As we continue to pour billions into Afghanistan and lose American lives, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has announced that Afghanistan is prepared to fight the United States if it attacks Pakistan. Karzai previously announced that he wished that he had supported the Taliban over the United States. Even with billions of dollars disappearing (including huge sums reportedly seized by the Karzai family), we continue to drain our treasury to prop up a corrupt and often overtly hostile government that denies women basic rights and has established increasing ties to the Taliban and other extremist groups. After ten years, we have an ally who not only says that he wishes he were with the Taliban killing Americans but intends to fight the United States if we end up in a war with Pakistan.
In an interview, Karzai assured Pakistani viewers that the choice would be easy if Pakistan were attacked (despite accusations that Pakistan was involved in killing the chief Afghan peace envoy, former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani recently): “God forbid, If ever there is a war between Pakistan and America, Afghanistan will side with Pakistan . . . If Pakistan is attacked and if the people of Pakistan needs Afghanistan’s help, Afghanistan will be there with you.”
It is reminder that our policy in Afghanistan is not just a colossal failure but a colossal joke. After ten years, we were told that we are now just halfway to our goals in the country.
We have allowed our states and cities to shutdown basic services and programs while spending hundreds of billions of dollars in Afghanistan. Yet, we do not hold the Democratic or Republican leaders responsible for this disastrous policy. There remains a disconcerting disconnect in our political system where politicians are not held accountable for major failures. Instead, voters are mesmerized by the arguments of both parties that the only thing that matters is keeping the other party from power. Our “blue state/red state” fixation has become the bread and circus distraction of modern politics. Politicians have succeeded in getting many voters to view politics as a team support where they have to cheer their team even if they hate the owner and lament the plays. Whether it is torture or the wars or the environment, there is no issue that is more important than supporting the team. It is a brilliant success of the two parties who control this country. They use each other to motivate voters and avoid responsibility.
Last week, I flew to Newark and watched a line of double amputees from the Marines getting unto a plane. They were incredibly young and I was touched by the care and kindness shown by the Marine Corp in arranging for their flights and care. Many of us stopped to thank them. However, inside I was filled with anger at the sacrifice of such incredible young men and women in Afghanistan and Iraq. We have continued to lose lives and limbs in those countries because politicians lacked the courage to pull out our troops years ago. I kept thinking of Karzai and his corrupt family in watching these brave young men struggle to go through security and enter the plane. I am so thankful to them and so angry with our leaders. I am not alone. Yet, we have a political system that seems entirely disconnected from reality . . . and responsibility.
Source: MSNBC
http://www.thenation.com/blog/166539/when-did-united-states-last-kill-al-qaeda-fighter-afghanistan
When Did the United States Last Kill an Al Qaeda Fighter in Afghanistan?
George Zornick on March 1, 2012 – 10:43 AM ET
Earlier this week, White House press secretary Jay Carney took a beating on the issue of Afghanistan, following a spate of bad news from the war zone—including more American deaths at the hands of supposed Afghan allies. He was peppered with questions from reporters about the viability, purpose and waning public support for the American mission there. No less than ten times, Carney repeated some version of this justification:
What the President did when he reviewed U.S. policy in Afghanistan was insist that we focus our attention on what our absolute goals in the country should be, and prioritize them. And he made clear that the number-one priority, the reason why U.S. troops are in Afghanistan in the first place, is to disrupt, dismantle and ultimately defeat al Qaeda. It was, after all, al Qaeda, based in Afghanistan, that launched the attacks against the United States on September 11th, 2011.
Finally, ABC’s Jake Tapper asked Carney when was “the last time US troops in Afghanistan killed anybody associated with Al Qaeda.” Carney didn’t have an answer, and referred Tapper to the Defense Department and NATO’s International Security Assistance Force.
I queried those agencies Tuesday and got an answer today. According to a Defense Department spokesman, the most recent operation that killed an Al Qaeda fighter was in April 2011—ten months ago. However, there was an “Al Qaeda foreign fighter” captured near Kabul in May 2011, and an “Al Qaeda facilitator” captured in the Paktiya province on January 30 of this year.
By comparison, there have been 466 coalition fatalities since April 2011.
Given Carney’s repeated insistence that the “number one” purpose of the American mission is to “disrupt, dismantle and ultimately defeat” Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, and given the ongoing sacrifices the country is making to achieve that goal, it’s very important to keep these benchmarks in mind. It is surprising Carney wasn’t aware of them, or didn’t disclose them—though, perhaps it’s not. (end of article)
Sorry damn typos on this phone nor Butler bit hitler the rest I can figure. Srry
I’m gonna try not to say I told u so in any way…but I did…..but listen good to tgr next..1. Wow how many of u voted foe Obama BC he used the economic standing to instill hope and chang. Yep uh huh …pretty speeches got him voted in 2. After Obama was elected and since this is his. Almost end of term soon exactly what has he done besides run his mouth……hmmmm exactly nada please look into how Butler came to power. His views etc etc. Etc now after I do that think if it was a good economic ye the ye most citizens voted him in….2. Here’s two
If it was a good year would he have ran that year. Probly not
He was Mr suave every one except us who break our backs for a Buck knee better. So when did he say he was gonna pull troops again
…yeah we still waiting
….BTW here’s what o forsee Obama I’d paving the way for the new hitler?God wanna be pjyscopath and u guys who vote….yep u got it u gonna vote him in and regret it
Just saying hitler of more known reference nut look into history nothing new shit Bible foretells some of it….look I’m just saying. Please vote with educated deciscions not guess not pulled by ur lusty wants for bigger wallets.if ur gonna vote do it right
…not comming color uh em Oprah not on pretty words or ugly ones for other candidates but factual eveodence u urself searched for for newspapers.
News….books etc…..give no one power over ur hopes but u
Malisha,
Excellent comment. And doesn’t it seem like the choice between Red and Blue is the choice between Galiano and Sambuca, Chocolate and Mocha, Vanilla and Vanilla Bean.
The Swiss report mentioned above just re-enforces my belief that the entire political system, including our election process is just an elaborate entertainment for the masses. That someone is pulling the strings and everyone including Barak Obama is just dancing to the music and singing the song as written on the carefully concealed cue cards.
How else can you explain a two party system where the parties rhetoric is so different but their actions so similar?
The Tunisians, in their first ever fair election of their new government were given 110 parties to choose from.
Of course this may settle down to many less as time goes on because with so many options the percentages for some of these parties must be microscopic and I would expect to see them jopining forces to increase their political base. This first election is more of a chance for everyone to size each other up and see who the people are supporting and so who to ally with in future. So far reports are that the Islamist party has about 40% of the vote but by this reading the votes will all be counted and the result decided.
The Tunisian people are very happy, mystified, and facinated by the election process. The very idea that someone might care what they think, miuch less allow them to choose their leaders is so foriegn to them that many were in tears as they cast their first vote of their lives.
It seems a shame that Americans are not so involved in their political proccess. Naturally, when the system is so far along the path to a police state and nobody is offering an option to the standard Party lines. No one has the backbone to stand up and say I support the American Renaissance. Not a continuation of business as usual but a real change of philosophy in many parts of our system. Political, educational, social, artistic. All of these need much change to reflect the values of the people we claim to be rather than the values of a group of Super-wealthy corporate moguls. Heh, heh, Values. Did you get that?
And I don’t care what religion you practice. I don’t care if you worship your neighborhood Oak tree. Even that tree will tell you that the way this country does business and conducts its foriegn affairs is a shame. A long series of criminal acts backed up by Military force. A long series of countries in need of our help who keep saying “No Thank You.” “Go home and leave us alone” A long series of inhuman atrocities committed by our blue eyed dough-boys in their travels to the exotic lands of the world to protect the world for democracy. Atrocities we train them to committ and then prosecute them for when the pressure of combat becomes too much and they take a step over the line of santioned vs. un-sanctioned murder. i’m not condoning atrocity. I am saying that there is a real dis-connect here between what we ask of them and what we prsecute them for. And let’s face it. our troops committ many more atrocities than they are given credit for because the Army will seldom prosecute someone who went undetected by the press or watchdog groups. Atrocities committed against villagers in remote areas of heavy combat will never be heard of. Only when the perpetrator is seen and reported publicly will the wheels of “Military Justice” (an oxymoron if ever one I have heard) begin to grind them into small unrecognizable peices for the protection of the Political Masters, the Military Superiors, and the sanctification of the American people through the sacrifice of one of their own to the alter of “Justice and Humanity”
An excellent example of this is the 1968 My Lai Massacre:
The My Lai Massacre (Vietnamese: thảm sát Mỹ Lai [tʰɐ̃ːm ʂɐ̌ːt mǐˀ lɐːj], [mǐˀlɐːj] ( listen); English pronunciation: /ˌmiːˈlaɪ/, also /ˌmiːˈleɪ, ˌmaɪˈlaɪ/)[1] was the Vietnam War mass murder of 347–504 unarmed civilians in South Vietnam on March 16, 1968, by United States Army soldiers of “Charlie” Company of 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade of the Americal Division. Most of the victims were women, children (including babies), and elderly people. Many were raped, beaten, and tortured, and some of the bodies were later found to be mutilated.[2] While 26 US soldiers were initially charged with criminal offenses for their actions at Mỹ Lai, only Second Lieutenant William Calley, a platoon leader in Charlie Company, was convicted.–Wikopedia
Lt. Calley while no doubt guilty could not have been said to have acted alone. Those he commanded and those who ordered the Massacre were not found guilty of any crimes. Calley was only convicted of killing 22 civilians. I guess the rest just fell down raped themselves and then shot and mutilated themselves for a kicker.
Of course as soon as the public felt their honor was satisfied and their conscience clear and Lt. Calley a memory and an unpleasant one as well, he was released. he spent a total of 31/2 years on house arrest for the murder of 22 people.
And why did this atrocity happen? Because America needed to feed its massive Military Industrial Complex. They had all kinds of nifty ideas for new ways to kill and mutilate people and they needed a test field;…….like…………..like that rice patty down there,…….Hmmm.
“And what do you call those dirt poor creatures running around in a terrified frenzy at our approach?”
“Vietnamese Farmers Eh? And are there alot of them? Will a feww million be missed do you think?”
And so Congress approved the money for Vital Defence Spending needed to protect the freeworld from “The Red Threat”
You know the rest. 60,000 dead American soldiers, God knows how many dead Vietnamese. Hundreds of thousands. A vast world of torture, pain, mutilation, and orphans. Lots and lots of orphans, many of them shunned by their own people for their half American blood.
And after we had bombed and shot and tortued and maimed and humiliated and degraded the people both the enemy and those we came to “save” and fully tested our ability to bring the fires of hell down on anyone we chose, the Communists from the North moved in and became the legal government of the country as they had wished from the start and as many of the people living in the South would have preferred had they been asked. But on one did. We just began the killing which we took over from the french on the notion that we could kill communists better and faster than they could. That’s why they lost their Vietnam War. Oh Yeh. SO DID WE. The politicians we have today sre no less vicious, possibly more vicious if that is possible. The corporations that manufacture weapons need a steady customer or they will have to stop finding inventive new weapons of human destruction. And then where would we be?
So who is running our country and every other country? Not us. Our politicians are so deep in the pockets of the Big Corporations that they can’t see to turn and walk out.
And so, The American Rennaisance”. We need it, but can we bring it about?
Will any of us be allowed to live to see such a thing?
We want it but will anyone be able to cut the puppet strings that hold us fast in our twisting dance of death?
OWS is a good start. if the focus can be expanded to include all areas of our society, change could come. but i fear the terrific power of all that corporate money and pressure. I hope we do see it.
According to Zero Hedge, countries outside of the U.S. dumped 74 billion dollars in U.S. Treasuries, most of it over the weekend:
“Over the weekend, we observed the perplexing sell off of $56 billion in US Treasurys courtesy of weekly disclosure in the Fed’s custodial account (source: H.4.1) and speculated if this may be due to an asset rotation, under duress or otherwise, out of bonds and into stocks, to prevent the collapse of the global ponzi (because when the BRICs tell the IMF to boost its bailout capacity you know it is global). We also proposed a far simpler theory: “the dreaded D-day in which foreign official and private investors finally start offloading their $2.7 trillion in Treasurys with impunity (although not with the element of surprise – China has made it abundantly clear it will sell its Treasury holdings, the only question is when), has finally arrived.” In hindsight the Occam’s Razor should have been applied. Little did we know 5 short days ago just how violent the reaction by China would be (both post and pre-facto) to the Senate decision to propose a law for all out trade warfare with China. Now we know – in the week ended October 12, a further $17.7 billion was “removed” from the Fed’s custodial Treasury account, meaning that someone, somewhere is very displeased with US paper, and, far more importantly, what it represents, and wants to make their displeasure heard loud and clear. (Source)
Undoubtedly, the Chinese and other countries have recently discovered that Italy and Greece, with smaller debt to income ratios than the United States, are less riskier and carry a higher rate of return. This is because, unlike the US, the Rothschild/Rockefeller bond rating agencies have trashed their country’s debt ratings, forcing them to pay a much higher interest rate than U.S. Treasuries. Hey, if you take the risk, you might as well earn the reward!
“…where empires go to die.” (overused, but apt…)
President Karzai wins the Purple Poppy Haze award …
Well said OS! It is time to leave and let Afghanistan have its love affair with Pakistan.
When my kid was little, I started to do in-home day-care for other kids his age and I found myself dealing with kids whom I couldn’t really fathom, and didn’t know how to deal with. (My own was easy; I would show him things and he would go along with my guidance, so no prob.) I started to read those books about how to deal with kids and I read one that said: Give them TWO CHOICES. Of course, you’re really designing the two choices so there is no REAL choice. It’s like this: “OK, you may continue to scream and holler but if you do, you need to go out on th back porch to do your screaming and hollering. If you want to stay in the living room, you can choose to stay here and be quieter.” So he has a choice and he feels “powerful” because he chooses either to stay quietly or leave noisily. If you said, “GO OUT ON THE BACK PORCH!” he would feel powerless and enraged. So OK, I got it, and I put it into effect the day after I read the book. I used it all day with the kids in my day-care and it worked beautifully. My own kid, 4 years old, observed me carefully, apparently. The next morning he woke up, came into the kitchen, sat down, and announced in a pleasant voice: “OK Mommy, you have two choices. You can give me chocolate CAKE for breakfast or you can give me ICE CREAM.” I gave him ice cream. My point is that the controllers of this country are controlling us by giving us two choices: RED and BLUE. And we haven’t even gotten to the point my four-year-old got to in a single day, of saying to them: NO, YOU have two choices.
We have given control of Afghanistan to Pakistan and control of Iraq to Iran (with a small carve out for the Kurds who are intent on a death match with Turkey). Nothing we have done in the last 8 years changed that & nothing we can do there will change that for the time being. Time to walk away & live with the consequences.
Viet Nam settled down & is now a trade partner – we will have to live with the Dolchstoßlegende bullshit from the right wing but that will not be as costly as what we are doing currently.
“Out, damn’d spot! out, I say!”
“Our “blue state/red state” fixation has become the bread and circus distraction of modern politics.”
Sadly, the usuals at your blog love soaking in it.
Both the Afghan and Pakistan governments are outraged that Osama bin Laden was caught and killed. That violated the private agreement. As GWB so famously said, he did not “think about” bin Laden much any more. As long as bin Laden was alive, he was a cash cow for those governments. They could milk the US treasury for almost unlimited funds for “security” and to “look for” bin Laden.
Upset their apple cart to take him out. That was not the way it was supposed to go.
Another reason why it is also time to leave Afghanistan. Post haste. Who will pay Karzai’s graft when we are gone?
For what it is worth, I want to join AY in agreeing with OS, it is about profit at the mega-corp level. Smedley Butler was right 70 years ago, War is a Racket.
I just heard this story on NPR and was like say what…Ok, they don’t want the US there…so bring em home…In reading GeoII’s book…Bush could not even control him…except financially….
But as OS clearly points out….it is about making a few folks wealthy at the expense of the rest…
I am amazed at how much money which is flowing out used to be used for domestic infrastructure and the folks in power just don’t get it….It is that same infrastructure that they are currently using that helps maintain the life that they love so much…..
It seems to me that if you kill the cow as you milk it, you have lost everything in the end….and I am left to wonder….
The continuing outpouring of treasure and lives in an unwinnable war in an unwinnable place appears to be, in large part, a scheme to further enrich the already rich. Occupy Wall Street is frightening to the 1% because, like Anonymous, it is something beyond their control.
People wonder if the entire planet is controlled by a relative few corporations. According to Swiss researchers, it is. Here is a report of their findings:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21228354.500-revealed–the-capitalist-network-that-runs-the-world.html