Happy Fouth of July

We are out of there ! End of discussion. We are not going to be PROPAGANDIZED by the USA miltairy and the American Media ANYMORE !

Top aides to President Obama (click title to entry - thank you) on Sunday signaled that some U.S. troops could start coming home from Afghanistan as soon as July 2011, but most would likely remain there for several years.

Go straight to hell, and don't bother to check the temperature on the way there !!!!!!!!

Osama bin Laden has been replaced by an American Taliban that if given half a chance to 'come home' probably would.

Al Qaeda's new online magazine: Is it for real?  (click title to entry - thank you)







We are not going back to Iraq.

We are not staying in Afghanistan.

We are not fighting wars that don't matter anymore.

And the USA military can take COIN and stick it where the sun don't shine !

There was an interview today that really pissed me off. Said Jawad, the ambassador to Karzai (transcript at title to entry - thank you)

Marines patrolled in Helmand Province in April while an Afghan girl harvested poppy. This year's blight might drive up opium prices, aiding insurgents.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/13/world/asia/13opium.html


The man never once apologized for the corruption in his country, he never once stated the poppy cultivation has to stop, he only sought to make excuses for the continued presence of USA troops.  This was his 'best shot.'

...CROWLEY: Let me ask you in the final minute we have left two quick questions. Is the U.S. deadline of beginning to pull out troops in July of next year helpful to Afghanistan?
JAWAD: No. Frankly not. For two reasons. First, if you overemphasize a deadline that is not realistic, you are making the enemy a lot more bold. You are prolonging the war. If that deadline should be realistic, that deadline should be based on the reality on the ground, and we should give a clear message to the enemy, to the terrorists who are a threat to everyone that the United States, NATO and Afghans are there to finish the job. If that's not the feeling, we lose the support of the Afghan people and also make the neighboring countries who have an interest a lot more bolder to interfere in Afghanistan....


"W"rong you little pip squeak.  If the Afghan forces can't get their act together WHEN we leave according to a timeline that ends this hideous occupation of Afghanistan, then when there is escalating hatred of the USA and NATO that results from Afghanistan, we won't be NICE anymore and use the Army Field Manual, we'll simply DROP  BOMBS !!!!!!!!

Now, stop your damn whining and be a country worthy of the effort afforded it to day for God Sake.

A five hour battle ended in Taliban failure again.

Attack: Firefighters try to put out a fire in the DAI offices in Kunduz today after Taliban suicide bombers stormed the building, killing five including a British civilian

Taliban Attack USAID Compound in Afghanistan  (click title to entry - thank you)

(July 2) -- Taliban suicide bombers and gunmen attacked a USAID compound in northern Afghanistan today, killing at least five people and wounding 24.
The governor of Kunduz province said the dead included a British citizen, a German private security guard and a Filipino, as well as two Afghan policemen, according to Radio Free Europe.
Militants hit the newly opened offices of Development Alternatives Inc. -- a consulting company that works closely with USAID on issues of governance and community development -- in the early hours of the morning. Gov. Mohammad Omar told Reuters that a suicide bomber blew himself up in front of the compound gates, allowing more bombers and gunmen to rush inside. A fierce firefight raged among security guards, police and rebel Islamists for five hours....
 
http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/taliban-attack-us-aid-compound-in-afghanistan/19539619
 
 
Not that there weren't casualties, but, the Taliban hadn't succeeded to overpower by any measure.

NATO forces defeated the attack on an airfield by the Taliban. They were and could not be successful.

Smoke rises outside an airfield used by Afghan and international forces in Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, 30 Jun 2010

They didn't succeed and they sure as hell tried.


...In this incident several insurgents were killed (click title to entry - thank you) and I can tell you that the security perimeter was not breached and the insurgents were being stopped by Afghan and ISAF forces very effectively," Blotz said.
The attack appeared planned and coordinated, much like a Taliban assault last May on the Bagram air base, NATO's biggest in Afghanistan....

There has to be a realization that in the face of a USA General departure and a vicious attack intended to intimidate all he worked for with the success of his troops, didn't succeed.  At all.

General McChrystal didn't fail his country, he was the soldier that carried out COIN to a successful degree. Afghanistan is stronger today because of him.

General McChrystal and his wife Annie before he took command in Afghanistan.

The article in The Rolling Stone (at title to entry - thank you) clearly showed a man in control of his command.  A soldiers' general. 

Stanley McChrystal was fully engaged in his responsibilities and the fact he ate only one meal a day was not a form of 'jazz' it was a lifestyle that enforced the commitment he had made to his own form of discipline.

He was more than successful.  He had dedicated staff that loved the commitment to him and the outcome they felt they were pursuing according to every rule on the book.  The issue with McChrystal was not the war strategy, it was the power of the position he was in vs. the power of the President.  I believe General McChrystal was enough of a 'tactician' in his career to run 'the gambit' around any obstical that would bring about failure vs success.  He was focused.  The problem was that a new reality of what Afghanistan had transformed into during the Bush White House was emerging and his ability to maneuver the objections to the war 'at home' became as much a hurdle as the counter insurgency effort itself.

As a result, the PR he was hoping to reverberate through the country to win support turned into a betrayal of his President due to 'staff insubordination' trusted to bring insight regarding the General and his dedication.  The time in Paris, where they were enjoying the 'time off' and he stated, "They would die for and I would die for them," revealed a man slightly embarrassed by the unmilitary behavior of his staff on downtime, but, also showed how removed he was from the information the journalist was already accumulating that would betray the trust the General was placing in him and his writing. 

For as much as Rolling Stone revealed that lead to a General's resignation from the military, it also cost lives in Afghanistan and a febble attempt at resurgence by The Taliban. 

Stanley McChrystal was successful in deploying COIN.  It was working and the failed attempts following his departure only goes to prove that Afghanistan is further along on its road to successful national security than anyone is willing to admit.

Why they won't admit that is a good question, it probably boils down to issues of 'abandonment' and 'money.'  But, the Poppy Kingdom has to go and the indulgence of that form of agriculture was mostly incorrect and corrupting to the people.  Afghanistan is ready for a stiffer backbone. 

Everyone is wondering what the diplomatic mission sincerely is, re-engagement in Iraq?

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his wife, Jill, were met in Baghdad by Christopher R. Hill and Gen. Ray Odierno.

It is time to leave Iraq.  There is no productive relationship with the USA and the USA troops are unnecessary.  A security vacuum in Iraq is not really possible.  Iraq has no security and the Green Zone was never a place where 'Iraq consolidated as a country.  It was a barrier of security for USA presence and nothing more.


Biden supports three-part Iraq split



Plan maintains limited central government
By CRIS BARRISH
The News Journal
March 4, 2007
 
Les Gelb had eased into his seat on a jet from New York to Washington late in 2005 when U.S. Sen. Joe Biden unexpectedly plopped down next to him....



...Supporters of the Biden-Gelb plan include Richard Holbrooke, architect of the 1995 peace accords in the former Yugoslavia and later U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Last month, during hearings chaired by Biden, former U.S. secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright had kind words.



"I'm sympathetic to an outcome that permits large regional autonomy," Kissinger told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee....


...Biden pointed out that Iraq's constitution "allows for the creation of federal regions." The document was approved overwhelmingly in a vote of nearly 10 million citizens in 2005.



"Whether it's three regions or five regions or 15 regions, this is a technicality that will be left to Iraqis on the ground," Talabani said. "What we need is a system of governance such that a multi-ethnic, sectarian society can live with one another. The centralized government has failed since its inception."


Sharing billions of dollars in oil revenues could ease Sunni opposition, Talabani said.


"It's critical to this plan," he said. "We need checks and balances in place to ensure all regions will get their fair share."


Creating the regions -- perhaps even making Baghdad its own region -- could hasten the peace process, Talabani said....


http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20070304/NEWS/703040345/Biden-supports-three-part-Iraq-split
 
 
TODAY
 
..."The message that Biden conveyed is that the government should be formed by Iraqis without any regional interference," government spokesman Ali Dabbagh said on state television. (click title to entry - thank you)
Biden is worried about the delay in forming the government, Dabbagh said, because the U.S. administration does not want a security vacuum.
"America knows the limits of its interference," Dabbagh said. "Biden said, 'I'm here not to support any party or side,' " and did not give specific suggestions, he said....

Enter stage right - "The Army Field Manual" - COIN - Reading the Rolling Stone brought clairty to a continued blunder for me.

This manual is designed to fill a doctrinal gap. (click title to entry - thank you)  It has been 20 years since the Army published a field manual devoted exclusively to counterinsurgency operations. For the Marine Corps it has been 25 years. With our Soldiers and Marines fighting insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq, it is essential that we give them a manual that provides principles and guidelines for counterinsurgency operations. Such guidance must be grounded in historical studies. However, it also must be informed by contemporary experiences....
 
The USA miltary has known for decades that they never were going to win the 'consent' of the people of the USA again for a war with conventional weapons that carried 'the theme' of Vietnam.  Napalm, helicopters, bombing runs, and nightly body counts. 
 
In the 'brilliance' of the USA military, provided with the opportunity that Bush brought in the gift of Iraq, the new and engaging 'Army Field Manual' was born.  It trimmed back the Cheney torture techniques, but, it also entered into a new strategy that was explained poorly to the people of the USA.  We were told there was a new strategy needed to fight 'urban warfare.' 
 
Urban warfare.  Somehow, that was a war which was unavoidable, but, needing a strategy for our country's national security. 
 
An unavoidable war. 
 
Hm.
 
The 'insurgency' in Iraq was never unjustified, it never presented a threat to the USA and yet we deployed a 'new strategy' as a 'last ditch effort' for the Republicans to save 'political face' in the Homeland.
 
I am not saying the USA miltary and its Joint Chiefs didn't need such a strategy, but, to deploy it when it was more than obvious the Iraqi insurgency was one of 'defending' its people in the face of an unncessary war was completely "W"rong. 
 
Now, the counter insurgency strategy deployed by General Petraeus in the new manual was serving a different purpose.  A new reason for USA war.  A war with 'Failed States.'

The Surge Group

...The president was in a weak and lonely position. (click title to entry - thank you) After Republicans lost the Senate and House in the midterm election on November 7, nearly 200 members of Congress had met with him at the White House, mostly to grouse about Iraq. Democrats urged him to begin withdrawing troops, in effect accepting defeat. Many of the Republicans were panicky and blamed Bush and the Iraq war for the Democratic landslide. They feared the 2008 election would bring worse losses. They wanted out of Iraq too....

The Failed Strategy of Geoge W. Bush in Iraq following the reality it was a wild goose chase for WMD; The Iraq Study Group stated to change strategy, or else.

Bush being frantic regarding the question of his authority as President of the USA, decided on COIN as a new strategy for the USA military in Iraq and 'The Surge' was born.

For all intents and purposes, there is no Osama bin Laden.

...Speaking of bin Laden, Panetta said "He is, as is obvious, in very deep hiding. He's in an area of the ... tribal areas in Pakistan that is very difficult. The terrain is probably the most difficult in the world ... That's all we know, that he's located in that vicinity. The terrain is very difficult. He obviously has tremendous security around him."...

The USA needs to stop chasing its tail on this guy.  He has no life.  He is an angry old man with nothing to contribute to any form of Muslim dialogue.  Over the last few years all that has been 'heard' from him are tape recordings out of al Jazeera.  His recordings are probably digitally produced and he may very well be dead.


Bin Laden's son reveals more details of recent divorce



Bin Laden said he had extended a hand of friendship to his ex-wife, Zaina Al Sabah, which she had declined.

Gulf News Report



Published: 00:35 July 5, 2010
Dubai: Omar Bin Laden, son of Al Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden, told Gulf News over the telephone from Qatar further details about his recent divorce with his second wife.
Bin Laden said he had extended a hand of friendship to his ex-wife, Zaina Al Sabah, which she had declined.
He said that he was disappointed that she had refused to remain friends. "I have maintained a very friendly relationship with my first wife, and had hoped to have the same sort of friendship with Zaina Al Sabah, but it was not to be."
Bin Laden said he wanted the world to know that he has held the same views for years, and that he had stood for peace since he was a teenager.
Omar Bin Laden also said that he would not say anything bad about his ex-wife.
"Zaina Al Sabah, my ex-wife, is no longer authorised to speak to the press on my behalf or any other members of the Bin Laden family," he said.


http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/qatar/bin-laden-s-son-reveals-more-details-of-recent-divorce-1.650335

It's Independence Night

"I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz

Well you done done me and you bet I felt it

I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks
And now I'm trying to get back
Before the cool done run out
I'll be giving it my bestest
Nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some


I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours


Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love
Listen to the music of the moment maybe sing with me
I love peaceful melody
It's your God-forsaken right to be loved love loved love loved


So I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours


I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer
My breath fogged up the glass
And so I drew a new face and laughed
I guess what i'ma saying is there ain't no better reason
To rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasons
It's what we aim to do
Our name is our virtue


I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours




Well no no, well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find the sky is yours
Listen to the music of the moment come and dance with me
A lá one big family

It's your God-forsaken right to be loved love love love

 Well no no, well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find the sky is yours
Listen to the music of the moment come and dance with me
A lá happy family

It's your God-forsaken right to be loved love love love




Well no no, well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find the sky is yours
Listen to the music of the moment come and dance with me
A lá peaceful melody
It's your God-forsaken right to be loved love love love




I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours


No please, don't complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours


No please, don't hesitate
No more, no more
It cannot wait
The sky is yours!

Of course, everyone is paying attention to the next set of hurricanes in the making, right?

July 4, 2010
1630z
UNYSIS Enhanced Infrared Satellite (click title for 12 hour loop - thank you)

The next hurricanes are currently in the Carribean where Alex was born, east of the Yucatan and the other is east of the Antilles where Alex' twin existed.  The turbulence east of Florida is interesting as well.

The reason Rolling Stone printed Hastings article is their own, but, due to the scandal the 'guts' of the article was lost.

I am sorry General McCrystal has retired, but, his career was not without its scandalous nature from its beginning.

His life is not my interest.  My country is my interest.  I wish him and his family well.  General McCrystal needs to continue to contribute to our country in whichever way he finds satisfying.  The USA Congress needs to pass the provision for General McCrystal to receive the retirement benefits of a Four Star General.  His service at all levels was valuable.

On the Fouth of July, I intend to address what I believe is the importance of the Hastings' article.  I believe the conversation is long over due.