Posts with the tag NATO

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

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

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

Afghan War, the Additional Troops Request and the Election - Analysis

"Voice for Humanity" — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 06:28:10 EDT

Analysis: By Padmini Arhant

From the earlier data, it is conclusive that since the inception of the Afghan war, the constant flow of funding and the troops surge has remained the routine build up in the ill-conceived ‘so-called’ war on terror. The long fought war in the past eight years and previously against the Soviets should provide the U.S. defense a concise idea about the Afghan terrains, terrorists’ hideouts and other relevant operational tactics by the Talibans and the Al-Qaida forces.

Please follow link http://www.padminiarhant.com for the rest of the article.

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

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

Federal Republic of Germany - Bundestag Election

"Voice for Humanity" — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:21:46 EDT

By Padmini Arhant

Congratulations! to the Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and the FDP leader Guido Westerwelle on the re-election of CDU-CSU (Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union) in grand coalition with the Free Democratic Party in the 17th German Federal election on September 27, 2009.

As a major economic power and the largest exporter as well as the second largest importer of goods, Germany is significant to the global economy and the international progress. The export-oriented nation has been drastically affected from the global economic crisis. It experiences the common woes like the financial market failure leading to the government bailouts; massive job loss in the manufacturing sector especially the automobiles and heavy industrial equipments…having a ripple effect on other sectors in the economy.

However, Germany has contained the crisis from further deterioration due to the various government run programs viz.

Please refer to http://www.padminiarhant.com for the remaining content.

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

I rattled some cages, on Facebook, because I'm tired of the BS!!!!!!

JeAnna — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:03:44 EDT

On April 10, 2009, Constable Jesse Schroeder closed my rape complaint case. He stated that there was "no male DNA" anywhere on any of my evidence.

I know this to inaccurate. I posted two messages, today, on Facebook in response to this BS.

In my first message, I posted the movie "American Violet" stating that: she was a victim, of authorities, and was forced to take a stand. My situation is similar, only I was raped, not arrested. The police are my business now. What "goes around", my Dear (personal message; recipient knows to whom I am speaking), IS coming around to you. That's a promise. I'm a woman of my word. " This was posted in English and in French.

The second message stated: "Now you are all phoning & saying look what (I) did on FB. Know this, I have not even broken into a sweat, yet. You do what you have to; I'll do what I have to."

Yesterday, I found that three sets of pictures were deleted, from my computer, without my knowledge or consent. As a result, I forwarded all three sets of copies to International Country Leaders, International Human Rights groups, and International media. One set was forwarded by cellphone.

Today, I received a text message with a veiled threat & forwarded that to Country Leaders!

I AM NOT AFRAID OF ANYONE! WHEN THEY TOOK THAT FOSTER BABY & CRUSHED ALL HOPE OF HAVING A FAMILY, EVERYTHING THAT MATTERED (ABOUT ME) DIED THAT DAY. You can't kill a dead woman...you still threaten me, even though I continue to report all of you.

I want all the people, associated with my rape on August 7 2008, arrested; INCLUDING THE FIVE RCMP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm tired. I've been violated on so many levels that it just feels like a bad dream. NONE OF THIS IS REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finland’s Foreign Minister Stubb: NATO is not an occult science

Mike Hulden — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:28:39 EDT

Just as President Obama heads to Strasbourg where he attends
NATO´s 60th anniversary Summit.
Finland’s charismatic Foreign Minister Stubb Is directing Finland
into a open NATO debate.

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

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.

Cold War Shivers: Russian-NATO Relations

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 14:42:29 EST

Russian-NATO Relations

Cold War Shivers

By ERIC WALBERG

2008 will be remembered as a turning point in Russia’s relations with the West. It was a tumultuous year, with Kosovo, missiles in Europe and NATO’s seemingly relentless march eastward like thunderclouds gathering on Russia’s horizon, which finally burst 8 August over South Ossetia, bringing tragedy to Georgians, triumph and tragedy to Ossetians and Russians, as the Russian army stopped short of Tbilisi in their defence of the plucky Ossetians.

Poland, in a tizzy, quickly signed up for US Patriot missiles; the EU and NATO, in a snit, suspended relations with Russia and did their best to undermine Russia’s fragile economy. US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates made a grand tour of countries supposedly threatened by Russia (in addition to visiting his new friends in Kosovo), though only the woe-begone Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili bothered meeting him at the airport. This darling of the West – and Israel – suddenly found himself friendless after his disastrous altercation with his neighbour. Even Israel pulled in its horns, cutting off its lucrative arms sales out of fear of Russia............

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.counterpunch.org/walberg12242008.html

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

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

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

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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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Call 949.645.1701 for information on how Green Wave Energy can help you save the planet.

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

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/

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

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

Mossad unleashed: Implicated in a coup plot in Turkey, a NATO country; CIA fingerprints also found on attempt.

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:52:51 EST

December 2, 2008 -- Mossad unleashed: Implicated in a coup plot in Turkey, a NATO country; CIA fingerprints also found on attempt.

by Wayne Masden @ waynemadsenreport.com

Fresh from revelations, reported by WMR, that Israel's Mossad and Chabad House-based criminal syndicates were targets in a criminal gangland retribution attack by a notorious Muslim gang in Mumbai, comes word that Mossad has, once again, been implicated in an intelligence and criminal network, this time in Turkey. What makes this latest example of Israel's failure to stem the criminal activities of its intelligence service and criminal syndicates worse is that Turkey, unlike Israel, is a NATO ally of the United States and, therefore, the United States is bound by treaty to protect NATO allies from aggression by non-NATO states, including Israel.........

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

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

Madeleine Albright Addresses Veterans and Military Families on the Eve of "the Most Critical Election of our Time"

Anne Marie @ NH HQ — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:48:25 EDT

This guest blog was written by Josh Levine, Director of Veterans Outreach for the New Hampshire Campaign for Change

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, a strong supporter of Senator Barack Obama, met with veterans and military families Tuesday at the Public Library in Portsmouth, NH. Dr. Albright, who teaches at Georgetown University, spoke about our current national security situation and the failure of President Bush's approach to foreign policy over the last eight years. During her remarks, she described what she saw as the major issues facing the next President of the United States, and why she believed Barack Obama was uniquely qualified, in knowledge, demeanor, confidence, and judgment to begin the tough work of solving these complex problems.

Following her remarks she fielded questions from the forty-person audience. She spoke about the need for the United States to begin disengagement in Iraq, both to force the Iraqi government to solve its lingering political issues and so that we can focus on Afghanistan, the real immediate threat to American security. She endorsed Senator Obama's plans for dealing with Iraq through a multilateral regional solution and for intensifying efforts to rebuild Afghanistan and help Pakistan to stabilize itself. Other topics included restoring America's standing in the world, dealing with Iran, the world financial crisis, rethinking the use of the National Guard in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the current and future roles of NATO.

On each issue, Dr. Albright described her views and discussed with the audience Barack Obama's deep thoughtfulness, clear thinking, and confidence to lead our country through these tough times. She said that not only is Senator Obama the right man to address our great concerns abroad, but that he "will talk to us, tell us the truth" so that we as a nation can work together to meet our challenges at home.

If you're tired of the same failed foreign policies of the past and are ready for America to have a better standing in the world, sign up to help Get Out The Vote now.

Sarah Lives To Gaffe Another Day

Charley James — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:43:52 EDT

As usual, post-debate bloviating wandered aimlessly through the night with assessments ranging from “she did better than we thought she would,” which is what parents say when their kid doesn’t strike out at a Little League game, to the thoroughly puzzling “America must be surprised.”

As usual, debate viewers are much more decisive, the first round of snap polls giving the debate to Joe Biden by sizable margins.

CNN's sampling said Biden took the clash by 51% to 36%, basically a trouncing.

And here’s the revealing number from CNN. While 84% said Palin did better than expected – well, the bar was set awfully low – she still doesn’t clear a basic hurdle: Watching the would-be vice president for 90 minutes left only 46% saying she’s qualified to be president, up a mere four points from before the debate. And a clear majority, 53%, continue to say she is not qualified for the job.

Meanwhile, CBS’ polling of 473 uncommitted debate-watchers found that 46% gave the evening to Biden, 21% say Palin won, and 33% say it was a tie. Splitting the tie votes between the two, 62.5% said Biden came out on top while fewer than half thought Palin took the night.

While both candidates saw their images improve, 98% ended up declaring Biden as “knowledgeable” after the debate, while only 66% saw Palin as knowledgeable. Admittedly, that’s a higher number than what folks thought of her before the debate but the McCain camp can take small comfort from the figure because Biden essentially ran the table of undecideds.

At Campaign Headquarters …

In the Virginia headquarters of the McCain campaign, the post-debate relief is palpable.

“We could have been blown out of the water,” one of my two sources inside the camp tells me this morning. “She didn’t make any horrid mistakes and she did what she had to do: Keep the base support firm."

What about reaching the undecideds, the independents, the Reagan Democrats? I ask, citing the snap poll tallies from right after the broadcast.

“That’s John’s job,” comes the reply. “All we wanted Sarah to do was keep us close enough to fight another day.”

So, essentially, Palin’s only task last night was to not screw up, not give the base a reason to flee in horror.

I ask about the moment when Palin actually suffers her much-anticipated Couric-like moment that escaped most commentators. Looking square in the camera, Palin actually proclaims the financial crisis “a toxic mess, really, on Main Street that’s affecting Wall Street.”

“I saw that, too,” he says, adding with relief, “I’m glad not too many people caught it. I’m glad Biden didn’t pounce all over that.”

Some eight hundred miles away in Chicago, one of my sources on Obama’s staff says everyone is happy with Biden’s job, especially after the first half-hour.

“Once Joe decided he had to swat at the gnat, he really came into his own,” is the assessment. “He kept his answers short, he stayed on point, he spoke to the audience in words they understood, and that moment when he choked up mentioning how he felt as his son lay dying in a hospital (after the car accident killed Biden’s wife and daughter and gravely injured his sons) we saw Joe being Joe. America saw it, as well.

“I wonder why she didn’t react act all,” I’m asked. “Didn’t it seem odd that the world’s greatest hockey mom had no reaction to someone fighting back tears when he talks about losing a child? Where were her ‘family values’”?

Explaining The Obvious

People tuning in to the debate were already expressing deep concerns about Palin's understanding of issues and solutions. As a result, Palin's folksiness was far less effective than when she strode the stage in St. Paul six weeks ago to unveil her “ya’ know” and “ya’ betcha” lines. People aren't worried that she "isn't one of us," so her aw-shucks shuffling didn't help last night. On the other hand, people are concerned that she doesn't understand the issues of the day, and she did nothing to reassure them.

Biden jumped on her disjointed mish-mash of foreign policy non-sequiturs and talking points to spell out a clear difference between what the audience was hearing from Palin and the real world in which Biden and Obama live:

On one front, Palin did not disappoint: She remains a habitual liar, a flip-flopper and someone who has no idea what she’s saying.

In the debate, she espoused strong support for equal benefits for same sex couples. But Palin told the Anchorage Daily News, “I believe spousal benefits are reserved for married citizens on (sic) our Constitution,”

Palin sidestepped Biden’s claim that McCain argued against greater regulation on Wall Street, contributing to the debt crisis. Palin’s claim is that McCain supported the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, which would have created a new government agency to oversee Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other federal housing programs. In fact, the bill would have done nothing to stop the rash of predatory subprime lending that preceded the housing bubble. It only provided oversight for Fannie and Freddie – but it said nothing at all about the companies that issued subprime mortgages. So while Palin brought it up as an example of how McCain is the “re-regulator,” she avoided Biden’s straight rebuttal.

Oh. And Palin called the commander of the NATO force in Afghanistan "McClellan" instead of using his name, General David McKiernan. Maybe she confused McKiernan with George McClellan, an awful Civil War general who was so reluctant to fight the Confederate Army Pres. Lincoln finally fired him. The only thing reassuring about this possibility is it shows Palin remembers something from her time at, what?, five universities in six years.

Soccer Mom vs Osama bin Laden

memanni — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:24:35 EDT

If it sounds like a soccer mom, walks like one and talks like one, it must be one; a good study but not the Vice President of the United States.

Think about it; of the major 13 NATO-UN Allies, do we really think they would invest their country, in all seriousness, to stand with a soccer mom from the US.

Just make a list: Soccer Mom vs Osama bin Laden; how could this possibly play out, should something happen to the President. A soccer mom president who would be continuing Bush policy; the same policies bin Laden ralled against in his messages; both bin Laden and his American traitor advisor. I don't think his goal would be to let a soccer mom take him down and loose all those lovely virgins.

Of course, without any doubt a woman can and will lead America, but as Palin would say, "say it ain't so, not Palin, not now.".

Israel had a mom run their country but she was indeed vetted as Minister to Moscow, foreign Minister under Ben-Gurion and Prime Minister of Israel, some historical types would understand she was the major reason Jordan through King Hussein ibn Talal and Egypt through Mohammed Anwar el Sadat; in some manner (Hussein visits David Levy in Naharayim, Jordan 1997) ( Sadat visits Haifa 1979); conceded Israel's right to exist; this American woman was, Golda Meir holding office from 1948 to 1974; a little more then 2 years executive experience.

Psalm 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, may those who love you be secure (prosper).

Palin: Pitbull or Poodle?

Meghan from New York, NY — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:33:30 EDT

Senator Biden - Remember, she can't have it both ways... she can't throw a punch, then hide behind mother "sexism"'s back. Either she's a pitbull or she's a poodle - and she should be treated that way.

As for debate prep - I sure hope they're going to test her knowledge! Does she know what form of government Russia has? Does she know who else is in NATO? Does she know who the head of China is? Does she know how many members of Congress there are??? haha. I hope her true colors show!

Real Threat Pakistan/Afghanistan

Abe — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:39:27 EDT

It has become obvious now that we shouldn't have invaded Iraq in first place and stayed in focus in Pakistan and Afghanistan where the real threat was and still is. As the situation gets worse in Afghanistan and the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the International Security Force (NATO) and the US have realized that the focus should be put back in that region.

Sometimes I am trying to understand why we changed our focus from Afghanistan and Pakistan to Iraq when we knew that that terrorists are getting their trainings from Afghanistan/Pakistan area, receive their educations from the schools (madrassas) in Pakistan, mostly mobilized in Pakistan/Afghanistan, the leadership of the terrorists hang out around those borderless area, attack the US bases and Nato forces inside Afghanistan, and much more... but we still decided NOT to focus in that area instead we have created another recruiting center in Iraq- it simply doesn't make sense.

Refocusing in Afghanistan and Pakistan may not be as easy ride as we had the opportunity after we drove the Taliban (Afghan/Pakistani extremist, ISI Influence, and Al Qaida group) out of Afghanistan. We may even need much more resources and greater support of the NATO to get us just where we were 6 years ago in Afghanistan. As our attention was in Iraq, the so called "democratic elected Afghan government", has been transformed to a corrupt entity that has lost the support of its people and the "hope" of a better tomorrow is getting deminished in Afghanistan. We have lost the support and the excitement that we had generated among the Afghan people after the defeat of Taliban and Al Qaida six years ago, but we have no other option than focusing back in a region where the terrorist initially planned and attacked us on 9/11.

I believe strongly that Barack Obama has a better idea on keeping us safe. He has repeatedly requested that we should focus in Afghanistan and Pakistan and send more troops in Afghanistan.
He will focus in Pakistan and Afghanistan where the real threat was and still is when he is the President of the United States of America.

Georgia

Beverly Jurenko — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:45:20 EDT

So what is Obama's position on Georgia?

Checkmate--Putin, Bush, McCain and Central Europe

Marty — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 09:43:55 EDT

My wife’s grandfather, Gedaliah Cohen, immigrated to the United States from Russia in the 1920’s. He used to love to tell the story about how he got his brother, Mechel, into the United States. Mechel was a deaf mute, and when Gedaliah and Mechel arrived at Ellis Island, the immigration authorities refused to let Mechel in. They believed that Mechel was mentally defective and that he would be unable to support himself.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili: "the Israeli weapons have been very effective."

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:54:08 EDT

What Israel Lost in the Georgia War

By TONY KARON

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is shown an Israeli Aircraft Industries

pilotless drone during his visit to their factories in Lod, Israel

"It is important that the entire world understands that what is happening in Georgia now will affect the entire world order," Georgian Cabinet Minister Temur Yakobashvili said last weekend. "It's not just Georgia's business, but the entire world's business." Such sentiments would have been unremarkable but for the fact that Yakobashvili was expressing himself in fluent Hebrew, telling Israeli Army Radio that "Israel should be proud of its military, which trained Georgian soldiers."

However, the impression that Israel had helped bolster the Georgian military was one the Israeli Foreign Ministry was anxious to avoid............

ENTIRE ARTICLE- http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1834785,00.html

The score in this latest round of the Great Game - Putin: 10. Bush: 0.

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:54:13 EDT

Putin Checkmates Bush in Eurasia

by Eric Margolis

Russia's Vladimir Putin swiftly and decisively checkmated the Bush administration's clumsy attempt last week to expand US influence into the Caucasus. The score in this latest round of the Great Game - Putin: 10. Bush: 0.

We are not facing a return to the Cold War - yet. But the current US-Russian crisis over Georgia, a tiny nation of only 4.6 million, and its linkage to a US anti-ballistic missile system in Eastern Europe, is deeply worrying and increasingly dangerous.

On August 7, Georgia's president, Mikheil Saakashvili, ordered his US and Israeli-advised and equipped army to invade the breakaway region of South Ossetia, which has been struggling for independence from Georgia since 1992. Most of its people were Russian citizens who wanted union with Russian North Ossetia.......

ENTIRE ARTICLE- http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/16568

Russia Never Wanted a War

Chinni — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:04:13 EDT

Russia Never Wanted a War

By MIKHAIL GORBACHEV - August 19, 2008

..Tskhinvali was in smoking ruins and thousands of people were fleeing — before any Russian troops arrived. Yet Russia was already being accused of aggression; news reports were often an embarrassing recitation of the Georgian leader’s deceptive statements.
It is still not quite clear whether the West was aware of Mr. Saakashvili’s plans to invade South Ossetia, and this is a serious matter. What is clear is that Western assistance in training Georgian troops and shipping large supplies of arms had been pushing the region toward war rather than peace..
..Those who rush to judgment on what’s happening in the Caucasus, or those who seek influence there, should first have at least some idea of this region’s complexities. The Ossetians live both in Georgia and in Russia. The region is a patchwork of ethnic groups living in close proximity. Therefore, all talk of “this is our land,” “we are liberating our land,” is meaningless. We must think about the people who live on the land.
The problems of the Caucasus region cannot be solved by force. That has been tried more than once in the past two decades, and it has always boomeranged.What is needed is a legally binding agreement not to use force. Mr. Saakashvili has repeatedly refused to sign such an agreement, for reasons that have now become abundantly clear..

The Infantile Illusion of Omnipotence

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:40:46 EDT

Anatomy of A(nother) Fiasco

by billmon

Georgia, Georgia
No peace can I find.
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind. - Stuart Gorrell and Hoagy Carmichael

It’s not like I really wanted to spend the weekend thinking about last week’s small war between Russia and the Caucasian republic of Georgia – not when I could have been watching women’s beach volleyball at the Olympics instead.

But ever since the obscure dispute over the breakaway province of South Ossetia suddenly flared into a good old fashioned Cold War crisis (putting the US – or at least John McCain – toe-to-toe with the Russkies) I’ve been trying to figure out exactly how America found itself obligated to defend the security and territorial integrity of a place name most Americans probably associate with peach trees and Scarlett O’Hara........

ARTICLE- http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/18/2337/96853/939/569608

Not the good guys vs. the bad guys

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:59:34 EDT

Not the good guys vs. the bad guys

By Gideon Levy

TBILISI- The weekend edition of The Georgian Times left no room for doubt. The weekly, which is published in English and edited entirely by women, enlisted in the cause with all its might: "For Georgia and victory," "Georgia alone in stand-off with Russia," and "Europe learned nothing from Hitler's crimes" screamed the paper's front-page headlines. When the cannons are roaring in this spectacular Caucasian country, as in almost every country, everything serves a melodramatic purpose and self-criticism falls silent......

ENTIRE ARTICLE- http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1012186.html

Bush's Neocon Derived West Point Doctrine

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:01:20 EDT

From West Point to the Caucasus Georgia On My Mind

By CONN HALLINAN

One of the major causes of the recent war in Georgia has nothing to do with the historic tensions that make the Caucasus such a flashpoint between east and west. Certainly the long-stranding ethnic enmity between Ossetians and Georgians played a role, as did the almost visceral dislike between Moscow and Tbilisi. But the origins of the short, brutal war go back six years to a June afternoon at West Point.

Speaking to the cadets at the military academy, President George W. Bush laid out a blueprint for U.S foreign policy, a strategy lifted from a neocon think tank, the Project for a New American Century. In essence, the West Point Doctrine made it clear that Washington would not permit the development of a “peer competitor,” and that, if necessary, the U.S. would use military force to insure that it maintained the monopoly on world power it had inherited after the collapse of the Soviet Union.......

ENTIRE ARTICLE- http://www.counterpunch.org/hallinan08162008.html

More About "The Great Game"

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 22:01:01 EDT

"Geopolitical Chess: Background to a Mini-war in the Caucasus"

by Immanuel Wallerstein

Commentary No. 239 - The world has been witness this month to a mini-war in the Caucasus, and the rhetoric has been passionate, if largely irrelevant. Geopolitics is a gigantic series of two-player chess games, in which the players seek positional advantage. In these games, it is crucial to know the current rules that govern the moves. Knights are not allowed to move diagonally.

From 1945 to 1989, the principal chess game was that between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was called the Cold War, and the basic rules were called metaphorically “Yalta.” The most important rule concerned a line that divided Europe into two zones of influence......

ENTIRE ARTICLE- http://www.peaceactionme.org/blog/geopolitical-chess-background-mini-war-caucasus

The "Great Game" = The Great Shame

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 21:23:22 EDT

Superpower Swoop

What Russia and America are really doing in Georgia and who set the trap? Vladimir Putin and his thuggish FSB pals or Dick Cheney and his equally unflappable neocon friends?

by Misha Glenny

Georgia’s decision to seize large parts of Tskhinvali, the capital of the breakaway region of South Ossetia, on the evening of 7 August was a disastrous political miscalculation, even in an era that is increasingly defined by spectacularly poor judgement.

Within three days of the assault, Russian forces had responded by in effect neutralising Georgia’s military capacity, which President Mikhail Saakashvili’s government in Tbilisi had spent several years and considerable sums of money building up..........

ENTIRE ARTICLE- http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/08/16/11026/

The Precedent Was Set In The Balkans

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 20:56:04 EDT

The Precedent Was Set In The Balkans

by Peter Erlinder

In April 1999, just after the United States and NATO launched their air war to punish Yugoslavia for sending troops into Kosovo, its independence-minded province, the Star Tribune published my op-ed piece under the headline “NATO action unwisely undercuts U.N.” The article warned that the well-established principles of national sovereignty, upon which the U.N. Charter and international law are based, were too important to be set aside when it suits powerful nations, no matter how well-intended..........

ENTIRE ARTICLE- http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/08/16/11028/

The secrets of the crushing of Yugoslavia are emerging, telling us more about how the modern world is policed.

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:33:25 EDT

Don't Forget Yugoslavia

by John Pilger

The secrets of the crushing of Yugoslavia are emerging, telling us more about how the modern world is policed. The former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia in The Hague, Carla Del Ponte, this year published her memoir, The Hunt: Me and War Criminals. Largely ignored in Britain, the book reveals unpalatable truths about the West's intervention in Kosovo, which has echoes in the Caucasus........

ENTIRE ARTICLE- http://www.antiwar.com/pilger/?articleid=13303

Russia: The New World Order

SRG_Legal — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:31:04 EDT

Peter Lavelle'S BLOG August 15, 2008, 1:01 Beyond South Ossetia – the new world order

Georgia’s (still) President Mikhail Saakashvili threw the dice and lost everything. His blind ambition to return South Ossetia to Tbilisi’s control through force has resulted in an unmitigated defeat for Georgia’s sovereignty. The world needs to take note and it signals things to come.

South Ossetia is a small and poor place. Who would have thought that it would herald the start of a new world order? But it has in ways almost no one could have imagined.

Saakashvili’s crazed mission to capture South Ossetia through war ends a paradigm – what is called the post-Cold era. Russia, for the first time as a new and very different state, used force beyond its borders since 1991. It did it in the name of protecting Russian citizens and defending internationally recognised peacekeepers. And both are justified - the West does the same. The world would be advised to get used to this as other ethnic Russians appeal for help beyond Russia’s borders.

Today we are all faced with the prickly debate defining the difference between state sovereignty and territorial integrity. Politicians and lawyers continue to talk about this. In the mean time, facts on the ground are proceeding forward with the most unpredictable consequences.

The catalyst for all this was Kosovo. The major Western powers decided Kosovo should be independent above the heads of the people on the ground. Today Russia listens to the people on the ground. And this is the important difference. Washington and Brussels have unwittingly admitted that self-determination is more important than a state’s sovereignty. Russia and Russians are following this lead. The post-Soviet space is poised for more change (of borders) and the West and its double-standards are the cause of this.

There is much criticism of Russia’s actions. It is said that Russia is backing international actors - South Ossetia and Abkhazia - not recognised by international law. But the fact of the matter is Moscow has forcibly demonstrated that the post-Cold War order supports only Western interests and that this approach needs to change. In the wake of South Ossetia’s invasion, Moscow is in touch with this new sentiment.

According to the West’s democracy theology, South Ossetia and Abkhazia cannot be recognised as independent. Why is this? Is it because independence for both would derail Saakashvili’s bid to join NATO? Of course it is! The West doesn’t know much about Georgia, South Ossetia, or Abkhazia. Nor does it really care. And Saakashvili has shown he can’t cross the divide between being a Georgian nationalist and a Western stooge.

I have no idea; maybe Saakashvili truly has acted in good faith, but what we all can see looks different. He failed to see that what is most important is the projection of Western security interests. And this has always been at the expense of Russia’s security concerns.

Saakashvili claims all his actions were in the name of the Georgian people. He doesn’t appear to understand he changed the world order. All people who wish to be free and have their own state have Saakashvili to thank.

I doubt that this is the legacy Saakashvili had hoped for. Saakashvili’s backers in Washington are surely cursing him for not doing what he was told. He was, after all, only a hired employee to take orders.

What's Russia up to? It all gets back to energy.

Dr. Jeffrey Kargel — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:41:40 EDT

A resurgent Russia manipulates Eastern Europe and impacts Germany by cutting off gas supplies; invades Georgia and takes control of the east-west trans-Georgian energy and transit lines; threatens Poland with attack. What's up? Is this a Russia that has decided to stand up for what it views as its vital Russian interests; or is the past couple years a prelude to a reconstitution of a rump Soviet Union? However far the machinations go, it all certainly sounds a lot like the Cold War. Everybody agrees on that. The question is what to do, and who is to blame; but especially what to do now that we are where we are.

Poland is integrated into NATO, and Georgia is not; Poland never was a part of the Soviet Union, and Georgia was; a free Western Poland has not been invaded, and Georgia already has been; those distinctions mark a fundamental line in the sand. I don't think anybody in the West wants to go to war with Russia over Georgia (sorry, Georgia). We will respond, but we cannot respond militarily, overtly, because our forces are bottled up in Iraq, and NATO certainly isn't going to attack Russia over Georgia, when Georgia is the country that broke the status quo.

Poland is a different matter. Barack Obama (as well as George Bush and John McCain) should make U.S. support for Poland and other former Warsaw Block/non-Soviet nations as clear as anything can be, and the U.S. and NATO should underscore the distinction. This is not to say that Ukraine or other former Soviet states lack our support, but Poland absolutely should not be bullied by Russia. Russia needs to understand Cold War history and the fact that they lost the Cold War, and if they feel that movement back that way is something they need to press, then they should understand what that means for Russia. Their decision on Georgia will hurt them a lot more than it hurts the West, but only if the West remains resolute and strategic in our thinking.

Russia's strong hand in this international game is energy. George Bush has left America and the West more dependent on Russia and other obviously hostile states than needed to be the case. But history is history. Where do we go now? An urgent petroleum conservation effort is needed NOW. We should not wait for elections, and the Democrats in Congress should lead the way if the Executive Branch rejects their duty. This would be as good a time as any for Barack Obama and other Senate and House Democrats to use their power to initiate a Save America program. We need energy legislation that may well get vetoed by an obstinate Bush and McCain, but it will be ready to resubmit in January and to be signed in January. If McCain wants to diverge from George Bush, than he can cosponsor it. If the Democrats are slow on the issue, then John McCain should lead the way. This is not about politics; this is about saving America and declawing Russia and al Qaeda and other potential adversaries. We need to be sure that the day the next President leaves office, all American auto production will be essentially converted to hybrids and other novel energy-saving designs. We can do it. It will not be as costly as the Iraq war and Russian seizure of gas and oil supplies through Georgia and enrichment of al Qaeda, and all these troubling developments that have arisen because, in part, of American and Western dependence on hostile states' control of energy, and in part by Bush policies that have further empowered our adversaries with this trump card. If the energy trump card is the problem, I'd say stop excessive burning of the fossil fuels that make all this trouble and burn the trump card instead.

It's really simple, Democrats: A simple bill that states that, before 2012 ends, all auto and light truck production in the U.S., and all imports, with very few exceptions, will be hybrids, or will incorporate other novel designs or energy-efficient technologies, such as combustion of natural gas, or plug-in electrics, or plug-in hybrids, or will be hydrogen powered, and so on. It is really simple: all new residential and business construction in sunbelt states, with very few exceptions, must incorporate solar photovoltaics or wind generation before the next President leaves his first term in office. It is really simple: just do it. Those things can be done now. Provide the incentives to consumers and producers, and if that doesn't do it, then get the mandates in operation. This is not anything we can play around with, haggle over, obfuscate, derail, or decry. Just do it now! Barack Obama, be the leader we expect you to be. Put teeth and money into the new revolution that will save America and just might save Poland as well. Stand up for Poland now, but stand up for the future of civilization now as well. Don't wait for the elections. Don't accept arguments that it will be too costly or can't be done that fast; the U.S. changed from consumer driven auto production to factory-line production of tanks and airplanes in less than 2 years after Pearl Harbor, so surely we can do something comparable in 4 years, when the stakes are just as high. Barack, you are a Senator; your mandate to act is already there. Use it. Your electorate, your country, and the world, expects it.

Russia-Georgia Conflict Fueled by Rush to Control Caspian Energy Resources

Chinni — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:31:20 EDT

Russia-Georgia Conflict Fueled by Rush to Control Caspian Energy Resources

..Even under the Clinton administration, when Eduard Shevardnadze was the president of Georgia, who was hardly a paragon of democracy, President Clinton said that we need Georgia as an energy ally of the United States. And that was the basis on which the US forged a military alliance with Georgia.
And since then, we’ve poured hundreds of millions of dollars into beefing up the Georgian military. And this is unmistakable in the State Department and military Department of Defense justifications for arming the Georgian military, specifically to protect the BTC pipeline against sabotage and attack. So, looking into the Pentagon and State Department documents, there’s no question that this is about energy security, not about democracy or human rights or the other justifications that have been given.. - Michael Klare on Democracy Now!

Georgia : A Blow to US Energy - Steve LeVine, Businessweek

..At the core of the struggle is a vast network of actual and planned pipelines for shipping Caspian Sea oil to the world market from countries that were once part of the Soviet empire. American policymakers working with a BP-led consortium had already helped build oil and natural gas pipelines across Georgia to the Turkish coast. Next on the drawing board: another pipeline through Georgia to carry natural gas from the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea to Austria—offering an alternate supply to Western Europe, which now depends on Russia for a third of its energy.
But after the mauling Georgia got, "any chance of a new non-Russian pipeline out of Central Asia and into Europe is pretty much dead," says Chris Ruppel, an energy analyst at Execution, a brokerage in Greenwich, Conn..
Map : An End Run Around Russia

Who will stop the warmongers?

SITALCES — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:59:04 EDT

On August 11 2008, Bush threatened Vladimir Putin, saying that Russia has jeopardized its relationship with the West by invading a sovereign state and such an action is unacceptable in the 21st century. Certainly, Russia is not unaware that Bush invaded two sovereign states, Afghanistan & Iraq, in the 21st century, not to mention the invasion of Kosovo and the bombardment of a European country, Serbia, during the end of the 20th century by the Clintons.

Then Cheney got in on the bombast by vowing that Russian aggression must not go unanswered. Bush's Secretary Of State Condi Rice followed up by actually threatening Russia with isolation if it fails to obey US demands for an end to the conflict in Georgia. But it has all fallen on Russian deaf ears.

To be sure, the diminishing ability of America to influence the course of international events is now on display for all the world to see. Many cite the strong Israeli lobby influence over Americas foreign policy for this development. And this special influence has not been lost on Vladimir Putin nor on the people he rules.

Putin was critical of the "Zionist" prompted American invasion of Iraq in 2003, saying that the invasion could not be justified because it did not have the backing of the international community. And with regard to Americas threats against Iran in behalf of their client, the State of Israel, Putin made the following reproof to America after his October 2007 visit to Iran:

Putin, speaking to officials on state television on August 11 2008, mocked the support given by the West to Saakashvili, contrasting the Wests treatment of Saakashvili to their treatment of Saddam Hussein, saying:

They of course had to hang Saddam Hussein. But the current Georgian ruler who in one hour simply wiped 10 Ossetian villages from the face of the earth, who used tanks to run over children and the elderly, who threw civilians into cellars and burnt them - this Georgian leader is a player that has to be protected by the West. For those who do not see the "conspiracy" theory I say: Why is an Israeli president along with several Israeli ministers ruling Georgia? Why is Georgia supplied with Israeli weapons? Why the Bush administration tried (unsuccessfully) to enlist Georgia (an Asian country) into NATO? Georgia is bordering Iran and Russia. How naive one can be to ignore the fact that any instability in that particular area could ignite world war three with US on one side and Russia, China, Southeast Asia, and Iran on the other. I assure you our NATO allies will stay on the sidelines because Europe cannot afford another war.

OBAMA TALK: Georgia-Russia War

James — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:36:18 EDT

With all the propaganda this is my best guess what is going on. South Ossetia declared independence with Russian peace keepers in the area. Georgia sent in the military to prevent independence. This started a civi war and Russia protected the people of South Ossetia. Now Russia launched a major offensive on Georgia. Did Russia or Georgia plan this? I don't know. Georgia blames Russia of invading. Russia blames Georgia of ethnic cleansing. It is a civil war and both militaries want revenge!

I think the UN is partly to blame because this was an on-going conflict.

Side Issues: The Ukraine and Georgia want to join NATO which Russia is against. Their is a major oil pipeline in Georgia. These countires were once part of the Soviet Union. Georgia is an alley of the US and sent troops to Iraq. Georgia is democratic and Russia is democratic but still under some communist control.

Russia needs to stop and their response indicates that we need to beef up our presence in the region. NATO (Turkey especially) and the EU should be taking more of an agressive role. The reality is the other countries are afraid of the Russian Bear.

If war crimes were committed, like the Russias said, where is the proof? With Kosovo, there were mass graves that satellite imagery revealed and shown to the UN. Independent media, not state-controlled Russian media, needs to report on this. I think Russia is doing this to both protect the South Ossetians and to prove a point. The point is that Russian Bear is back! This would explain Russia bomber patrols that were recently initiated since the Cold War. Russia can do what it wants and no one will stop them. This comes after numerous threats about the anti-ballistic missile treaty, Iraq/Iran, NATO expansion, Serbia, etc... issues. Ganted that Bush is the worst president ever and did not help the situation at all.

The point being Russia wants is political and military status restored. This has the potential of being another Cold War.

With China emerging as a superpower and Russia wanting to be restored to superpower status again, you think we need a stronger military? Politicans are so caught up with terrorism that their eye is not on the ball. Major world powers can be a threat to everyone too!

Obama needs to talk about these things in detail. We need 381 F-22 Raptors that our military is asking for. Unfortunately we need to strength and grow our military to keep up with the new emerging superpowers again. This time, there will be three!

Please post comments and God Bless!

OBAMA TALK: We Need a stronger military?

James — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:33:16 EDT

Hopefully the Georgia-Russia conflict displays that we need to keep our military strong. We even need to be stronger. F-22 should continue to be made until we reach 381. Russia is still a potental threat. NATO should be expanded to include Ukraine & Georgia. We need a Ballistic Missile Defense and should not cave into Russian pressure. China is emerging as a superpower. Taiwan is still an issue between the US and China. Politicians are only focusing on terrorism but there is still a good chance we WILL go to war with a major dominating military force... like Russia or China for example.

Obama should be talking about this in detail.

NATO should not recruit Georgia

Tennyson — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:09:44 EDT

NATO unlike the European Union is specifically a military alliance originally formed to face down the overwhelming ground forces of the old Soviet Union. Military alliances are formed to confront specific threats or to threaten speciic countries.
It seems to me that for some years NATO, led by the United States has had a deliberate policy of recruiting former Soviet satellites. The potential effect is to surround the Soviet Union with military bases of the NATO alliance. Add to this the United States plan of locating sophisticated radar sites on the Russian Border with Poland and it is easy to see whay the Russians would begin to wonder what is NATO's strategic objective.
Just suppose Russia was seeking to recruit Mexico and Canada and Cuba into a military alliance. Would we not be supicious of their objectives?!
My assessment is that Russia is prepared to risk serious confrontation with the West rather than permit this to happen. Let's not deceive ourselves. Nato's policy of recruiting former Soviet Union components into the alliance is likely to create the kind of tensions that has led to two world wars.

A Disturbing Taste of What to Expect from John McCain Should he Become our Commander in Chief

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 12:01:22 EDT

Getting Georgia's War On

By Mark Ames

The outbreak of war in Georgia on Friday offers a disturbing and somewhat surreal taste of what to expect from John McCain should he become our nation's Commander in Chief. As the centuries-old ethnic animosities between Georgia and Ossetia boiled over into another armed conflict, drawing in neighboring Russia, McCain issued a stark-raving statement from Des Moines that is disturbingly reminiscent of the language used in the lead-up to NATO's war against Yugoslavia in 1999, a war McCain zealously pushed for:

"We should immediately call a meeting of the North Atlantic Council to assess Georgia's security and review measures NATO can take to contribute to stabilizing this very dangerous situation," McCain said.......

ENTIRE ARTICLE- http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080818/ames

False-Flags' Deep Dark History -- Attempting to Blame or Provoke Iran

Amunaor — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 01:17:17 EDT

For folks that find this type of operation incredible, here is an extensively, well documented false-flag example:

"Operation Northwoods, or Northwoods, was a false flag conspiracy plan, proposed within the United States government in 1962. The plan called for CIA or other operatives to kill innocent people and commit acts of terrorism in U.S. cities to create public support for a war against Castro-led Cuba. One plan was to "develop a Communist Cuban terror campaign in the Miami area, in other Florida cities and even in Washington". This operation is especially notable in that it included plans for hijackings and bombings followed by the use of phony evidence that would blame the terrorist acts on foreign governments. The plan states, "The desired resultant from the execution of this plan would be to place the United States in the apparent position of suffering defensible grievances from a rash and irresponsible government of Cuba and to develop an international image of a Cuban threat to peace in the Western Hemisphere." Operation Northwoods was drafted by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and signed by then-Chairman Lyman Lemnitzer, and sent to the Secretary of Defense."
OPERATION NORTHWOODS, BAMFORD VIDEO
January 31st, 2003 Bush’s proposal to Tony Blair was to paint a U.S. plane in UN colors and fly it over Iraq in the hopes of getting it shot down was straight out of Operation Northwoods (Philippe Sands, Lawless World)

Brzezinski: On The Path To War With Iran
The Rationale for War
“...a terrorist act in the U.S. blamed on Iran...” Zbigniew Brzezinski.
01 Feb 2007 The National Security Advisor to former President Carter testified before the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on 1 Feb 2007. Dr.Zbigniew Brzezinski delivered a scathing assessment of the core mistakes made by the Bush administration in the Middle East. Just before describing what he termed the “mythical historical narrative” of the policy, he offered a scenario that the Bush administration might use as a convenient invitation to attack Iran...
“…by some provocation in Iraq or a terrorist act in the U.S. blamed on Iran; culminating in a ‘defensive’ U.S. military action against Iran…”

To Provoke War, Cheney Considered Proposal To Dress Up Navy Seals As Iranians And Shoot At Them
Think Progress | July 31, 2008

Speaking at the Campus Progress journalism conference earlier this month, Seymour Hersh -- a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist for The New Yorker -- revealed that Bush administration officials held a meeting recently in the Vice President's office to discuss ways to provoke a war with Iran.

In Hersh's most recent article, he reports that this meeting occurred in the wake of the overblown incident in the Strait of Hormuz, when a U.S. carrier almost shot at a few small Iranian speedboats. The "meeting took place in the Vice-President's office. 'The subject was how to create a casus belli between Tehran and Washington,'" according to one of Hersh's sources.

During the journalism conference event, I asked Hersh specifically about this meeting and if he could elaborate on what occurred. Hersh explained that, during the meeting in Cheney's office, an idea was considered to dress up Navy Seals as Iranians, put them on fake Iranian speedboats, and shoot at them:
HERSH: There were a dozen ideas proffered about how to trigger a war. The one that interested me the most was why don't we build -- we in our shipyard -- build four or five boats that look like Iranian PT boats. Put Navy seals on them with a lot of arms. And next time one of our boats goes to the Straits of Hormuz, start a shoot-up.

Hersh argued that one of the things the Bush administration learned during the encounter in the Strait of Hormuz was that, "if you get the right incident, the American public will support it.” "Look, is it high school? Yeah," Hersh said. "Are we playing high school with you know 5,000 nuclear warheads in our arsenal? Yeah we are. We're playing, you know, who's the first guy to run off the highway with us and Iran."

Transcript: HERSH: There was a meeting. Among the items considered and rejected -- which is why the New Yorker did not publish it, on grounds that it wasn't accepted -- one of the items was why not...There was a dozen ideas proffered about how to trigger a war. The one that interested me the most was why don't we build -- we in our shipyard -- build four or five boats that look like Iranian PT boats. Put Navy seals on them with a lot of arms. And next time one of our boats goes to the Straits of Hormuz, start a shoot-up. Might cost some lives...

False Flags by Captain Eric H. May
Global Research, February 23, 2008
The easiest way to carry out a false flag attack is by setting up a military exercise that simulates the very attack you want to carry out. As I'll detail below, this is exactly how government perpetrators in the US and UK handled the 9/11 and 7/7 "terror" attacks, which were in reality government attacks blamed on "terrorists."...

The necon regime has had plenty of precedent to study and exploit. Let’s hope we can throw a monkey wrench into their schemes to prevent another.

More Info Here:

The Power of Nightmares - Why We Fight

When is a Surge not a Surge: When an Invasion/Occupation is not a War

Peace, Best Wishes and Hope

How to pay for Domestic Improvements.

Citizen — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 05:38:24 EDT

Yesterday, I addressed how all Americans, without regard to political party, have common basic goals. (Clean drinking water. Zero crime in our neighborhoods. Upgrading our infrastructure; bridges, hospitals, roads, schools, levees, firehouses, early weather warning systems, airports. Public education for our children and grandchildren that will prepare them for global competition. Our troops and our veterans to be provided with the best equipment and support our nation can provide. Secure homes. An honest day's pay for an honest day's labor.)

Several email responses complained that we can't accomplish any of them because our Nation is going broke and our Dollar isn't worth the paper it's printed on. I believe there are some solutions available to both restoring our position of respect in the world, reducing the number of our enemies being formed each month, boosting our economy, and improving the value of our dollars.

I don’t want to sound like an isolationist, but a little movement away from “nation building” in foreign lands will go a long way toward mending existing anomosities and reducing the number of new enemies. The domestic and foreign press has lingered on how dispised America is by other nations and groups. Most of the hatred directed toward us seems to be caused by our involvement in foreign governments or that of their friends and foes. So, let’s stay in the United Nations, but move it out of the United States and into Europe. Let’s get out of NAFTA, NATO, SEATO, and the rest of the alphabet soups. They can't throw rocks at us if we aren't there.

Let’s place restrictions on non-essential imports and expand our domestic manufacturing base with a combination of tax incentives and tax penalties for corporations assessed on whether their products are constructed and assembled in America by US workers or not. The trade restrictions can be eased for any nation that encourages favorable marketing of American products in their country. For a brief period, we may need to give up unnecessary purchases. But ,we are a nation of people that are accustom to setting aside immediate gratification for long term goals. It's one of the reasons we go to college. When we plant an apple seed, we don't expect a fruit bearing tree to immediately sprout from the ground. With time, the value of our American dollar will grow and our national debt will recede. Our nation was strong and growing when our economy was based on domestic manufacturing instead of being based on the retail of foreign goods produced by foreign workers.

Don't lower taxes, but mandate that our budget must be balanced and that ten percent of our taxes be applied toward reducing the Federal debt. That will bring up the global value of the dollar.

I recently read where our passports are being printed and produced by a foreign firm. The inks and toners used by Federal, State, and local governments in copiers is manufactured beyond our borders. Even some of the US flags used by government agencies are made overseas.

It seems to me that there are thousands of small and medium sized businesses in everyone of our fifty states that could step up and supply the needs of our government agencies. Our tax dollars should be supporting the small and medium flag manufactures in Alabama, New Jersey, Illinois, and California instead of some other nation.

It scares me to think that some agency will probably plan a "Buy American" campaign with signs printed elsewhere and shipped to us on foreign vessels.

Clinton Proposes a Middle East version of NATO

Cindy in Salt Lake — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:51:26 EDT

During last night's debate, Hillary Clinton said that if the countries surrounding Iran "forswear" their ambitions to obtain nuclear weapons they should, in exchange, be protected under a "security umbrella". What do you think of this idea? Here are her words from the debate:

Well, in fact, George, I think that we should be looking to create an umbrella of deterrence that goes much further than just Israel. Of course I would make it clear to the Iranians that an attack on Israel would incur massive retaliation from the United States, but I would do the same with other countries in the region.
...
And secondly, we've got to deter other countries from feeling that they have to acquire nuclear weapons. You can't go to the Saudis or the Kuwaitis or UAE and others who have a legitimate concern about Iran and say: Well, don't acquire these weapons to defend yourself unless you're also willing to say we will provide a deterrent backup and we will let the Iranians know that, yes, an attack on Israel would trigger massive retaliation, but so would an attack on those countries that are willing to go under this security umbrella and forswear their own nuclear ambitions.

(You can go here for a full transcript of the debate)

Kosovo: What Happens Now?

Matthew Negrete — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 23:51:36 EST

The United Nations deadline to figure out the future of Kosovo has come to an end on December 10. The European Union has failed to produce an agreement. So, the question now is, what happens next? As a note, you may want to read Dr. Mark Elrod’s Countdown on Kosovo.

The Future of Kosovo

Matthew Negrete — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 18:41:53 EDT

Over the past several months, the agreement over the future of Kosovo has stalled. The United Nations (U.N.) has administered Kosovo, since the 1999 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) campaign, which drove out the Serbian Army. The discussion concerns whether Kosovo should be granted independence from Serbia and what would be the best solution.

Foreign Affairs: Renewing American Leadership

Lisa Beyer — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 15:51:57 EDT

I was drawn to this article by a blog post on MYBO.

This article really delves into my concerns about where America stands as a global leader, and Barack's vision for our future touches me very deeply and is one of the key reasons why I support Barack Obama to be President of the United States.

If you have limited time to read, please take 10 minutes to read the whole article by clicking the link below.

Foreign Affairs: Renewing American Leadership, By Barack Obama, July/August 2007

Summary: After Iraq, we may be tempted to turn inward. That would be a mistake. The American moment is not over, but it must be seized anew. We must bring the war to a responsible end and then renew our leadership -- military, diplomatic, moral -- to confront new threats and capitalize on new opportunities. America cannot meet this century's challenges alone; the world cannot meet them without America.

We can be this America again. This is our moment to renew the trust and faith of our people -- and all people -- in an America that battles immediate evils, promotes an ultimate good, and leads the world once more.

Link to original MYBO blog that draw my attention to this amazing article!

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Lisa Beyer

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My Barack Obama Display Name: Lisa Beyer
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