Here is another example of the paradox of our being in Afghanistan. Can someone tell me why we should still be there? In addition, General Stanley McChrystal has recently hamstrung Special Forces operations in Afghanistan for "being out of control". Hello General--who's fault is that?
We continue to A. Fight a stupid war and
B. Handicap our troops at every opportunity
The end result is more young Americans being killed for NOTHING. How long before the American public is going to wake up, stand up and protest?
George Harris
Afghan poppy harvest is next challenge for U.S. Marines
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MARJAH, Afghanistan — U.S. Marine Sgt. Brad Vandehei stood on the edge of the small opium poppy field that serves as a central helicopter landing zone for the new military compound that's rising nearby.
"Those are poppies, sir?" Vandehei, 25, of Green Bay, Wis., asked Maj. David Fennell as they gazed at the spiked young plants that should be ready for harvest next month. "Let's burn it down, sir."
Fennell was scoping things out for another reason, however: That morning, the poppy farmer turned up with a dozen neighbors to complain about the Marines transforming his lucrative field into a rural helipad.
The swift American-led military offensive that drove the Taliban from power in this southern Afghan farm belt came at an inopportune time for the area's poppy farmers. That's created a quandary for Marjah's new, U.S.-backed leaders and for the American military as they try to transform this sweltering river valley, whose biggest cash crop is opium poppy, into a tranquil breadbasket.
"The helicopters are landing in my field," the weathered farmer told Fennell as they sat in the dirt outside the Marines' newest forward operating base in Marjah. "You have to stop landing there. Next time, the Taliban will put an IED in the field," an improvised explosive device, the military's term for a homemade bomb.
Using his skills as one-time trial lawyer, a few essential Pashto words and an evolving understanding of local tribal culture, Fennell sought to reassure the farmer.
"I apologize for your inconvenience," the 36-year-old Denver reservist told the farmer. "We're here to provide security, and one person must be inconvenienced to provide security for 1,000. But we're not like the Taliban. We're not just going to take; we're going to compensate you."
Unswayed, the Marjah men again pressed Fennell to stop using the field as a landing zone. When it became clear that the Marine wasn't going to budge, they asked for money to pay for the damaged poppy field.
"We're not here to eradicate your poppies, but we won't pay for damage to your poppies," Fennell said. "What we will do is pay for the inconvenience and for any damage to your wheat."
Marjah leaders and the U.S. Marines so far have no clear answers for farmers such as these. The Marines and the new Marjah government are still trying to figure out how to persuade poppy growers not to harvest their crops this spring.
"We are entering the poppy harvest season, which will also put us at great risk for having instability," Marine Col. Randy Newman warned Marjah leaders this past weekend. "So we must talk to the people with one voice about how we will deal with the poppy."
For years, Marjah has been the center of the drug trade in Afghanistan, which provides about 90 percent of the world's opium. About 50 percent of Afghanistan's poppy crop is grown in surrounding Helmand province, and much of the multi-billion-dollar industry is centered in and around Marjah.
The opium trade supports tens of thousands of local farmers and fuels the Taliban, who taxed the crops to pay for weapons and supplies.
"If I was a farmer here I'd be growing poppies," said Mike Courtney, the senior field director in Marjah for Adam Smith International, a global consulting firm that's working in Afghanistan. "It's a Catch-22. How do you win over the population and, at the same time, stop the drug trade?"
U.S. officials largely have given up on destroying Afghanistan's poppy fields as the best way to combat the drug trade. Razing the fields was seen as counterproductive.
Instead, the American-led coalition in Afghanistan launched programs meant to encourage farmers to plant wheat, cotton and other alternative crops. They've had modest success.
The wheat-for-poppy projects have been undermined by corrupt Afghan officials who've given mediocre fertilizer and inferior seeds to farmers and have siphoned off money for themselves.
At the end of the day, poppy brings in more money most years than wheat or cotton does.
"The opium issue takes time," said Haji Abdul Zahir, the newly appointed district governor of Marjah. "It's like if you swat a bee, 1,000 bees will come and sting you. It takes time to stop the drug trade. But we won't do it through eradication."
The Marines have developed a new plan to hand out modest grants to farmers who show that they're planting legal crops. The grants — some $500 per hectare, about two and a half acres — don't compare with the money made from poppy harvests in good years, however.
Plowing under the poppies also could be a dangerous gamble for farmers who took money from drug dealers and Taliban financiers, who might come back to collect the harvest.
At the moment, Afghan and U.S. leaders are betting that the insurgents won't feel bold enough to come looking for their poppies if they have to deal with thousands of American and Afghan fighters.
Some officials have suggested that they simply buy this year's harvest and take it off the streets. Buying millions of dollars in opium could be politically unpalatable, however.
"There's a problem with buying it. There's a problem with burning it," said Marine Capt. Matthew Andrew, of Boise, Idaho, the 30-year-old judge advocate for the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. "The larger problem is security. If they don't have poppies, there's no point in sticking around. The real test is going to be next year."
As the farmers pressed Fennell last weekend to pay for the damaged poppies, he pulled out another weapon in his verbal arsenal: guilt.
"We're not here to eradicate any poppies," Fennell told the men. "But we're worried, because we've seen the addiction to opium among Afghans and we know that good Muslims don't want that."
The men shifted uncomfortably and assured Fennell that they agreed. Then they asked him again to stop helicopter landings in the poppy field.
Fennell patiently told the men that that wasn't going to happen. He asked them to figure out what they thought was a fair price for the adjacent wheat field.
He's still waiting for them to return.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Al-Qaida Calls on US Muslims to Attack
I am normally a pretty peaceful guy, but if ever there was a reason to mount a special ops mission to snuff someone, this is it. We need to cancel this bastard's stamp NOW. Everyone of these jerks that we allow to continue to run their mouth, you can rest assured it is going to cost us some lives somewhere just as it it at Fort Hood. People are still denying that Nidal Hasan (he doesn't deserve to be called Major) is a terrorist. What they don't understand, they call crazy. But what they REALLY don't understand is that people like Adam Gadahn, or whatever he calls himself, will incite more folks to do just what Hasan did.
So let's get it over with, then we can get on with denying it.
George
Al-Qaida Calls on US Muslims to Attack
March 07, 2010
Associated Press
CAIRO - Al-Qaida's American-born spokesman on Sunday called on Muslims serving in the U.S. armed forces to emulate the Army major charged with killing 13 people in Fort Hood.
In a 25-minute video posted on militant Web sites, Adam Gadahn described Maj. Nidal Hasan as a pioneer who should serve as a role model for other Muslims, especially those serving Western militaries.
"Brother Nidal is the ideal role-model for every repentant Muslim in the armies of the unbelievers and apostate regimes," he said.
Gadahn, also known as Azzam al-Amriki, was dressed in white robes and wearing a white turban as he called for attacks on what he described as "high-value targets."
"You shouldn't make the mistake of thinking that military bases are the only high-value targets in America and the West. On the contrary, there are countless other strategic places, institutions and installations which, by striking, the Muslim can do major damage," he said, an assault rifle leaning up against a wall next to him.
Hasan has been charged in the Nov. 5 shooting that killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas. The 39-year-old Army psychiatrist remains paralyzed from the chest down after being shot by two civilian members of Fort Hood's police force.
"Nidal Hasan is a pioneer, a trailblazer and a role-model who has opened a door, lit a path and shown the way forward for every Muslim who finds himself among the unbelievers," Gadahn said.
Gadahn grew up on a goat farm in Riverside County, California, and converted to Islam at a mosque in nearby Orange County. He has been wanted by the FBI since 2004 and two years later was charged with treason. There is a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
He has in the past posted videos and messages calling for the destruction of the West and for strikes against targets in the United States. His location is unknown, but he is believed to be somewhere along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In the latest video, Gadahn said those planning attacks did not need to use only firearms like Hasan, but could use other weapons. "As the blessed operations of September 11th showed, a little imagination and planning and a limited budget can turn almost anything into a deadly, effective and convenient weapon."
Gadahn said fighters should target mass transportation systems in the West and also wreak havoc "by killing or capturing people in government, industry and the media."
He recommended finding ways to shake "consumer confidence and stifle spending" and noted that even unsuccessful attacks, such as the failed attempt to bomb a U.S. airliner on Christmas day, can bring major cities to a halt.
"I am calling on every honest and vigilant Muslim in the countries of the Zionist-Crusader alliance in general and America, Britain and Israel in particular to prepare to play his due role in responding to and repelling the aggression of the enemies of Islam," Gadahn said.
So let's get it over with, then we can get on with denying it.
George
Al-Qaida Calls on US Muslims to Attack
March 07, 2010
Associated Press
CAIRO - Al-Qaida's American-born spokesman on Sunday called on Muslims serving in the U.S. armed forces to emulate the Army major charged with killing 13 people in Fort Hood.
In a 25-minute video posted on militant Web sites, Adam Gadahn described Maj. Nidal Hasan as a pioneer who should serve as a role model for other Muslims, especially those serving Western militaries.
"Brother Nidal is the ideal role-model for every repentant Muslim in the armies of the unbelievers and apostate regimes," he said.
Gadahn, also known as Azzam al-Amriki, was dressed in white robes and wearing a white turban as he called for attacks on what he described as "high-value targets."
"You shouldn't make the mistake of thinking that military bases are the only high-value targets in America and the West. On the contrary, there are countless other strategic places, institutions and installations which, by striking, the Muslim can do major damage," he said, an assault rifle leaning up against a wall next to him.
Hasan has been charged in the Nov. 5 shooting that killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas. The 39-year-old Army psychiatrist remains paralyzed from the chest down after being shot by two civilian members of Fort Hood's police force.
"Nidal Hasan is a pioneer, a trailblazer and a role-model who has opened a door, lit a path and shown the way forward for every Muslim who finds himself among the unbelievers," Gadahn said.
Gadahn grew up on a goat farm in Riverside County, California, and converted to Islam at a mosque in nearby Orange County. He has been wanted by the FBI since 2004 and two years later was charged with treason. There is a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
He has in the past posted videos and messages calling for the destruction of the West and for strikes against targets in the United States. His location is unknown, but he is believed to be somewhere along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In the latest video, Gadahn said those planning attacks did not need to use only firearms like Hasan, but could use other weapons. "As the blessed operations of September 11th showed, a little imagination and planning and a limited budget can turn almost anything into a deadly, effective and convenient weapon."
Gadahn said fighters should target mass transportation systems in the West and also wreak havoc "by killing or capturing people in government, industry and the media."
He recommended finding ways to shake "consumer confidence and stifle spending" and noted that even unsuccessful attacks, such as the failed attempt to bomb a U.S. airliner on Christmas day, can bring major cities to a halt.
"I am calling on every honest and vigilant Muslim in the countries of the Zionist-Crusader alliance in general and America, Britain and Israel in particular to prepare to play his due role in responding to and repelling the aggression of the enemies of Islam," Gadahn said.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
How many is enough
I haven't posted anything for a while, mostly because I have been involved in things here at home. The bombing in Baghdad in the past few days as early voting begins there forced me to ask myself how many more have to die before this all ends. In addition, this article in the Charlotte Observer about a speech by General David Petraeus made this question even more pressing.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Petraeus predicts 'a hard year' of war in Afghanistan
By Peter St. Onge
pstonge@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Wednesday, Mar. 03, 2010
America is about to embark on the longest campaign in its longest war, the commander of the U.S. forces in the Middle East told a Charlotte audience Tuesday.
Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. Central Command, told a crowd of more than 550 at the Westin Charlotte that a civil and military counterinsurgency campaign in Afghanistan, now revving up, will take about 12-18 months.
"This is going to be a hard year," he said.
Petraeus, armed with slides and laser pointer, took questions for about an hour at a luncheon hosted by the World Affairs Council of Charlotte. Most of the conversation centered on the war in Afghanistan, which began in 2001 and will pass the Vietnam War this month as the longest war abroad in American history, many historians say.
Petraeus was optimistic, however, of a positive outcome. The United States has learned from its counterinsurgency efforts in Iraq, he said, and many of that war's key figures are now in Afghanistan. They will be joined, eventually, by 30,000 additional American forces, as well as about 8,000 that NATO has committed.
Already, he said, the U.S. has killed "boatloads of bad guys" in Afghanistan, but cautioned: "You don't just kill and capture your way out." Recent strategy shifts emphasize limiting the loss of civilian lives, he said, helping the U.S. strengthen its relationship with Afghans.
The policy played a role in why the U.S. announced in advance the February invasion of one-time Taliban stronghold Marja. Some Taliban escaped in advance of the invasion, Petraeus acknowledged, but it allowed the U.S. to save the city from the destruction that full-scale fighting would have inflicted. "We didn't want to destroy Marja to save it," he said.
Petraeus, who did not answer questions from the media, was not asked by the audience about a NATO airstrike in February that killed at least 20 Afghan civilians. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, apologized for the deaths.
The war, Petraeus said, is a "hugely important endeavor," noting that the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, took root in Afghanistan. "We can't let Afghanistan be a sanctuary or a safe haven again," he said.
Petraeus was asked about Iran's recent nuclear activity, which he said is prompting new sanctions and U.S. diplomatic pressure. "That's the focus right now," he said.
Also, one audience member asked about the general possibly running for president - a question posed regularly in political circles.
Petraeus, fresh off an appearance in Nashville, answered with a nod to country performer Lorrie Morgan, who sang: "What part of no don't you understand?"
As of Tuesday, March 2, 2010, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have claimed 5,383 young American service personnel. Another 36,837 have been wounded and many of them have what are euphemistically called “life altering injuries”. In other words, they have lost limbs or eyes (or both) or have suffered a traumatic brain injury that has wreaked havoc with their lives. MRAPs (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) (when they are available) are saving the lives of our service personnel, but the ordinary M1A1 U.S. Service Member is still subject to devastating injury. Body armor and helmets do a pretty good job, but there are gaps in them and snipers have learned to exploit these vulnerabilities. There are many problems with the MRAPs—they’re big, unwieldy, extremely heavy, (72% of the worlds bridges won’t carry them) and they are hard to maneuver in the narrow streets of the cities, towns and villages our folks are fighting in.
In the ten years that the Soviets tried to subdue the Mujahideen, they lost just over 12,000 killed and some 35,478 wounded. No one knows how accurate these figures are, but they are very telling. And no one has a clue as to how many civilians were killed/maimed. Estimates run from just under 700,000 to over 2,000,000.
As to how many Afghanis and Iraqis have been killed in the latest wars is probably an onageristic estimate also. (This is my own term—an onager is a fast running wild ass of central Asia). The numbers look like this at last count (Feb 16, 2010):
Casualties in Afghanistan:
Afghan troops killed 8,587 Afghan troops seriously injured 25,761
Afghan civilians killed 8,309 Afghan civilians seriously injured 14,956
Total killed in Afghanistan: 16,896 Total injured in Afghanistan: 40,717
Casualties in Iraq:
Iraqi troops killed 30,000 Iraqi troops seriously injured 90,000
Iraqi civilians killed 815,411 Iraqi civilians seriously injured 1,467,740
Total killed in Iraq: 845,411 Total injured in Iraq: 1,557,740
(From “Unknown News” published by Helen and Harry Highwater: http://www.unknownnews.net/casualties.html)
How many is enough? Are we supposed to wait until we have enough deaths to justify building another memorial the size of the Vietnam Memorial, which has 58,261 names on it? Or will we be willing to settle for a smaller memorial listing those who did not have to die in a war that was fabricated and instigated with lies? Fifty-two thousand eight hundred seventy-eight is all we have to go. That’s about as many people as live in the Fargo, ND-Moorhead, MI area or the Lewiston, ID-Clarkston, WA area. It’s about as many registered Democrats as there are in all of Wyoming.
So again—How many is enough? I don't know, but would the last person who leaves please turn out the lights?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Petraeus predicts 'a hard year' of war in Afghanistan
By Peter St. Onge
pstonge@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Wednesday, Mar. 03, 2010
America is about to embark on the longest campaign in its longest war, the commander of the U.S. forces in the Middle East told a Charlotte audience Tuesday.
Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. Central Command, told a crowd of more than 550 at the Westin Charlotte that a civil and military counterinsurgency campaign in Afghanistan, now revving up, will take about 12-18 months.
"This is going to be a hard year," he said.
Petraeus, armed with slides and laser pointer, took questions for about an hour at a luncheon hosted by the World Affairs Council of Charlotte. Most of the conversation centered on the war in Afghanistan, which began in 2001 and will pass the Vietnam War this month as the longest war abroad in American history, many historians say.
Petraeus was optimistic, however, of a positive outcome. The United States has learned from its counterinsurgency efforts in Iraq, he said, and many of that war's key figures are now in Afghanistan. They will be joined, eventually, by 30,000 additional American forces, as well as about 8,000 that NATO has committed.
Already, he said, the U.S. has killed "boatloads of bad guys" in Afghanistan, but cautioned: "You don't just kill and capture your way out." Recent strategy shifts emphasize limiting the loss of civilian lives, he said, helping the U.S. strengthen its relationship with Afghans.
The policy played a role in why the U.S. announced in advance the February invasion of one-time Taliban stronghold Marja. Some Taliban escaped in advance of the invasion, Petraeus acknowledged, but it allowed the U.S. to save the city from the destruction that full-scale fighting would have inflicted. "We didn't want to destroy Marja to save it," he said.
Petraeus, who did not answer questions from the media, was not asked by the audience about a NATO airstrike in February that killed at least 20 Afghan civilians. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, apologized for the deaths.
The war, Petraeus said, is a "hugely important endeavor," noting that the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, took root in Afghanistan. "We can't let Afghanistan be a sanctuary or a safe haven again," he said.
Petraeus was asked about Iran's recent nuclear activity, which he said is prompting new sanctions and U.S. diplomatic pressure. "That's the focus right now," he said.
Also, one audience member asked about the general possibly running for president - a question posed regularly in political circles.
Petraeus, fresh off an appearance in Nashville, answered with a nod to country performer Lorrie Morgan, who sang: "What part of no don't you understand?"
As of Tuesday, March 2, 2010, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have claimed 5,383 young American service personnel. Another 36,837 have been wounded and many of them have what are euphemistically called “life altering injuries”. In other words, they have lost limbs or eyes (or both) or have suffered a traumatic brain injury that has wreaked havoc with their lives. MRAPs (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) (when they are available) are saving the lives of our service personnel, but the ordinary M1A1 U.S. Service Member is still subject to devastating injury. Body armor and helmets do a pretty good job, but there are gaps in them and snipers have learned to exploit these vulnerabilities. There are many problems with the MRAPs—they’re big, unwieldy, extremely heavy, (72% of the worlds bridges won’t carry them) and they are hard to maneuver in the narrow streets of the cities, towns and villages our folks are fighting in.
In the ten years that the Soviets tried to subdue the Mujahideen, they lost just over 12,000 killed and some 35,478 wounded. No one knows how accurate these figures are, but they are very telling. And no one has a clue as to how many civilians were killed/maimed. Estimates run from just under 700,000 to over 2,000,000.
As to how many Afghanis and Iraqis have been killed in the latest wars is probably an onageristic estimate also. (This is my own term—an onager is a fast running wild ass of central Asia). The numbers look like this at last count (Feb 16, 2010):
Casualties in Afghanistan:
Afghan troops killed 8,587 Afghan troops seriously injured 25,761
Afghan civilians killed 8,309 Afghan civilians seriously injured 14,956
Total killed in Afghanistan: 16,896 Total injured in Afghanistan: 40,717
Casualties in Iraq:
Iraqi troops killed 30,000 Iraqi troops seriously injured 90,000
Iraqi civilians killed 815,411 Iraqi civilians seriously injured 1,467,740
Total killed in Iraq: 845,411 Total injured in Iraq: 1,557,740
(From “Unknown News” published by Helen and Harry Highwater: http://www.unknownnews.net/casualties.html)
How many is enough? Are we supposed to wait until we have enough deaths to justify building another memorial the size of the Vietnam Memorial, which has 58,261 names on it? Or will we be willing to settle for a smaller memorial listing those who did not have to die in a war that was fabricated and instigated with lies? Fifty-two thousand eight hundred seventy-eight is all we have to go. That’s about as many people as live in the Fargo, ND-Moorhead, MI area or the Lewiston, ID-Clarkston, WA area. It’s about as many registered Democrats as there are in all of Wyoming.
So again—How many is enough? I don't know, but would the last person who leaves please turn out the lights?
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