Thirty years ago this week, the Red Army began its invasion of Afghanistan, a move that sank the Soviet Union in a decade of guerrilla war and hastened the collapse of the Cold War empire.
Today, as former Soviet soldiers watch American troops trying to pacify the same stretches of Afghan land they once fought for, aging Soviet generals and grunts alike are reminded of a war they'd rather forget....>>>>>
Showing posts with label al Qaeda. Show all posts
Showing posts with label al Qaeda. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
America's war in Afghanistan
In Russia, foreboding about America's war in Afghanistan
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Obama: War President?!
Last night after the Presidents speech at West Point, and since, everyone is attempting to break it down, praise it, or totally attack the policy of another escalation of troops into an already long running occupation of the country of Afghanistan. This occupation stopped being anything about the attacks on this country on Sept 11, 2001 as soon as the first drumbeat towards invasion and then long occupation of an innocent country and people Iraq. Afghanistan stagnated into an occupation and insurgent war of continuing death and destruction to all involved but especially to the greater innocent population of Afghanistan now into it's ninth year!
I watched two reports, this morning on the Rachel Maddow show, which touch well on what I'd like to say, that gives us cuts of speeches made by then President bush about Afghanistan, in comparing what President Obama laid out last night on the current Escalation {Not surge} of military personnel into the long occupation of Afghanistan, and his vision called "The Bush Doctrine" and what was left to this Present Administration and Country by Them. And this is just about the two present occupations, not the economy, the deficit which is tied in by the costs of both occupations off the books plus, the possible rampant corruption from the incompetent policies and the no bid contracts to War profiteers, and much more!
We now know, coming out daily, that the bush admin, prior to 9/11 and then within hours of the destruction and deaths of 9/11 and going forward, they were starting to focus more on Iraq and Regime Change there than on Afghanistan, al Qaeda and bin Laden. How do we know that, besides what had already surfaced these years, through the British Iraq War Inquiry with pieces of information coming daily since last week. There's a day off from testimony today but more coming from the Inquiry again tomorrow when British Military and MoD personal testify! What I hope is that there are some questions as to what these military and MoD personal might have also been discussing with their American military and DoD counterparts as to what was already going on the Afghanistan invasion and beginning occupation by U.S. forces, British forces joined with others through the United Nations.
The Bush Doctrine
Rachel next discusses the concept of "Counter Insurgency" with Lt Col. John Nagl an architect of the current counter Insurgency concept, supposedly updating what was left from our Vietnam occupation debacle.
I would hope that in McCrystal's wants, and now President Obama's CiC policy, they understand that the Taliban, probably al Qaeda {the ghost enemy meme which is anyone we label as a member of or supporter that we can't pigeon hole anywhere else in our Fear/War Speak just as we use Terrorists while waging Terror}, and the others of another Mujahadeen are also going to be building up forces from around the regions, especially Afghanistan and Pakistan but possibly the destroyed Iraq, just as they built up against the Soviets, only now they're really pissed off as to the damage and deaths caused in the region, not just Afghanistan, these past years! The Insurgent forces, people of the country and region already did so after the previous buildup of troops only months ago. We've seen the results in the rising number of military personal killed and maimed these last couple of months and the brazen attacks on coalition forces outposts around Afghanistan.
CounterInsurgency in Afghanistan
Lets look at "Counter Insurgency" which covers many aspects after an invasion and starting occupation of a Country invaded:
One extremely important aspect of any try at success in an Insurgent War, the fighting back by the invaded and occupied as to the occupying forces, is the winning of the Hearts and Minds of the population by the occupying forces. You already go in at an extreme negative as soon as the bombs start dropping, the artillery and missiles start flying and destroying and the bullets start flying and killing. They are killing and maiming more of the innocent population then any insurgent push back causing many of the survivors of to join or support the insurgency, for many obvious reasons.
Saying the above there was a point of a very possible chance of success in our invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11, and the "Counter Insurgency" ideals. The World watched what happened that day, they joined in our sorrow and rage and the evidence seemingly showed who was responsible. We and they knew where those who planned and came out of to implement these attacks came from, Afghanistan militant camps, allowed to function in a country ruled by a rogue government few in the world recognized and many within wanted gone.
That chance quickly dissolved as the drums of another invasion, war and then occupation started beating towards the innocent people of Iraq and we're still there as well.
Once the Taliban regime was toppled and they and the ghost enemy al Qaeda were put on the run, instead of boxing them in, as they ran across the border into Pakistan, and with the help of the then Pakistan regime and the regions other countries possible help, and bringing in what had been promised the rebuilding monies and the NGO's needed to help the Afghans rebuild after years of destructive war with the Soviets and then the rule under the Taliban, we allowed the occupation to basically stagnate into ongoing killing, maiming and destruction in many area's of the country for the next eight years and still ongoing, now ramping up with more occupation forces! The line was crossed way back and any chance has been lost as to "Hearts and Minds" of those who call Afghanistan home. Too many deaths, too many maimed, too much destruction, too many refugee's in country and outside of it's borders now after this almost decade of War!
What we, the arrogant, apathetic, military and once economic power United States, as well as other so called developed nations, are asking the Afghan people as well as the Iraqi people and many in Pakistan is to forget the terror and destruction wrought on them over many years of invading and then occupying their countries, just forget and accept what we are now trying to do, whatever that may be, and become our friends!
Would You!
No You Wouldn't, as we've watched this Country, since 9/11, deteriorate into one of hate speak towards each, acts of violence on each other with twisted political and religious ideologies at the base of, and extreme racism coming out once again! As well as being witness to these long occupations, the numbers rising of the soldiers we've sent being killed and maimed, the civilians of these occupied countries fleeing into refugee status as well as killed and maimed in ever growing numbers, we've been witness to the rising hatreds, fear and want for total destruction of those 'over there so we don't have them here' and the hatreds towards each other fed on by the few who manage to jump on those fears with a mike in their hands or ability to use extremism on our airways, in public gatherings as well as the halls of our government!
We, as Americans, can get extremely Mad and keep that feeling growing into Hatreds of others, not just those who are guilty but any who come from the same area's of the planet or believe in ideologies or religions many don't accept and even live amoug us.
But let those we've sent our military forces in to occupy get Mad and start Hating us and that's Unacceptable!
The following is used as a signature by a brother veteran:
Blood cannot wash away blood. Hate cannot wash away hate. War cannot wash away war. ( an Afghan Proverb )
I watched two reports, this morning on the Rachel Maddow show, which touch well on what I'd like to say, that gives us cuts of speeches made by then President bush about Afghanistan, in comparing what President Obama laid out last night on the current Escalation {Not surge} of military personnel into the long occupation of Afghanistan, and his vision called "The Bush Doctrine" and what was left to this Present Administration and Country by Them. And this is just about the two present occupations, not the economy, the deficit which is tied in by the costs of both occupations off the books plus, the possible rampant corruption from the incompetent policies and the no bid contracts to War profiteers, and much more!
We now know, coming out daily, that the bush admin, prior to 9/11 and then within hours of the destruction and deaths of 9/11 and going forward, they were starting to focus more on Iraq and Regime Change there than on Afghanistan, al Qaeda and bin Laden. How do we know that, besides what had already surfaced these years, through the British Iraq War Inquiry with pieces of information coming daily since last week. There's a day off from testimony today but more coming from the Inquiry again tomorrow when British Military and MoD personal testify! What I hope is that there are some questions as to what these military and MoD personal might have also been discussing with their American military and DoD counterparts as to what was already going on the Afghanistan invasion and beginning occupation by U.S. forces, British forces joined with others through the United Nations.
Rachel next discusses the concept of "Counter Insurgency" with Lt Col. John Nagl an architect of the current counter Insurgency concept, supposedly updating what was left from our Vietnam occupation debacle.
I would hope that in McCrystal's wants, and now President Obama's CiC policy, they understand that the Taliban, probably al Qaeda {the ghost enemy meme which is anyone we label as a member of or supporter that we can't pigeon hole anywhere else in our Fear/War Speak just as we use Terrorists while waging Terror}, and the others of another Mujahadeen are also going to be building up forces from around the regions, especially Afghanistan and Pakistan but possibly the destroyed Iraq, just as they built up against the Soviets, only now they're really pissed off as to the damage and deaths caused in the region, not just Afghanistan, these past years! The Insurgent forces, people of the country and region already did so after the previous buildup of troops only months ago. We've seen the results in the rising number of military personal killed and maimed these last couple of months and the brazen attacks on coalition forces outposts around Afghanistan.
Lets look at "Counter Insurgency" which covers many aspects after an invasion and starting occupation of a Country invaded:
Counter-insurgency is common during occupation and armed rebellion.
One extremely important aspect of any try at success in an Insurgent War, the fighting back by the invaded and occupied as to the occupying forces, is the winning of the Hearts and Minds of the population by the occupying forces. You already go in at an extreme negative as soon as the bombs start dropping, the artillery and missiles start flying and destroying and the bullets start flying and killing. They are killing and maiming more of the innocent population then any insurgent push back causing many of the survivors of to join or support the insurgency, for many obvious reasons.
Saying the above there was a point of a very possible chance of success in our invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11, and the "Counter Insurgency" ideals. The World watched what happened that day, they joined in our sorrow and rage and the evidence seemingly showed who was responsible. We and they knew where those who planned and came out of to implement these attacks came from, Afghanistan militant camps, allowed to function in a country ruled by a rogue government few in the world recognized and many within wanted gone.
That chance quickly dissolved as the drums of another invasion, war and then occupation started beating towards the innocent people of Iraq and we're still there as well.
Once the Taliban regime was toppled and they and the ghost enemy al Qaeda were put on the run, instead of boxing them in, as they ran across the border into Pakistan, and with the help of the then Pakistan regime and the regions other countries possible help, and bringing in what had been promised the rebuilding monies and the NGO's needed to help the Afghans rebuild after years of destructive war with the Soviets and then the rule under the Taliban, we allowed the occupation to basically stagnate into ongoing killing, maiming and destruction in many area's of the country for the next eight years and still ongoing, now ramping up with more occupation forces! The line was crossed way back and any chance has been lost as to "Hearts and Minds" of those who call Afghanistan home. Too many deaths, too many maimed, too much destruction, too many refugee's in country and outside of it's borders now after this almost decade of War!
What we, the arrogant, apathetic, military and once economic power United States, as well as other so called developed nations, are asking the Afghan people as well as the Iraqi people and many in Pakistan is to forget the terror and destruction wrought on them over many years of invading and then occupying their countries, just forget and accept what we are now trying to do, whatever that may be, and become our friends!
Would You!
No You Wouldn't, as we've watched this Country, since 9/11, deteriorate into one of hate speak towards each, acts of violence on each other with twisted political and religious ideologies at the base of, and extreme racism coming out once again! As well as being witness to these long occupations, the numbers rising of the soldiers we've sent being killed and maimed, the civilians of these occupied countries fleeing into refugee status as well as killed and maimed in ever growing numbers, we've been witness to the rising hatreds, fear and want for total destruction of those 'over there so we don't have them here' and the hatreds towards each other fed on by the few who manage to jump on those fears with a mike in their hands or ability to use extremism on our airways, in public gatherings as well as the halls of our government!
We, as Americans, can get extremely Mad and keep that feeling growing into Hatreds of others, not just those who are guilty but any who come from the same area's of the planet or believe in ideologies or religions many don't accept and even live amoug us.
But let those we've sent our military forces in to occupy get Mad and start Hating us and that's Unacceptable!
The following is used as a signature by a brother veteran:
Blood cannot wash away blood. Hate cannot wash away hate. War cannot wash away war. ( an Afghan Proverb )
Saturday, November 14, 2009
'Crime of the Century'
I, (name), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.
The above says it All, whether policy of orders given to invade and occupy others are wrong or right, service in our Military means just what is said by those taking the oath of Military Service to Support and Defend the Constitution of the United States!
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
In the above video report they play a clip from the limbaugh radio show. First I would like to say, I agree with this limbaugh statement.
Second I would like to pass along a "Thank You rush for admitting, On Air to your so called mass audience, even with the video provided, very publicly that which most of the world, especially most in this country, already know, Crimes Were Committed By The Previous Administration, Thank You!" For you also, with that short statement stated what the reality of yours, and those like you, Fear Actually Is!!
The World still waits for this Country to be what we say we are and not act and do what we condemn others for, and that wait means to adhere to our Constitution and Our Laws as well as the International Laws we helped to write and prosecute!
On 11.13.09, the evening of the decision by the Attorney General he was interviewed on the PBS News Hour, just below is the opening segment to the interview.
Part 1: Alleged 9/11 Mastermind Among Detainees to Face Trial in N.Y.
The Justice Department on Friday announced plans to try suspected 9/11 mastermind, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees, in federal court. Ray Suarez reports.
JIM LEHRER: The self-proclaimed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks will face trial in federal court in New York City. That announcement came from the Justice Department today. Four other detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will also be tried in New York.
And five more will face military tribunals.
Ray Suarez has our lead story report.
RAY SUAREZ: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed topped the list today. He has claimed direct credit for organizing the airliner attacks of September 11.
In Washington, Attorney General Eric Holder said Mohammed and four co-conspirators will be tried just blocks from where the Twin Towers fell.
ERIC HOLDER, U.S. Attorney General: The Justice Department has a long and a successful history of prosecuting terrorists for their crimes against our nation, particularly in New York. Although these cases can often be complex and challenging, federal prosecutors have successfully met these challenges and have convicted a number of terrorists who are now serving lengthy sentences in our prisons...>>>>Rest of Transcript Here
The discussion with Jim Lehrer and Attorney General Eric Holder.
Part 2: Holder: 9/11 Trials Will Weigh 'Crime of the Century'
"This is a case that will be treated as any other criminal case."
In an interview with Jim Lehrer, Attorney General Eric Holder discusses the decision to prosecute the alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees in civilian federal court in New York, calling the stakes "enormous."
JIM LEHRER: I talked with the attorney general this afternoon at the Justice Department.
Mr. Attorney General, welcome.
ERIC HOLDER: U.S. Attorney General: Thanks for having me.
JIM LEHRER: You said this morning that deciding to prosecute these five 9/11 detainees in civilian federal court was a very tough decision for you to make.
Why so?
ERIC HOLDER: The stakes are so enormous. We're talking about what literally is the crime of the century.
Where should this case properly be housed? How do I deal with the concerns of the victims? Am I placing it in a jurisdiction where we can handle the security? There were a whole series of questions that I had to ask, and answer, before I was able to say that this was the right decision to make.
JIM LEHRER: Who did you consult while making this decision?
ERIC HOLDER: I talked to the prosecutors in the Justice Department, prosecutors from the Department of Defense, people on the staff here at the Justice Department, people at Defense, a whole variety of people, who shared ideas, thoughts, gave cautionary ideas as well, and, using all of that, came up with the decision that we announced just earlier today.
JIM LEHRER: Did you run it by President Obama?
ERIC HOLDER: Just informed him of the decision...>>>>Rest of Trascript Here
9/11 widow Kristen Breitweiser
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
This is a start, but the Country needs to look deep within and bring forth all the charges against our own who with their extremely failed policies, and outright crimes, created the next generations of criminal terrorist, know no borders.
Editorial: 'Unalienable rights'? No more
The foundational document of the United States of America, the Declaration of Independence, declares it to be "self-evident" that "all men ... are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights." Governments, it says, are instituted "to secure these rights." The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has now amended that to read "unless the government claims national security, in which case it can do pretty much whatever it wants."
If this is how the government "protects" us from terrorism, we have lost more than we have gained...>>>>
That is our legacy we are leaving to those who come after us, our children's children and theirs!!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Kerry on Afghanistan
I'll start this out with a short clip of a speech Senator, and brother 'Nam Veteran, Kerry gave on his return from a fact finding and diplomacy trip to Afghanistan. In this clip, in just a couple of sentences, he lays out the reality as to what one leading 'chickenhawk', and to many war criminal, has been blathering lately. Though Kerry doesn't mention it also speaks as to what that chief 'chickenhawk's' spokesperson, his daughter, fast becoming the leading 'chickenhawkette', has also been spreading around, allowed to and rarely, if ever, challenged.
Kerry, like many especially us who served in Vietnam, have had some four decades to better understand how extremely wrong government policies, especially as to invasions leading to occupation, can go wrong and in the video cut above states how the recent past was built on failed policy after failed policy after failed policy........... as well as ignoring the original intent policy of why we sent our military into that region of the world. It all stopped having anything to do with the criminal terrorist attacks on this country as the civilian and military leadership set their sites on Iraq, many feel was their main purpose to begin with, and they were given a reason to engage.
After Senator Kerry's speech he had a sit down discussion that aired on the PBS News Hour last night giving more insight to his fact finding visit to Afghanistan.
Or watch the discussion in this player {it's just shy of eleven minutes}:
There's a meme used far to often to justify the wants of the few who seek to enhance their power, wealth or extremist views or whatever goes on in their heads by using military's, ours especially, to force those views on others, even including those they supposedly represent. That meme is "Freedom isn't free!", frankly it is,freedom is found within each of us supposedly intelligent human beings, freedom doesn't come by extreme force and terrorizing others, invading and occupying, dictating policies they must follow, creating more hatreds thus enemies seeking retaliations, especially from the young who grow up during the destructive occupations.
This morning we get this report:
Matthew Hoh is seeing what many of us saw during our years of Vietnam and many have started to see over these past years as to Afghanistan and Iraq, especially in Afghanistan after we left to invade Iraq. What purpose is there still occupying that country, there's only one purpose that can be sought, giving security to the people, who don't want us there, and try to give security to NGO's coming in to help rebuild though under a corrupt government and lax Afghan security, lax mainly because it's their own countrymen they will be forced to fight.
The Taliban are growing, or those we label Taliban, in numbers because of the rise in hatreds towards us especially due to our now nine year destructive occupation of Afghanistan, our bombing in Pakistan by robot planes killing and maiming more civilians then so called high value targets, our creation of hatreds from invading and occupying Iraq causing the hatreds to grow towards us in the whole region, we are no longer seeking out nor fighting the ghost enemy al Qaeda, or those we label as belonging to, though their numbers are also growing and probably seeking what the Taliban aren't outside the region terror attacks!
This Country was left with a huge host of problems and failed policies by the previous administration, very difficult problems that really can't be corrected but can be minimized, Hopefully. Even as CiC these extreme failed policies in Afghanistan and Iraq are not only up to President Obama these were laid at our feet qwith the blood on all our hands, we are the ones the hatreds are being lashed out at not just our government nor it's leaders, it is what the next generations will be left to deal with, these are the legacy and world we are leaving them!!
If interested Laura Flanders will be airing a discussion tonight at Eight PM on her Grit TV stream which then will be archived:
Kerry, like many especially us who served in Vietnam, have had some four decades to better understand how extremely wrong government policies, especially as to invasions leading to occupation, can go wrong and in the video cut above states how the recent past was built on failed policy after failed policy after failed policy........... as well as ignoring the original intent policy of why we sent our military into that region of the world. It all stopped having anything to do with the criminal terrorist attacks on this country as the civilian and military leadership set their sites on Iraq, many feel was their main purpose to begin with, and they were given a reason to engage.
After Senator Kerry's speech he had a sit down discussion that aired on the PBS News Hour last night giving more insight to his fact finding visit to Afghanistan.
Sen. John Kerry
"If are you going to ask some kid to put his life on the line...I think we all have an obligation to make certain we have maximized the ability to be successful."
Kerry: Afghan Troop Push Goes 'Too Far, Too Fast'
Margaret Warner speaks with Sen. John Kerry about his recent trip to Afghanistan to persuade President Hamid Karzai to accept a runoff election.
Snip
MARGARET WARNER: You said in your speech today that General McChrystal's plan goes too far too fast.
Are you talking about the troop levels or his basic overall strategy of counterinsurgency?
SEN. JOHN KERRY, D-Mass.: The breadth of the reach of the counterinsurgency that he wants to start with and the number of troops to do it immediately. That doesn't mean you might not get there, ultimately, Margaret.
But I think you have got to show people like me and others that we have the civilian capacity to come in under underneath those troops, and the governance that's going to allow us to hold on, and the Afghan army members who will be in there with you, so it's not an American face; it's an Afghan movement immediately.
I think those three ingredients are critical. And we just don't have that sufficiently there to say, oh, boy, let's just go deploy this number of troops now.
MARGARET WARNER: So, are you suggesting to the president that he simply defer a decision on additional troops? Are you...
SEN. JOHN KERRY: No, I think the president could conceivably make the decision with -- and in many ways. He could put in some troops. He could put in a lot of troops. He could do, you know, any number of options.
But I'm trying to suggest that the standard that you use before you put them out into combat and clear an area and start to hold an area and actually implement the counterinsurgency component itself, I think you need those ingredients, or you are going to fail.
MARGARET WARNER: But the ingredients you lay out, some kind of effective local and national governance, Afghan security forces, a much better coordinated U.S. civilian effort, I mean, those are big projects, aren't they?...>>>You can watch or listen to and read the rest of the transcript at this link
Or watch the discussion in this player {it's just shy of eleven minutes}:
There's a meme used far to often to justify the wants of the few who seek to enhance their power, wealth or extremist views or whatever goes on in their heads by using military's, ours especially, to force those views on others, even including those they supposedly represent. That meme is "Freedom isn't free!", frankly it is,freedom is found within each of us supposedly intelligent human beings, freedom doesn't come by extreme force and terrorizing others, invading and occupying, dictating policies they must follow, creating more hatreds thus enemies seeking retaliations, especially from the young who grow up during the destructive occupations.
This morning we get this report:
U.S. official resigns over Afghan war
Foreign Service officer and former Marine captain says he no longer knows why his nation is fighting
Snip
"I have lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States' presence in Afghanistan," he wrote Sept. 10 in a four-page letter to the department's head of personnel. "I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy, but my resignation is based not upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end."
The reaction to Hoh's letter was immediate. Senior U.S. officials, concerned that they would lose an outstanding officer and perhaps gain a prominent critic, appealed to him to stay.
U.S. Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry brought him to Kabul and offered him a job on his senior embassy staff. Hoh declined. From there, he was flown home for a face-to-face meeting with Richard C. Holbrooke, the administration's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"We took his letter very seriously, because he was a good officer," Holbrooke said in an interview. "We all thought that given how serious his letter was, how much commitment there was, and his prior track record, we should pay close attention to him."...>>>Rest Found Here
Matthew Hoh is seeing what many of us saw during our years of Vietnam and many have started to see over these past years as to Afghanistan and Iraq, especially in Afghanistan after we left to invade Iraq. What purpose is there still occupying that country, there's only one purpose that can be sought, giving security to the people, who don't want us there, and try to give security to NGO's coming in to help rebuild though under a corrupt government and lax Afghan security, lax mainly because it's their own countrymen they will be forced to fight.
The Taliban are growing, or those we label Taliban, in numbers because of the rise in hatreds towards us especially due to our now nine year destructive occupation of Afghanistan, our bombing in Pakistan by robot planes killing and maiming more civilians then so called high value targets, our creation of hatreds from invading and occupying Iraq causing the hatreds to grow towards us in the whole region, we are no longer seeking out nor fighting the ghost enemy al Qaeda, or those we label as belonging to, though their numbers are also growing and probably seeking what the Taliban aren't outside the region terror attacks!
This Country was left with a huge host of problems and failed policies by the previous administration, very difficult problems that really can't be corrected but can be minimized, Hopefully. Even as CiC these extreme failed policies in Afghanistan and Iraq are not only up to President Obama these were laid at our feet qwith the blood on all our hands, we are the ones the hatreds are being lashed out at not just our government nor it's leaders, it is what the next generations will be left to deal with, these are the legacy and world we are leaving them!!
If interested Laura Flanders will be airing a discussion tonight at Eight PM on her Grit TV stream which then will be archived:
GRITtv with Laura Flanders » EVENT: WOMEN AMONG WARLORDS: Rebuilding Afghanistan
We hear a lot about women in Afghanistan, but their voices too often are silenced. On Tuesday, October 27, join GRITtv host Laura Flanders at CUNY’s Center for Place, Culture and Politics with Afghan activists Malalai Joya, the first female Afghan parliamentarian, Awista Ayub and Nasrine Gross to discuss their work rebuilding their country.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at 3:00 PM
Skylight Room (9th floor)
If you can’t make the event, don’t miss our Tuesday show on Afghanistan, featuring Malalai Joya and Nasrine Gross, right here at 8 PM.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
On The Eve Of 9/11, Could It Have Been Prevented? {Added Video Report}
According to an FBI informant Yes!
FBI Informant Says Agents Missed Chance to Stop 9/11 Ringleader Mohammed Atta
Undercover Operative 'One Million Percent Positive' Attacks Could Have Been Prevented
This was just on the ABC World News, video report not yet up, but is one more of the Brian Ross Investigative Unit.
This all started going down in early 2001
Which means to me that not only weren't they not paying attention, in the White House, to the intelligence reports they were given and getting, someone in the FBI Administration wasn't paying attention, or worse, to what was coming in from the field of operations by the informants and operatives.
Which if above is true, it seems to show they were being ordered to go after soft targets and not hard intelligence even after 9/11.
With the increase of hatreds now, towards not only our countries policies but our countries people, and with the new administration, lets hope policies across the spectrum have changed and tightened to the reality. As we now have to work harder, with other countries, on the growth in the threat of criminal terrorism, while we still have two ongoing occupations, creating even more wide spread hatreds!
Added ABC News Video Investigative Report
FBI Informant Says Agents Missed Chance to Stop 9/11 Ringleader Mohammed Atta
Undercover Operative 'One Million Percent Positive' Attacks Could Have Been Prevented
This was just on the ABC World News, video report not yet up, but is one more of the Brian Ross Investigative Unit.
On the eve of the eight year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, an FBI informant who infiltrated alleged terrorist cells in the U.S. tells ABC News the FBI missed a chance to stop the al Qaeda plot because they focused more on undercover stings than on the man who would later become known as 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta.
Snip
According to Assaad, Shukrujumah, whose father ran the mosque, invited the undercover FBI operative to meet him at his home, but the FBI told him to stay away. Instead, Assad says the agency assigned him to set up and sting what he calls wannabe terrorists, ending any hope of infiltrating the real al Qaeda terrorists.
Former national security official Richard Clarke, now an ABC News consultant, said the case is "yet another example of the way the system broke down prior to 9/11."
"If the system had worked," Clarke said, "we might have been able to identify these people before the attacks."
This all started going down in early 2001
former undercover operative Elie Assaad says he spotted and became suspicious of Atta in early 2001, when he was sent by the FBI to infiltrate a small mosque outside Miami. Atta was there with Adnan Shukrujuman, an al Qaeda fugitive who now has a $5 million U.S. reward on his head.
Which means to me that not only weren't they not paying attention, in the White House, to the intelligence reports they were given and getting, someone in the FBI Administration wasn't paying attention, or worse, to what was coming in from the field of operations by the informants and operatives.
"I was right, I was a hundred percent right," Assaad says of his suspicions. He says that when he learned that Atta was one of the 9/11 hijackers, when the FBI asked if he could identify any of the attackers, he was "very upset, angry" and cried.
"I curse on everybody," Assaad says. "I destroyed half of my furniture. Uh, I went crazy."
The FBI's focus on stings, which Assaad has worked in at least 10 states and overseas since becoming an operative in 1996, are being questioned by many counter-terrorism authorities, who wonder what the true value of the stings are. Since 9/11, the stings have largely targeted people that are more aspirational than operational.
Which if above is true, it seems to show they were being ordered to go after soft targets and not hard intelligence even after 9/11.
After a 2006 sting, then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez praised Assaad – who was still unnamed at the time – for disrupting a group preparing a violent attack, resulting in the indictments of seven men on terror charges.
Snip
Another video of a later meeting shows Assaad counting out $1000 for the leader of the Miami group.
After three trials, including two mistrials, five of the seven men were convicted.
With the increase of hatreds now, towards not only our countries policies but our countries people, and with the new administration, lets hope policies across the spectrum have changed and tightened to the reality. As we now have to work harder, with other countries, on the growth in the threat of criminal terrorism, while we still have two ongoing occupations, creating even more wide spread hatreds!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
A Mass Grave In Afghanistan Raises Questions
The subject title comes from an important discussion on the NPR show 'Freshair' today, 7.23.09.
I caught this earlier, if you didn't you really should listen in to the Discussion, it's a needed report added to those that have started coming out, Finally, we cannot forget, nor let pass, these Atrocities committed because of and under the previous administration!!
There's also a writeup here with further linkbacks on more information.
To give light on Atrocities, abiding by what we say we are and as we condemn others for, as we did and tried to do while in or after 'Nam, helps minimize the damage done to us as a Nation, our moral souls!
But more importantly, as the occupations are ongoing, it helps save others lives, our soldiers and supporters in-country, from the known coming 'Blowback' by an insurgency or just rage from relations and friends!
But as they touch on in this report, this is extremely important for the Afghans themselves as they try and move forward as a country, someday!!
I caught this earlier, if you didn't you really should listen in to the Discussion, it's a needed report added to those that have started coming out, Finally, we cannot forget, nor let pass, these Atrocities committed because of and under the previous administration!!
In 2001, shortly after the American invasion of Afghanistan, hundreds or possibly thousands of Taliban and Al Qaeda prisoners surrendered to Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, an Afghan warlord on the payroll of the C.I.A.
Over the course of three days, the captured prisoners were allegedly packed into shipping containers without food or water. Many suffocated, while others were reportedly shot by guards.......more can be found here with a linkback to an '02 report and ability to listen in, or you can click on this link to bring up the NPR player.
There's also a writeup here with further linkbacks on more information.
To give light on Atrocities, abiding by what we say we are and as we condemn others for, as we did and tried to do while in or after 'Nam, helps minimize the damage done to us as a Nation, our moral souls!
But more importantly, as the occupations are ongoing, it helps save others lives, our soldiers and supporters in-country, from the known coming 'Blowback' by an insurgency or just rage from relations and friends!
But as they touch on in this report, this is extremely important for the Afghans themselves as they try and move forward as a country, someday!!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Facing down a firefight in Afghanistan
Exclusive video: NBC's Richard Engel, embedded with Viper Company in the Korengal Valley, gets a close-up view from the front lines.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
And continuing with this footage:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Saturday, March 28, 2009
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
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!!
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
Friday, March 20, 2009
'Seven Years Too Late'
Karzai: Additional U.S. Troops 'Seven Years Too Late'
In an interview with Margaret Warner, Afghan President Hamid Karzai welcomed additional U.S. troops, but said they were "seven years too late." He also endorsed reaching out to members of the Taliban who embraced the Afghan constitution.
Streaming Video Link, which you can also find, along with audio and transcript at top site link.
Monday, February 23, 2009
US Involvement in Afghanistan, Past, Present & Future
President Obama is speaking before a joint session of Congress Tuesday night in what is being described as the first State of the Union address of his presidency. While the economy is expected to dominate the agenda, Obama will also talk about his top foreign policy initiative: the war in Afghanistan. Last week, Obama ordered an additional 17,000 US combat troops to Afghanistan. The new deployments will begin in May and increase the US occupation force to 55,000. Today, we spend the hour looking at US involvement in Afghanistan with five guests: Anand Gopal, Afghanistan correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor; Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould, authors of Invisible History: Afghanistan’s Untold Story; Gilles Dorronsoro, visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and documentary filmmaker Kathleen Foster. [includes rush transcript]
Democracy Now - Watch/Listen/Read 2.23.09
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
The Entry of the Sunni Mujahideen
Michael Scheuer has an interesting series of articles at the Asian Times from the The Jamestown Foundation. A window in the coming Blowback, that has already reared it's ugly head in many places and is stoked by throwing intense flames onto the already started fire?
The latest report is called MUJAHIDEEN BLEED-THROUGH, Part 4 with a subtitle "Palestine and Israel: The ring of terror tightens"
Seems al Qaeda is not only growing but thriving and expanding rapidly with more fringe groups, which is what al Qaeda is, forming under that umbrella of Criminal Terrorism and according to Scheuer targeting Israel and U.S. Interests
This group falls under the name "Salafi" or "Salafism" which is the correct descriptive name of the often used term "Wahhabi", at least according to this site:
What is a Salafi and What is Salafism?
Scheuer describes the movements of the Salafi and it's goals.
There have been a few, very few, reports about so called in-fighting in Gaza long before the recent Carnage going on today. Here it seems it's reported as fighting between factions within Hamas, apparently that may not be the case.
The Salafi have apparently taken some actions against the Israeli's but on a minor scale so far.
While the recent actions of the Israeli's, as many are now saying, have enhanced the Palestinian Elected Hamas, which had been losing stature, it may actually be emboldening, and making it easier, for the Salafi Mujahideen to recruit not only Hamas fighters but other Palestinians and not only in Gaza but on the West Bank as well.
As the cut above says "but by courtesy of the regional destabilization caused by the United States-led war in Iraq. Salafi fighters of various nationalities are now flowing into the Levant from Iraq", the legacy being left, and forcast by many, has been rapidly taking place. Not only as to the instability of the region because of Iraq but this administration's ignoring the Israeli and Palestinian issue for eight years, with their partners the Likud government in Israel, and our present Secretary of State Condi Rice total lack of concern and action as to the recent past leading to the Israeli Destruction now taking place in Gaza, while earlier her and bush pledging more involvement and a Peace Deal before they Slither Away!!
Once again the link to this recent write: MUJAHIDEEN BLEED-THROUGH, Part 4
And the previous three:
PART 1: Syria: Terror's made-to-order milieu
PART 2: Lebanon: Last stop on a jihad highway
PART 3: Jordan: Al-Qaeda clouds a precarious future
Something you may also want to view:
The Power of Nightmares
A 3-Part BBC Video Series
This 3-part BBC video series documents the history of Islamic fundamentalism and neo-conservatism. Although it runs several hours long, it is well worth the time to view it.
The latest report is called MUJAHIDEEN BLEED-THROUGH, Part 4 with a subtitle "Palestine and Israel: The ring of terror tightens"
Seems al Qaeda is not only growing but thriving and expanding rapidly with more fringe groups, which is what al Qaeda is, forming under that umbrella of Criminal Terrorism and according to Scheuer targeting Israel and U.S. Interests
As discussed earlier in this series of articles, the entry of Sunni mujahideen from Iraq into Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon has been a fairly visible process and tracking it - at least in outline form - is an achievable task.
This group falls under the name "Salafi" or "Salafism" which is the correct descriptive name of the often used term "Wahhabi", at least according to this site:
What is a Salafi and What is Salafism?
The reader will notice that the word "Wahhabi" is always indented with quotation marks here at TheWahhabiMyth.com. Those who are labeled with this word do not themselves use this term, as it is used as a means of belittlement. The reasons for the rejection of this term are clearly outlined throughout this book. The correct way of referring to them is by terming them Salafis, as they are those who adhere to the way of the Salaf - the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) and his companions.
Following the way of the Salaf is the way which has been legislated in the Quran and Sunnah, the very sources of Islam. The Prophet (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) said to his daughter Fatimah: "Indeed, I am for you a blessed Salaf."
When asked about which was the correct and acceptable way of understanding Islam, the Prophet (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) replied by saying: "That which I and my companions are upon."
Scheuer describes the movements of the Salafi and it's goals.
the goal of the mujahideen from Iraq has been clear: (a) to spread Salafi beliefs in the Levant countries and (b) to place fighters as close to Israel as possible. These Salafi Islamists are, in essence, trying to create a space where they can begin to operate inside Israel. Whether they succeed in that goal is an open question, but their intent is clear.
There have been a few, very few, reports about so called in-fighting in Gaza long before the recent Carnage going on today. Here it seems it's reported as fighting between factions within Hamas, apparently that may not be the case.
Al-Qaeda and its Salafi allies have long viewed Palestine as "an Islamic endowment", a place to which "every Muslim has the right to set out for jihad in its land". Osama bin Laden, moreover, has long railed against the governments of Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon for preventing non-Palestinian mujahideen from basing themselves in their countries. Bin Laden's gripe has now been satisfied to an extent, not by his own hand, but by courtesy of the regional destabilization caused by the United States-led war in Iraq. Salafi fighters of various nationalities are now flowing into the Levant from Iraq.
In Palestine, there seems to be a minor Salafi presence in the West Bank but a steadily growing military and proselytizing presence in Gaza. The above noted "Army of Islam" and several other Salafi organizations have created training facilities in Gaza and have displayed them to the international media, defiantly proclaiming, "We are coming Jews!" They have, to date, conducted some attacks on the Israeli army when its units were engaged in raids in Gaza, and have attacked Christian and American targets in Gaza.
The bleed-through from Iraq also is having some impact in the Palestinian territories - especially Gaza - and in Israel.
The Salafi have apparently taken some actions against the Israeli's but on a minor scale so far.
and the Salafis appear to spend just as much time fighting with their erstwhile Islamist colleagues in Hamas.
As the Salafists in Gaza began to preach and attract followers there appears to have been an implicit understanding reached between the Salafist leaders and Hamas. The deal allowed the Salafists to train fighters, attack Israeli targets, and preach in Gaza as long as they did not engage in Gaza's internal political system and did not try to impose their ideology by force on Palestinians.
This has been an unstable deal at best; even as the Salafists acquiesced to Hamas' terms, they declared their belief that "Hamas does not implement the rule of God on earth, and does not enforce any ruling of the Islamic Sharia". There have been fire-fights between Salafists and Hamas security forces during the latter's raids of Salafi mosques and other sites. On one occasion this fall, Hamas policeman killed nine members of the Army of Islam, earning a promise of revenge from the group's leaders.
While the recent actions of the Israeli's, as many are now saying, have enhanced the Palestinian Elected Hamas, which had been losing stature, it may actually be emboldening, and making it easier, for the Salafi Mujahideen to recruit not only Hamas fighters but other Palestinians and not only in Gaza but on the West Bank as well.
As the cut above says "but by courtesy of the regional destabilization caused by the United States-led war in Iraq. Salafi fighters of various nationalities are now flowing into the Levant from Iraq", the legacy being left, and forcast by many, has been rapidly taking place. Not only as to the instability of the region because of Iraq but this administration's ignoring the Israeli and Palestinian issue for eight years, with their partners the Likud government in Israel, and our present Secretary of State Condi Rice total lack of concern and action as to the recent past leading to the Israeli Destruction now taking place in Gaza, while earlier her and bush pledging more involvement and a Peace Deal before they Slither Away!!
Once again the link to this recent write: MUJAHIDEEN BLEED-THROUGH, Part 4
And the previous three:
PART 1: Syria: Terror's made-to-order milieu
PART 2: Lebanon: Last stop on a jihad highway
PART 3: Jordan: Al-Qaeda clouds a precarious future
Something you may also want to view:
The Power of Nightmares
A 3-Part BBC Video Series
This 3-part BBC video series documents the history of Islamic fundamentalism and neo-conservatism. Although it runs several hours long, it is well worth the time to view it.
The Power of Nightmares Part 1: “Baby it's Cold Outside“
The Power of Nightmares Part 2: The Phantom Victory - by Adam Curtis
The Power of Nightmares Part 3: The Shadows in the Cave
And what will happen within Iraq especially adding the actions taking place in Gaza?
‘Sons of Iraq’ role causes some worry
By Thursday, when the security agreement between Iraq and the United States takes effect, about 75 percent of the "Sons of Iraq" groups in the country will be under Iraqi responsibility, U.S. officials said this week.
The transition of the armed groups from U.S. control began last year and has been one of the key worries in cementing the security gains seen in the country in recent months. More than 100,000 "Sons of Iraq" members had been recruited in Iraq over the past two years — some of them former insurgents, most of them young men without jobs.
Michael Scheuer served in the CIA for 22 years before resigning in 2004. He served as the chief of the Bin Laden Unit at the Counterterrorist Center from 1996 to 1999. He is the once anonymous author of Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror; his most recent book is Marching Toward Hell: America and Islam After Iraq. Dr Scheuer is a Senior Fellow with The Jamestown Foundation.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Before 9/11 - Taliban - al Qaeda
The National Security Archive has just released a Load of Files Electronic Briefing Book No. 253 Posted - August 20, 2008 under the title: 1998 Missile Strikes on Bin Laden May Have Backfired with a subtitle: Extensive 1999 Report on Al-Qaeda Threat Released by U.S. Dept of Energy,
Taliban Told U.S. They Wanted to Bomb Washington
With backlinks to the PDF's and more links in the sidebar on the left.
I've just glanced through some but the same questions come up that have with the remembering the reports on the Taliban and al Qaeda prior to 9/11, the many unanswered questions from the commission on 9/11, the dodging of questions and outright lies from some within the government, especially the administration, at the time and since, with more added as the policies of the administration exploded into the negatives for this country and it's national security and now negative standing amoung nations on this planet.
One question keeps growing, "With all this country must have known, through it's extremely well financed and technology advanced Intelligence Agencies, how were the acts of 9/11 allowed to happen?"!
The reasons given, intelligence sharing etc., are just to simplified to carry any weight, not after being told, and shown some, for years what our monies were buying and suspecting much more that was not told in the interest of National Security.
The see pp. 18-22 above are small pdf's giving some quick interesting bullet points.
Read the Documents. This link is the same as the very first above. There are a number of documents at the bottom of the page to sort through.
Note: The following documents are in PDF format. You will need to download and install the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.
Under Document 1 dated December 6, 1999 ou will find some information and backlinks along with these bullet points:
There's alot of reading and research that can be found and added to the already known and suspected.
Where Iraq fits into all this sits only in the minds of those who wanted an invasion an regime change for years before, those who once supported that dictatorship, and saw wealth and extreme power in toppling their once friend and allie, and controlling a country in the center of the region to grant expansion of that extreme wealth and power.
What the invasion and occupation of Iraq has accomplished is far beyond what any extremist anywhere in the region or not hoped for, total unrest and hatreds. One needs only look at Afghanistan today, the Pakistan border region and Pakistan, the continuation of actions in the Iraq theater, the push back by the Iranians and their preparations to ward off attack by anyone, Guerilla Insurgents reportedly flowing into the border region from all over and waging growing destructive attacks on Nato forces and the Afghans, and the growing Criminal Terror attacks in other points outside of these theaters.
Where we once might have had friends an allies we created enemies.
Where we had the chance to better relations with the other powers they are ignoring us and recently sticking our own actions right back in our faces, they will allie with the region those few wanted to control, against us.
And we as a Nation will move on in our Apathy, holding No One Accountable, an with no knowledge of what the future brings, only knowing it will not be what it should have been!
Taliban Told U.S. They Wanted to Bomb Washington
With backlinks to the PDF's and more links in the sidebar on the left.
On the tenth anniversary of U.S. cruise missile strikes against al-Qaeda in response to deadly terrorist attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, newly-declassified government documents posted today by the National Security Archive (NS Archive) suggest the strikes not only failed to hurt Osama bin Laden but ultimately may have brought al-Qaeda and the Taliban closer politically and ideologically.
I've just glanced through some but the same questions come up that have with the remembering the reports on the Taliban and al Qaeda prior to 9/11, the many unanswered questions from the commission on 9/11, the dodging of questions and outright lies from some within the government, especially the administration, at the time and since, with more added as the policies of the administration exploded into the negatives for this country and it's national security and now negative standing amoung nations on this planet.
One question keeps growing, "With all this country must have known, through it's extremely well financed and technology advanced Intelligence Agencies, how were the acts of 9/11 allowed to happen?"!
The reasons given, intelligence sharing etc., are just to simplified to carry any weight, not after being told, and shown some, for years what our monies were buying and suspecting much more that was not told in the interest of National Security.
A 400-page Sandia National Laboratories report on bin Ladin { this is a big pdf download }, compiled in 1999, includes a warning about political damage for the U.S. from bombing two impoverished states without regard for international agreement, since such action "mirror imag[ed] aspects of al-Qaeda's own attacks" [see pp. 18-22 {pdf}]. A State Department cable {pdf} argues that although the August missile strikes were designed to provide the Taliban with overwhelming reason to surrender bin Laden, the military action may have sharpened Afghan animosity towards Washington and even strengthened the Taliban-al-Qaeda alliance.
Following the August 20 U.S. air attacks, Taliban spokesman Wakil Ahmed told U.S. Department of State officials {pdf} "If Kandahar could have retaliated with similar strikes against Washington, it would have." Such an attack, although unfeasible at the time, was at least in part actualized by al-Qaeda on 9/11.
Following the 1998 embassy bombings, the U.S. sought to extradite bin Laden to Saudi Arabia or possibly Egypt, but failed to get bin Laden out of Afghanistan because, at least according to the U.S. Department of State {pdf}, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were unable or unwilling to apply enough pressure to coerce Taliban Supreme Leader Mullah Omar to surrender bin Laden.
The lengthy Sandia report compiled by Dr. Gary W. Richter {pdf} synthesizes an impressive volume of public-source information available on bin Laden into a coherent summary of the al-Qaeda terrorist threat following the August embassy bombings. The report concludes that the bombings did not take U.S. intelligence and diplomatic services by surprise, as the U.S. in 1998 had capable counterterrorism intelligence gathering and interdiction capabilities. However, according to the report, in retrospect, the August 20 retaliatory cruise missile strikes may have caused long-term political harm to U.S. national security and counterterrorism interests [see pp. 18-22 {pdf}]. The report contains extensive timelines, biographies and issue summaries and is useful for researchers interesting in the evolution of al-Qaeda and the American response.
The see pp. 18-22 above are small pdf's giving some quick interesting bullet points.
Read the Documents. This link is the same as the very first above. There are a number of documents at the bottom of the page to sort through.
Note: The following documents are in PDF format. You will need to download and install the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.
Under Document 1 dated December 6, 1999 ou will find some information and backlinks along with these bullet points:
* The "war" against terrorism will never be "won," as terrorism will always be a global problem.
* The August 7, 1998, embassy bombings should not be taken as an indication that U.S. counterterrorism efforts are entirely ineffective.
* The August 20, 1998, retaliatory cruise missile strikes did little to help solve the problem posed by bin Laden and may ultimately prove to have done more harm than good.
* The risk of future attacks by Osama bin Laden or his associates using weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) is not insignificant.
* The root cause of the militant threat is the widespread and deep-seated discontent among a large segment of the Islamic world, as opposed to the actions or agitation of any one individual or group of individuals. As such, diplomatic options are likely to be the most effective strategies at reducing the threat.
And:
* The U.S. was not "blindsided" by a new threat, as much was already known about al-Qaeda, including its anti-American aspirations and the existence of an East African al-Qaeda cell. [page 18]
* Members of this East African cell had been identified before August 7, and were under "intense scrutiny." It is likely "that this campaign of disruption had done much to dissipate the threat." [page 18]
* In response to the ongoing surveillance, threat evaluation and disruption operations, the members of this cell "felt themselves to be at "100% danger." [page 18]
* "In retrospect there were also specific indications of a bomb plot," however "it seems as if threat assessment personnel in Washington did not take the warning signs as seriously as did the embassy personnel in Nairobi." [page 19]
* The number of bombings prevented far exceeds the number of bombings that were not stopped by U.S. security efforts. [page 18]
And:
* High cost
* International criticism
* Questionable justice in that the strikes "killed only (or nearly only) individuals who were innocent of the embassy bombings"
* Reputational damage from disregarding alliances
* Questionable effectiveness in destroying or disrupting al-Qaeda or perspective terrorists
* Possible diminished impact for any future U.S. strikes by "demonstrating how little [the U.S] could achieve (e.g., limited physical damage)," by depleting ammunition, providing adversaries with an opportunity to observe and reformulate strategies based on observed vulnerabilities, and convincing bin Laden that the U.S. is unwilling to use higher-cost forms of force that would put U.S. personnel at risk
* "The attack provoked a new round of terrorist bombing plots."
* Bin Laden received a good deal of publicity and "appeared to many as an underdog standing firm in the face of bullying aggression."
* The Taliban's poor control over Afghanistan "may mean that they shouldn't bear responsibility for the acts of those on their soil."
* The U.S. may have given away the moral high ground by mirroring certain aspects of bin Laden's strategy with the attacks, and the U.S. bombed targets in independent third-world countries without concern for the sensitivities or sovereignty of those nations.
And:
* Justified under domestic law
* Calling attention to the bin Laden-Taliban connection, which complicated the Taliban's ability to gain international recognition as well as their future ability to justify support for Muslim fundamentalist groups
* Demonstrated U.S. resolve, dedication to dealing with terrorism as a matter of national security, and the reach of U.S. military power
* Provides incentives for nations to cooperate in U.S. counterterrorism activities, if for no other reason but to avoid unilateral action
* May deter terrorists and nations from harboring terrorists
There's alot of reading and research that can be found and added to the already known and suspected.
Where Iraq fits into all this sits only in the minds of those who wanted an invasion an regime change for years before, those who once supported that dictatorship, and saw wealth and extreme power in toppling their once friend and allie, and controlling a country in the center of the region to grant expansion of that extreme wealth and power.
What the invasion and occupation of Iraq has accomplished is far beyond what any extremist anywhere in the region or not hoped for, total unrest and hatreds. One needs only look at Afghanistan today, the Pakistan border region and Pakistan, the continuation of actions in the Iraq theater, the push back by the Iranians and their preparations to ward off attack by anyone, Guerilla Insurgents reportedly flowing into the border region from all over and waging growing destructive attacks on Nato forces and the Afghans, and the growing Criminal Terror attacks in other points outside of these theaters.
Where we once might have had friends an allies we created enemies.
Where we had the chance to better relations with the other powers they are ignoring us and recently sticking our own actions right back in our faces, they will allie with the region those few wanted to control, against us.
And we as a Nation will move on in our Apathy, holding No One Accountable, an with no knowledge of what the future brings, only knowing it will not be what it should have been!
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Book reveals secret Iraq mission and more
In Ron Suskind’s bold new book, “The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism,” the Pulitzer prize-winning journalist critically examines the Bush presidency and addresses what he calls “America’s diminished moral authority.” To coincide with the book’s Tuesday release date, Suskind appears live on TODAY on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the revelations contained within the book. Tune in at 7:10 a.m. both days to catch Meredith Vieira’s interviews with Suskind.
SNIP
The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism
Thursday, July 31, 2008
War on Terror? Criminal Terrorism!! The Rand Report
On the 29th of July an extremely important think tank report, paid for by the government, came forth from the Rand Corporation, a favorite of the Pentagon on National Security matters.
I heard the report early that morning on a news blip on NPR and went over to the Rand Site and found the report. I than posted about it on a number of sites as well as sent it out, all with back links.
There was also a link for a Congressional Briefing to be held on that day on the report.
At first I was shocked that very few picked up on the importance of this report, that day and the next, as well as the hearing. Than thinking about it later maybe I shouldn't have been surprised that few political boards saw the need to report and most certainly fewer MSM outlets as well. There's an Awful Lot of sheepish guilty consciouses that supported this criminal administration, and criminal it is, in the direction it started selling this 'War on Terrorism', and the MSM, purely for commercial profit, would love to see what their advertisers were paying for ads than, happily went along, War Sells Big Time! Hell these political people, the boards, the MSM, the majority of the voters even fear bringing charges and accountability, fear of what that may mean on the political front, to hell with the Constitution the Politics are more important!
There were a few people who like me tried to rattle the cages of these boards to pay attention, sadly they to were ignored. This morning truong son traveler had another great report posted on a couple of boards, after the MSM finally started to Get It, such as Keith Olbermann, after two days:
{ had to edit the end, didn't need the two reports prior and uploading, even with those cut off his last words, so I edited and put them in as closing text plus }
Other News outlets have also started grasping the importance of the Conservative Rand Corporations report and it's real meaning and have written it up, like these:
U.S. News and World Report
As well as this:
Countering al Qaeda, a must-read for Pakistan from Reuters.
And this:
Kerry Was Right from the Atlantic
After 9/11 many were saying exactly what this Rand Report is now saying, seven years into this so called 'War on Terror', as well as our allies and even countries considered our foes or rather not friendly towards us, in going after al Qaeda and international criminal terrorism. We, the United States, had universal support from all corners of this planet after the devastating attacks on our country, that support would have brought the intelligence, the law enforcement agencies, and the militaries, if needed, to our aid in tracking down these criminal terrorists. This administration saw it differently and much more dangerously, wage a War on unknown factions, label them all terrorists, kill and destroy, thus creating the hatreds needed to enhance the threat leading to a replacement for the phony 'Cold War' by a 'War on Terrorism' for the wealth and power of the few and a long lasting destructive endeavor for the World to handle, and soon they will walk away with their profits and we as a Nation will hold no one Accountable!
Let me tell a little story here. After we invaded Afghanistan and ousted the Taliban, still not catching the leaders of al Qaeda, Veterans started planning an action of a Teach In to take place in Washington and called Operation Dire Distress, we saw the writing on the wall, what we 'Nam Vets especially had promised we would never allow to happen again was about to do just that. The talk changed from Afghanistan to Iraq and invading that country and toppling that leader, though the Iraqi people had nothing to do with 9/11. As the drums of war with Iraq were beating louder the planning went on. The Teach In took place, at American University in DC, on Saturday March 22nd 2003, some two days after 'Shock and Awe' started destroying the country of Iraq and it's people, there were some 300 to 400 Veterans, from World War II to the 1st Gulf War, as well as family and friends of some, from around the country.
This link is a PDF of the VFP Newsletter from that time, after that weekend Veterans For Peace Newsletter
A number of the speakers listed above, and there were more, were saying almost the exact same thing this Rand Report is now saying and much more, and we along with a growing voice of millions, in this country and around the world, have said since!
The next day a wreath laying was planned for all the monuments to those lost in our previous conflicts in Honor to their Service as our Brothers and Sisters in uniform, at the time the World War II monument had just started to be constructed
Two things happened that next day that I'll never forget, one really moved me and others, the other showed us 'Nam Vets how far this country hadn't come and hos sheepish it's citizens truly are, first a cut from the newsletter:
The first, never to be lost memory, the one that moved me.
I had gotten to the Mall early in order to take some pictures of the War Memorials before the crowds started and the rest of the Veterans and friends showed up. There was a stage setup at the Lincoln Memorial didn't go over there and didn't know what it was for but was soon to find out. While there taking a few shots and waiting for the Vets I noticed people started showing up and heading down towards the stage area, none would look at me or if they did and I caught their eyes they would quickly look away. I asked a DC cop that was near by what the stage was for, it was a planned Clear Channel 'support The Troops' rally, now I understood why the no looks, I had my Veterans For Peace T-Shirt and Ballcap on, I'll explain in a moment.
The vets started coming to the mall, as we were talking DC park personal started showing up with crowd control tube barriers, they look like bicycle racks without the center bars, They set them up in a line along the hill between us and the Vietnam Memorial, i.e. the Lincoln Memorial. While this was taking place we were joined by some other Vets, from around the area, that hadn't been at the Teach In the day before. While talking I noticed one guy running towards us from the corner of the Mall. When he got up to us, out of breath, he asked who he should talk to to join VFP. Come to find out he had watched the Saturday Teach In on C-Span, jumped on a Red Eye out of Chicago and flew down to join us for Sunday's Wreath laying, he was a 'Nam Vet who hadn't been active prior to the debacle that had started a few days before.
Now to the second occurrence, the state of this Nations Citizens, and the Treatment of Veterans, though us 'Nam Vets had already lived with it for years.
See the picture above, see the horses, well about 8to10 of DC's finest showed up riding them and took a line along the barriers. They were extremely nice to us but told us we couldn't pass over, especially in masse to lay one of the Wreath's at the Vietnam Memorial as we planned, only a small group of 3 to 4 would be allowed to do that Honor. Now as there were Veterans from WWII, through Korea, to 'Nam and up to Gulf War I the majority were Korea to 'Nam and we weren't allowed to honor our Fallen Brothers of 'Nam because the police thought there might be trouble if we Veterans got to close to the Rally 'Supporting The Troops', it was at the rally organizers request to keep us Veterans Away! No one was approached by any attending this rally, some 200 or so, so not one Vet was asked if they wanted to attend a rally in Support Of Our New Generation Of Coming Conflict Veterans! They were waving American Flags, playing Patriotic Music, singing along with the Patriotic songs and making speeches of 'Supporting The Troops' while Spitting Once Again On The Veterans Who Had Served Them In Protection Of Their Freedom, supposedly, and Democracy, supposedly!
A problem arose, if we couldn't walk near this Patriotic Rally for our Service Members how does one get from the Vietnam Memorial and the others on that side of the reflecting pool to the Korean Memorial on the otherside, there was a fence up at the opposite end from the Lincoln Memorial for the WWII Construction, why one allows the DC Police to lead, enmasse, a walk through the reflecting pool which just happened to be empty for a well needed cleaning, like a miracle only the water didn't need to part!!
Think about the above and if you've ever been to DC you can get a picture of how we were treated and the Honor Wreath laying, about 400 Veterans Shunned by the Patriotic Americans they served and our brothers and sisters died for!!
You know, those Clear Channel Rallies were never attended by huge crowds nor did they last long, they sort of went quietly away as the cheap magnetic ribbons took over, they too have pretty much disappeared.
We were saying, and have since, Exactly what this Rand Corporation report is saying now, and Think how many have died, been maimed physically and mentally, not just soldiers but civilians of another small country and how much damage has been done and the hatreds now that have been created!!
you can get the press release here, you can get the full document here or a summary of the research brief here.
I heard the report early that morning on a news blip on NPR and went over to the Rand Site and found the report. I than posted about it on a number of sites as well as sent it out, all with back links.
There was also a link for a Congressional Briefing to be held on that day on the report.
At first I was shocked that very few picked up on the importance of this report, that day and the next, as well as the hearing. Than thinking about it later maybe I shouldn't have been surprised that few political boards saw the need to report and most certainly fewer MSM outlets as well. There's an Awful Lot of sheepish guilty consciouses that supported this criminal administration, and criminal it is, in the direction it started selling this 'War on Terrorism', and the MSM, purely for commercial profit, would love to see what their advertisers were paying for ads than, happily went along, War Sells Big Time! Hell these political people, the boards, the MSM, the majority of the voters even fear bringing charges and accountability, fear of what that may mean on the political front, to hell with the Constitution the Politics are more important!
There were a few people who like me tried to rattle the cages of these boards to pay attention, sadly they to were ignored. This morning truong son traveler had another great report posted on a couple of boards, after the MSM finally started to Get It, such as Keith Olbermann, after two days:
{ had to edit the end, didn't need the two reports prior and uploading, even with those cut off his last words, so I edited and put them in as closing text plus }
Other News outlets have also started grasping the importance of the Conservative Rand Corporations report and it's real meaning and have written it up, like these:
U.S. News and World Report
Since 2001, al Qaeda has conducted a greater number of attacks across a larger geographic area than at any time in its history. "We find it hard to agree that al Qaeda has been significantly weakened since Sept. 11, 2001," says Seth Jones, coauthor with Martin Libicki of the report titled "How Terrorist Groups End: Lessons for Countering al Qaeda."
The authors evaluate al Qaeda since 2001 as being both "strong" and "competent."
What's needed, the report suggests, is a "fundamental rethinking of U.S. strategy" to focus on minimizing overt military action and increasing intelligence collection and partnerships with law enforcement agencies around the world.
The report couldn't have been clearer in its refutation of one of the central tenants of the Bush administration's strategy against al Qaeda: the characterization of the conflict as a "global war." The administration has frequently attacked critics—especially Democrats—who say that counterterrorism should be built around law enforcement strategies.
As well as this:
Countering al Qaeda, a must-read for Pakistan from Reuters.
It’s probably unusual to link to a report by the RAND Corporation and an op-ed on Foxnews.com in the same blog, but since both address the same subject – tackling al Qaeda in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region – here goes.
The first is a detailed report by RAND called “How Terrorist Groups End”.
Its analysis of 648 groups that existed between 1968 and 2006 concludes that ”military force has rarely been the primary reason for the end of terrorist groups, and few groups within this time frame have achieved victory.” Calling for a rethink of U.S. strategy, it argues that policing and intelligence, rather than military force, should form the backbone of U.S. efforts against al Qaeda.”
And this:
Kerry Was Right from the Atlantic
As you may recall, back during the 2004 campaign John Kerry said something about counterterrorism being primarily a question to be dealt with through law enforcement and intelligence rather than something that should be understood as primarily a kind of war. George W. Bush was eager to pounce:
Some are skeptical that the war on terror is really a war at all. My opponent said, and I quote, "The war on terror is less of a military operation, and far more of an intelligence-gathering law enforcement operation." I disagree—strongly disagree.
After 9/11 many were saying exactly what this Rand Report is now saying, seven years into this so called 'War on Terror', as well as our allies and even countries considered our foes or rather not friendly towards us, in going after al Qaeda and international criminal terrorism. We, the United States, had universal support from all corners of this planet after the devastating attacks on our country, that support would have brought the intelligence, the law enforcement agencies, and the militaries, if needed, to our aid in tracking down these criminal terrorists. This administration saw it differently and much more dangerously, wage a War on unknown factions, label them all terrorists, kill and destroy, thus creating the hatreds needed to enhance the threat leading to a replacement for the phony 'Cold War' by a 'War on Terrorism' for the wealth and power of the few and a long lasting destructive endeavor for the World to handle, and soon they will walk away with their profits and we as a Nation will hold no one Accountable!
Let me tell a little story here. After we invaded Afghanistan and ousted the Taliban, still not catching the leaders of al Qaeda, Veterans started planning an action of a Teach In to take place in Washington and called Operation Dire Distress, we saw the writing on the wall, what we 'Nam Vets especially had promised we would never allow to happen again was about to do just that. The talk changed from Afghanistan to Iraq and invading that country and toppling that leader, though the Iraqi people had nothing to do with 9/11. As the drums of war with Iraq were beating louder the planning went on. The Teach In took place, at American University in DC, on Saturday March 22nd 2003, some two days after 'Shock and Awe' started destroying the country of Iraq and it's people, there were some 300 to 400 Veterans, from World War II to the 1st Gulf War, as well as family and friends of some, from around the country.
This link is a PDF of the VFP Newsletter from that time, after that weekend Veterans For Peace Newsletter
THE TEACH-IN - Saturday, March 22
The Kay Chapel at the American University, Washington, D.C.,
teach-in was packed all afternoon as speaker after speaker, with
solid knowledge and passionate eloquence, expertly laid out the fallacies
and falsehoods driving the war in Iraq, the ways it could have
been averted, with honor, and the need to end it quickly.
I was impressed by the sanity with which people who have
earned the right to speak as soldiers and citizens and patriots of the
highest order confronted the insanity of the actions of the Bush
administration. It was a long and illustrious list of combat nurses,
intelligence experts, academics, clerics, citizens of all stripes - people
like Bobby Muller, Daniel Ellsberg, Ray McGivern, Charles
Sheehan-Miles, Jamie Vasquez, Jonathan Schell, Charley
Richardson and Nancy Lessing of Military Families Speak Out, our
president, David Cline. C-Span saw fit to broadcast it for four solid
hours.
A number of the speakers listed above, and there were more, were saying almost the exact same thing this Rand Report is now saying and much more, and we along with a growing voice of millions, in this country and around the world, have said since!
The next day a wreath laying was planned for all the monuments to those lost in our previous conflicts in Honor to their Service as our Brothers and Sisters in uniform, at the time the World War II monument had just started to be constructed
Two things happened that next day that I'll never forget, one really moved me and others, the other showed us 'Nam Vets how far this country hadn't come and hos sheepish it's citizens truly are, first a cut from the newsletter:
THE PROCESSION - Sunday,
March 23
The day of the march was brisk and
sunny. Veterans and Military Families
from all over the country collected on a
knoll near the Vietnam Memorial. We listened
to a few, short speeches. Most of us
had our messages firmly placed in our
hearts and minds. In solemn procession
we made our way from one war memorial
to another.
At each, a small delegation of veterans
walked in and placed a wreath in
memory of those we knew and didn’t
know that were lost to their families.
Peter Shaw played his bagpipes on
each occasion but one; when he joined the
delegation to the Korean War memorial.
There we laid our arms on each others’ shoulders and kept a short
silence.
We visited the Office of Veterans Affairs. The Gulf War I vets,
of a war not yet memorialized, laid their wreath at the doorstep. In a
short speech, Erik Gustafson of EPIC and a member of VFP, noted
how the Congress voted out a resolution supporting the troops, yet,
at three the next morning, voted to cut billions from the budget of
the Office of Veterans Affairs over the next ten years.
The final official delegation delivered the VAIW statement of
purpose, signed by over 3000 veterans, ranking from Admirals and
Generals to PFCs, Airmen and Seamen, to the Whitehouse.
The President’s people refused to accept it.
The first, never to be lost memory, the one that moved me.
I had gotten to the Mall early in order to take some pictures of the War Memorials before the crowds started and the rest of the Veterans and friends showed up. There was a stage setup at the Lincoln Memorial didn't go over there and didn't know what it was for but was soon to find out. While there taking a few shots and waiting for the Vets I noticed people started showing up and heading down towards the stage area, none would look at me or if they did and I caught their eyes they would quickly look away. I asked a DC cop that was near by what the stage was for, it was a planned Clear Channel 'support The Troops' rally, now I understood why the no looks, I had my Veterans For Peace T-Shirt and Ballcap on, I'll explain in a moment.
The vets started coming to the mall, as we were talking DC park personal started showing up with crowd control tube barriers, they look like bicycle racks without the center bars, They set them up in a line along the hill between us and the Vietnam Memorial, i.e. the Lincoln Memorial. While this was taking place we were joined by some other Vets, from around the area, that hadn't been at the Teach In the day before. While talking I noticed one guy running towards us from the corner of the Mall. When he got up to us, out of breath, he asked who he should talk to to join VFP. Come to find out he had watched the Saturday Teach In on C-Span, jumped on a Red Eye out of Chicago and flew down to join us for Sunday's Wreath laying, he was a 'Nam Vet who hadn't been active prior to the debacle that had started a few days before.
Now to the second occurrence, the state of this Nations Citizens, and the Treatment of Veterans, though us 'Nam Vets had already lived with it for years.
See the picture above, see the horses, well about 8to10 of DC's finest showed up riding them and took a line along the barriers. They were extremely nice to us but told us we couldn't pass over, especially in masse to lay one of the Wreath's at the Vietnam Memorial as we planned, only a small group of 3 to 4 would be allowed to do that Honor. Now as there were Veterans from WWII, through Korea, to 'Nam and up to Gulf War I the majority were Korea to 'Nam and we weren't allowed to honor our Fallen Brothers of 'Nam because the police thought there might be trouble if we Veterans got to close to the Rally 'Supporting The Troops', it was at the rally organizers request to keep us Veterans Away! No one was approached by any attending this rally, some 200 or so, so not one Vet was asked if they wanted to attend a rally in Support Of Our New Generation Of Coming Conflict Veterans! They were waving American Flags, playing Patriotic Music, singing along with the Patriotic songs and making speeches of 'Supporting The Troops' while Spitting Once Again On The Veterans Who Had Served Them In Protection Of Their Freedom, supposedly, and Democracy, supposedly!
A problem arose, if we couldn't walk near this Patriotic Rally for our Service Members how does one get from the Vietnam Memorial and the others on that side of the reflecting pool to the Korean Memorial on the otherside, there was a fence up at the opposite end from the Lincoln Memorial for the WWII Construction, why one allows the DC Police to lead, enmasse, a walk through the reflecting pool which just happened to be empty for a well needed cleaning, like a miracle only the water didn't need to part!!
Think about the above and if you've ever been to DC you can get a picture of how we were treated and the Honor Wreath laying, about 400 Veterans Shunned by the Patriotic Americans they served and our brothers and sisters died for!!
You know, those Clear Channel Rallies were never attended by huge crowds nor did they last long, they sort of went quietly away as the cheap magnetic ribbons took over, they too have pretty much disappeared.
We were saying, and have since, Exactly what this Rand Corporation report is saying now, and Think how many have died, been maimed physically and mentally, not just soldiers but civilians of another small country and how much damage has been done and the hatreds now that have been created!!
you can get the press release here, you can get the full document here or a summary of the research brief here.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
"How Terrorist Groups End"
The title above comes from a new Rand Corporation Report
After 7 years of conflict and occupations, with 893 coalition deaths -- 556 Americans, in Afghanistan and increasing, and 4,438 coalition deaths -- 4,124 Americans in Iraq and increasing, with tens of thousands of injured and maimed, physically and mentally, and millions of innocents in both countries killed, maimed, living as refugee's, fighting each other in sectarian civil wars, living in ethnically cleansed neighborhoods and area's in Iraq behind huge concrete blast walls, this "Think Tank?" comes out and says:
No F'in Shit!!!!!
Millions of us, here and around the world, before the invasions and occupations, were saying exactly the same and more, and we weren't called a "Think Tank" we were labeled as "Focus Groups" not to be listened to, those here were labeled as "Unpatriotic", "Traitors", "Enemy Sympathizers", you name it "We Were In The Wrong" and the lying bastards of power Were Right, over seventy percent of this countries people Said So, and now hide from that support and tune out what the reality is!
And what does this "Think Tank" think we should do, not only this country but the world, well according to their press release:
Oh if you click the link directly above they'll sell you the study in paperback. But you can download the Full Document (File size 3.1 MB, 13 minutes modem, 2 minutes broadband) in PDF or download the Summary Only (File size 0.1 MB, 1 minute modem, 1 minute broadband) also in PDF.
From the site page linked above, a short description:
If you noticed in the above the terms "leftwing" and "nationalists" are used. While both so called ideologies, across many spectrum's not only political have their extremists I would argue that we recently became witness to a terrorists attack, on innocents, in a church, that from the reporting of it coming out hardly shows this terrorists was of a "leftwing" ideology, a "nationalists" maybe, but I doubt he even knows what that is.
And those we presently label as "Terrorist", any we wish as those naming wage terror, are hardly "leftwing", more of the extreme "rightside" of political, religious, and corporate entities.
If you also noticed, near the end of the above, it says, "U.S. policymakers should end the use of the phrase "war on terrorism" since there is no battlefield solution to defeating al Qa'ida."!
Now where have I heard that before, oh ya, from the Millions of us in the "Focus Groups" for over seven years! And what do they suggest we call it exactly, why "CounterTerrorism" instead, and why, because Terror is a Criminal Act and can only be gone after as a Crime finding and arresting, and if a fight ensues possibly killing, those carrying out these crimes, breaking up the organizations big and small, and I'll add change the policies the powerful practice to suppress any need for the disenfranchised to rebel against that power and those failed policies!
From the Press Release:
It took over seven years for this thinktank to come up with the obvious.
We waged War, mostly on Innocent Human Beings, using such catch phrases as "They hate our Freedom and Democracy", "They want to convert all to Islam", the so called leader? of the pack even used a term describing it was another "Religious War" and called himself a "War President" and "The Decider".
What we have done is create not only new generations of Hatred, we have made New Enemies of us and the World, tens of thousands if not millions, by the Failed Policies, the Death and Destruction, the Want To Control Them. And the generations behind us will be left dealing with the New World We Have Given Them!!
Once again, you can get the press release here, you can get the full document here or a summary of the research brief here. There is also a link for a Congressional Briefing to be held today:
If televised I'm wondering if I should watch it, I'm afraid I might either start pulling out my hair or throw something into the tv screen, as I think of All that has been Done these past seven years and none can be taken back!!!!!!!
After 7 years of conflict and occupations, with 893 coalition deaths -- 556 Americans, in Afghanistan and increasing, and 4,438 coalition deaths -- 4,124 Americans in Iraq and increasing, with tens of thousands of injured and maimed, physically and mentally, and millions of innocents in both countries killed, maimed, living as refugee's, fighting each other in sectarian civil wars, living in ethnically cleansed neighborhoods and area's in Iraq behind huge concrete blast walls, this "Think Tank?" comes out and says:
U.S. Should Rethink "War On Terrorism" Strategy to Deal with Resurgent Al Qaida
Current U.S. strategy against terrorist organization al Qaida has not been successful at limiting the group's capabilities. Since Sept. 11, 2001, al Qaida has been involved in more terrorist attacks than ever before and over an increasingly broader range of targets.
No F'in Shit!!!!!
Millions of us, here and around the world, before the invasions and occupations, were saying exactly the same and more, and we weren't called a "Think Tank" we were labeled as "Focus Groups" not to be listened to, those here were labeled as "Unpatriotic", "Traitors", "Enemy Sympathizers", you name it "We Were In The Wrong" and the lying bastards of power Were Right, over seventy percent of this countries people Said So, and now hide from that support and tune out what the reality is!
And what does this "Think Tank" think we should do, not only this country but the world, well according to their press release:
Current U.S. strategy against the terrorist group al Qaida has not been successful in significantly undermining the group's capabilities, according to a new RAND Corporation study issued today.
Oh if you click the link directly above they'll sell you the study in paperback. But you can download the Full Document (File size 3.1 MB, 13 minutes modem, 2 minutes broadband) in PDF or download the Summary Only (File size 0.1 MB, 1 minute modem, 1 minute broadband) also in PDF.
From the site page linked above, a short description:
All terrorist groups eventually end. But how do they end? The evidence since 1968 indicates that most groups have ended because (1) they joined the political process (43 percent) or (2) local police and intelligence agencies arrested or killed key members (40 percent). Military force has rarely been the primary reason for the end of terrorist groups, and few groups within this time frame have achieved victory. This has significant implications for dealing with al Qa'ida and suggests fundamentally rethinking post-9/11 U.S. counterterrorism strategy: Policymakers need to understand where to prioritize their efforts with limited resources and attention. The authors report that religious terrorist groups take longer to eliminate than other groups and rarely achieve their objectives. The largest groups achieve their goals more often and last longer than the smallest ones do. Finally, groups from upper-income countries are more likely to be left-wing or nationalist and less likely to have religion as their motivation. The authors conclude that policing and intelligence, rather than military force, should form the backbone of U.S. efforts against al Qa'ida. And U.S. policymakers should end the use of the phrase “war on terrorism” since there is no battlefield solution to defeating al Qa'ida.
If you noticed in the above the terms "leftwing" and "nationalists" are used. While both so called ideologies, across many spectrum's not only political have their extremists I would argue that we recently became witness to a terrorists attack, on innocents, in a church, that from the reporting of it coming out hardly shows this terrorists was of a "leftwing" ideology, a "nationalists" maybe, but I doubt he even knows what that is.
And those we presently label as "Terrorist", any we wish as those naming wage terror, are hardly "leftwing", more of the extreme "rightside" of political, religious, and corporate entities.
If you also noticed, near the end of the above, it says, "U.S. policymakers should end the use of the phrase "war on terrorism" since there is no battlefield solution to defeating al Qa'ida."!
Now where have I heard that before, oh ya, from the Millions of us in the "Focus Groups" for over seven years! And what do they suggest we call it exactly, why "CounterTerrorism" instead, and why, because Terror is a Criminal Act and can only be gone after as a Crime finding and arresting, and if a fight ensues possibly killing, those carrying out these crimes, breaking up the organizations big and small, and I'll add change the policies the powerful practice to suppress any need for the disenfranchised to rebel against that power and those failed policies!
From the Press Release:
Among the other findings, the study notes:
* Religious terrorist groups take longer to eliminate than other groups. Since 1968, approximately 62 percent of all terrorist groups have ended, while only 32 percent of religious terrorist groups have done so.
* No religious terrorist group has achieved victory since 1968.
* Size is an important predictor of a groups' fate. Large groups of more than 10,000 members have been victorious more than 25 percent of the time, while victory is rare when groups are smaller than 1,000 members.
* There is no statistical correlation between the duration of a terrorist group and ideological motivation, economic conditions, regime type or the breadth of terrorist goals.
* Terrorist groups that become involved in an insurgency do not end easily. Nearly 50 percent of the time they end with a negotiated settlement with the government, 25 percent of the time they achieved victory and 19 percent of the time, military groups defeated them.
* Terrorist groups from upper-income countries are much more likely to be left-wing or nationalistic, and much less likely to be motivated by religion.
"The United States has the necessary instruments to defeat al Qaida, it just needs to shift its strategy and keep in mind that terrorist groups are not eradicated overnight," Jones said.
It took over seven years for this thinktank to come up with the obvious.
We waged War, mostly on Innocent Human Beings, using such catch phrases as "They hate our Freedom and Democracy", "They want to convert all to Islam", the so called leader? of the pack even used a term describing it was another "Religious War" and called himself a "War President" and "The Decider".
What we have done is create not only new generations of Hatred, we have made New Enemies of us and the World, tens of thousands if not millions, by the Failed Policies, the Death and Destruction, the Want To Control Them. And the generations behind us will be left dealing with the New World We Have Given Them!!
Once again, you can get the press release here, you can get the full document here or a summary of the research brief here. There is also a link for a Congressional Briefing to be held today:
Speakers: Seth Jones Date: Tuesday, July 29, 2008 Time: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Location: 210 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C.
If televised I'm wondering if I should watch it, I'm afraid I might either start pulling out my hair or throw something into the tv screen, as I think of All that has been Done these past seven years and none can be taken back!!!!!!!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
From Bad, to Worse
Following what has been going on in Iraq and trying to follow Afghanistan, with the little, until recently, we get about that theater, I've had a growing uneasy feeling.
We all know that the bush doctrine has been a total failure and I need not go into the whole extreme mess these power hungry idiots have made. There is one thing I do see they succeeded in, creating an enemy and building that into a fear for Perpetual Conflict, replacing the Cold War Mentality to justify Huge Defense Contracts, Huge Profits, and the needed fear factor in the populace of not only the U.S. but the western world, the rest already have their problems from the wests continuing failed policies towards them, of which helped create this enemy.
It's has been rather hard to follow the news on Afghanistan, but it can be done if following overseas reporting.
Than this tragedy happened:
Sgt. Jacob Walker and Spc. Tyler Stafford talk about the attack
It didn't work, as the report will tell you, but notice this in the above: "reinforced by a steady stream of new recruits from other countries", wasn't the intelligence watching this, if so why doesn't it seem that actions were taken especially as to beefing up firebases like the one that was attacked!
Today I find this:
al Qaeda calls for a new Afghan 'Jihad'
In the video Escobar states this: "If they win this battle with the infidals than they can go to the land of the two rivers, that's Iraq."
Pepe Escobar has written this up as well over at the Asia Times not completely following what the video gives, but real close.
This isn't a religious confrontation, it is made so by the leading players on both sides and their supporters, which suites them fine, for the purposes of the fear factor they want to instill.
As to the use of this so called 'surge' that supposedly worked so well, if you listen to the rovian 'revisionist history' being spoken by McCain and those who support the bush doctrine, whatever the hell that is, one just needs to go back to the selling of this 'surge' by bush and those involved, these 'revisionist history' creaters get away with it because the ones that listen to them don't remember nor do they want to, as they debate themselves from both sides of their own argument.
If their 'surge' worked, as they are now defining it, than conditions on the ground are great, so thus troops not needed!
But lets see how well this 'surge' is working, as to the new definition:
Fallujah braces for another assault
Seems the insurgents and whatever the U.S. wants to label al Qaeda of Iraq are still playing 'whack a mole' in country and laying low when they need to, hmmm sounds abit like 'Nam over those long years, or just like any guerilla war fought in an occupied country.
Than we have a few, there have been recent ones as well, reports about another part of the 'surge' the supporters don't discuss, the Government of Iraq, along with other reason for:
Kurds Object to Iraqi Provincial Election Law
Iraqis Take Flawed Step On Electoral Legislation
"A U.S. combat brigade sits up here.", right like that's stopped anybody, like the Shiite's and the Sunni's, untill before the 'surge', these last 6 plus years!
It seems that a new 'mujahadeen' is forming or growing from an already established insurgent force along with al Qaeda and the Taliban, with the problems plaguing the Pakistan and Afghan governments, and they are now using the whole region in this game of 'whack a mole', and this spells deep trouble for the region as well as the forces of the U.S. and NATO!
We all know that the bush doctrine has been a total failure and I need not go into the whole extreme mess these power hungry idiots have made. There is one thing I do see they succeeded in, creating an enemy and building that into a fear for Perpetual Conflict, replacing the Cold War Mentality to justify Huge Defense Contracts, Huge Profits, and the needed fear factor in the populace of not only the U.S. but the western world, the rest already have their problems from the wests continuing failed policies towards them, of which helped create this enemy.
It's has been rather hard to follow the news on Afghanistan, but it can be done if following overseas reporting.
Than this tragedy happened:
Sgt. Jacob Walker and Spc. Tyler Stafford talk about the attack
Soldiers recount deadly attack on Afghanistan outpost
The insurgents found a weakness, not at the base as much as in backup for or distance to nearest backup, soldiers, air by U.S. or NATO or Afghan forces.
Lately, along with the Obama visit, the above and more is now being focused on what should have been over with long ago, with the ouster of the Taliban and we already should have accomplished the search for al Qaeda there as well as being deep into rebuilding and helping the Afghans use their natural resources to build their long lost economy.
The growing uneasiness is the expansion of both conflicts, laying low in Iraq, for the present, and recruiting around the region and possibly the world for a buildup by the insurgents as to Afghanistan with the unstable government there as well as in Pakistan.
Everyones been worried about an attack on Iran and that fear has been placed front and center for a long time by those controlling the talk, while virtually silent on Afghanistan and Pakistan, either not caring about the tensions there or just plain ignoring it. I choose the latter what with their track record to date.
I caught this the other day.
Along with the Taliban's ongoing progress in Afghanistan, al-Qaeda has strengthened its position in Pakistan's tribal areas, reinforced by a steady stream of new recruits from other countries and an expansion of its networks among local tribes.
The situation reached a point where the Pakistani security agencies, in connivance with the Saudi establishment, felt they had to act. They hatched a plot to establish a proxy network in a newly formed Taliban group that rivals the anti-state al-Qaeda franchise of Baitullah Mehsud's Pakistan Tehrik-i-Taliban.
It didn't work, as the report will tell you, but notice this in the above: "reinforced by a steady stream of new recruits from other countries", wasn't the intelligence watching this, if so why doesn't it seem that actions were taken especially as to beefing up firebases like the one that was attacked!
Today I find this:
al Qaeda calls for a new Afghan 'Jihad'
Afghanistan, and not Iraq -- is the main front of struggle
In the video Escobar states this: "If they win this battle with the infidals than they can go to the land of the two rivers, that's Iraq."
Al Qaeda is back with a vengeance. Mustafa Abu al-Yazeed, interviewed by Pakistan’s Geo TV says “there is no difference between the American people and their government”. He goes on to attack the Pakistan government for suppressing the Islamist movement. He calls for Jihad in Afghanistan, on both sides of the Pakistan/Afghan border. As far as future US policy goes, Obama is on a learning curve while McCain seems geographically challenged.
Pepe Escobar has written this up as well over at the Asia Times not completely following what the video gives, but real close.
"At this stage this is our understanding - that there is no difference between the American people and the American government itself. If we see this through sharia [Islamic] law, American people and the government itself are infidels and are fighting against Islam. We have to rely on suicide attacks which are absolutely correct according to Islamic law. We have adopted this way of war because there is a huge difference between our material resources and our enemy's, and this is the only option to attack our enemy."
This isn't a religious confrontation, it is made so by the leading players on both sides and their supporters, which suites them fine, for the purposes of the fear factor they want to instill.
Al-Qaeda's strategy is to suck in the US military - this is classic Osama bin Laden ideology, according to which the US should be dragged to fight in Muslim lands. Al-Qaeda is reasoning that an attack on the tribal areas, in fact a real third front in the "war on terror" (so dreaded by chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen) will have Pakistani public opinion so outraged that the Pakistani army would be powerless to follow the US track. And al-Qaeda, in the end, would be left with an even freer hand.
As to the use of this so called 'surge' that supposedly worked so well, if you listen to the rovian 'revisionist history' being spoken by McCain and those who support the bush doctrine, whatever the hell that is, one just needs to go back to the selling of this 'surge' by bush and those involved, these 'revisionist history' creaters get away with it because the ones that listen to them don't remember nor do they want to, as they debate themselves from both sides of their own argument.
The 'surge' worked great, security is tight, attacks are down, but as for any pulldown of troops, some 15,000 more still in theater than before the 'surge', well that depends on conditions on the ground.
If their 'surge' worked, as they are now defining it, than conditions on the ground are great, so thus troops not needed!
But lets see how well this 'surge' is working, as to the new definition:
Fallujah braces for another assault
In the face of US military claims of improved security, violence has been rising by the day this month. The city has now been placed under tight curfew while US and Iraqi military forces prepare for a new offensive,according to the local Azzaman daily.
Iraqi security forces have established new checkpoints around the city and are forbidding movement of people and traffic. Pick-up trucks are roaming the city warning residents that al-Qaeda has once again infiltrated Fallujah.
Seems the insurgents and whatever the U.S. wants to label al Qaeda of Iraq are still playing 'whack a mole' in country and laying low when they need to, hmmm sounds abit like 'Nam over those long years, or just like any guerilla war fought in an occupied country.
Than we have a few, there have been recent ones as well, reports about another part of the 'surge' the supporters don't discuss, the Government of Iraq, along with other reason for:
Kurds Object to Iraqi Provincial Election Law
“This vote has ruined the atmosphere of harmony which dominated Iraq in the recent period,” he said. “It paralyzed the elections. The chance of having an election during this year has been lost.”
Iraqis Take Flawed Step On Electoral Legislation
Losing political power in Kirkuk is likely to hinder the Kurds' long-standing goal of annexing the city into the Kurdistan Regional Government. Keegan said it's too early to tell how Kurds in Kirkuk will react to parliament's vote.
"The likelihood of a violent uprising is unlikely," he said. "A U.S. combat brigade sits up here."
"A U.S. combat brigade sits up here.", right like that's stopped anybody, like the Shiite's and the Sunni's, untill before the 'surge', these last 6 plus years!
It seems that a new 'mujahadeen' is forming or growing from an already established insurgent force along with al Qaeda and the Taliban, with the problems plaguing the Pakistan and Afghan governments, and they are now using the whole region in this game of 'whack a mole', and this spells deep trouble for the region as well as the forces of the U.S. and NATO!
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