It looks like Shell is going to be one of the major beneficiaries of the occupation of Iraq.
This story , from Raw Story, exposes the sweetheart (although non-binding) deal that Shell has struck up with the existing government of Iraq.
But it’s not about the oil.
This story just goes to show how ridiculous things have become in terms of security, right to protest and the right to state your opinion about how things are being handled by those who think they know best.
They stage a fight, they pepper-spray themselves and then they get dragged away all while pretending to create a level of animosity that just wasn’t there.
And now, ‘activists’ are being labelled as ‘anarchists’.
It’s a tragedy that Melissa Fung, the CBC reporter, was kidnapped in Afghanistan nearly a month ago on October 12, 2008 .
It’s a blessing and testament to the tight security and actions taken to save her life and ensure that no harm came to her.
And I’m bothered by the nagging questions in my mind concerning the circumstances because I should just be happy that another innocent Canadian will be coming home from this mess alive.
But I still can’t shake my questions. What’s the historical precedent for this kind of a situation? Have we always approached these scenarios with the same kind of secrecy?
If Ms. Fung’s kidnapping was made more public would the Canadian outrage have been a little more intense during the Canadian election, which occurred just two days after her kidnapping?
Would her misfortune also have spelled the misfortune for the Conservatives, because Canadians may have collectively seriously put in question the miserable failure of the mission in Afghanistan?
Post your comments below. I’ll repeat: I’m bothered by the circumstances, but I’m open to your views on the subject.