Posts with the tag Afghanistan

Republicans Say the Public Option Cost Too Much!

Robert Dobbs — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:43:01 EST

That's right John Boehner stated, "I'm still trying to find the first American to talk to who's in favor of the public option, other than a member of Congress or the administration."

What's worse is John Boehner says he has not met one person who supports the public option. Well maybe he is correct because all he does is talk with health care industry lobbyist.

The single payer, public option is quite simple. HR 676 is about 30 pages in length, it covers everyone, and it saves money.

Under the current reform packages, citizens will still be left without health insurance; 17 million left out of the House version or the 24 million left out of the Senate version.

Under the current reform packages the number of people who are underinsured will increase with this legislation.

Under the current reform packages the legislation will not control health care costs and will in fact increase the waste in health care spending.

Under the current reform packages the legislation transfers hundreds of billions of public dollars to private insurance companies, who are the main culprits of the problems with health care.

Under the current reform packages the legislation protects the outrageous profits of the pharmaceutical corporations.

If the United States would follow a national single-payer system, doctors, hospitals and other health care providers are paid from a single fund administered by the government. The high administrative costs and wasteful spending associated with the private health insurance industry would be eliminated, resulting in savings of nearly $400 billion annually and enabling all Americans to receive high-quality care, including those who currently have insurance but still cannot afford medications and treatment.

As far as John Boehner not finding anyone who supports the public option! Well maybe he can read, or maybe not, the CBS Poll in November that showed at least 51% of those polled wanted a government option.

Or wait a mintue Representative Boehner, isn't the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars costing the United States well over $1.5 trillion?

Robert Dobbs for Congress, SC-01

The Reality of the Afghan and Iraq War - Myth Behind the Troop Surge

"Voice for Humanity" — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:28:01 EST

By Padmini Arhant

I urge every reader of this article to view the contents of the preceding article published under the title ‘Global Terrorism – 9/11 and Osama Bin Laden Revelations,’ International Politics, on this website www.padminiarhant.com,

The adapted articles and segments substantiates the fact that 9/11 attack could have been prevented at all costs and the terror leader Osama Bin Laden apprehended during many opportunities presented time and again.

Article continued @http://www.padminiarhant.com

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Global Terrorism - 9/11 and Osama Bin Laden Revelations

"Voice for Humanity" — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:19:45 EST

By Padmini Arhant

It is evident from recent terror attacks around the world, that democracies or other form of governments are incapacitated in dealing with security issues on national and international level.

The perennial War on Terrorism has invigorated worldwide fundamentalism aside draining the economies.

It is important for the global community to come forward and demand a legitimate explanation for their government’s impotence in establishing peace as opposed to war against human race.

Remaining article could be viewed @ http://www.padminiarhant.com

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Message Alert to America and the Rest of the World

"Voice for Humanity" — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:31:37 EST

By Padmini Arhant

I’ll release my response shortly to the recent development on the Afghan war and the West Point address by President Barack Obama.

I urge every American to take responsibility for actions committed on their behalf and in their name on foreign locations through political activities and wars by the powerful establishment such as the Military Industrial Complex that not only undermines the American democracy but also serves as the primary reason for global terrorism against American lives.

These are serious times demanding absolute attention because ‘Change’ cannot happen with one person’s voice and it’s imperative for every human being on this earth to think and contemplate over the powerful controlling the destiny of billions of lives through dominance and unconstitutional interference in political domain.

Remaining article available @http://www.padminiarhant.com

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

End of Support for President Obama

My Vote Matters — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:58:37 EST

From this moment forward I am categorically removing my support for President Obama. The tripling of troops in Afghanistan under his watch has absolutely destroyed my faith in him as an independent thinker, diplomat, and logical man, a president who has the best interest of the citizens of America in mind.

Afghanistan -- Change We Can't Believe In

Rosa — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:55:11 EST

What is the President thinking? How can he continue the Bush doctrine of pre-emptive warfare? Didn't we elect him to set a new course in foreign policy as well as domestic policy?

The U.S. government has already agreed that we have no compelling strategic interest in Afghanistan. Even if Afghanistan were to be taken over by Islamic extremists, it will remain an isolated backwater. The U.S. government's own assessment is that Afghanistan does not pose any threat to the U.S. So why are we fighting a war in Afghanistan? Clearly the only reason to continue to fight in Afghanistan is to convince Pakistan's rulers that we will not abandon them to their opponents. Unfortunately, the government of Pakistan is weak, corrupt, and internally divided. Pressing it to wage a civil war against Islamic fundamentalists will not strengthen it. In fact, pressing it to wage a civil war is likely to result first in a military coup, and then in a protracted conflict. A protracted internecine conflict in a country with nuclear weapons is not a good idea.

If the U.S. wants to be successful in dealing with the Muslim world, and to deprive Al Qaeda and their ilk of their grassroots support, we need a paradigm shift. We must create the basis to implement the vision of President Obama's Cairo speech. That means ending no questions asked support for Israel, including covering up their war crimes in Gaza for them. It means having a policy on nuclear non-proliferation that includes Israel. We can guarantee Israel's security from foreign attack. Israel has no more defensive need for nuclear weapons than Iran does. It means using diplomacy rather than military and covert operations to achieve our objectives. It means, when a free and fair election has been held, we work with the elected government rather than attempting to subvert it (as we have done in Palestine and Lebanon).

Finally, didn't we elect President Obama to create a more fair and just society at home? How will we do that if, in the midst of the worst economic downturn since the great depression, we are spending trillions on foreign wars? Every thoughtful politician knows that the only way to invest in the people of the United States is to cut the military budget. That was the great success of the Clinton presidency. President Clinton reaped the peace dividend that came with the end of the cold war. As a result he was able to pay off the deficit and expand services for people. If President Obama maintains the current military budget, we will not be able to make the investments to create jobs and to grow our economy.

Cost-neutral escalation

Doug from Austin, TX — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:29:29 EST

The Obama Administration has insisted on the health care overhaul being revenue neutral even though it could save thousands of lives to provide health care for all. If this is necessary, the escalation in Afghanistan, which will cost hundreds, if not thousands of lives should also be revenue neutral.

To do this the money should be redirected from other parts of the DoD budget. Speeding up the withdrawal from Iraq could be one major source of cuts. Another would be closing US military bases around the world. Okinawa does not want us there -- it's been 64 years since the end of WW II; we can remove the troops. We could return Guantanamo to Cuba -- we no longer need it as a coaling station. Honduras violated its agreement with us to restore its coup-ousted president; we don't need a military base there. We can close most bases in Germany and South Korea.

Reducing our military footprint around the world would improve the US's stature in the rest of the world. People in allied countries ask why the US should have military bases in their country when they don't have military bases in our country. If we would object to having foreign military bases on our soil (I would), we should be able to understand that citizens of other countries feel the same way.

President Clinton had a military budget of between $250 B and $300 Billion. Obama should strive to reduce the budget back to that level.

The Way Forward is the Way Out

Ken — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:15:12 EST

Homeward bound, how sweet the sound! The only way forward in Afghanistan is to bring our troops home. Out is the only way forward. Everything else serves some other purpose.

The Least Bad Option in Afghanistan

Douglas from South Gate, CA — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:20:45 EST

After eight years of mismanagement of the Afghan War under Pres. Bush — as if the incompetence and corruption of the government in Kabul, let alone the medieval madness of the Taliban and the murderous plots of Al Qaeda, weren't difficulties enough — there are no good options left in Afghanistan, only less bad ones. Whether you agree with him or not, it is obvious from listening to Pres. Obama's speech last night that while he was "dithering" (as if former Vice Pres. Cheney had any credibility left to voice criticism) Pres. Obama has done his best to balance the military and political realities, both here and abroad, to arrive at his strategy. His earnest, sober reasoning — in stark contrast to the "shoot from the hip" leadership of Bush — should be respected, even if one disagrees with his ultimate decision: what I agree is the least bad option.

Save Your Armchair Quarterbacking For Football, Not Afghanistan

Steve Sulkin — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:38:12 EST

To me, it's obvious and simple, what else could President Obama do but what he did in Afghanistan and commit more troops? We are in two horrible wars. They were very poorly thought out wars and more abhorrently, we were lied to by the former administration. Bottom line we were put in a veritable no-win situation.

So now what to do? We know that people who wish us harm are in Afghanistan, in Pakistan and many other places. The military says we need to fight them. So President Obama is doing what anyone would do, he's giving the military enough rope to succeed or hang themselves. I don't think he even believes we'll succeed, but he knows there's a chance, albeit a small one.

And more importantly he gave OUR MILITARY a date he wants them to get out. I think that anyone in his position, learning what he must now know (that none of us know) such as the danger of nuclear attacks from terrorists, would have done the same. The difference with this President, is that he made the decision carefully, over time and came to a grim conclusion to proceed. That's not flag waving or hawkish behavior as was common with the last administration. That's intelligent behavior, no rallying cries. For him to be derided for being intelligent, for taking the time to make a careful decision is armchair quarterbacking, but unfortunately not about the triviality of sports, but regarding the importance of our very human existence on Earth which is threatened by terrorists.

We should "back off this man", he's doing his best. Being an armchair quarterback is embarrassing when one is talking about our nation and our world surviving this crisis. Save your armchair quarterbacking for football.

Prayer for Afghanistan Decision

Positive from Waukegan, IL — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:22:10 EST

Father in heaven, we lift up to you today the decisions that President Obama has made on behalf of our country and its role in Afghanistan. Heavenly Father, you understand the complexity of the situation better than any of us...I pray that he will rely on a strong advisor that honors you in word and deed - and not those who honor themselves or their own intellectual ability alone. I pray that you will work even through those who believe their abilities are beyond you in spite of themselves. Lord you control the politics. You know his biases, you know where his thinking is right and where it is wrong. Change the wrong and let him be skillful in his use of what is right. Thank you Lord that as you state in Luke 14 the President took the time to analyse our presence in Afghanistan. Protect the men and women that work on our behalf to provide an environment over there that will be helpful in keeping our nation, our people and our way of Life as a beacon of hope to the world. Protect him from harm and protect US from harm. Let us honor you with our country.

Are we winning or existing w/out a win?

"NERVIE" — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:12:15 EST

Today, in the preview video by Buck McKeon, http://www.youtube.com/user/BuckMcKeon

McKeon, our local Congressional representative, said he would be watching for the following points in President Obama’s speech:

Hopefully Obama will provide the number of troops requested by General McCrystal.

Having spoken to McCrystal, McKeon said that 400,000 internal security force would be required to secure the country and that there was ½ that number in Afghanistan right now. This would put a lot of people to work.

Time is another consideration: How soon will we be able to get the troops there?

McCrystal said we needed additional troops in the area w/in 1 year. We are 3 months behind in momentum, so catch up is required.

Winning is also a consideration.

Will the President say that we will have troops exiting after “winning” or “exiting (whether we win or not) Afghanistan w/in the 18 months”, which direction are we going. What is the exit strategy?

Meantime, we can only hope that Obama’s speech covers these concerns and Buck McKeon will find Obama’s momentum favorable for all Americans including our fighting troops in Afghanistan.

Looking forward to Obama’s speech, we can only pray that consensus from the right and left is coming.

McKeon, Obama and Afghanistan

"NERVIE" — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:05:32 EST

In the preview video by Buck McKeon, he said he would be watching for the following points in President Obama’s speech:

Hopefully Obama will provide the number of troops requested by General McCrystal.

Having spoken to McCrystal, McKeon said that 400,000 security force would be required to secure the country and that there was ½ that number in Afghanistan right now.

Time is another consideration: How soon will we be able to get the troops there? McCrystal said we needed additional troops in the area w/in 1 year. We are 3 months behind in momentum.

Winning is also a consideration. Will the President say that we will exit troops after winning or exiting (whether we win or not) Afghanistan w/in the 18 months.

Meantime, we can only hope that Obama’s speech covers these concerns and Buck McKeon will find Obama’s momentum favorable for all Americans including our fighting troops in Afghanistan. Looking forward to Obama’s speech.

Afghanistan

rwordplay — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:23:09 EST

I wish the President was announcing a strategic withdrawal, beginning in the morning, which is to say a withdrawal that made clear the consequences of any attack on our interests here or abroad, would be met with merciless retaliation.

Isn't there anyone in the administration with the wherewithal or honesty to admit that Afghanistan isn't a nation in the way anyone in the US or Europe understands the term. It is merely a designation of a landmass that is only recognized by foolish or craven Americans and Europeans who believe there's money to be made there. God has a cruel sense of humor making it an opium grower's paradise. The administration et al is not simply deluded, it's lost in a pipe dream.

This is George W. Bush's War, the opportunities that arose following the attack of the September 11th are gone. It is a very different world. I hope the President and his advisors will awake to the fact that it is 2010 and we've serious business to attend to at home.

Checks and Balances - Afghan War Strategy

"Voice for Humanity" — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:13:14 EST

By Padmini Arhant

In my earlier post, World Peace – Part 1, I mentioned about the military might prevalent in the economic and political aspects governing the domestic and the international societies. Although, it’s not a revelation that the military industrial complex (MIC) authority spreads beyond the realm of providing national security, it’s imperative to study the extent of the institutional power.

Besides the limited constitutional role by the military to defend the nation upon real and potential attack, the unconstitutional engagements are expansive and encroaching on the general society.

Often, it’s the "potential" more than the ‘real’ threats or attacks that are the premise for the prolonged military operation proved extremely lucrative in the prolific conventional and nuclear arms race.

Remaining facts detailed @http://www.padminiarhant.com

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Afghanistan – The Military Industrial Complex (MIC) Indefinite Mission

"Voice for Humanity" — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:46:17 EST

By Padmini Arhant

The White House and the Congress members are back at work after a refreshing break from the ‘Thanksgiving’ holiday that allows the average and the privileged citizens to celebrate the family moments together. Not all are able to participate in the long held tradition due to the ceaseless demands of the high commanders, the real authority in the system disguised as democracy.

Military Industrial Complex (MIC) troops expansion policy is having a nuclear impact on the nucleus of the Army, the brave men and women in harm’s way as evidenced in the following reports:

From 1st Sgt. Gonzalo Lassally said of soldiers from Able Troop, 3-71 Cavalry Squadron:

“They become your family and being able to eat together like this, to break bread together is a highlight.”

“We’re thankful for all still being here. We’ve been lucky,

From Padmini Arhant: For the kind attention of,

President Barack Obama, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator Diane Feinstein and the united Republican members of Congress endorsing the enormous troop buildup,

Would you, perhaps consider either matching or exceeding the incredible sacrifice by the honorable Sgt. Gonzalo Lassally in the following manner?

As per the above report, “1st Sgt. Gonzalo Lassally, a father of three from Deltona, Fla., has spent four ‘Thanksgivings, three Christmases and “quite a few birthdays” away from home.”

More realities presented @http://www.padminiarhant.com

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

World Peace - Part One

"Voice for Humanity" — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 15:25:59 EST

By Padmini Arhant

Since it’s my 200th post on this website, www.padminiarhant.com, I would like to dedicate the article to my favorite topic, Peace.

The world is riddled with violence in the worst form of terrorism and warfare not barring the dangerous nuclear threats. Then there are local crimes like the drug war in Mexico or the politically incited Philippines massacre exacerbating the miseries of the population. It would be appropriate to attribute the present situation to the political, economic and social injustice prevalent in the society.

Throughout history, the dominance of one nation over another through invasion, illegal occupation and provocative actions have led to the retaliation through terrorism and war including the use of nuclear arsenal witnessed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Often, when the rich nations demonstrate the political power in combination with the military might against the economically weaker countries, the aggression contributes to the perennial chaos and catastrophe.

Remaining article could be viewed @http://www.padminiarhant.com

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Afghanistan needs chessboard diplomacy - not a war

D Tiger — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:37:40 EST

My suggestion for a real resolution of the conflict in afghanistan is to stop calling it a war, and start finding ways to make quick inroads towards the hearts and minds of the people. The Taliban has given us an easy solution, by banning the game of chess. With the buying power of the federal government, we could send 50,000 sets of high-quality, tournament -grade chess pieces and chessboards and divide them up among the top eschelon military commanders in Afghanistan, and ask them to distribute them, as a token of appreciation, to local people that help our cause. Once there are enough chess games distributed, why not have some friendly tournaments between U.S. soldiers and local people? After all, you don't need to know how to speak each other's language to play the game. This may turn out to be a wonderful people-to-people passtime. After chess catches on, we could look at other things that the Taliban bans.

Afghan Asphalt Becomes 21st century Silk Road

Art for the Soul — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:57:40 EST

There are some basic lay lines and organic travel paths on Earth.

The Silk Road is one.

There is still no complete road and vibrant economy because of this 21st Century Silk Road.

My Art and the Sale of My Art has not been helped by killing more people in Afghanistan.

I am still a starving artist in America, 10 years of war has not helped sell my art.

The Kazakhstan Oil Pipeline to Karachi Pakistan can be the next project after the Silk Road is done and secure.

That was always the goal of this Afghan war anyway.

BULLETS SENT TO THE PRESIDENT via WHITE HOUSE WEB SITE (14Nov2009)

Toasty in Tennessee — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:24:25 EST

Get out of Afghanistan, pass meaningful healthcare and if it fails, move on.

Regulate financial industries. Jobs, Jobs, and Jobs.

Stop building unwanted bridges and schools in Afghanistan. We need them at home.

The terrorist are not warriors. They have no army to blow up. We give them creditability calling their gang an army.

The FBI and CIA can chase them. Use the law to prosecute them, jails to hold them and the electric chair to kill them.

Stop spending our precious resources outside of the country and spend it at home.

Don't become "Bushed!"

Stand by the progressives, discipline the blue dogs and bring bills to the floor. If they don't pass it is OUR job (not yours alone) to fix it.

Oh, most important to you. You're not only slipping in the polls, you are losing your base. I love ya, but sometimes action is better than wimpy results!!

Stop enjoying yourself soo.... much. We are living hard lives and are trying to get through tough times.

Where is the "OLD" Barack? Bring him back and if bills go up or down, we will at least have a great time trying.

Good Luck, I am still in your camp for now. I don't think I can afford to give any more money. At least not until things change.

New Afghan Strategy

"Voice for Humanity" — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:00:57 EDT

By Padmini Arhant

In the past weeks, the additional troops request from the U.S. Commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal in the 10,000 to 80,000 range and then reportedly cut back to the median 40,000 troop level is attention worthy due to the flurry of comments, rhetoric and insinuations from the quarters responsible for the status quo.

The U.S. troops presence including the recently approved contingency expected to arrive in December 2009 stands at 68,000 along with the participation of 28 nations in the form of NATO alliance further boosting the military representation in one nation – Afghanistan, to deal with the combined insurgency from the Afghan Talibans and the Al-Qaida in the northern regions.

Rest of the content available @ http://www.padminiarhant.com

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Ron Paul: Why Are We In Afghanistan?

khelifa barka — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:39:33 EDT

October 18, 2009

Venue: U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs
Date: 10/15/2009

Transcript:

Ron Paul: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In the last months, we have had a pretense of having a debate about Afghanistan, but unfortunately, it’s not much of a debate. We’re deciding whether or not to send 40,000 or 80,000 troops over to Afghanistan and we can’t even decide where the frontlines are. But the worst part of this is this is just déjà vu again, all about going to war needlessly. The same arguments were used in going into war against Iraq and that is “weapons of mass destruction and al-Qaeda, scare the people, it’s in our national security interest to go there” and we continue.

The Taliban never did a thing to us. The Taliban, we were paying them money up until May of 2001. They’re not capable, even if they wanted to, they’re not capable of touching us. So we’re over there, pursuing a war, spreading the war, and going into Pakistan. The American people don’t want it. We’re out of money. We can’t afford medical education here and we’re demanding that we send 80,000 or 40,000 troops to Afghanistan and expand the war. It’s time to end the whole mess.

Chairman Howard L. Berman: The time of the gentleman has expired.

The time has expired and the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Paul, is through.

Ron Paul: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It seems like we’ve had now a war going on for eight years, into the ninth year, and from the discussion, it looks like we’re searching for a justification for it; what is the reason we are there? I think we got that cart before the horse. We’ve been fighting all this time and it means that it isn’t a management problem. It’s a policy problem of how we got there, why we’re there, and what we’re doing, and besides, this type of debate about management, I can’t imagine this type of debate going on in World War II. You know, we knew who the enemy was; we declared war. The President said he’s the commander in chief and told the Congress what he needed. Now, that isn’t an argument for the Congress not paying attention. It’s an argument against the way we go to war and it looks like we have accepted this notion that perpetual war leads to perpetual peace, and we satisfy the military-industrial complex and the special interests and all these motivations just to stay in war endlessly.

But even these eight years, I don’t see where the success is. Men die, thousands of Afghanis are displaced and die. It cost a quarter trillion dollars and we’re still finding out, you know, what are we there for? Oh, well, “if the Taliban takes over” – whom we used to, you know, get along with quite well = “if they take over all of a sudden, al-Qaeda is going to be there and there’s going to another 9/11.”

This is making the assumption that 9/11 couldn’t have occurred without these training camps in Afghanistan. Do you think those nineteen guys went over there and did push-ups in those camps? There is no way. There is no way they were there doing those things. The report, when they studied 9/11, they said, “Well, there is a lot of planning going on in Germany. A lot of planning going on in Spain and there were 15 of them and were Afghans [Saudis]. I mean, if somebody really wanted to, I bet they could have talked the American people into bombing Saudi Arabia. I mean, 15 of them are Saudis. I imagine under those circumstances, the American people and the Congress could have been talked into bombing Saudi Arabia under those conditions.

So I just don’t see how we could continue to do this and come up with any sensible policy because we never challenge, we never question whether preemptive war is a good strategy and this is what this is all about: preemptive wars, starting wars, saying it’s preventative. But this is a completely un-American approach to fighting wars because under the original system, the people got behind the war, declared the war, knew who the enemy was and we didn’t come up with these strategies; “Do we need 40,000 or 80,000 people and who should we give the money to? Should we give it to this group?”

Why don’t we ever ask the question and this will be the question I’ll leave with you. Why don’t we as a Congress and the administrations, former administrations as well as this one, why don’t we ask the question, what is the motivation for somebody to attack us? And I don’t think it’s ever really asked because I think there is a different answer than then if some say, “Oh, they hate us. They hate us for our freedoms and our wealth.”

And I don’t believe that for a minute. I think the people in Afghanistan, the large majority, no matter what the reports are from the administration, our puppet administration, most people want us out of there. They don’t want us in Pakistan. The people in Pakistan don’t want us there. People in Iraq don’t want us there. It’s occupation. So my question is this, why is that never talked about, or why is it dismissed so easily if indeed you study and you find out that people who are willing to sacrifice their life to make a point is because we are seen as foreign occupiers. Just as the Soviets were seen as foreign occupiers, just as we joined those individuals who wanted to throw out the foreign occupiers in the past, and yet now, we are. We learn nothing from history, both ancient history or even recent history. Why don’t we pay more attention to the true motivations behind somebody who wants to commit suicide terrorism against us. Anybody care to answer?

Chairman Howard L. Berman: In 20 seconds.

Unidentified Male Speaker: In twenty seconds. (Laughs).

Robert Kagan: Congressman, I think in 20 seconds, I can only tell you that some of us do pay a great deal of attention to what the ideology is that drives al-Qaeda and affiliated groups to try to attack us. It’s been articulated in tremendous detail on multiple books. It goes beyond not liking us because of our wealth and a variety of other things and it has to do with the struggle within Islam that they see us participating in whether we are present there or not. It is a very, very sophisticated strategy. It is a very, very sophisticated ideology and it is extremely clear on what their intentions are and why.

Chairman Howard L. Berman: The time of the gentleman has expired.

Afghan Election Quagmire

"Voice for Humanity" — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:00:11 EDT

By Padmini Arhant

As detailed in the blogpost titled ‘U.S. Dilemma on Afghanistan’ published on the website www.padminiarhant.com, September 1, 2009 – in the ‘International Politics’ category, the flawed Afghan election results in favor of the current President Hamid Karzai appropriately rejected by the U.N. backed investigators with the runoff election scheduled for November 7, 2009.

Afghanistan heading for yet another election within two weeks is a tall order given the recent turmoil in the electoral process that led to the annulment of the results. Modern democracy is not devoid of voter fraud, corruption and unscrupulous tactics by the respective campaigns representing the political candidates. However, the Afghan election is complex due to the extremism ranging from physical threats, ballots stuffing, violence that mars the democratic protocol and worsened now with the August election declared ‘flawed,’ by the United Nations panel and the other international authorities.

The remaining content available @http://www.padminiarhant.com

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Code Pink And Afghan Women Diverging Views On Troops

Obama-Mamas.com — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:13:47 EDT

Activists are using every opportunity to reach the President, the most recent group bought tickets to a San Francisco fundraiser to deliver a peace petition to the President.

Code Pink made news recently when the Christian Science Monitor reported that co-founder Medea Benjamin was suggesting that there might be room for alternative strategies and an extended timeline for the military in Afghanistan.� Co-founder Jodie Evans quickly clarified this in an interview with Scott Horton, saying that Kabul should be the model “It’s the only safe place in the country … people can get healthcare and education … we need to expand the success of Kabul to the rest of the country.”

Rally for president Obama, tomorrow, Courthouse, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia

jsq — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:45:22 EDT

This happened at Jack Kingston's Health Care Town Hall, Valdosta, GA, 28 Sep 2009: a veteran was booed for saying respect the president. To Kingston's credit, he shushed the crowd.The speaker was George Rhynes, who is one of the organizers of a rally tomorrow, Saturday 17 October 2009, on the Lowndes County courthouse steps, Valdosta, Georgia. Invitations on

Democrats.org and Facebook.com. But you don't need an invitation: just show up!

I tip my hat to the Prez.

Okela — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 08:52:55 EDT

Well today the Nobel Peace Prize goes to a man who has overcome American bias/bigotry to become the country's first African American President. A feat, which I believe in itself is a tremendous accomplishment, and is no less than that of Nelson Mandela becoming the first Black President of South Africa after the end of apartheid. I tip my hat to the Honorable President.

Obama's award reflects wonderfully on America and is indeed the world's approval of the new direction this country is moving.

I believe that Obama deserves this award, and the critics, as usual, is grasping at straws, and showing their terrible bias with almost screams for the Nobel Peace Prize committee to withdraw the award.

It is a very impressive thing to see a Black man accomplishing so much and not being on the wrong side of the law. The only people that he does not inspire are ardent bigots.

Michael Steele's criticism wreaks of jealousy and self hate, and it is not a good look to have them attacking the President for everything that happens to him.

If GOD came out of the sky and gave Obama an award his critics would most definitely argue with GOD about President Obama's deservedness; at which point GOD would probably snap his fingers and send them to hell. Guess my point is that no matter what good President Obama does it may never be good enough for some people.

The people who voted to give the award to the President did so after serious debates, and their decision should be respected and not second guessed just because the recipient is Obama. The President should feel nothing but pride and joy at this honor, and make no excuses for the nobel peace prize committee's choice.

Afghanistan War, the Additional Troops Request and the Election

"Voice for Humanity" — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:33:53 EDT

By Padmini Arhant

There has been additional troops request from the U.S. and NATO Commander, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal accompanied by the endorsements of the other highest commands. The request made with a sense of urgency within the military ranks based on variable assessments and conflicting reports from different sources that if the troops request delayed or denied; “it could perhaps lead to the mission failure” in the prolonged war that had continued to deploy troops on that strategy.

For the rest of the article, please refer to http://www.padminiarhant.com

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Almost Tragic

nothing but news — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:40:48 EDT

This morning as always I was watching the news and I heard the news about the two terrorists that almost blew up a federal court house and a sky-scraper in Houston, Texas. One came into America When he was fourteen and recently went back for an Al Quada training camp in Afghanistan and returned and made bombs out of things he bought from a beauty store! The other was an illegal immigrent from Iran. God Bless the men and women who found these two and stopped them before billions of HEARTS were broken.

Your Friend,

Erin

Sage Advice

Andrew Bairnsfather — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:44:14 EDT

Dear President Obama,

Please allow me to pass along this quote to you:

"Beware lest in your anxiety to avoid war you obtain a master."

- Demosthenes

I gotta tell ya, it sure seems our country—even the corps—are out of control stomping the whole planet to pieces. "Crushing and devouring its victims and trampling underfoot whatever is left." Here's one of the ironies I see. The people pushing the hardest for all this are the ones behind the most unflattering characterization of all time; and behind the minion of the deceived.

Respectfully, Drew.

P.S. Have you contacted LEAP yet?

Remembering the Victims of the September 11, 2001 Tragedy

"Voice for Humanity" — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 22:16:13 EDT

September 11, 2009

By Padmini Arhant

Please standby for the tribute to the brave citizens, the victims of the catastrophic event that changed the world economy and international security. Also remembering the fire fighters and humanitarian workers, the real heroes selflessly offered their life during the rescue operations on the mournful date.

Presented @http://www.padminiarhant.com

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Middle East, big oil and failed promises. What is up, Mr. President?

Marcia Riquelme — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 00:04:36 EDT

This promising new President is so far head and shoulders above the alternative, it is painful to complain bitterly, but bitterly I will. No solution in the Middle East can be solved by occupation, invasion, or military coercion. How my dear President Obama wishes to ignore the wisdom he learned in undergraduate school, I struggle to understand. How well he comprehended the truths shared with him at that time.

What has happened Barack? You were an excellent student. You 'got the picture'. did you lose it somewhere on the walk into the Oval Office? Which UGLY CORPORATION threatened you into falling in line with them? Please be more honorable than to fall to repression by threat of being a 4-year President. What on earth do you think is more honorable--- to follow the wishes of those who elected you, or the be the puppet of the greed and fear-mongers? Please please change course. There is no HOPE AND CHANGE in your middle East policies at present except, thank you for being firmer with Israel, well, a little firmer.

I want to respect you, find you the best President ever. in all history. You are wavering from the track of truly being the people's President. Now you don't have to do much to improve on G.H.W.B., that's true, but you were light-years beyond him at the inauguration----please don't regress. I am worried. How can my Team support you whole-heartedly in 2012? We really care, we are giving our hearts and souls to support you, please don't fail us.

Where is our access to HealthCare REform for all? Public Plan still won't cut it for many. Now we fear the Public Plan will get the ax, too. Are they chewing your heart out? Threatening you? We will rise up in any way you need us to to protect you all we can, just please by the President we hoped we elected!

Afghanistan as the Test

Abe — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:36:54 EDT

The US & NATO goal is to stablize Afghanistan so that they can focus on the other important issues. No matter what the outcome of the current election in Afghanistan, the task would be difficult for a stable Afghanistan or even to create the atmosphere where we were just after 9/11 during Afghanistan invasion.

Neither Dr. Abdullah Abdullah nor Karzai can be the solution to Afghanistan stability as a standalone entity, but a complete transformation of government culture where corruption issues have been given the most priorit in the next months and years to come.

Any decision that the US makes on Afghanistan today, it will have the most effect to 2012 election outcome. Unlike the campaign slogan where we build from bottom up in the US, it needs to be built from Top to Bottom in Afghanistan. It will be difficulet, but any difficult task has its risk. Obviously, with the risk comes its award!

Failure of Pakistani Diplomacy or Deliberate Exclusion of Pakistanis

Anila Ali — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:52:18 EDT

Pakistan is strife with rumors of US building a fortress of an embassy to camouflage a military base in the heart of Islamabad and Karachi. Many Pakistanis believe that US wants to destabilize Pakistan and that it’s in the interest of the US to Balkanize Pakistan so that it can secure Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. Many are protesting the 12 embassies that India has set up in Kabul and Pakistani officials have protested that openly claiming that RAW (Indian Intelligence ) is training Afghans to fight Pakistan Talibans. Whatever the truth what can’t be denied is that, Pakistan is sitting in a very precarious position today.

When pressured to root our terrorism from its North, Pakistan had no choice but to send its army to root out Taliban. Pakistan army is fighting its own people to eradicate terrorists from within. That is not an easy task. This not only caused a strain on its meager resources, but also displaced about two million of the poorest people from their homes in the North causing an immense burden on the already weak economy of Pakistan. Thus Pakistan and its people are making huge sacrifices to help the US fight the extremists. What is our government getting in return? The 1.5 billion dollars will trickle into Pakistan through developmental projects, which we’ve all heard about before and which never really have reached the hands of the poor. It could be different this time since there seems to be more oversight of the monies going to Pakistan.

We know that our US government and State department is aware of the corruption that Zardari is tainted with and how his government has done nothing to give “roti,kapra,aur makan” (food, clothing, and shelter) to the common people who stood behind its slogan. In fact, Zardari has made the poor even poorer and the treasury deplete. However, the number of advisors to Zardari keeps increasing, the VIP culture is back as a nuisance and

Basic necessities like electricity and clean water are still non-existent. Despite the lack of progress and abject poverty in Pakistan, the only reason, I remain, hopeful, is that the people elected Zardari and through this extreme suffering during his tenure; they will learn to vote better in the next elections. After all, Americans waited patiently for years to choose a better leader after Bush’s policies alienated Americans from the rest of the world and caused the complete destruction of two countries in the name of bringing democracy, so can Pakistanis.

Then we come to the very important issue of where the money from the Kerry-Lugar Bill will really go and what is Obama’s policy toward Pakistan. . Center for American Progress recently held a meeting of the all the agencies working on AfPak. What was most surprising was that not a single Pakistani was on Holbrooke’s Interagency Team on AfPak. What is even more surprising is that the Senior Defense Advisor to President Obama on Pakistan and Afghanistan is Mr.Vikram Singh. The Senior Advisor on AfPak is Vali Nasr, an Iranian expert on “shiaism”.

Pakistani Americans are considering this as an attempt to exclude them from any policy making for their native country. This is contrary to what the President was saying to the Pakistani community. Candidate Obama told us that he would engage us in policy making that directly affects Pakistan. Who would know Pakistan better than us?

But then why are we excluded from advisory positions? It’s a failure on the part of Pakistan Embassy Washington, and the government of Pakistan, who should have the vision to look out for Pakistani Americans, like the Indians do. Instead, being the strongest bargaining position, Pakistanis are in the weakest position.

We protest this exclusion.

Anila Ali

Teacher, Community Organizer, Journalist, Activist

18845 Tabor Drive,

Irvine, Ca 92603

www.anilaali.com

"On the Wings of a Snow White Dove"

James — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:41:30 EDT

A few days ago the media was reporting in the news that our forces in Afghanistan had killed a Taliban leader by the name of Mehsud. The reports came with detailed descriptions of the actual terminal event. It seems that Mehsud was spotted on the top of a home, sitting next to his second wife, by one of our Predators, Reapers or White Doves. That last designation is my term for these robotic flyers who fire missiles from beneath their wings. Missiles were launched and the house, with Mehsud and wife, was obliterated.

Are we at war with the Taliban? I thought that we were at war with Al Qaeda. I thought that we went into Afghanistan to get the Al Qaeda cells who had launched 9/11, and, in particular, the cell which contained Osama Ben Ladin. I thought that we fought the elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan to get them out of our way, in order to allow us to reach the followers of Al Qaeda. But then I was also led to believe that, eventually, we were fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq, until we changed the name of the opponents there to "insurgents." Now I just don't know.

Let's assume that we have to be at war with the Taliban. That assumption safely put where we can get back to it, let's take a look at the morality of killing the woman that was with him. We can even marginally presume that the guy on the roof of that building (Mehsud) when the predator struck down with six missiles was the Taliban leader we sought (there are many conflicting reports about that). But I want to write about that woman. Whoever she was. Were we at war with her when we executed her with full, willing and aforeknowledged intent? Nobody seems to care about this poor woman, blown to smithereens. Why not? Why is it that we keep getting reports that our White Doves shower down these missiles on all manner of people living in Afghanistan, and it is okay that many are not combatants at all? Who will cry for this woman?

I went to a party the other night. High class party. Everyone was higher class than I. My attendance was based upon the fact that I can usually be depended upon to engage in interesting discourse. The hostess of the party, when I was at a table deep in discussion about the Iraq war, said these words: "It's a war. Kill them all. Men, women and children. That's what war is. Kill them all." I looked at her. I like her. I want to be invited back to her parties. But I could not help myself. Quite forcefully I encountered her verbally: "I can understand your feelings, but I would like you to understand that this war should then have your husband and children laying here, dead at your feet, for you to have any comprehension of the enormity of what you just said." Even the mildest intimation that violence might be considered to be visited upon her, there in her own home, stopped the place dead for a moment. I still like this woman. I know that she is so very proto-American, however. She has not lived in those cities out there, humped those jungles, slogged across those deserts and certainly not spent any time with any of those wondrous cultures out there all over this planet. Those people are not people to her. Not like her husband and children. They are not even existent enough in her consciousness to be human beings.

They are very human to me. That woman on that roof who was blown to smithereens. That woman probably had a husband and children too. Maybe the husband is dead. But the children? If they survived the huge blast are they not thinking about enrolling in flight officer training as I write this? Or will that come later? I am not sure about that, the survival part, but I am deadly certain about the 'flight school' device I use here to describe the awesome hurt and hatred which will out itself one year soon. Where do you suppose all that emotion is headed?

And now, today, we have Fox and CNN running the same video of a White Dove watching some insurgents somewhere planting a bomb on a highway. The White Dove does what American White Doves do. It blows the living crap out of the insurgent. And it is all so very justified. And it all attempts to cloak a little secret that leaked out earlier in the day. The secret that we have designated fifty drug dealers in Afghanistan to be destroyed by our White Doves, came out this morning. You see, it is the drug dealers who are the sole remaining financiers of the Taliban. This, we are told very forcefully, then shown the video of a I.E.D. placing insurgent being killed again.

And where did we get out list of Taliban-loving drug dealers? Well, from our intelligence. Which takes us right back to the Monterey language school in Monterey, California. That is the language school the military uses to train our people to speak the languages of other countries so we will understand them. Without speaking the language, and isolated in a guerilla environment, we must depend upon local translators to tell us what people are saying. And to tell us the truth about it. How many graduates of Monterey have we turned out over the past few years who speak the languages of Afghanistan? I am willing to bet that the classified number is around ten, maybe twenty. So what we end up with is intelligence based upon what the locals are telling us. Remember those clowns from Iraq who supposedly gave us all that intelligence before this latest Iraqi nightmare? They lied to us time and again, and got paid hundreds of millions for doing it. We didn't find out about the lying for quite some time though. Today, in spite of the payments and lying, the chief-liar-in-charge of that crew is the Oil Minister of the country.

So here we are, killing supposed drug dealers, from the Wings of our Snow White Doves, all over the place. Do those drug dealer's have wives and family living with them? Or traveling with them? And what is the basis for assigning someone to this terminal hit list? The word of some locals, and very probably locals who would like a bit of the power that the person they are reporting on might have. I experienced this in Vietnam, in the field as a combat commander. Only after I was in country long enough to acquire some of the local language was I able to figure out that my "Kit Carson" local scouts were lying to me. That was after, by the way, we had already 'taken out' my scout's political opponents in a nearby village. The interpreters had, of course, indicated that they were V.C. (Viet Cong enemy, for you young people).

Why are we at war with the 'insurgents' in Iraq? Why are we at war with the Taliban? Why are we now killing drug dealers without true accusation or trial? Why have we allowed our assassination teams (as reported by Hersh) to rend and kill people all over the world on the basis of information which is worse than suspect? Why, if America does not like you, do you get visited, then carried away on the wings of Snow White Dove? I damn well think so. The hostess who invited me to that party probably thinks that this result is just fine with her. And I do not expect to be invited back, no matter how witty my 'House-like' commentary might be. But I have a problem with killing people willy nilly across the face of the planet and then expecting that we are not gong to be hated, vilified, and eventually hunted down ourselves.

It is hard for a Marine to say these words: "We must retreat." But retreat we must. We need to get our head and act together again. We need to stop locking up our own homeless, believing our own lies, and blaming the world out there for the problems we have here. If we were mentally healthy, as a culture, we would merely have absorbed the hit we took on 9/11, then made sure we caught up with Osama and his small band. We'd have rebuilt the towers and thumbed our nose at Silverstein in New York, or anybody else who got in our way (but we would not have struck down upon them with one of our White Doves!). With just the two trillion the Iraq and Afghan wars have cost us, and the seven or so years we've wasted, we could have bases upon the Moon, Mars and be running back and forth almost without limit. Now how could would that have been? You think the world might just be going; "God, but those American's are something else!" instead of "Those Yanks are bunch of violent imperialist creeps." And, finally, we would not have a huge crop of our young people coming home to kill themselves, or live their lives homelessly, drunk, drug-addicted and unemployed.

http://www.jamesstraussauthor.com

http://www.themastodons.com

http://www.from-the-chateau-dif.blogspot.com

Diverting Foreign Aid

My Vote Matters — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 15:55:33 EDT

I must comment on the idea that pulling down our $100 billion in foreign aid to help other initiatives in the US is somehow going to be “good” for America. This argument pops up every time the US Mindset returns to focus on the disastrous budget deficits we have been running for nearly 2 generations now. Unfortunately, like the ups and downs of our economy, all discussion related to the deficit dies as soon as the economy turns the corner and people go back to focusing on making money in the latest paper bubble. It is also unfortunate that these incredible "peace time" budget deficits do little more than expose the underlying reality that the US economy has become so reliant on consumer spending and non manufacturing "industries" that our bubble to burst cycles have become more frequent (about every 10 years) and more dramatic. Obviously, with the economy based on businesses that have no physical infrastructure and or physical output capacity (the production of intangible products) they are able to grow rapidly when able to exploit the latest economic / financial gimmick and can just as rapidly shrink when that "event" is played out. Consumption as we all know is primarily of foreign made products of all varieties.

Getting back to the argument that somehow reducing our "foreign aid" and bringing back a few billion dollars back to the US as having any tangible ability to "enhance" our economic development. This is a completely false argument and even when foreign aid has been reduced during tough economic times, it quickly returns during boom times and is usually a greatly celebrated event stamped by whoever happens to be in the White House as an example of the how "generous American" people are willing to back whatever pop-charity is prevalent at that time.

Before I go on, I will preface my argument with my own jaded view of the machine that functions in Washington of ex-piece-corp / lobbyist / international "aid" how to make $200k a year "non-profits" with "do gooder" figurehead cronies "leaders" related to the various politicians, lobbyist, ex-politicians etc., all of whom are very good at raking money out of the Federal Government to feed themselves using their idealistic agenda. These many folk are professional and very good at making carriers for themselves, backed by US Gov money under the guise of "international aid" and normally spend most of their time traveling the world, speaking, living in posh neighborhoods of DC and otherwise justifying their idealistic agenda to other folks who look just like them or aspire to create their "careers" picking up in their footprints. The vast majority of US Foreign "aid" goes in the pockets of these folks and their extended networks and little of it gets anywhere near the end "user" or "target" of the program or individuals it was designed to "help". I could go on but you get the point. In addition, the "International Aid" machine in Washington and associated labyrinth of non-profits (most often not of international focus) are also often the best way to pay for access to the political machine. "Give $50k to my wife's / sister's / friend's / ex-business partner's / other relative's charity and we can talk" kind of politics.

Having said all of that, I will go back to the argument that somehow reducing foreign aid is going to better our economy if we redirect that cash. We have directly spent since our pointless invasion of Iraq no less than $1 Trillion. I remember Bush's speech during the height of the financial crises when talk of $700 billion to bail out financial institutions was being thrown around and thinking, "George, why don't you just say it? You know how much $700 billion is, you spent more than that battling your fictitious "enemies" on the other side of the planet for the past 5 years." George could have just said, "T-ain't anything America. Just deal with it. I know the war was a great excuse to use my access to the largest "bank" on the planet to write checks to my friends and buddies, esp. the ones who lost so much money in the .dot com crash and Enron like debacles of the early part of my presidency, but this, well, now we have another "crises" primarily created by my friends and I got no nation to invade so please excuse me if I just hand this money over directly to them this time!"

Well, that is reality you know. So what about "foreign aid"? What about pulling our vast military presence out of Japan, 2/3 of it out of Korea and Europe? What about exiting Iraq? Can we get that Trillion Dollars (plus the estimated Trillion or so legacy costs) back? Never. What about the pointless war in Afghanistan? Does anybody ever ask themselves what the real long term ramifications of a decade war against Muslim extremist around the globe will have on the long term desire of these folks to one day actually organize themselves some kind of multi-nation alliance and truly threaten other nations? I mean really, right now and for the years going back to the beginning of radical Muslim movements against nations outside of Israel (the true root of all this mess), was there ever a time in modern history they had the potential to do anything more than cause a bit of terror by blowing something up with some rudimentary explosive devises or come up with more creative ways to use our own technology against us like in the 9.11 "attack"? Come on? Help me out here. How many Americans ever went to bed worried that some "army" from the middle east would invade their shores? We and a few other developed nations feed our "allied" Muslim nation friends all of their military technology for crying out loud. These folks cannot even make a microphone or CD player in their own nations let alone a computer or sophisticated guidance system, navy fleet, air force or any other mass weapon arsenal necessary to threaten other nations. Isn't it true the primary reason we don't want Iran to develop the technology to enrich uranium is that we really don't want any of the nations on the planet that do not align themselves with our capitalist / "democratic" value system to have the ability to create ANY technology or products which could head them in the direction of being able to create real weapons of mass destruction like we do?

And so with all this, is taking $25 or $50 billion out of our "foreign aid" going to solve anything? We are directing hundreds of billions of dollars every year to our global military infrastructure; billions more are spent subsidizing our agricultural and agricultural exports; billions more are being spent / or credited to companies for the removal of fossil fuels from all corners of the planet; billions of dollars are being sucked out of our economy, from each individual, by companies operating within pathetically designed regulation / lack of regulation of our energy companies and infrastructure; billions of dollars are being sucked out of the American taxpayer every year for the construction of and maintenance of a transportation infrastructure designed specifically for the single most destructive product in use on the entire planet, the automobile; billions of dollars in energy literally escape right in the atmosphere by the pathetically designed and geographically dispersed regulation of building standards that allow millions of structures to be built annually with the environmental soundness of a mid 20th century box; billions of dollars are being spent incarcerating millions of Americans each year instead of educating them (with more of these dollars going into private hands each year);billions of dollars are being sucked out of the wealth of people, their pension plans and their governments around the planet monthly by the vast unregulated financial industries that have learned to rake as much cash out of the planet's financial wealth as possible with no nation, government, regulatory authority or power to answer to but the pursuit of as much wealth as humanly possible... I could go on about how many ways $25-$50 billion a year are completely wasted, lost, sucked into the coffers of companies riding the "free economic" poorly regulated and wasteful economy we have created but I will rest here.

Suffice to say, any person who decides to go after the politically easy, populace target of "foreign aid" when the true causes of our financial mess and destructive economic model lies right in front of us, is only succumbing to a failed logic and worse, exposing themselves to a deeper sense of "America is right and great and we should look after ourselves even if much of what we do economically and militarily is pathetically harmful to the planet and humanity in general."

106 Billion, did you say BILLION??!!

Maria — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:51:26 EDT

Has everyone in Washington lost their mind, I wonder? I would not approve 106 Million for war efforts let alone making that billions. Who are they trying to kid? It is time to seriously get these guys under control and give them a serious dose of reality!

We all read of the mismangement of the other war money and they expect us to trust them with more? I do not think so!

Obama, please stand up and say no to this insanity! Until they can account for every penny of where the other money went they should not be allowed to get any more. If I am reading the news right it will take 80 billion to last June-Sept of this year. Where on earth does the money go?

Forget the war profiteers/arms dealers and remember Americans!

Maria

Happy New Year of The Bible 2010 by Paul Broun

Peter from Carrollton, TX — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:26:07 EDT

2010 Year of the Bible by Paul Broun AP/Photo

Happy New Year of The Bible 2010 by Paul Broun

On our countdown to a new year in 2010, Paul Broun (R-Ga.) wants everyone to ring in the “Year of the Bible”. He wants to pass legislation to honor the good book. Opposition is strong in the Democratic party, but whats the big deal? We’re already burning them suckers in Afghanistan. I wrote a post about it, and got negative feedback from every dem, saying I’m a GOP’r in disguise. In fact, I’m just a student pointing out similarities between different governments past and present. That isn’t choosing sides at all. When people see a political blog, they are automatically trying to figure out what party I am affiliated with. None. Well, whoever decides to pay me the most. Just kidding(That’s illegal for all you kids out there, no selling votes.) Sorry for ranting but I’ve been enraged at some of my readers that just don’t get the whole picture. Someone said I’m a Christian that hates America. No, I’m a Christian that loves America; the thought of America more like it. It used to stand for something, and all I see and read is how far it has gone from what our forefathers set forth to achieve. I am not ashamed of being an American. Our differences are what makes this country unique. I say instead of the “Year of the Bible”, we just go with the Chinese astrology and name it after an animal. Or we can ring in the New Year as a world united. All across Washington people are joking about what year its going to be after that. Year of the encyclopedia? Quran? Las Vegas escort Pamphlets? Whatever the year, I’ll be ringing it in with a smile, knowing I’m in a country that spends too much time on a stupid idea. Hey Paul Broun, think of a way to get your ass back to work on important things.

Protest Against Obama's - Disheartening for an Ardent Supporter

Anila Ali — Sat, 30 May 2009 15:04:31 EDT

An die-hard believer in Obama's policies, I must say I was a little disappointed myself at his decision to send more troops to Afghanistan. I wrote a pice in Pakistan Link and I add that to my blog as well. I was surprised to see so many supporters of the President protesting on Wilshire Blvd. while he was here in L.A. fundraising for DNC.

President's promise to us was that the war in Iraq would end in sixteen months but that seems unlikely with the present state of affairs. that leaves supporters like me, a little disheartened. We have destroyed two countries and taken them back to dark ages; we still have not been able to come up with a viable plan for both countries. For the sake of national security, the military plans aren't being shared with us, I hope business is not getting back to the way it was in D.C?

I was moderating a forum arranged by a non-profit organization, COPAA and a few Pakistani Students

organizations of Ca. The hope that was lit up like lightening when Obama took oath of office, dimmed a little when I heard, a very moderate professor say:

"I feel President Obama is going back on his promises to end wars."

The reason his comment resonates with me is that this American professor has traveled all over the Muslim world and is very aware of the ground realities. Another professor came to President's defense and

reminded the audience that he has done a lot in a short time; he is building bridges with the Muslim world which no President has done before.

As a Pakistani American, I urge the government of President Obama to hear us out. US governments meet officials in power in Pakistan, some of them very controversial and tainted with corruption, and they make deals with them. This makes the Pakistanis think that America makes deals only because of self-interest and forgets the ideals of her founding fathers, liberty, peace justice for all.

If America really wants to impact change and spread the ideals of democracy in Pakistan, it must sow the seeds of democracy by forcing political parties to hold elections within to choose their leaders. Pakistan is an inheritance of the landlords like the Chaudhrys and the Bhuttos. They are feudals, they own the land that the 40% of the iliterate Pakistani grow crops and live on. They are like the serfs in medieval times, they own allegience to these landlords and they have no choice but to stamp a vote for their mostly corrupt feudal lord. If we really want to democratize Pakistan, after the war on extremism is over, we must pressure Pakistani governement to have their political parties hold elections for their leadership. Why did Zardari become the chairman of his party? The old party big wigs of PPP are still unhappy with that decision.

These are the issues that trouble the minds of the young people in pakistan. That we Americans, want to impose democracy but only want leaders that are sympathetic to the west and have no respect for their choices. There are parties like the MQM that have leaders that have risen from the sheer hard work and merit, we must promote that thinking if we want to sincerely democratize Pakistan.

The head of the Pentagon noted bravery soldier engaged in battle with Taliban in pink shorts

Unknown user — Sat, 23 May 2009 19:56:43 EDT

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates noted the bravery of American troops in eastern Afghanistan, who rushed to defend the outpost, being dressed only in pink shorts and rubber slippers, Vietnamese.

Moreover, Gates said that during the next mission in Afghanistan would like to personally meet with the soldier and reap his arm, said on Friday, May 22, agency Reuters.

"Every soldier who goes into battle against Taliban militants in pink shorts and Vietnamese, has a special courage," - said Gates before his speech in New York.
The American soldiers joined the fighting with the Taliban in shorts

"I can only imagine the reaction of the Taliban. Just imagine: you can see on his sight a guy in pink shorts and slippers. From the standpoint of psychology, it is very remarkable innovation in the way of war", - added Gates.

Recall Zachary Boyd (Zachary Boyd), 19-year-old soldier from Texas, ran May 11, straight from the dormitory a military base in the Afghan province of Kunar after the attack on a Taliban militant groups.

One of the photographers managed to capture a bravo soldier Boyd, standing on the protection of their bastion in helmets, flak jackets, pink shorts and T-shirt that says I love New York.

When the shot came on the first page of the newspaper New York Times, emotional Boyd told the parents that he could be dismissed from the armed forces if President Barack Obama will see it during battle without special equipment. "I can assure you that the place of Boyd in the U.S. Army will remain intact," - said the Minister of Defense.

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‘Talibanization’ of Afghanistan and Pakistan

"Voice for Humanity" — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:26:18 EDT

By Padmini Arhant

The Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan and the northwestern regions of Pakistan, particularly the swat valley have proven deadlier for the ruling powers in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United Sates due to the inevitable civilian casualties and displacement arising from the incessant shelling supposedly targeting the Taliban militants.

According to the Pakistani government,

Further info @ http://www.padminiarhant.com

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

National Security Act - Torture

"Voice for Humanity" — Wed, 06 May 2009 04:43:16 EDT

By Padmini Arhant

Courtesy: www.padminiarhant.com

Torture

The nation riddled with recent events pertaining to national security. In the past few weeks, there have been vigorous debates and discussions on the release of the torture memos describing the torture tactics applied on the speculative terror suspects in Guantanamo Bay and those held in Bagram Prison, Afghanistan.

There are polarizing views regarding the...

Further info @ http://www.padminiarhant.com

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Obama Administration – Performance Assessment

"Voice for Humanity" — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:42:10 EDT

By Padmini Arhant

Courtesy: www.padminiarhant.com

It is one hundred days since the new administration under President Obama took office on January 20, 2009.

Precisely, around that time the nation was in a precarious situation specifically with the economy in severe recession heading towards a possible depression. It required urgent policy decisions to avert the serous economic crisis contributing to the crumbling housing market, potential bankruptcies of the auto industry, tremendous job losses, failing financial institutions and volatile stock market.

Even though, the crises are far from over, the administration demonstrated diligence with the legislation of the $787 billion stimulus bill through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act accompanied by various strategies to reform and revive the financial institutions and housing market.

The financial bailouts were justifiably controversial and awaiting the stress test results due on May 4, 2009. Meanwhile, the alternative of inaction would have proven equally detrimental and exacerbated the liquidity crisis in the financial market.

In addition to the measures in stimulating the economy, the administration’s effort to sustain the existing jobs in different sectors particularly the auto industry is noteworthy. Further planning and policy decisions to create new jobs phrased, as ‘green jobs’ through vigorous environmental and energy programs is the right course of action to efficiently deal with the challenging issues of global warming and energy independence.

Other achievements in promoting science and technology such as the stem cell research within the realm of ethical code, proposal to digitalize medical records as one of many innovative solutions in the health care policy, coordinating with the environmental agencies in the protection of threatened and endangered species are impressive. However, the request from the environmental groups to rescind the rule that limits the protection of polar bears from the melting Arctic ice caused by climate change is pending approval.

In social programs, the signing of two major pieces of legislation into law – the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, ensuring equal pay for men and women and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) that guarantees 11 million low-income children affordable health care are significant actions.

World health crisis in the wake of the ‘pandemic swine flu’ appropriately handled by the Obama administration thus far.

Despite the fragile economic conditions, the Obama administration’s response and reaction to most issues has been right on target. The anticipated legislation of the budget focused on education, energy and health care should accelerate the economic growth for rapid recovery from the existing crises.

The administration must strive hard to isolate investment from wasteful spending i.e. earmarks or pork barrel that often finds its way through major budgets and stimulus packages. Likewise, preventing the special interests and lobbyists’ continuous dominance should be part of the administration’s agenda.

With respect to transparency and accountability, the recent scandals involving legislators raises credibility issue for the majority party. It is important to maintain bipartisanship in legislative matters for national interest since future holds no guarantee with the majority rule. Moreover, divisive politics contributes to polarization jeopardizing national unity and ultimately election results.

In foreign policy matter, the recent participation in international summits appears promising with the exception of the boycotting of the Geneva conference on ‘racism.’ Please refer to the article on ‘Racism – The Durban II Geneva Conference’ @ www.padminiarhant.com.

Obviously, the rising tensions in the international arena from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and North Korea are few of the many challenges ahead. Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the form of two states solutions is paramount to attain permanent peace in the region. It would create a pathway for others sharing similar aspirations.

Combat troops withdrawal from Iraq and simultaneous deployment in Afghanistan deserve individual criteria and attention. Military operation always yields immense casualties and often precious lives are lost in the process.

President Obama’s initiative with Russia in the reduction of conventional weapons and other arsenal is praiseworthy. Nevertheless, it remains subject to the real statistics and the actual defense spending contraction by the geopolitical powers. The bold and audacious declaration of nuclear disarmament was music to ears, although the reality of it relies on the willingness and commitment by the other nuclear nations.

At the G-20 summit, the United States’ reluctance to support France’s proposal to force international financial institutions unveil the corporations using tax havens for tax evasions was disappointing. The unpopular yet meaningful recommendation contributed to a major disagreement between France and China leading to the mediation by the U.S. President Barack Obama. The international sources attributed China’s objection to the potential ramifications on the corporate investments in that nation.

In conclusion, the result oriented performance reflects President Obama’s admirable leadership skills and the administration’s ambitious goals in education, energy and health care is a step in the right direction.

I wish President Obama and the administration success in all endeavors.

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Why i made this blog here?

Nasim Fekrat — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 17:07:18 EDT

My name is Nasim Fekrat and I am an Afghan citizen, here i would like to share the stories of Afghan life from Afghanistan. I would like inform people in the United States, specially to bring attention towards Obama's administration, what the new generation of Afghanistan needs and what the United States should do in Afghanistan to bring changes.

Accountability: America's Moral Responsibility to Humanity

Eric from Covina, CA — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:51:12 EDT

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

Accountability: America's Moral Responsibility to Humanity

Eight years of Republican "leadership" has left America both economically devastated, and globally humiliated. Yet, far from apologizing for the damage that they've done to the stability and image of this great nation, instead, they've circled their wagons and gone into damage control mode–not to control the damage that they've done to the nation, but in an attempt to rewrite history in order to control the damage that they've done to themselves.

So now, as President Obama goes about the business of desperately trying to return America to its former position of economic stability at home, and respect, admiration, and moral authority abroad, the GOP leadership seems to be completely oblivious to the nation's desperate and immediate need for a concerted effort in that regard. They're like clueless children who find it impossible to see the big picture. Thus, at this point it has become abundantly clear that their primary concern is not with restoring America to a sound footing in the world, but rather, simply restoring themselves to power at any cost.

A Lot of Talk Finally Some Action

Tom Awtry — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:04:28 EDT

Call Centers - India

During the Presidential campaign we heard numerous politicians expounding on their concepts on ways to retrain our veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and fellow Americans workers who saw their jobs outsourced overseas.

Finally we have one brave Democratic Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania with a workable plan to introduce a new law that aims to pay community colleges nationwide $1,000 per student to retrain laid-off workers, which Casey says would come from existing funds already allocated to job retraining in the department’s budget.

In an article authored by Anne Fisher of TIME, entitled: “Tuition Help for the Unemployed Gains Traction” the following excerpts regarding Senator Casey’s pending bill:

His inspiration for the bill: Pennsylvania’s community colleges, 10 of which have enrolled 1,062 unemployed workers in free training programs this semester, at a total cost to the schools of $741,788. “They shouldn’t have to foot the bill alone,” Casey says. “My bill will encourage other community colleges across the U.S. to do the same thing.” Senate Democrats are working to build bipartisan support for the bill and expect to move it forward in the coming months. (See TIME’s special report on paying for college.)
A few states already have a head start. California, whose 11.2% March unemployment rate is the state’s highest since 1941, is rushing to funnel $415 million in federal stimulus money to 49 job-retraining centers. Most of the training will be designed to qualify people for jobs in infrastructure construction, health care and green industries like waste recycling and wind-farm technology. In Texas, legislators will vote next month on a final version of a 2010-11 budget, already passed by the state senate, that boosts spending on higher education by $1.5 billion. That figure includes $500 million in federal stimulus funding for workforce retraining and a $134 million state-funded increase in financial aid for students.
Michigan, whose 12.6% jobless rate is the highest in the U.S., with still more auto-plant closings coming soon, launched its “No Worker Left Behind” program in August 2007. So far the state has footed the bill — up to $10,000 per displaced worker — for 61,434 unemployed Michiganders to learn the math, technology and science skills they need to embark on new careers at companies like Hemlock Semiconductor, Dow Chemical and Dow Corning, which are investing and hiring there. Also in demand: the program’s newly trained nursing assistants, physical therapists and health-care technicians.

Hopefully Senator Casey’s proposed legislation will quickly be approved, in congress, since it won’t be long before our long awaited veterans will finally be returning home and will be in direr need of employment.

The following video concerning outsourcing is a revolutionary twist on outsourcing. American workers have themselves gotten into the act of sending their jobs overseas. For example; there are tasks, such as proof reading that could be accomplished overseas as well as it could be done in the office back in the states, thus allowing more time, useful energy and increased productivity to be devoted to other, more important tasks. Give the video a watch it’s interesting.

More American Workers Outsourcing Own Jobs Overseas

The following video concerning outsourcing is a revolutionary twist on outsourcing. American workers have themselves gotten into the act of sending their jobs overseas. For example; there are tasks, such as proof reading that could be accomplished overseas as well as it could be done in the office back in the states, thus allowing more time, useful energy and increased productivity to be devoted to other, more important tasks. Give the video a watch it’s interesting.

Additional postings regarding this topic and others may be found here:

Obama seeks another $83 billion for Iraq, Afghanistan

Unknown user — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:02:09 EDT

The request is expected to pay for those conflicts for the rest of the 2009 budget year, two Democratic congressional sources said.

About $75 billion of that would pay for military operations, with the rest going to diplomatic programs and development aid.

The additional money is needed "to fund the new strategy in Afghanistan and fund the process in Iraq that will lead to a drawdown of all of our combat troops," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

Since coming to office in January, President Obama has announced plans to shift troops out of Iraq and beef up U.S. forces in Afghanistan, where American troops have been battling al Qaeda and Taliban fighters since al Qaeda's 2001 attacks.

The money would bring the running tab for both conflicts to nearly $800 billion, according to figures from the House Appropriations Committee. Most of that money has been spent in Iraq, where most of the U.S. troops have been deployed and where the Pentagon estimated its costs at roughly $10 billion a month by October.

Tribal Law Still Alive and Legally Sanctioned in Afghanistan

Henry M — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 09:47:05 EDT

Afghanistan 'rape' law puts women's rights front and center

Obama called the law abhorrent. Would Bush have? Obama appears to be trying to change things in Afghanistan? Was Bush, really?

If you're a feminist, you can't sanction the cultural relativism that says that "it's part of their tradition, so who are we to say that it's wrong."

Misogyny was part of many societies’ history, including most religions and regions. Women only started to gain rights in the USA 100 years ago. Until then, and for many, even now, their disenfranchisement was traditional and believed to be dictated by their god. If that change was good, and helping women worldwide is required of a nation with the global power/influence of the USA, then the academic posturing of cultural relativism is deservedly dead.

Henry M

Law & Order: SVU Takes On the Issue of Child Soldiers and Sex Slaves in Africa

Eric Smith — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 14:52:44 EDT

Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army: A “Good Story” for Some, a Continuing Nightmare For Many

Hellen Abak

Yesterday the Enough Project sent out an email reminding people to watch the popular crime show “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.” The episode, titled “Hell” which will be broadcast on U.S. television Tuesday, March 31st, will focus on the fictionalized story of “Elijah” a former child soldier traumatized by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

Seemingly, Enough analyst John Prendergast and SVU’s producers are doing a good deed in working together to highlight the plight of child soldiers and the little-known Northern Ugandan war. However, the consistent “Hollywood-ization” of the issue of child soldiers and the over-simplification of the long running war between the Ugandan government and the LRA has almost completely drowned out the voices of leaders and survivors from Northern Uganda, and assumed a half-true narrative, at its best.

The Blinds of Justice are Lifting

Tom Awtry — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 23:27:18 EDT

A couple of months ago (February 2nd to be precise), I authored a posting entitled, “John Yoo A Tough Decision to Defend for the President” regarding the redemption of America’s justice system in wake of all the miscarriages of justice which occurred during the Bush Administration and in particular those pertaining to John Yoo. Yoo was Bush’s lead legal adviser authoring legal memos concerning the treatment, incarceration and trial (hearings) proceedings of Iraqi and Afghan detainees.

Following up on my past posting I’ve learned others share equally in my interest of Mr. Yoo’s all encompassing ability of embarrassing our country in the eyes of the international community. In an article posted within Hoffington Post, Mr. Martin Garbus, a Trial lawyer, authored an article entitled: “The Times May Be Changing” where he states some of the following excerpts:

Now six years after Iraq started, nearly one hundred days into the new presidency, more and more information is coming out about the involvement of the Bush people in Iraq-related criminal acts. The legal memos and the statements of tortured detainees are only the beginning of what will soon be a flood of information.

The legal machinery is starting to build, case by case, a rejection of Bush’s legal theories.
Today’s decision from Federal Judge John Bates of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia that those detained in Afghanistan will have access to American courts builds on the recent cases that allow Guantanamo detainees access to the federal court. Judge Bates rejected both the Bush administration’s view and the recently articulated view of President Barack Obama that habeas corpus is not available to imprisoned non-Afghans who are arrested beyond Afghanistan.

We are seeing a pattern in the Washington federal courts. The judges are not shying away from tacking tough issues. The concept that a man sitting in Baghram has a right he can enforce in an American court seemed impossible a few years ago. The constant rat-a-tat of the media, with pictures of the tortured prisoners clearly influences judges along with the rest of the population. Judges respond also when the president too set a higher standard.

Attorney General Eric Holder is the one who must start the criminal process against Cheney, Gonzales, Yoo and the others. He does not shy away from difficult choices, given backing that lets him know he is not alone. He can, and has, taken positions that are ahead of Obama.

Attorney General Holder’s decision today is easier than it was yesterday, and as more and more stories of brutalized prisoners come out, it will get even easier, especially with our President’s recent executive order of allowing wider windows to be opened to the public through the “Freedom of Information Act.

Judge Bates, and the judges before him, including the Supreme Court, have rejected the rationale of Bush’s Attorney General and supporting lawyers that gave the President “unitary powers.”

The public should let Eric Holder and the president know they support criminal prosecution of the Bush people. This may be accomplished by contacting the Department of Justice here.

Additional postings regarding this topic and others may be found here:

They May Speak English, But We're Still 'The Other'

signsSansSignifieds — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 10:38:56 EDT

Matthew Yglesias, commenting on an article by Spencer Ackerman, thinks lack of knowledge of Afghanistan's languages is "the Achilles heel of the American imperial project." I think that overlooks the most important point.

Congressmen urge Obama to reconsider troop surge in Afghanistan

Jason M. Christos — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 22:05:10 EDT

Congressmen urge Obama to reconsider troop surge in Afghanistan

Tuesday, 17 March 2009

By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

Today a league of congressmen sent a letter to President Obama asking him to reconsider his military policy in Afghanistan before committing 17,000 new troops in a surge. The letter said, “As the goals of our seven year military involvement remain troublingly unclear, we urge you to reconsider such a military escalation”. This letter came from a bipartisan group of 14 members of Congress.

Congressman Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) said that he is “perplexed” by the president’s troop increase, considering that his administration has stated it is presently reviewing its strategy in Afghanistan. Congressman Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) said that America is getting deeper into a “war without end” and that we need an exit strategy in Afghanistan.

Both Ron Paul (R-Texas) and Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) expressed concern on waging an endless war in such a time of economic peril. Kucinich said what the country needs is a healthcare surge, a home ownership surge, and an...

READ MORE HERE http://talkradionews.com/2009/03/congressmen-urge-obama-to-reconsider-troop-surge-in-afghanistan/

Could our Country Go Belly-Up

Tom Awtry — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:36:13 EDT

A thought that had never really crossed my mind was: Could the United Sates go broke!

Yes, I guess it could in the international community’s eyes, which is an alarming possibility. I know this is a negative thought to contemplate when President Obama’s Stimulus Package is just beginning to work (see here and here) and we have two straight days of gains on Wall Street, but really who would have ever thought we would be in the economic troubles we are experiencing today.

In an article by TIME online the author presents this possibility, but this same article doesn’t really explore the events that could lead-up and cause our “kiss of death” of financial bankruptcy. Think about it for a moment!

Should we suffer through another conflict, such as what is happening in Iraq and Afghanistan, or even worse a full on war with a supper power this could really drain the money reserves our country has nest-egged away. Also, what about an issue we seem to avoid talking about and only rendering token understanding, which is, Global Warming. Suppose the world starts going into a free-fall mode of heating up? Again, our cash reserves would have to come to the rescue.

OK, enough gloom and doom, but I think we had better start watching and voicing our opinions to our politicians, letting them know the days gone by of spend, spend, spend or coming to an end and want to starting seeing where our money is going and for what!

Here’s the article I was referring to in TIME, entitled: “Betting the U.S. Government Won’t Pay Its Debts”

America Going Belly-Up

Betting the U.S. Government Won’t Pay Its Debts
Douglas A. McIntyre
By 24/7 Wall St. Wednesday, Mar. 11, 2009

It is one thing when someone can’t make a mortgage payment or a company cannot cover the interest on capital it borrowed to build a new factory. In a recession, those kinds of events are commonplace. It probably never crosses the mind of the average citizen that the ability of the U.S. government to borrow money for deficits, bailouts, mortgage-assistance programs, and refurbishing the monuments in Washington is not limitless. The term infinite may apply to the cosmos but it does not apply to the debt carried by the U.S. Treasury.

MarketWatch pointed out that the spreads on credit-default swaps for U.S. government debt jumped to 97 basis points Tuesday, nearly seven times higher than a year ago and 60% higher than at the end of last year, to a level roughly in line with those of France, according to data supplied by Markit. Those swaps are gambles that America will renege on its financial obligations. Being on par with France is even more humiliating than if we were compared to Cameroon which had a GDP of only $44 billion last year, less than Bernie Madoff took from his clients.

While it may be hard to imagine, what the market’s response means is that the economic crisis is so serious now that it is believed that the United States Treasury may not have the capacity to keep a net under all of the faltering bits and pieces of the financial and credit systems. Traders are sending a message and have decided not to be subtle about it. America is spreading itself too thin. It has taken on obligations to assist many of its largest financial institutions, aid hundreds of thousands of homeowners, create jobs through an economic stimulus package, and give a large portion of the working population tax cuts. Wealthy citizens and corporations will be required to pay more to offset these obligations. This income will only make a difference if these sources have more to pay. A deep recession can be a great leveler.

As economic data for the first quarter begins to come out in April and then second quarter information is released in July, it will become clear whether the idea that the Treasury can borrow enough money to right our national economic ship is plausible. There is absolutely no reason to believe that if GDP contraction hits 10% for a quarter or two and then unemployment increases to double digits that the government will be able to solve what the free market system cannot.

The most alarming information that the federal government should give up before it gets deeper into debt comes from experts who join business TV news show hosts. Simply stated, they argue that the economy got itself into this mess and it will have to get itself out. This idea destroys the belief that the government has the power to protect the financial interests of its own people and companies. It is a philosophy that will create despair in almost all quarters because it is based on the idea that we are on our own in this economic fight for survival. Our government cannot intercede for us.

If the U.S. government starts to have even a modest amount of trouble raising money, the concept of its citizens becoming self-sufficient will take on an entirely new meaning.

Complementing the TIME article is a YouTube video, which is more or less a tough-in-cheek comical view of how one Newscaster feels about our Federal Reserve (worth a careful watch).

Fat Glenn Shows Us Why America is Going BROKE!

Glenn puts on a great show as he shows us why our money is going in the dumper.

I have the small amount of precious metals and food storage I can afford and I hope you do too.

Here is a little info on the Federal Reserve Bank

The Federal Reserve Bank is NOT actually part of the Federal government. It is no more Federal than Federal Express, or Federated Department Stores. It is a private corporation with a legislated monopoly on currency and credit that is allowed to BUY its paper currency for nothing more than the cost of the paper, the ink and the labor from the Bureau of Printing & Engraving (U.S. Treasury). Originally this added up to about 2.3 cents per note, or $230 of cost to buy one million dollars (10,000 100 dollar bills). Today the cost is apparently still about the same.

The Federal Reserve Bank has never paid a dime in income tax and has never been audited, and a percentage of this private bank is owned (or controlled) by foreigners (or their corporate shells)!!

Can you buy your money for $230 per million ?

What happened to equal opportunity ?

“The Federal Reserve Banks are privately owned, locally controlled corporations”
[Lewis vs. U.S., 680 F.2d 1239, 1241](1982)

“As we have advised, the Federal Reserve is currently paying the Bureau approximately $23 for each 1,000 notes printed. This does include the cost of printing, paper, ink, labor, etc. Therefore, 10,000 notes of any denomination, including the $100 note would cost the Federal Reserve $230. In addition, the Federal Reserve must secure a pledge of collateral equal to the face value of the notes.”
- William H. Ferkler (Manager Public Affairs, Dept. of Treasury, Bureau of Engraving & Printing, Wash. D.C.

“It is well enough that the people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.”
- Henry Ford, Founder of the Ford Motor Co.

Why are private unelected individuals controlling the American currency system ? Vrtually running the country, the stock market, the banks, the lending rates, nearly everything ? Where is any of this in the Constitution?

Do you really believe they are representing We the People with their policies?

If you do, you aren’t thinking clearly!

Why are private unelected individuals controlling the American currency system ? Vrtually running the country, the stock market, the banks, the lending rates, nearly everything ? Where is any of this in the Constitution?

Do you really believe they are representing We the People with their policies?

If you do, you aren’t thinking clearly!

“AS GOES THE FATE OF THE CURRENCY, SO GOES THE FATE OF THE NATION !”

As this posting eludes to: Our nation is in serious economical trouble, but it’s good hear President Obama is pulling the plug on reckless spending by attempting to put a stop on needless earmarks, as can be seen in his remarks, which I have partially posted.

Remarks by the President on Earmark Reform
from White House.gov Press Office Feed

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. I ran for President pledging to change the way business is done in Washington and build a government that works for the people by opening it up to the people. And that means restoring responsibility and transparency and accountability to actions that the government takes. And working with the Congress over my first 50 days in office, we’ve made important progress toward that end.

Working together, we passed an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that’s already putting people back to work doing the work that America needs done. We did it without the customary Congressional earmarks — the practice by which individual legislators insert projects of their choosing. We’re implementing the Recovery Act with an unprecedented level of aggressive oversight and transparency, including a website — recovery.gov — that allows every American to see how their tax dollars are spent and report on cases where the system is breaking down.

Stephen Views the News March 11, 2009

Stephen from Elkins Park, PA — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:54:08 EDT

Stephen Views the News March 11, 2009

http://stephenviewsthenews.blogspot.com/

ACRONYMS and Abbreviations

* IWD ~ OMG – March 8th marked the 98th anniversary of International Women’s Day. Sue Katz, at her blog Consenting Adult, offers insight and history of this annual event celebrating women’s independence economically, politically and socially. The Vatican, OTOH (On the Other Hand), offered a SNL (Saturday Night Live) viewpoint of a woman’s place. “The Vatican had a novel message for the women of the world: give thanks for the washing machine. This humble domestic appliance had done more for the women’s liberation movement than the contraceptive pill or working outside the home, said the official Vatican newspaper, Osservatore Romano.” One reaction to such reactionary hyperbole is Oh My God! I was equally disappointed in the short-sightedness of the Vatican’s remarks. The contributions of the clothes dryer and laundry detergent with optical brighteners were totally ignored. Perhaps this faux pas will be rectified when the individual who invented the CWD (combination washer-dryer) is nominated for sainthood.

* ONUG ~ One Nation under God – I thought of this patriotic-spiritual slogan while reading a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). Apparently not all Americans have read the press release about the US of A being spiritually unified. The SPLC has identified 926 active hate groups in our nation, a 50% increase since 2000. California “leads” the nation with 86, followed by Texas with 66 and Florida with 56 hate groups. Interestingly, the linked map shows that Hawaii and Alaska have zero, which leads one to several conclusions: The two most recent states have not been members of the confederation long enough to develop really good hate; extensive surfing and sledding channels positive energy; these states are too hot or too cold for hate groups to hold their outdoor cross burnings to really get the group vitriolic thing going; or, the groups in the nascent states are more stealth than their continental execrators.

* TIM - When is a tax cut for 98% of American tax payers called a tax increase? It is when the spokespeople for the other 2% generate a disproportionate amount of the rhetoric. The TIM (Tax Increase Myth) is spun by some congressmen, some ideologues on the right, organizations that serve the interests of the wealthy and some media. The TIM was created by the amalgamation of interests we can identify with the acronym GUITPOM (Got Us into This Pile of Manure).

* HUOA – This is not a US Marine shout out. It is descriptive of American foreign policy in recent years where large numbers of troops and U.S. treasure were committed to an effort before reason and strategy were promulgated. This Head Up One’s Ass approach has caused unnecessary American loss of lives, loss of treasure and loss of international credibility and stature. It is important that President Obama keep such folly in mind as he deals with the situation in Afghanistan. The caution flag has been raised since he has committed 17,000 more troops (for a total of 35,000) to this incredibly troubled region BEFORE any statement of objective, goal or strategy. This is reminiscent of the BA (Bushed Approach).

In an October 2008 article in the Christian Science Monitor, Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) says, “We need to ask: After seven years of war, will more troops help us achieve our strategic goals in Afghanistan? How many troops would be needed and for how long? Is there a danger that a heavier military footprint will further alienate the population, and, if so, what are the alternatives? And – with the lessons of Iraq in mind – will this approach advance our top national security priority, namely defeating Al Qaeda?” A read of this article offers a better understanding of the dynamics of one of the significant challenges of our times. LBWL (Looking before We Leap) will help prevent FOOA (Falling on Our Ass).

* PMS – The concept of “win” in context with Iraq was achieved within the first week of the Iraq invasion. Since then HOBSH (Hanging on By the Short Hairs) is the operative phrase. It is due to Patriotic Message Syndrome (PMS) that certain interests continue to misleadingly discuss “winning” the war in Iraq where, as in Afghanistan, there is no military solution. This is not to say that there is no role for the military in protecting American lives and interests. It means that like feminine PMS, national PMS can cloud judicious decision making.

* LOL – In email and text messaging shorthand LOL means Lots of Love. In political parlance, rather than a warm emotional connotation, LOL (Look Out for Liberals) embodies fear, hatred and dread. What are those Commie bastards trying to do to our country? Repair bridges, roads and ports that enable commerce and the working population access to jobs. Fix a healthcare system that excludes almost 20% of the citizens (48 million uninsured) and where increasingly high costs dramatically reduce adequate care for many millions more whose insurance is inadequate. Improve education as a means for young people to achieve a meaningful life and contribute to society. The fact that previous efforts have underachieved is not reason to legislatively play hooky. And with great audacity the CMSL (Commie Meets the Socialist Libralator) want The Haves (TH) to pay a fairer share of the cost for these and other programs. Incomes for the average citizen have been flat or declining for three decades while the wealth has continued to grow and concentrate in the wallets of a few. This trend occurred because TH not only controlled the economics but also the politics. The average American has become SOL.

* EIT – Enhanced Interrogation Techniques is one of the most creative marketing terms devised by the Bush administration and this is considerable praise given that they tossed the BS better than all previous presidencies. This sophisticated nomenclature was used to mask the illegal and immoral use of TORTURE. I have noted in a previous blog that I would not be surprised if a world court addresses such inhumane and treaty-breaking acts, even if our own country proves not to have the courage to investigate this appalling period in our history. By “own country” I refer to President Obama, Congress and the Department of Justice. One of the ways that the CIA attempted to get off the hook for its role in torturing was to destroy 92 tapes, many depicting EIT. SE (Situational Ethics) is a societal malady that has afflicted politics, business, government and a broad swath of individuals. TAQ (There Are Consequences). Some we are experiencing and some yet to be encountered.

* OK ~ OMG – In the state of Oklahoma the corn may grow as high as an elephant’s eye but objective truth is experiencing a severe drought. State representative Todd Thomsen has introduced legislation that would deny the “teaching of the theory of evolution at the department of Zoology at the University of Oklahoma.” Rumor has it that the next step is to move the Department of Obstetrics from the med school to Zoology in order to study the role of the stork in delivering babies. Research will also include pre-natal cabbage patches. One wonders if the nickname “Sooner” means AH (Asshole) in Cherokee.

* ??? ~ OMG – I have been critical of the religious right for some of the stands they have taken on gay rights, women’s rights and their penchant to tell others how to live their lives. I cannot wait to see how they will deal with this one. Female Iron Chef Cat Cora is pregnant and her female wife Jennifer is also pregnant. Both women utilized the same sperm donor, NPA (Now Pay Attention), the same donor for the first two children that the ladies have. NPCA (Now Pay Closer Attention). For the first two children Cat carried Jennifer’s embryo and Jennifer carried Cat’s embryo. Phew. I could certainly use an IVF (In vitro Fertilization) flow chart. Regardless of how it occurred I wish the women and their offspring well. To members of the 700 Club I suggest Xanax, a proven treatment for panic disorder

* WIVO – One of the reasons Why I Voted for Obama concerned his predecessor’s politicization of science and objective fact and an unsound policy that negatively impacted the wellbeing of citizens. Obama campaigned to reverse such foolishness. This week Obama announced a dramatic change in the federal government’s support of stem cell research and he went even further by reaffirming the importance and integrity of science. An excerpt from his speech at the announcement: “It is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology." The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) provides an A to Z Guide to Political Interference in Science. The link for the full text of Obama’s Memorandum: Scientific Integrity

* BTDT – The bigger they are the harder they fall. Competition results in better performance. Absolute power leads to abuse of power absolutely. All of these well-used expressions came to mind as I read about the merger deal between mega pharmaceutical companies Merck and Schering-Plough. Been There Done That (BTDT) describes America’s historical experience with industry consolidation that leads to monopoly or oligopoly within an industry. It rarely serves the common good. This was realized almost 100 years ago when a more intelligent/alert Congress enacted laws to prevent such consolidation. In recent decades such wisdom has been lost on the conventional wisdom as dominating companies have emerged in energy, drugs, agriculture and finance while our legislators experienced ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). We are all going to need regular doses of ASA (aspirin).

* TAFNF – That’s All for Now Folks

* “I'll be scared later. Right now I'm too mad.” Bugs Bunny

IN OUR OWN WORDS

Terry Danielson — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:18:34 EST

IN OUR OWN WORDS

A Collection of Stories and Photographs

From Military Families of the

Iraq and Afghanistan Wars

To our President and First Lady

On February 27, 2009, in his speech from Camp Lejeune, President Obama said, "…my strategy for ending the war in Iraq does not end with military plans or diplomatic agendas; it endures through our commitment to uphold our sacred trust with every man and woman who has served in Iraq.... And for you and your families, the war does not end when you come home. It lives on in memories of your fellow Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines who gave their lives…. You and your families have done your duty; now a grateful nation must do ours….”

“We also know that service does not end with the person wearing the uniform. In her visits with Military Families across the country, my wife Michelle has learned first hand about the unique burden that your families endure every day. I want you to know that Military Families are a top priority for Michelle and me, and they will be a top priority for my administration…. Each of you has your own story. And that story is now a part of the history of the United States of America..."

Recently, on a show from Walter Reed, Oprah talked about Military Families, reminding Americans that every day when we listen to the news, we hear another number, and we go on with our lives. Behind the statistics are real families. An injured service member at Walter Reed said, “No soldier comes back the same - it is a family process. Go to the floor upstairs where the injuries are not seen. They are just as injured as those with physical injuries."

As President Obama works to end the war in Iraq, and the war in Afghanistan continues, the faces and every day lives of Military Families who wait at home will remain at the center of the war and our stories will continue. During war, military family experiences are so much more than can ever be communicated in news reports, care packages, legislation, military or political strategies.

Our MYBO/OFA group, “Military Families Need Obama as We Share the Human Faces of War,” led by military parents and siblings, invites military spouses, children, grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles to be a part of "IN OUR OWN WORDS," a special collection of stories and photographs that will be presented to our President and First Lady.

"IN OUR OWN WORDS" will share the human faces of the consequences of war from the hearts and souls of those who live it everyday. It is intended to serve as a tribute to the lives of Military Families of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and will include both our inspirational and heart breaking experiences, with a special section honoring those service members who have been killed while at war. Together, Military Families will create "IN OUR OWN WORDS” with the hope that as we share our stories, it will lift us all up.

Stories and photographs will only be used in this project to be presented to our President and First Lady. They will not be distributed to any other group, organization, or the media. To learn more about how to participate in this project, please contact one of us:

Debbie: DebbieIngraham@gmail.com

Jessica: JessicaIngraham@gmail.com

Terry: Tdaniel333@comcast.net

Obama Budget Plan Links

signsSansSignifieds — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 16:15:27 EST

The bear has crawled out of his hollow log, looked around and posted another thrilling entry on his blog, this time addressing the Obama budget.

Please feel free to comment, either in Comments on my blog or via e-mail, on any ideas you may have regarding what we can/should do to help get the budget through Congress. It's going to be one hell of a fight.

From a blue sky.

Paul Chambers — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 10:45:35 EST

This post is for the 'hearts and minds', and the visceral of the people in Afghanistan in aid of 'friendship and mutual understanding';
for the cost of a few bombs, drop instead millions of objects similar in size and focus to 'packs of cards'. Create content and good quality of manufacture to increase retention;

Decks of Masterpieces of Painting from Giotto and the Modern Western School
that is a deprivation not to know
Collected Fragments of American Transcendental Literature: Emerson, Whitman, Lincoln
that is a deprivation not to know
Groups of Images from the Hudson River School; Americans painting God
that is a deprivation not to know
Sets of fine Numbers; and Typography for people who have not relented to Helvetica
that is a deprivation not to know
Architectures
Packs of Masterpieces from Herat, the 'Florence' of the painting of Islam
that is a deprivation the locals have lost knowing of

Drop the medicine of Education, tons of these beautiful weapons to divert attention to all-sort of ready-made dialectic that is a deprivation...

Thank you.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai

Hope4Unity — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:32:08 EST

Afghanistan joins war on terror review

"I am very, very thankful that President Obama has accepted my proposal of Afghanistan joining the strategic review of the war against terrorism in the United States," Mr Karzai said.

Kabul would send a delegation to Washington headed by Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta to take part in the reassessment, he said.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25059965-12335,00.html

"In his seven years in office, Mr. Karzai has successfully presided over the transition of the Afghan state from the devastated, pre-modern institution it was under the Taliban to the deeply troubled but largely democratic one it is today. Perhaps most important for his future, Mr. Karzai has assembled a team of senior administrators whose competence and experience would be difficult for any challenger to match." New York Times, 2/7/09

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/world/asia/08karzai.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

Afghan President Hamid Karzai's Interview of 2/15/09 with Fareed Zakaria

Part I:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2009/02/15/gps.karzai.intv.pt.1.cnn?iref=videosearch

Part II:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2009/02/15/gps.karzai.intv.pt.2.cnn?iref=videosearch

Interveiw: Hamid Karzai, Aljazeera.net 2/14/09

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/02/2009213193946154689.html

19 Must Know Facts about Afghanistan’s President Hamid KarzaiWritten by TBOK on Feb-8-09 11:24pm

"Hamid Karzai is fluent in English having gone to university in Simla, India where he received an M.A. in the International Relations and Political Science Program"

"Hamid Karzai is said to be fluent in five other languages (Pushtu, Dari, Urdu, French and Hindi) and is comfortable with the electronic media. While at university, the Soviets invaded his homeland."

"Hamid Karzai has an honor doctorate in literature, an honorary doctorate of Laws from Boston University and Georgetown."

http://www.zimbio.com/President+Hamid+Karzai/articles/388/19+Must+Know+Facts+Afghanistan+President+Hamid

Investigate Bush/Cheney for war crimes. Petition

Texas_Democrat_06 — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:04:41 EST

I will remember the last 8 years of financial destruction here in the US and the bloodshed of millions of civilians on a global scale. most honest political and financial experts consider him the worst leader america has ever had and this is why.

Worst fiscal crisis since the Great Depression
Lied about the war in Iraq
No WMD's found in Iraq
Vetoed health coverage for kids
Ignored law, allowed torture
Illegal wiretapping
Had enough info to stop 9/11 and didn't, hid that fact from the public
Lost Bin laden at Tora Bora
Crassly unconstitutional signing statements
Stripped resources from Afghanistan and sent them to Iraq
Didn't catch Bin Laden
Allowed Al Qaeda to regroup in Pakistan Afghan war out of control
Lied about reducing greenhouse emissions, ignored warming
Muzzled warming scientists in NASA and elsewhere
Political appointments to Department of Justice and political prosecutions
Cheney, Rove, and others in contempt of Congress -- refused to tell the American people the truth
Fooled public into believing Saddam was involved in 9/11 when he knew otherwise
Made light of inabilty to find WMD's

Please sign the petition to investigate Bush/Cheney for war crimes.
Then pass it on to everyony you know that will sign it.

Petition link http://www.petitiononline.com/856798/petition.html

"casualty increase?/Afghanistan" - survey inquiry

Mary G. in Albuqueruqe NM — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:38:00 EST

Another simplistic inquiry, with limited choices. Sounds like whomever is asking has been watching too many so-called "news" reports based on the sound-bite nature of the simplistic responses proviced .

Unfortunately, all wars mean casualties. Vice President Biden recently said there would be an "uptick" in casualties in Afghanistan as the conflict intensifies. What level of American casualties would you be willing to accept in the fight against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan?
A lot more casualties than the current level
Some more casualties than the current level
The current level of casualties
Fewer casualties than the current level
A lot fewer casualties than the current level
No casualties whatsoever
Don't know:

My Comments: Seems to me the question suggests that civilian objections can determine military actions. This may have some bearing currently and will undoubtedly have more influence the longer the problems exist. But, unfortunately, one can't root out the "bad guys" once military action has started, with either diplomacy, or manipulative "out-smarting" strategies and tactics that do not also include death of both the "good guys" and the "bad guys". Until and/or unless we can address the Pakistan involvement issues effectively, and eventually withdraw because we have done so, then our level of casualties is likely to increase, until we do figure out that Pakistan is a primary enabler of our terrorist problems in Afghanistan. For the most part every administration needs to take advise seriously from the military commanders in the theater, when substantiated with good reasons that are workable and in conjunction with whatever diplomatic efforts are making headway. (I am a veteran.)

military commanders/Afghanistan - survey inquiry

Mary G. in Albuqueruqe NM — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:29:44 EST

Another simplistic response choice:

"With regard to Afghanistan, Politico reported today that “The Pentagon’s top military officers are recommending to President Barack Obama that he shift U.S. strategy in Afghanistan to focus on ensuring regional stability and eliminating Taliban and al-Qaida safe havens in Pakistan, rather than on achieving lasting democracy and a thriving Afghan economy, officials said."

Considering the above passage, which statement best describes how you feel about the war in Afghanistan?
The US must defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda; and leave a functioning democracy in Afghanistan
The US must defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda; any stable regime will be fine in Afghanistan
The US must defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda; Afghanistan can be left in any condition
The US must pull out of the war in Afghanistan immediately
Don't know"

My Comment: None of the above, again. It is not our business to enforce Democracy. It is our business to model why it is a good choice, and we have fallen down on the job. Just like in Iraq, no one is going to want to pull troops out unless we feel there is stability. Unfortunately in the case of Afghanistan, when we entered Afghanistan the Pakistan question does not appear to have been considered as important as it is in relation to providing a safe haven for terrorists . ( I am a M.E. specialist and knew along with many colleagues that the Pakistan issue was being neglected.) So we have a Pakistan issue that apparently was not taken into consideration from the start, and we seem to be undecided about whether or not Pakistan is intentional harboring of terrorists. The fact that Pakistan is a nuclear power complicates the issue, because it would be to our advantage to function on the premise that Pakistan is NOT harboring terrorists intentionally, even if that is the case. And of course whether or not the government is officially looking the other way regarding the terrorists, the people who live in the mountains who are protecting the terrorists and/or being intimidated by them, may be beyond the control of the Pakistani government. That region has always been inaccessible, and pretty much ignored as being the territory of brigands who are pretty much left alone. A cooperative deal (diplomacy) between Pakistan and U.S. to do something about them might be the best solution to allow us to eventually leaving Afghanistan as stable as possible . . .

President Obama -- Stop Bombing Afghanistan

robe — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 11:05:30 EST

The U.S. military (illegally) bombed the hell out of Cambodia. This drove many refugees into Phnom Penh. In addition to killing hundreds of thousands of civilians, driving refuges into the capital city, it also encouraged huge numbers of peasant farmers to join the Khmer Rouge.

Besides killing innocent children and adults, the drone bombings are creating more enemies. Angry people are joining up with the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

Please end all these wars!

National Security and Foreign Affairs

Janice C. from Chicago, IL — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 03:12:31 EST

The National Security and Foreign Affairs (NSFA) sub-committee of Team Obama Hyde Park is engaged in the following: (1. Participating in Camp Hope which is "Organized by a coalition of social justice, religious and peace organizations from the Chicago area, Camp Hope's goal is to remind President-elect Obama of the progressive themes he sounded in his campaign and urge him to follow through with policy changes when he takes office later this month" (http://camphope2009.org/) Among the sessions members are attending are:Discussion Withdrawal of Troops from Iraq; Jan. 7, Myths and Realities about U.S. in Afghanistan; Jan. 10, Witness Against Torture Reform; Jan.11, The Gaza Crisis; Jan. 14. (2. Arranging presentations to community groups of the state of readiness of Hyde Park to respond to a natural or man-made disaster. We will be working with the Red Cross (http://www.usa.redcross.org/) and others with an emphasis on educating the public on preparedness.

Sharon Klopner, Committee Chair

Former Powell aide: Bush was ‘Sarah Palin-like’ in his knowledge of foreign policy.

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:41:40 EST

Former Powell aide: Bush was ‘Sarah Palin-like’ in his knowledge of foreign policy.»

By Satyam Khanna at 10:22 am @ thinkprogress.com

In an interview with Vanity Fair for its upcoming issue on the Bush White House, Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, ripped President Bush, saying that after the 2000 election, Bush’s knowledge of foreign affairs was as poor as that of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R):

We had this confluence of characters—and I use that term very carefully—that included people like Powell, Dick Cheney, Condi Rice, and so forth, which allowed one perception to be “the dream team.” It allowed everybody to believe that this Sarah Palin–like president—because, let’s face it, that’s what he was—was going to be protected by this national- security elite, tested in the cauldrons of fire.

Bush famously was unable to name the leaders of Pakistan, Chechnya, and India when running for President in 1999. In a recent interview, he reflected on his early days as President, stating, “I think I was unprepared for war.” Similarly, in 2004, Bush said he “was not on point” prior to 9/11. “I didn’t feel that sense of urgency, and my blood was not nearly as boiling.”

SOURCE - http://thinkprogress.org/2008/12/30/bush-sarah-palin/

The Coming Surge Into Afghanistan: Obama and the Graveyard of Empires

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:07:43 EST

The Coming Surge Into Afghanistan

Obama and the Graveyard of Empires

By GARY LEUPP @ counterpunch.org

Joint Chief of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen is reportedly recommending to President-Elect Obama that the U.S. increase by 30,000 its current force of 32,000 in Afghanistan. That, as Robert Dreyfuss points out in a recent column, is about 20,000 more troops than Obama was proposing while on the campaign trail.

Obama, who has enthused about refocusing the “War on Terror” back on Afghanistan, is likely to accede to the admiral’s request. There are at present under NATO command approximately 31,000 non-U.S. troops within the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) fighting the Taliban and other “insurgents” in Afghanistan. (80% of these are from from the UK, Germany, France, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Australia, and Turkey.) Popular opinion in most of those countries runs high against continued deployment, but except in Australia it is of course sold as an obligation of NATO membership.

Add to these the redoubled U.S. force and we’ll have a have a robust occupation army of 93,000 foreigners. With the exception of Albania and Azerbaijan, which have sent only small contingents, all participating nations are historically Christian, encouraging the Afghan perception that their Muslim nation is under infidel attack............

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.counterpunch.org/leupp12262008.html

A Million McVeighs Now: The American-Made Insurgency in Afghanistan

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 22:42:22 EST

A Million McVeighs Now: The American-Made Insurgency in Afghanistan

Written by Chris Floyd @ "Empire Burlesque"

(This is a slightly updated version of a post originally published on Dec. 16.)

The "Good War" in Afghanistan – the Bush-launched war that Barack Obama tells us we must fight and win – continues to deteriorate before our eyes. Just like every other operation in the so-called "War on Terror" (another Bush-launched campaign that Obama has fully embraced as his own), the Afghan war, now in its seventh year, has proven entirely counter-productive to its stated aims. Instead of stabilizing a volatile region and denying it as a base for violent extremism, it has of course done the opposite. The shock waves of the heavy-handed American-led invasion of Afghanistan – a country that no foreign power has ever conquered and held – have spread across Central Asia, most dangerously into Pakistan.

Afghanistan itself is in a desperate condition, laden with a weak, foreign-installed government dominated by warlords and riddled with corruption. The illegal opium trade, quashed by the Taliban, has now surged to historic levels, and is flooding the streets of Europe and the West with cut-rate heroin – not to mention fuelling an astonishing rise in drug addiction among Afghans, Pakistanis and Iranians. At every turn, the iron hand of American militarism is producing more suffering, more chaos, more corruption, more extremism, more slaughter, both directly and as blowback from people maddened into wanton violence by the relentless stream of atrocities.....

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.chris-floyd.com/component/content/article/3/1659-a-million-mcveighs-now-the-american-made-insurgency-in-afghanistan.html

Canadian Army Defends Afghanistan Night Raids

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:26:30 EST

Army Defends Afghanistan Night RaidsIncursions necessary in battle against Taliban, general says in response to scathing rights report

by Steve Rennie - Published on Wednesday, December 24, 2008 by The Canadian Press

KANDAHAR - Canada's top soldier in Afghanistan confirmed his forces raid the homes of suspected Taliban militants after nightfall, a controversial practice that some say stokes anger and resentment among ordinary Afghans against foreign troops.

"There's nothing worse than busting into somebody's house in the middle of the night," he said.

"However, in the cases where we actually go into a compound, it's either in self-defence or it's as a result of a long string of intelligence gathering that has led us to a certain compound.

"And invariably when it comes time to execute the raid, there are no innocent civilians there - there are just bad guys."

Thompson made the remarks in response to a scathing report released yesterday by the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, which said lethal air strikes and "abusive" overnight raids by coalition forces threaten to turn Afghans against foreign military forces........

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/558036

In this handout picture from the U.S. Navy, a U.S. Marine prepares to conduct a raid at a suspected al-Qaeda group hideout in Afghanistan on Jan. 1, 2002. (AP Photo)Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson, commander of Task Force Kandahar, said yesterday that while he is "philosophically against such raids," the nighttime incursions are necessary in the coalition's battle against a persistent insurgency.

Afghanistan: Soviet failures echo for US

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:50:36 EST

Afghanistan: Soviet failures echo for US

Control of roads and rural areas vexes coalition effort.

By Mark Sappenfield | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor - from the December 19, 2008 edition

Reporter Mark Sappenfield explains how the Afghan roster of influential players is remarkably similar to what it was more than 20 years ago when the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan.

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - Recent headlines from Afghanistan have read like a history lesson from the Soviet 1980s.

That war "devolved into a fight for control of … the road network," concludes a 1995 US Army study. Militants are now stepping up attacks against American supply routes, destroying some 200 trucks in Pakistan this month.

Anti-Soviet militants controlled "the rural areas," says a former Soviet official. Today's militants have a "permanent presence" in 72 percent of the country, according to a Dec. 8 study.

There are differences between then and now. Yet 20 years later, many problems are similar: The US and NATO control neither the countryside nor the militants' hideouts in Pakistan, and as civilian casualties increase, Afghan anger is mounting.......

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1219/p01s01-wosc.html

Obama's "splendid little war" in Afghanistan

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:24:50 EST

Obama's War
by Patrick J. Buchanan @ counterpunch.com

Just two months after the twin towers fell, the armies of the Northern Alliance marched into Kabul. The Taliban fled.

The triumph was total in the "splendid little war" that had cost one U.S. casualty. Or so it seemed. Yet, last month, the war against the Taliban entered its eighth year, the second longest war in our history, and America and NATO have never been nearer to strategic defeat.

So critical is the situation that Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in Kandahar last week, promised rapid deployment, before any Taliban spring offensive, of two and perhaps three combat brigades of the 20,000 troops requested by Gen. David McKiernan. The first 4,000, from the 10th Mountain, are expected in January.........

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.antiwar.com/pat/?articleid=13927

Unleashing Terrorist Network in Pakistan

Unknown user — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:55:42 EST

Unleashing Terrorist Network in Pakistan

by Pukhtoon Khan

The Pakistani Media has again as usual,mis-quoted the recent statements of President Karzai in which he issued a forceful warning to militants in Pakistan, saying he will send Afghan troops across the border to combat Taliban insurgents. The mis-interpretation of the President's statements is done intentionally by the Pakistani media to provoke the Tribal Pashtuns against their fellow Afghan brethren despite of the fact that President Karzai has been warning Pakistan regarding cross border infiltration of Pakistani religeous and military terrorists into Afghanistan.

What President Karzai said in his statement was :
1) That terrorists from Pakistani tribal areas are entering Afghanistan for suicide bombing to target Afghan and ISAF forces.
2) That these Terrorists are [ISI-backed] Taliban whose leader is Baitullah Mehsud or Mulla Umar in Pakistan.
3) That Afghanistan and ISAF forces reserve the right to take the revenge of killings by these Talibans in Afghanistan even if Afghan and NATO forces have to chase them to their houses in the FATA.
4) That Afghanistan is also concerned about the atrocities being committed to Pashtuns in Pakistan.
5) That Afghanistan only trusts ANP among the political parties in Pakistan.

It is obvious that if the govt of Pakistan does not take any action against these terrorists entering Afghanistan but rather facilitates and trains them to do these nefarious activities then Afghanistan would feel insecure and it would be compelled to take precautionary measures for her security.

Pakistani media projected the statement as provocative and tried to hide factual position from the world which implied :
1) That Afghanistan is neither interested to violate the so called sovereignty of Pakistan nor does it want to harm or attack its fellow Pashtun brothers in FATA.
2) That Pakistan is behind the suicide attacks in Afghanistan.
3) That Pakistani agencies are behind the planing and training of the suicide bombers and terrorist.
4) That Pakistan is not sincere to see peace and progress in Afghanistan. 5) That Afghanistan reserves the right to take revenge of all the suicide bombs done by the invisible hands which get activated from FATA – the land of non-local terrorists trained by Pakistani army and agencies with the help of local religious demagogues.

Let us unleash the multi-tier terrorists network active in Pakistan under state supervision .

It is a well established fact that the Taliban as well as other religious prototype groups are the products and terrorist wings of ISI. The statements of Baitullah Mehsud and Mulla Umar of Taliban Movement Pakistan are just the Pashto translation of ISPR's statements regarding Afghanistan and Pakhtoonkhwa.

The nomenclature of the terrorist network in Pakistan is as follows:
1. The planning and strategy formation is done at the GHQ Rawalpindi both against Pashtuns,Balochis or Sindhis and against India and Afghanistan.
2. The plan is executed by the intelligence agencies (ISI,MI,IB etc) of Pakistan.
3. Depending upon the geopolitical situation of the region, the modus operandi of the terrorist activities is customised accordingly. In Pukhtunkhwa, the religious parties and clerics are bribed to provide "manpower" for the suicide bombs and other terrorist activities while the more technically sensitive operations like killing of political leaders are carried out by the intelligence agencies themselves.

Religeous groups like Taliban along with the local criminal elements are guided by the professionals of the intelligence agencies to control the local people through religious authority. The network of Taliban is extended across Pakhtunkhwa regionwise in order to hijack the freedom and liberty of the local people anytime and to terrorise the people constantly.

Baitullah Mehsud in Waziristan,Mangal Bagh in Khyber agency, Mulla Fazlullah in Swat,Mulla Omar in Bajaur etc are all the ISI puppets playing with the lives of innocent Pashtuns - a nation which has never been conquered with sword but has been falling prey to the authority of religion in history. On top of it all ,the military is carrying out operations in the name of war on terror but infact killing all those among the local population who might potentially become a power to reckon with against the designs of the state sponsored terrorist activities and hegemony of Punjab dominated Pakistan army.

In Afghanistan,there is peace in all those cities that are bordering other neighboring countries except Pakistan.It is the border with Pakistan which has been experiencing political unrest and insurgency due to Taliban. The Talibans in Afghanistan – who were the product of ISI in the early 90's - are under the complete control of Pakistani agencies and plotting plans to destabilise Afghanistan in every possible manner.

Pakistani agencies export experts and expertise to the Taliban in Afghanistan via FATA.The same notorious agencies are propagating against the ISAF forces to deceive the world media on one hand and motivate the local population for "Jihad" on the other in order to justify its anti-Afghan activities.

It is therefore suggested that the world community should pressurise Islamabad so that it stop its interference in the internal affairs of its neighbouring contries specially Afghanistan. A stable Afghanistan is in the best interest of Pakistan as Afghanstan is the gateway for all the trade routes to central Asia. Based on an ambiguous state ideology and having no roots and bonds of integrity among the various nationalities ,Pakistan is already on the brink of another collapse due to the prevalent system of injustice and exploitation and therefore is fastly loosing its chances of survival.

In 1999, Dennis Blair, as PACOM head disobeyed an order from the Clinton administration to tell Indonesia's military commander to shut down pro-Indonesian militias that were killing civilians in East Timor.

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 22:04:34 EST

December 18, 2008 -- Obama selects Dennis Blair as DNI

by Wayne Madsen @ waynemadsenreport.com

In a further slap in the face of progressives and human rights advocates, President-elect Barack Obama has selected retired Admiral Dennis Blair as the Director of National Intelligence, replacing retired Admiral Mike McConnell.

On December 1, 2008, WMR wrote the following about Blair in the DNI position:

"President-elect Barack Obama's reported choice to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI), retired Admiral Dennis Blair, a former Pacific Command chief and Associate Director of Central Intelligence for Military Support, will ensure that the United States continues its neocon rhetorical babble on key foreign policy issues, especially those that relate to the Muslim world, including India and Indonesia.

SOURCE - http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/

Taliban controls three-fourths of Afghanistan.Taliban insurgents closing in on Kabul. And Obama wants to send more U.S. troops to die in this quagmire

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:56:11 EST

U.S., NATO-led Forces Should Review Afghan Detentions, UN Says

By Michael Heath @ bloomberg.com

Dec. 18 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. and NATO-led troops should review policies on detentions and house searches in Afghanistan and coordinate with local forces when targeting insurgents, a United Nations envoy said.

“People are detained and often are held for a long period of time on the basis of mistaken identity or mistakes with regard to whether these people are insurgents,” Kai Eide said at a news conference in Kabul.

Some of the UN’s closest contacts have been held by international troops, prompting frustration among Afghans, he said. House searches should also be led by Afghans who clearly understand cultural sensitivities in the nation, Eide said. adding that such knowledge is “critically important.”

Insurgents have stepped up attacks against Afghan troops and the 70,000 international soldiers deployed in the country. The Taliban movement has a “permanent presence” in almost three-quarters of Afghanistan and is closing in on Kabul, according to the International Council on Security and Development, a Paris-based research organization.........

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=anwO_4Bs9ZgI&refer=us

Obama Should Drop Plans To Escalate Afghan War; Send In Peace Corps Instead

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:48:32 EST

Obama Should Drop Plans To Escalate Afghan War; Send In Peace Corps Instead

by Sherwood Ross @ smirkingchimp.com | December 16, 2008

President-elect Obama should drop his plans to escalate the war in Afghanistan, a country that never attacked America, out of pity for a helpless civilian population that will only suffer increasing misery from an expanded fight against the Taliban and its allies.

Recall military intervention was used to capture Panamanian military dictator Manuel Noriega for a drug charge in December 20, 1989. That illegal assault, ordered by President George H.W. Bush, killed 500 Panamanian civilians, wounded 3,000 more, and pushed 15,000 people out of their homes, an incredible price innocent people were made to pay to enable the U.S. to nail one drug-runner.

In Afghanistan, the civilian population has already paid a much higher price. "The basic ingredients of further Afghan disasters are in place," warns Norman Solomon, executive director of the Washington-based Institute For Public Accuracy, "including, pivotally, a dire lack of wide-ranging debate over Washington's options."

"We will kill bin Laden. We will crush al Qaeda. That has to be our biggest national security priority," Senator Barack Obama pledged during the televised presidential debate of last October 7.

Yes, and in so doing, thousands of additional Afghan civilians are liable to perish, likely far more of them then the 3,000 Americans massacred on 9/11 in New York and Washington..........

ENTIRE ARTCLE - http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/19239

Civilian casualties In Afghanistan - The West's Epic Fail

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:22:21 EST

Civilian casualties In Afghanistan - The West's Epic Fail

By Cernig @ crooksandliars - Tuesday Dec 16, 2008 3:00pm

"We were walking, I was holding my grandson's hand, then there was a loud noise and everything went white. When I opened my eyes, everybody was screaming. I was lying metres from where I had been, I was still holding my grandson's hand but the rest of him was gone. I looked around and saw pieces of bodies everywhere. I couldn't make out which part was which."

That's the testimony of one man caught up in the disastrous airstrike on a Afghan bridal party wrongfully identified as a Taliban force back in July. The carnage was so complete they had to bury the 47 victims in 28 graves. US and NATO troops have denied the attack, but say they are investigating. In another similiar attack back in August they denied involvement at first too. Then investigated and found themselves blameless, only to finally admit their culpability and apologise once independent footage of the destruction surfaced. In a third such incident, in November, footage surfaced before the kabuki dance could begin. So far this year, such mistakes have cost over 600 Afghans their lives........

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://crooksandliars.com/node/24657

The International Criminal Court should probe allegations some Canadian officers serving in Afghanistan told subordinates to look the other way when Afghan soldiers and local interpreters sodomized young boys.

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:52:46 EST

World Court Inquiry Sought in Afghan Rapes

by Rick Westhead @ thestar.com (Canadian)

The International Criminal Court should probe allegations some Canadian officers serving in Afghanistan told subordinates to look the other way when Afghan soldiers and local interpreters sodomized young boys, says one of Canada's leading human-rights lawyers.

In a story published yesterday in the Star, former Canadian soldier Tyrel Braaten said that during his tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2006, he witnessed Afghan interpreters bringing young boys inside buildings at Forward Operating Base Wilson, a remote Canadian base outside Kandahar. The boys were then sodomized by the interpreters and Afghan soldiers, Braaten said............

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.thestar.com/SpecialSections/article/553770

Former soldier Tyrel Braaten says some Canadian officers turned a blind eye to the sexual abuses of boys by Afghan interpreters at his base.University of British Columbia international law and politics expert Michael Byers, who was among a group of academics who sought to have former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet detained as a war criminal, said he plans to ask the ICC to begin its own inquiry into the charges.

The behaviour of international troops is jeopardising the support of the Afghan people, the country's most senior United Nations official has warned.

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 15:21:40 EST

Afghan troops losing support from locals

The behaviour of international troops is jeopardising the support of the Afghan people, the country's most senior United Nations official has warned.

By Ben Farmer in Kabul @ telegraph.co.uk - Last Updated: 3:02PM GMT 12 Dec 2008

Kai Edie, the UN Secretary-General's special representative, said he was worried about the effects of civilian casualties, unlawful detentions and heavy-handed searches.

Civilian deaths, particularly from coalition airstrikes, have caused deep resentment in Afghanistan and President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly demanded villages are not bombed.

Civilians have also repeatedly been shot dead when cars and buses have failed to heed warnings and strayed too close to coalition convoys and patrols.

He said: "In the end the Afghans themselves have to win the hearts and minds of their population, we can contribute, but I am afraid that we will be less welcome in the Afghan public if we do not correct our behaviour."

Mr Eide's comments came as the Nato-led coalition said three bus passengers were shot dead yesterday (FRI) when their bus veered towards a patrol and ignored warnings in Wardak province........

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/3724570/Afghan-troops-losing-support-from-locals.html

************************************************************************************************

NATO Troops Open Fire on Afghan Bus, Kill Four Civilians

UN Warns Civilian Deaths Causing "Deep Resentment"

compiled by Jason Ditz @ antiwar.com - Posted December 12, 2008

A NATO foot patrol along a highway in Wardak Province opened fire on a busload of civilians today, killing four and injuring at least 10 others. In a statement regarding the incident, a NATO spokesman said that the troops attacked the bus “in self-defense.” The nationality of the NATO forces was not immediately available.

NATO said the bus veered toward the patrol before they opened fire, but the bus seems to have been full of civilian passengers. The NATO statement seems to contradict a previous statement on the incident by Provincial Governor Haleem Fidai, who said the civilians were killed in the crossfire of a battle between the troops and militants. NATO doesn’t mention any gunfight associated with the killings.

While there is no good time shoot up a busload of civilians, the timing of the incident couldn’t be worse, coming the same day that top UN official in Afghanistan Kai Eide warned that the growing number of civilian casualties are causing deep resentment among the civilian populace. NATO insisted that they are aware of being “in Afghanistan under UN mandate at the invitation of the Afghan government,” and that they do “everything possible to avoid civilian casualties.”

SOURCE - http://news.antiwar.com/2008/12/12/nato-troops-open-fire-on-afghan-bus-kill-four-civilians/

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

WEBMASTER — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 02:26:14 EST

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Alternative Energy
Source: David Apperson

url: http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/alternative-energy

As possible Afghan war-crimes evidence removed, U.S. silent

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:22:51 EST

As possible Afghan war-crimes evidence removed, U.S. silent

By Tom Lasseter | McClatchy Newspapers

DASHT-E LEILI, Afghanistan — Seven years ago, a convoy of container trucks rumbled across northern Afghanistan loaded with a human cargo of suspected Taliban and al Qaida members who'd surrendered to Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, an Afghan warlord and a key U.S. ally in ousting the Taliban regime.

When the trucks arrived at a prison in the town of Sheberghan, near Dostum's headquarters, they were filled with corpses. Most of the prisoners had suffocated, and others had been killed by bullets that Dostum's militiamen had fired into the metal containers.

Dostum's men hauled the bodies into the nearby desert and buried them in mass graves, according to Afghan human rights officials. By some estimates, 2,000 men were buried there......

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/57649.html

The former Foreign Office minister for the U.K. with responsibility for Afghanistan yesterday accused the country of being corrupt "from top to bottom".

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:02:34 EST

Ex-minister slates UK policy on Afghanistan

Patrick Wintour, political editor @ guardian.co.uk
The Guardian, Thursday 11 December 2008

The former Foreign Office minister with responsibility for Afghanistan yesterday accused the country of being corrupt "from top to bottom", and said the international community had wrongly treated President Hamid Karzai with kid gloves.

The criticism came from Kim Howells, who was in charge of the Afghanistan brief for three-and-a-half years until he stepped down as a foreign affairs minister in the October government reshuffle. The remarks reflect his considered judgment on what has been described as the most difficult foreign policy challenge facing the UK government and its armed forces.

Breaking his silence on the issue, he told MPs: "Institutionally, Afghanistan is corrupt from top to bottom. There are few signs that the chaotic hegemony of warlords, gangsters, presidential placemen, incompetent and under-resourced provincial governors and self-serving government ministers has been challenged in any effective way by President Karzai........

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/dec/11/afghanistan-kim-howells-corruption-karzai

US Bombs Afghan Police Station, Killing Seven

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:30:38 EST

US Bombs Afghan Police Station, Killing Seven

compiled by Jason Ditz @ antiwar.com

Police in the Afghan city of Qalat fired on American special forces during a raid on an opposition commander. American planes responded with an air strike on the police station, killing six policemen and a civilian whose nearby house was also hit. The commander of the police post was among the dead. At least 13 others were wounded in the attack. The US forces described it as “tragic case of mistaken identity on both parts.”

According to Zabul Province’s deputy governor, the special forces did not inform the police they were going to be in the area, and they assumed they were Taliban attacking the village. The US forces assumed that the police station was a militant hideout and called in a strike.

The Afghan Defense Ministry and Interior Ministry are investigating the incident. Afghan officials warned that the growing number of Afghan forces killed or wounded by international forces may strain ties between the allies.

SOURCE - http://news.antiwar.com/2008/12/10/us-bombs-afghan-police-station-killing-seven/

An increasing number of questions, and diversity of opinions, are emerging on sending more troops to Afghanistan.

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:40:12 EST

Encouraging Debate On Afghanistan (+)

by: Chris Bowers a openleft.com - Tue Dec 09, 2008 at 08:00

An increasing number of questions, and diversity of opinions, are emerging on sending more troops to Afghanistan. Given how murky the situation is over there, this can only be taken as a good sign:

And yet, over the last few weeks, the progressive community that once pleaded for greater resources and attention to Afghanistan has begun to raise concerns about the idea that additional forces could change that country's increasingly dire situation.
Sen. Russ Feingold launched a major salvo just weeks before the election, when he penned an op-ed in the Christian Science Monitor, questioning the wisdom of sending more troops to Afghanistan.

ARTICLE-http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=313A36C6FBDBD837A5A08FA461EDA1E6?diaryId=10348

Kinzer: Surge Diplomacy, Not Troops, in Afghanistan

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:29:41 EST

Kinzer: Surge Diplomacy, Not Troops, in Afghanistan

by Robert Naiman @ commondreams.org

USA Today reports that Gen. McKiernan - top U.S. commander in Afghanistan - "has asked the Pentagon for more than 20,000 soldiers, Marines and airmen" to augment U.S. forces. McKiernan says U.S. troop levels of 55,000 to 60,000 in Afghanistan will be needed for "at least three or four more years." He added: "If we put these additional forces in here, it's going to be for the next few years. It's not a temporary increase of combat strength."

We should have a vigorous national debate before embarking on this course. Contrary to what one might think from a quick scan of the newspapers, there are knowledgeable voices questioning whether increasing the deployment of U.S. troops to Afghanistan is in our interest, or is in the interest of the Afghan people.......

ARTICLE/VIDEO - http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/12/09-0

Increasing Troop Levels In Afghanistan Is A Reality

Taylor B. — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 10:11:50 EST

The war in Afghanistan can not be won by simply injecting more troops in the country and i believe many top officials would agree that it's a different sort war being fought. However it is clear that the troop levels need to be increased to provide reinforcements for some strategic outposts while readjusting the overall manner in which the war is being waged.

Two separate wars are being conducted and neither of them are having a positive effect for the people and government of Afghanistan. One being the war against the drugs the second being a war against Al Qaeda and other tribes. Both need to be realigned to arrive to a point where the Afghani people will be able to rule their own nation.

Civilian casualties have been a prolific result of the war being waged and that has played into the hands of Al Qaeda. Most of the civilian casualties have been a result of bomb campaigns committed by the United States or killings attributed to terrorists. The war becomes more complex given hostile nations surrounding Afghanistan that have been on the tip of the foreign policy's spear during the President Bush's administration and much of the other presidents. Troop levels are a small adjustment when looking at the overall picture and how the needs to be readjusted but troop levels is a thing that might need a slight increase especially if key allies are going to be pulling out.

The War In Afghanistan Has Lost Its Authority

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 16:04:17 EST

The War In Afghanistan Has Lost Its Authority

By Cernig @ crooksandliars.com - Saturday Dec 06, 2008 2:30pm

The US military is building a new barracks for an expected 20,000 additional troops in Afghanistan. Various luminaries are calling for new strategies there, ones that recognise the military reality that force alone cannot "win" in Afghanistan and the geopolitical reality that no efforts at all can "win" if Pakistan is opposed to them. Turkey is mediating between Pakistan and Afghanistan in an attempt to acheive reconcilliation between the two sometime-rivals and the incoming Obama administration plans a new aid and training program to attempt to reverse the inexorable decline of what used to be an Afghan success story.

But all may be missing an important point - the war in Afghanistan should be over, and the mandate for a US and allied presence there has lost its rationale..........

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://crooksandliars.com/cernig/war-afghanistan-has-lost-its-authority

Suspected Taliban insurgents attacked two truck stops, destroying more than 150 vehicles carrying supplies bound for U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan.

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 13:21:19 EST

Supply trucks hit in brazen attack in Pakistan

Arshad Arbab / EPAU.S. military Humvees destined for the NATO forces in Afghanistan were burned in an attack near Peshawar.

Suspected Taliban insurgents attacked two truck stops, destroying more than 150 vehicles carrying supplies bound for U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan.

By Laura King @ latimes.com, Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan
6:32 AM PST, December 7, 2008

In one of the biggest and most brazen attacks of its kind to date, suspected Taliban insurgents with heavy weapons attacked two truck stops in northwest Pakistan early today, destroying more than 150 vehicles carrying supplies bound for U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan.

The predawn attack on the outskirts of the city of Peshawar left the grounds of the truck terminals littered with the burned-out shells of Humvees and other military vehicles. At least one guard was reported killed...........

ARTICLE - http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan8-2008dec08,0,2335333.story

The Spin Of Main Stream Media Outlets

Taylor B. — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 11:09:44 EST

The main stream media is the tool that is used to convey information to millions of homes regardless if the information is truthful or not. Not much faith can be put into a main stream media outlet because of the small number of huge corporations that control a large portion of the mainstream media. The consolidations of media outlets that is taking place now only allows for a more unified reporting style wether be conservative or liberal.

The main stream media is used to gain consent from the public for the government to take actions that ordinarily would be unacceptable and examples would be the domestic spying that has taken or the case for the Iraq war. The American public were led to believe for months that Saddam Hussien had or was making nuclear weapons and the people conveying some of the information were paid pentagon officials that were put on main stream television networks as deemed "experts" without disclosing their professions and employer. People were trusting of the government and the information being provided by the main stream media.

The situation with the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are very slow to progress and will be for quite some time and it is clear that ancient lands are no where near becoming self sustaining countries and the politicians know that fact as do most journalists. The notion that President Elect Obama or Senator McCain would be able to end two wars is a complete fabrication. What has been ignited in those two countries is now spreading to Pakistan and other countries in the middle east and Africa that for a while the populations seemed less extreme towards western nations particularly the United States and Israel.

I believe independent news sources to be the best form of reporting and the most consistent too. The main stream news sources are very polarized and often don't tackle controversial issues or issues that conflict with the network or sponsors. Steps should be taken to ensure that hard working journalists and the news organizations that they work for are not being bought up or have their voices drowned out by corporate media companies.

Shambles in Afghanistan

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:47:36 EST

Why Are They Dying?

Shambles in Afghanistan

By BRIAN CLOUGHLEY @ counterpunch.com

There can be few things more shameful or degrading for a head of state to have to admit than "I wish I could intercept the [US] planes that are going to bomb Afghan villages, but that's not in my hands." But Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai was forced to say this last week. In 2008, so far, at least 190 Afghan civilians have been killed by air strikes; about the same number as died in the atrocious slaughter in Mumbai. But there haven't been any protests about the killing of civilians in Afghanistan, except by Afghans, of course. But who listens to Afghans?

No, it's not in Karzai's hands to rule his country, as he was elected to do. It is in the hands — or fists — of the occupying powers, who, through a pathetic combination of arrogance, ignorance and incompetence, are, in Karzai's words, "still...not able to defeat the Taliban".

The Taliban (or whatever one might call them — crazy criminal barbarians, many of them) thrive and kill because there was no viable political plan to administer Afghanistan after the invasion, and the country was thus doomed to chaos. First to arrive at the end of 2001 were American B-52 bombers, laying waste the land until their Strangelove-like controllers ran out of targets........

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.counterpunch.org/cloughley12052008.html

Stop Killing Afghanis

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:38:19 EST

A Message for the New President Stop Killing Afghanis

By PAUL FITZGERALD
and ELIZABETH GOULD @ counterpunch.com

Come January, President-elect Barack Obama will confront the most difficult foreign policy crisis of his administration with the region-wide-war developing in Afghanistan. If he is to succeed, the new president must immediately change the tone of U.S. engagement. He can do this by first establishing a revised set of rules by which the United States must play, stressing the rule of international law and respect for civil and human rights. The president must then initiate these rules by announcing that the first priority of U.S. foreign policy in Afghanistan is the preservation of human life. In other words, stop killing Afghanis.

1. Stop killing Afghanis. Since September 11, 2001, the United States has behaved as if it is at war with the Afghani people. Killing innocent Afghans is more than just ineffective; it defies the world’s sense of justice and morality while turning the Afghani people and the Islamic world even further against the United States.

2. Stop humiliating Afghan men and desecrating their homes. The U.S. military’s search-and-destroy tactics in rural Afghani villages have turned the countryside en masse against the U.S. presence.......

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.counterpunch.org/fitzgerald12032008.html

Tribal leaders to sabotage West's assault on Taliban

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:05:43 EST

Tribal leaders to sabotage West's assault on Taliban

Plan to enlist local militias threatens to backfire

By Jerome Starkey in Gardez @ independent.co.uk
Thursday, 4 December 2008

Tribal elders from Gardeserai in Paktia, eastern Afghanistan, who travelled to Gardez to protest against raids by American special forces in Suri Khel, in which one man was killed and 10 others arrested

They came in the night and shot Saeed Alam in his bed. His three-year-old son was crying at his feet and his mother had leapt on top of him to try to block the bullets. Both of them were hurled out of the way and an American soldier opened fire.

America's plans to enlist Afghan militias in the war against the Taliban are running into difficulties while still in their infancy. In eastern Paktia province, the white-bearded Afghan village elders who are crucial to the "Afghan awakening", are threatening to unite against the Americans unless such night raids by US special forces are halted.

Saeed Alam was shot four times in the chest in the raid last Saturday. His son landed in a fire pit, used for cooking. His mother died of shock the next day.......

ENTIRE ARTICLE -http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/tribal-leaders-to-sabotage-wests-assault-on-taliban-1050600.html

Afghanistan - defining victory

Charles from Royal Oak, MI — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:33:09 EST

Andrew Bacevich offers an approach to Afghanistan that makes a lot of sense to me . . . more in line with available resources, both Afghanistan's and ours, than the present course.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/171254

"Do you think that God's going to send me to hell for killing innocent people?"

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:00:03 EST

As Suicides Climb, a Search for 'Why?'

Olympia Olympian @ military.com - December 01, 2008

"Do you think that God's going to send me to hell for killing innocent people?" former Sgt. Joshua Barber asked his wife one day last summer.

Kelly Barber tried to reassure her distraught husband. Nearly three years after a combat tour in Iraq, he was a shell of the loving and fun-loving man she'd married nine years earlier.

Joshua Barber was quiet, withdrawn, constantly fighting demons he couldn't exorcise. His question reinforced her fear that he was sliding further into a well of guilt and despair as she tried desperately to hold on.

The couple had sought help from the Army and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, but Kelly Barber said they got caught up in red tape.

"He just had to fight so many battles, and no one would help him," she said.

The 31-year-old Soldier killed himself three weeks after asking that terrible question........

ENTIRE ARTICLE -

http://www.military.com/news/article/as-suicides-climb-a-search-for-why.html?col=1186032310810

Afghanistan, Another Untold Story

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:24:38 EST

Afghanistan, Another Untold Story

by Michael Parenti @ commondreams.org

Barack Obama is on record as advocating a military escalation in Afghanistan. Before sinking any deeper into that quagmire, we might do well to learn something about recent Afghani history and the role played by the United States.

Less than a month after the 11 September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, US leaders began an all-out aerial assault upon Afghanistan, the country purportedly harboring Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda terrorist organization. More than twenty years earlier, in 1980, the United States intervened to stop a Soviet "invasion" of that country. Even some leading progressive writers, who normally take a more critical view of US policy abroad, treated the US intervention against the Soviet-supported government as "a good thing." The actual story is not such a good thing.

Some Real History

Since feudal times the landholding system in Afghanistan had remained unchanged, with more than 75 percent of the land owned by big landlords who comprised only 3 percent of the rural population. In the mid-1960s, democratic revolutionary elements coalesced to form the People's Democratic Party (PDP). In 1973, the king was deposed, but the government that replaced him proved to be autocratic, corrupt, and unpopular. It in turn was forced out in 1978 after a massive demonstration in front of the presidential palace, and after the army intervened on the side of the demonstrators...........

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/12/02

Press and "Psy Ops" to merge at NATO Afghan HQ-sources

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:09:59 EST

Press, "Psy Ops" to merge at NATO Afghan HQ-sources

Jon Hemming
Reuters North American News Service

KABUL, Nov 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. general commanding NATO forces in Afghanistan has ordered a merger of the office that releases news with "Psy Ops", which deals with propaganda, a move that goes against the alliance's [NATO's] policy, three officials said.

The move has worried Washington's European NATO allies -- Germany has already threatened to pull out of media operations in Afghanistan -- and the officials said it could undermine the credibility of information released to the public............

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://wiredispatch.com/news/?id=470464

Afghanistan - 100,000 more U.S. troops

Charles from Royal Oak, MI — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 21:51:14 EST

Even though President-elect Obama has often spoken of increasing the number of troops in Afghanistan, he has provided remarkably few details. For example, what are the objectives of a surge in troops and of the mission in Afghanistan altogether? What is the desired timeline, the expected costs and the exit strategy? If these were fair questions for President Bush, they are fair for President-elect Obama, as well.

When you read the following article which speculates about the need for 100,000 more troops, you can see the need for more clarity up front. The American people should know what kind of commitment we are making with our scarce tax dollars.

http://www.pdamerica.org/articles/news/2008-11-27-10-18-05-news.php

THE BUSH LEGACY (UNABRIDGED EDITION)

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 13:09:26 EST

Laura Bush’s Legacy

By: Julia @ firedoglake.com

The Bush family have recorded a Story Corps interview about George W. Bush's presidential legacy, and what they're most proud of. This is what Mrs. Bush had to say

Well, it’s certainly been very rewarding to look at Afghanistan and both know that the president and the United States military liberated women there; that women and girls can be in school now; that women can walk outside their doors without a male escort.
I worry about Afghanistan, but I will always have a special place in my heart for the women that I’ve met there, both on my visits to Afghanistan and then the many women from Afghanistan who’ve traveled to the United States on scholarships or with the Afghan American Women’s Council, or with a lot of other ways that American citizens have opened their homes to women in Afghanistan so they can be educated quickly, because they missed their education when they were children or young women, because they weren’t allowed to learn anything.

Well, then. I would have been more charitable, but since Mrs. Bush has chosen this as her legacy, allow me to introduce you to Mrs. Bush's legacy

Afghan police have arrested 10 Taliban militants involved in an acid attack against 15 girls and teachers walking to school in southern Afghanistan, a provincial governor said Tuesday. "Several" of the arrested militants have confessed to taking part in the attack earlier this month, said Kandahar Gov. Rahmatullah Raufi. He declined to say exactly how many confessed.
High-ranking Taliban fighters paid the militants a total of $2,000 to carry out the attack, Raufi said. The attackers came from Pakistan but were Afghan nationals, said Doud Doud, an Interior Ministry official......
ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://firedoglake.com/2008/11/28/laura-bushs-legacy/

Afghans riot in Kabul after civilian killed

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 11:34:05 EST

Reuters –

Afghans riot in Kabul after civilian killed

by By Yousuf Azimy @ Reuters

KABUL (Reuters) – Dozens of angry Afghans pelted police with stones after a convoy of foreign contractors rammed a minivan off a road and one civilian was killed and three more wounded in the Afghan capital on Friday, witnesses said.

Seething resentment against the presence of some 65,000 foreign troops is growing in Afghanistan after scores of Afghan civilians have been killed in a series of mistaken air strikes this year......

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081128/wl_nm/us_afghan_violence

Afghanistan - Afghanis say "Just leave"

Charles from Royal Oak, MI — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 19:04:02 EST

To some, the only path is the current path: military force. Recently, there have been calls for a different path -- negotiation with the Taliban and countries in the region. The following article argues for a third path -- just leave and let the Afghanis govern themselves.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/11/22-5

DAVE LINDORFF: The Obama Administration TO-DO LIST

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:07:08 EST

Oh yeah... Remembering the War and Other National and Global Crises

by Dave Lindorff @ thesmirkingchimp.com

The ongoing and deepening global economic crisis, to which Barack Obama owes his presidential election victory, is no small thing, to be sure. It also presents us on the left with a lot of openings to press for progressive change.

We saw how the Republican attempt to derail Obama by labeling him a "socialist" actually backfired--especially when people were reminded that a fundamental premise of socialism is "income redistribution," in which some of the wealth of the rich is taken away through taxation, and transferred through federal programs to those who are less wealthy. Joe the Plumber was outraged, but when most Americans who were having trouble paying for gas or making their next mortgage payment, or who were worried that their jobs might be about to vanish, thought about that for longer than a sound-bite, it turns out that, not surprisingly, they decided socialism and redistribution didn't sound like a bad or scary idea at all....,..

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/18821

Robert Fisk: Once more fear stalks the streets of Kandahar

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:29:13 EST

Robert Fisk: Once more fear stalks the streets of Kandahar

from "The Independent" (UK)

Five years after his last visit, our correspondent finds the Taliban back in charge of their spiritual home – and girls attacked with acid simply for attending school

GETTY

An Afghan woman talks with Shamsia as she rests on a hospital bed in Kabul.

More pictures

There is a little girl in the Meir Wais hospital with livid scars and dead skin across her face, an obscene map of brown and pink tissue. Then there is another girl, a beautiful child, Khorea Horay, grimacing in pain, her leg amputated, her life destroyed after her foot was torn to pieces. In another ward, two girls lie on their backs, a tent above their limbs. One has lost an arm, another – a 16-year-old – a leg.

Then there is the grim young man with the beard, also in the darkest pain, who looks at me with suspicion and puzzlement. He has a bullet wound in the abdomen, a great incision sutured up after the doctors found it infected. Two other young men, also bearded, cowled in brown "patu" shawls, sit beside this suffering warrior. They, too, stare at me as if I am a visitor from Mars......

ENTIRE COMMENTARY - http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-once-more-fear-stalks-the-streets-of-kandahar-1026330.html

Where's Afghanistan?

Jeff the Teacher — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:10:25 EST

I teach two class periods of learning support/study skills. Students qualify for this class for a myriad of reasons from being intentional non-learners to having true learning disabilities. Regardless of the cause, suffice it to say that every 7th and 8th grader in those two classes requires close attention and one-on-one remediation by me and my wonderful, hard working aide. We assist our students in every academic content: math, science, language arts, and social studies.

At our school the social studies staff has been providing lessons on world history. Our students have been immersed in the study of the fall of the Roman Empire, the middle ages, and the rise of the great civilizations throughout the entire world. Many of the individual lessons have focused of the geographical changes that occur with societal and cultural changes. As such, we have been assisting students in learning support class with the completion of the various map projects that are assigned in their social studies classes.

“Where’s Afghanistan?” one of my students asked. “I can’t find it anywhere.” Indeed I thought, it would appear as if Afghanistan no longer exists. After I directed the student to the correct page in the atlas, she asked an interesting question. “Didn’t we fight a war there once?” A 13 year old 8th grader can be forgiven for not being up to date on current foreign policy and even for lacking a certain knowledge related to world geography. But it would appear that the adults in our society—from our elected officials to our media to our ordinary citizens—have forgotten that this country exists.

Barack Obama and the U. S. military and NATO forces notwithstanding, it is apparent that a collective amnesia concerning this war torn country has set in. The Afghan War has supplanted the Korean War as the Forgotten War. We have been there for 7 years.

Much to the consternation of some of my fellow left leaning friends, I supported the invasion of Afghanistan. I remember the “smoke ‘em out…dead or alive” days in response to the attacks of 9/11. I remember the days when Osama bin Laden was world enemy #1, when the Taliban were “defeated” (Mission Accomplished?). And like most everything George W. Bush has touched, someone else must now come behind him to clean up his mess.

Of the many reasons I voted for Barack Obama, the Afghan War was near the top of the list. I like his policy of re-deployment of resources from the disaster known as the Iraq War. I like that he is focused on destroying Al-Qaida. I like that he understands the real threats to our national security. Now, back to my classroom….

I responded to my student. “Well, we’re still fighting a war in Afghanistan. It’s been tough and our soldiers have been doing their best”, I said.

“Oh”, she said in the way middle schoolers can with a distracted indifference.

“When do you think it will end?”

“I don’t know,” was my response. “But I’m sure that Mr. Obama will do his best to end the war once he becomes president.”

Her face lit up. “I like him. I’m glad my mom and dad voted for Barack!”

She added, “He’s going to be good.”

Afghanistan - Tea with the Taliban?

Charles from Royal Oak, MI — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:02:36 EST

An article in a recent issue of the Washington Post begins: "As U.S. and European officials ponder what to do about the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, they are coming to a perhaps surprising conclusion: The simplest way to stabilize the country may be to negotiate a truce with the Taliban fundamentalists who were driven from power by the United States in 2001."

See the entire article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/24/AR2008102402804.html