Thanks to Paul Bremer, this is what “democracy” looks like in Iraq:
Mutant Seeds for Mesopotamia
By Andrew Bosworth, Ph.D.Uruknet,
One would think that Iraqi farmers, now prospering under “freedom” and “democracy,” would be able
to plant the seeds of their choosing, but that choice, under little-known Order 81, would be illegal. But first, it is important to set the context.
Most people have never heard of the infamous “100 Orders,” but they help explain why the majority of
Iraqis remain opposed to foreign occupation. The 100 Orders allow multinational corporations to basically privatize an entire nation, and this degree of foreign and private control has not been witnessed since the days of the British East India Company and its extraterritoriality treaties.
A few examples of the 100 Orders are illuminating: — Order 39 allows for the tax-free remittance of all corporate profits. — Order 17 grants foreign contractors, including private security firms, immunity from Iraq’s laws. — Orders 57 and 77 ensure the implementation of the orders by placing U.S.-appointed auditors and inspector general in every government ministry, with five-year terms and with sweeping authority over contracts, programs, employees and regulations. (1)
Back to one of the most blatant orders of all: Order 81. Under this mandate, Iraq’s commercial farmers must now buy “registered seeds.” These are normally imported by Monsanto, Cargill and the World Wide Wheat Company.
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