Polish Taxi driver beaten by 3 Americans Navy Servicemen from USS "Hewes" in Gdynia-Gdansk Poland last Night.
We have to ask US Department od State, Department of Navy for a deep apology and compensation to the hard working and polite Polish Taxi Driver beaten by American Navy Servicemens-hooligans and of the official military duty.
This will put the bad light on the law that govern American Navy and Army stations in Poland and Europe as a whole.
Poland is not another third world country when US and Blackwater can do what ever they want! We are country of law and order.
US Navy Serviceman for act of hooliganism shall be prosecuted and arested the same night. The same way as any polish citizens.
Amerykańscy żołnierze pobili w Sopocie taksówkarza. Mężczyzna trafił do szpitala, żołnierze wrócili na okręt. To, czy uda się ich przesłuchać, praktycznie zależy od dobrej woli ich i ich przełożonych.
Żołnierze z USA pobili polskiego taksówkarza
Żołnierze z USA zbili polskiego taksówkarza fot. AP / Wilfredo Lee
10 amerykańskich żołnierzy zaatakowało taksówkarza w Sopocie. Mężczyzna jest w szpitalu. Napastników zatrzymała policja, ale już ich zwolniono, bo są wojskowymi z USA.
10 amerykańskich żołnierzy wyszło z jednej z sopockich dyskotek. Zachowywali się głośno i agresywnie. W okolicach Grand Hotelu chcieli zamówić taksówkę. Żaden z kierowców nie kwapił się jednak, żeby ich zabrać. Taksówkarze już nie raz mieli problemy z amerykańskimi marynarzami - piją, krzyczą, trzeba się z nimi kłócić o zapłatę za kurs.
"Amerykanie podeszli do jednego z kierowców. Na początku doszło do słownych utarczek. Potem jeden z nich miał uderzyć Polaka" - mówi dziennikowi.pl Barbara Kuczyńska z zespołu prasowego policji w Sopocie.
Taksówkarz upadł na ziemię i uderzy głową o chodnik. Nie podniósł się już. Żołnierze odeszli. Koledzy taksówkarza wezwali pogotowie i policję.
"Zaraz po zatrzymaniu musieliśmy przekazać żołnierzy żandarmerii wojskowej" - dodaje Barbara Kuczyńska. "Kierowca złożył właśnie zawiadomienie o popełnieniu przestępstwa, ale żołnierze są już na swoim statku. Nie możemy ich tak po prostu przesłuchać. Musimy wystąpić o zgodę na ich przesłuchanie w charakterze świadków. To oczywiście utrudnia nam postępowanie, ale takie są procedury."
Taksówkarz trafił do szpitala. Według informacji podanych przez TVN24, ma wstrząśnienie mózgu. Przeciwnicy budowy amerykańskiej tarczy antyrakietowej w Polsce wiele razy powtarzali, że obecność amerykańskich żołnierzy w Polsce będzie wiązała się z podobnymi incydentami. Teraz , od tego jak zostanie rozwiązana sprawa pobicia w Sopocie, zależeć może stosunek Polaków do amerykańskich baz.
Do incydentu doszło w pobliżu Grand Hotelu w Sopocie w piątek około 23.30. Do jednej z taksówek stojącej na postoju podeszło dwóch mężczyzn. Policja twierdzi, że byli ubrani po cywilnemu. Wsiedli do jednej z taksówek, potem do następnej, w końcu do trzeciej. Próbowali ustalić cenę za przejazd do Gdyni.
Mówili po angielsku, a kierowca znał tylko włoski. Nie zgodził się na kurs za kwotę zaproponowaną przez mężczyzn. Doszło do kłótni i przepychanek. Po chwili do pierwszej dwójki podeszła kolejna grupka mężczyzn. Jeden z nich uderzył taksówkarza w twarz.
- Piotr przewrócił i stracił na chwilę przytomność - opowiada "Gazecie" Paweł, kolega taksówkarza. - Podbiegli koledzy i powstrzymali dalszą agresję.
Koledzy taksówkarza wezwali policję. Policjanci wylegitymowali napastników. Okazało się, że to marynarze z USS "Hewes", amerykańskiej fregaty stojącej w gdyńskim porcie.
Tu jasność, co do tego, co było dalej się kończy.
- Policjanci wezwali żandarmerie wojskową, która przejęła marynarzy i przewiozła na okręt do Gdyni - informuje Kościuk z Komendy Wojewódzkiej Policji w Gdańsku.
Następnego dnia okazało się, że obecność Żandarmerii Wojskowej była zbędna.
- W sobotę około godziny 14. sprawę przekazano policji z Sopotu - mówi Kościuk.
Żandarmeria Wojskowa: To sprawa dla policji
Rzecznik Żandarmerii Wojskowej, mjr Marcin Wiącek, przedstawia odmienną wersję wydarzeń.
- My nie prowadziliśmy żadnych czynności w tej sprawie. Nie rozumiem, dlaczego policja chciała to zrzucić na nas. Prawo mówi jasno, że żołnierzy zagranicznych, którzy nie popełnili przestępstwa związanego z ich działalnością wojskową muszą ścigać służby cywilne. Po żołnierzy przyjechali ich przełożeni i zabrali na okręt - mówi rzecznik ŻW.
Z naszych informacji wynika, że amerykańskich marynarzy odwiozła na okręt polska żandarmeria.
Taksówkarz jeszcze w nocy z piątku na sobotę trafił do szpitala: - Ma wstrząśnienie mózgu, dostał kroplówkę.
Czy marynarze zgłoszą się na przesłuchanie?
Tomas Williamson, attache morski przy ambasadzie amerykańskiej w Polsce, zapewniał rano, że strona amerykańska zamierza współpracować w tej sprawie z polskimi władzami.
- Z tego, co wiem dwaj marynarze mieli się zgłosić do sopockiej policji na przesłuchanie jeszcze w niedzielę po południu - mówił Williamson.
- Tak, te czynności zostaną wykonane - mówił nam po południu podinsp. Mariusz Putno, szef sekcji dochodzeniowo śledczej w KMP Sopot.
Policjanci z Komendy Miejskiej Policji (KMP) w Sopocie wyjaśniają okoliczności pobicia taksówkarza przez grupę amerykańskich żołnierzy. Taksówkarz przebywa w szpitalu miejskim w Gdyni.
Jak powiedziała Barbara Kuczyńska z KMP, zawiadomienie o zdarzeniu sopocka policja otrzymała w nocy z piątku na sobotę.
"Powiadomiono nas, że w okolicy Grand Hotelu grupa mężczyzn zachowuje się agresywnie wobec taksówkarza jednej z trójmiejskich korporacji. Na miejscu po wylegitymowaniu okazało się, że agresywnie zachowującymi się są amerykańscy żołnierze". "Powiadomiliśmy Żandarmerię Wojskową, która wraz z opiekunem Amerykanów zabrała ich na okręt" - wyjaśniła Kuczyńska.
Świadkiem zdarzenia był Paweł Wilkicki, mieszkaniec Sopotu i jednocześnie znajomy poszkodowanego. Powiedział, że taksówkarz leży w szpitalu, ma go opuścić w poniedziałek.
Relacjonując zdarzenie Walkicki podkreślił, że "to nie było brutalne pobicie, ale przepychanka między grupą mężczyzn a taksówkarzem; w pewnym momencie jeden z agresorów przewrócił taksówkarza, który upadł na beton i na chwilę stracił przytomność".
Zastępca Komendanta Miejskiego Policji w Sopocie, mł. insp. Krystyna Stępniewska potwierdziła, że w sobotę zostali przesłuchani świadkowie zdarzenia i poszkodowany taksówkarz.
Prowadzący sprawę, Naczelnik Wydziału Dochodzeniowego sopockiej KMP, podinspektor Mariusz Putno powiedział, że policja zwróciła się do dowódcy amerykańskiego okrętu o wyrażenie zgody na przesłuchanie sprawców zdarzenia. "Teraz czekamy na odpowiedź" - dodał.
Putno poinformował, że u poszkodowanego taksówkarza "obrażenia spowodowały naruszenie czynności narządów ciała na czas nie przekraczający 7 dni". Oznacza to, że czyn ten jest zagrożony karą pozbawienia wolności do lat dwóch.
Alex Lech Bajan
Polish American
RAQport Inc.
2004 North Monroe Street
Arlington Virginia 22207
Washington DC Area
USA
TEL: 703-528-0114
TEL2: 703-652-0993
FAX: 703-940-8300
sms: 703-485-6619
EMAIL: Polonia@raqport.com
WEB SITE: http://raqport.com
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
ANTI-SEMITISM AND POLONOPHOBIA Sets the Record Straight on Polish-Jewish Relations
ANTI-SEMITISM AND POLONOPHOBIA Sets the Record Straight on Polish-Jewish Relations
In recent years, there has been a great deal of emphasis on Polish anti-Semitism. This is despite the fact that anti-Semitism existed virtually everywhere, and in Poland never approached the level which Jews encounted in many other European nations. Moreover, the positive aspects of Polish-Jewish relationships have been virtually ignored. Pogonowski's excellent book does much to show, in fact, how Jewish communities flourished in Poland.
This review updates an earlier one, and refers to the 1998 paperback edition. This latter edition contains several articles not found in the original hardback edition. The authors trace many mischaracterizations of Polish-Jewish history in the American press. The informed reader can appreciate how little has changed since then. For example, the recent publications of NEIGHBORS and FEAR by Jan T. Gross have resurrected many old Polonophobic canards that should have been, if nowhere else, laid to rest by this 1998 edition.
There is an extensive expose of the so-called Kielce Pogrom--A Soviet-staged event (pp. 403-422). The Soviets wanted to discredit a free Poland in the eyes of the west, and to terrorize the remaining Jews into fleeing to Palestine. Other anti-Jewish actions in Hungary and Czechoslovakia got little press in the west, probably because anti-Communism had been relatively weak in those countries.
In Kielce, the tale of the blood libel had been spread by agent provocateurs (p. 414). The Jews were shot by Communist police, and club-wielding fake "steel workers" also took their toll. Other Communist police involved in the so-called pogrom had been dressed as goons or priests. There is the fantastic myth of the 15,000 to 75,000 cheering Polish onlookers (p. 406), a myth recently repeated by Gross in his FEAR. The actual number of Polish onlookers, most of whom were probably motivated by curiosity, didn't ever exceed several hundred at its peak.
After the "pogrom", inconvenient eyewitnesses met their deaths. The Kielce files themselves were burned in November 1989, shortly before the Communists left power.
Pogonowski makes clear that the Communist anti-Jewish policies of 1968 were not Polish. They were plainly Soviet-dictated (pp. 30-31).
The atlas itself is chock-full of useful information. The reader soon learns that, despite the frictions and mutual prejudices which sometimes developed between Poles and Jews, Poland was historically one of the most tolerant nations in the world for Jews. If the fact that 80% of the world's Jews, at one time, made their home in Poland does not prove this fact, then what does? This book makes it clear that Poland had been centuries ahead of others in terms of human rights and religious tolerance.
Iwo Pogonowski's book is a veritable mine of information about Polish-Jewish relations since the Middle Ages. This subject has been badly distorted in the English-language publications, mostly for reasons that have nothing to do either with history or honesty. "Jews in Poland" needs to be read slowly, in small doses, with frequent returns because sometimes a very important fact is hidden in a footnote or some such obscure place. This volume looks and reads like a scrapbook, and the impression is reinforced by its graphic aspect.
"Jews in Poland" is full of very instructional maps and diagrams, it also carries a good selection of illustrations (although their quality is rather so-so). All in all, a book that stands head and shoulders over any other treatment of Jewish-Polish history in the English language.
Of course Polish anti-Semitism existed and still exists. So does Jewish Polonophobia. In fact, the very Polonophobia whose existence Pelta denies has been the subject of studies by academics, including Jewish ones. The premise that more Poles denounced Jews than helped them has mathematically been shown to be false. Of course, fugitive Polish Jews were denounced not only by ethnic Poles, but more so by Polish-speaking Germans (Volksdeutsche), Ukrainians, and other Jews. (To elaborate on these two issues, and many others, see my Listmania: Exposing Polonophobia...).
THE KIELCE POGROM
Why does Pelta imagine that I deny the fact of the Kielce Pogrom? And of course there were other disturbances in Poland (see below). But this in no way negates the probable Soviet staging of the Kielce Pogrom.
OLD MEDIA CLIPS ON POGROMS
Old newspaper accounts prove nothing. Time and time again, the western press had uncritically printed accounts from Jewish sources that later turned out to be fabricated or greatly exaggerated. For instance, Jewish sources in 1918 spoke of massive pogroms in Poland where thousands to tens of thousands of Jews were killed. The outraged Wilson administration sent Henry Morgenthau, an American Jew and his team, to investigate. It turns out that the actual number of Jews killed was about 280, and a large fraction of them had been the victim of common crimes (whose victims also included Polish gentiles), caused largely by the breakdown of discipline in the then-inexperienced Polish Army.
In the 1930's, there was a big hullabaloo about the Przytyk Pogrom. It turns out that all of 2 (two!) Jews died in it, as did one Pole.
The total number of Jews in Poland killed in the years after WWII comes out to 300-600, and most of these were the victims of common banditry (rampant in Poland at the time), rather than anti-Semitism. Higher figures (e. g., 1500 or 2000) are completely conjectural. Considering the fact that about 300,000 Polish Jews survived the Nazi occupation, the Jewish death toll comes out to 0.1-0.2% of Poland's remaining Jews. If this is not making a mountain out of a molehill, then what is?
I wouldn't be surprised if more Jews were killed in horse-carriage accidents than in all the Polish pogroms. So, if anything, Jews should fear for their lives more from horses than from Poles. In addition, Jews also killed Poles, and certainly not only in self-defense...But that's another subject in itself.
POLISH "FREEDOMS" UNDER GERMAN RULE
Pelta tries to diminish Polish suffering under the German Nazi occupation by making the bogus argument about Germans allowing Poles to move around, but not Jews. How ridiculous! To begin with, the Germans, under the wartime conditions, lacked the manpower to arrest and ship 28 million ethnic Poles into urban ghettos. Secondly, most Poles, unlike Jews, were farmers, and the Germans HAD to allow them to move around in order to enable them to farm their lands and deliver their goods to market or to collecting points (mostly for German confiscation). Finally, the Germans couldn't kill many more than the 2-3 million Poles they killed because it would have interfered too much with German war production (for further elaboration, see my Listmania: Forgotten Holocaust: Nazi Genocide Against Poles).
SPARED "POLES" AND JEWS
Pelta also tries to diminish Polish suffering by asserting that Germans spared Polish children but not Jewish children. He is wrong on both counts.
The Germans knowingly and deliberately spared various full-blooded German Jews (the Schutzjuden), including children, and relabeled them Aryans. So the old argument that "Unlike any other people subject to genocide, the Jews were uniquely targeted for complete extermination" is false.
Polish children with racially-desirable features were thought by Germans to be self-evidently of German descent. So the kidnapping of Polish children and their raising by German families was not any sort of mercy to Poles, but an act of taking actually-German children and subjecting them to de-Polonization and re-Germanization in a German environment.
WHO IS STIFLING DEBATE?
Pelta's remark about the Poles attempting to stifle debate is as laughable as an ant calling a sauropod dinosaur a tiny creature. Fact is, it has always been the Jewish side trying to stifle debate by leveling the charge of anti-Semitism against anyone who disagrees with Judeocentric premises or who points out any Jewish wrongdoing. In fact, the accusation of anti-Semitism has become so overused that-like the boy crying wolf-- its effect has worn off.
Certain Jewish individuals and groups have joined the left-wingers in their smear campaign against RADIO MARYJA, and in attempts to get it shut down-all because its patriotic and religious message doesn't fit their worldview. Talk about attempting to stifle debate! (Charges about RADIO MARYJA being racist and anti-Semitic are completely bogus and slanderous. I have listened to RADIO MARYJA a long time and never once heard a single derogatory remark about any racial or religious group).
RESCUING JEWS
Considering the risks Poles took to so much as give a Jew a glass of water, Pelta should be ashamed of himself for his remarks.
Of course relatively few Poles helped Jews. To begin with, only a small fraction of Polish Jews had escaped from the ghettos to make themselves accessible to Polish help. And Poles lived under constant German surveillance and terror. Duh...
Pelta's wisecrack about Poles rescuing Jewish babies in order to convert them to Christianity is too absurd to dignify with a response.
PROPERTY RESTITUTION
Property loss during war is a common situation. My parents and grandparents were relieved of their property, of course without compensation, by the Soviets following their conquest of eastern Poland in 1939. Churchill and Roosevelt made it permanent by recognizing the Soviet annexation of eastern Poland at Teheran in 1943. So, as the rightful heir, from whom should I seek compensation? From Russia and/or the Ukraine? Or from the British and American governments? Or from all four?
EXERCISING KINDNESS
Considering the no small amount of moral arrogance with which many Jews talk down to Poles, dare I suggest that the Jewish side is in need of learning kindness more than the Polish side?
Jan Peczkis
In recent years, there has been a great deal of emphasis on Polish anti-Semitism. This is despite the fact that anti-Semitism existed virtually everywhere, and in Poland never approached the level which Jews encounted in many other European nations. Moreover, the positive aspects of Polish-Jewish relationships have been virtually ignored. Pogonowski's excellent book does much to show, in fact, how Jewish communities flourished in Poland.
This review updates an earlier one, and refers to the 1998 paperback edition. This latter edition contains several articles not found in the original hardback edition. The authors trace many mischaracterizations of Polish-Jewish history in the American press. The informed reader can appreciate how little has changed since then. For example, the recent publications of NEIGHBORS and FEAR by Jan T. Gross have resurrected many old Polonophobic canards that should have been, if nowhere else, laid to rest by this 1998 edition.
There is an extensive expose of the so-called Kielce Pogrom--A Soviet-staged event (pp. 403-422). The Soviets wanted to discredit a free Poland in the eyes of the west, and to terrorize the remaining Jews into fleeing to Palestine. Other anti-Jewish actions in Hungary and Czechoslovakia got little press in the west, probably because anti-Communism had been relatively weak in those countries.
In Kielce, the tale of the blood libel had been spread by agent provocateurs (p. 414). The Jews were shot by Communist police, and club-wielding fake "steel workers" also took their toll. Other Communist police involved in the so-called pogrom had been dressed as goons or priests. There is the fantastic myth of the 15,000 to 75,000 cheering Polish onlookers (p. 406), a myth recently repeated by Gross in his FEAR. The actual number of Polish onlookers, most of whom were probably motivated by curiosity, didn't ever exceed several hundred at its peak.
After the "pogrom", inconvenient eyewitnesses met their deaths. The Kielce files themselves were burned in November 1989, shortly before the Communists left power.
Pogonowski makes clear that the Communist anti-Jewish policies of 1968 were not Polish. They were plainly Soviet-dictated (pp. 30-31).
The atlas itself is chock-full of useful information. The reader soon learns that, despite the frictions and mutual prejudices which sometimes developed between Poles and Jews, Poland was historically one of the most tolerant nations in the world for Jews. If the fact that 80% of the world's Jews, at one time, made their home in Poland does not prove this fact, then what does? This book makes it clear that Poland had been centuries ahead of others in terms of human rights and religious tolerance.
Iwo Pogonowski's book is a veritable mine of information about Polish-Jewish relations since the Middle Ages. This subject has been badly distorted in the English-language publications, mostly for reasons that have nothing to do either with history or honesty. "Jews in Poland" needs to be read slowly, in small doses, with frequent returns because sometimes a very important fact is hidden in a footnote or some such obscure place. This volume looks and reads like a scrapbook, and the impression is reinforced by its graphic aspect.
"Jews in Poland" is full of very instructional maps and diagrams, it also carries a good selection of illustrations (although their quality is rather so-so). All in all, a book that stands head and shoulders over any other treatment of Jewish-Polish history in the English language.
Of course Polish anti-Semitism existed and still exists. So does Jewish Polonophobia. In fact, the very Polonophobia whose existence Pelta denies has been the subject of studies by academics, including Jewish ones. The premise that more Poles denounced Jews than helped them has mathematically been shown to be false. Of course, fugitive Polish Jews were denounced not only by ethnic Poles, but more so by Polish-speaking Germans (Volksdeutsche), Ukrainians, and other Jews. (To elaborate on these two issues, and many others, see my Listmania: Exposing Polonophobia...).
THE KIELCE POGROM
Why does Pelta imagine that I deny the fact of the Kielce Pogrom? And of course there were other disturbances in Poland (see below). But this in no way negates the probable Soviet staging of the Kielce Pogrom.
OLD MEDIA CLIPS ON POGROMS
Old newspaper accounts prove nothing. Time and time again, the western press had uncritically printed accounts from Jewish sources that later turned out to be fabricated or greatly exaggerated. For instance, Jewish sources in 1918 spoke of massive pogroms in Poland where thousands to tens of thousands of Jews were killed. The outraged Wilson administration sent Henry Morgenthau, an American Jew and his team, to investigate. It turns out that the actual number of Jews killed was about 280, and a large fraction of them had been the victim of common crimes (whose victims also included Polish gentiles), caused largely by the breakdown of discipline in the then-inexperienced Polish Army.
In the 1930's, there was a big hullabaloo about the Przytyk Pogrom. It turns out that all of 2 (two!) Jews died in it, as did one Pole.
The total number of Jews in Poland killed in the years after WWII comes out to 300-600, and most of these were the victims of common banditry (rampant in Poland at the time), rather than anti-Semitism. Higher figures (e. g., 1500 or 2000) are completely conjectural. Considering the fact that about 300,000 Polish Jews survived the Nazi occupation, the Jewish death toll comes out to 0.1-0.2% of Poland's remaining Jews. If this is not making a mountain out of a molehill, then what is?
I wouldn't be surprised if more Jews were killed in horse-carriage accidents than in all the Polish pogroms. So, if anything, Jews should fear for their lives more from horses than from Poles. In addition, Jews also killed Poles, and certainly not only in self-defense...But that's another subject in itself.
POLISH "FREEDOMS" UNDER GERMAN RULE
Pelta tries to diminish Polish suffering under the German Nazi occupation by making the bogus argument about Germans allowing Poles to move around, but not Jews. How ridiculous! To begin with, the Germans, under the wartime conditions, lacked the manpower to arrest and ship 28 million ethnic Poles into urban ghettos. Secondly, most Poles, unlike Jews, were farmers, and the Germans HAD to allow them to move around in order to enable them to farm their lands and deliver their goods to market or to collecting points (mostly for German confiscation). Finally, the Germans couldn't kill many more than the 2-3 million Poles they killed because it would have interfered too much with German war production (for further elaboration, see my Listmania: Forgotten Holocaust: Nazi Genocide Against Poles).
SPARED "POLES" AND JEWS
Pelta also tries to diminish Polish suffering by asserting that Germans spared Polish children but not Jewish children. He is wrong on both counts.
The Germans knowingly and deliberately spared various full-blooded German Jews (the Schutzjuden), including children, and relabeled them Aryans. So the old argument that "Unlike any other people subject to genocide, the Jews were uniquely targeted for complete extermination" is false.
Polish children with racially-desirable features were thought by Germans to be self-evidently of German descent. So the kidnapping of Polish children and their raising by German families was not any sort of mercy to Poles, but an act of taking actually-German children and subjecting them to de-Polonization and re-Germanization in a German environment.
WHO IS STIFLING DEBATE?
Pelta's remark about the Poles attempting to stifle debate is as laughable as an ant calling a sauropod dinosaur a tiny creature. Fact is, it has always been the Jewish side trying to stifle debate by leveling the charge of anti-Semitism against anyone who disagrees with Judeocentric premises or who points out any Jewish wrongdoing. In fact, the accusation of anti-Semitism has become so overused that-like the boy crying wolf-- its effect has worn off.
Certain Jewish individuals and groups have joined the left-wingers in their smear campaign against RADIO MARYJA, and in attempts to get it shut down-all because its patriotic and religious message doesn't fit their worldview. Talk about attempting to stifle debate! (Charges about RADIO MARYJA being racist and anti-Semitic are completely bogus and slanderous. I have listened to RADIO MARYJA a long time and never once heard a single derogatory remark about any racial or religious group).
RESCUING JEWS
Considering the risks Poles took to so much as give a Jew a glass of water, Pelta should be ashamed of himself for his remarks.
Of course relatively few Poles helped Jews. To begin with, only a small fraction of Polish Jews had escaped from the ghettos to make themselves accessible to Polish help. And Poles lived under constant German surveillance and terror. Duh...
Pelta's wisecrack about Poles rescuing Jewish babies in order to convert them to Christianity is too absurd to dignify with a response.
PROPERTY RESTITUTION
Property loss during war is a common situation. My parents and grandparents were relieved of their property, of course without compensation, by the Soviets following their conquest of eastern Poland in 1939. Churchill and Roosevelt made it permanent by recognizing the Soviet annexation of eastern Poland at Teheran in 1943. So, as the rightful heir, from whom should I seek compensation? From Russia and/or the Ukraine? Or from the British and American governments? Or from all four?
EXERCISING KINDNESS
Considering the no small amount of moral arrogance with which many Jews talk down to Poles, dare I suggest that the Jewish side is in need of learning kindness more than the Polish side?
Jan Peczkis
Monday, October 20, 2008
US Cost Of Conflict In The Middle East Since 1956 Totals $3 Trillion, Says Stauffer
US Cost Of Conflict In The Middle East Since 1956 Totals $3 Trillion, Says Stauffer
http://portorange.digi-net.com/groopz2/Resources/1181/groopz.js>
The cost of conflict in the Middle East since the 1956 Suez Crisis has been estimated at some $3 trillion by Dr Tom Stauffer in a paper in ‘Middle East Policy’ entitled The Cost of Conflict in the Middle East 1956-2002: What the US Has Spent.* The paper assesses the cost to the US of periodic oil crises; direct intervention in Middle East conflicts; attempts to reduce reliance on volatile oil imports from the region; and support for Israel, by far the largest single area of spending representing about 60% of total costs or $1.85 trillion. Since support for Israel is a key determinant of US policy towards the Middle East, Dr Stauffer’s paper devotes a large part of his report to detailing the cost of this support which has been borne by the US economy. However, in tackling such a complex and convoluted subject, he warns that the different estimated costs can not be added together to provide neat overall figures. Most cost figures are given inflation-adjusted in 2002 dollars and taking into account a putative opportunity cost of capital. However, in the final analysis, the estimated costs given in the paper can only illustrate an order of magnitude, and they will no doubt be subject to much disagreement, especially given the sensitivity of some of the subject matter.
Crisis Costs
Dr Stauffer focuses first on the costs to the US of the six oil supply and pricing crises which occurred between 1956 and 1991, beginning with the 1956 Suez Crisis, through the 1967 Six-day war between Israel and her neighbors, the 1973 October war, the Iranian revolution and oil strike, the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war and supply interdictions, and up to the 1990-91 Gulf war. Also scrutinized is the cost of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) and the Emergency Sharing Plan (ESP) run by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Dr Stauffer estimates total crisis costs at $1,220-1,529bn.
The oil crises brought about by the 1956 Suez conflict and the 1967 war had a relatively limited impact on the US. In 1956, oil prices jumped only briefly, but as a result of the closure of the Suez canal supplies of ‘sterling’ oil from the Gulf to Europe were interrupted resulting in increased exports of ‘dollar’ oil from the US and Venezuela. ‘Dollar’ oil therefore replaced ‘sterling’ oil in the market, inflicting further pressure on the British pound already weakened by the war, and ultimately forcing a devaluation of the currency. The US may even have profited from the crisis, and the episode highlighted the crucial role the US would come to play in world oil markets.
The 1967 war left Israel in control of Egyptian onshore and offshore oil fields in and around the Sinai peninsula, closed the Suez canal to all shipping, and also had a longer-term impact on oil markets. The canal closure resulted in higher delivery costs from the Gulf as tankers had to be diverted around the Cape of Good Hope, doubling the length of the journey to European and American markets. Demand for tankers increased by a factor of three, increasing freight rates, and in turn globalizing tanker charges as tankers from other regions were lured to the more lucrative Gulf routes. More significant, however, was the splitting of oil markets between east and west of Suez, giving OPEC members the leverage to increase overall oil prices which would otherwise have been difficult to achieve. At this time US oil imports were at a low level and therefore the cost to the US was relatively small, but the price increases nevertheless cost the US some $40bn between 1970 and 1973, says Dr Stauffer.
The cost of the October 1973 war far exceeded that of the preceding two crises, and is estimated at $750-1,050bn. In response to initial Arab gains over Israel, Israel demanded, and US President Nixon provided, rearmament for the Israeli forces, resulting in an oil embargo by Arab oil producers focused primarily against the US. This halved US imports and led to a shortfall of some 2mn b/d. The move triggered a quick recession and inflationary pressures, dented travel and tourism and ‘impacts cascaded through the economy’. Dr Stauffer estimates the loss in GDP resulting from the oil shortage at $300-600bn. The effect on the US economy of oil prices ratcheted higher by the embargo is put at $450bn. The costs of the embargo ‘were systematically concealed from the US public’, says Dr Stauffer.
The Iranian revolution and 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war is estimated to have cost the US a total of $355bn in higher oil prices. In 1978, Iranian revolutionaries seized and closed down the country’s export terminals thereby withdrawing 5mn b/d of oil from the world market. The impact was exacerbated by speculators, and oil prices spiked, but exports were soon restored by the new regime in Iran. The outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war caused oil liftings to plummet once more as export terminals in both countries came under attack. Again, the oil price more than doubled. The US and Israel helped to prolong the conflict by feeding both sides with weapons, says Stauffer, and the burden of higher oil prices was borne by consumers. Dr Stauffer estimates that the extra cost (over and above the ‘equilibrium’ price of $18/B) came to $335bn in year 2002 dollars.
The 1990-91 Gulf war was relatively cheap in terms of costs to the US. The cost to US consumers is estimated at $80bn, but the US government actually made a fiscal profit of $10bn as a result of increased taxes and royalties from the higher prices of domestic production of oil and gas. Oil prices rose sharply from $14.50-16/B before the war to a peak of $35/B in October 1990, but dropped back to $18/B when Kuwait was recaptured in February 1991. The cost in terms of US intervention to drive Iraq out of Kuwait was minimal as Washington persuaded various allies to take on most of the financial burden of the war. The gross outlay came to $55bn, with contributions in cash from allies of $49bn, and in kind of $6bn. Furthermore, says Dr Stauffer, the contributions from Saudi Arabia ($13.5bn), Kuwait ($13.5bn) and the UAE ($3bn) have been covered by subsequent increased volumes of oil exports at the expense of Iraq which has been restricted by sanctions; and the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) has provided a source of compensation for Kuwait, Turkey and the Kurds financed by Iraq itself. Dr Stauffer suggests that both the UN sanctions regime and the UNCC have been manipulated by the US so as to pay the full cost of the war for the US and its allies, making the Gulf war an unusual, if not unique, event.
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve
The SPR was initiated to provide a strategic stockpile of oil that could be used to blunt any future use of the Arab “oil weapon” against Israel, since the 1973 embargo had proved to be devastatingly effective. The SPR was functioning by 1977, and targeted a volume of 1bn barrels, although this has never been achieved, and the SPR peaked at 595mn barrels in 1995. At present levels the SPR would cover less than 2 months’ worth of imports. The total cost for the oil in the SPR and the facilities to store it is reported in the US budget at $21.9bn. However, according to Dr Stauffer, this figure is misleadingly low since it ignores the effect of inflation and the opportunity cost of capital. Taking these into account brings the cost of the SPR to a minimum of $146bn, he says. Adjusting for the salvage cost of the oil of $9bn (calculated as if drawn down over eight years, with a discount rate of 7%, and a constant real oil price of $20/B), would bring the net cost of the SPR to $137bn.
“Project Independence”
Energy autarky – “Project Independence” – was a goal spurred, like the creation of the SPR, by the 1973 oil crisis. Through a range of subsidies or forced technologies designed to increase US energy production and cut consumption, the aim of “project independence” was to reduce reliance on oil imports from Arab countries. According to Dr Stauffer, this policy has been extraordinarily costly but largely ineffective. The total cost of “project independence” is estimated at a minimum of $235bn, but Dr Stauffer says that a “reasonable” estimate is at least $1 trillion, only part of which can be documented. Elements of the project have included: subsidies for Gasohol (a mixture containing 90% derived motor fuel and 10% ethanol) which has saved less than 100,000 b/d at a total cost of $25bn; subsidies in the form of tax credits for the production of unconventional gas which “had no material impact upon oil dependence” but cost a minimum of $20bn; requirements for utilities to buy high-cost “alternative” energy from sources such as wind and solar power at a possible cost of $10bn per year for 20 years, although actual costs were not traced; and other subsidies which are estimated by DOE/EIA at a total cost of $100bn. Dr Stauffer also includes a figure of $90bn for the cost of other federal subsidies.
Despite the efforts of “project independence” oil imports grew from 6.6mn b/d in 1973 to 11.4mn b/d in 2000. Better fuel economy has resulted in the reduction of oil imports by about 1.5mn b/d (ie imports would have been around 13mn b/d in 2000), but this has been “the result almost entirely of higher prices, not government policies,” according to Dr Stauffer. He also notes that “while the subsidies were inevitably justified in the interests of national security, the projects and programs were in most cases captured and coopted by domestic lobbies. Since the notional objective was reducing dependence upon Middle East oil, however,” he says, “the costs should be subsumed within the costs of coping with Middle East conflicts, even if the programs were largely ineffectual.”
Economic And Military Aid
Total economic and military aid to the Near East, Turkey and Greece since 1946 is estimated at $808bn adjusted for inflation and including a 3% opportunity cost for US capital. About two thirds of this has been dispersed since 1973, and the beneficiaries have been Israel ($247bn), Egypt ($139bn), Jordan ($25bn), Turkey ($159bn), Greece ($125bn), the West Bank and Gaza ($1bn), and peacekeeping missions ($2bn). Other regional economic and military aid has come to $110bn. Dr Stauffer classifies the aid given to Egypt and Jordan as indirect support for Israel, since both of these countries have concluded peace treaties with Israel and their receipt of aid is seen as payment for their reduced threat to Israel. Also included in the cost of US foreign policy in the Middle East is aid to states on the periphery such as Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, the Caucasus and Central Asia, and other South West Asia states, the total of which is $32bn. The US share of multilateral aid to the region is put at $10bn - $7bn to Turkey and $3bn to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
Most of the aid to Turkey dates from before 1989 and the costs are therefore “artifacts of the Cold War.” Since 1989 the rationale for US aid to Turkey has changed – instead of being a key ally on the southwestern flank of the USSR, it is now a close ally of Israel and a useful base from which to put pressure on Iraq. While Turkey has only received some $8.2bn from the US since 1989, most of it in the form of loans, it is set to receive a much larger amount for its continued support of Israel and the use of its territory as a platform to attack Iraq in the impending war to topple Saddam Husain. US aid to Greece has become “inextricably part of the broader Middle East picture and the turbulent rivalries and temporary alliances between the Jewish, Greek and Armenian lobbies within the US.” As a result of pressure on the US government from the Greek lobby a formula evolved whereby Greece was to receive $7 for every $10 given to Turkey.
Aid To Israel
US aid to Israel is made up largely of ‘Foreign Military Financing’ (FMF), which has plateaued at $1,800mn, and ‘Economic Support Funds’ (ESF) which have recently dropped from their historic level of $1,200mn to $720mn. However, only two thirds of aid to Israel is budgeted, says Dr Stauffer, and much is camouflaged to hide it from ready scrutiny for political reasons. US budget reported aid to Israel stands at $88bn. Adjustment for inflation and the opportunity cost of capital at 3% brings the total to $247bn. Private Jewish remittances of around $30bn and net purchases by US parties of Israel bonds of some $10-14bn drain a further $40-50bn from the US economy, says Dr Stauffer.
Ad hoc grants and special aid, such as the $1.2bn Israel received at the Wye Plantation meeting in 2000, are another important source of funds. These are not budgeted, and no comprehensive overview of these payments has been publicly released, says Dr Stauffer, but he estimates that Israel has received a total of $56bn+. Ad hoc and special aid includes (a so far unused) oil supply guarantee for Israel estimated at potentially up to $3bn/month;(1) a SPR for Israel estimated at a cost of $3bn; loan guarantees for $10bn between 1992 and 1998; $3bn in support for the Lavi fighter and Arrow missile projects; preferential contracting worth $40bn; discounted sales or free transfers of “surplus” US military equipment (officially designated as “Excess Defense Articles” or EDAs – cost not traced); ‘offsets’ and weapons technology, special contracts for Israeli firms, and covert and indirect support. Additional known items include legal and illegal transfers of marketable US military technology, de facto exemption from US trade protection provisions. An unquantifiable element is the trade and other aid given to Romania and Russia to facilitate Jewish migration to Israel.
Aid to Israel is particularly costly, says the report, due to peculiarities in the way it is delivered – aid comes as a lump sum, loans have with increasing frequency been commuted retroactively into grants, and money is dispersed without the usual trade ‘offsets’ requiring that a proportion of the money be spent on donor country goods. Israel (through US Congress) has actually succeeded in reversing the tying of aid – US firms are required to purchase from Israel about sixty cents worth of Israeli goods for every $1 which the US provides in military grants. And as Israel’s largest trade partner, the European Union benefits from US aid which helps to finance its exports to Israel.
Costs to US of Support for Israel: Summary Overview (Since WWII)
Type or Source
Estimated Amount ($Bn)
Direct
Official Foreign Aid
247
Rescue Costs (1973)
1,050
Collateral Costs (Aid)¹
451
Private and Ad Hoc Support
106
Trade & Job Losses
275,000 jobs /yr
Sub-Total
1,854
Linked Aid To Periphery (NIS²) and Multilateral Contributions
49+
Energy Autarky
235 minimum
“Defense” of the Gulf
40
Sub-Total
324 minimum
Contingent Oil Supply Guarantee
$3bn/month³ (not implemented)
Total Cost
2,178
¹ The sum of aid to Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Jordan, West Bank and Gaza, and peacekeeping missions.
² Newly Independent States.
³ Figure is scenario specific. See full report for details.
Source: Compiled by Dr Stauffer.
“Defense” Of Gulf Oil
The defense of the Gulf – often cited as a major cost factor, according to Dr Stauffer – has in fact been but a minor element of cost. Excluding the buildup for war against Iraq in late 2002, the official figure for operations and presence in the Gulf is around $30-40bn per year. That figure is misleading, however, says Dr Stauffer, since most of the equipment and troops, and the operations of the carrier task force at Diego Garcia would be maintained in support of other geopolitical objectives. These outlays, therefore, which are the largest component in the reported cost, are not substantively tied to US policies in the Gulf itself. The US presence itself has entailed relatively modest incremental costs – of the order of $2bn (net) per year, excluding any new costs tied to the current mobilization against Iraq.
Lost Trade And Employment
US policy towards the Middle East has also had an effect on trade and employment through trade imbalances with stipendiary states (particularly Israel); trade losses resulting from US sanctions against Iran, Iraq, Libya and Syria; blocked or lost contracts; and lost investment opportunities and income. The striking trade-aid imbalance vis-à-vis Israel costs the US almost as many jobs as the sanction regimes, according to Dr Stauffer. Israel exports to the US much more than it imports, while it pays for only a fraction of what it does import from the US due to the high level of US aid to Israel, he says. The resulting imbalance of $6-10bn each year costs about 125,000 jobs. A similar effect is observed in the case of Egypt, but the magnitude is minimal. Conversely to the case of Israel, southern Gulf states (primarily Saudi Arabia) incrementally buy large quantities of US arms and related services which has translated into an extra 60,000 jobs in recent years and partly offset the jobs lost through Israeli pressures or contracting policies. The dollar value of trade is translated into the number of jobs using the study from the International Trade Administration (US Department of Commerce) from 1997.
US sanctions on trade with Iran, Iraq, Libya and Syria, have cost the US currently some 80,000-100,000 jobs each year, although the figure is probably higher, notes Dr Stauffer, because it does not reflect the lost opportunities for US farmers to export into the growing markets of the sanctioned countries. Using trend analysis Dr Stauffer illustrates the sharp drop in US exports to Iran following the Islamic revolution there, and says that the US share of Iran’s imports is only 2-3%, whereas under normal trading relations the US would likely account for 16-18% of Iran’s imports. In addition to the loss of export opportunities must be considered the loss of investment opportunities and income as a result of legislation such as the Iran Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA – See MEES, 29 July 1996 for full text of the law), which prevents US companies from investing more than small sums in the these countries’ oil and gas sectors. The deadweight loss of this legislation in Libya since the early 1980s comes to some $10bn, according to Dr Stauffer. Added to this is the potential business that has been lost through reduced contact with clients and the loss of incremental exports from the US which would have resulted. Dr Stauffer also picks out the Great Man-Made River project in Libya, and the Yamamah defense project in Saudi Arabia which were both lost to foreign firms as a result of intense lobbying by Israeli interests, and which lost the US some $20-40bn or between 500,000 and one million man years.
Breakdown of Costs To US Of Middle East Conflicts Since World War II
Type of Cost
Event/Category
Cost (2002 $Bn)
Political or Military Crises
1956 War
Minimal
1967 War
40+
1973 War
750-1,050
- GDP Loss
300-600
- Import Price Impact
450
1978 Iranian Revolution and Iran-Iraq War
335
Gulf War 1990-91
80
Sub-Total
1,220-1,520
Economic and Military Aid
Israel
247
Egypt
139
Turkey
159
Greece
125
Jordan
25
Other Regional
110
West Bank and Gaza
1
Peacekeeping
2
Sub-Total
808
Ad Hoc Support for Israel
Preferential Contracting
40 (est)*
Discounted Arms Sales
Not traced
Israel’s SPR (1975 MOU)
3
Loan Guarantees
10
Oil Supply Guarantee
Up to $3bn/month**
Support for Lavi and other Projects
3
Sub-Total
56+
Budgeted Aid – Periphery
Sudan
2
Ethiopia and Eritrea
12
Caucasus and Central Asia
6
Somalia
2
Other SW Asia
10
Sub-Total
32
Private U.S. Aid to Israel
40-50
US Share of Multilateral Aid
Turkey
7
UNRWA
3
Sub-Total
10
Lost Trade and Domestic Jobs
Embargoes and Sanctions
100,000/yr
Trade-aid Imbalance: Israel
125,000/yr
Blocked Trade Opportunities
650,000 man-years
- Great Man-Made River
50,000 man-years
-“Yamamah Project”
600,000 man-years
Known Investment Losses
$10bn
Sub-Total
$10bn+ 275,000 jobs/yr
Energy Autarky Strategic Petroleum Reserve
146
“Project Independence”
235 (min)
-Gasohol
25
-Estimated State Subsidies
100
-Unconventional Gas
20 (est)
-Unconventional Energy
Not traced
-Other Federal Subsidies
90
Sub-Total
381 (min)
“Defense” of Gulf Oil Supplies
Presence and Preparedness in the Gulf
40+
Estimated Total (min)
2.6-2.9 trillion (min)
___________
* According to Dr Stauffer, this figure is elusive and may be very low.
** Figure is scenario specific. See full report for details.
Source: Compiled by Dr Stauffer.
http://portorange.digi-net.com/groopz2/Resources/1181/groopz.js>
The cost of conflict in the Middle East since the 1956 Suez Crisis has been estimated at some $3 trillion by Dr Tom Stauffer in a paper in ‘Middle East Policy’ entitled The Cost of Conflict in the Middle East 1956-2002: What the US Has Spent.* The paper assesses the cost to the US of periodic oil crises; direct intervention in Middle East conflicts; attempts to reduce reliance on volatile oil imports from the region; and support for Israel, by far the largest single area of spending representing about 60% of total costs or $1.85 trillion. Since support for Israel is a key determinant of US policy towards the Middle East, Dr Stauffer’s paper devotes a large part of his report to detailing the cost of this support which has been borne by the US economy. However, in tackling such a complex and convoluted subject, he warns that the different estimated costs can not be added together to provide neat overall figures. Most cost figures are given inflation-adjusted in 2002 dollars and taking into account a putative opportunity cost of capital. However, in the final analysis, the estimated costs given in the paper can only illustrate an order of magnitude, and they will no doubt be subject to much disagreement, especially given the sensitivity of some of the subject matter.
Crisis Costs
Dr Stauffer focuses first on the costs to the US of the six oil supply and pricing crises which occurred between 1956 and 1991, beginning with the 1956 Suez Crisis, through the 1967 Six-day war between Israel and her neighbors, the 1973 October war, the Iranian revolution and oil strike, the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war and supply interdictions, and up to the 1990-91 Gulf war. Also scrutinized is the cost of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) and the Emergency Sharing Plan (ESP) run by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Dr Stauffer estimates total crisis costs at $1,220-1,529bn.
The oil crises brought about by the 1956 Suez conflict and the 1967 war had a relatively limited impact on the US. In 1956, oil prices jumped only briefly, but as a result of the closure of the Suez canal supplies of ‘sterling’ oil from the Gulf to Europe were interrupted resulting in increased exports of ‘dollar’ oil from the US and Venezuela. ‘Dollar’ oil therefore replaced ‘sterling’ oil in the market, inflicting further pressure on the British pound already weakened by the war, and ultimately forcing a devaluation of the currency. The US may even have profited from the crisis, and the episode highlighted the crucial role the US would come to play in world oil markets.
The 1967 war left Israel in control of Egyptian onshore and offshore oil fields in and around the Sinai peninsula, closed the Suez canal to all shipping, and also had a longer-term impact on oil markets. The canal closure resulted in higher delivery costs from the Gulf as tankers had to be diverted around the Cape of Good Hope, doubling the length of the journey to European and American markets. Demand for tankers increased by a factor of three, increasing freight rates, and in turn globalizing tanker charges as tankers from other regions were lured to the more lucrative Gulf routes. More significant, however, was the splitting of oil markets between east and west of Suez, giving OPEC members the leverage to increase overall oil prices which would otherwise have been difficult to achieve. At this time US oil imports were at a low level and therefore the cost to the US was relatively small, but the price increases nevertheless cost the US some $40bn between 1970 and 1973, says Dr Stauffer.
The cost of the October 1973 war far exceeded that of the preceding two crises, and is estimated at $750-1,050bn. In response to initial Arab gains over Israel, Israel demanded, and US President Nixon provided, rearmament for the Israeli forces, resulting in an oil embargo by Arab oil producers focused primarily against the US. This halved US imports and led to a shortfall of some 2mn b/d. The move triggered a quick recession and inflationary pressures, dented travel and tourism and ‘impacts cascaded through the economy’. Dr Stauffer estimates the loss in GDP resulting from the oil shortage at $300-600bn. The effect on the US economy of oil prices ratcheted higher by the embargo is put at $450bn. The costs of the embargo ‘were systematically concealed from the US public’, says Dr Stauffer.
The Iranian revolution and 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war is estimated to have cost the US a total of $355bn in higher oil prices. In 1978, Iranian revolutionaries seized and closed down the country’s export terminals thereby withdrawing 5mn b/d of oil from the world market. The impact was exacerbated by speculators, and oil prices spiked, but exports were soon restored by the new regime in Iran. The outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war caused oil liftings to plummet once more as export terminals in both countries came under attack. Again, the oil price more than doubled. The US and Israel helped to prolong the conflict by feeding both sides with weapons, says Stauffer, and the burden of higher oil prices was borne by consumers. Dr Stauffer estimates that the extra cost (over and above the ‘equilibrium’ price of $18/B) came to $335bn in year 2002 dollars.
The 1990-91 Gulf war was relatively cheap in terms of costs to the US. The cost to US consumers is estimated at $80bn, but the US government actually made a fiscal profit of $10bn as a result of increased taxes and royalties from the higher prices of domestic production of oil and gas. Oil prices rose sharply from $14.50-16/B before the war to a peak of $35/B in October 1990, but dropped back to $18/B when Kuwait was recaptured in February 1991. The cost in terms of US intervention to drive Iraq out of Kuwait was minimal as Washington persuaded various allies to take on most of the financial burden of the war. The gross outlay came to $55bn, with contributions in cash from allies of $49bn, and in kind of $6bn. Furthermore, says Dr Stauffer, the contributions from Saudi Arabia ($13.5bn), Kuwait ($13.5bn) and the UAE ($3bn) have been covered by subsequent increased volumes of oil exports at the expense of Iraq which has been restricted by sanctions; and the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) has provided a source of compensation for Kuwait, Turkey and the Kurds financed by Iraq itself. Dr Stauffer suggests that both the UN sanctions regime and the UNCC have been manipulated by the US so as to pay the full cost of the war for the US and its allies, making the Gulf war an unusual, if not unique, event.
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve
The SPR was initiated to provide a strategic stockpile of oil that could be used to blunt any future use of the Arab “oil weapon” against Israel, since the 1973 embargo had proved to be devastatingly effective. The SPR was functioning by 1977, and targeted a volume of 1bn barrels, although this has never been achieved, and the SPR peaked at 595mn barrels in 1995. At present levels the SPR would cover less than 2 months’ worth of imports. The total cost for the oil in the SPR and the facilities to store it is reported in the US budget at $21.9bn. However, according to Dr Stauffer, this figure is misleadingly low since it ignores the effect of inflation and the opportunity cost of capital. Taking these into account brings the cost of the SPR to a minimum of $146bn, he says. Adjusting for the salvage cost of the oil of $9bn (calculated as if drawn down over eight years, with a discount rate of 7%, and a constant real oil price of $20/B), would bring the net cost of the SPR to $137bn.
“Project Independence”
Energy autarky – “Project Independence” – was a goal spurred, like the creation of the SPR, by the 1973 oil crisis. Through a range of subsidies or forced technologies designed to increase US energy production and cut consumption, the aim of “project independence” was to reduce reliance on oil imports from Arab countries. According to Dr Stauffer, this policy has been extraordinarily costly but largely ineffective. The total cost of “project independence” is estimated at a minimum of $235bn, but Dr Stauffer says that a “reasonable” estimate is at least $1 trillion, only part of which can be documented. Elements of the project have included: subsidies for Gasohol (a mixture containing 90% derived motor fuel and 10% ethanol) which has saved less than 100,000 b/d at a total cost of $25bn; subsidies in the form of tax credits for the production of unconventional gas which “had no material impact upon oil dependence” but cost a minimum of $20bn; requirements for utilities to buy high-cost “alternative” energy from sources such as wind and solar power at a possible cost of $10bn per year for 20 years, although actual costs were not traced; and other subsidies which are estimated by DOE/EIA at a total cost of $100bn. Dr Stauffer also includes a figure of $90bn for the cost of other federal subsidies.
Despite the efforts of “project independence” oil imports grew from 6.6mn b/d in 1973 to 11.4mn b/d in 2000. Better fuel economy has resulted in the reduction of oil imports by about 1.5mn b/d (ie imports would have been around 13mn b/d in 2000), but this has been “the result almost entirely of higher prices, not government policies,” according to Dr Stauffer. He also notes that “while the subsidies were inevitably justified in the interests of national security, the projects and programs were in most cases captured and coopted by domestic lobbies. Since the notional objective was reducing dependence upon Middle East oil, however,” he says, “the costs should be subsumed within the costs of coping with Middle East conflicts, even if the programs were largely ineffectual.”
Economic And Military Aid
Total economic and military aid to the Near East, Turkey and Greece since 1946 is estimated at $808bn adjusted for inflation and including a 3% opportunity cost for US capital. About two thirds of this has been dispersed since 1973, and the beneficiaries have been Israel ($247bn), Egypt ($139bn), Jordan ($25bn), Turkey ($159bn), Greece ($125bn), the West Bank and Gaza ($1bn), and peacekeeping missions ($2bn). Other regional economic and military aid has come to $110bn. Dr Stauffer classifies the aid given to Egypt and Jordan as indirect support for Israel, since both of these countries have concluded peace treaties with Israel and their receipt of aid is seen as payment for their reduced threat to Israel. Also included in the cost of US foreign policy in the Middle East is aid to states on the periphery such as Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, the Caucasus and Central Asia, and other South West Asia states, the total of which is $32bn. The US share of multilateral aid to the region is put at $10bn - $7bn to Turkey and $3bn to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
Most of the aid to Turkey dates from before 1989 and the costs are therefore “artifacts of the Cold War.” Since 1989 the rationale for US aid to Turkey has changed – instead of being a key ally on the southwestern flank of the USSR, it is now a close ally of Israel and a useful base from which to put pressure on Iraq. While Turkey has only received some $8.2bn from the US since 1989, most of it in the form of loans, it is set to receive a much larger amount for its continued support of Israel and the use of its territory as a platform to attack Iraq in the impending war to topple Saddam Husain. US aid to Greece has become “inextricably part of the broader Middle East picture and the turbulent rivalries and temporary alliances between the Jewish, Greek and Armenian lobbies within the US.” As a result of pressure on the US government from the Greek lobby a formula evolved whereby Greece was to receive $7 for every $10 given to Turkey.
Aid To Israel
US aid to Israel is made up largely of ‘Foreign Military Financing’ (FMF), which has plateaued at $1,800mn, and ‘Economic Support Funds’ (ESF) which have recently dropped from their historic level of $1,200mn to $720mn. However, only two thirds of aid to Israel is budgeted, says Dr Stauffer, and much is camouflaged to hide it from ready scrutiny for political reasons. US budget reported aid to Israel stands at $88bn. Adjustment for inflation and the opportunity cost of capital at 3% brings the total to $247bn. Private Jewish remittances of around $30bn and net purchases by US parties of Israel bonds of some $10-14bn drain a further $40-50bn from the US economy, says Dr Stauffer.
Ad hoc grants and special aid, such as the $1.2bn Israel received at the Wye Plantation meeting in 2000, are another important source of funds. These are not budgeted, and no comprehensive overview of these payments has been publicly released, says Dr Stauffer, but he estimates that Israel has received a total of $56bn+. Ad hoc and special aid includes (a so far unused) oil supply guarantee for Israel estimated at potentially up to $3bn/month;(1) a SPR for Israel estimated at a cost of $3bn; loan guarantees for $10bn between 1992 and 1998; $3bn in support for the Lavi fighter and Arrow missile projects; preferential contracting worth $40bn; discounted sales or free transfers of “surplus” US military equipment (officially designated as “Excess Defense Articles” or EDAs – cost not traced); ‘offsets’ and weapons technology, special contracts for Israeli firms, and covert and indirect support. Additional known items include legal and illegal transfers of marketable US military technology, de facto exemption from US trade protection provisions. An unquantifiable element is the trade and other aid given to Romania and Russia to facilitate Jewish migration to Israel.
Aid to Israel is particularly costly, says the report, due to peculiarities in the way it is delivered – aid comes as a lump sum, loans have with increasing frequency been commuted retroactively into grants, and money is dispersed without the usual trade ‘offsets’ requiring that a proportion of the money be spent on donor country goods. Israel (through US Congress) has actually succeeded in reversing the tying of aid – US firms are required to purchase from Israel about sixty cents worth of Israeli goods for every $1 which the US provides in military grants. And as Israel’s largest trade partner, the European Union benefits from US aid which helps to finance its exports to Israel.
Costs to US of Support for Israel: Summary Overview (Since WWII)
Type or Source
Estimated Amount ($Bn)
Direct
Official Foreign Aid
247
Rescue Costs (1973)
1,050
Collateral Costs (Aid)¹
451
Private and Ad Hoc Support
106
Trade & Job Losses
275,000 jobs /yr
Sub-Total
1,854
Linked Aid To Periphery (NIS²) and Multilateral Contributions
49+
Energy Autarky
235 minimum
“Defense” of the Gulf
40
Sub-Total
324 minimum
Contingent Oil Supply Guarantee
$3bn/month³ (not implemented)
Total Cost
2,178
¹ The sum of aid to Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Jordan, West Bank and Gaza, and peacekeeping missions.
² Newly Independent States.
³ Figure is scenario specific. See full report for details.
Source: Compiled by Dr Stauffer.
“Defense” Of Gulf Oil
The defense of the Gulf – often cited as a major cost factor, according to Dr Stauffer – has in fact been but a minor element of cost. Excluding the buildup for war against Iraq in late 2002, the official figure for operations and presence in the Gulf is around $30-40bn per year. That figure is misleading, however, says Dr Stauffer, since most of the equipment and troops, and the operations of the carrier task force at Diego Garcia would be maintained in support of other geopolitical objectives. These outlays, therefore, which are the largest component in the reported cost, are not substantively tied to US policies in the Gulf itself. The US presence itself has entailed relatively modest incremental costs – of the order of $2bn (net) per year, excluding any new costs tied to the current mobilization against Iraq.
Lost Trade And Employment
US policy towards the Middle East has also had an effect on trade and employment through trade imbalances with stipendiary states (particularly Israel); trade losses resulting from US sanctions against Iran, Iraq, Libya and Syria; blocked or lost contracts; and lost investment opportunities and income. The striking trade-aid imbalance vis-à-vis Israel costs the US almost as many jobs as the sanction regimes, according to Dr Stauffer. Israel exports to the US much more than it imports, while it pays for only a fraction of what it does import from the US due to the high level of US aid to Israel, he says. The resulting imbalance of $6-10bn each year costs about 125,000 jobs. A similar effect is observed in the case of Egypt, but the magnitude is minimal. Conversely to the case of Israel, southern Gulf states (primarily Saudi Arabia) incrementally buy large quantities of US arms and related services which has translated into an extra 60,000 jobs in recent years and partly offset the jobs lost through Israeli pressures or contracting policies. The dollar value of trade is translated into the number of jobs using the study from the International Trade Administration (US Department of Commerce) from 1997.
US sanctions on trade with Iran, Iraq, Libya and Syria, have cost the US currently some 80,000-100,000 jobs each year, although the figure is probably higher, notes Dr Stauffer, because it does not reflect the lost opportunities for US farmers to export into the growing markets of the sanctioned countries. Using trend analysis Dr Stauffer illustrates the sharp drop in US exports to Iran following the Islamic revolution there, and says that the US share of Iran’s imports is only 2-3%, whereas under normal trading relations the US would likely account for 16-18% of Iran’s imports. In addition to the loss of export opportunities must be considered the loss of investment opportunities and income as a result of legislation such as the Iran Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA – See MEES, 29 July 1996 for full text of the law), which prevents US companies from investing more than small sums in the these countries’ oil and gas sectors. The deadweight loss of this legislation in Libya since the early 1980s comes to some $10bn, according to Dr Stauffer. Added to this is the potential business that has been lost through reduced contact with clients and the loss of incremental exports from the US which would have resulted. Dr Stauffer also picks out the Great Man-Made River project in Libya, and the Yamamah defense project in Saudi Arabia which were both lost to foreign firms as a result of intense lobbying by Israeli interests, and which lost the US some $20-40bn or between 500,000 and one million man years.
Breakdown of Costs To US Of Middle East Conflicts Since World War II
Type of Cost
Event/Category
Cost (2002 $Bn)
Political or Military Crises
1956 War
Minimal
1967 War
40+
1973 War
750-1,050
- GDP Loss
300-600
- Import Price Impact
450
1978 Iranian Revolution and Iran-Iraq War
335
Gulf War 1990-91
80
Sub-Total
1,220-1,520
Economic and Military Aid
Israel
247
Egypt
139
Turkey
159
Greece
125
Jordan
25
Other Regional
110
West Bank and Gaza
1
Peacekeeping
2
Sub-Total
808
Ad Hoc Support for Israel
Preferential Contracting
40 (est)*
Discounted Arms Sales
Not traced
Israel’s SPR (1975 MOU)
3
Loan Guarantees
10
Oil Supply Guarantee
Up to $3bn/month**
Support for Lavi and other Projects
3
Sub-Total
56+
Budgeted Aid – Periphery
Sudan
2
Ethiopia and Eritrea
12
Caucasus and Central Asia
6
Somalia
2
Other SW Asia
10
Sub-Total
32
Private U.S. Aid to Israel
40-50
US Share of Multilateral Aid
Turkey
7
UNRWA
3
Sub-Total
10
Lost Trade and Domestic Jobs
Embargoes and Sanctions
100,000/yr
Trade-aid Imbalance: Israel
125,000/yr
Blocked Trade Opportunities
650,000 man-years
- Great Man-Made River
50,000 man-years
-“Yamamah Project”
600,000 man-years
Known Investment Losses
$10bn
Sub-Total
$10bn+ 275,000 jobs/yr
Energy Autarky Strategic Petroleum Reserve
146
“Project Independence”
235 (min)
-Gasohol
25
-Estimated State Subsidies
100
-Unconventional Gas
20 (est)
-Unconventional Energy
Not traced
-Other Federal Subsidies
90
Sub-Total
381 (min)
“Defense” of Gulf Oil Supplies
Presence and Preparedness in the Gulf
40+
Estimated Total (min)
2.6-2.9 trillion (min)
___________
* According to Dr Stauffer, this figure is elusive and may be very low.
** Figure is scenario specific. See full report for details.
Source: Compiled by Dr Stauffer.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Joe Biden all together we can overcome the problems
Joe Biden all together we can overcome the problems
John Paul II, WE LOVE YOU
General Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama! pt.1
Barack Obama: Colin Powell and Unity in America
Poland Georgia Together Forever! Polish-Georgian Friendship
Elect Barack Obama Joe Biden Presidential Campaign Commercial 'Fall in Wounded Soldier' LA Music Award Nominated Video
Please help Poland!!!
Polish Pilots of the RAF
Tribute to Georgians in Polish Service
Polish Squadrons in Battle of Britain
All the support from the Polish American
Alex Lech Bajan
Polish American
CEO
RAQport Inc.
2004 North Monroe Street
Arlington Virginia 22207
Washington DC Area
USA
TEL: 703-528-0114
TEL2: 703-652-0993
FAX: 703-940-8300
sms: 703-485-6619
EMAIL: polonia@raqport.com
WEB SITE: http://raqport.com
Polacy pomagaja Stanom Zjednoczonych USA
Hello from Polish American Lech Alex Bajan of Arlington Virginia.
Jako Polak z USA of 1987 musze podac moje rozrzalenie z tej niesprawiedliwosci jaka jest w dzisiejszym swiecie w traktowaniu Polski i Polakow.
Polacy pomagaja Stanom Zjednoczonych USA : Iraq, Afghanistan , Kosovo, Panama, Haiti, Polish Army's Peacekeepers in Golan Heights.
Co mamy z tego. Gdzie te kontrakty w Iraku? Nic z tego? Ile to nas Polske i Polakow kosztuje. Mozna by za to zaplacic dlugi wszyskich szpitali w Polsce w wyslac na studia kazdego Polaka a albo podwoic swiadczenia dla najbardziej ubogich.
Co nasz Rzad robi w tej sprawie?
Dlaczaego nie mamy dobrego lobingu w USA. A ja moge pomoc. Jestem 20 lat w Washington DC i wiem jak to dziala.
Przed rostrzygniecien kontraktu w Iraku juz bylem poinformowany ze US kontrakt nie bedzie dla Polski a dla firmy belego sekretarza wojsk USA.
Former Republican Congressman and Secretary of Defense, under President Clinton, William Cohen, sits at the helm of the Cohen Group.
On dostal wiele kontraktow ktore sie Polsce nalezaly.
Nawet byly wypowiedzi Ministra Wojsk Irackich ze kontrakt nie zostal dobrze wypelniony przez firme Cohena: ze wiele sprzetu po dostarczeniu nawet nie dzialalo.
Czy tak chca zniszczyc i tanio wykupic Polski przemysl zbrojeniowy.
Sam pochodze z Krasnika w Lubeskim gdzie slawna na calym swiecie Fabryka Lozysk Tocznych wybudowana w ramach Centralnego Osrodka Przemyslowego w latach 20-30 XX wieki i calkowicie z modernizowana przez firmy japonsko – zachodnio europejskie w latach 80-tych za wiele miliardow dolarow. Ktora kiedys exportowala do 70 krajow swiata i zatrudniala 12 tys. Pracownikow
Zobarztmy tylko dane:
Polacy pomagaja Stanom Zjednoczonych USA
Poland / Polska dostaje/ only gets $28 milions of the real US help for the Polish Army
but it cost to Poland ( our mation ) is 1 billion per year to send our troops all over the world Iraq, Afghanistan , Kosovo, Panama, Haiti, Polish Army's Peacekeepers in Golan Heights.
Country
Three Years Before 9/11 ('99-'01)
Three Years After 9/11 ('02-'04)
Change in Dollars
Six-Year Total ('99-'04)
Israel
$9,823,862,000 $9,094,874,000 ($728,988,000) $18,918,736,000
Egypt
$6,122,603,000 $6,025,456,540 ($97,146,460) $12,148,059,540
Pakistan
$9,075,000 $4,152,654,219 $4,143,579,219 $4,161,729,219
Jordan
$981,050,000 $2,670,414,688 $1,689,364,688 $3,651,464,688
Colombia
$1,549,497,000 $2,048,565,665 $499,068,665 $3,598,062,665
Afghanistan
$8,415,000 $2,663,783,836 $2,655,368,836 $2,672,198,836
Turkey
$5,357,000 $1,324,923,070 $1,319,566,070 $1,330,280,070
West Bank and Gaza
$630,557,000 $271,058,000 ($359,499,000) $901,615,000
Peru
$263,543,000 $445,825,971 $182,282,971 $709,368,971
Bolivia
$281,470,000 $320,682,000 $39,212,000 $602,152,000
Ecuador
$110,103,000 $251,367,795 $141,264,795 $361,470,795
Poland
$33,242,000 $301,136,119 $267,894,119 $334,378,119
Iraq
$37,945,000 $283,986,478 $246,041,478 $321,931,478
Haiti
$176,368,000 $87,296,000 ($89,072,000) $263,664,000
Indonesia
$78,126,000 $184,930,913 $106,804,913 $263,056,913
Philippines
$14,642,000 $245,636,802 $230,994,802 $260,278,802
Mexico
$89,957,000 $162,080,493 $72,123,493 $252,037,493
Lebanon
$66,417,000 $110,109,000 $43,692,000 $176,526,000
Timor-Leste
$84,791,000 $89,339,000 $4,548,000 $174,130,000
Bahrain
$693,000 $144,593,000 $143,900,000 $145,286,000
http://polishdeportedfromus.blogspot.com/ my blog
Support Our Allies - They Support Us?
"...For Your Freedom and Ours..."
Gen. T. Kosciuszko (Poland and America's Patriot)
- Poland sent combat troops to Iraq, Afghanistan , Kosovo, Panama, Haiti, Polish Army's Peacekeepers in Golan Heights, Americans during the war.
- Polish troops are responsible for security in 1 of the 4 zones in Iraq
- 20,000 soldiers from 17 countries served under Polish command
Poland sent its elite commando unit, GROM, which means thunder. It helped secure the port at Umm Qasr, which was vital to delivering aid to Iraq. The unit also secured nearby oil platforms before they could be sabotaged.
In the first Gulf War, Polish intelligence officers snuck into Iraq to rescue a group of CIA operatives trapped behind enemy lines.
Poland's secret agents disguised CIA agents as Polish construction workers and smuggled them out of Baghdad.
This was not the first time Polish soldiers risked their lives for our freedom. Generals Casimir Pulaski and Tadeusz Kosciuszko were two of the first foreigners to fight in the American Revolution. Kosciuszko designed and oversaw the construction of West Point. After that, he returned to Poland, where he led a democratic uprising. As a result of that fight, Poland had the first written democratic constitution in Europe, second in the world only to the U.S.
USA DEPORTED POLISH WOMAN IN US SINCE 1989 PERFECT CITIZEN FORMER SOLIDARITY, PERFECT MOTHER, NO CRIMES
I have to bring to your attention. What kind of:
How autocratic our Homeland Security in US is.
Ciekawy wiadomosc prasowa:
Israel to Get $90bn US Defense Aid
John Paul II, WE LOVE YOU
General Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama! pt.1
Barack Obama: Colin Powell and Unity in America
Poland Georgia Together Forever! Polish-Georgian Friendship
Elect Barack Obama Joe Biden Presidential Campaign Commercial 'Fall in Wounded Soldier' LA Music Award Nominated Video
Please help Poland!!!
Polish Pilots of the RAF
Tribute to Georgians in Polish Service
Polish Squadrons in Battle of Britain
All the support from the Polish American
Alex Lech Bajan
Polish American
CEO
RAQport Inc.
2004 North Monroe Street
Arlington Virginia 22207
Washington DC Area
USA
TEL: 703-528-0114
TEL2: 703-652-0993
FAX: 703-940-8300
sms: 703-485-6619
EMAIL: polonia@raqport.com
WEB SITE: http://raqport.com
Polacy pomagaja Stanom Zjednoczonych USA
Hello from Polish American Lech Alex Bajan of Arlington Virginia.
Jako Polak z USA of 1987 musze podac moje rozrzalenie z tej niesprawiedliwosci jaka jest w dzisiejszym swiecie w traktowaniu Polski i Polakow.
Polacy pomagaja Stanom Zjednoczonych USA : Iraq, Afghanistan , Kosovo, Panama, Haiti, Polish Army's Peacekeepers in Golan Heights.
Co mamy z tego. Gdzie te kontrakty w Iraku? Nic z tego? Ile to nas Polske i Polakow kosztuje. Mozna by za to zaplacic dlugi wszyskich szpitali w Polsce w wyslac na studia kazdego Polaka a albo podwoic swiadczenia dla najbardziej ubogich.
Co nasz Rzad robi w tej sprawie?
Dlaczaego nie mamy dobrego lobingu w USA. A ja moge pomoc. Jestem 20 lat w Washington DC i wiem jak to dziala.
Przed rostrzygniecien kontraktu w Iraku juz bylem poinformowany ze US kontrakt nie bedzie dla Polski a dla firmy belego sekretarza wojsk USA.
Former Republican Congressman and Secretary of Defense, under President Clinton, William Cohen, sits at the helm of the Cohen Group.
On dostal wiele kontraktow ktore sie Polsce nalezaly.
Nawet byly wypowiedzi Ministra Wojsk Irackich ze kontrakt nie zostal dobrze wypelniony przez firme Cohena: ze wiele sprzetu po dostarczeniu nawet nie dzialalo.
Czy tak chca zniszczyc i tanio wykupic Polski przemysl zbrojeniowy.
Sam pochodze z Krasnika w Lubeskim gdzie slawna na calym swiecie Fabryka Lozysk Tocznych wybudowana w ramach Centralnego Osrodka Przemyslowego w latach 20-30 XX wieki i calkowicie z modernizowana przez firmy japonsko – zachodnio europejskie w latach 80-tych za wiele miliardow dolarow. Ktora kiedys exportowala do 70 krajow swiata i zatrudniala 12 tys. Pracownikow
Zobarztmy tylko dane:
Polacy pomagaja Stanom Zjednoczonych USA
Poland / Polska dostaje/ only gets $28 milions of the real US help for the Polish Army
but it cost to Poland ( our mation ) is 1 billion per year to send our troops all over the world Iraq, Afghanistan , Kosovo, Panama, Haiti, Polish Army's Peacekeepers in Golan Heights.
Country
Three Years Before 9/11 ('99-'01)
Three Years After 9/11 ('02-'04)
Change in Dollars
Six-Year Total ('99-'04)
Israel
$9,823,862,000 $9,094,874,000 ($728,988,000) $18,918,736,000
Egypt
$6,122,603,000 $6,025,456,540 ($97,146,460) $12,148,059,540
Pakistan
$9,075,000 $4,152,654,219 $4,143,579,219 $4,161,729,219
Jordan
$981,050,000 $2,670,414,688 $1,689,364,688 $3,651,464,688
Colombia
$1,549,497,000 $2,048,565,665 $499,068,665 $3,598,062,665
Afghanistan
$8,415,000 $2,663,783,836 $2,655,368,836 $2,672,198,836
Turkey
$5,357,000 $1,324,923,070 $1,319,566,070 $1,330,280,070
West Bank and Gaza
$630,557,000 $271,058,000 ($359,499,000) $901,615,000
Peru
$263,543,000 $445,825,971 $182,282,971 $709,368,971
Bolivia
$281,470,000 $320,682,000 $39,212,000 $602,152,000
Ecuador
$110,103,000 $251,367,795 $141,264,795 $361,470,795
Poland
$33,242,000 $301,136,119 $267,894,119 $334,378,119
Iraq
$37,945,000 $283,986,478 $246,041,478 $321,931,478
Haiti
$176,368,000 $87,296,000 ($89,072,000) $263,664,000
Indonesia
$78,126,000 $184,930,913 $106,804,913 $263,056,913
Philippines
$14,642,000 $245,636,802 $230,994,802 $260,278,802
Mexico
$89,957,000 $162,080,493 $72,123,493 $252,037,493
Lebanon
$66,417,000 $110,109,000 $43,692,000 $176,526,000
Timor-Leste
$84,791,000 $89,339,000 $4,548,000 $174,130,000
Bahrain
$693,000 $144,593,000 $143,900,000 $145,286,000
http://polishdeportedfromus.blogspot.com/ my blog
Support Our Allies - They Support Us?
"...For Your Freedom and Ours..."
Gen. T. Kosciuszko (Poland and America's Patriot)
- Poland sent combat troops to Iraq, Afghanistan , Kosovo, Panama, Haiti, Polish Army's Peacekeepers in Golan Heights, Americans during the war.
- Polish troops are responsible for security in 1 of the 4 zones in Iraq
- 20,000 soldiers from 17 countries served under Polish command
Poland sent its elite commando unit, GROM, which means thunder. It helped secure the port at Umm Qasr, which was vital to delivering aid to Iraq. The unit also secured nearby oil platforms before they could be sabotaged.
In the first Gulf War, Polish intelligence officers snuck into Iraq to rescue a group of CIA operatives trapped behind enemy lines.
Poland's secret agents disguised CIA agents as Polish construction workers and smuggled them out of Baghdad.
This was not the first time Polish soldiers risked their lives for our freedom. Generals Casimir Pulaski and Tadeusz Kosciuszko were two of the first foreigners to fight in the American Revolution. Kosciuszko designed and oversaw the construction of West Point. After that, he returned to Poland, where he led a democratic uprising. As a result of that fight, Poland had the first written democratic constitution in Europe, second in the world only to the U.S.
USA DEPORTED POLISH WOMAN IN US SINCE 1989 PERFECT CITIZEN FORMER SOLIDARITY, PERFECT MOTHER, NO CRIMES
I have to bring to your attention. What kind of:
How autocratic our Homeland Security in US is.
Ciekawy wiadomosc prasowa:
Israel to Get $90bn US Defense Aid
Joe Biden all together we can overcome the problemsJoe Biden all together we can overcome the problems
Joe Biden all together we can overcome the problems
John Paul II, WE LOVE YOU
General Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama! pt.1
Barack Obama: Colin Powell and Unity in America
Poland Georgia Together Forever! Polish-Georgian Friendship
Elect Barack Obama Joe Biden Presidential Campaign Commercial 'Fall in Wounded Soldier' LA Music Award Nominated Video
Please help Poland!!!
Polish Pilots of the RAF
Tribute to Georgians in Polish Service
Polish Squadrons in Battle of Britain
All the support from the Polish American
Alex Lech Bajan
Polish American
CEO
RAQport Inc.
2004 North Monroe Street
Arlington Virginia 22207
Washington DC Area
USA
TEL: 703-528-0114
TEL2: 703-652-0993
FAX: 703-940-8300
sms: 703-485-6619
EMAIL: polonia@raqport.com
WEB SITE: http://raqport.com
Polacy pomagaja Stanom Zjednoczonych USA
Hello from Polish American Lech Alex Bajan of Arlington Virginia.
Jako Polak z USA of 1987 musze podac moje rozrzalenie z tej niesprawiedliwosci jaka jest w dzisiejszym swiecie w traktowaniu Polski i Polakow.
Polacy pomagaja Stanom Zjednoczonych USA : Iraq, Afghanistan , Kosovo, Panama, Haiti, Polish Army's Peacekeepers in Golan Heights.
Co mamy z tego. Gdzie te kontrakty w Iraku? Nic z tego? Ile to nas Polske i Polakow kosztuje. Mozna by za to zaplacic dlugi wszyskich szpitali w Polsce w wyslac na studia kazdego Polaka a albo podwoic swiadczenia dla najbardziej ubogich.
Co nasz Rzad robi w tej sprawie?
Dlaczaego nie mamy dobrego lobingu w USA. A ja moge pomoc. Jestem 20 lat w Washington DC i wiem jak to dziala.
Przed rostrzygniecien kontraktu w Iraku juz bylem poinformowany ze US kontrakt nie bedzie dla Polski a dla firmy belego sekretarza wojsk USA.
Former Republican Congressman and Secretary of Defense, under President Clinton, William Cohen, sits at the helm of the Cohen Group.
On dostal wiele kontraktow ktore sie Polsce nalezaly.
Nawet byly wypowiedzi Ministra Wojsk Irackich ze kontrakt nie zostal dobrze wypelniony przez firme Cohena: ze wiele sprzetu po dostarczeniu nawet nie dzialalo.
Czy tak chca zniszczyc i tanio wykupic Polski przemysl zbrojeniowy.
Sam pochodze z Krasnika w Lubeskim gdzie slawna na calym swiecie Fabryka Lozysk Tocznych wybudowana w ramach Centralnego Osrodka Przemyslowego w latach 20-30 XX wieki i calkowicie z modernizowana przez firmy japonsko – zachodnio europejskie w latach 80-tych za wiele miliardow dolarow. Ktora kiedys exportowala do 70 krajow swiata i zatrudniala 12 tys. Pracownikow
Zobarztmy tylko dane:
Polacy pomagaja Stanom Zjednoczonych USA
Poland / Polska dostaje/ only gets $28 milions of the real US help for the Polish Army
but it cost to Poland ( our mation ) is 1 billion per year to send our troops all over the world Iraq, Afghanistan , Kosovo, Panama, Haiti, Polish Army's Peacekeepers in Golan Heights.
Country
Three Years Before 9/11 ('99-'01)
Three Years After 9/11 ('02-'04)
Change in Dollars
Six-Year Total ('99-'04)
Israel
$9,823,862,000 $9,094,874,000 ($728,988,000) $18,918,736,000
Egypt
$6,122,603,000 $6,025,456,540 ($97,146,460) $12,148,059,540
Pakistan
$9,075,000 $4,152,654,219 $4,143,579,219 $4,161,729,219
Jordan
$981,050,000 $2,670,414,688 $1,689,364,688 $3,651,464,688
Colombia
$1,549,497,000 $2,048,565,665 $499,068,665 $3,598,062,665
Afghanistan
$8,415,000 $2,663,783,836 $2,655,368,836 $2,672,198,836
Turkey
$5,357,000 $1,324,923,070 $1,319,566,070 $1,330,280,070
West Bank and Gaza
$630,557,000 $271,058,000 ($359,499,000) $901,615,000
Peru
$263,543,000 $445,825,971 $182,282,971 $709,368,971
Bolivia
$281,470,000 $320,682,000 $39,212,000 $602,152,000
Ecuador
$110,103,000 $251,367,795 $141,264,795 $361,470,795
Poland
$33,242,000 $301,136,119 $267,894,119 $334,378,119
Iraq
$37,945,000 $283,986,478 $246,041,478 $321,931,478
Haiti
$176,368,000 $87,296,000 ($89,072,000) $263,664,000
Indonesia
$78,126,000 $184,930,913 $106,804,913 $263,056,913
Philippines
$14,642,000 $245,636,802 $230,994,802 $260,278,802
Mexico
$89,957,000 $162,080,493 $72,123,493 $252,037,493
Lebanon
$66,417,000 $110,109,000 $43,692,000 $176,526,000
Timor-Leste
$84,791,000 $89,339,000 $4,548,000 $174,130,000
Bahrain
$693,000 $144,593,000 $143,900,000 $145,286,000
http://polishdeportedfromus.blogspot.com/ my blog
Support Our Allies - They Support Us?
"...For Your Freedom and Ours..."
Gen. T. Kosciuszko (Poland and America's Patriot)
- Poland sent combat troops to Iraq, Afghanistan , Kosovo, Panama, Haiti, Polish Army's Peacekeepers in Golan Heights, Americans during the war.
- Polish troops are responsible for security in 1 of the 4 zones in Iraq
- 20,000 soldiers from 17 countries served under Polish command
Poland sent its elite commando unit, GROM, which means thunder. It helped secure the port at Umm Qasr, which was vital to delivering aid to Iraq. The unit also secured nearby oil platforms before they could be sabotaged.
In the first Gulf War, Polish intelligence officers snuck into Iraq to rescue a group of CIA operatives trapped behind enemy lines.
Poland's secret agents disguised CIA agents as Polish construction workers and smuggled them out of Baghdad.
This was not the first time Polish soldiers risked their lives for our freedom. Generals Casimir Pulaski and Tadeusz Kosciuszko were two of the first foreigners to fight in the American Revolution. Kosciuszko designed and oversaw the construction of West Point. After that, he returned to Poland, where he led a democratic uprising. As a result of that fight, Poland had the first written democratic constitution in Europe, second in the world only to the U.S.
USA DEPORTED POLISH WOMAN IN US SINCE 1989 PERFECT CITIZEN FORMER SOLIDARITY, PERFECT MOTHER, NO CRIMES
I have to bring to your attention. What kind of:
How autocratic our Homeland Security in US is.
Ciekawy wiadomosc prasowa:
Israel to Get $90bn US Defense Aid
John Paul II, WE LOVE YOU
General Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama! pt.1
Barack Obama: Colin Powell and Unity in America
Poland Georgia Together Forever! Polish-Georgian Friendship
Elect Barack Obama Joe Biden Presidential Campaign Commercial 'Fall in Wounded Soldier' LA Music Award Nominated Video
Please help Poland!!!
Polish Pilots of the RAF
Tribute to Georgians in Polish Service
Polish Squadrons in Battle of Britain
All the support from the Polish American
Alex Lech Bajan
Polish American
CEO
RAQport Inc.
2004 North Monroe Street
Arlington Virginia 22207
Washington DC Area
USA
TEL: 703-528-0114
TEL2: 703-652-0993
FAX: 703-940-8300
sms: 703-485-6619
EMAIL: polonia@raqport.com
WEB SITE: http://raqport.com
Polacy pomagaja Stanom Zjednoczonych USA
Hello from Polish American Lech Alex Bajan of Arlington Virginia.
Jako Polak z USA of 1987 musze podac moje rozrzalenie z tej niesprawiedliwosci jaka jest w dzisiejszym swiecie w traktowaniu Polski i Polakow.
Polacy pomagaja Stanom Zjednoczonych USA : Iraq, Afghanistan , Kosovo, Panama, Haiti, Polish Army's Peacekeepers in Golan Heights.
Co mamy z tego. Gdzie te kontrakty w Iraku? Nic z tego? Ile to nas Polske i Polakow kosztuje. Mozna by za to zaplacic dlugi wszyskich szpitali w Polsce w wyslac na studia kazdego Polaka a albo podwoic swiadczenia dla najbardziej ubogich.
Co nasz Rzad robi w tej sprawie?
Dlaczaego nie mamy dobrego lobingu w USA. A ja moge pomoc. Jestem 20 lat w Washington DC i wiem jak to dziala.
Przed rostrzygniecien kontraktu w Iraku juz bylem poinformowany ze US kontrakt nie bedzie dla Polski a dla firmy belego sekretarza wojsk USA.
Former Republican Congressman and Secretary of Defense, under President Clinton, William Cohen, sits at the helm of the Cohen Group.
On dostal wiele kontraktow ktore sie Polsce nalezaly.
Nawet byly wypowiedzi Ministra Wojsk Irackich ze kontrakt nie zostal dobrze wypelniony przez firme Cohena: ze wiele sprzetu po dostarczeniu nawet nie dzialalo.
Czy tak chca zniszczyc i tanio wykupic Polski przemysl zbrojeniowy.
Sam pochodze z Krasnika w Lubeskim gdzie slawna na calym swiecie Fabryka Lozysk Tocznych wybudowana w ramach Centralnego Osrodka Przemyslowego w latach 20-30 XX wieki i calkowicie z modernizowana przez firmy japonsko – zachodnio europejskie w latach 80-tych za wiele miliardow dolarow. Ktora kiedys exportowala do 70 krajow swiata i zatrudniala 12 tys. Pracownikow
Zobarztmy tylko dane:
Polacy pomagaja Stanom Zjednoczonych USA
Poland / Polska dostaje/ only gets $28 milions of the real US help for the Polish Army
but it cost to Poland ( our mation ) is 1 billion per year to send our troops all over the world Iraq, Afghanistan , Kosovo, Panama, Haiti, Polish Army's Peacekeepers in Golan Heights.
Country
Three Years Before 9/11 ('99-'01)
Three Years After 9/11 ('02-'04)
Change in Dollars
Six-Year Total ('99-'04)
Israel
$9,823,862,000 $9,094,874,000 ($728,988,000) $18,918,736,000
Egypt
$6,122,603,000 $6,025,456,540 ($97,146,460) $12,148,059,540
Pakistan
$9,075,000 $4,152,654,219 $4,143,579,219 $4,161,729,219
Jordan
$981,050,000 $2,670,414,688 $1,689,364,688 $3,651,464,688
Colombia
$1,549,497,000 $2,048,565,665 $499,068,665 $3,598,062,665
Afghanistan
$8,415,000 $2,663,783,836 $2,655,368,836 $2,672,198,836
Turkey
$5,357,000 $1,324,923,070 $1,319,566,070 $1,330,280,070
West Bank and Gaza
$630,557,000 $271,058,000 ($359,499,000) $901,615,000
Peru
$263,543,000 $445,825,971 $182,282,971 $709,368,971
Bolivia
$281,470,000 $320,682,000 $39,212,000 $602,152,000
Ecuador
$110,103,000 $251,367,795 $141,264,795 $361,470,795
Poland
$33,242,000 $301,136,119 $267,894,119 $334,378,119
Iraq
$37,945,000 $283,986,478 $246,041,478 $321,931,478
Haiti
$176,368,000 $87,296,000 ($89,072,000) $263,664,000
Indonesia
$78,126,000 $184,930,913 $106,804,913 $263,056,913
Philippines
$14,642,000 $245,636,802 $230,994,802 $260,278,802
Mexico
$89,957,000 $162,080,493 $72,123,493 $252,037,493
Lebanon
$66,417,000 $110,109,000 $43,692,000 $176,526,000
Timor-Leste
$84,791,000 $89,339,000 $4,548,000 $174,130,000
Bahrain
$693,000 $144,593,000 $143,900,000 $145,286,000
http://polishdeportedfromus.blogspot.com/ my blog
Support Our Allies - They Support Us?
"...For Your Freedom and Ours..."
Gen. T. Kosciuszko (Poland and America's Patriot)
- Poland sent combat troops to Iraq, Afghanistan , Kosovo, Panama, Haiti, Polish Army's Peacekeepers in Golan Heights, Americans during the war.
- Polish troops are responsible for security in 1 of the 4 zones in Iraq
- 20,000 soldiers from 17 countries served under Polish command
Poland sent its elite commando unit, GROM, which means thunder. It helped secure the port at Umm Qasr, which was vital to delivering aid to Iraq. The unit also secured nearby oil platforms before they could be sabotaged.
In the first Gulf War, Polish intelligence officers snuck into Iraq to rescue a group of CIA operatives trapped behind enemy lines.
Poland's secret agents disguised CIA agents as Polish construction workers and smuggled them out of Baghdad.
This was not the first time Polish soldiers risked their lives for our freedom. Generals Casimir Pulaski and Tadeusz Kosciuszko were two of the first foreigners to fight in the American Revolution. Kosciuszko designed and oversaw the construction of West Point. After that, he returned to Poland, where he led a democratic uprising. As a result of that fight, Poland had the first written democratic constitution in Europe, second in the world only to the U.S.
USA DEPORTED POLISH WOMAN IN US SINCE 1989 PERFECT CITIZEN FORMER SOLIDARITY, PERFECT MOTHER, NO CRIMES
I have to bring to your attention. What kind of:
How autocratic our Homeland Security in US is.
Ciekawy wiadomosc prasowa:
Israel to Get $90bn US Defense Aid
Joe Biden all together we can overcome the problems
Joe Biden all together we can overcome the problems
General Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama! pt.1
Barack Obama: Colin Powell and Unity in America
all the support from the Polish American
Alex Lech Bajan
Polish American
CEO
RAQport Inc.
2004 North Monroe Street
Arlington Virginia 22207
Washington DC Area
USA
TEL: 703-528-0114
TEL2: 703-652-0993
FAX: 703-940-8300
sms: 703-485-6619
EMAIL: polonia@raqport.com
WEB SITE: http://raqport.com
General Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama! pt.1
Barack Obama: Colin Powell and Unity in America
all the support from the Polish American
Alex Lech Bajan
Polish American
CEO
RAQport Inc.
2004 North Monroe Street
Arlington Virginia 22207
Washington DC Area
USA
TEL: 703-528-0114
TEL2: 703-652-0993
FAX: 703-940-8300
sms: 703-485-6619
EMAIL: polonia@raqport.com
WEB SITE: http://raqport.com
The Truth About The Economy: Total Collapse Ron Paul from Washington DC
The Truth About The Economy: Total Collapse Ron Paul from Washington DC
Hollywood, don't Mess with Persian history!
Hollywood, don't Mess with Persian history!
Part 2 -Hollywood, don't Mess with Persian history!
Part 2 -Hollywood, don't Mess with Persian history!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Dr.Nouriel Roubini, Professor of Economics, NYU .... No Quick Fix: Roubini Forecasts Worsening Economy
Dr.Nouriel Roubini, Professor of Economics, NYU .... No Quick Fix: Roubini Forecasts Worsening Economy
Nouriel Roubini - "a 12 to 18 month recession" (1 of 3)
Nouriel Roubini - "a 12 to 18 month recession" (2 of 3)
2 Afshin Rattansi talks to Noam Chomsky & Max Keiser 10.10.08
Rattansi talks to Noam Chomsky Part 1
part1
part2
Nouriel Roubini - "a 12 to 18 month recession" (1 of 3)
Nouriel Roubini - "a 12 to 18 month recession" (2 of 3)
2 Afshin Rattansi talks to Noam Chomsky & Max Keiser 10.10.08
Rattansi talks to Noam Chomsky Part 1
part1
part2
Friday, October 10, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
GUESS WHO CAME TO AMERICA EVEN BEFORE THE PILGRIMS DIDDespite the Statue of Liberty’s appeal to “give me your tired and yourpoor,” those who trace the
GUESS WHO CAME TO AMERICA EVEN BEFORE THE PILGRIMS DIDDespite the Statue of Liberty’s appeal to “give me your tired and yourpoor,” those who trace their American roots to New York’s Ellis Islandmight tell you these noble words of welcome were not always the fact.The new arrivals of a century ago were often given special names. The nameswere invented by those who claimed “we were here first” or, at least, that“we got here before you did.”Or, so they thought.The vocabulary of that era was often peppered with derogatory epithets like“kike,” “dago,” “honky” or “Polack,” among others. Today, our assumedcivility and political correctness compel us to refrain from such expletivesand refer to them as the “K,” “ D,” “ H” or “P” words.It’s no wonder organizations like the Jewish community’s Anti-DefamationLeague and, more recently, the Anti-Bigotry Committee of the Polish AmericanCongress became a necessity.Now comes the surprise. The name-callers who thought “we got here beforeyou did” most likely did not. In reality, those who were called these nastynames probably got here ahead of the name-callers. At least as far as thePolish Americans were concerned.When we sit down for our family dinner on Thanksgiving Day, how can we notreflect on the days of early America and the time England’s Pilgrims landedon Plymouth Rock in 1620.History clearly records them as one of America’s “firsts.”But another Englishman named John Smith came to America’s shores even beforethe Pilgrims did when he landed at Jamestown in 1607 to start the VirginiaSettlement.Now here’s what the name-callers who gave the Ellis Island immigrants such ahard time never learned in school.In 1608, when Captain Smith needed skilled craftsmen to help develop the newVirginia Colony, he invited a group of Polish artisans to come to Jamestownand bring their technical skills with them. The first factory in Americawas the glassworks the Polish settlers established at Jamestown.Their contribution to the growth of Virginia became an essential element ofits success. Despite the recognition they earned for their vital input tothe colony’s prosperity, they were refused the right to vote when electionswere to take place.What was the reason for the denial? It was because they were Polish.The Englishmen felt only the English should have a say in Virginia’sgovernment.So how did the Poles react? They simply stopped working. The economicpressure of their stoppage was effective and they were finally permitted tovote.The Poles not only made their point but they also established a precedent.They had succeeded in organizing the first labor and civil rights strikes onthe shores of the New World.To pay tribute to the historic achievements of Jamestown’s Polish workers,the Anti-Bigotry Committee, along with the rest of the Polish AmericanCongress and other major Polish American organizations, held specialcommemorative ceremonies at Jamestown on October 1st, exactly 400 years tothe day the Poles arrived in 1608.When you sit down for your Thanksgiving turkey next month, just remember thePoles got to America even before the Pilgrims did.It’s entirely possible, therefore, the first Thanksgiving Day may haveactually been celebrated in Virginia rather than in Massachusetts. Somepeople in Virginia say it was. However, nobody could say if turkey was themain dish that day.The Polish settlers came to Jamestown nearly two centuries before theAmerican Revolution and the formation of the United States out of theoriginal thirteen colonies. The story of Jamestown is a basic and integralpart of American history.And now, as the noted radio commentator Paul Harvey would say, “now you knowthe rest of the story.”Contact: Frank MilewskiAlex Lech BajanDirector of the Polish American CongressContact: Frank Milewski(718) 263-2700 – Ext. 105__________________Polish American Congress1612 K Street, N.W. Suite 410Washington, D.C. 20006Tel: (202) 296-6955Fax: (202) 835-1565Web: www.polamcon.orghttp://www.poloniaxxi.com/CEORAQport Inc.2004 North Monroe StreetArlington Virginia 22207Washington DC AreaUSATEL: 703-528-0114TEL2: 703-652-0993FAX: 703-940-8300sms: 703-485-6619EMAIL: polonia@raqport.comWEB SITE: http://raqport.comReplacement for the SUN COBALT RAQ LINENew Centos BlueQuartz with GUIsupply and global tech support
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Ustawa reprywatyzacyjna a roszczenia Niemiec ...
Ustawa reprywatyzacyjna a roszczenia Niemiec ...
sen. Dorota Arciszewska-Mielewczyk - prezes Powiernictwa Polskiego, zastępca przewodniczącego senackiej Komisji Spraw Zagranicznych
sen. Dorota Arciszewska-Mielewczyk - prezes Powiernictwa Polskiego, zastępca przewodniczącego senackiej Komisji Spraw Zagranicznych
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Lichwiarski kapitalizm powodem obecnego kryzysu
Lichwiarski kapitalizm powodem obecnego kryzysu
Iwo Cyprian Pogonowski
WWW.pogonowski.com
Lichwiarski kapitalizm nazywany „super kapitalizmem" przez Roberta Reicha, byłego ministra pracy w rządzie prezydenta Clinton'a, jest opisany w książce Reich'a pod tytułem „Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life," której treścią jest tryumf lichwiarskiego kapitalizmu w USA kosztem demokracji i obywateli.
Między rokiem 1945 i 1975 lichwiarski kapitalizm powoli penetrował rozkwitającą amerykańską gospodarkę oraz życie polityczne USA. Rozkwit gospodarczy USA miał miejsce dzięki Drugiej Wojnie Światowej, która nastąpiła po zapaści ekonomicznej w 1929 roku. W 1937 roku prezydent F. D. Roosevelt, nie widział innego wyjścia z zapaści, jak za pomocą wojny światowej.
Faktycznie Druga Wojna Światowa pozwoliła wykorzystać największy na świecie przemysł stalowy w USA, jak też bezpieczne położenie geograficzne Ameryki między dwoma oceanami.
Po wojnie USA osiągnęło najwyższy w swojej historii poziom „sprawiedliwości społecznej" w formie dobrze płatnych mas robotników, którym nie groziło bezrobocie, dzięki czemu szerzyło się zaufanie do rządu i systemu wyborczego w Stanach Zjednoczonych. Wówczas na cały świat promieniował autorytet moralny USA, jako kontrast wobec jarzma sowieckiego, narzucanego przez aparat terroru, stworzony w tradycji tysiącletniego terroru rabinów. Terror rabinów trwał do połowy 19go wieku i odrodził się w czasie narzucania władzy bolszewickiej w Rosji. Życie w sowieckim „imperium zła" stanowiło wielki kontrast z wolnością osobistą i dobrobytem klasy średniej w USA. W rzeczywistości spokojne życie Amerykanów było nudne, monotonne i konformistyczne.
Gospodarka USA opierała się na masowej produkcji przemysłowej, której rynkiem zbytu podstawowo była wielka liczebnie amerykańska klasa średnia. Zyski z produkcji masowej były dzielone między wielkimi korporacjami i ich dostawcami, oraz handlem detalicznym i płacą mas robotniczych.
Wówczas Waszyngton popierał związki robotnicze, które były w stanie domagać się udziału w zyskach, w formie rosnących zarobków robotników. Około jedna trzecia wszystkich robotników w USA należała do związków. Dzięki regulacji transportu kolejowego, telefonów, kosztu prądu elektrycznego oraz subsydiowaniu kosztów infrastruktury, jak i operacji kas oszczędnościowo-kredytowych, obywatele byli w dużym stopniu chronieni przed potęgą korporacji i banków.
Bieda szerzyła się głównie w zapadłych wsiach i gettach murzyńskich.
Polityka zagraniczna USA tworzona była jakoby pod zagrożeniem przez Sowiety, które to zagrożenie uzasadniało rozkwit przemysłu zbrojeniowego jak i zdobywanie tanich surowców, włącznie z ropą naftową i żywności, taką jak banany z „republik bananowych" Ameryki Centralnej i Południowej. Republiki te w rzeczywistości były podporządkowane Waszyngtonowi dla dobra wielkich korporacji.
Korporacje, z końcem 19go wieku, stanowiły coraz większą przeszkodę w stosowaniu rządów reprezentatywnych w USA. Korporacje były źródłem dobrobytu za cenę wyzysku robotników i pracy nieletnich, niebezpiecznych warunków w coraz bardziej monopolistycznym przemyśle. Potęga ekonomiczna wielkich korporacji rosła kosztem osłabiania rządu reprezentatywnego w USA.
Powstały wielkie fortuny „robber baronów" czyli „baronów złodzieji" kosztem podatników za pomocą tworzenia monopoli takich jak Standard Oil Co. obecnie Exxon Mobil, równolegle do monopolów transportu kolejowego i kopalń węgla, miedzi, jak i przemysłu samochodowego H. Forda. Był to okres wielkich innowacji i rozwoju masowej produkcji nadającej się do eksportu na cały świat i rosnącej w miarę jak rosła wydajność pracy robotników.
Społeczne konsekwencje rewolucji ekonomicznej w formie depresji i bezrobocia, wynikały ze zbyt wielkiej produkcji w stosunku do popytu. Wówczas socjaliści w USA i w Europie twierdzili, że nadchodzi upadek kapitalizmu. Zmieniono podstawę systemu monetarnego ze złota na bardziej dostępne srebro, żeby zmniejszyć rosnące zadłużenie. Wysokie cła po obydwu stronach Atlantyku miały służyć do obrony przed obcymi producentami. Mówiono o niemieckiej i amerykańskiej „inwazji ekonomicznej."
W 1870 roku mniej niż osiem procent dorosłych Amerykanów pracowało w przemyśle. Liczba to wzrosła do jednej trzeciej w 1920 roku i wówczas połowa ludności USA mieszkała w miastach. Ludność Nowego Jorku wzrosła czterokrotnie, podczas gdy ludność Chicago wzrosła w tym okresie dziesięciokrotnie. Działo się to w miarę jak rosła ilość imigrantów. Doszło do tego, że w 1908 roku 60% pracowników przemysłowych USA urodziło się poza granicami tego państwa.
Imperializm towarzyszył ubieganiu się o rynki zagraniczne, a ekspansja terytorialna i podboje kolonialne były uważane za wynik ekspansji ekonomicznej USA, W. Brytanii i Niemiec. Niemieccy przywódcy zaczęli marzyć o „imperium od Renu do Władywostoku," za pomocą skolonizowania Rosji tak, jak W. Brytania skolonizowała Indie. Koncept ten był głównym powodem, dla którego Niemcy rozpoczęli działania wojenne obydwu wojen światowych.
Krytycy kolonializmu nawoływali, żeby wzbogacać wystarczająco własnych obywateli tak, żeby oni mogli wykupywać wszystkie produkty swego kraju i wówczas nie byłoby okresów bezrobocia i wojen. Stało się inaczej. Wydajność pracy rosła wraz z wyzyskiem robotników i powstawaniem wielkich fabryk i przedsiębiorstw komunikacyjnych i energetycznych, które dominowały gospodarką USA i całego świata.
„Złoty wiek" rozwoju USA polegał, według Reich'a, na regulacji przez państwo życia ekonomicznego oraz przestrzegania kontraktu społecznego opartego o równowagę siły kupna, praw robotników i właściwe planowanie rozwoju ekonomii. Powstanie kapitalizmu lichwiarskiego wytrąciło ten układ z równowagi. Nawet fundusze emerytalne musiały być inwestowana na wysoki procent. Eksport robocizny z USA do Chin dał możność tworzenia fortun miliarderów, w czasie kiedy zwalniani z produkcji przemysłowej robotnicy zarabiali o połowę mniej w usługach, ale mimo tego mogli kupować tanie towary z Chin.
Powstała sytuacja, w której wynajęci dyrektorzy mogą sami sobie wyznaczać kolosalne pensje i premie w dziesiątkach milionów dolarów bez względu na „stan zdrowia" ich korporacji. Lichwiarski kapitalizm nie podlega żadnej odpowiedzialności społecznej i im bardziej korporacje bankowe stosują coraz bardziej ostrą lichwę, mają one przewagę w konkurencji z innymi w zdobywaniu zysków i wpływów politycznych. Brak regulacji i nadzoru państwowego spowodował obecny kryzys kredytowy na giełdach USA i reszty świata. Polityka wysokich zysków wytrąciła gospodarkę USA z równowagi między siłami gospodarczymi i polityką. Lichwiarski kapitalizm doprowadził do obecnego kryzysu.
Iwo Cyprian Pogonowski
WWW.pogonowski.com
Lichwiarski kapitalizm nazywany „super kapitalizmem" przez Roberta Reicha, byłego ministra pracy w rządzie prezydenta Clinton'a, jest opisany w książce Reich'a pod tytułem „Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life," której treścią jest tryumf lichwiarskiego kapitalizmu w USA kosztem demokracji i obywateli.
Między rokiem 1945 i 1975 lichwiarski kapitalizm powoli penetrował rozkwitającą amerykańską gospodarkę oraz życie polityczne USA. Rozkwit gospodarczy USA miał miejsce dzięki Drugiej Wojnie Światowej, która nastąpiła po zapaści ekonomicznej w 1929 roku. W 1937 roku prezydent F. D. Roosevelt, nie widział innego wyjścia z zapaści, jak za pomocą wojny światowej.
Faktycznie Druga Wojna Światowa pozwoliła wykorzystać największy na świecie przemysł stalowy w USA, jak też bezpieczne położenie geograficzne Ameryki między dwoma oceanami.
Po wojnie USA osiągnęło najwyższy w swojej historii poziom „sprawiedliwości społecznej" w formie dobrze płatnych mas robotników, którym nie groziło bezrobocie, dzięki czemu szerzyło się zaufanie do rządu i systemu wyborczego w Stanach Zjednoczonych. Wówczas na cały świat promieniował autorytet moralny USA, jako kontrast wobec jarzma sowieckiego, narzucanego przez aparat terroru, stworzony w tradycji tysiącletniego terroru rabinów. Terror rabinów trwał do połowy 19go wieku i odrodził się w czasie narzucania władzy bolszewickiej w Rosji. Życie w sowieckim „imperium zła" stanowiło wielki kontrast z wolnością osobistą i dobrobytem klasy średniej w USA. W rzeczywistości spokojne życie Amerykanów było nudne, monotonne i konformistyczne.
Gospodarka USA opierała się na masowej produkcji przemysłowej, której rynkiem zbytu podstawowo była wielka liczebnie amerykańska klasa średnia. Zyski z produkcji masowej były dzielone między wielkimi korporacjami i ich dostawcami, oraz handlem detalicznym i płacą mas robotniczych.
Wówczas Waszyngton popierał związki robotnicze, które były w stanie domagać się udziału w zyskach, w formie rosnących zarobków robotników. Około jedna trzecia wszystkich robotników w USA należała do związków. Dzięki regulacji transportu kolejowego, telefonów, kosztu prądu elektrycznego oraz subsydiowaniu kosztów infrastruktury, jak i operacji kas oszczędnościowo-kredytowych, obywatele byli w dużym stopniu chronieni przed potęgą korporacji i banków.
Bieda szerzyła się głównie w zapadłych wsiach i gettach murzyńskich.
Polityka zagraniczna USA tworzona była jakoby pod zagrożeniem przez Sowiety, które to zagrożenie uzasadniało rozkwit przemysłu zbrojeniowego jak i zdobywanie tanich surowców, włącznie z ropą naftową i żywności, taką jak banany z „republik bananowych" Ameryki Centralnej i Południowej. Republiki te w rzeczywistości były podporządkowane Waszyngtonowi dla dobra wielkich korporacji.
Korporacje, z końcem 19go wieku, stanowiły coraz większą przeszkodę w stosowaniu rządów reprezentatywnych w USA. Korporacje były źródłem dobrobytu za cenę wyzysku robotników i pracy nieletnich, niebezpiecznych warunków w coraz bardziej monopolistycznym przemyśle. Potęga ekonomiczna wielkich korporacji rosła kosztem osłabiania rządu reprezentatywnego w USA.
Powstały wielkie fortuny „robber baronów" czyli „baronów złodzieji" kosztem podatników za pomocą tworzenia monopoli takich jak Standard Oil Co. obecnie Exxon Mobil, równolegle do monopolów transportu kolejowego i kopalń węgla, miedzi, jak i przemysłu samochodowego H. Forda. Był to okres wielkich innowacji i rozwoju masowej produkcji nadającej się do eksportu na cały świat i rosnącej w miarę jak rosła wydajność pracy robotników.
Społeczne konsekwencje rewolucji ekonomicznej w formie depresji i bezrobocia, wynikały ze zbyt wielkiej produkcji w stosunku do popytu. Wówczas socjaliści w USA i w Europie twierdzili, że nadchodzi upadek kapitalizmu. Zmieniono podstawę systemu monetarnego ze złota na bardziej dostępne srebro, żeby zmniejszyć rosnące zadłużenie. Wysokie cła po obydwu stronach Atlantyku miały służyć do obrony przed obcymi producentami. Mówiono o niemieckiej i amerykańskiej „inwazji ekonomicznej."
W 1870 roku mniej niż osiem procent dorosłych Amerykanów pracowało w przemyśle. Liczba to wzrosła do jednej trzeciej w 1920 roku i wówczas połowa ludności USA mieszkała w miastach. Ludność Nowego Jorku wzrosła czterokrotnie, podczas gdy ludność Chicago wzrosła w tym okresie dziesięciokrotnie. Działo się to w miarę jak rosła ilość imigrantów. Doszło do tego, że w 1908 roku 60% pracowników przemysłowych USA urodziło się poza granicami tego państwa.
Imperializm towarzyszył ubieganiu się o rynki zagraniczne, a ekspansja terytorialna i podboje kolonialne były uważane za wynik ekspansji ekonomicznej USA, W. Brytanii i Niemiec. Niemieccy przywódcy zaczęli marzyć o „imperium od Renu do Władywostoku," za pomocą skolonizowania Rosji tak, jak W. Brytania skolonizowała Indie. Koncept ten był głównym powodem, dla którego Niemcy rozpoczęli działania wojenne obydwu wojen światowych.
Krytycy kolonializmu nawoływali, żeby wzbogacać wystarczająco własnych obywateli tak, żeby oni mogli wykupywać wszystkie produkty swego kraju i wówczas nie byłoby okresów bezrobocia i wojen. Stało się inaczej. Wydajność pracy rosła wraz z wyzyskiem robotników i powstawaniem wielkich fabryk i przedsiębiorstw komunikacyjnych i energetycznych, które dominowały gospodarką USA i całego świata.
„Złoty wiek" rozwoju USA polegał, według Reich'a, na regulacji przez państwo życia ekonomicznego oraz przestrzegania kontraktu społecznego opartego o równowagę siły kupna, praw robotników i właściwe planowanie rozwoju ekonomii. Powstanie kapitalizmu lichwiarskiego wytrąciło ten układ z równowagi. Nawet fundusze emerytalne musiały być inwestowana na wysoki procent. Eksport robocizny z USA do Chin dał możność tworzenia fortun miliarderów, w czasie kiedy zwalniani z produkcji przemysłowej robotnicy zarabiali o połowę mniej w usługach, ale mimo tego mogli kupować tanie towary z Chin.
Powstała sytuacja, w której wynajęci dyrektorzy mogą sami sobie wyznaczać kolosalne pensje i premie w dziesiątkach milionów dolarów bez względu na „stan zdrowia" ich korporacji. Lichwiarski kapitalizm nie podlega żadnej odpowiedzialności społecznej i im bardziej korporacje bankowe stosują coraz bardziej ostrą lichwę, mają one przewagę w konkurencji z innymi w zdobywaniu zysków i wpływów politycznych. Brak regulacji i nadzoru państwowego spowodował obecny kryzys kredytowy na giełdach USA i reszty świata. Polityka wysokich zysków wytrąciła gospodarkę USA z równowagi między siłami gospodarczymi i polityką. Lichwiarski kapitalizm doprowadził do obecnego kryzysu.
Poland and US making the Argentinean mistake? Are there any similarities?
Poland and US making the Argentinean mistake? Are there any similarities?
It was a few years ago when corporate TV stations showed a terrible situation in Argentina – a country of a stormy past, but in a pretty good shape since the introduction of global economy. Crowds of people protesting in the streets, soldiers shooting at them. Smoke, squibs, fire and unemployment surpassing 22 per cent. In 2001 Argentina was on the bottom of an abyss, from which – according to Western economists – there was no escape. Globalists, industrialists and bankers were massively leaving the country taking away with them whatever still could be taken. The media were ordered to forget about that country and its sheer existence.
In December 2001 Argentina fund herself in an economical hole into which it was pushed by its elites and globalism. The banks stopped paying out the money. Nobody was able to control the economy of the country. President Carlos Menem, previously in power, an industrialist chosen for the post in 1989, had promised Argentineans beautiful women and Ferrari cars. But through the back door he would sell out the country’s assets to foreign hands for ridiculously low prices. He borrowed large sums of money from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. The citizens of Argentina, which thanks to the borrowed money was prospering like never before, cheered for their President and declared him a genius of the free market.
The idyll ended when they had to start paying back the borrowed money. In 2001 the gross domestic product went down as much as 11 per cent. However, the country did not receive any additional funds or any concrete pieces of advice from the IMF.
The history of Argentina is full of unsuccessful uprisings, sudden upheavals, protests and wars. It is also full of poverty of masses and unimaginable richness of a small group of the chosen ones. It is full of corruption, horrible torture and fascist prisons. But by the end of 1990s the whole world was left speechless. What was going on the streets of Argentina was a warning and a prophecy for the enthusiasts of global economy.
In private the journalists were wondering how it was possible to ruin a whole country in such a short time. How was it possible that no one noticed that and no one counter-reacted? Such questions were circulating in the Internet and in private conversations. But newspapers and TV bulletins were chasing for sensation and blubbering about fiscal irresponsibility on a large scale. Average Argentineans and the new president, De la Rua, were soon to be blamed for everything.
Argentina was alive and kicking, but corporate media did not want to let the public know about it. In 1999, when De la Rua was chosen President and the country had already been in recession for 3 years, conniving CNN would announce that Menem had not been re-elected because he could not enter for election for the third time, according to the constitution. However, he said that he would enter the election in 2003. Menem belonged to Peronists party, the biggest political power in Argentina. He was closely linked with the USA, globalism and free market.
The new President of Argentina had almost no move. Peronists were still in power and they attacked him from the very beginning. De la Rua asked his countrymen in his speeches: ‘Please, understand how important is unity. I want to be the President of all Argentineans.’
When economic crash came, International Monetary Fund was the first to wash their hands. Its experts claimed that Argentina spent too much Money although the country’s budget was much smaller than the budget of the USA during the Great Depression. When the economists ridiculed such an explanation, the lawyers of IMF began their attack. They claimed that Argentina had had such rights to distribute the loans to which the Fund had to adjust and which made normal economical functioning impossible. It means that the Fund wants us to believe that poor Argentina dictated them the conditions.
All that show was supervised by the elites of the USA. For the last 55 years, during the whole existence of the International Monetary Fund, the voice of the United States has been decisive. Other rich member countries could easily oppose the USA in voting and win, but by some strange coincidence they never did. When we take a closer look at IMF we will find out that in fact it is only a group of lenders ruled by the American Treasury. We should not be surprised then that the American government (and the obedient American and Western media after them) unanimously stated that Argentina must be submissive to the rules imposed on her by the IMF.
Economical analysis
Today we know already why Argentina’s economy collapsed, although the media do not want to say it. I am begging here for a special attention of the readers in Poland. In 1991 Menem based the country’s economy on a ‘higher’ currency which was the American dollar. A stable exchange rate of 1:1 between the dollar and the Argentinean peso was introduced. Menem hoped that the dollar would soon become the circulating currency in Argentina. It was quite a good idea at first, but soon it turned out that the value of the dollar was overrated. Automatically the value of the Argentinean peso was also overvalued. Let us pay attention how the euro is functioning in Poland.
At the moment when investors figured out that the value of the peso is overrated they started fearing that it would fall. That is why they began demanding higher and higher interest rates on everything. Also on private and government loans. It caused a huge debt. The interest rate was raised to 40 per cent.
To keep up the parity on the American currency, the Argentinian government had to have adequate amount of American dollars in the banks. The more the crisis developed the more American dollars the government had to buy for a significantly overrated price. More and more people demanded transactions in cash. This process pushed Argentina into a debt of 140 billion of dollars. In December 2001 the Argentinian government announced to the world that they are not able to pay anything. Argentina became the pariah of nations.
To keep up the overrated value of the peso, International Monetary Fund gave Argentina huge loans. Only in one year to the country’s Treasury were sent 40 billion dollars as a package organised by many lending institutions. Only one basic requirement that was to guarantee that these loans would be paid off was to maintain zero budget deficit. Which meant that Argentina had to oscillate on 100 per cent of the budget. It is impossible during a recession to keep 100% of a budget, besides it takes some painful operations like serious cuts in the budget, which in turn cause high level of unemployment eventually leading to street fighting on a big scale.
How did that process look like from the point of view of an average, hard-working Argentinian? At the beginning of the 1990s Argentinians were encouraged to buy almost everything. Companies were privatized and incorporated into conglomerates. People were encouraged to build houses by giving them low-mortgage loans. People were asked to set up their own companies and those who were laid off were given compensation packages. Luxury cars were shown to the middle class and sold for very low down-payments for high-percentage loans and long-term payments. The media shouted out that the situation is so good, that everybody would be able to afford to pay off the loans on cars or houses. ‘You can have everything now – you will pay off later!’. The Argentinians – like Poles today – enjoyed the prosperity not knowing that a trap had been set up for them. After 40 years of poverty and wars they could at last have in their gardens or garages what so far they had seen in American films.
With the Western capital came the people whose task was to watch its flow. They taught Argentinians what the free market and global economy is about. Soon they had such huge influence on Argentina’s administrating structure that the country, practically speaking, lost its independence.
In the situation when the American dollar was bought with the peso at the rate of 1:1, everything that was produced in Argentina (as well as services) was too expensive to be exported. The whole country – just like Poland and other countries – was literally choked to death. Import of goods was much cheaper than their production. In that way almost 10% of gross domestic product was destroyed.
Mass privatizations at the beginning of the 1990s of almost all national assets for a fraction of its market value had already caused unemployment on a big scale. Mainly electricity, municipal and telecommunication companies were privatized. Globalists know very well how to do it. You start privatizing from the chosen key sectors. After that, other co-operating sectors become incompatible. Then there is no way out but to privatize all other sectors in the structure upwards. When the spiral of privatization went up, the spiral of dismissions from work went down. At the bottom there was a bigger and bigger number of unemployed people ending up with no means of living.
On the scale of the country, the spiral movement up was balanced by the movement down. Finally more and more people stopped doing their shopping and the money stopped circulating. So did the taxes. Poor Argentinians did not pay taxes because they had nothing – instead, they started buying rifles. When the money stopped circulating, now privatised companies laid off more and more people to keep up the economy of their firms. Those three inter-related crisises (taxes, unemployment, overrated value of the currency) get the Argentinian government to beg IMF for help or advice. International Monetary Fund, after long negotiations, made their decision. ‘Argentina is too much in debt. We can’t help. Let us leave that country in the state of free falling into an abyss.’ Also, during many military councils the decision was made how to cut off Argentina from the outside world if the expected rebellion of armed Argentinians was to spread across the borders.
This decision by IMF get the Argentinians (who foresaw the fall of the value of the peso) to rush to the banks to pay out their savings. The banks were closed, the salaries in many sectors of the country’s economy were held up. In desperation, the President declared that Argentina stopped paying off her debts. The press foretold that in the country there would be hair-raising scenes and after that they lost their interest in the matter.
The Argentinian miracle
It seemed that there was no retreat for Argentina. The rats began to leave the sinking ship. President Menem left for Chile. The businessmen and their international advisors were leaving for their countries. Even small investors, whose parents had come to Argentina in search for a better life, frantically tried to get entry visas to their mother countries. Whole factories with full machinery equipment were left behind – it was not profitable to produce there anything any more. The workers were laid off with nothing. Beautiful residences with swimming-pools were left abandoned, as well as whole office blocks lined out with marble. Those who had led to that crisis were moving like locust on other fields which could still be eaten up.
’Time’ magazine was wondering: ‘What can President De la Rua do now? This is a million-dollar question. Whether alone or in a coalition, he immediately needs a plan to ease the crisis. He has to help his countrymen to fill their stomachs and, maybe, to revive economical growth. The problem is that – to ease the results of the crisis concerning poor people – the government has to spend millions of dollars on food and basic needs. And this will cause a further escalation of the financial crisis. Something must happen…’
And it did happen! The Argentinians trusted their President who broke the negotiations with international financiers. The army, police and ordinary people lined up in support. They claimed that Argentina belonged to Argentinians, not to international financial mafia. The Argentinian government, left alone, made a decision which get the White House and international bankers furious. Against their recommendation, the exchange rate of the peso was freed. Minister of Economy, Roberto Lavagna, stated: ‘Having competitive prices of currency exchange will help our export and enable fulfillment of the country’s needs.’ They also decided to end the free market policy to which the country’s economy was a prisoner. An economical co-operation with Brazil and China was established. Some capital started to flow to the country. The central bank began to buy the dollar again, but only as much as necessary to keep up the economic growth.
When Argentina announced that after 3 years from the moment of separation from degenerated ideas of globalists she was able to pay 30 cents for every dollar of her debt and keep up her unprecedented economical growth, at first nobody believed her. Then the media were strictly forbidden to inform about it. We should not be surprised as it is a palpable proof how quickly an economy of a given country and life of its citizens can improve when they forget about globalist absurdities.
In December 2004 the British ‘Guardian’ wrote: Three years ago, in December, Argentina was in crisis. The economy was rolling down uncontrolled into an abyss, banks closed their door to the investors, company presidents changed every week. Today the common opinion among the economists in Buenos Aires are that the country has left the worst behind. Yes, Argentina is still fighting with a complicated process of reconstruction of her debt, but the economy has undergone incredible changes.’
Like Phoenix, the economy has risen from the ashes. After an 11-per-cent fall in 2002, in 2003 the domestic product rose almost 9% and it will rise another 8% this year*. The government carefully announces that GDP will rise 4% in 2005, but most experts in economy believe that in fact the growth will be 5%.
The assumptions of ‘free market’ were bad for jobs and employment. In 2002 the unemployment reached its peak with 22%. Now it is 12%.
Whether you are faithful believers or not, some commentators say about the rise of Argentina as of a miracle which Rodrigo Rato, the director of IMF, could not cause. The hand of God turned out to be more powerful than the hand of International Monetary Fund. Now nobody is cheating any more.
Another thing which is hidden by the media was the fact of absolute unification of the working class with the management class. When the factory owners closed their firms and fled to other countries, their workers and directors occupied nearby cafes and park benches. When they were sitting idly on the streets, they were discussing how to improve their life and situation of their country, doomed to fail. The employees of such abandoned factories as Zanon looked at the gates melancholically. They spent most of their lives in those factories. Finally they made up their minds. They entered the grounds of their empty and devastated factories, started the machines and began production out of the materials which were still in the warehouses.
The authorities and the army looked at that almost communist-like behaviour of the people in a friendly manner. Soon department managers, office clerks and economic directors joined the turners, polishers and warehouse men. In the record-breaking time sales and export were initiated. There were no fixed hours of work. The decisions concerning their factories were taken by the people during short production meetings.
It turned out that the production is profitable and needed. What had not been profitable for globalists started to be such for common people without the help from banks and financial cartels. Soon production and sales reached their record levels in some factories. The people shared the profit with one another. They had never earned such sums of money before. So, they started to spend them. Thus building industry and other branches of industry got moving.
All that happened so quickly that America did not even have enough time to declare Argentina a communist country. The Movement of Unemployed Workers (MTD) was established. Soon this organisation had the power to influence politics. And that was yet another mystery of the Argentinian miracle.
The rats come back
The situation of Argentina began to improve. Globalists and factory owners began to come back and demand a return of their factories taken over by the people. Those who had left the country on the verge of a civil war 3 years before, now have some claims quoting international laws. Does that remind the Poles of something?
MTD, which was created almost literally on the streets, is strong. The organization is threatening with mass demonstrations. The ceramics factory, Zanon, the first one to be taken over by its workers and revived to the state of a profitable works, has become a symbol of the new and better, like Gdansk Shipyard used to be for Poles. MTD is considered by CIA and other similar organizations as a group which managed to create the most modern strategies and solutions how to unite and defend people from capitalism.
The returning rats from international financial circles are fighting back. Because Argentina constitutes a serious threat to the whole global economy, we should assume that if the USA wasn’t involved in Iraq now, the American soldiers would be defending their oil under the Argentinian grass in the name of democracy, or would be defending the freedom of their country there.
Kirchner, new President of Argentina, demands the extradition of the ex-president Carlos Menem, who is in Chile. Menem is wanted by the Argentinian authorities for corruption and bringing the country to ruin. He planned to enter for the presidential election in 2007 and used to promise the factory owners to return their property. Of course, that is why he enjoys the support from international financiers and can afford to laugh at the orders and decisions of Argentinian courts of law.
In January 2005 international bankers agreed to the proposal from the Argentinian government to be paid 25 cents for every dollar of the debt. An unseen thing happened – Argentina declared a war to IMF and several other globalist organizations and won. Argentina, protected by her own army, not only blackmailed the globalists, but also refused any negotiations with 700,000 holders of the state bonds. Argentina has an open way to be accepted back to the community of international societies from which she had been thrown away before. And she did it on her own conditions, as a full member, making decisions on her own.
Many bankers and international investors accuse Argentina of totalitarism and cheating investors and lenders. It caused quarrels among big financiers, Italian and American among others, who claim that if it was not for 9/11, they would be talking to Argentinians in a different manner.
Three months later IMF again began demanding a full payment of the debts. But Argentina was already strong enough being in economic co-operation with Brazil and China to show the bankers from Wall Street ‘the middle finger of her right hand’. Argentina started to prove to the world that about half of the creditors had already made a considerable profit on the Argentinian debts and that it was not fair that they should demand any more. This opinion was exposed by Chinese and Indian media. By the way, Argentina showed in black and white how some people tried to bring the country to bankruptcy and what it meant in practice.
The British ‘Guardian’ writes: ‘Three things worked for the benefit of Argentina. First, Kirchner’s card was strong thanks to the strong economy. Secondly, the truth about IMF was being revealed, that is why they wanted a quick settlement. Thirdly, Wall Street left Argentina just before the crisis and the negotiations were led by European banks. So the American Treasury was not pressed to play hard with Argentina. Also, they did not want Kirchner to make friends with a strong populist, President of Brazil, Lula.
Now many indebted countries may follow Argentina’s footsteps – and show the globalists their behind. Including Poland. And that is what the financial circles fear most. A precedence was created. A relatively non-significant country, held up against the wall, defied the wide-spread slogans of democracy, law and free market. And she won – at least so far. There has emerged a big chance for other countries. Now, when the American army is involved in Iraq, they can get rid of the yoke. You only need to want it and go for it. Just like the citizens of Argentina did, regardless of their social function, possessions and education.
Alex Lech Bajan
Polish American
CEO
RAQport Inc.
2004 North Monroe Street
Arlington Virginia 22207
Washington DC Area
USA
TEL: 703-528-0114
TEL2: 703-652-0993
FAX: 703-940-8300
EMAIL: alex@raqport.com
WEB SITE: http://raqport.com
It was a few years ago when corporate TV stations showed a terrible situation in Argentina – a country of a stormy past, but in a pretty good shape since the introduction of global economy. Crowds of people protesting in the streets, soldiers shooting at them. Smoke, squibs, fire and unemployment surpassing 22 per cent. In 2001 Argentina was on the bottom of an abyss, from which – according to Western economists – there was no escape. Globalists, industrialists and bankers were massively leaving the country taking away with them whatever still could be taken. The media were ordered to forget about that country and its sheer existence.
In December 2001 Argentina fund herself in an economical hole into which it was pushed by its elites and globalism. The banks stopped paying out the money. Nobody was able to control the economy of the country. President Carlos Menem, previously in power, an industrialist chosen for the post in 1989, had promised Argentineans beautiful women and Ferrari cars. But through the back door he would sell out the country’s assets to foreign hands for ridiculously low prices. He borrowed large sums of money from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. The citizens of Argentina, which thanks to the borrowed money was prospering like never before, cheered for their President and declared him a genius of the free market.
The idyll ended when they had to start paying back the borrowed money. In 2001 the gross domestic product went down as much as 11 per cent. However, the country did not receive any additional funds or any concrete pieces of advice from the IMF.
The history of Argentina is full of unsuccessful uprisings, sudden upheavals, protests and wars. It is also full of poverty of masses and unimaginable richness of a small group of the chosen ones. It is full of corruption, horrible torture and fascist prisons. But by the end of 1990s the whole world was left speechless. What was going on the streets of Argentina was a warning and a prophecy for the enthusiasts of global economy.
In private the journalists were wondering how it was possible to ruin a whole country in such a short time. How was it possible that no one noticed that and no one counter-reacted? Such questions were circulating in the Internet and in private conversations. But newspapers and TV bulletins were chasing for sensation and blubbering about fiscal irresponsibility on a large scale. Average Argentineans and the new president, De la Rua, were soon to be blamed for everything.
Argentina was alive and kicking, but corporate media did not want to let the public know about it. In 1999, when De la Rua was chosen President and the country had already been in recession for 3 years, conniving CNN would announce that Menem had not been re-elected because he could not enter for election for the third time, according to the constitution. However, he said that he would enter the election in 2003. Menem belonged to Peronists party, the biggest political power in Argentina. He was closely linked with the USA, globalism and free market.
The new President of Argentina had almost no move. Peronists were still in power and they attacked him from the very beginning. De la Rua asked his countrymen in his speeches: ‘Please, understand how important is unity. I want to be the President of all Argentineans.’
When economic crash came, International Monetary Fund was the first to wash their hands. Its experts claimed that Argentina spent too much Money although the country’s budget was much smaller than the budget of the USA during the Great Depression. When the economists ridiculed such an explanation, the lawyers of IMF began their attack. They claimed that Argentina had had such rights to distribute the loans to which the Fund had to adjust and which made normal economical functioning impossible. It means that the Fund wants us to believe that poor Argentina dictated them the conditions.
All that show was supervised by the elites of the USA. For the last 55 years, during the whole existence of the International Monetary Fund, the voice of the United States has been decisive. Other rich member countries could easily oppose the USA in voting and win, but by some strange coincidence they never did. When we take a closer look at IMF we will find out that in fact it is only a group of lenders ruled by the American Treasury. We should not be surprised then that the American government (and the obedient American and Western media after them) unanimously stated that Argentina must be submissive to the rules imposed on her by the IMF.
Economical analysis
Today we know already why Argentina’s economy collapsed, although the media do not want to say it. I am begging here for a special attention of the readers in Poland. In 1991 Menem based the country’s economy on a ‘higher’ currency which was the American dollar. A stable exchange rate of 1:1 between the dollar and the Argentinean peso was introduced. Menem hoped that the dollar would soon become the circulating currency in Argentina. It was quite a good idea at first, but soon it turned out that the value of the dollar was overrated. Automatically the value of the Argentinean peso was also overvalued. Let us pay attention how the euro is functioning in Poland.
At the moment when investors figured out that the value of the peso is overrated they started fearing that it would fall. That is why they began demanding higher and higher interest rates on everything. Also on private and government loans. It caused a huge debt. The interest rate was raised to 40 per cent.
To keep up the parity on the American currency, the Argentinian government had to have adequate amount of American dollars in the banks. The more the crisis developed the more American dollars the government had to buy for a significantly overrated price. More and more people demanded transactions in cash. This process pushed Argentina into a debt of 140 billion of dollars. In December 2001 the Argentinian government announced to the world that they are not able to pay anything. Argentina became the pariah of nations.
To keep up the overrated value of the peso, International Monetary Fund gave Argentina huge loans. Only in one year to the country’s Treasury were sent 40 billion dollars as a package organised by many lending institutions. Only one basic requirement that was to guarantee that these loans would be paid off was to maintain zero budget deficit. Which meant that Argentina had to oscillate on 100 per cent of the budget. It is impossible during a recession to keep 100% of a budget, besides it takes some painful operations like serious cuts in the budget, which in turn cause high level of unemployment eventually leading to street fighting on a big scale.
How did that process look like from the point of view of an average, hard-working Argentinian? At the beginning of the 1990s Argentinians were encouraged to buy almost everything. Companies were privatized and incorporated into conglomerates. People were encouraged to build houses by giving them low-mortgage loans. People were asked to set up their own companies and those who were laid off were given compensation packages. Luxury cars were shown to the middle class and sold for very low down-payments for high-percentage loans and long-term payments. The media shouted out that the situation is so good, that everybody would be able to afford to pay off the loans on cars or houses. ‘You can have everything now – you will pay off later!’. The Argentinians – like Poles today – enjoyed the prosperity not knowing that a trap had been set up for them. After 40 years of poverty and wars they could at last have in their gardens or garages what so far they had seen in American films.
With the Western capital came the people whose task was to watch its flow. They taught Argentinians what the free market and global economy is about. Soon they had such huge influence on Argentina’s administrating structure that the country, practically speaking, lost its independence.
In the situation when the American dollar was bought with the peso at the rate of 1:1, everything that was produced in Argentina (as well as services) was too expensive to be exported. The whole country – just like Poland and other countries – was literally choked to death. Import of goods was much cheaper than their production. In that way almost 10% of gross domestic product was destroyed.
Mass privatizations at the beginning of the 1990s of almost all national assets for a fraction of its market value had already caused unemployment on a big scale. Mainly electricity, municipal and telecommunication companies were privatized. Globalists know very well how to do it. You start privatizing from the chosen key sectors. After that, other co-operating sectors become incompatible. Then there is no way out but to privatize all other sectors in the structure upwards. When the spiral of privatization went up, the spiral of dismissions from work went down. At the bottom there was a bigger and bigger number of unemployed people ending up with no means of living.
On the scale of the country, the spiral movement up was balanced by the movement down. Finally more and more people stopped doing their shopping and the money stopped circulating. So did the taxes. Poor Argentinians did not pay taxes because they had nothing – instead, they started buying rifles. When the money stopped circulating, now privatised companies laid off more and more people to keep up the economy of their firms. Those three inter-related crisises (taxes, unemployment, overrated value of the currency) get the Argentinian government to beg IMF for help or advice. International Monetary Fund, after long negotiations, made their decision. ‘Argentina is too much in debt. We can’t help. Let us leave that country in the state of free falling into an abyss.’ Also, during many military councils the decision was made how to cut off Argentina from the outside world if the expected rebellion of armed Argentinians was to spread across the borders.
This decision by IMF get the Argentinians (who foresaw the fall of the value of the peso) to rush to the banks to pay out their savings. The banks were closed, the salaries in many sectors of the country’s economy were held up. In desperation, the President declared that Argentina stopped paying off her debts. The press foretold that in the country there would be hair-raising scenes and after that they lost their interest in the matter.
The Argentinian miracle
It seemed that there was no retreat for Argentina. The rats began to leave the sinking ship. President Menem left for Chile. The businessmen and their international advisors were leaving for their countries. Even small investors, whose parents had come to Argentina in search for a better life, frantically tried to get entry visas to their mother countries. Whole factories with full machinery equipment were left behind – it was not profitable to produce there anything any more. The workers were laid off with nothing. Beautiful residences with swimming-pools were left abandoned, as well as whole office blocks lined out with marble. Those who had led to that crisis were moving like locust on other fields which could still be eaten up.
’Time’ magazine was wondering: ‘What can President De la Rua do now? This is a million-dollar question. Whether alone or in a coalition, he immediately needs a plan to ease the crisis. He has to help his countrymen to fill their stomachs and, maybe, to revive economical growth. The problem is that – to ease the results of the crisis concerning poor people – the government has to spend millions of dollars on food and basic needs. And this will cause a further escalation of the financial crisis. Something must happen…’
And it did happen! The Argentinians trusted their President who broke the negotiations with international financiers. The army, police and ordinary people lined up in support. They claimed that Argentina belonged to Argentinians, not to international financial mafia. The Argentinian government, left alone, made a decision which get the White House and international bankers furious. Against their recommendation, the exchange rate of the peso was freed. Minister of Economy, Roberto Lavagna, stated: ‘Having competitive prices of currency exchange will help our export and enable fulfillment of the country’s needs.’ They also decided to end the free market policy to which the country’s economy was a prisoner. An economical co-operation with Brazil and China was established. Some capital started to flow to the country. The central bank began to buy the dollar again, but only as much as necessary to keep up the economic growth.
When Argentina announced that after 3 years from the moment of separation from degenerated ideas of globalists she was able to pay 30 cents for every dollar of her debt and keep up her unprecedented economical growth, at first nobody believed her. Then the media were strictly forbidden to inform about it. We should not be surprised as it is a palpable proof how quickly an economy of a given country and life of its citizens can improve when they forget about globalist absurdities.
In December 2004 the British ‘Guardian’ wrote: Three years ago, in December, Argentina was in crisis. The economy was rolling down uncontrolled into an abyss, banks closed their door to the investors, company presidents changed every week. Today the common opinion among the economists in Buenos Aires are that the country has left the worst behind. Yes, Argentina is still fighting with a complicated process of reconstruction of her debt, but the economy has undergone incredible changes.’
Like Phoenix, the economy has risen from the ashes. After an 11-per-cent fall in 2002, in 2003 the domestic product rose almost 9% and it will rise another 8% this year*. The government carefully announces that GDP will rise 4% in 2005, but most experts in economy believe that in fact the growth will be 5%.
The assumptions of ‘free market’ were bad for jobs and employment. In 2002 the unemployment reached its peak with 22%. Now it is 12%.
Whether you are faithful believers or not, some commentators say about the rise of Argentina as of a miracle which Rodrigo Rato, the director of IMF, could not cause. The hand of God turned out to be more powerful than the hand of International Monetary Fund. Now nobody is cheating any more.
Another thing which is hidden by the media was the fact of absolute unification of the working class with the management class. When the factory owners closed their firms and fled to other countries, their workers and directors occupied nearby cafes and park benches. When they were sitting idly on the streets, they were discussing how to improve their life and situation of their country, doomed to fail. The employees of such abandoned factories as Zanon looked at the gates melancholically. They spent most of their lives in those factories. Finally they made up their minds. They entered the grounds of their empty and devastated factories, started the machines and began production out of the materials which were still in the warehouses.
The authorities and the army looked at that almost communist-like behaviour of the people in a friendly manner. Soon department managers, office clerks and economic directors joined the turners, polishers and warehouse men. In the record-breaking time sales and export were initiated. There were no fixed hours of work. The decisions concerning their factories were taken by the people during short production meetings.
It turned out that the production is profitable and needed. What had not been profitable for globalists started to be such for common people without the help from banks and financial cartels. Soon production and sales reached their record levels in some factories. The people shared the profit with one another. They had never earned such sums of money before. So, they started to spend them. Thus building industry and other branches of industry got moving.
All that happened so quickly that America did not even have enough time to declare Argentina a communist country. The Movement of Unemployed Workers (MTD) was established. Soon this organisation had the power to influence politics. And that was yet another mystery of the Argentinian miracle.
The rats come back
The situation of Argentina began to improve. Globalists and factory owners began to come back and demand a return of their factories taken over by the people. Those who had left the country on the verge of a civil war 3 years before, now have some claims quoting international laws. Does that remind the Poles of something?
MTD, which was created almost literally on the streets, is strong. The organization is threatening with mass demonstrations. The ceramics factory, Zanon, the first one to be taken over by its workers and revived to the state of a profitable works, has become a symbol of the new and better, like Gdansk Shipyard used to be for Poles. MTD is considered by CIA and other similar organizations as a group which managed to create the most modern strategies and solutions how to unite and defend people from capitalism.
The returning rats from international financial circles are fighting back. Because Argentina constitutes a serious threat to the whole global economy, we should assume that if the USA wasn’t involved in Iraq now, the American soldiers would be defending their oil under the Argentinian grass in the name of democracy, or would be defending the freedom of their country there.
Kirchner, new President of Argentina, demands the extradition of the ex-president Carlos Menem, who is in Chile. Menem is wanted by the Argentinian authorities for corruption and bringing the country to ruin. He planned to enter for the presidential election in 2007 and used to promise the factory owners to return their property. Of course, that is why he enjoys the support from international financiers and can afford to laugh at the orders and decisions of Argentinian courts of law.
In January 2005 international bankers agreed to the proposal from the Argentinian government to be paid 25 cents for every dollar of the debt. An unseen thing happened – Argentina declared a war to IMF and several other globalist organizations and won. Argentina, protected by her own army, not only blackmailed the globalists, but also refused any negotiations with 700,000 holders of the state bonds. Argentina has an open way to be accepted back to the community of international societies from which she had been thrown away before. And she did it on her own conditions, as a full member, making decisions on her own.
Many bankers and international investors accuse Argentina of totalitarism and cheating investors and lenders. It caused quarrels among big financiers, Italian and American among others, who claim that if it was not for 9/11, they would be talking to Argentinians in a different manner.
Three months later IMF again began demanding a full payment of the debts. But Argentina was already strong enough being in economic co-operation with Brazil and China to show the bankers from Wall Street ‘the middle finger of her right hand’. Argentina started to prove to the world that about half of the creditors had already made a considerable profit on the Argentinian debts and that it was not fair that they should demand any more. This opinion was exposed by Chinese and Indian media. By the way, Argentina showed in black and white how some people tried to bring the country to bankruptcy and what it meant in practice.
The British ‘Guardian’ writes: ‘Three things worked for the benefit of Argentina. First, Kirchner’s card was strong thanks to the strong economy. Secondly, the truth about IMF was being revealed, that is why they wanted a quick settlement. Thirdly, Wall Street left Argentina just before the crisis and the negotiations were led by European banks. So the American Treasury was not pressed to play hard with Argentina. Also, they did not want Kirchner to make friends with a strong populist, President of Brazil, Lula.
Now many indebted countries may follow Argentina’s footsteps – and show the globalists their behind. Including Poland. And that is what the financial circles fear most. A precedence was created. A relatively non-significant country, held up against the wall, defied the wide-spread slogans of democracy, law and free market. And she won – at least so far. There has emerged a big chance for other countries. Now, when the American army is involved in Iraq, they can get rid of the yoke. You only need to want it and go for it. Just like the citizens of Argentina did, regardless of their social function, possessions and education.
Alex Lech Bajan
Polish American
CEO
RAQport Inc.
2004 North Monroe Street
Arlington Virginia 22207
Washington DC Area
USA
TEL: 703-528-0114
TEL2: 703-652-0993
FAX: 703-940-8300
EMAIL: alex@raqport.com
WEB SITE: http://raqport.com
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