TeaBags in DC and Afghanistan: McClatchy's Nancy Youssef

Yesterday, 9.12.09, in Washington, we had this: Tea Party Protesters March on Washington extending their purely political use of the tragedy of 9/11. I'll guess not one at the podium or with the megaphones, nor any in the crowd, even mentioned this: 5 U.S. troops among 50 killed in Afghan violence Sat Sep 12, nor much was said about all the soldiers who've died, or are physically and mentally injured from the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. I'll guess also nothing was mentioned about the monetary, in billions and billions, cost of these still operational theaters of occupation!

A friend at facebook also asked the same I've {many have} wondered these past eight years:

is wondering where all those folks who are now expressing outrage about profligate government spending were during the eight years of the Bush Administration?

During the Bush years, the US national debt went from 5.7 trillion to 10.6 trillion. :(

I answered with this:

They were Yelling and Screaming that those who 'Protest' against their 'dear leaders' policies, policies of death and destruction done In Our Names, were not only UnPatriotic but UnAmerican as well as Enemy Sympathizers and every other label of negativity they could muster up!!! They haven't changed the rhetoric, words nor yelling, they've have now embraced {their own definitions} being UnPatriotic, UnAmerican and become the Enemies of the Nation and our Constitution!!
Starting even before their 'dear leaders, cheney/bush' left town!!

Afghanistan with McClatchy DC Pentagon correspondent Nancy Youssef.

September 11, 2009

The JOURNAL takes a hard look at the state of affairs in Afghanistan with McClatchy DC Pentagon correspondent Nancy Youssef.

BILL MOYERS: But first, we turn to another big decision bearing down on the President, what to do in Afghanistan. A conflict Americans can no longer put out of mind or out of sight.

Once again, we have been reminded that war is not a video game. The photo of an American marine dying in Afghanistan created a controversy that threw the press into conflict with the Pentagon and the young marine's family - and it threw those of us in the press into conflict with ourselves.

Snip

As THE ECONOMIST nagazine noted last month, resentment against the Karzai government, NATO forces and westerners in general is growing. "...it seems clear," the magazine reported, "that the international effort to bring stability to Afghanistan... is failing."

And yet, consider this open letter to President Obama from some of the very same armchair warriors whose claim of expertise supported President Bush's decision to invade Iraq. They were wrong then - wrong time and again - but their tragic errors haven't stopped them from demanding that President Obama now escalate the war in Afghanistan.

Once again, their enthusiasm for war is as great as their distance from the actual battlefield.

Their letter lands as European leaders are calling for an international conference to assess the deteriorating situation and the commander of our forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, delivers a review to the White House. It's a report many believe sets the stage for an even greater expansion of the war.

But recently, the "McClatchy" news service reported that some top pentagon officials fear that without a clear definition of our mission there, further escalation will be in vain.

As a reality check, with me now is one of the reporters on that story, recently returned from Afghanistan.

Nancy Youssef is the Chief Pentagon Correspondent for "McClatchy" news. She covered the war in Iraq for four years, including two as Baghdad Bureau Chief.

Nancy Youssef, welcome to the JOURNAL.............Rest of Transcript Here

I posted this Quagmires: 8yrs. After 9/11 a few days ago with more reports about Afghanistan and Iraq, a discussion aired on the PBS News Hour and another report/discussion from MSNBC.

Quagmires: 8yrs. After 9/11

Public Views Shifting on War in Afghanistan

Jeffrey Brown speaks with editorial page editors about the public's view on the war in Afghanistan and increasing doubts over sending more troops.

JIM LEHRER: The prospect of expanding the American presence in Afghanistan ran into new opposition today. It came as the nation marked the anniversary of 9/11, the event that triggered the war in Afghanistan.

Ray Suarez has our lead story report........Rest of Transcript Here

Afghanistan stopped having anything to do with 9/11 as soon as the drums of war of choice started beating louder and louder to invade Iraq, a country and people who had nothing to do with any attack nor threat on the United States! We're still in Iraq, stalemated, after destroying their country, killing their citizens, creating huge numbers of refugee's from and causing the ongoing rising again sectarian violence!

Now we return to Afghanistan with growing troop numbers and deaths after leaving it occupied with sparse US/UN troop numbers, not enough to secure and start the promised rebuilding, and pulling out the promised rebuilding monies after the fall of the Taliban! We attack, with robot armed planes, drones, into Pakistan killing innocents creating a growing number of Taliban and al Qaeda insurgents, those who live in the whole region.

It's now a War/Occupation with no reason except so called containment of a ghost organization of insurgent criminal terrorists called al Qaeda, ghosts because any group seeking retaliation and blowback from the policies set forth, even before 9/11 but especially since, will use that banner to organize and cause criminal terrorist acts under, no border guerrilla warfare. Creating the hatreds that will now last for decades to come!

Many here still think that we can be the only ones who should continue seeking vengeance on those that were a part of 9/11, even those that had nothing to do with those acts, yet the leaders of are still not caught, and condemn those who now have been witness to much more destruction and deaths from our long running vengeance! They feel those in these countries should bow to our power and have no right to feel the hate they do, the same hatreds some still feel towards them, most of whom are innocent citizens living in the countries of their births. Those that still seek this vengeance shouldn't be surprised if any Blowback from the terror we waged on their countries develops from their daily 9/11's!!

This was all left to a new administration in the U.S., as well as other Western Countries, along with collapsing economies, called for as a goal by the leaders of this ghost group al Qaeda after 9/11. Collapsing because of the costs of our occupying and the greed and arrogance embedded within these economies in many area's of, and a whole host of negative problems for a once leading country on this planet, many of the people of wanting to lead by example, example of the positive not of a negative destructive force creating hatreds towards it!

It is up to the people to come together and try and create the positive among themselves in order to minimize the extreme negatives of the small groups bent of their own vengeance or power and wealth grabbing!

Added Video Report

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Added Report of Recent NATO Bombing


Victims' families tell their stories following Nato airstrike in Afghanistan

'I took some flesh home and called it my son.' The Guardian interviews 11 villagers

At first light last Friday, in the Chardarah district of Kunduz province in northern Afghanistan, the villagers gathered around the twisted wreckage of two fuel tankers that had been hit by a Nato airstrike. They picked their way through a heap of almost a hundred charred bodies and mangled limbs which were mixed with ash, mud and the melted plastic of jerry cans, looking for their brothers, sons and cousins. They called out their names but received no answers. By this time, everyone was dead.

What followed is one of the more macabre scenes of this or any war. The grief-stricken relatives began to argue and fight over the remains of the men and boys who a few hours earlier had greedily sought the tanker's fuel. Poor people in one of the world's poorest countries, they had been trying to hoard as much as they could for the coming winter.

"We didn't recognise any of the dead when we arrived," said Omar Khan, the turbaned village chief of Eissa Khail. "It was like a chemical bomb had gone off, everything was burned. The bodies were like this," he brought his two hands together, his fingers curling like claws. "There were like burned tree logs, like charcoal.............

The work of war

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Marines walk into insurgent 'trap' in Afghanistan; 4 die

Four U.S. Marines died Tuesday when they walked into a well-laid ambush by insurgents in Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province. Seven Afghan troops and an interpreter for the Marine commander also died in the ambush and the subsequent battle, which lasted some seven hours.

Three American service members and 14 Afghan security force members were wounded.

It was the largest number of American military trainers to die in a single incident since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion..............

'We're pinned down:' 4 U.S. Marines die in Afghan ambush

We walked into a trap, a killing zone of relentless gunfire and rocket barrages from Afghan insurgents hidden in the mountainsides and in a fortress-like village where women and children were replenishing their ammunition.

"We will do to you what we did to the Russians," the insurgent's leader boasted over the radio, referring to the failure of Soviet troops to capture Ganjgal during the 1979-89 Soviet occupation.

Dashing from boulder to boulder, diving into trenches and ducking behind stone walls as the insurgents maneuvered to outflank us, we waited more than an hour for U.S. helicopters to arrive, despite earlier assurances that air cover would be five minutes away.................

To 'drunk' or 'hungover' to Answer Questions???

Afghan alcohol ban after Nato staff were 'too hungover' to give explanation for airstrike that killed 70 civilians

Alcohol has been banned from Nato's headquarters in Afghanistan in the wake of an airstrike that killed up to 70 civilians.

US General Stanley McChrystal, head of the International Forces in Afghanistan (Isaf), decided to bar boozing after launching an investigation into the bombing in northern Afghanistan.

Staff at the Kabul headquarters were 'either drunk or too hungover' to answer his questions..............

Yep, we remember that "Winning Hearts and Minds" meme, and how occupations Don't!!

Get them out and bring them home! We are creating the hatreds that will last for decades and some will seek the retaliations, borders ignored!!

Deadliest Month {so far}

August Deadliest Month for U.S. Troops in Afghanistan

As August becomes the deadliest month for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, post-election tension continues to increase. A Washington Post reporter provides an update from Kabul.



You can find the Transcript, Audio and Video Feed, for above, at this link.

Exclusive: On Pakistan's Khyber Pass
ABC News' Martha Raddatz Travels Through Pakistan to Afghanistan With a Convoy

The Khyber Pass is one of the most dangerous routes from Pakistan into Afghanistan. ABC News' Martha Raddatz traveled with a NATO convoy along the route.
(Martha Raddatz/ABC News)

It is only about 30 miles from Peshawar, Pakistan, to Afghanistan's border where the Torkham Gate that divides the border is built. But it is 30 miles of the steepest, most white-knuckle driving you can imagine.

Think 2,000 feet up, on only dirt and gravel in some places, where guard rails are rare, and two or three trucks compete for space that can accommodate only one.

Throw in the fact that roadside bombs and mortars still can be a threat, militants still hide in the hillsides above you and you get the idea what kind of drive this is.......The Rest Found Here

The Khyber Pass


UNHCR operation in Afghanistan

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie is appealing for more international support for Afghan refugees who are returning home. The acclaimed American actress visited UNHCR operations in Kabul and the eastern province of Nangarhar, where she heard from Afghans who are struggling to rebuild their lives after years in exile. Many face continued insecurity and rising food prices.

cheney/bush cabal Quagmire!!

Stopped being anything about 9/11 after they started the Drums of War of Their Choice towards Iraq and pulled troops and rebuilding monies out of, now it's just adding to the Hatreds towards Us and Our Policies!!

"Searching for Home"

Searching for Home:Coming Back from War {facebook site page}

A moving film from Director Eric Christiansen and Executive Producer Anthony Edwards

Tell your friends!

Please become a fan, at facebook, to keep up to date!

Trailer


Official "Searching for Home" website, which is still under construction as they just released the trailer, above, on their facebook page on 8.13.09

About the Film pdf

Gen. David Petraeus and envoy Richard Holbrooke

Last night the News Hour carried a report and the discussion with Petraeus and Holbrooke.

This is the site page link where you'll find the transcript as well as the links for audio and video.

This link will give you their Video Player to watch from here.

There is No win in this now debacle. One thing about warfare these last couple of decades, outside of the bloviated power hawks talking tough to each other as others are sent to do the actual fighting, is every invasion turns to Guerilla Insurgency. It's lost as soon as the Bombs start dropping, the Missiles Destroy, the Military Invades, 'Hearts and Minds' turn to Hate as their countries are destroyed but more important as their Loved Ones and Friends and Fellow Citizens are Blown To Bits or Cut Down by the Bullets Sprayed, than add in the arrests of Innocents, the Blackhole Worldwide Prisons and most of all Torture, Innocents become Enemies Real Fast, Real Fast! They either fight back or support those who do! It becomes an extreme uphill battle to win back a majority of those 'Hearts and Minds'!!

Just ask yourself "What would you do if you were them?"!

Just think how many here felt after 9/11 and how that was used to kill and destroy many times over since!

Afghanistan stopped being about 9/11, in their eyes and the worlds eyes and minds as soon as the drums started beating towards Iraq. Security and money Stopped coming in to Stabilizes after the Taliban were removed and al Qaeda were forced to run, It Became The Quagmire That Exists Today and has expanded into Pakistan thus Inflaming the whole region even more!

Can stability be brought back, it's possible, but the Hate will be Deeply Embedded, especially in the children growing up in the destruction and death, the ones that survive, and will linger for their decades of life!!

The only way a Guerilla Insurgency ends is on their time Not The Occupiers, but it than can be inflamed when policy is perceived to be against those common folks, and they've got the fighting experience!!!!!!!

Just an added note, the Escalation, not 'surge', did not bring down the death and destruction in Iraq, the Iraqi people, sects, did. And that situation is a match just waiting to relight at anytime, the world can only dampen that match so it doesn't until the Iraqi's decide. We destroyed that Pandora's Box, it's up to us to try and help rebuild a new one but only if they want the help, and ours is shit in that country, others will fill the void!!

"Finding Our Voices" Trailer


Visit Finding Our Voices to order the film, download discussion materials, host a screening and much more!

“The only foes that threaten America are the enemies at home, and these are ignorance, superstition and incompetence.” - Elbert Hubbard

The 'surge' Working?? Take 1,2,3...........

All that's needed is for something to happen to rile the 'mahdi' army and the ceasefire will end, as well as some Iraqi leader to demand "America tear down these Walls!" and the Real Purposes for the 'surge', i.e. Escalation, will be no more!


Political: The 'surge' Working?? Take 1

Iraqi army prepares assault in Diyala as election law vetoed

Some members of the Sunni Awakening, tribesmen paid by the United States to fight al Qaida Iraq, are fleeing. "They think the security plan will target them after the insurgents," Mulla Sh'hab Alsafi, leader of one local Awakening group, told McClatchy.

Iraqi Military: The 'surge Working?? Take 2

Iraqi forces aren't quite ready to take charge

There's a Video report at the top of this one.

And if this wasn't such a tragic mistake, the invasion and occupation, you might find this report amusing. It reads like a 'Keystone Cop' movie, great descriptive honest take after 6plus years and still going.



Security: The 'surge' Working?? Take 3

Ex-insurgents Want More Money, or Else

The Iraqi officer leading a U.S.-financed anti-jihadist group is in no mood for small talk -- either the military gives him more money or he will pack his bags and rejoin the ranks of al-Qaeda

4,000 U.S. Combat Deaths, and Just a Handful of Images

BAGHDAD — The case of a freelance photographer in Iraq who was barred from covering the Marines after he posted photos on the Internet of several of them dead has underscored what some journalists say is a growing effort by the American military to control graphic images from the war.

Photo Slide Show

Iraq events moving out of US control



One wonders the why of the presidential candidate claiming so much success about the 'surge', i.e. escalation, isn't talking more about what he would do to finally bring bin Laden to justice!

Seems he to, like the present administration, doesn't think about binny much, is the al Qaeda leader contributing to the campaigns of his once buddies, or working with the rovian crowd on some smear campaigns against the opponent.

"Bring Them Home NOW, and Take Care Of Them When They Return"
***************************************************************************

They Served Their Country Honorably

Seven veterans under VA's care commit suicide

They served their country honorably but after risking their life in combat abroad, coping with coming home was too much. In the last three months seven servicemen being treated by Spokane's VA Hospital have committed suicide.

What does one say when they have watched others go through All This Before, and having beared witness through these many years!

Any who have read my attempts at putting the reality to words over these past 6 years, long before the carnage again started, or read and listened to others saying pretty much the same damn thing, you know how I feel!

"After returning home from his tour of duty in Iraq, Tim was given the following choice -- either commit to a two-year enlistment in the Washington National Guard and receive a stability from deployment for that amount of time or be stop-lossed and face certain redeployment within a year," Hergert wrote in a letter to Sen. Patty Murray, a member of the Senate's Veterans Affairs committee. "Tim chose to enlist in the Washington National Guard unit and was assigned to Spokane, Washington."

Only back than, till now, my brothers and sisters, weren't forced into 'Stop Loss' nor 'Mutiple Extended Tours', back in the Debacle Occupation the Country said they'd Never Forget and Learn The lessons Of, one had to Volunteer for more than one tour, the few I know that did were KIA on their second or third, they couldn't cope in the Real World!

"Mom, I don't think I can go back to Iraq," Jacqueline Hergert recalls her son's words.
Last month, Juneman was found hanging in his Pullman apartment.
"My son hanged himself in his apartment on March 5, 2008. He was not discovered for 20 days, and then only because he didn't pay his rent for the month," Hergert continued in her letter to Sen. Murray. "He missed numerous scheduled medical appointments at the VA hospital. He missed his weekend duty with the National Guard unit. Yet, no one came to check on him, not even the doctors or counselors who were seeing him for his injuries and trauma."

These tragic incidents are Not The Fault of the Greater Majority who Work In The Veterans Administration System, most are extremely dedicated not only to their work but those They Serve!

This is Totally In The Lap of the Leadership, the Political Appointee's, and those in the Administration parts of the systems, especially if hired because of Political affiliation these past 7 years, not only VA but across the board in this failing Government, Total Incompetence, and an Apathedic Freightened Country that Refuses to Hold Accountibility on those as that Incompetence Continues, Unabated!!

"I have to live with the knowledge that he died alone and in despair and feeling without hope," Hergert said.

The lead to the tragic story above, and those I'm placing below, come from Veterans For Common Sense who are spearheading the Lawsuit, now in trial, against the VA. Visit their site and throw a few duckets of that Tax Rebate their way, they could use it as Veterans Fighting For Veterans, along with other organizations you might be inclined to Support.

One for those Not Serving and Suffering, as our Military Personal and Their Families Are, You're Way Overdue your Sacrifice! {Service Members and Families of Disregard previous sentence, You've Given This Country Way Too Much All Ready!!}

Two, it's the Best Way to put that money that should Already be Going to these returning Vets to a use that is extremely worthwhile, you certainly don't need to shop for more crap in your lives!

Mental Health

The War Within: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
James Sperry's nightmares always take him back to Fallujah.

Combat Vets Face Hurdles as Students
Colleges learning to deal with PTSD, lost limbs, brain injuries.

Many Troops Never Get Help for Mental Wounds
Army Cpl. Robb Rudd finished basic training within 48 hours of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Inner War Knows No Truce
The movie “Stop Loss” filled the silver screen with haunting images of bad dreams, alcoholism and family strife in the wake of a tour of duty in Iraq.

Bill Would Expand PTSD Benefits
House lawmakers have reworked a bill that would make it easier for veterans to get benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder by not requiring them to prove their exposure to a stressor.

Editorial Column: Half of Vets Suffering Brain and Mind Injuries Go Untreated, But Pentagon Pretends Nothing's Going on
Penny Coleman
An activist travels to the DoD's annual suicide prevention conference, only to find the military brass living in a parallel universe.

Department of Veterans Affairs

Mitchell to VA: 'My Patience is at an End'
Rep Harry Mitchell (D-5) has given Deparment of Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake an option: Produce documents related to suicides among veterans by May 9, or he will pursue "other options."

Iraq War

Investigators: Millions in Iraq Contracts Never Finished
Millions of dollars of lucrative Iraq reconstruction contracts were never finished because of excessive delays, poor performance or other factors, including failed projects that are being falsely described by the U.S. government as complete, federal investigators say.

Talk Doesn't Mean Action for Vets
Judging by sheer numbers alone, this is most definitely the Year of the Veteran at the state Capitol.

Department of Defense

Is There an Army Cover Up of Rape and Murder of Women Soldiers?
The Department of Defense statistics are alarming — one in three women who join the US military will be sexually assaulted or raped by men in the military.

Bring Them Home and Take Care Of Them When They Return, Now!!!

We've gone through all of this before, this time Learn From The Mistakes and Incompetence of those we Call Our Leaders, Never Again!!!

Paradox: Construction - Destruction

Iraq

Contractors operate equipment under the crackle of automatic weapon fire and with the protection of M-1 tanks, Stryker vehicles and Apache helicopters. The workers in this case are constructing a series of walls to block certain areas of Sadr City, the vast Shi'ite slum in Baghdad.

Dozens of walls have already been built around Baghdad, the southern city of Basra and other Iraqi cities, creating segregated ethnic Sunni and Shi'ite neighborhoods ringed with checkpoints and command posts. The latest flurry of construction activity has little to do with nation building, but rather is more related to a deteriorating security environment.

Vietnam

"Motor grader operators work with loaded carbines at their sides; ... scrapers cut roads across the shadows of hastily prepared gun emplacements; a lean, tanned construction superintendent waxes enthusiastic over the future while helicopters stutter overhead looking for enemy guerrillas."

The above description is not from the latest edition of the New York Times reporting from Iraq, but rather from a journalist covering the US's massive construction effort amid the war in Vietnam in 1966. Then, the project to build a separate state out of the southern half of Vietnam involved the energies of the best and brightest academic experts in economics, political science, police systems and government, as well as dozens of private corporations which specialized in engineering and construction.

The above were taken from an article in Asia Times by James M Carter who is an assistant professor of history at Texas A & M University.

The article by James Carter US paradox of construction and destruction was posted up on the 25th of this month.

On the 28th, this was being reported: Audit: Millions Wasted In Iraq Contracts
Investigator Gives Snapshot Of The Uneven Reconstruction Effort That Has Cost U.S. Taxpayers $100B

Millions of dollars of lucrative Iraq reconstruction contracts were never finished because of excessive delays, poor performance or other factors, including failed projects that are being falsely described by the U.S. government as complete, federal investigators say.

The Audit was released on Sunday which you can find here - SIGIR: Independent & Objective Oversight

Another cut from Mr Carters article:

The idea was to quickly build up southern Vietnam's primitive physical infrastructure while putting in place a government in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) advised and funded by Washington. The working assumption was that the local people would be grateful and welcoming, and, working alongside American advisors and experts, would contribute to the invention of a new, prosperous and non-communist state.

Visit Mr Carters article, he has much more about the policies than and abit of comparison.

Than visit, if you already haven't, the above report on the Audit of Iraq Reconstruction, or one of the many in the mainstream on topic, and the Audit itself.

Than you might want to see, if you haven't already, what is already being planned in the halls of Congress in this report Congress wants Iraq to repay U.S. expenses

Iraqis would be forced to pay for U.S. efforts in their country directly or via loans from the United States if any of at least five similar pieces of legislation introduced on Capitol Hill this month is approved.

We Invade, Destroy, Kill and Maim, Occupy, Torture, Imprison, Segragate, than turn around and "Send Them The Bill"!

Than we, in our Arrogance, wonder why "Others Hate Us!"!

I'll close with another observation of Mr Carter:

As the US's Vietnam experience showed, war is not the same as nation building. If ever larger military deployments are necessary simply to hold ground, then perhaps it's high time to admit that the Iraq project has already failed. Vietnam showed that greater militarization will only bring more destruction, suffering and political polarization and accentuate the paradox of simultaneous construction and destruction, which unfortunately has found painful new life in Iraq.

Lets Simplify the Iraq Fiasco

Conn Hallinan who is a Foreign Policy In Focus columnist has a writeup over at Foreign Policy in Focus, go figure.

It's titled Basra: Echoes of Vietnam, and while some is about the recent cheney debacle in Basra, and yep he had to have requested the Iraqi action in his resent visit, looks too much like what he's done these past 7plus years, in short it shows the ignorance and failed policy decisions, once again, that this Nation has been subject to as we destroy others.

Let me first go to something he wrote near the bottom of the piece, that frankly has been said over and over by many others in almost the exact same way or in other ways to get the point across, especially by us 'Nam Vets who saw, and lived, what was going on.

As it did in Vietnam, the United States looks at Iraq though the lens of firepower and troop deployments. But war is not just about things that blow up, and occupiers always ignore the point of view of the occupied.

People, people, people, when one invades anothers country, than occupy those who were invaded, we're in Their Country, it's Their Traditions, Their Heritage, Their Patriotism, Their Homes, Their Families, Their Friends, Their Neighbors, Their Lifestyles, Their Religions, Their Histories, and any other Theirs you can think of that are Invaded and Destroyed, so One Better Have A Real Damn Good Reason To Invade to begin with, otherwise the Enemies, as we like to call those in their own countries, Increase In Numbers, and their once friends and neighbors get targetted if there's collaboration with the invaders, that's the way it is.

Who suffers the most? The Innocents in their own countries, from the actions of the invaders and occupiers to those, mostly but not always nationalists, fighting the invaders, and all the while the propaganda machines, on both sides, spew out the rethoric to cause the fears and hype needed to gain support of the already failed policies.

Mr. Hallinan puts this near the beginning:

But while a single battle may not end a conflict, it can illuminate an underlying reality.

And that reality has been voiced over and over and over......................... since even before the debacle was unleashed!

In his section Remembering Tet, which by the way gives you the reason for the title, as these years and this invasion have given us 'Nam vets the sense of DeJa-Vu and Total Outrage, as most of us said we would never allow that to happen again, he refers to a few others. Like an Op-Ed by Frank Rich on Tet, and spokesman for General Petraeus Rear Admiral Gregory Smith talking about the success{?} being made.

“There is a parallel to Tet here,” says military historian Jack Radey. “’We have won the war, violence is down, the surge works’ [the U.S. told itself], and then Kaboom! The Green Zone is taking incoming.”

Reality Bites!!

Now on Tet, 'Nam, and Guierilla/Insurgent Warfare:

“It is more likely proof that you have lost track of him, and he will, at his own chosen time, find ways to remind you of his presence.”

Time is a Weapon in Guerilla Warfare, including Years! Lessons quickly forgotten!!

According to historian Gareth Porter, the United States mistakenly concluded that the ceasefire Sadr declared six months ago was a sign that the Mahdi army was vulnerable.

Our arrogance rules over the reality of the time, and Sadr isn't the only one, we're paying others to fight the gangs calling themselves al Qaeda of Iraq, when will they Bite Back or has that begun already with the continuation of the fighting with the Mahdi army.

He than goes into Other Analogies which give an almost perfect picture of the present clashing with the not so far back past:

But Tet is not the only relevant Vietnam analogy. The other parallel was Operation Lam Son, the 1971 invasion of Laos by the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN). The United States pushed South Vietnam to attack Laos in order to demonstrate that the ARVN could stand on its own two feet, and to make the point prior to the upcoming 1972 U.S. elections that Nixon’s policy of “Vietnamization” was working
Instead, U.S. audiences watched as panicked ARVN troops clung to helicopter landing skids in their desperation to escape from Laos. Lam Son “was a disaster,” writes historian A.J. Langguth in Our Vietnam: The War, 1954-1975: “Vietnamization became one more doomed fantasy. After 10 years of training and costly equipment, South Vietnam’s troops seemed to be no match for the Communists.”

With abit more added.

Than he has In Basra

As Indian diplomat M.K. Bhadrakumar points out in the Asia Times, the principal outcome of the fighting is that “the Bush Administration’s triumphalism over the so-called Iraqi ‘surge’ strategy has become irredeemably farcical.”

So, after three years and $22 billion in training and equipment, the Iraqi army got shellacked. The only thing that prevented a full-scale rout was the intervention of U.S. troops and air support.

Guess what, the same Damn Thing happened in Vietnam!

His closing section, though the whole thing isn't that long, he calls It's the Oil Stupid

Rather than as an assault on “criminal militias,” virtually every independent observer saw the attack as an effort by Maliki and the Americans to take control of Basra’s oil resources preliminary to turning them over to private oil conglomerates. Standing in the way of both those goals was the nationalist-minded Mahdi army as well as Iraq’s oil and dockworkers unions.

Those damn Nationalists combined with the Oil and Dockworkers Unions, of guess where, if Iraq You're Right, no prize though just Our Shame and Guilt, they got in the way and one upped everyone's Big Plans, and are now still fighting because our leadership{?} and the puppets didn't get the point. Now more will die and get maimed, more will be destroyed, and the hatreds will grow, leading to more 'blowback' and more death and destruction.

For starters, people don’t like losing control of their country. With the exceptions of the Kurds and Maliki and his allies, Iraqis are overwhelmingly opposed to the occupation. That disconnect between occupied and occupiers was summed up by Luu Doan Huynh, a Vietnamese veteran of the war against the Japanese, the French, and the Americans, and one of the key diplomats in the Vietnam peace talks. “The Americans thought that Vietnam was a war,” he said. “We knew that Vietnam was our country.”

Which, because it's now and not the Vietnamesse, will lead to further 'blowback' that our children now will contend with and possibly their children, pandora's box has been destroyed and only the People, not the so called powerful, can try and glue the pieces back together!

"May Day! May Day! May Day!"

MAKE MAYDAY A "NO PEACE, NO WORK HOLIDAY"!

The following was written by Jack Heyman a longshoreman who works on the Oakland docks

Longshoremen to close ports on West Coast to protest war

While millions of people worldwide have marched against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and last week's New York Times/CBS News poll indicated that 81 percent believe the country is headed in the wrong direction - key concerns being the war and the economy - the war machine inexorably grinds on.

Amid this political atmosphere, dockworkers of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union have decided to stop work for eight hours in all U.S. West Coast ports on May 1, International Workers' Day, to call for an end to the war.

This decision came after an impassioned debate where the union's Vietnam veterans turned the tide of opinion in favor of the anti-war resolution. The motion called it an imperial action for oil in which the lives of working-class youth and Iraqi civilians were being wasted and declared May Day a "no peace, no work" holiday. Angered after supporting Democrats who received a mandate to end the war but who now continue to fund it, longshoremen decided to exercise their political power on the docks.

Last month, in response to the union's declaration, the Pacific Maritime Association, the West Coast employer association of shipowners, stevedore companies and terminal operators, declared its opposition to the union's protest. Thus, the stage is set for a conflict in the run up to the longshore contract negotiations.

The last set of contentious negotiations (in 2002) took place during the period between the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the invasion of Iraq. Representatives of the Bush administration threatened that if there were any of the usual job actions during contract bargaining, then troops would occupy the docks because such actions would jeopardize "national security." Yet, when the PMA employers locked out the longshoremen and shut down West Coast ports for 11 days, the "security" issue vanished. President Bush then invoked the Taft-Hartley Act, forcing longshoremen back to work under conditions favorable to the employers.

The San Francisco longshore union has a proud history of opposition to the war in Iraq, being the first union to call for an end to the war and immediate withdrawal of troops. Representatives of the union spoke at anti-war rallies in February 2003, including one in London attended by nearly 2 million people, the largest ever held in Britain. Executive Board member Clarence Thomas went to Iraq with a delegation to observe workers' rights during the occupation.

At the start of the war in Iraq, hundreds of protesters demonstrated on the Oakland docks, and longshoremen honored their picket lines. Without warning, police in riot gear opened fire with so-called less-than-lethal weapons, shooting protesters and longshoremen alike with wooden dowels, rubber bullets, pellet bags, concussion grenades and tear gas. A U.N. Human Rights Commission investigator characterized the Oakland police attack as "the most violent" against anti-war protesters in the United States.

And finally, last year, two black longshoremen going to work in the port of Sacramento were beaten, Maced and arrested by police under the rubric of Homeland Security regulations ordained by the "war on terror."

There's precedent for this action. In the '50s, French dockworkers refused to load war materiel on ships headed for Indochina, and helped to bring that colonial war to an end. At the ILWU's convention in San Francisco in 2003, A. Q. McElrath, an octogenarian University of Hawaii regent and former ILWU organizer from the pineapple canneries, challenged the delegates to act for social justice, invoking the union's slogan, "An injury to one is an injury to all." She concluded, "The cudgel is on the ground. Will you pick it up?"

It appears that longshore workers may be doing just that on May Day and calling on immigrant workers and others to join them.

May Day protest

WHEN: 10:30 a.m., May 1, followed by a rally at noon.

WHERE: Longshore Union Hall, corner of Mason and Beach (near Fisherman's Wharf)

.
WHAT: March to a rally at Justin Herman Plaza along the Embarcadero.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: May Day!**ILWU Homepage**Transport Workers Solidarity Committee or call (415) 776-8100.

A CALL TO ACTION ALL OUT ON MAYDAY TO STOP THE WAR!

At the start of the Iraq War in 2003, many working people were opposed to the invasion. Now the overwhelming majority want to end the war and withdraw troops.
Yet, both major political parties continue to fund the war.

Marches and demonstrations have not been able to stop the war. The Longshore Union (ILWU) will stop work for 8 hours in every port on the West Coast on May 1st.
This action shows that working people have the power to stop the war.

Don't work on May 1st — MAKE MAYDAY A "NO PEACE, NO WORK HOLIDAY"!

*Stop the war!
*Withdraw the troops now!
*No scapegoating immigrant workers for the economic crisis!
*Health care for all!
*Funding for schools and housing!
*Defend civil liberties and workers' rights!

MAKE MAYDAY A "NO PEACE, NO WORK HOLIDAY"!

Port Workers' May Day Organizing Committee

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT:

Contact ILWU President Robert McEllrath With A Letter Of Support For The Longshore Caucus’ Resolution To Use International Workers Day To “Stop Work To Stop The War”

Date: 29 Mar 2008
From: Clarence Thomas
Via New York City Labor Against The War

As a result of an important action taken at the recent International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) Caucus, Longshore workers will stop work during the first shift in opposition to the war in Iraq, on May 1, 2008.
They will also use this occasion to acknowledge International Workers Day to express labor solidarity concerning issues and challenges that confront workers.
This war has cost more than 4,000 American lives and 29,000 have been seriously injured. It has been estimated that 1 million Iraqis have lost their lives, untold have been injured and 4 million have been displaced in this illegal and amoral war and occupation. The war is costing $435 million per day.
So far, $526 billion has been expended on the war. The daily amount spent on the war could enroll 58,000 youngsters in Head Start or provide health insurance to 329,200 low-income children.
We’re writing to ask you to contact ILWU President Robert McEllrath with a letter of support for the Longshore Caucus’ resolution to use International Workers Day to “stop work to stop the war”. Please ask other organizations to do the same.
Robert McEllrath, ILWU President
1188 Franklin Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 775-0533
(415) 775-1302 FAX
Your support in spreading the word of this historic action is very important.
In Solidarity,
Clarence Thomas
National Co-Chair
Million Worker March Movement

And there's MORE:

Mail Carriers Vote 2 Minutes Of Silence On May Day To Oppose The War

April 11, 2008 New York City Labor Against The War

Postal letter carriers in Greensboro voted to observe 2 minutes of silence at 9:15 a.m. on International Workers Day - Thursday, May 1, 2008 - to express their opposition to the war in Iraq.
Their workplace action is in solidarity with the ILWU longshore workers, who are shutting down all West Coast ports for 8 hours on May 1st in opposition to the war. The vote took place on April 3 at their regular membership meeting in Greensboro.
The action by Greensboro Branch 630 of the National Association of Letter Carriers is also in solidarity with San Francisco Branch 214 letter carriers and the American Postal Workers Union in the New York Metro Area and San Francisco, who earlier voted to pause for 2 minutes of silence on that day to oppose the war.
The APWU locals, whose members work around the clock, plan to observe the period of silence at specific times on all three shifts.

And still MORE:

New York Faculty/Staff Union Supports ILWU Anti-War Work Stoppage

April 11, 2008 New York City Labor Against The War

The following anti-war resolution was adopted unanimously at the March 27 delegate assembly of the Professional Staff Congress, AFT Local 2334 at the City University of New York.

Whereas, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union has voted to stop work and shut down all 29 West Coast ports for the full 8-hour day shift on May 1st, in protest against the war in Iraq and Afghanistan; and

Whereas, this historic decision to use the power of their contract to close the ports represents one of the most powerful forms of labor action a union can take to demand an end to the war; and

Whereas, the Professional Staff Congress/CUNY has, since the start of the war in Iraq, called for an end to the war and a reordering of national priorities so that funding is available for education, healthcare, jobs and other human needs; and

Whereas, it is especially important that CUNY students, faculty and staff have an opportunity to discuss the meaning of a powerful labor action to end the war, given the intense military recruitment our students face and the direct effect of the war budget on CUNY funding and contracts; and

Whereas, the PSC has embarked on the most intense phase of our fight for a fair contract; and

Whereas, the ILWU has expressed the hope that its decision will be a "clarion call" to the rest of labor; and

Whereas, the March meeting of the Hunter PSC chapter voted to hold an outdoor event/teach-in against the war in Iraq and Afghanistan on May 1st in solidarity with the ILWU work stoppage and with the theme of mobilizing labor's power against the war; therefore be it

RESOLVED that the PSC send to the ILWU a message of solidarity on the occasion of their historic initiative for workers' action against the war, and as part of this effort, be it further

RESOLVED that while the priority for PSC organizing during the next two months will be the drive to reach a good contract settlement, PSC chapters that vote to undertake a campus event or teach-in on May 1 in solidarity with the ILWU action will be supported in
doing so; and such actions should reach out as broadly as possible to students and the community and should contribute to building the union campaign for a good contract.

A big Tip of the Hat goes out to Brother 'Nam Vet Thomas Barton, over at Military Project - G.I. Special and Traveling Soldier who passed on the above information in his lastest G.I. Special Newsletter, I just did abit of extra highlighting and added a few links!

What say folks, will You MAKE MAYDAY A "NO PEACE, NO WORK HOLIDAY"!

Take the Day Off, have a Planned Action to show your Solidarity with the Longshoreman and Support For The Troops, Real Support "Bring Them Home Now, And Take Care Of Them When They Return!!"

The U.S. Military Index

In an exclusive new index, Foreign Policy and the Center for a New American Security surveyed more than 3,400 active and retired officers at the highest levels of command about the state of the U.S. military. They see a force stretched dangerously thin and a country ill-prepared for the next fight.

Today, the U.S. military is engaged in a campaign that is more demanding and intense than anything it has witnessed in a generation. Ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, now entering their fifth and seventh years respectively, have lasted longer than any U.S. military engagements of the past century, with the exception of Vietnam. More than 25,000 American servicemen and women have been wounded and over 4,000 killed. Additional deployments in the Balkans, on the Korean Peninsula, and elsewhere are putting further pressure on the military’s finite resources. And, at any time, U.S. forces could be called into action in one of the world’s many simmering hot spots—from Iran or Syria, to North Korea or the Taiwan Strait. Yet, even as the U.S. military is being asked to sustain an unprecedented pace of operations across the globe, many Americans continue to know shockingly little about the forces responsible for protecting them. Nearly 70 percent of Americans report that they have a high level of confidence in the military, yet fewer than 1 in 10 has ever served. Politicians often speak favorably about people in uniform, but less than one quarter of the U.S. Congress has donned a uniform. It is not clear whether the speeches and sound bites we hear from politicians and experts actually reflect the concerns of those who protect our nation.

SNIP: Read rest here, it's a long read and has a number of related links to the report

One statistic stands out in the opening paragraph: "Over 4000 killed", we somehow can't remember Afganistan: 491 KIA's and there are now 4012 in Iraq!And these are not counting the Suicides nor other War Related Deaths!

A Broken Military, Two Quagmires, Failed Foreign Policy, and an almost Destroyed National Security for the Hatreds enhanced have already shown the 'Blowback' retaliations will bring! Perpetual Guerilla War, Wealth for the War Profitteers!!

Building for Nonexistant Conventional Wars

Bush Administration Wastes Trillions in Worthless Weapons

The government has invested trillions in weapons that are completely useless in the fight against stateless terrorists.

Well we didn't Learn a damn thing from Vietnam, nor the Soviet/Afgan Debacle, and we ain't learning from the Present Failed Policies, More Blood Money for the War Profitteers as the Populace stays Silent!!

Basra Breaking?

A few days ago we get this:

U.S. Wants British 'Surge' In S. Iraq: Paper

And why, because:

It quoted an unnamed senior U.S .military source saying: "Three big militias are currently engaged in a particularly bloody battle in southern Iraq.

And the U.S.

"If they do not have enough troops, then they will be offered U.S .Marines to help out.

"The feeling is that if southern Iraq is hugely unstable, it will affect the success of the surge in the north and destabilize the whole country."

Today we get this:

Heavy fighting in southern Iraqi oil hub

Heavy fighting erupted on Tuesday in the southern oil city of Basra where Iraqi security forces launched a major operation at dawn against powerful militias, military officials and witnesses said.

"There are clashes in the streets. Bullets are coming from everywhere and we can hear the sound of rocket explosions. This has been going on since dawn," resident Jamil told Reuters by telephone as he cowered in his home.

Who was it that said Iraq is Stable?

Two powerful factions of Iraq's Shi'ite majority, the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council and the Mehdi Army militia of Moqtada al-Sadr, are fighting for power in Basra along with a smaller Shi'ite party, Fadhila.

Basra is Iraq's second city and gateway to the Gulf. Its oil fields are the source of most government revenues.

Will these unstable questionable alliances be starting to break down?

And can the Iraq Governments?? forces gain control or stalemate or join the fighting factions?

Holloway said Iraqi troops had been sent from across Iraq to reinforce the 14th Iraqi Army division in Basra.

Where will this leave the rest of the country?

4,000 Souls

Sen. Robert Byrd has a request posted over at Huffington Post, the title is his.

He hasn't Waivered as apparently many in this Country have!

Each brave soul leaves behind devastated loved ones -- sons, daughters, wives, husbands, moms, and dads. Each tragic loss leaves a void -- a missing smile and loving embrace, an empty chair at the family dinner table -- that can never be filled.

It's not a long read, won't interupt the clinton/obama mass postings, you can spare a minute or two!
{This line is for the KOS crowd, as I posted there as well}

At this somber moment, let us resolve to take steps to finally bring this tragic war to an end. In 2008, the American people must not stand passively mute, as far too many of their leaders did five years ago. Let your voices be heard.

Not just their leaders, but Far Too Many Americans, Period!

I didn't than, and I'm Still Not Mute, as tens of thousands of us haven't waivered neither, how about you!!

And what do the pResident cheney, and his little puppet say:



**********

PBS Nightline

Tonight and Tomorrow Night:

Bush’s War–And Our Own

'Shoutout', 'Action', 'Winter Soldier', 'Congressional Hearings'

On this day, 3-19-08, the 5th anniversary of the Occupation of Iraq, some may attend the thousands of candlelight vigils around the country.

Some may have other vigils of remembrance planned.

Some may write of their feelings.

Some may have other ways to observe and remember the Fallen and Maimed of our Military and the Tens of Thousands of the Innocent Killed and Maimed and Millions thrust into refugee status due to our countries Failed Policies.

Some may do nothing.

U.S. Deaths Confirmed By The DoD: 3988

Reported U.S. Deaths Pending DoD Confirmation: 2

Total 3990

DoD Confirmation List

I have a request that I would ask any and all reading this to please do.

This past weekend an Important Historical Event took place, War Comes Home - Winter Soldier II

Listen to a A Montage That Cuts to the Heart of the War and Winter Soldier {mp3}

You can listen to the testimonies Here with photo's and much more. You can view a number of Video's, of the testimonies, at The Real News Network along with other outstanding News updates from Iraq. You can also find the testimony Video's at the site of the Iraq/Afgan Veterans who organized the Truth of Occupation -IVAW as well as much more, along with the ability To Support and Help As They Grow

They have given their Testimonies, those Testimonies, though not carried nor reported as they should have been by the mainstream media, are now in the record as Audio, Video, and Transcripts.

All that is needed now is to get them into the Congressional Record as were the Winter Soldier Investigations of 1971

Immediately following the WSI, Senator George McGovern and Representative John Conyers announced that they were calling for congressional investigations based on the testimony. This announcement was received with skepticism by the veterans, but VVAW representatives agreed to meet with McGovern and Conyers.

The Iraq/Afgan Soldiers who testified requested that a Congressional Investigation be held, most, if not all, who testified this past weekend, also the 40th Anniversary of the My Lai Massacre, which in part sparked the first 'Winter Soldier Investigations', are more than willing to bring their testimonies in front of The Peoples Congress to be Sworn in, Under Oath, as the first 'Winter Soldier' to bring better understanding to those who don't serve, have never served, nor lived in theaters of conflict occupations, the Realities of War, Especially Wars of Choice, Not Need!

These testimonies, like the first 'Winter Soldier', cover a wide veriaty of issues as to the military, spoken or understood policies of a combat theater of operation, treatment of returning veterans, treatment of female veterans, hazing within the ranks, treatment of civilian populations, possible atrocities, possible war crimes, what War Is!

Many of us have written our congressional representatives requesting a Congeressional Investigation and Hearing on the testimonies given and any more that will come forward from these failed foreign policies of civilian and military leadership.

I ask that those reading take a few minutes and Also Write, or Call your own Congressional Representatives and request same, to get the sworn testimonies into the public record, The Congressional Record of Fact!

I'm not quite done yet, with my request to you, though:

Once again small groups have come forth, even before the testimonies started, they were calling these Brave Soldiers, of whom these groups say they 'Support', Fakes and Liers, Verbally Spitting on the troops, as happened after Vietnam! Two of these groups, a tiny contingement, 30 to 40 people, of 'eagles up', i.e. 'gathering of eagles', or whatever next weeks name might be, and 'move america forward' were there, outside of DC this past weekend, speaking the same talking points to the few who would listen, there's a few interview video's at The Real News Network that will give you the inside to their ideology.

Most of those that start these groups have been doing so for alot of years, mostly since 'Nam, they claim proof of their rethoric yet when confronted for some reason that 'proof' can't be produced, words of anger and hate are the only thing used.

I would further my request, as many of us all ready have done, that you include these groups, any others you might know of, and those using todays technology passing the same rethoric of false claims and slander to be included in the Congressional Investigation and Hearings!

If they have any first hand proof, of their slanderous charges, than it should be Finally Placed into the Public Record for All To See, to vent, and to dispel!

Let us close the door on this form of Verbal Spitting, especially on the Military Troops they claim to Support, as these troop return home, repeating what was done to us 'Nam Vets, speaking and living the experiances of War that these groups haven't.

Have them testify along side those who have served and are more than willing to archive their testimonies into the public record!

Please contact your representatives today, and over the next couple of days, and request that congress open investigations and hearings ASAP!!

Peace and
Thank You!!

If You Visit

'The Real News Network' link, above, at the top of their list, just before the video's about 'Winter Soldier' you will find two New Reports: Baghdad: City of Walls!

Watch them, to better understand our Occupation Control over an Innocent Country and it's People!

Would You Want To Live This Way??

Success in Iraq?

Success in Iraq? Not for Iraqi Women

Click To Play

Let's make sure all of our candidates know that we are not distracted by the bright shiny surge success chatter.

The Wounds of War

CNN's Gary Tuchman visits young Iraq war victims at a military hospital in Balad, Iraq.

No matter how bad, our once good buddy and known to be brutal when we helped install him, Saddam was the Iraqi People were Not living, if one could call it that, in the World We Have Given Them!!

And the Failed policies will Haunt Everyone for Decades!!!!!

For Reading on This Labor Day

God's Not Watching Baghdad

It's September. Four and a half years in, the author, a former infantryman, went back to Iraq to profile the president's surge. Here's what he found...
By Brian Mockenhaupt {for more from this author}
8/29/2007

Brian Mockenhaupt

Watching soldiers on a mission can be poignant. Watching soldiers on a mission spiraling toward failure is devastating. Outside a house in western Baghdad's once-upscale Ghazaliya neighborhood, next to a broken Iraqi Humvee, I enjoyed this rare bit of clarity, and in a moment I saw why Iraq is such a mess. It's not the obvious choices -- sectarian hatred or Al Qaeda or meddling by Iraq's neighbors -- but something much more pedestrian, exceptionally mundane: flat tires.

3000

As of today,

3000

U.S. servicemen and women have lost their lives in Iraq.

The New Year will ring in for thousands of families who only know that:

The deceased Soldier’s name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.