "gittin' the man who threatened my daddy!" What CAN we do and HOW can we do it so Iran doesn't become the same fiasco? We don't need another war, and it should be up to the Iranians if they want a democracy or not, not us the US. We need to quit meddling and focus on our severely declining country.

A Canadian author, Linda Mcquaig, was a head of all you guys. She published a book in 2005 titled, "It's the Crude, Dude."

Is an OIL BOYCOTT in the works? Some posts treat Moyer's piece as "old news" but the "new" news is that the spoils are being divided up right now by Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP. That's the point. So consider not rewarding the robber barons. BOYCOTT them at the pump, not just for a day but for the duration. If enough people join the BOYCOTT, they'll get the message.

Well duh, you'd have to be an idiot to ever believe it was over anything else. The US government isn't really a government at all anymore, it's more of a giant, global, evil (arguably I suppose) corporation.