KCT

SCOOTER: Ahhhhh SCOOTER: Very Nice SCOOTER: The Trifecta Is Finally Playing Out SCOOTER: Ok SCOOTER: So This Is A Theory That’s Being Played Out SCOOTER: The Trifecta Equates To China — Us — Iraq SCOOTER: Iraq Is An Asset SCOOTER: Of The Us SCOOTER: China Has Over 68 Billion In Oil Contracts With Iraq SCOOTER: On Paper SCOOTER: China Has Also Been Buying Up Us Debt At A Rate Of $55 To 60 Billion A Month SCOOTER: For The Past 4 Years SCOOTER: The Euro Didn’t Make Sensse, Particularly Since They Have Less Than .09% Growth SCOOTER: With The Us Averaging 3.5 – 4.0% Growth SCOOTER: The Usd Was The Only Safe Haven For Them SCOOTER: Now SCOOTER: This Is Where This Theory Gets Dicey SCOOTER: Essentially, The Chinese Have Accumulated Over 2.3 To 2.5 Trillion In Usd’s SCOOTER: They Essentially Have An Economic Weapon Against The Us SCOOTER: It Would Hurt Them Badly If They Called The Note SCOOTER: But It Would Definately Hurt Them Worse SCOOTER: Now — Remember — This Is Just Theory SCOOTER: But There’s Been Acts By All Parties That Support This Theory SCOOTER: Now — In Order For This To Work — The Chinese Need Some Oil Fields And The Leases Need To Be Longer Than What They Currently Have SCOOTER: They’ve Suggested They Wanted 50 Year Leases SCOOTER: Remember — Their Oil Consumption Is Skyrocketing SCOOTER: So SCOOTER: We See Pres Obama And China’s Premier Meeting In Washington — Who Knows What Will Happen With That SCOOTER: But Think Of This SCOOTER: China Doesn’t Want To Call The Note SCOOTER: Washington Doesn’t Want The Note Called SCOOTER: It Would Destroy Our Already Fragile Economy SCOOTER: nevertheless, Iraq Is An Asset That Both Countries Can Negotiate And Relieve The Financial Stresses SCOOTER: Also Remember SCOOTER: Currency Doesn’t Have To Be In The Form Of Paper Money SCOOTER: It Can Be Negotiated At The Bis With Any Form Of Commodity SCOOTER: Oil Is The Commodity SCOOTER: If This Scenario Is True — SCOOTER: Which I’m Not Saying It Is SCOOTER: I’ll Say That Again SCOOTER: I’m Not Saying This Is True!!!!!!!!!!! SCOOTER: Just Going Through The Theory SCOOTER: China Could Be Holding The Keys To The Rv SCOOTER: They Might Be Using This As A Negotiating Tool SCOOTER: Also Remember SCOOTER: The Us Congress Doesn’t Want To Get Into A Currency War With China Or The Other Bric Countries SCOOTER: Brazil Is Threatning That Right Now SCOOTER: Nevertheless — Going With This Theory SCOOTER: China Could Be Asking For Longer Leases Or A Much Better Price On Oil SCOOTER: So That Is An Interesting Scenario SCOOTER: Any Other Questions SCOOTER: And Thank You Guru For Sharing That therealguru: yep SCOOTER: The Arab League Summit In Baghdad Is Scheduled For Next Year SCOOTER: There Is A Planning Meeting Going On Right Now However wizesuccess: Scooter… is there any chance at all that an Rv can take place before Goi is complete? SCOOTER: Wize — I Don’t Know My Friend — I Just Don’t Know — SCOOTER: Here’s Why SCOOTER: The Imf Plan Indicates They Get The Infrastructure Laid Out Without The Need For The Government SCOOTER: However SCOOTER: They Showed Their Cards SCOOTER: And Pretty Much Demanded It Occur SCOOTER: At This Point — I Think Only A Few People Know The Answer To That therealguru: I agree Scoots SCOOTER: You Might Be Right — My Mistake About The Summit SCOOTER: Now SCOOTER: If The Summit Were To Occur In March SCOOTER: Late March mikea: The China Leverage SCOOTER: That’s A Great Time Right Before In February SCOOTER: Of Course SCOOTER: I’m In Marketing So I Just Think That Way poorboy: scoooter im sure i seen something with china saying they wont revalue .Why they control market SCOOTER: Poorboy — Simple SCOOTER: They Want The Exports poorboy: they Hold Us Hostage Because Of Trade Agreements And Currency Value therealguru: China controls everything SCOOTER: But They Have Been Intentionally Keeping The Currency Low To Increases Their Exports Jkamin: there sucking the world dry like a pest therealguru: look at what they did for the Euro RV_PLEASE_: He has too were in Debt mikea: They’re playing a Leverage game poorboy: Exactly SCOOTER: Yep — We’re In A Much Tougher Spot Than Many Realize SCOOTER: And With The Advent Of The Internet SCOOTER: Things Would Move Incredibly Fast treyb: Scooter as always your ideas and thoughts make great sense my friend..thank you tenmillion: Thank you scooter! SCOOTER: My Suspicion Though Is That This Has Been Worked Out SCOOTER: Must Depart And Thank You For The Time Tonight

From what I have read, a few of the ones posting have purchased dinar. But for the most part, many of the posters have scoffed at the dinar as a scam which has led to some interesting debates in their threads. As for the the possibilty of the pumpers' presence, I suppose it could happen, but many times when I've clicked on a link to see original post to dig a little deeper, I was not allowed in their forum without being a shareholder, having an account, password, etc. These people have been waiting since the 90s, if I have understood that I have read correctly. They are keeping each other posted, just like we do sometimes. I am sure they have their own share of TKs though, just looking for attention. This is just entertaining for me to read, thought some here might also enjoy.

I must have initially missed this when originally posted! I'm glad someone mentioned it in the chatroom tonight so I could look it up! Thank-you so much for all the great info you not only share, but also explain!

Thanks for the long version!

The article was one related to the connection between CMKX and dinar, and one which I haven't come across before. I originally found the "prosperity program" info which was posted today, referring to last saturday confirmation of BOA having packets ready... since the search had pulled up more than one thing related to keywords, dinar, cmkx, I followed the next thread to its original post, because the Government insider title sounded interesting, especially after reading the rumor about Orin Hatch... was hoping to find out more info. Althouh the info is from 1/14, since it is posted after the Al Hodges Update (posted in rumors as well) I thought the information might be interesting to those who had read that post this weekend. As I have said in earlier posts, I have found the possible connection of the CMKX and dinar very interesting to read. Especially when dinar news is slow. CMKX people are hearing rumored dates just like us, funny thing is, from different sources, similar dates. I just think its a sign we are very close.

[/url] http://www.free-press-release.com/news-government-insider-says-iraqi-dinar-and-massive-cmkx-payout-linked-1294991924.html FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE , , () January 14, 2011 -- A recent unnamed US Government insider has mentioned how important the Iraqi Dinar is to much of the penny stock investing community. "This morning I have learned that it is in the interest of Iraq for the progress of their country in terms of trade that the IMF will be revaluing the Iraqi dinar on Jan. 14th. As a fellow investor of the currency of Iraq I felt as though I would share this with all of you to be proactive in your preparations for this. I have been a part of many briefings on this matter but not until now has anything been definite." This just on the heals of an announcement by an employee of California Attorney Al Hodges to address his recent statement of an expected payout settlement by naked shorters. The payout is an estimated $3.86 trillion. Hodges hyped the expectations of 50,000 CMKX shareholders just outside of a courtroom with his "if I were a betting man I would say we get paid by Christmas" statement approximately two weeks before December 25, 2011. The payout never came. Many individuals invest in penny stocks due to the amount of shares one can purchase for so little. The speculation draws both innocent, optimistic investors and plenty of criminal minds ready to take advantage of the blue collar investor. Much fraud is allowed by the SEC because, as the agency states, "it doesn't have adequate manpower". Those individuals desiring to stay informed of fraud and deceit towards CMKX shareholders while the SEC continues to sit idly by for the past 8 years should bookmark: PROSPERITY PROGRAMS DELIVERIES The Chinese have taken full control of the deliveries process. FED EX Envelopes has been confirmed by a member of our Intel Team located in the FED EX dispatching hub on Saturday. There were sent there by BOA for imminent deliveries. See More By trixijude on CMKI: I'm%20ready! From%20DeltaDon%20 Re%3a%20update | RaginBull.com

Thanks for the post!

We sure do! Always gives it to us straight! His posts are always enlightening! Just curious, how is it you have been here longer than me, have posted many things yourself, and claim you haven't heard of scooter? He's da man!

Ah, The voice of reason! It was like finding a gem in the middle of tar! Thank-you Mr. Rich for a refreshing response!

peepaw] http://translate.google.com/translate?h … .com&twu=1[8ball] I sure hope so [peepaw] Looking forward to the Director-General of the Bank of Irbil, the Director-General of the Bank of Sulaymaniyah unification of the law to bind their banks the Central Bank of Iraq. The director of the Central Bank of the Territory Adam cream in a press statement that, in the framework of unification of Central Banks in Sulaymaniyah and Erbil under the authority of the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank operates the region linked to the Central Bank in Baghdad, according to the law. He pointed out that the number of private banks in the region and reached so far to 65 banks and government banks to 60 bank. [8ball] that’s interesting peepaw. That could be a reason for the delay, combining the Central banks. [peepaw] could be…just now getting connected [8ball] we also heard that the only delay is waiting on the CBI moving into their new building. Maybe this is also part of the move. [peepaw] right [8ball] So we are waiting on the Budget …. it could be the last reading but we don’t know for sure. [peter3] 8ball do you when they are moving to new building? [wings] night said the forming of the goi then rv within hours [8ball] the building is complete with only minor finishing indoor. Peter3 maybe what they meant is what peepaw found is the combination of banks to the one Central bank. That would be some work involved. The ministers have to be appointed – security. [sailor] some of the private banks were 2 consolidate so they could b bigger and stronger banks. Up till now they have not wanted 2 consolidate. [8ball] there was an article saying that this could take until after the Arab summit in Baghdad. That seems like a very long time unless they have to get approval from the other Arab states since with the debt forgiveness they may have to approve certain aspects of the Iraqi government. We need to have a happy Kuwait — to allow the removal from the sanctions. We need a seated parliament to vote on the lifting of the sanctions. This week should be the week as far as I’m concerned. [sailor] i doubt if Iraq gives a rats@@@ what Kuwait wants [8ball] Kurds are kicking up some objections on the budget. Well they have to sailor. I think that the rates that we saw were due to Iraq exchanging for debt reasons in Kuwait and Jordan. The process is on going. Just that the CBI has been very quiet, I expected that they would have given us something by now as far as which way they are going. The CBI on the other hand is probably waiting on the parliament to form so that the parliament can enact laws associated to the RV. Also Maliki is headed to Kuwait for a visit on January 25th. I think that Kuwait should expect the government to be formed by then. So this week should be good….!!! [peepaw] Arab Summit hosting costs added to 2011 budget Monday, January 17, 2011 12:40 GMT On Sunday, Alsumaria News received the amended copy of a draft law for Iraq Federal Budget for the fiscal year 2011 in its final amended version after adding the estimation cost of hosting Arab Summit in Baghdad. http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Economics-Ne … udget.html [8ball] Biden, Emir, Kuwaiti PM, Syrian PM, Arab league chair…….. all last week [peepaw] I don’t think they would wait for the summit to complete any of this. [8ball] This week is just starting………………………… [unclerod] 8ball When is the Arab summit? [8ball] March in Baghdad [8ball] Talibani is at the current Arab summit which started today [peepaw] TXsun sent me this ….Hey, I believe Iraq is invited to become full GCC member on February 14th if memory is correct [8ball] Asian financial summit starts tomorrow in Hong Kong. If last week was any indication of things to come this should be a busy week. I really like peepaw’s article on putting the financial order to Iraq. That could be one of the reasons for a delay. Ok going to go look to see what’s out there. Have a great night.

Just saw the IQD "currency regime"on oanda changed from the peg (0.39) to float too. (in last 72 hours) I just saw scooter in the chat room and asked him about it and he explained that it is a good sign as it is a managed float which will help the IMF be able to control the volitility for 90 days at a time, (managed float means only can change +/- 2% within a 90 day period.) Read more: http://dinarvets.com/forums/index.php?/topic/50768-todays-dinar-movement/#ixzz1BMQ2anJA

Just saw the IQD "currency regime"on oanda changed from the peg (0.39) to float too. (in last 72 hours) I just saw scooter in the chat room and asked him about it and he explained that it is a good sign as it is a managed float which will help the IMF be able to control the volitility for 90 days at a time, (managed float means only can change +/- 2% within a 90 day period.)

I agree that this is indeed a very interesting change! My question, as stupid as it may sound, why do they have a "3" listed under the column listed "decimal places"? Of course 3 makes sense, when you might have a need to round to the nearest cent. (For example $3.215 would be rounded up to $3.22. But if you use the currency converter, they use 5 decimal places to to convert it to 0.00084. Like I said, that may be a stupid question with a obvious answer I don't know, just thought I'd ask.

1/17/11 http://cmkxhottub.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=322&page=3 Today Bhollenegg Wrote SCAM? Here is a copy you can FAX. CMKM Diamonds Legal Shareholders, victims of the Largest Naked Shorted Stock in the History of the Stock Market are still Uniformed and still Uncompensated… CMKM Diamonds Claims and Findings still Underground and still Underwraps… CMKM Diamonds still a Controlled Information Abyss by Government Agencies… CMKM Diamonds…A Case of a being STUNG by a STING…? A Case of pushing SCAM to make Shareholders SCRAM…? Taking The Stand Do I believe a Sting-type operation took place using CMKX?...YES! Do I believe Legal CMKX Shareholders will be compensated?...YES! Do I believe in Bud Burrell’s assessment that a component of a Sting occurred?…YES! Do I agree with Mark Faulk’s assessment that a Sting operation did occur before Mark Faulk’s swift back stroke of his writer’s pen, an unexpected writer’s block?…YES! The Sting Definitions To cheat or overcharge. A complicated confidence game planned and executed with great care, especially an operation organized and implemented by undercover agents to apprehend criminals. To persuade a person to buy worthless property. A mental pain or distress. http://www.answers.com/topic/sting The Evidence Top BILLing… Attorney Bill Frizzell’s letter to Attorney Donald Stoecklein “…You are aware that significant naked shorting of CMKX stock has occurred and the company is hereby requested to assist in the investigation to determine those that may be responsible for the illegal shorting and fails to deliver that are present in this stock. “Our investigation into naked shorting convinces me there is a huge naked short….IF the only asset this company has is the Entourage stock, then the naked short is still a problem for the brokers and a potential asset for the shareholders because of the problems brokers will experience once the distribution takes place. If by some stroke of luck, there are other assets and the company begins to trade again, then the naked short becomes a real asset for the shareholders and real problem for the brokers with the shorts.” …“The Task Force has now received certs in the name of certain brokerage companies. Our investigation reveals a potentially huge naked short position in at least two of the very companies that have sent us certs. The certs sent to the Task Force by the brokers represent billions of shares of CMKM stock. It is not the intention of the company to distribute Entourage stock to securities intermediaries and clearing houses for them to distribute the stock at their discretion. It is clear from the Regulation SHO records in conjunction with other sources (ADP, the transfer agent and the DTCC) that huge fails to deliver in this stock currently exist. It would be a breach of the fiduciary duty of the company to distribute these assets to a broker in lieu of its true beneficial owner when there is evidence of known fails to deliver occurring at the same brokerage house.” CFRN Investigates: Interview with Bud Burrell Dwayne: Good morning. Today is Thursday December the 1st, 2005. And once again we are conducting a special edition of CFRN Investigates as we continue to investigate the allegations of fraud on Wall Street via naked short selling and counterfeit shares. We have with us again today as our guest industry consultant and expert Mr. Bud Burrell… …D: … is CMKX a sting operation? BB: I believe that there’s a component of what was going on with CMKX…Casavant stumbled into a major asset find in Saskatchewan…I smelled an asset raid. Many of the so-called naked short bankruptcies were created with the specific intention of trying to strip out a valuable asset from the hands of parties who controlled it through these small public companies …D: …can you comment on Robert Maheu’s involvement? BB: I do not know Mr. Maheu personally, but he and I am one step away from mutual friends …He is a lifelong operator. I think his integrity is without question…I don’t believe he’s gone anywhere he wasn’t sent. It’s interesting. He entered the transaction after CITI-Group had one of their lawyers look into the company. I think they found substantial assets. I think what happened is that this panicked some of the major shorts in the stock. And there was too much seller boxing. That’s a term used to describe when the stock trades at .0001. … But it trades enormous volume there… And the bottom line is seller boxing to me is a principle signal of an attempt by someone to cause the change in control of an asset. D: It’s also an easy way for somebody to double their money on every transaction. BB: That’s correct. Mostly the people trying to do it, who aren’t part of the market maker clearing- house system, are blocked from being allowed to participate. D: Okay. What can an investor do to protect himself or herself? BB: Take delivery of your certificates…Demand delivery. …The certificate is what everybody understands. If you can’t get the certificate, demand a written explanation from the broker… let him know that you’re going to hold him liable for any failure to deliver that cert. D: Now are you familiar with the Nevada Strike Force story and its connection to CMKX? BB… I can’t talk about what I’m involved. I provided information to the Strike Force. What’s At Stake Substantial Assets?… Location with Great Expectations…Location is King! Saskatchewan “Premier Lorne Calvert and Industry and Resources Minister Eric Cline today met with U.S. Vice-President thingy Cheney in Washington D.C. as part of a seven-day economic mission to the United States. The Premier used the meeting to highlight the important role Saskatchewan plays as a secure and reliable energy supplier to the United States. “By raising awareness of Saskatchewan’s vibrant uranium and crude oil industries among top American officials we’re confident of attracting further U.S. investment in those important sectors,” Calvert said…. “The new U.S. Energy Policy Act and President Bush’s recent State of the Union address both present exciting new possibilities for U.S.-Saskatchewan co-operation and collaboration across the energy spectrum,” Cline said. “ Super Deposits.. Large finds in the Athabasca Basin are so rich they are been dubbed “SUPER DEPOSITS”. The Uranium(U3O8) deposits of Saskatchewan are the riches in the world. CMKM Diamonds was in the picture through Entourage Stock Ownership. Entourage Uranium claims are located on the Eastern side of the Athabasca Basin, 18 miles from Eagle Point, Heart of the Most Prolific Uranium Trend in the Athabassca Basin. Home of the Uranium Super Deposits. The Drill… 17 Drill Projects were completed in the Winter 2005/2006 Drilling Projects in the Basin. 2006 Entourage and UCA 50/50 Entourage and UCA (operator) are listed as part of the 17 Drill Projects. The 54 Asset… There is that number again. Is this what the number 54 is all about? In 2004, Casavant drilled core holes located northeast of kilometer 54 of the Division Road in the FalC Forest Reserve based on airborne geophysical anomalies and did not intersect kimberlite. What did he intersect? Why is Shore Gold reporting this in their SEC Filings? The Bill of Rights… Bill is Right? Attorney Bill Frizzell stated in 2007 to the courts,”… CMKM acquired assets that will allow it to return to trading status. Current management plans to restore CMKM to a viable entity....” “I agreed to do a limited investigation into the value of the mineral estate in the acreage held by our company in Canada. I have had two geologists review the claims area for potential oil and gas benefits. We have all read and heard of the huge value of the Canadian tar sands and the many areas of Canada that are being heavily explored for oil and gas. I am mindful of rumors regarding interest in the oil exploration possibilities. I have heard there were major oil companies interested in the oil rights in our claim area.” The SEC Filings The SEC Website has documents conveying several facts from legal documents, which allude to a Sting operation in progress. Was a Sting setup by ex-S.E.C. Attorney and Sarbanes Oxley Expert, Roger Glenn, continued by Federal Attorneys from Stoecklein Law Institute, and Robert Maheu of Global Intelligence? CMKM Diamonds (CMKX) held claims to vast areas of some of the World’s most lucrative mineral deposits. CMKX was brazenly turned into a minefield by hedge funds, competitors, MMs, and brokerage firms trying to short the company into bankruptcy and ultimately carving up the spoils amongst themselves. Fortunately for shareholders, CMKX was used as the vehicle to deliver Stoecklein and Maheu to the perpetrators. The information from the S.E.C. files gathered from their website, forms a picture of a possible Sting-type operation. Donald J. Stoecklein (Stoecklein), current counsel for CMKM Diamonds, owns the Securities Law Institute in Las Vegas, Nevada, which assists approximately forty-two public companies in their periodic reporting obligations, including CMKM Diamonds. (Tr. 315-16.) Donald Stoecklein and Debbie Amigone, from Stoecklein Security Law Institute, contributed comments and recommendations to Jonathan Katz, Secretary of Security Exchange Commission, on The Final Rule, which covers investor protection, naked shorting, SHO, shell company mergers and reporting. Robert Maheu (Maheu) has known Stoecklein for a number of years and is part of a team assembled by Stoecklein, which Maheu believes will clear up past mistakes and will result in compliance going forward. (Tr. 285-86, 296.) Maheu set up the Small Defense Plant Administration fifty years ago, and later the Small Business Administration. (Tr. 285, 287.) . What part does Debbie Amigone have in this picture? Was the Sting Operation almost uncovered by a shareholder? In February 2005, Debbie Amigone was one of Stoecklein’s employees working on CMKM Diamonds’ matters. (Tr. 163.) On March 4, 2005, CMKM Diamonds announced that, effective March 1, 2005; it had relocated its executive offices to 5375 Procyon Street, Suite 101, Las Vegas, Nevada. (Div. Ex. 53.) However, as of April 6, 2005, this address was occupied only by a “hot rod” shop. (Div. Ex. 55.) “Debbie” at the Securities Law Institute, which is owned by CMKM Diamond’s counsel, reported in an e-mail sent on April 6, 2005, that a shareholder had visited the site, discovered this fact, and reported it on the company’s Web site. “Debbie” advised that “You might want to call Urban [Casavant] or Michael and have them ‘move in’ and talk to the owner of the hot rod shop and also tell Andy what to tell shareholders when they call.” (Div. Ex. 55.) Stoecklein also owns Opus Pointe, which is an accounting and bookkeeping company and a division of the Securities Law Institute. (Tr. 167, 326-27.) SEC documents stated that Opus Point and the Securities Law Institute are working on CMKM Diamond matters and an employee of each firm testified at the public hearing. (Tr. 167, 314.) CMKM Diamonds did not pay Opus Pointe’s retainer; rather, it was paid by the Securities Law Institute. (Tr. 169.). How often does a law firm pay for auditing a client’s books? The Audit… Bill Frizzell “…Mr. Edwards has been in attendance at several meetings in which the progress of an audit was being discussed. Notes from the auditor suggest that Mr. Edwards had the complete stock book in his possession in January of this year. Although the shareholders do not know why Mr. Edwards would be in possession of the CMKX stock book, it seems clear there is cause for investigation on behalf of the company as to the propriety of such acts” Another Hint … Some of Attorney’s Stoecklein’s other companies besides Opus. Is there a hidden message in the names? Saveyoutime, Take A Ride, One Move Entertainment, Fun for You. Too Late Financial, RubiCon ( Rub I Con) Financial, Tell A Tale, Nothing Corp, Postal Holdings. The Naked Short Count… A broker document confirms the naked short amount was known before the Certificate Pull. Recall, Urban was the second largest shareholder in a company, CSII, which specialized in monitoring and identifying naked shorting activities. The Broker Document… (The document sent to the broker annotates an oversold situation and the multiplier of 9.) ************************************************************************ The certificate will be issued in the name of the account, XXXXXXXXX XXXX. Once the shares have been issued, the shares will not be showing up in your account. Regarding the compensation settlement, there is actually an ongoing voluntary tender for this security. The details are below: Description CMKM DIAMONDS INC Symbol 125809103 CUSIP 125809103 Offer MUTUAL FUND TENDER Offer Description PHYSICAL CERTS Other Offers Available Offer Dates Cut-Off Date 12/16/2005 Cut-Off Time 19.00.00 Withdrawal Date Withdrawal Time 00.00.00 Expiration Date 12/31/2005 Expiration Time 17.00.00 Protected Date Offer Details Odd Lot Over Subscribe Minimum Bid Maximum Bid Increments Multiplier Factor 9 >TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FOLLOWING DISTRIBUTION, HLDRS MUST ENTER TRANSFER >& SHIP INSTRS NO LATER THAN 12/16/05. ON 10/28/05, ENTOURAGE MINING LTD >COMPLETED A PRIVATE PLACEMENT, WHICH EFFECTIVELY REMOVED ALL >CONTINGENCIES FROM THE AGREEMENT OF 10/21/05 BETWEEN ENTOURAGE & CMKM >DIAMONDS INC. CMKM IS AWAITING RECEIPT OF THE 50,000,000 SHS OF >ENTOURAGE MINING COMMON STK. CMKM BOARD OF DIRECTORS, HAS RESOLVED TO >DISTRIBUTE THE 50,000,000 SHS OF ENTOURAGE COMMON STK TO ALL CMKM BONA >FIDE STOCKHLDRS. IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED A BONA FIDE STOCKHLDR OF >CMKM, A PHYSICAL STOCK CERTIFICATE IS- SUED IN HIS/HER/ITS NAME WILL >NEED TO BE PRESENTED TO THE DISTRIBUTION TASK FORCE FOR CONFIRMATION ON >OR BEFORE 12/31/05.TRANSFER AGENT FEE OF $16.50 PER CERTIFICATE PLUS >ANY APPLICABLE PERSHING TRANSFER & SHIP FEES WILL BE CHARGED. ONCE >HLDRS RECV CERTIFICATES THEY MUST FAX THEM TO CMKM. //TO HAVE >CERTIFICATE ISSUED, WIRE CUSTODY DEPT IN SERVICE CENTER OR SEND ADMS >WIRE TO "PTFR" BY 12/16/05. FOR INFO GO TO WWW.CMKMTASKFORCE.COM ********************************************************************* MULTIPLIER For ordinary short selling, traders must borrow a stock, or determine that the stock can be borrowed. The stock is annotated as shorted until cleared usually T-3 days. For naked short selling, the trader does not borrow a stock, or does not determine that the stock can be shorted. Since the stock is not annotated as shorted, the stock can be shorted numerous times creating a multiplier effect. Examples...if the same stock is shorted twice, the multiplier effect is 2 times. If the same stock is shorted 9 times, then the multiplier is 9. There is an article in the link which explains naked shorting and the multiplier effect.. http://www.efinancialnews.com/usedition/content/2451263662/23191 Based on the Broker document information… A mutual fund tender is being offered at a premium to the market price. The description of the tender offer areEntourage Shares for CMKX Certificate Holders. The tender offer is oversubscribed by 9 times. For each authorized share of CMKX, there are 9 times the amount of CMKX in the market. In other words, 703.5 Billion Authorized Outstanding Shares multiply by 9 equals 6.3315 Trillion Shares of CMKX. Therefore, 6.3315 Trillion shares were required to be covered at a premium determined to be the market price, which for a private company is a fair price determined based on the value determined by the company. John Martin’s Owners Group assisted the Task Force with the cert pull and share count. The part of the John Martin Letter, which stands out… “We know we have a huge naked short (835 billion shares, including cert holders, and NOBO lists, and with just 20% of street shares faxed in, leaving 80% not even reporting! This does not begin to mention those who are not included from other countries.) These two things alone can be our winning combination. “ NSS = 835 Billion Shares counted (20%) + 80% of the shares not reported or faxed in yet + other countries. The Key Player … Robert Maheu, public records indicate Mr. Maheu held four positions in CMKM Diamonds, plus voluntarily forfeited his $40,000 per month salary … 1. co-Chairman CMKM Board of Directors 2. Head of CMKM Task Force 3. Chairman of the Audit Committee for CMKM 4. Trustee Statements made by Robert Maheu while serving “with out pay” as co-Chairman on CMKM Diamonds Board of Directors, Head of CMKM Task Force, and Chairman of the Audit Committee for CMKM. “Solving problems has been my occupation for many years,” “Tough assignments are not solved by wishful thinking, but rather by tough action.” A new team of securities attorneys has been instructed that their prime assignment is to correct any deficiencies of the past and to cooperate fully with regulatory bodies both in Canada and the United States to minimize the possibility of such deficiencies in the future.” “Like the SEC, protecting our investors is a primary concern. We have been aggressively gathering the essential information needed to comply with our public disclosure obligations and anticipate working with the SEC to ensure our compliance with all federal regulations,” “We are not letting these regulatory matters impede our primary focus of creating stockholder value through the mining and development of our mineral assets,” “When I joined the board one of my prime assignments was to improve corporate compliance. A prime component was to reinstate reporting status, which was efficiently and expeditiously handled by the Stoecklein Law Group,” “We are extremely appreciative of Stoecklein Law Group’s immediate attention to our needs. I have worked with them in the past and they have always exceeded my expectations,”. “When I initially took on the assignment of assisting CMKM with its compliance needs, of primary concern was doing the right thing for the stockholders.” “I am fully committed to protecting the interests of bona fide CMKM stockholders, including if necessary, bringing appropriate federal or state court actions to ensure the appropriate distribution of the Entourage shares is made.” “We faced a tremendous number of hurdles, including the trading halt, administrative hearing and let down of numerous professionals. However, with the continued commitment of Urban Casavant and diligent professionalism of Stoecklein Law Group, we are trying to overcome the obstacles of the past and look forward into the future towards distributing value to CMKM’s bona fide stockholders.” “This is a time for the CMKM stockholders to look forward towards the future and forget the past. Working as a united front will allow us to extract all available sources of value for distribution.” More Key Players… CMKM SGGM Key Personnel SEC connections: Roger Glenn was Federal Securities Counsel for CMKM, worked over 19 years with the SEC. Donald Stoecklein was Federal Securities Counsel for CMKM, from Stoecklein Security Law Institute, provided information to Jonathan Katz, Secretary of Security Exchange Commission, on The Final Rule, which covers investor protection, naked shorting, shell company mergers and reporting. Stoecklein’s input is referenced numerous times in The Final Rule authored by Jonathan Katz. William B. Haseltine, was President of SGGM, presently has own law firm specializing in Federal Securities, worked for over 19 years with the SEC (Finance) and with Jonathan Katz: William B. Haseltine, Special Counsels, Division of Corporation Finance, Securities and Exchange Commission, 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Mail Stop 3-12, Washington, D.C. 20549. The SEC Complicity … Jonathan Katz, Secretary of the S. E. C., revoked St. George’s (SGGM) registration and granted CMKM Diamonds request to be revoked on the same day and at the same time, with CMKM document number 34-52694 followed by SGGM document number 34-52695? Are SGGM and CMKX connected together? And why would Jonathan Katz take the time from his busy schedule to take care of this matter concerning two pink stocks? Hold on a SEC… SGGM is from Arlington, VA and registered in Nevada. SGGM invested $10 Million Dollars in CMKM though SGGM was dormant for 2 years. Where did the funds come from? ‘JUSTice’ SEC.. SEC exercises remedial sanctions because: CMKM stopped reporting April 2003. SGGM stopped reporting May 2003. Hmmm…both stopped reporting about the same time. Both CMKM and SGGM were revoked consecutively on the same day? Yet, the best Federal Securities counsels were involved with these two pink stocks? Why? Counterfeit shares, imo. No Hassle Haseltine… Let see, SGGM makes the largest financial deal in the history of their company in 2004. The deal is with CMKM Diamonds. Mr. Haseltine, who joined SGGM in April 2005 as President, stated his priorities were to get the company current and compliant with all the SEC Filings plus finalize and close out all deals with other mining companies. Then Mr. Haseltine, who as an attorney for over 19 years, an attorney schooled on paying attention to the most minute detail, an attorney who worked as a counsel in the SEC Finance Department under SEC Secretary Jonathan Katz, an attorney who did some legal work for SGGM prior to accepting the appointment as President of SGGM, …did not know anything about the largest financial deal in SGGM’s company history when the SEC questioned him in July 2005...did not know that SGGM owned 5% absolute interest in all mineral claims held by CMKM Diamonds a company with 1.9 million acres of claims and 60,0000 plus shareholders…a deal noted all over the internet when a search for information about the company is entered…a deal with CMKX, a company which SEC Secretary Jonathan Katz revoked at the same time as SGGM…and SGGM President Mr. Haseltine had no knowledge…??? The Task … This is not just about distribution of shares and a few dollars, but also any other available assets of CMKM. What other available assets are there, which would require the approval of a Federal Court. Why would you need Robert Maheu, Donald Stoecklein, Bill Frizzell, support personnel, and a Federal Court to distribute ETGMF Shares and a few dollars for a pink stock company? Companies distribute stock dividends all the time without the Federal Courts approval. The Roundup… CMKM Diamonds Inc, becomes a private company and has a certificate pull, the largest in the history of the stock market. The company is private, therefore cannot be accused of manipulating the stock price, and the perpetuators are left standing holding the counterfeit shares. Pure genius… Urban’s Plight… The Outer CITI Limits In 2003 Urban Springs Into Action And Now in 2008 Urban Is The Fall Guy??? If Urban Casavant is guilty then, why hasn’t Urban Casavant been served? The Lawsuit filed by the New CMKM Diamonds is seeking compensation for over 200 Million Dollars. There is no problem hiring several attorneys. Why not hire a private detective or a Texas Ranger to serve the court papers? Expensive?…not compared to paying several Attorney Fees and the retainers. The FBI Connection … The FBI handles Internet fraud, which includes stock scams. “The FBI works through mutual agreement with the host country (reference “Quick Facts about the FBI” below from the FBI’s website). The FBI has offices in Canada. Our international presence currently consists of our Legal Attaché offices, commonly known as Legats. The Legats and smaller sub-offices are located in more than 70 key cities worldwide, providing coverage for more than 200 countries, territories, and islands. Each office is established through mutual agreement with the host country and is situated in the U.S. embassy in that nation. Legal Attaché’ Offices in Canada Ottawa, Canada American Embassy: 1-613-238-5335 Toronto Sub-office American Consulate: 1-416-640-8650 Vancouver Sub-office American Consulate: 1-604-685-4311 If Urban Casavant is guilty then why hasn’t the FBI apprehended Urban Casavant? The FBI was protecting Urban due to threats. Urban’s Cons… Con-trolled vast amount of claims in an area of one of the World’s most lucrative mineral deposits, uranium, and oil reserves. Con-tents in the claim areas were located and identified using Airborne Magnetic Survey. Con-tainment of all 600,000,000 Million personal shares of CMKI by locking up the shares with the TCC in order to protect and increase shareholder value. Con-solidated claims under CMKI, CMKM/CIM. Con-nected CMKXtreme Racing to GOT CMKX resulting in a successful advertising campaign and a formidable force to be reckoned with, 40,000 plus Stockholders. Con-siderate individual, taking care of visitors at the races and children at the children’s hospital. Con-flict free diamonds and minerals promotion. Con-fronted the NSS issue. Con-quered the upper hand from counterfeiters by hiring Mr. Roger Glenn and Mr. Donald Stoecklein, both exceptional Federal Securities Attorneys. Con-ditioned the atmosphere by bringing in the Master Negotiator, Mr. Robert Maheu. Con-tinued the constant pressure on the guilty parties associated with the counterfeiting by issuing shareholders of record CIM, USCA, and GEMM dividends. Con-sented to donating his family’s and his portion of ETGMF dividends to Bona Fide Stockholders. Con-tacted Stockholders via USA Today, PR, and Task Force that a cert pull is in progress to identify Bona Fide Stockholders for asset distributions. Con-verted suspect shares to certified shares and personally paid the expenses incurred by the Task Force expenses in the largest certification pull in the US Stock Market by a single company. Con-vinced the government that there is a counterfeiting problem and that we are not going away. Con-cealed information to protect valuable assets. Con-solidated promising, productive claims. Con-cerned about stockholders, awaiting attorney’s approval to communicate Con-tingent plan, The Interpleader. Con-ferred the CEO position to Shareholder Kevin West. Con-veyed in PRs for stockholders to visit the SEC site. SCAM? Still Con-fused…SCAM? CMKM Diamonds Corporate Videos…. Interesting. If this were a Scam, then why would Urban pay for a corporate video to film his activities? “The filming activities, all of which were completed, consisted of shooting corporate videos for three U S companies whose projects were filmed in California, Canada and Ecuador. These companies were Nevada Minerals,… United States Canadian Minerals ...CKMXtreme Machines …” Airborne Surveys…If this were a Scam, then why would Urban pay for a new survey when there are old surveys on file? “… the airborne magnetic surveys recently completed by Goldak Airborne Surveys of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The surveys were conducted during April, May and June 2004 using Goldak’s Navaho aircraft” Drilling Activities…If this were a Scam, then why did Attorney Stoecklein confirm ongoing drilling activities July 2005? “…You were encouraged to engage a geologist of your choice to travel with you to Canada to witness CMKM’s ongoing drilling program and meet with CMKM’s professionals handling the Canadian operations. In addition, several offers were made to you to take a trip to Ecuador, again with any professionals you deemed necessary, to observe a gold pour at the Yellow River facility where ore from the American Shaft was being processed.” Legal viewpoint of the expenditures… Is this why Urban was not served? Attorney Donald Stoecklein “…Urban Casavant, as the sole officer and director of CMKM, had complete authority to enter into transactions on behalf of CMKM, whether these transactions were with related parties or not. In addition, it has always been CMKM’s intentions to fully and completely disclose all related party and other relevant transactions as part of its audited financial statements when they are completed…” Did the $4 million for ‘promotion and advertising truly advanced the best interest of CMKM? “… numerous public companies pay millions of dollars per year to sponsor racing and other professional sports teams. … CMKM’s sponsorship of the CMKXtreme racing team has garnered tremendous publicity and has been greatly appreciated by its stockholders.” Insider Stock Sales … The BILL Please…Lowriderbill explains it best “The shares were sold to a trust to cover the short. Once the shares from the O/S increases were issued and opinion letters written, the shares were surrendered and sold. Simultaneously, the shares were purchased by a trust from the open market to offset the short. None of the purchases were reported to ADP/OBO/NOBO because there are many countries outside of the United States that don’t report to these entities. The same system that brokers use to screw everyone else was used to screw them. Brokers had to purchase their electronic markers from the trust in order to deliver certificates to shareholders. All proceeds are retained in trust for distribution to the shareholders and to fund the development of claims in a new entity.” Thank you Lowriderbill Stalling For Dollars … Statutes of Limitations? Attorney Bill Frizzell “The cases which I have found interpreting the relevant statutes do not suggest a specific time period within which to request action.” The Most Valuable Assets CMKM Diamonds Bona Fide Stockholders are the most valuable Assets. 40,000 plus Stockholders Owners of CMKM Diamonds Owners of Certificates in hand Owners of 600 to 700 Billions Shares Owners of Stock Dividends in CIM Compensation Victims of Counterfeit Stocks Compensation Victims of Insider Dumping Compensation Victims of Forgery United Formidable Force United Computer Force Real Time Access Capabilities Educated, Trained, and Experience in Numerous Professions Proactive via Forums Dedicated Determined Thinking Assets The Conclusion… The information provided, as evidence of a STING, does it fit any of the definitions of a STING?… To cheat or overcharge. A complicated confidence game planned and executed with great care, especially an operation organized and implemented by undercover agents to apprehend criminals. To persuade a person to buy worthless property. A mental pain or distress. Please do not rest this case until the LEGAL CMKX SHAREHOLDERS are compensated! Thank you, BHollenegg References: http://www.sec.gov/litigation/aljdec/id291bpm.htm http://www.sec.gov/info/smallbus/gbfor23.pdf http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/txt-srch-sec?text=stoecklein§ion=Entire+Website&sort;=date http://www.sec.gov/rules/final/34-51983fr.pdf Stoecklein s email, cc Debbie Amigone to Jonathan Katz Secretary of SEC comments on proposed rules concerning Naked Shorting http://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/s72303/stoecklein010504.txt http://xml.10kwizard.com/filing_raw.php?repo=tenk&ipage;=3331089 http://cc.msnscache.com/cache.aspx?q=5826330593224〈=en-US http://www.sec.gov/litigation/aljdec/34-52695.pdf http://www.sec.gov/litigation/aljdec/34-52694.pdf http://www.sec.gov/litigation/aljdec/id298rgm.pdf http://www.sec.gov/litigation/aljdec/id291bpm.pdf http://www.secinfo.com/d1zrpn.zD9.d.htm?Find=advertising&Line;=212#Line212 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2004_June_25/ai_n6086888 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2004_June_25/ai_n6086888 http://ragingbull.quote.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=CMKI&read;=310483 http://www.fbi.gov/contact/legat/legat.htm http://www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/releases/2006/02/14-081.html http://www.wallstreetresearch.org/reports/etgmf.htm http://www.consolidatedabaddon.com/i/pdf/ABN-Athabasca-Map-Proof-Glen-Jones.pdf http://www.consolidatedabaddon.com/i/pdf/ABN_FACT_SHEET.pdf http://www.secinfo.com/$/SEC/Filings.asp....Hits&Show;=Each http://www.secinfo.com/d12Fqz.zx8.htm?Find=casavant&Line;=4161#Line4161 Read more: http://cmkxhottub.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=322&page=3#ixzz1BJZJSYEk

http://nesaranews.blogspot.com/2011/01/intel-117-1010-am.html PROSPERITY PROGRAMS DELIVERIES The Chinese have taken full control of the deliveries process. FED EX Envelopes has been confirmed by a member of our Intel Team located in the FED EX dispatching hub on Saturday. There were sent there by BOA for imminent deliveries. This hub facility was located in the North West. Poofness refers to “6 chinese dudes got the ax for messing with things.” . The Chinese are determined to get this done. A characteristic we use to have until greed & corruption ruled and infected the highest levels of our government in Wash DC. We have heard several Programs Trustees were also fired because of an allegiance to the Bush Cabal and blockage attempts. Those involved with the bush cabal attempt to have a distribution list with Bush cronies on it were also affected.The World Court and the Chinese were on to them. Geeee – This is how these deliveries have been blocked all these years! The gall & nerve of these corrupt trustees. AMAZING! DINARSI will be at my dinar cash out tomorrow again. All indications are for cash out in this country tomorrow. Was informed by my Hong Kong sources that the global RV announcement may have made in China yesterday. Still awaiting confirmation “In English” on that. Now just waiting for the Forex Screens to change! CMKXThe CMKX share holders are very fortunate to have Al Hodges as your point man. My respects to a Great Soul and Great Human Being. His last update which was posted was right on! This week may finally be it for your E/R. and distribution. NOTICE HOW ALL THESE FUNDS PROGRAMS ARE ALL TIMED TOGETHER! NESARA PERHAPS! NEEDS PROGRAMWaiting Tuesday for dinar cash out to fund the OP COMPASSION program operations. Arrangements being finalized to Fund ALL the needs folks via a huge humanitarian program. The keyword is “HUGE” with millions of funds available for distribution.Thank Our LOVING LORD for all this, folks! It would not have been possible without HIS Direction and Inspiration.Actually funds distributions to hopefully start this week. Those in the earlier ‘Dire Straits’ groups --- your gifting is about to commence! With no interference with deception operatives – we are in control now! GOD Bless AllJohn MacHaffie

Thanks for the post, Ron!

http://cmkxunofficial.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=mofo&action=display&thread=7061&page=2 From a member of their site (John Winston Lennon), actually a post from late October, but it does give a little more history, explanations of things mentioned in the recent update by Al Hodges. Specifically what ER refers to, and CMKX. Uncanny how parallel our two sites and its members seem, just different investments, and governments. As all are by now well aware, we have been battling a serious headwind, obtaining Economic Receipt. Although I have previously stated that I would not provide an “update” until we had confirmation of economic receipt or, I became convinced that payment to CMKX shareholders would not be forthcoming in a timely manner, I believe a further update is called for due to the status of the CMKX litigation and due to the unreasonable length of time resolution is taking. Please be advised as follows: • As previously indicated, the August 2 Court hearing was utilized, in part, as a means of conveying to the Judge and to the defendants, some of the additional information which could be added to the originally filed Complaint; this information has now been included in a First Amended Complaint which, out of an abundance of caution, has been filed and served today, September 16, 2010. We will continue to aggressively pursue this matter until such time as all shareholders have been paid. • It has been a very unreasonable period of time since we first began this litigation. Shortly after filing the original Complaint, I advised you of my opinion that resolution was imminent. I am confident that many of you are now convinced that I either don’t know the meaning of that word or am certifiably non compos mentis. Unfortunately, neither is the explanation; in point of fact we, and many others involved in bringing this matter to resolution, have been consistently lied to and ‘played’ by our own government. I do remain convinced that we will prevail. I know that the SEC is anxious for this to be over; however, it is not particularly the SEC that has held things up, IMO. We are, like it or not, tied to the World Global Settlements payouts. Until that process has been concluded, I do not believe that you will receive your payment. As always, inquiring minds want to know: what is our status; what has been going on; what is holding up economic receipt; when will our money be released; etc. etc.? I will try to address some of these concerns, to the extent I am able, separately: 1. Our Status – Our status remains pretty much the same as before. We remain literally on the thresh-hold. This means that the “work” remaining to be finished will not consume more hours than can be accomplished within one day; we have been at this point now for way too many months. However, progress in consummating the World Global Settlements has been made, which is a substantial improvement. I have now been advised that nearly all of the BASEL list items [some 20 in number] have been paid out; only one or two items remain IMO. 2. When is Release – The CMKX distribution funds will be released within a very short time after there is confirmation of Economic Receipt. What does that mean? There is in process a massive shift of wealth within the US and the world community which includes: pay-out of all the domestic prosperity settlements; institution of the US dollar re-funding project; pay-out of world settlements; and, distribution of funds to many other programs. This involves a total of more than $42 Trillion. Economic Receipt occurs when all trustees have access to all of the funds they are responsible for. When the last BASEL item is paid, we will have ER and the CMKX trustees can begin distribution, IMO. 3. Goings On – What’s been going on behind the scenes is a war. As I said before, there is an economic war raging in the background; this war is between those who have controlled this planet for the last hundred and fifty years, and we who think that it must stop. It is a war which, as much due to world circumstance as anything else IMHO, we seem slowly, inexorably winning. Because the naked corruption in D.C. is so endemic, it takes time. These miscreants are, in effect, fighting for their lives – at least that part of their lives that secures an environment in which they can continue to lie, cheat, steal, and mortgage your progeny’s lives, all for their personal gain. Accordingly, they will fight until the doors are all closed by a power that they cannot subvert. The good news is, we are winning the battle. 4. When - When will it be over, you ask; when will we get paid? I have suggested dates in the past, each of which was based upon information that I had received from the people on the scene and in the trenches. I am unwilling at this point to say anything more than I believe it will be soon: 1) because of the status of the World Global Settlements; 2) because I have received anecdotal information regarding movement of CMKX funds; and 3) because of additional information received concerning the status other related payments being made. I again want to extend my heartfelt thanks to those of you who continue to demonstrate support and encouragement for our efforts; I am especially thankful for all of the IM good wishes and thank-you’s. I remain very optimistic for the long term; rest assured that the fight will continue until we succeed. We will prevail!

http://articlesofinterest-kelley.blogspot.com/2011/01/links-global-economy-global-currency.html Sunday, January 16, 2011 LINKS - GLOBAL ECONOMY - GLOBAL CURRENCY ... Bumped ~ additional links added ... The G-20’s Secret Debt Solution ... ~ snip ... The three currencies will essentially be a new dollar, new euro, and a new pan-Asian currency. (The Chinese yuan may survive as a fourth currency, but it will be linked to a basket of the three new currencies.) U.N. TO EMERGE AS GLOBAL IRS - UN DECLARATION MARCH. 23-24TH Interesting Article from fofoa ~ Call-Me-Contrarian ... UN to Produce Bullion coins as World Currency Global Reserve Currency is Here - WOCU OVERNIGHT GLOBAL REALIGNMENTS? PAST EVENTS LEADING UP TO THIS MOMENT - PART 1 ... BILDERBERGERS WANT GLOBAL CURRENCY NOW IMF, G-20 Start Work On Creating More Balanced Global Economy *** January 13th? GLOBAL FINANCIAL OVERHAUL WILL BE SEEN IN 2010 High-level meeting ponders how to reconstruct the world economy ... THE International Monetary Fund wants new authority to supervise the global financial system *** February 27-28-2010 ~ The First G20 Meeting Is Held on February 27-28 in Songdo Links to Articles ~ North American Union (Amero) LINKS - CURRENCY REALIGNMENTS - POSSIBLE REGIONAL ADJUSTMENT TO CURRENCIES 2010 The Amero - Will it replace the Dollar? 2 dollars to 1 Amero... Regional Monetary Funds: EU, ASEAN, GCC, L.A., N.A.U., Russian ~ The Fall of the Euro ~ Is it Part of the Plan Towards a New World Currency? Global Currencies ~ Euro Could Reach Parity with Dollar ...Canada's Loonie on Par with Dollar ... Secretive Group of International Bankers to form a World Government and Global Economy ... SDR should include Yuan ~ Nobel laureate, Mundell, calls for yuan's inclusion in IMF basket ... Joseph Stiglitz : ‘IMF Rerserve Currency Can Be Phased in within a Year and Dominique Strauss 'Yuan May Enter IMF Kitty (Basket) to Evaluate SDR' ... IMF: Lessen Dependence on Dollar says Dominique Strauss ... IMF's Strauss-Kahn suggests IMF may one day provide global reserve asset </SPAN> IMF Head Eyes Global Currency Change (1 more of the same) IMF chief says more stable global currency needed Time for currency realignment? April 15th Delay ~ US delaying Currencies Report Amid China Dispute ~ 3 months of Important Meetings Coming Up ... UN to Produce Bullion coins as World Currency </SPAN> Waking up to a World Currency ... October 6, 2009 - UN calls for New Reserve Currency </SPAN> UNCTAD Trade and Development Report 2009 The New World Order Currency Crisis ... </STRONG></SPAN> Folding the US Into a Single Global Currency ... “Birds of a feather flock together” Trilateral Commission, CFR and America's Globalization ... Bankers to form a World Government and Global Economy ... w/video ... World Economic Forum (WEF) vice-chair calls for overhaul of IMF ... </SPAN> </SPAN></STRONG>Global Imbalances and Exchange-Rate Movements: governance and coordination at the international level ... IMF SDRs ~ Senior UN Economic Officials Recommend Greater Reliance on an Alternative to the U.S. Dollar known as Special Drawing Rights - Here we go~ New UN report calls for major overhaul of global finance, aid and trade machinery IMF April 2010 Report - Reserve Accumulation and International Monetary Stability ~ link ~ http://www.imf.org/external/np/pp/eng/2010/041310.pdf ***Friday, October 8th ~ "Group of Seven Ministers - G7 - in Washington, on the sidelines of the IMF meeting ~ Currency issues will be discussed ... </STRONG></SPAN> Dollar Drama? Global Rebalancing? China's Hu Jintao answers questions with Washington Post Posted by Kel at 1/16/2011 09:29:00 AM

Thanks for the post Ron! Most interesting to me is how much the global settlements, prosperity packets get mentioned by the varied sites. From my own research into the CMKX and global settlements, I agree with the possibility that we are witnessing another "Breton Woods" (sp?) situation, and there has been a larger plan being played out of which the dinar is just a part, however vital as it may be as a catalyst for world change. I also speculate that we just might be heading back to a gold based currency, and if we aren't, we should be! I would like to add, for all the negative bashers out there that I am not basing any of this opinion on what Okie says, only find it a happy coincidence that another post mentions something that I have been wondering about for a while now. Its all very difficult to "get my head around" on the global change level beyond dinar thing, but have enjoyed reading about for quite a while!

Ron, thanks for the post! Makes sense to me! Whether each and every point is "verifyable" is not so much the point, but rather how many varied points coincide with other timely info! I think half the fun of this speculation adventure is trying to "connect as many dots" from what is offered (by people like you) and then researching on one's own to fill in the missing connections for supporting evidence. Good find!

http://jp.reuters.com/news/video?videoChannel=200&videoId=177406218

Before I saw this thread, I posted the same letter, and it was my further investigation of verocity of the letter, where I actually found the original letter, where the information with links to Global Intelligence were found. As I said earlier, I am just trying to connect the dots. This link (below listed as "Global Intelligence Network") was listed directly under Al Hodges contact info on the following link: http://fraudallowedbythesec.blog.com/ Al Hodges referred to the Global Intelligence in this post: http://dinarvets.com..._1entry347092 Global Intelligence Network 2190 E. Pebble Road, Suite 150 Las Vegas, NV 89123 702.891.0500 702.891.0555 (Fax) 877.891.0500 (Toll Free) Nevada Private Investigator License #883 California Private Investigator License #9718″ Read more: http://dinarvets.com/forums/index.php?/topic/50492-global-intelligence-network/#ixzz1BDt52Cvl

Sorry, I just saw that this had already been posted, Mods you might want to move this thread, to avoid too much repitition. Thank-you!

Marcuscurtis, I, too, have been looking more into: CMKX Global Settlements Global Intelligence Asset backed currencies As afore-mentioned by Mr. Hodges when he linked these words to the dinar... still looking for more info to confirming the connection to the dinar RV. Thanks for the links, will go now to read. <BR>In case my latest updates have already gotten buried, I am adding those links below. These are mentioned in by Mr. Hodges in the 1-10 list mentioning the dinar One thing unturned another, just trying to connect all the dots I'm still reserving judgement, but definitely very interesting stuff! This stuff is somewhat mind boggling, yet a possiblity, something to think about.. Global Settlements.. background info http://dinarvets.com...__fromsearch__1 Global Settlements...Finality of settlement http://dinarvets.com...__fromsearch__1 http://dinarvets.com...__fromsearch__1 Commodity Backed Currencies/Global Monetary System? http://dinarvets.com...__fromsearch__1 Read more: http://dinarvets.com/forums/index.php?/topic/50428-global-settlements-cmkx-dinar-etc/#ixzz1BDnDCTtc

I didn't see tis posted, yet ... Found this over at KTFM. Hopefully not a re-post, though the articles are old. The "Plan & Dinar Stall" explanation Frank, I would like to hear your thinking after reading these articles. IMHO, these two articles were written by "Left leaning" writers and do cover the start of the Iraq story ... or "Plan" and how we got here today. I searched for information to see if I could find the $ side ..... to better understand .... and find a "Date" map for the RV/RI IMO, this is a "Must Read" if you want to know about "The Plan", "Paris Club" agreement, Allawi, "Armed Resistance", "Why Reconstruction" has failed up to now, Moqtada al Sadr, why the "IMF" is making loans, and see why there is no RV/RI yet and more importantly why it must come quickly so Iraq can quickly "Reconstruct Itself" and put people to work before they go to into a "civil religious" war within as the realigns' leaders push to take control as they did in Iran and then rob the people of their rights. After reading these two articles, IMHO, we are the second wave of investors in Iraq. Many things have changed .... but I now have an even better view of my investment. I also understand now that there could be a longer wait. But I also understand that if there is too long a wait .... things could get truly ugly with our investment in Iraq .... and will not buy more Dinar as I have done routinely for a few years now. In fact if it does not happen soon .... I will start to sell some. I .... kind of wish I had read these before I started to invest ..... I would still have purchased Dinar but not nearly as much as I did. Don't let these articles chase you away from Dinar .... because I also feel there are forces at work here that will never be in books today but are in books from long long ago. Read, ..... learn .... and understand what you have done, are doing and why you are still waiting. WatchMan Mods, please consider making this a "sticky" for the new Dinar investors. Baghdad year zero: By Naomi Klein It was only after I had been in Baghdad for a month that I found what I was looking for. I had traveled to Iraq a year after the war began, at the height of what should have been a construction boom, but after weeks of searching I had not seen a single piece of heavy machinery apart from tanks and humvees. Then I saw it: a construction crane. It was big and yellow and impressive, and when I caught a glimpse of it around a corner in a busy shopping district I thought that I was finally about to witness some of the reconstruction I had heard so much about. But as I got closer I noticed that the crane was not actually rebuilding anything—not one of the bombed-out government buildings that still lay in rubble all over the city, nor one of the many power lines that remained in twisted heaps even as the heat of summer was starting to bear down. No, the crane was hoisting a giant billboard to the top of a three-story building. SUNBULAH: HONEY 100% NATURAL, made in Saudi Arabia. Seeing the sign, I couldn't help but think about something Senator John McCain had said back in October. Iraq, he said, is “a huge pot of honey that's attracting a lot of flies.” The flies McCain was referring to were the Halliburtons and Bechtels, as well as the venture capitalists who flocked to Iraq in the path cleared by Bradley Fighting Vehicles and laser-guided bombs. The honey that drew them was not just no-bid contracts and Iraq's famed oil wealth but the myriad investment opportunities offered by a country that had just been cracked wide open after decades of being sealed off, first by the nationalist economic policies of Saddam Hussein, then by asphyxiating United Nations sanctions. Looking at the honey billboard, I was also reminded of the most common explanation for what has gone wrong in Iraq, a complaint echoed by everyone from John Kerry to Pat Buchanan: Iraq is mired in blood and deprivation because George W. Bush didn't have “a postwar plan.” The only problem with this theory is that it isn't true. The Bush Administration did have a plan for what it would do after the war; put simply, it was to lay out as much honey as possible, then sit back and wait for the flies. ________________________________________ The honey theory of Iraqi reconstruction stems from the most cherished belief of the war's ideological architects: that greed is good. Not good just for them and their friends but good for humanity, and certainly good for Iraqis. Greed creates profit, which creates growth, which creates jobs and products and services and everything else anyone could possibly need or want. The role of good government, then, is to create the optimal conditions for corporations to pursue their bottomless greed, so that they in turn can meet the needs of the society. The problem is that governments, even neoconservative governments, rarely get the chance to prove their sacred theory right: despite their enormous ideological advances, even George Bush's Republicans are, in their own minds, perennially sabotaged by meddling Democrats, intractable unions, and alarmist environmentalists. Iraq was going to change all that. In one place on Earth, the theory would finally be put into practice in its most perfect and uncompromised form. A country of 25 million would not be rebuilt as it was before the war; it would be erased, disappeared. In its place would spring forth a gleaming showroom for laissez-faire economics, a utopia such as the world had never seen. Every policy that liberates multinational corporations to pursue their quest for profit would be put into place: a shrunken state, a flexible workforce, open borders, minimal taxes, no tariffs, no ownership restrictions. The people of Iraq would, of course, have to endure some short-term pain: assets, previously owned by the state, would have to be given up to create new opportunities for growth and investment. Jobs would have to be lost and, as foreign products flooded across the border, local businesses and family farms would, unfortunately, be unable to compete. But to the authors of this plan, these would be small prices to pay for the economic boom that would surely explode once the proper conditions were in place, a boom so powerful the country would practically rebuild itself. The fact that the boom never came and Iraq continues to tremble under explosions of a very different sort should never be blamed on the absence of a plan. Rather, the blame rests with the plan itself, and the extraordinarily violent ideology upon which it is based. ________________________________________ Torturers believe that when electrical shocks are applied to various parts of the body simultaneously subjects are rendered so confused about where the pain is coming from that they become incapable of resistance. A declassified CIA “Counterintelligence Interrogation” manual from 1963 describes how a trauma inflicted on prisoners opens up “an interval—which may be extremely brief—of suspended animation, a kind of psychological shock or paralysis. . . . [A]t this moment the source is far more open to suggestion, far likelier to comply.” A similar theory applies to economic shock therapy, or “shock treatment,” the ugly term used to describe the rapid implementation of free-market reforms imposed on Chile in the wake of General Augusto Pinochet's coup. The theory is that if painful economic “adjustments” are brought in rapidly and in the aftermath of a seismic social disruption like a war, a coup, or a government collapse, the population will be so stunned, and so preoccupied with the daily pressures of survival, that it too will go into suspended animation, unable to resist. As Pinochet's finance minister, Admiral Lorenzo Gotuzzo, declared, “The dog's tail must be cut off in one chop.” That, in essence, was the working thesis in Iraq, and in keeping with the belief that private companies are more suited than governments for virtually every task, the White House decided to privatize the task of privatizing Iraq's state-dominated economy. Two months before the war began, USAID began drafting a work order, to be handed out to a private company, to oversee Iraq's “transition to a sustainable market-driven economic system.” The document states that the winning company (which turned out to be the KPMG offshoot Bearing Point) will take “appropriate advantage of the unique opportunity for rapid progress in this area presented by the current configuration of political circumstances.” Which is precisely what happened. L. Paul Bremer, who led the U.S. occupation of Iraq from May 2, 2003, until he caught an early flight out of Baghdad on June 28, admits that when he arrived, “Baghdad was on fire, literally, as I drove in from the airport.” But before the fires from the “shock and awe” military onslaught were even extinguished, Bremer unleashed his shock therapy, pushing through more wrenching changes in one sweltering summer than the International Monetary Fund has managed to enact over three decades in Latin America. Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel laureate and former chief economist at the World Bank, describes Bremer's reforms as “an even more radical form of shock therapy than pursued in the former Soviet world.” The tone of Bremer's tenure was set with his first major act on the job: he fired 500,000 state workers, most of them soldiers, but also doctors, nurses, teachers, publishers, and printers. Next, he flung open the country's borders to absolutely unrestricted imports: no tariffs, no duties, no inspections, no taxes. Iraq, Bremer declared two weeks after he arrived, was “open for business.” One month later, Bremer unveiled the centerpiece of his reforms. Before the invasion, Iraq's non-oil-related economy had been dominated by 200 state-owned companies, which produced everything from cement to paper to washing machines. In June, Bremer flew to an economic summit in Jordan and announced that these firms would be privatized immediately. “Getting inefficient state enterprises into private hands,” he said, “is essential for Iraq's economic recovery.” It would be the largest state liquidation sale since the collapse of the Soviet Union. But Bremer's economic engineering had only just begun. In September, to entice foreign investors to come to Iraq, he enacted a radical set of laws unprecedented in their generosity to multinational corporations. There was Order 37, which lowered Iraq's corporate tax rate from roughly 40 percent to a flat 15 percent. There was Order 39, which allowed foreign companies to own 100 percent of Iraqi assets outside of the natural-resource sector. Even better, investors could take 100 percent of the profits they made in Iraq out of the country; they would not be required to reinvest and they would not be taxed. Under Order 39, they could sign leases and contracts that would last for forty years. Order 40 welcomed foreign banks to Iraq under the same favorable terms. All that remained of Saddam Hussein's economic policies was a law restricting trade unions and collective bargaining. If these policies sound familiar, it's because they are the same ones multinationals around the world lobby for from national governments and in international trade agreements. But while these reforms are only ever enacted in part, or in fits and starts, Bremer delivered them all, all at once. Overnight, Iraq went from being the most isolated country in the world to being, on paper, its widest-open market. ________________________________________ At first, the shock-therapy theory seemed to hold: Iraqis, reeling from violence both military and economic, were far too busy staying alive to mount a political response to Bremer's campaign. Worrying about the privatization of the sewage system was an unimaginable luxury with half the population lacking access to clean drinking water; the debate over the flat tax would have to wait until the lights were back on. Even in the international press, Bremer's new laws, though radical, were easily upstaged by more dramatic news of political chaos and rising crime. Some people were paying attention, of course. That autumn was awash in “rebuilding Iraq” trade shows, in Washington, London, Madrid, and Amman. The Economist described Iraq under Bremer as “a capitalist dream,” and a flurry of new consulting firms were launched promising to help companies get access to the Iraqi market, their boards of directors stacked with well-connected Republicans. The most prominent was New Bridge Strategies, started by Joe Allbaugh, former Bush-Cheney campaign manager. “Getting the rights to distribute Procter & Gamble products can be a gold mine,” one of the company's partners enthused. “One well-stocked 7-Eleven could knock out thirty Iraqi stores; a Wal-Mart could take over the country.” Soon there were rumors that a McDonald's would be opening up in downtown Baghdad, funding was almost in place for a Starwood luxury hotel, and General Motors was planning to build an auto plant. On the financial side, HSBC would have branches all over the country, Citigroup was preparing to offer substantial loans guaranteed against future sales of Iraqi oil, and the bell was going to ring on a New York‒style stock exchange in Baghdad any day. In only a few months, the postwar plan to turn Iraq into a laboratory for the neocons had been realized. Leo Strauss may have provided the intellectual framework for invading Iraq preemptively, but it was that other University of Chicago professor, Milton Friedman, author of the anti-government manifesto Capitalism and Freedom, who supplied the manual for what to do once the country was safely in America's hands. This represented an enormous victory for the most ideological wing of the Bush Administration. But it was also something more: the culmination of two interlinked power struggles, one among Iraqi exiles advising the White House on its postwar strategy, the other within the White House itself. ________________________________________ As the British historian Dilip Hiro has shown, in Secrets and Lies: Operation ‘Iraqi Freedom’ and After, the Iraqi exiles pushing for the invasion were divided, broadly, into two camps. On one side were “the pragmatists,” who favored getting rid of Saddam and his immediate entourage, securing access to oil, and slowly introducing free-market reforms. Many of these exiles were part of the State Department's Future of Iraq Project, which generated a thirteen-volume report on how to restore basic services and transition to democracy after the war. On the other side was the “Year Zero” camp, those who believed that Iraq was so contaminated that it needed to be rubbed out and remade from scratch. The prime advocate of the pragmatic approach was Iyad Allawi, a former high-level Baathist who fell out with Saddam and started working for the CIA. The prime advocate of the Year Zero approach was Ahmad Chalabi, whose hatred of the Iraqi state for expropriating his family's assets during the 1958 revolution ran so deep he longed to see the entire country burned to the ground—everything, that is, but the Oil Ministry, which would be the nucleus of the new Iraq, the cluster of cells from which an entire nation would grow. He called this process “de-Baathification.” A parallel battle between pragmatists and true believers was being waged within the Bush Administration. The pragmatists were men like Secretary of State Colin Powell and General Jay Garner, the first U.S. envoy to postwar Iraq. General Garner's plan was straightforward enough: fix the infrastructure, hold quick and dirty elections, leave the shock therapy to the International Monetary Fund, and concentrate on securing U.S. military bases on the model of the Philippines. “I think we should look right now at Iraq as our coaling station in the Middle East,” he told the BBC. He also paraphrased T. E. Lawrence, saying, “It's better for them to do it imperfectly than for us to do it for them perfectly.” On the other side was the usual cast of neoconservatives: Vice President **** Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (who lauded Bremer's “sweeping reforms” as “some of the most enlightened and inviting tax and investment laws in the free world”), Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, and, perhaps most centrally, Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith. Whereas the State Department had its Future of Iraq report, the neocons had USAID's contract with Bearing Point to remake Iraq's economy: in 108 pages, “privatization” was mentioned no fewer than fifty-one times. To the true believers in the White House, General Garner's plans for postwar Iraq seemed hopelessly unambitious. Why settle for a mere coaling station when you can have a model free market? Why settle for the Philippines when you can have a beacon unto the world? The Iraqi Year Zeroists made natural allies for the White House neoconservatives: Chalabi's seething hatred of the Baathist state fit nicely with the neocons' hatred of the state in general, and the two agendas effortlessly merged. Together, they came to imagine the invasion of Iraq as a kind of Rapture: where the rest of the world saw death, they saw birth—a country redeemed through violence, cleansed by fire. Iraq wasn't being destroyed by cruise missiles, cluster bombs, chaos, and looting; it was being born again. April 9, 2003, the day Baghdad fell, was Day One of Year Zero. While the war was being waged, it still wasn't clear whether the pragmatists or the Year Zeroists would be handed control over occupied Iraq. But the speed with which the nation was conquered dramatically increased the neocons' political capital, since they had been predicting a “cakewalk” all along. Eight days after George Bush landed on that aircraft carrier under a banner that said MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, the President publicly signed on to the neocons' vision for Iraq to become a model corporate state that would open up the entire region. On May 9, Bush proposed the “establishment of a U.S.-Middle East free trade area within a decade”; three days later, Bush sent Paul Bremer to Baghdad to replace Jay Garner, who had been on the job for only three weeks. The message was unequivocal: the pragmatists had lost; Iraq would belong to the believers. A Reagan-era diplomat turned entrepreneur, Bremer had recently proven his ability to transform rubble into gold by waiting exactly one month after the September 11 attacks to launch Crisis Consulting Practice, a security company selling “terrorism risk insurance” to multinationals. Bremer had two lieutenants on the economic front: Thomas Foley and Michael Fleischer, the heads of “private sector development” for the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). Foley is a Greenwich, Connecticut, multimillionaire, a longtime friend of the Bush family and a Bush-Cheney campaign “pioneer” who has described Iraq as a modern California “gold rush.” Fleischer, a venture capitalist, is the brother of former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer. Neither man had any high-level diplomatic experience and both use the term corporate “turnaround” specialist to describe what they do. According to Foley, this uniquely qualified them to manage Iraq's economy because it was “the mother of all turnarounds.” Many of the other CPA postings were equally ideological. The Green Zone, the city within a city that houses the occupation headquarters in Saddam's former palace, was filled with Young Republicans straight out of the Heritage Foundation, all of them given responsibility they could never have dreamed of receiving at home. Jay Hallen, a twenty-four-year-old who had applied for a job at the White House, was put in charge of launching Baghdad's new stock exchange. Scott Erwin, a twenty-one-year-old former intern to **** Cheney, reported in an email home that “I am assisting Iraqis in the management of finances and budgeting for the domestic security forces.” The college senior's favorite job before this one? “My time as an ice-cream truck driver.” In those early days, the Green Zone felt a bit like the Peace Corps, for people who think the Peace Corps is a communist plot. It was a chance to sleep on cots, wear army boots, and cry “incoming”—all while being guarded around the clock by real soldiers. The teams of KPMG accountants, investment bankers, think-tank lifers, and Young Republicans that populate the Green Zone have much in common with the IMF missions that rearrange the economies of developing countries from the presidential suites of Sheraton hotels the world over. Except for one rather significant difference: in Iraq they were not negotiating with the government to accept their “structural adjustments” in exchange for a loan; they were the government. Some small steps were taken, however, to bring Iraq's U.S.-appointed politicians inside. Yegor Gaidar, the mastermind of Russia's mid-nineties privatization auction that gave away the country's assets to the reigning oligarchs, was invited to share his wisdom at a conference in Baghdad. Marek Belka, who as finance minister oversaw the same process in Poland, was brought in as well. The Iraqis who proved most gifted at mouthing the neocon lines were selected to act as what USAID calls local “policy champions”—men like Ahmad al Mukhtar, who told me of his countrymen, “They are lazy. The Iraqis by nature, they are very dependent. . . . They will have to depend on themselves, it is the only way to survive in the world today.” Although he has no economics background and his last job was reading the English-language news on television, al Mukhtar was appointed director of foreign relations in the Ministry of Trade and is leading the charge for Iraq to join the World Trade Organization. ________________________________________ I had been following the economic front of the war for almost a year before I decided to go to Iraq. I attended the “Rebuilding Iraq” trade shows, studied Bremer's tax and investment laws, met with contractors at their home offices in the United States, interviewed the government officials in Washington who are making the policies. But as I prepared to travel to Iraq in March to see this experiment in free-market utopianism up close, it was becoming increasingly clear that all was not going according to plan. Bremer had been working on the theory that if you build a corporate utopia the corporations will come—but where were they? American multinationals were happy to accept U.S. taxpayer dollars to reconstruct the phone or electricity systems, but they weren't sinking their own money into Iraq. There was, as yet, no McDonald's or Wal-Mart in Baghdad, and even the sales of state factories, announced so confidently nine months earlier, had not materialized. Some of the holdup had to do with the physical risks of doing business in Iraq. But there were other more significant risks as well. When Paul Bremer shredded Iraq's Baathist constitution and replaced it with what The Economist greeted approvingly as “the wish list of foreign investors,” there was one small detail he failed to mention: It was all completely illegal. The CPA derived its legal authority from United Nations Security Council Resolution 1483, passed in May 2003, which recognized the United States and Britain as Iraq's legitimate occupiers. It was this resolution that empowered Bremer to unilaterally make laws in Iraq. But the resolution also stated that the U.S. and Britain must “comply fully with their obligations under international law including in particular the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Hague Regulations of 1907.” Both conventions were born as an attempt to curtail the unfortunate historical tendency among occupying powers to rewrite the rules so that they can economically strip the nations they control. With this in mind, the conventions stipulate that an occupier must abide by a country's existing laws unless “absolutely prevented” from doing so. They also state that an occupier does not own the “public buildings, real estate, forests and agricultural assets” of the country it is occupying but is rather their “administrator” and custodian, keeping them secure until sovereignty is reestablished. This was the true threat to the Year Zero plan: since America didn't own Iraq's assets, it could not legally sell them, which meant that after the occupation ended, an Iraqi government could come to power and decide that it wanted to keep the state companies in public hands, or, as is the norm in the Gulf region, to bar foreign firms from owning 100 percent of national assets. If that happened, investments made under Bremer's rules could be expropriated, leaving firms with no recourse because their investments had violated international law from the outset. By November, trade lawyers started to advise their corporate clients not to go into Iraq just yet, that it would be better to wait until after the transition. Insurance companies were so spooked that not a single one of the big firms would insure investors for “political risk,” that high-stakes area of insurance law that protects companies against foreign governments turning nationalist or socialist and expropriating their investments. Even the U.S.-appointed Iraqi politicians, up to now so obedient, were getting nervous about their own political futures if they went along with the privatization plans. Communications Minister Haider al-Abadi told me about his first meeting with Bremer. “I said, ‘Look, we don't have the mandate to sell any of this. Privatization is a big thing. We have to wait until there is an Iraqi government.’” Minister of Industry Mohamad Tofiq was even more direct: “I am not going to do something that is not legal, so that's it.” Both al-Abadi and Tofiq told me about a meeting—never reported in the press—that took place in late October 2003. At that gathering the twenty-five members of Iraq's Governing Council as well as the twenty-five interim ministers decided unanimously that they would not participate in the privatization of Iraq's state-owned companies or of its publicly owned infrastructure. But Bremer didn't give up. International law prohibits occupiers from selling state assets themselves, but it doesn't say anything about the puppet governments they appoint. Originally, Bremer had pledged to hand over power to a directly elected Iraqi government, but in early November he went to Washington for a private meeting with President Bush and came back with a Plan B. On June 30 the occupation would officially end—but not really. It would be replaced by an appointed government, chosen by Washington. This government would not be bound by the international laws preventing occupiers from selling off state assets, but it would be bound by an “interim constitution,” a document that would protect Bremer's investment and privatization laws. The plan was risky. Bremer's June 30 deadline was awfully close, and it was chosen for a less than ideal reason: so that President Bush could trumpet the end of Iraq's occupation on the campaign trail. If everything went according to plan, Bremer would succeed in forcing a “sovereign” Iraqi government to carry out his illegal reforms. But if something went wrong, he would have to go ahead with the June 30 handover anyway because by then Karl Rove, and not **** Cheney or Donald Rumsfeld, would be calling the shots. And if it came down to a choice between ideology in Iraq and the electability of George W. Bush, everyone knew which would win. ________________________________________ At first, Plan B seemed to be right on track. Bremer persuaded the Iraqi Governing Council to agree to everything: the new timetable, the interim government, and the interim constitution. He even managed to slip into the constitution a completely overlooked clause, Article 26. It stated that for the duration of the interim government, “The laws, regulations, orders and directives issued by the Coalition Provisional Authority . . . shall remain in force” and could only be changed after general elections are held. Bremer had found his legal loophole: There would be a window—seven months—when the occupation was officially over but before general elections were scheduled to take place. Within this window, the Hague and Geneva Conventions' bans on privatization would no longer apply, but Bremer's own laws, thanks to Article 26, would stand. During these seven months, foreign investors could come to Iraq and sign forty-year contracts to buy up Iraqi assets. If a future elected Iraqi government decided to change the rules, investors could sue for compensation. But Bremer had a formidable opponent: Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, the most senior Shia cleric in Iraq. al Sistani tried to block Bremer's plan at every turn, calling for immediate direct elections and for the constitution to be written after those elections, not before. Both demands, if met, would have closed Bremer's privatization window. Then, on March 2, with the Shia members of the Governing Council refusing to sign the interim constitution, five bombs exploded in front of mosques in Karbala and Baghdad, killing close to 200 worshipers. General John Abizaid, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, warned that the country was on the verge of civil war. Frightened by this prospect, al Sistani backed down and the Shia politicians signed the interim constitution. It was a familiar story: the shock of a violent attack paved the way for more shock therapy. When I arrived in Iraq a week later, the economic project seemed to be back on track. All that remained for Bremer was to get his interim constitution ratified by a Security Council resolution, then the nervous lawyers and insurance brokers could relax and the sell-off of Iraq could finally begin. The CPA, meanwhile, had launched a major new P.R. offensive designed to reassure investors that Iraq was still a safe and exciting place to do business. The centerpiece of the campaign was Destination Baghdad Exposition, a massive trade show for potential investors to be held in early April at the Baghdad International Fairgrounds. It was the first such event inside Iraq, and the organizers had branded the trade fair “DBX,” as if it were some sort of Mountain Dew‒sponsored dirt-bike race. In keeping with the extreme-sports theme, Thomas Foley traveled to Washington to tell a gathering of executives that the risks in Iraq are akin “to skydiving or riding a motorcycle, which are, to many, very acceptable risks.” But three hours after my arrival in Baghdad, I was finding these reassurances extremely hard to believe. I had not yet unpacked when my hotel room was filled with debris and the windows in the lobby were shattered. Down the street, the Mount Lebanon Hotel had just been bombed, at that point the largest attack of its kind since the official end of the war. The next day, another hotel was bombed in Basra, then two Finnish businessmen were murdered on their way to a meeting in Baghdad. Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt finally admitted that there was a pattern at work: “the extremists have started shifting away from the hard targets . . . [and] are now going out of their way to specifically target softer targets.” The next day, the State Department updated its travel advisory: U.S. citizens were “strongly warned against travel to Iraq.” The physical risks of doing business in Iraq seemed to be spiraling out of control. This, once again, was not part of the original plan. When Bremer first arrived in Baghdad, the armed resistance was so low that he was able to walk the streets with a minimal security entourage. During his first four months on the job, 109 U.S. soldiers were killed and 570 were wounded. In the following four months, when Bremer's shock therapy had taken effect, the number of U.S. casualties almost doubled, with 195 soldiers killed and 1,633 wounded. There are many in Iraq who argue that these events are connected—that Bremer's reforms were the single largest factor leading to the rise of armed resistance. Take, for instance, Bremer's first casualties. The soldiers and workers he laid off without pensions or severance pay didn't all disappear quietly. Many of them went straight into the mujahedeen, forming the backbone of the armed resistance. “Half a million people are now worse off, and there you have the water tap that keeps the insurgency going. It's alternative employment,” says Hussain Kubba, head of the prominent Iraqi business group Kubba Consulting. Some of Bremer's other economic casualties also have failed to go quietly. It turns out that many of the businessmen whose companies are threatened by Bremer's investment laws have decided to make investments of their own—in the resistance. It is partly their money that keeps fighters in Kalashnikovs and RPGs. These developments present a challenge to the basic logic of shock therapy: the neocons were convinced that if they brought in their reforms quickly and ruthlessly, Iraqis would be too stunned to resist. But the shock appears to have had the opposite effect; rather than the predicted paralysis, it jolted many Iraqis into action, much of it extreme. Haider al-Abadi, Iraq's minister of communication, puts it this way: “We know that there are terrorists in the country, but previously they were not successful, they were isolated. Now because the whole country is unhappy, and a lot of people don't have jobs . . . these terrorists are finding listening ears.” Bremer was now at odds not only with the Iraqis who opposed his plans but with U.S military commanders charged with putting down the insurgency his policies were feeding. Heretical questions began to be raised: instead of laying people off, what if the CPA actually created jobs for Iraqis? And instead of rushing to sell off Iraq's 200 state-owned firms, how about putting them back to work? ________________________________________ From the start, the neocons running Iraq had shown nothing but disdain for Iraq's state-owned companies. In keeping with their Year Zero‒apocalyptic glee, when looters descended on the factories during the war, U.S. forces did nothing. Sabah Asaad, managing director of a refrigerator factory outside Baghdad, told me that while the looting was going on, he went to a nearby U.S. Army base and begged for help. “I asked one of the officers to send two soldiers and a vehicle to help me kick out the looters. I was crying. The officer said, ‘Sorry, we can't do anything, we need an order from President Bush.’” Back in Washington, Donald Rumsfeld shrugged. “Free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things.” To see the remains of Asaad's football-field-size warehouse is to understand why Frank Gehry had an artistic crisis after September 11 and was briefly unable to design structures resembling the rubble of modern buildings. Asaad's looted and burned factory looks remarkably like a heavy-metal version of Gehry's Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain, with waves of steel, buckled by fire, lying in terrifyingly beautiful golden heaps. Yet all was not lost. “The looters were good-hearted,” one of Asaad's painters told me, explaining that they left the tools and machines behind, “so we could work again.” Because the machines are still there, many factory managers in Iraq say that it would take little for them to return to full production. They need emergency generators to cope with daily blackouts, and they need capital for parts and raw materials. If that happened, it would have tremendous implications for Iraq's stalled reconstruction, because it would mean that many of the key materials needed to rebuild—cement and steel, bricks and furniture—could be produced inside the country. But it hasn't happened. Immediately after the nominal end of the war, Congress appropriated $2.5 billion for the reconstruction of Iraq, followed by an additional $18.4 billion in October. Yet as of July 2004, Iraq's state-owned factories had been pointedly excluded from the reconstruction contracts. Instead, the billions have all gone to Western companies, with most of the materials for the reconstruction imported at great expense from abroad. With unemployment as high as 67 percent, the imported products and foreign workers flooding across the borders have become a source of tremendous resentment in Iraq and yet another open tap fueling the insurgency. And Iraqis don't have to look far for reminders of this injustice; it's on display in the most ubiquitous symbol of the occupation: the blast wall. The ten-foot-high slabs of reinforced concrete are everywhere in Iraq, separating the protected—the people in upscale hotels, luxury homes, military bases, and, of course, the Green Zone—from the unprotected and exposed. If that wasn't injury enough, all the blast walls are imported, from Kurdistan, Turkey, or even farther afield, this despite the fact that Iraq was once a major manufacturer of cement, and could easily be again. There are seventeen state-owned cement factories across the country, but most are idle or working at only half capacity. According to the Ministry of Industry, not one of these factories has received a single contract to help with the reconstruction, even though they could produce the walls and meet other needs for cement at a greatly reduced cost. The CPA pays up to $1,000 per imported blast wall; local manufacturers say they could make them for $100. Minister Tofiq says there is a simple reason why the Americans refuse to help get Iraq's cement factories running again: among those making the decisions, “no one believes in the public sector.” 11. Tofiq did say that several U.S. companies had expressed strong interest in buying the state-owned cement factories. This supports a widely held belief in Iraq that there is a deliberate strategy to neglect the state firms so that they can be sold more cheaply--a practice known as "starve then sell." This kind of ideological blindness has turned Iraq's occupiers into prisoners of their own policies, hiding behind walls that, by their very existence, fuel the rage at the U.S. presence, thereby feeding the need for more walls. In Baghdad the concrete barriers have been given a popular nickname: Bremer Walls. As the insurgency grew, it soon became clear that if Bremer went ahead with his plans to sell off the state companies, it could worsen the violence. There was no question that privatization would require layoffs: the Ministry of Industry estimates that roughly 145,000 workers would have to be fired to make the firms desirable to investors, with each of those workers supporting, on average, five family members. For Iraq's besieged occupiers the question was: Would these shock-therapy casualties accept their fate or would they rebel? ________________________________________ The answer arrived, in rather dramatic fashion, at one of the largest state-owned companies, the General Company for Vegetable Oils. The complex of six factories in a Baghdad industrial zone produces cooking oil, hand soap, laundry detergent, shaving cream, and shampoo. At least that is what I was told by a receptionist who gave me glossy brochures and calendars boasting of “modern instruments” and “the latest and most up to date developments in the field of industry.” But when I approached the soap factory, I discovered a group of workers sleeping outside a darkened building. Our guide rushed ahead, shouting something to a woman in a white lab coat, and suddenly the factory scrambled into activity: lights switched on, motors revved up, and workers—still blinking off sleep—began filling two-liter plastic bottles with pale blue Zahi brand dishwashing liquid. I asked Nada Ahmed, the woman in the white coat, why the factory wasn't working a few minutes before. She explained that they have only enough electricity and materials to run the machines for a couple of hours a day, but when guests arrive—would-be investors, ministry officials, journalists—they get them going. “For show,” she explained. Behind us, a dozen bulky machines sat idle, covered in sheets of dusty plastic and secured with duct tape. In one dark corner of the plant, we came across an old man hunched over a sack filled with white plastic caps. With a thin metal blade lodged in a wedge of wax, he carefully whittled down the edges of each cap, leaving a pile of shavings at his feet. “We don't have the spare part for the proper mold, so we have to cut them by hand,” his supervisor explained apologetically. “We haven't received any parts from Germany since the sanctions began.” I noticed that even on the assembly lines that were nominally working there was almost no mechanization: bottles were held under spouts by hand because conveyor belts don't convey, lids once snapped on by machines were being hammered in place with wooden mallets. Even the water for the factory was drawn from an outdoor well, hoisted by hand, and carried inside. The solution proposed by the U.S. occupiers was not to fix the plant but to sell it, and so when Bremer announced the privatization auction back in June 2003 this was among the first companies mentioned. Yet when I visited the factory in March, nobody wanted to talk about the privatization plan; the mere mention of the word inside the plant inspired awkward silences and meaningful glances. This seemed an unnatural amount of subtext for a soap factory, and I tried to get to the bottom of it when I interviewed the assistant manager. But the interview itself was equally odd: I had spent half a week setting it up, submitting written questions for approval, getting a signed letter of permission from the minister of industry, being questioned and searched several times. But when I finally began the interview, the assistant manager refused to tell me his name or let me record the conversation. “Any manager mentioned in the press is attacked afterwards,” he said. And when I asked whether the company was being sold, he gave this oblique response: “If the decision was up to the workers, they are against privatization; but if it's up to the high-ranking officials and government, then privatization is an order and orders must be followed.” I left the plant feeling that I knew less than when I'd arrived. But on the way out of the gates, a young security guard handed my translator a note. He wanted us to meet him after work at a nearby restaurant, “to find out what is really going on with privatization.” His name was Mahmud, and he was a twenty-five-year-old with a neat beard and big black eyes. (For his safety, I have omitted his last name.) His story began in July, a few weeks after Bremer's privatization announcement. The company's manager, on his way to work, was shot to death. Press reports speculated that the manager was murdered because he was in favor of privatizing the plant, but Mahmud was convinced that he was killed because he opposed the plan. “He would never have sold the factories like the Americans want. That's why they killed him.” The dead man was replaced by a new manager, Mudhfar Ja'far. Shortly after taking over, Ja'far called a meeting with ministry officials to discuss selling off the soap factory, which would involve laying off two thirds of its employees. Guarding that meeting were several security officers from the plant. They listened closely to Ja'far's plans and promptly reported the alarming news to their coworkers. “We were shocked,” Mahmud recalled. “If the private sector buys our company, the first thing they would do is reduce the staff to make more money. And we will be forced into a very hard destiny, because the factory is our only way of living.” Frightened by this prospect, a group of seventeen workers, including Mahmud, marched into Ja'far's office to confront him on what they had heard. “Unfortunately, he wasn't there, only the assistant manager, the one you met,” Mahmud told me. A fight broke out: one worker struck the assistant manager, and a bodyguard fired three shots at the workers. The crowd then attacked the bodyguard, took his gun, and, Mahmud said, “stabbed him with a knife in the back three times. He spent a month in the hospital.” In January there was even more violence. On their way to work, Ja'far, the manager, and his son were shot and badly injured. Mahmud told me he had no idea who was behind the attack, but I was starting to understand why factory managers in Iraq try to keep a low profile. At the end of our meeting, I asked Mahmud what would happen if the plant was sold despite the workers' objections. “There are two choices,” he said, looking me in the eye and smiling kindly. “Either we will set the factory on fire and let the flames devour it to the ground, or we will blow ourselves up inside of it. But it will not be privatized.” If there ever was a moment when Iraqis were too disoriented to resist shock therapy, that moment has definitely passed. Labor relations, like everything else in Iraq, has become a blood sport. The violence on the streets howls at the gates of the factories, threatening to engulf them. Workers fear job loss as a death sentence, and managers, in turn, fear their workers, a fact that makes privatization distinctly more complicated than the neocons foresaw. 22. It is in Basra where the connections between economic reforms and the rise of the resistance was put in starkest terms. In December the union representing oil workers was negotiating with the Oil Ministry for a salary increase. Getting nowhere, the workers offered the ministry a simple choice: increase their paltry salaries or they would all join the armed resistance. They received a substantial raise. ________________________________________ As I left the meeting with Mahmud, I got word that there was a major demonstration outside the CPA headquarters. Supporters of the radical young cleric Moqtada al Sadr were protesting the closing of their newspaper, al Hawza, by military police. The CPA accused al Hawza of publishing “false articles” that could “pose the real threat of violence.” As an example, it cited an article that claimed Bremer “is pursuing a policy of starving the Iraqi people to make them preoccupied with procuring their daily bread so they do not have the chance to demand their political and individual freedoms.” To me it sounded less like hate literature than a concise summary of Milton Friedman's recipe for shock therapy. A few days before the newspaper was shut down, I had gone to Kufa during Friday prayers to listen to al Sadr at his mosque. He had launched into a tirade against Bremer's newly signed interim constitution, calling it “an unjust, terrorist document.” The message of the sermon was clear: Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani may have backed down on the constitution, but al Sadr and his supporters were still determined to fight it—and if they succeeded they would sabotage the neocons' careful plan to saddle Iraq's next government with their “wish list” of laws. With the closing of the newspaper, Bremer was giving al Sadr his response: he wasn't negotiating with this young upstart; he'd rather take him out with force. When I arrived at the demonstration, the streets were filled with men dressed in black, the soon-to-be legendary Mahdi Army. It struck me that if Mahmud lost his security guard job at the soap factory, he could be one of them. That's who al Sadr's foot soldiers are: the young men who have been shut out of the neocons' grand plans for Iraq, who see no possibilities for work, and whose neighborhoods have seen none of the promised reconstruction. Bremer has failed these young men, and everywhere that he has failed, Moqtada al Sadr has cannily set out to succeed. In Shia slums from Baghdad to Basra, a network of Sadr Centers coordinate a kind of shadow reconstruction. Funded through donations, the centers dispatch electricians to fix power and phone lines, organize local garbage collection, set up emergency generators, run blood drives, direct traffic where the streetlights don't work. And yes, they organize militias too. Al Sadr took Bremer's economic casualties, dressed them in black, and gave them rusty Kalashnikovs. His militiamen protected the mosques and the state factories when the occupation authorities did not, but in some areas they also went further, zealously enforcing Islamic law by torching liquor stores and terrorizing women without the veil. Indeed, the astronomical rise of the brand of religious fundamentalism that al Sadr represents is another kind of blowback from Bremer's shock therapy: if the reconstruction had provided jobs, security, and services to Iraqis, al Sadr would have been deprived of both his mission and many of his newfound followers. At the same time as al Sadr's followers were shouting “Down with America” outside the Green Zone, something was happening in another part of the country that would change everything. Four American mercenary soldiers were killed in Fallujah, their charred and dismembered bodies hung like trophies over the Euphrates. The attacks would prove a devastating blow for the neocons, one from which they would never recover. With these images, investing in Iraq suddenly didn't look anything like a capitalist dream; it looked like a macabre nightmare made real. The day I left Baghdad was the worst yet. Fallujah was under siege and Brig. Gen. Kimmitt was threatening to “destroy the al-Mahdi Army.” By the end, roughly 2,000 Iraqis were killed in these twin campaigns. I was dropped off at a security checkpoint several miles from the airport, then loaded onto a bus jammed with contractors lugging hastily packed bags. Although no one was calling it one, this was an evacuation: over the next week 1,500 contractors left Iraq, and some governments began airlifting their citizens out of the country. On the bus no one spoke; we all just listened to the mortar fire, craning our necks to see the red glow. A guy carrying a KPMG briefcase decided to lighten things up. “So is there business class on this flight?” he asked the silent bus. From the back, somebody called out, “Not yet.” Indeed, it may be quite a while before business class truly arrives in Iraq. When we landed in Amman, we learned that we had gotten out just in time. That morning three Japanese civilians were kidnapped and their captors were threatening to burn them alive. Two days later Nicholas Berg went missing and was not seen again until the snuff film surfaced of his beheading, an even more terrifying message for U.S. contractors than the charred bodies in Fallujah. These were the start of a wave of kidnappings and killings of foreigners, most of them businesspeople, from a rainbow of nations: South Korea, Italy, China, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Turkey. By the end of June more than ninety contractors were reported dead in Iraq. When seven Turkish contractors were kidnapped in June, their captors asked the “company to cancel all contracts and pull out employees from Iraq.” Many insurance companies stopped selling life insurance to contractors, and others began to charge premiums as high as $10,000 a week for a single Western executive—the same price some insurgents reportedly pay for a dead American. For their part, the organizers of DBX, the historic Baghdad trade fair, decided to relocate to the lovely tourist city of Diyarbakir in Turkey, “just 250 km from the Iraqi border.” An Iraqi landscape, only without those frightening Iraqis. Three weeks later just fifteen people showed up for a Commerce Department conference in Lansing, Michigan, on investing in Iraq. Its host, Republican Congressman Mike Rogers, tried to reassure his skeptical audience by saying that Iraq is “like a rough neighborhood anywhere in America.” The foreign investors, the ones who were offered every imaginable free-market enticement, are clearly not convinced; there is still no sign of them. Keith Crane, a senior economist at the Rand Corporation who has worked for the CPA, put it bluntly: “I don't believe the board of a multinational company could approve a major investment in this environment. If people are shooting at each other, it's just difficult to do business.” Hamid Jassim Khamis, the manager of the largest soft-drink bottling plant in the region, told me he can't find any investors, even though he landed the exclusive rights to produce Pepsi in central Iraq. “A lot of people have approached us to invest in the factory, but people are really hesitating now.” Khamis said he couldn't blame them; in five months he has survived an attempted assassination, a carjacking, two bombs planted at the entrance of his factory, and the kidnapping of his son. Despite having been granted the first license for a foreign bank to operate in Iraq in forty years, HSBC still hasn't opened any branches, a decision that may mean losing the coveted license altogether. Procter & Gamble has put its joint venture on hold, and so has General Motors. The U.S. financial backers of the Starwood luxury hotel and multiplex have gotten cold feet, and Siemens AG has pulled most staff from Iraq. The bell hasn't rung yet at the Baghdad Stock Exchange—in fact you can't even use credit cards in Iraq's cash-only economy. New Bridge Strategies, the company that had gushed back in October about how “a Wal-Mart could take over the country,” is sounding distinctly humbled. “McDonald's is not opening anytime soon,” company partner Ed Rogers told the Washington Post. Neither is Wal-Mart. The Financial Times has declared Iraq “the most dangerous place in the world in which to do business.” It's quite an accomplishment: in trying to design the best place in the world to do business, the neocons have managed to create the worst, the most eloquent indictment yet of the guiding logic behind deregulated free markets. The violence has not just kept investors out; it also forced Bremer, before he left, to abandon many of his central economic policies. Privatization of the state companies is off the table; instead, several of the state companies have been offered up for lease, but only if the investor agrees not to lay off a single employee. Thousands of the state workers that Bremer fired have been rehired, and significant raises have been handed out in the public sector as a whole. Plans to do away with the food-ration program have also been scrapped—it just doesn't seem like a good time to deny millions of Iraqis the only nutrition on which they can depend. ________________________________________ The final blow to the neocon dream came in the weeks before the handover. The White House and the CPA were rushing to get the U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution endorsing their handover plan. They had twisted arms to give the top job to former CIA agent Iyad Allawi, a move that will ensure that Iraq becomes, at the very least, the coaling station for U.S. troops that Jay Garner originally envisioned. But if major corporate investors were going to come to Iraq in the future, they would need a stronger guarantee that Bremer's economic laws would stick. There was only one way of doing that: the Security Council resolution had to ratify the interim constitution, which locked in Bremer's laws for the duration of the interim government. But al Sistani once again objected, this time unequivocally, saying that the constitution has been “rejected by the majority of the Iraqi people.” On June 8 the Security Council unanimously passed a resolution that endorsed the handover plan but made absolutely no reference to the constitution. In the face of this far-reaching defeat, George W. Bush celebrated the resolution as a historic victory, one that came just in time for an election trail photo op at the G-8 Summit in Georgia. With Bremer's laws in limbo, Iraqi ministers are already talking openly about breaking contracts signed by the CPA. Citigroup's loan scheme has been rejected as a misuse of Iraq's oil revenues. Iraq's communication minister is threatening to renegotiate contracts with the three communications firms providing the country with its disastrously poor cell phone service. And the Lebanese and U.S. companies hired to run the state television network have been informed that they could lose their licenses because they are not Iraqi. “We will see if we can change the contract,” Hamid al-Kifaey, spokesperson for the Governing Council, said in May. “They have no idea about Iraq.” For most investors, this complete lack of legal certainty simply makes Iraq too great a risk. But while the Iraqi resistance has managed to scare off the first wave of corporate raiders, there's little doubt that they will return. Whatever form the next Iraqi government takes—nationalist, Islamist, or free market—it will inherit a shattered nation with a crushing $120 billion debt. Then, as in all poor countries around the world, men in dark blue suits from the IMF will appear at the door, bearing loans and promises of economic boom, provided that certain structural adjustments are made, which will, of course, be rather painful at first but well worth the sacrifice in the end. In fact, the process has already begun: the IMF is poised to approve loans worth $2.5‒ $4.25 billion, pending agreement on the conditions. After an endless succession of courageous last stands and far too many lost lives, Iraq will become a poor nation like any other, with politicians determined to introduce policies rejected by the vast majority of the population, and all the imperfect compromises that will entail. The free market will no doubt come to Iraq, but the neoconservative dream of transforming the country into a free-market utopia has already died, a casualty of a greater dream—a second term for George W. Bush. The great historical irony of the catastrophe unfolding in Iraq is that the shock-therapy reforms that were supposed to create an economic boom that would rebuild the country have instead fueled a resistance that ultimately made reconstruction impossible. Bremer's reforms unleashed forces that the neocons neither predicted nor could hope to control, from armed insurrections inside factories to tens of thousands of unemployed young men arming themselves. These forces have transformed Year Zero in Iraq into the mirror opposite of what the neocons envisioned: not a corporate utopia but a ghoulish dystopia, where going to a simple business meeting can get you lynched, burned alive, or beheaded. These dangers are so great that in Iraq global capitalism has retreated, at least for now. For the neocons, this must be a shocking development: their ideological belief in greed turns out to be stronger than greed itself. Iraq was to the neocons what Afghanistan was to the Taliban: the one place on Earth where they could force everyone to live by the most literal, unyielding interpretation of their sacred texts. One would think that the bloody results of this experiment would inspire a crisis of faith: in the country where they had absolute free reign, where there was no local government to blame, where economic reforms were introduced at their most shocking and most perfect, they created, instead of a model free market, a failed state no right-thinking investor would touch. And yet the Green Zone neocons and their masters in Washington are no more likely to reexamine their core beliefs than the Taliban mullahs were inclined to search their souls when their Islamic state slid into a debauched Hades of opium and sex slavery. When facts threaten true believers, they simply close their eyes and pray harder. Which is precisely what Thomas Foley has been doing. The former head of “private sector development” has left Iraq, a country he had described as “the mother of all turnarounds,” and has accepted another turnaround job, as co-chair of George Bush's reelection committee in Connecticut. On April 30 in Washington he addressed a crowd of entrepreneurs about business prospects in Baghdad. It was a tough day to be giving an upbeat speech: that morning the first photographs had appeared out of Abu Ghraib, including one of a hooded prisoner with electrical wires attached to his hands. This was another kind of shock therapy, far more literal than the one Foley had helped to administer, but not entirely unconnected. “Whatever you're seeing, it's not as bad as it appears,” Foley told the crowd. “You just need to accept that on faith.” XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Privatizing Iraq: The IMF and the Economic Invasion In History by Rayn Harvey The U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq has created one of the largest business opportunities since the Marshall Plan, the economic reconstruction after World War 2 spearheaded by the U.S. to insert it’s influence into the European economies. The Marshall Plan resulted in the formation of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) and International Monetary Fund (IMF), along with the beginnings of USAID and the World Trade Organization (formerly the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs). STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMS The IMF has come a long way since the late 40s, moving from the general reconstruction of countries destroyed during World War II into more offensive economic programs, largely starting in the intense days of outsourcing and “Free Trade” (read: Legal Theft) in the early 70s. The IMF and World Bank manipulated countries’ economies through debt repayment schemes called “Structural Adjustment Programs”, usually with the partnership of government, banking and corporate officials from the host countries. SAPs imposed debt-repayment conditions that almost always require the opening of the country’s markets to corporations via the privatization of natural resources and other sectors of the economy (like the school system or medical services systems). It was said that the introduction of SAPs and the opening of markets would lead to the ability to repay the national debt and a stable economy; the actual outcome in almost all situations was a super-sizing of the debt due to the increasing amount of resources and wealth being taken out of the country by multinationals. THE CHICAGO BOYS In 1973 the CIA engineered the overthrow of Chile’s first democratically elected president, Salvador Allende. On September 11th troops stormed the capitol, killing Allende and seizing power for the U.S. Government’s choice, General Augusto Pinochet. During Pinochet’s reign, over 3,000 people, mostly union organizers and human rights and student activists, were “disappeared”, many being thrown into the ocean from helicopters. Pinochet has been hailed by such groups as the U.S. military’s School of the Americas at Fort Benning (Columbus, GA) Galtieri and Panama’s Noriega. The SOA (now the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation or WHISC) commemorates Pinochet with a plaque dedicated to him in their lobby. The less mentioned details about Pinochet’s reign was the complete restructuring of Chile’s economy under “shock therapy” reforms, designed and seen through by a group of economists from the University of Chicago headed by Milton Friedman. “The Chicago Boys” as they we’re known, oversaw some of the harshest privatization schemes to date and the highest rate of inflation in history. SHOCK AND AWE A declassified CIA “Counterintelligence Interrogation” manual from 1963 describes how a victim, when shocked in multiple places at once, is unable to identify the sources of pain due to a “suspended animation, a kind of psychological shock or paralysis . . . . [A]t this moment the source is far more open to suggestion, far likelier to comply.” This applied 10 years later to the economic plans of the Chicago Boys, creating so many economic changes and SAP conditions so quickly that no one could effectively challenge them. These “Shock Treatment” economic policies mirror the “Shock and Awe” mentality of the planners of the invasion if Iraq, using terror and fear to achieve economic aims. The changes in Chile in 1973 mirror the U.S. invasion of Iraq for two main reasons. One, they both left a power-vacuum to be filled by a leader of the U.S. government’s choosing. Unlike Chile, the insurgency in Iraq has prevented the new U.S. puppet government from taking effective control of the country. Second, they both ushered in an almost immediate series of record-setting neoliberal economic reforms, creating the largest “free trade areas” to date. SETTING THE STAGE Two months before the invasion of Iraq, USAID began drafting a work order, to be handed out to a private company, to oversee Iraq’s “transition to a sustainable market-driven economic system.” The document states that the winning company (which turned out to be the KPMG offshoot Bearing Point) would take “appropriate advantage of the unique opportunity for rapid progress in this area presented by the current configuration of political circumstances.” In May 2003, just 2 months after the invasion, the UN Security Council provided the US and UK with a mandate to take control of Iraq and to use the revenue generated by the export of oil to rebuild the country. This translated to the opening of Iraq’s markets to multinational control and the handing out of open-ended contracts to corrupt and politically connected contractors and construction and telecommunications companies, banks, insurance groups and other investors. DIVIDING THE SPOILS In the early months of the war, USAID and the Army Corps of Engineers (funded through the Pentagon) handed out 8 contracts to be bid on by 21 companies for shares in the Iraq market. The companies, all American, were hand picked by USAID and the Army Corps and were exclusively groups in bed with the Bush Administration. Stevedoring Services of America (SSA), the largest marine and rail-cargo handler in the U.S. and the largest terminal operator in the world, won a 4.8 initial contract to take over the port at Umm Qasr in Southern Iraq, while War-profiteer behemoth Bechtel received a multi-hundred million dollar contract to repair the port facilities. SSA is known to Longshore Workers in the U.S. as a notorious union buster as a primary member of the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), the trade association responsible for paying Longshorers. Bechtel’s contract also included repairs of hospital, schools and ministry buildings, irrigation systems and transportation infrastructure. Bechtel has a solid history of water privatization, including the Cochabama, Bolivia “Water Wars”, when massive protests literally drove Bechtel from the country after they tripling water costs for residents. Now in charge of Iraq’s water and irrigation systems, we can only imagine what hardships lie in store of Iraqis. Bechtel has a long-revolving door with the federal government. Caspar Weinberger was a Bechtel executive before becoming Ronald Reagan’s Secretary of Defense. Former CIA director William Casey was also a powerful Bechtel member. George Shultz, a current Bechtel board member, used to the president and director of the company before becoming Reagan’s Secretary of State in 1982. Shultz went on to become a member of The Committee for the Liberation of Iraq (CLI), a bipartisan-corporate lobbying machine urging an Iraq invasion. CLI also included Newt Gingrich, Sen. John McCain and Sen. Joseph Lieberman. Riley Bechtel, the CEO, was appointed by Bush to the Export Council, a group that oversees U.S. export market planning. Bechtel Senior Vice President Jack Sheehan advise the Pentagon through the Defense Policy Board and Senior Vice President Daniel Chao serves on the U.S. Export-Import Bank, a notorious funder of war profiteers, oil companies and far-right politicians. ABT Assosicates, Inc, a Boston-based government and business consulting firm, won a $10-43 million contract to deliver health services, provide medial equipment and supplies, train and recruit health staff, provide health education and determine the specific needs of the health sector across Iraq. ABT is one the largest research and consulting firms in the world, specializing in privatization, consulting the privatization of Kazakhstan’s pharmaceutical industry and dipping its hands in the former Soviet Union’s health, finance and service delivery markets. They offer client states “technical assistance to facilitate policy reforms in countries moving from command economies to market-oriented economies.” They have a history with USAID-financed market-based reforms in the Global South Creative Associates International, INC (CAII) was awarded a $1-62 million contract in the education sector, mainly increasing enrollment and quality and providing supplies to Primary and Secondary schools. CAII has been involved in post-U.S. intervention/war spoils in Angola, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua, to name a few. 90 percent of CAII’s business comes directly from USAID, who also gave them a $6 million contract to produce textbooks in Afghanistan. The CAII contract came over-top of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, who wanted to employ Afghans to produce textbooks as a job-creation plan. When CAII replaces the university, they out-sourced the printing to Indonesia. Some of the contracts awarded were “no bid” contracts, meaning only one select company was chosen. While the other contracts provided a cheap-display of “competition”, a few politically connected U.S. firms bidding, these were hand-outs. The open-ended “cost plus” contract given to Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) to repair petroleum infrastructure, involved no bidding at all and has no cap. So KBR can literally burn money to make more, then government will cover any excess expenses. The contract has already topped $15 billion. It also gives KBR the right to produce and sell oil inside of Iraq. **** Cheney was CEO of Halliburton from 1995-2000, during which time the company rose from the 73rd to the 18th largest Pentagon contractors. Years earlier, as Bush Sr.’s Secretary of Defense, Cheney hired Brown and Root to consult the Army around privatizing jobs within the military. Brown and Roots then won a contract providing logistics around the world for the Army Corps of Engineers. Cheney still receives between $100,000 and $1,000,000 a year in “deferred compensation” from the company. 95% of Halliburton’s political donations go to the Republican Party, totaling nearly $700,000 between 1999-2002. International Resources Group (IRG) also won an no-bid contract for $7.1 million contract (initially a 90-day contract but renewable for 2 years) for “Personnel Support”, providing technical assistance for reconstruction. USAID contacted International Resources Group to discuss the post-war reconstruction contract in January 2003, while U.S. politicians were still pretending they wanted to avoid war, according to the Washington Post. Since 1978, USAID has given IRG over 200 contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars and roughly a third of IRG’s business is done for USAID. Another large portion of its business comes from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. IRG also does extensive energy-related consulting work in the private sector, notably for large oil firms. Its contract to provide personnel services for the reconstruction of Iraq was “sole sourced,” meaning the job was simply handed to IRG. No other bids were solicited. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED In early May 2004, just a few days after his infamous “Mission Accomplished” speech, Bush officially proposed the “establishment of a U.S.-Middle East free trade area within a decade”. It was also in early May that he appointed Bremer to replace Jay Garner as head of the occupation forces, who had been on the job for only three weeks. Just a month-after the September 11th attacks, Bremer had started Crisis Consulting Practice, a security company selling “terrorism risk insurance” to multinationals. Two of his lieutenants on the economic front were Thomas Foley and Michael Fleischer, the heads of “private sector development” for the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). Foley, a multimillionaire and a Bush-Cheney campaign “pioneer”, described Iraq as a modern California “gold rush.” Fleischer is the brother of former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, who mysteriously left his post at the height of the war. In Iraq, Paul Bremer took the place of Milton Friedman, declaring Iraq “open for business” within 2 weeks of being appointed by George Bush to oversee the occupation. This meant completely unrestricted imports: no tariffs, no duties, no inspections and no taxes, plus the laying off of over 500,000 public-sector employees, mostly soldiers but also teachers, doctors and more. BREMER’S IRAQ A month later, after his “open for business” declaration, Bremer announced the complete privatization of almost all of Iraq’s economic sectors, excluding of course oil. The oil would be sold by multinationals with some profits going to the gas companies, the rest to the “Iraqi Government” to be placed in the SAP fund for payment to multinational contractors like Bechtel. This was the largest privatization scheme hatched since the collapse of the Soviet Union. In September he enacted Order 37, which lowered Iraq’s corporate tax rate from around 40% to 15%; Order 39, which allowed foreign companies to own 100 percent of Iraqi assets outside of the natural-resource sector. Investors could take 100 percent of the profits they made in Iraq out of the country, would not be required to reinvest and would not be taxed; and Order 40 gave foreign banks the same favorable terms. All they left of Saddam Hussein’s economic policies was the law restricting trade unions and collective bargaining! THE SECOND INVASION The Bremer laws were the go ahead for groups of multinational corporations and other profiteers who had been waiting for this moment for years. As Senator John McCain said in October 2004, Iraq was “a huge pot of honey that’s attracting a lot of flies.” A few months after the Bremer Laws a series of “rebuilding Iraq” trade shows and conferences were held in Washington, London, Madrid, and Amman. To meet the call, several new consulting firms emerged, promising to help companies get access to the Iraqi market. On the top of the pile was New Bridge Strategies, started by Joe Allbaugh, former Bush-Cheney campaign manager. “Getting the rights to distribute Procter & Gamble products can be a gold mine,” one of the company’s partners said. “One well-stocked 7-Eleven could knock out thirty Iraqi stores; a Wal-Mart could take over the country.” General Motors was even planning to build an auto-plant in the early days of the occupation. THE IMF STEPS IN After the occupation began, Former Secretary of State James Baker was sent around the world to promote the cancellation of the debt incurred on Iraq by Saddam Hussein. This debt cancellation would not be unconditional however, as it would be dropped through an IMF Structural Adjustment Program with heavy strings attached. The Paris Club, a gathering of leaders from wealthy and powerful countries, agreed on November 21, 2004 to drop 80 percent of Iraq’s debt in 3 stages. The first part would be the immediate unconditional cancellation of 30% of the debt. The second stage drops another 30% percent on the condition that Iraq accepts an IMF SAP that requires the privatization of most the economy and the opening of markets to so-called “free trade”. The third stage drops another 20% upon the enactment of the SAP and the fulfillment of IMF demands for privatization. One of the more prominent conditions of the Iraq SAP is the ending of fuel subsidies. To meet the IMF demands and see through the second 30% debt cancellation, the Iraqi state must eliminate fuel subsidies and allow fuel prices to increase. As a result so far, fuel prices have increased between 400% and 800%. Another condition is the privatization all state-owned enterprises, which is expected to lead to 145,000 layoffs, in a country suffering between 30 and 60% unemployment. Perhaps the most important condition is the elimination of food subsidies, which 60% of Iraq’s population depends on. Iraq’s debt is roughly 92 billion dollar, though only 39% is owed to Paris Club members. The Paris Club’s “debt relief” plan then leaves Iraq still in 8 billion dollars of debt, statistically very similar to Guatemala, a country long-ridden with IMF and World Bank load-scams. While the debt owed by Iraq to the IMF is only 1% of the total debt, the IMF has almost total control over the conditions of the debt-repayment plans and the strings attached to the cancellation of the total debt. While the debt-cancellation and the “dropping of sanctions” appears a gesture of humanity to the people of Iraq, it is in reality a political and economic Trojan horse.. With a debt still larger than many countries of it’s size, Iraq is left with a total privatization of resources and industry, creating the conditions the IMF has perfected in the last 40 years, the control of the economy of another country by multinationals and U.S.-led international banks and investors. IRAQI COUNTERPARTS The IMF does not act alone in their SAP scams, they are always accompanied by corrupt local officials who sell their people out to multinationals to gain a piece of the pot, or are threatened with Allende’s fate. Iyad Allawi, a former high-level Baathist who fell out with Saddam and started working for the CIA, was a friend of the U.S. CPA who desired a slow assimilation of Iraq into the global economy. Ahmad Chalabi, another friend of the U.S. who’s family’s assets were expropriated during the 1958 revolution, wanted to see Iraq essentially flattened, which he called “de-Baathification.” His vision was an oil-economy feeding into an immediate assimilation into the global economy. Both these men were allies of the United States who helped move along the process of privatization and the IMF-takeover of the economy. SELLING IRAQ Before the Bremer Laws and IMF conditions were set, multinationals and other profiteers were plotting the economic takeover of Iraq. The Iraq Procurement conference was held April 26-28, 2004 in London following the awarding of $18.4 billion in contracts from the US Congress and precluding the hand-over of Iraq from the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to the new Iraqi government. The conference was based around the Bremer privatization plans, including agriculture, communications, construction and housing, electricity, health, interiors, science and technology, trade, transport and water resources. It’s stated goal was to “procure a host of basic essentials to aid in rebuilding Iraq’s infrastructure; on a humanitarian level the aim is to provide the country with crucial medical supplies (through the involvement of corporations such as Orex, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and Novo Nordisk) and agricultural tools and services (Agco and Dupont).” The main sponsors of the conference were the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce and the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, the cosponsors being Shell, Volvo, ChevronTexaco, Pfizer and Kodak, among others. Members of the Iraq’s interim government, Iraqi business leaders, and members of the Coalition Provisional Authority and U.S. Agency for International Development also attended. The Iraq Mobile Telecommunications Conference was held July 21-22, 2005 in London to bring investment to the newly privatized Iraqi telecommunications sector by opening it up to competition. The conference was organized by the Iraq National Communications & Media Commission (NCMC) and the Iraq Development Program and with the support of the Iraqi Ministry of Communication. A LONG PROCESS All of this did not come out of the blue. Iraq follows a long line of countries overthrown or invaded to uphold European and U.S. interests, from the invasion of Cuba, Hawaii, Guam and the Philippines in 1898 to the CIA engineered coup in Iran in 1953, up to the World Bank and IMF SAP-invasions of South and Central America in the 70s and 80s. Its no surprise then that Paul Wolfowitz went from being Deputy Secretary of Defense to the head of the World Bank, the IMF’s partner in crime. He followed the footsteps of Bob McNamara who did the same thing 3 decades earlier. The oil fields and the geopolitical positioning of Iraq (it’s proximity to Israel and the looming fear of Chinese competition) made Iraq along-desired victory for the U.S. and its allies. Add to that the “blank slate” dream for the IMF’s economic hitmen and you’ve got a recipe for a corporate-military invasion and another chance for international investors and bankers to experiment with extreme neoliberal economic policies. Decades of collusion with the Saddam Hussein government, a proxy war with Iran, 30 years of oil-profits, and a heap of arms deals set the stage for a future takeover of Iraq. Like Noriega before him, another former friend of the U.S. met the fate of invasion when he stepped too far outside the desires of U.S. business interests. Just as Chile was 30 years ago, Iraq is the a guinea pig for the IMF and it’s cadre of armies, businesses and international loan sharks to experiment new forms of economic and military control to ensure the profits of corporations and corrupt government officials.