Afghanistan banana stand

I remember back when nobody knew anything about Afghanistan. It was just some desert country in the middle east that nobody gave a second thought about. Then the Russians invaded. Exactly why I have no clue. If you look up the information in Factbook you find a country with little to no resources and no reason to stay. Much like the badlands of the west it's one of those places you want to get through quickly to get to a better place. They have no oil, minerals, industry or timber and yet here we are bogged down in a war that could last for years. But that's not the worst of it. If you look closely you find that we are paying for this war but, not just for our troops and hardware but for theirs as well. Not only are we sending our army and trying to build an Afghan army but indirectly we're providing money to both the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Everytime you fill up your gas tank some of the money goes for taxes to pay for our army while at the same time some of the profits from that barrel of oil gets skimmed off to pay the other side. What a win win situation for the arms suppliers.

So we've gone from the military industrial complex that Eisenhour warned us about to the terrorist industrial complex. I think the latter may be worse in that not only are we spending billions for hardware over seas but we're putting billions for anti terrorist equipment over here in the form of homeland security. And I'm sorry but I just can't see a need for having a small town like Bozo,Texas with six bio-chemical suits costing $10,000 each when nobody in the town knows how to use them or would ever need to use them. But "we got em by god". We don't bother to help pay for police overtime at airports with federal dollars, we leave that to drain city and state budgets.
Then there's the funding on the other side. We knew Bin Ladin was fairly well off, his family owning one of the biggest construction companies in the middle east, but there was the fund raisers among rich arabs just after 911 that continue. Our CIA has yet to track down the money trail because of the way they transfer money over there. They use small money changers with no paper trail or so I've read. Then of course there's the opium. By one NY Times article the Taliban skims off 10% of the opium money from farmers much like a tax. Reports from $70 to $400 million go to support the Taliban which has become a shaddow government in the southern part of the country. Then you have to stop and consider that the Taliban doesn't have to lug a 50 lb. back pack with all the equipment that goes with it. They can travel light and don't have the expense of milti million dollar armored vehicles, jets or planes. And how could we expect to win hearts and minds when we can't provide much more than a temporary illusion of security. Who would you trust, someone yelling at you in a foreign language you don't speak or someone who looks like you, speaks your language and shares your customs?

This is truly a no win situation. Like a cancer you can't get rid of without killing the patient the Taliban are an ingrained part of the country. But then I thought that was the original strategy to go in rout the Taliban and banish them to the hills where they'd be irrelivent. We sent them packing to the hills only to have them come back and take over the southern areas.

Memorial Day

Thinking about how the memories of fallen soldiers affects me directly. My brother did a tour in Vietnam but I don't count that in that he's still among the living. Not that it makes for any less an honor but I feel the day was meant to honor those who gave their lives in the service to the country. With that in mind I can only think of one young man who gave his life. It was such a long time ago I can hardly remember him. His name was Tom and he lived down the street from us. He had just completed basic as a pilot and was home on leave. He was from a very large family and I was there playing with one of the younger brothers. I must have looked like one of the clan because he picked me up like older brothers do and asked which one I was. It was an akward moment when I had to explain I was there playing with his younger brother. I never forgot that encounter. Tom was killed four years later in Vietnam. The city erected a memorial in his honor but to me it just doesn't seem like that's enough. How can you really honor someone who gave their life?
In looking for an image for this post I came across several images of "Happy Memorial Day" and I must say there isn't much to be happy about. We're celebrating the death of fallen soldiers and I feel that should be a somber occasion. Have a hot dog or a hamburger but remember what the day is really about.

The Taleban in Pakistan

I had done a brief study of Afghanistan and then Pakistan to get a feel for what's going on in that part of the world. From the CIA world factbook I see that Pakistan is just a slight step above a third world country. They may have a large army and nuclear weapons but that's about all. With an average anual income of $2600 I don't think you could call them well off economically. Literacy rate is 49.9% and they have water and food borne illness due to lack of potable water. Not a pretty picture even without the Taleban. But let's back up a bit to the 1980s. That was when the Afghans were fighting the Soviet Union. With our assistance and training they were able to frustrate the Russians who finally gave up and left. The U.S. did what it always does in a country with limited government (remember this was a country made up of loose knit tribes and puppet government). We picked the strongest faction and put it in place as the government and that was the Taleban. When the Taleban refused to turn over Osama Bin Ladin the U.S. stepped in and drove them out of the major towns and with the help of the Northern Alliance ( a loose group of tribes from the northern part of the country) drove them to the mountains of the far eastern part of the country. As we persued into the mountains they chose to head to Pakistan. That was perfect for them in that Pakistan isn't letting us persue them past the Afghan borders.
Now for the real kicker. We've been sending drones into Pakistan to do surveilence and target Taleban fighters. We've had several occasions of targeting and firing on the Taleban. The problem? The Taleban travel with local kids (6 and 7 year olds) who will carry their guns and pick up shell casings. The colateral damage to the kids is quite bad. How do they get these kids to follow them around? First the kids are facinated with guns. What young boy wouldn't want the chance to carry an AK 47. So where's mom and dad you might ask? Well the economy is so bad there that parents give their kids to be trained at a madrosa where they are fed and given a Taleban education complete with suicide instructions.

Children of the Taleban

The Pakistan government just permitted the region to be under Shria Law which is a violation of the Pakistan constitution in order to get some type of peace. That was on the condition that the Taleban move out of the cities in the north. They didn't and that's when the Pakistan army moved in. At present some 700,000 people have fled the area. The army is permitting more people to flee during the day so they won't get wiped out in the fighting.

Another problem - The Pakistan army has no experience fighting this type of war. Their last big battle resulted in an entire town being leveled with all the civilians and Taleban killed. The Taleban now have a greater presents in the western and northern part of the country and are recruiting more young men with each bombing.

What's the solution to this fine mess left by Goeorge W? At this point I really don't know. There was a chance to change things before they moved into Swat in Pakistan. At that time their numbers were far less and they didn't have the blessings of the Pakistan government to take up residence. We're starting to look like the Soviets of the 1980s. Just two days ago a suicide bomber at a U.S. base in Khost (Afghanistan on Pakistan border) killed nine afghan workers.

Iraq Afghanistan and Pakistan oh my

Iraq continues to go as Iraq goes. The car bombs continue. There still no water and power at times. Unemployment is at 57% among young people. I was privledged to get a ton of information from a couple of bloggers who inspite of the prying eyes of Sadam's government were able to get information out to the world even while the U.S. and Britan were dropping bombs on them on a daily basis. They gave me a far better perspective of what was happening than any U.S. paper. Salam Pax truely did risk his life getting the real news out until one day he realized that they were on to him and it was time to depart. He left the country as did several other bloggers that I followed. It was just too dangerous for them and their families. His first blog details all of the happenings from before the war up to his leaving Where's Raed? Salam is now back in Bagdad and reporting on life there. His new blog Salam Pax This is a good blog if you want to find out what's going on there that the U.S. newspapers aren't reporting.


On to Pakistan
Taleban withdraw
Now before you hit the link here's a little background. Our tactic or plan if you will was to drive out the Taleban from the major cities and move them to the hills where they'd be of little threat. That was the Bush plan anyway. And like everything he touched it turned to sh*t. From reports the Taleban have regrouped and reorganized and now hold most of the area of southeast Afghanistan. In fact except for the major cities they pretty much hold the rest of the country to the east. What was the problem? The problem was that somebody forgot to read their history of the country. Afghanistan never really was a country like we tend to think of a country. It was more like a loose mish mash of tribes looking out for their own interest. We only managed to to get everybody on the same page when the Russians occupied the country. And who did we train? The Taleban were our best buds and we let them stay in power as they were the strongest faction of all the groups and the most capable of defeating the Russians. Well they defeated the Russians alright. It was said that the money the Russians spend there caused the collapse of the Soviet Union. However I really don't believe that. I think it was when we threatened to build the missle defense system (you may remember it as Star Wars under Reagan) but that's another story. So the Taleban being in eastern Afghanistan have been moving into Pakistan. A smart move for them since we won't go into that country after them. Gee does this sound like a repeat of history? Does Cambodia and Thiland come to mind? The Taleban has moved into an area called Swat a resort area in the very north and has been gradually moving south. This was just after the Pakistan government let them bring Islamic law to the region. Once that was done the Taleban started moving south closer to the capital city of Islamabad.
As everyone knows Pakistan has nukes but I'm sure they wouldn't use them for two reasons. One- they'd be bombing many of thier own people and Two - They have India to the east that also has nukes. What will happen now is anyone's guess. We know that we're scheduled to send more troops to Afghanistan but that won't do much if the Taleban is not there. Pakistan could be getting very crowded in the next several months. So this is the mess George W left us. No real plan. No real mission other than to fight terror (never knew you could fight a state of mind) and no possible end date. So the "No" party rallied a guy with no real military experience. All he did was learn to fly a jet and from his true bio he didn't do that very well (washed out of the guard because he wouldn't take a pee test and finish qualifying). So where do we go from here? All they need to do is wait us out in the safety of Pakistan. If they wait long enough we'll go the way of Russia and run out of cash or credit. Oh that's right we already did.

Poll

Poll
I think taking military action against Iran now would be a:
Good idea - 6 votes (3.21%) Bad idea - 181 votes (96.79%)

This is a poll brought to you by the people who would actually have to fight - via Vet Voice

Who says the military has no intellegence. There is if you ask the right people...like the troops themselves.

Cluster bombs

Above are shots of cluster bomb right and humanitarian food pack left that the U.S. dropped in Afghanistan a few years back.

One hundred eleven nations want to eliminate cluster bombs from their arsinals. Simple reason. They leave behind duds that can later explode killing and mameing children. Think the U.S. would sign such a treaty? Not!

Cluster bomb ban

A Memorial Day dream

Had a strange dream the other night that seems to sum up our situation in Iraq. I was in Iraq walking toward a small town when I heard gunfire. I could see one faction firing from buildings on one side of the road and another firing from the other side. I came upon American troops who were headed in that direction. They said this was a firefight between factions of Sunnis and Shiites and it would be best to find a way out of there. I went back down the road and went north until I came upon another small town. I came upon some American official there and told him what I'd seen and said they needed to get some help down there. His response "We really don't care about it." I woke up after that and pondered the dream.
I think this pretty much sums up the additude of this administration. We've screamed and yelled and protested and written letters and emails and blog posts and for what? They might hear us but like a five year old with hands covering ears and humming loudly as not to hear, they ignore us. They really don't care. They say they support the troops then fail to provide the proper armour and the proper medical care when the troops get back. They say the support the troops who live in tents under some pretty nasty conditions but when the troops return they face barracks that only a homeless person would live in.
Now I know the troops are loyal to each other. I've heard it over and over how they want to go back to give cover to their buddys. But I must say the job is over. U.S forces went there to remove Saddam and the troops did exactly that. The mission has been accomplished. It's now time to leave. It's their country and it's time for them to grow up and make a government whatever that might be. Whether it be a democracy or a type of socialism or theocracy it is up to them to decide not us.
To see the faces of the fallen many of them twenty somethings leaves me with sadness and anger. I'm sad for the familys who won't be seeing their sons and daughters again and I am angry because this damn war has gone on too long.
I used to fly the flag from my back deck until I realized what a disaster this administration has been. I won't fly it again until they are out of office. Should McCain win by some strange turn, then I shall remain flagless until these warmongers are out of office.
To all of you guys out there who lost buddys over there in Iraq: I know it isn't easy. First the shock and the anger then the sadness. You eventually accept it. I know it's hard but as the expression goes "time does heal all wounds."

To all troops a big salute. To the fallen a bigger salute.

May Day

On this fine May day as a protest for the war in Iraq that's costing us trillions as well as over 4000 U.S. soldiers, the longshore workers on the west coast shut down the ports affecting all ports on the west coast. I hope this is just the beginning of a protest that will continue into the future. We have elected officials who have ignored our pleas to end this war. Our hope was to change the status quo and put an end to this never ending war that is a drain on the U.S. economy as well as the human loss of our troops and Iraqi people. I hope this sends a clear message to those who voted to go to war that this nation no longer wants to be a part of a no win situation. It's time for Iraq to step up and take charge of their nation. This will be a bloody process that must proceed whether we like it or not. It is their country not ours.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2008/05/this-just-in-th.htm

I'll update this as soon as I check on the truckers and what they're planning. Until then PEACE!

In the not to distant future...

A text message or automated cell phone alert tells you to take your radiation pills that a radiation emergency is eminant.

Strange but true research

Hopefully this medication will be used in cancer treatments and not be used as stated above.

Why the Iraq war has gone on as long as it has.

The Sapranos have taken over our government.

Money

Think of the Pink Floyd song when you read this.

War protest 6th year

I'm glad to see that protesters have increased in numbers from years past and a little more media attention was given to the protest. But then our wonderful elected leaders are still not listening and from the sounds of it there's no great plan and little mention of bringing the troops home anytime soon by any political party. So what have we gained? A whole lot of people had a walk in the park and may be hoarse on Monday. Come on people we can do better than that. Let's be creative. Unless we can fill D.C. with a half a million and clog the streets there or come up with better ideas nothing's going to change. We need to find out exactly why the Democrats will not stand up and lead and let them know that if they don't start soon they'll see someone else holding their office after the next election.

Wild weather same old politics

Strange net connection last night. A bit breezy out here. Tried to post but my computer kept crashing by itself even after a system check. Can only pin it on power fluctuations. Yea everythings on surge protection but that doesn't protect against power drops.

On politics nothing seems to change. Screw the poor and middle class and give to the rich, but then I believe in a type of karma. What goes around comes around maybe not now but in the near future. Look at Afganistan. We supported who for so many years when they were fighting the Soviet Union only to kick them to the curb when the Soviets left? That was a war of principles because Afganistan had/has no major resources to exploit. And now who has returned to bite us in the rear. Once they were freedom fighters now they are terrorists. It's all about labels and a power grab. Is this much different than labeling the Jews as evil ones prior to WWII only this time the labeled ones have guns and are fighting back. The senseless waste of human life for political ideologies.

There is a call for more work stoppages. I haven't checked into it yet but I believe it's scheduled for Nov 2 and the 6th by the truckers. Have to do some more digging on this. Just heard a mention on Air America by a caller on this. Tune in later for more on this. Got to run now work calls.

Tin horn politics

I was doing some research for an upcoming article I'm writing. I went through several articles about past wars and noticed many many similarities in the course of the way these were presented. It dawned on me that you could actually make a boiler plate for the process of past and future wars. It would go something like:

1. Find a nation with some natural resources (oil, gold, minerals, cheap labor)
2. Create a negative campaign against its' leader ( A dictator, a communist supporter, a supporter of a nation you don't like)
3. Support desenters in that country and create mistrust for its' leaders.
4. Send aid to any groups that might overthrow the government.
5. Give military training to any groups that might overthrow the government.
6. Throw a false flag operation and be sure it makes world press. (Note: a false flag operation is to create a disaster like a downed aircraft, a ship sunk, a massacre and blame it on their government or leader.)
7. Degrade the leader saying he's a psychopath, a rapist, a child preditor or canibal.
8. Let it be known that the leader is an immediate threat to your country.
9. Support an uprising and refer to the rebels as "freedom fighters".
10. When the leader is overthrown install your own puppet leader. When the people find out the puppet is a tryrant install a new puppet and use him until people catch on to him.
11. When you have succeeded in raping the country both here and abroad pull your troops out, leave in shame and then blame it on the opposition party.

A travesty of respect

Photo by Tami Scilicio

I was thinking about the cost of this"war" today and came across this article about the costs to the vets that hasn't been fully realized. Anybody out there have a count on the on how much this war has cost so far and how much it's costing each month? This is not to disregard the emotional costs and the costs to families all over the U.S. What cost could you put on the loss of a father, a brother, a mother, a sister, a nextdoor neighbor or a friend. Then there's the cost of the loss of respect. The woman who took the photo above was fired because she was trying to show respect but by doing so she violated a military law. When I see headlines about casualties in Iraq all I see are numbers. Three U.S. troop died here. Five U.S troops died there. Our troops, the fathers, brothers, mothers, sisters, and friends have been reduced to impersonal numbers.

Failure

Think I've said this several times before that the Republicans need to start listening to the American public or they risk loosing their seats in the next election. My question is why are they clinging to a failed lame duck president who will provide no benefit to their reelections. Over 60% of America is against this war and yet the stuborn Republicans continue to stand behind Bush and his veto threat.
Iraq
What people seem to forget is that should all funding for this war be cut off totally it won't mean that our troops will be sitting there with no bullets or food or any other item necessary for thier protection. They would merely pack it up and come home or be redeployed elsewhere.
The Rebublicans stubornly dig their heels in against the wishes of America. Why? What do they expect to gain?
When you buy a used car and you later discover that there is something seriously wrong with the engine do you keep the car and continue to pump thousands of dollars into it or do you get rid of it? It's time to dump this lemon.

War Protest 5th Year

AP photo via Yahoo


I must admit this one slipped past my radar. Guess work was a bit much for me this week. War
With Plamegate, Attorney firings, Walter Reed, and all the other insanity going on it's hard to keep up. Our news media is not doing a very good job of keeping us informed. As Stranger over at Blah3 has pointed out Fox and CNN are doing a diservice in trying to cater to a dying demographic with fear mongering and youth bashing in order to pander to the 60+ crowd. To this I say:
If Faux and CNN think they are positioning themselves for the upcoming "boom" generation they'd better think again. Remember we were the ones who changed the sixties. As I come nearer to that magic median age I find myself becoming more liberal and highly skeptical of this fear mongering. Aside from the web I watch BBC news. Not that they are much better but they do give broader coverage with items from other countries not seen on U.S. news. I like hearing from bloggers around the world to get a fresh perspective and some overlooked insight. Remember when the media was a check on government? That responsibility now falls on bloggers. I truely believe that bloggers made a difference in the last election by pointing out the hypocracy of the Republican party. Even my dyed in the wool Republican relatives compared the current administration to the Sopranos. The New media will be defined by such blogs as Firedoglake and Skippy the Bush Kangaroo and their ability to present accurate accounts of the events of the day. They need to be honest above reproach and accountable only to their readers. Like many companies that have come to the realization that if the focus is on the product and not the bottom line then the rewards will follow. It will truely be interesting to see how this new media evolves as technology advances and more able people enter the blogosphere.