Well Hank, this hydrocarbon law is actually key to it all, and you’re right, nobody ever says anything about it in the press. Or, when they do, it’s framed into the discourse as some benefit for the Iraqis. It doesn’t say that this hydrocarbon law (and it was drawn up by US corporations beginning way back at the beginning of the occupation) is really a huge grab of those natural resources.

In short, the backbone of the law/contract are these alleged PSA’s (or profit sharing agreements) It allows the multinationals to come in, privatize nearly ALL of the existing oil fields, (I think they are leaving the Iraqis about 8% of their total fields to them.) For the rest, the multinationals will pay the Iraqis an approximate 20 cents on the dollar (as profit) but they don’t even get that until they have used their measly share to rebuild their own country.

The contracts do NOT require that the multinationals hire local Iraqi people, and they already have boatloads of cheap labor from South Asia and other areas to do the work. They also are not required to pay the Iraqis any taxes on all the oil that they grab and export. And, the list goes on. The law also has like a 30 year term, so if the Iraqis pass this “benchmark”, it would effectively destroy what’s left of their nation’s economy, as their society in general.

It was always about the OIL, and little else. There is some information on it on Kucinich’s site, but Antonia Juhasv has done quite a bit of work on this, beginning quite some time back. You can check her out at http://www.thebushagenda.net.

There are also several other mentions of it on Democracy Now, and other independent media. I have some other links if anybody wants to check it out. But the bottom line is that it is a really bad deal for the Iraqis, which is why only the handful of Maliki’s thugs in the Iraqi government have signed it. Those at the top, who have been selected as partners in crime by Cheney long ago. The rest of the Iraqi people are fighting it strongly, because THEY have ALWAYS known that the U.S. invaded them to steal their oil. They aren’t stupid.

So, as long as we are there in a military presence, and they see us building walls around them, in order to protect the oil infrastructure, and to get to the oil. THAT’S what they see, and it’s what they’ve been watching for over 5 years now. I’m relatively sure in my speculation, that it’s for that reason only, that any civil strife broke out to begin with. This was not a country at war with itself until we destroyed it by the invasion and subsequent occupation. The hydrocarbon law that the US keeps trying to jam down their throats is like the top kicker for them.

The invasion and occupation of Iraq were reportedly planned amidst the twisting of intelligence and efforts at deception and manipulation of the American people, the press and the Congress.

Over the last few years, Americans have figured out what happened, why and who the players were in these questionable activities.

Once again, the American people have been underestimated.

Food for thought on this in the article . . .

“‘Dumbing down’ of Americans may not be working: More intelligence emerges”

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=29479