Guess which country produces the most oil?
And, no, it is not Iraq, a country that was brutally invaded by American oil interests solely for its mega-supply of fossil fuel.
No, it's not Venezuela either even though that is yet another country that American oil interests have been trying to stage a coup in for years so they can get their hands on Venezuela's fabulous crude. No luck so far -- but the oil barons keep trying.
PS: Has anyone watched the Charlie Rose show lately? Once again last night I was shocked to the pit of my soul with the lies coming out of his mouth and the mouths of his guests regarding America's illegal war crimes in Syria. No wonder so many of us who actually know what is going on in Syria don't believe the 9-11 "official story" either -- when the government and the media can't even stop their compulsive lying about Aleppo.
"Jane, that is crazy talk," you might say at this point.
And then along came the invasion of Iraq in 2003 -- and America's new "volunteer" army fought in that one. The "war" on Iraq was fought by salaried American "volunteers" -- but still nobody here liked it when these so-called volunteers started coming home in coffins or without limbs or with the sick and twisted minds described in Scranton's book. So the pressure of public opinion forced the end of that "war" too (that and the fact that America lost that war as well).
Now, however, all the current "Endless Wars" in the Middle East may never come to an end. Why? Because America's neo-con war hawks have learned from their past mistakes and now have whole huge battalions of new soldiers who will fight these wars for them -- soldiers who nobody in America minds if they get blown up or killed or get PTSD.
"We ain't no second-line club!" one of the drummers in a New Orleans marching band on Canal Street shouted at me in disgust. I was obviously a tourist who was too ignorant to be able to tell the difference. Oops.
At night in the Vieux Carré, hordes of drunken ex-college boys try to relive their cherished memories of past spring breaks as they stumble from bar to bar, holding plastic cups filled with beer and booze, barely aware of the hard-rock music that blasted their ears.
On the corner of Chartres and St. Louis, there was a bronze plaque on a building that read, "Within this historic structure slaves were sold..."
By day the French Quarter is a charming place -- happy people strolling past boutiques, beignet cafes and the Napoleon House (built to shelter the Emperor himself after his exile http://www.napoleonhouse.com/history/), and always with the mighty Mississippi River rolling along in the background.
But by night the entire French Quarter turns into one gigantic and raucous block party, the Big Easy For Dummies.
I love the French Quarter. What's not to love! But there was one thing there that did horrify me -- the magnificent St. Louis Cathedral, an awesome and moving homage and tribute to a powerful and benevolent God, father of the Prince of Peace.
And as I sat in a front pew, surrounded by stained glass windows, arches and candles, I could just imagine the smug plantation owners and their families worshiping there back in 1794 -- while right down the street from them human beings were being branded, whipped and sold off like cattle.
Apparently Black lives didn't matter back then -- either.
PS: Even today, righteous pseudo-Christians still sit in their church pews and smugly proclaim themselves to be keepers of the faith -- while America bleeds from the heart from all its extra-judicial and war-crime slaughter of their fellow human beings both here and abroad.
"Let the good times roll." And the heads.
Boy did I have fun in New Orleans this week -- at a convention for murder-mystery readers and writers being held in the French Quarter. http://www.bouchercon.com/ I ate muffuletta sandwiches, muffuletta salads and muffuletta-flavored mac-cheese (an idea whose time has definitely come).
Then I ate beignets, danced my way into two Mardi Gras parades and got my fortune told by a gypsy in front of the St. Louis cathedral. "You will come into riches soon and you are popular and happy." Yeah right.
According to a friend of mine who has family members still trapped in Yemen, "My mother's city is the only one in Yemen that has only been bombed twice by Saudi F16s. For this reason, refugees from all over Yemen have come there for sanctuary and are living in the streets, schools and anywhere else they can find. The refugees' conditions are horrible there -- but at least they are still alive." So far.
But other than that, New Orleans was to die for!
It's really hard to explain the concept of US-supported "moderate rebels" in Syria when trying to describe them to your average American. Trust me, I know from experience, having tried and failed to convince friends that the 'moderate rebels' in Syria are simply al Qaeda goons paid for by American taxpayers, and that Syria's president Assad is not an evil dictator who should be overthrown but rather is merely someone whose country happens to be sitting on a shite-load of oil or is the perfect site for an oil pipeline.
"Big oil companies just want to take over Syria's natural resources -- and they are using their 'moderate rebel' goon squads to do it," I keep telling people. But no one ever believes me. So I try to think up an example. Here's one.
"It would be as if suddenly oil was discovered on land that you yourself own here in America or they need your land for a pipeline and then suddenly Big Oil starts noticing your land -- but in a bad way. And then the next thing you know, Big Oil's 'moderate rebel' goon squads are attacking your children and seizing your land."
"Can't happen here, not here in America," you might reply. Oops, it already has -- in a place in North Dakota called Standing Rock.
PS: And speaking of getting attacked, I too just got arrested the other day -- but only as an actor in a music video. Acting is fun. Being invaded by 'moderate rebel' goon squads is not.
The House of Saud has made it really clear that anyone who disagrees with them is pretty much toast -- even if you are on Hajj. Here's my video tribute to past Hajj disasters. Let's hope that this year's Hajj is not as screwed up.
Hajj 2016 -- September 9 through 14.
When I was a kid, I was totally fascinated by the Donner Party. How could they possibly do that? Eat their own kin? And if I had been in their shoes, would I have eaten my fellow Americans too?
"But Jane," you might ask, "What does cannibalism have to do with GMOs?" Isn't it obvious? You are what you eat.
Right now, more and more of my fellow Americans are starting to eat gluten-free. Me too. No more croissants, birthday cake or apple pie for us. Rats. However, if I was stuck in the High Sierras in the middle of winter with only chocolate-chip cookies and cheese danishes to eat, would I have been tempted to eat them too? Perhaps? Maybe? Yes! But my stomach would have grumbled and my gut would have complained.
We all know why the Donner Party switched to cannibalism. But does anyone know why suddenly so many Americans are now switching to gluten-free diets? Here is my theory, based on solid research. My son Joe never eats wheat. Never. Not even in soy sauce or beer. But when he went to Paris this summer, he discovered, to his amazed delight, that he could safely eat wheat again while over there. Wow. How's that for research!
Guess we really are what we eat.