Bush's Permanent Militarization of the U.S.

While I was reading the debate about pulling out of Iraq, I remembered that back in 2003 there was much blogging about permanent military bases in Iraq. So I researched a bit and got some of the more up to date news about them. While congress and Bush are talking about pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq, congress is spending billions of our tax dollars for fifteen "enduring bases." On three differenct occasion Bush or Rice have said the US had no plan to built permanent military bases in any country. Now Dana Perino says we are building them now in Iraq, which adds up to ONE MORE BUSH LIE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

Most Americans don't realize that we now have recently-built, city-sized, permanent military bases with swimming pools, multiple bus routes, neighborhoods, Burger Kings, Pizza Huts and other fast food restaurants, car dealerships, shopping malls, fitness clubs, bike trails, apartment complexes, golf courses and even more. Balad Air Base 50 miles outside Baghdad, handles the daily air traffic you would normally see at Chicago's ultra-busy O'Hare. Balad is, in fact, the second busiest airport, military or civilian, in the entire world. It even has its own airline for in-country routes, a fleet of 250 planes. And while you're waiting for your flight to board, you can grab a snack at Subway, Pizza Hut, 24-hour Burger King, Popeye's, or a Starbuck's knock-off called "Green Beans" that serves up triple lattes.

One of the bases is at the new U.S. embassy inside Baghdad's Green Zone, nicknamed by impious Iraqis, "George W's Palace." It's about the size of Vatican City, has its own apartment building complexes (six of them) and its own power generators, water wells, drinking-water treatment plant, sewage plant, fire station, irrigation system, Internet uplink, secure intranet, telephone center (Virginia area code), cell-phone network (New York area code), mail service, fuel depot, international food courts and supply warehouses, vehicle-repair garage, and workshops - and even it's own anti-missile system. This two billion dollar-plus project is the most imperial embassy on the planet, not exactly the perfect signal of a sovereign and independent Iraq or a temporary American presence. These are permanent mega-cities costing billions with populations of 50,000 or more. The average American should at least know that they exist.