I already am so pissed.
–Gareth
The Fog of War: documentary about Robert S. McNamara, former US Secretary of Defense
Ba’athism and the policy of De-Ba’athification
April 9, 2003: Firdos Square, the toppling of the statue of Saddam Hussein
news footage:
The Office of Special Plan, The Pentagon, Douglas Feith: aka, the US government’s version of Double Secret Probation
Douglas Feith, Undersecretary of Defense for Fiascos, @ Slate
and, with that auspicious beginning, let’s complete the Kappa Chaos roster roll call, shall we?
The Man Who Pushed America to War: The Extraordinary Life, Adventures, and Obsessions of Ahmad Chalabi
* Aram Roston
Dick Cheney: Cheney
* Stephen F. Hayes
Donald Rumsfeld: Donald Rumsfeld Made a Deeply Confusing Winston Churchill Solitaire App
Saddam Hussein: Saddam: King of Terror
* Con Coughlin
Jay Garner: Reconstructing Iraq: Regime Change, Jay Garner, and the ORHA Story (Modern War Studies (Hardcover))
* Gordon Rudd
Bernie Kerik, Minister of the Interior of Iraq and so much more
Paul Bremer and the Coalition of Provisional Authority (CPA) — motto: “Security, Liberty, Equality, Justice”
Occupying Iraq: A History of the Coalition Provisional Authority
* Seth G. Jones, James Dobbins, Benjamin Runkle, Siddharth Mohandas
Imperial Life in The Emerald City: Inside Iraq’s Green Zone
* Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Condoleezza Rice: The Confidante: Condoleezza Rice and the Creation of the Bush Legacy
* Glenn Kessler
March 31, 2004: Fallujah ambush:
The four armed contractors, Scott Helvenston, Jerry Zovko, Wesley Batalona, and Mike Teague, were killed and dragged from their vehicles. Their bodies were beaten and burned, with their charred corpses then dragged through the city streets before being hung over a bridge crossing the Euphrates River…
The ambush led to the First Battle of Fallujah, a U.S.-led operation to retake control of the city. However, the battle was halted mid-way for political reasons…Seven months later, in November 2004, a second attempt at capturing the city, the Second Battle of Fallujah, proved successful…
The families of the victims filed suit (Helvenston et al. v. Blackwater Security) against Blackwater USA for wrongful death in January 2005.
No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah
* Bing West
Iraq is being run by a frat at this point.
–Dave
It’s funny (Kappa Chaos) because it is true (Skull and Bones). Really:
George W. Bush (1968), grandson of Prescott Bush; son of George H. W. Bush; 46th Governor of Texas; 43rd President of the United States. His nickname was “Temporary” since he failed to choose a name.
Indecisive, even in his frat/secret society, when he could have any nickname he wanted. Good grief.
Here’s Dad:
George H. W. Bush (1948), 41st President of the United States, 11th Director of Central Intelligence (CIA), son of Prescott Bush, father of George W. Bush. His Skull and Bones nickname was “Magog”.
and Grandpa:
Prescott Bush (1917), founding partner in Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., US Senator from Connecticut
Read my awesome friend Alexandra Robbins’ meticulously researched book Secrets of the Tomb: Skull and Bones, the Ivy League, and the Hidden Paths of Power
. Spooky, ain’t it?
To leave you something mildly whimsical and Dollopical after all this madness, I leave you with this: Condoleezza Rice is a member of the board of directors of Dropbox. Yes, that Dropbox.
And then, of course, there’s the Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest. ‘Murica.
Band names from this episode:
- 90 Days
- Pot and Kettle
- Shock and Awful
- Satan’s Penis
- Washington Squirrel Cage
- Yes People
- The Nerve of Awards
- Hanging Chad
Cultural references from this episode:
- Choose Your Own Adventure books (how I loved them so)
- Multiplicity
Let’s turn this place into The Fifth Element. –Gareth
And one more splendid quote, to leave this clusterfuck on a high note:
The looters went after the building like the Rube went after a fire truck.
–Dave
Everything’s better with Rube Waddell.