The Worst Run War in American History - At one time there weren't even enough bullets for soldiers to defend themselves and they were killed.

The very first entry to this blog on December 19, 2004 (click here), (ten months after the invasion into Iraq) was about Iraq's water supply, its contamination and deplorable conditions our soldiers faced.

2004. That was 4 and a half years ago. And STILL TODAY, our soldiers have no clean, safe and consistent water supply. Billions and from last estimate, with the most recent 'emergency spending measure,' the total to date for Iraq is One Trillion US, and there is STILL no reliable water supply.

That is incredible.

Shortages regardless of 'item' has been the mainstay to the war in Iraq. It doesn't matter what the 'item' is there are always gross shortages. One has to wonder with all the corruption surrounding Iraq if the troops get anything they need.

Now it is water. I would love to know how much of 'state side families' spend, in their regular budget. to support the USA soldiers in Iraq. It is probably a substantial amount.

The Pipeline below is for water supply to Southern Iraq.

The leakage of 60 percent of the water supply caused shortages of potable water (click title to entry - thank you), while contamination by saline water and sewage diminished water quality. Addressing these chronic shortcomings was a key concern of residents – both to ensure adequate, potable water supply and to reduce water-borne diseases....

May 14th, 2009 2:04 pm
Some US soldiers forced to steal water in Iraq (click here)
Rations and problems trigger desperate measures to survive intense heat
By Jeremy Rogalski / KHOU
HOUSTON -- Take Houston's heat on a miserable summer day and add 40 degrees, making temperatures 130 or more.
Next, add an extra 100 pounds of life-protecting gear to your body: bulletproof vests, guns and ammunition.
And then imagine not having enough water around to drink.
Stories of short supplies have haunted the U.S. military throughout the war in Iraq—things like inadequate body armor or unshielded Hummers. But while many soldiers say they had good access to water and even Gatorade, the 11 News Defenders discovered that others, stationed all over the country and during all phases of this desert war, say something else was often missing.
"We were rationed two bottles of water a day," said Army Staff Sgt. Dustin Robey, referring to 1 to 1.5 liter bottles.
And he said that wasn't nearly enough....

President Obama needs to practice transparency in regard to his decision.

The lack of movement in regard to the detainees at Gitmo is taking on the appearance of the an attempt at BiPartisanship. The GOP paranoia as per Lindsay Graham is being indulged without reason, except, from where I sit as an attempt to appease a need for bipartisanship.

Philip Zelikow is the backbone to the USA's 'understanding' of terrorist networks. However. Every administration that has embraced 'his knowledge' has never abided by 'his recommendations.' Instead of adhering to recommendations by Zelikow to close Gitmo, the current adminisration is back peddling into GOP paranoia and continued prisoner abuse. In other words, CHENEY RULES !!!!!!!!!!!!

Who Is Philip Zelikow? (click here)
Historians may identify Philip Zelikow as a scholar of the Kennedy administration and author of Germany Unified and Europe Transformed (with Condoleezza Rice)....
...Zelikow is the executive director of the the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, more commonly known as the 9-11 Commission....

Do the words below sound familiar? They are the words Obama used during his campaign.

Former State Dept. Official: Treatment Of Terror Suspects A 'Collective Failure' (click here)
2009-05-13 15:31:30 (3 days ago)
Posted By: Intellpuke
(Read 183 times 0 comments)
Former State Department counselor Philip Zelikow told the first congressional panel convened to address allegations of torture that Bush administration officials engaged in a "collective failure" on detention and interrogation of suspected terrorists.
Fresh accounts Wednesday by Zelikow and retired FBI special agent Ali Soufan, who dissented from Justice Department conclusions about the legality of waterboarding prisoners, are likely to expose anew rifts within the highest levels of the Bush administration over the practices.
The testimony comes amid calls for criminal prosecutions, disbarment or a wide-ranging congressionally chartered probe of former government officials and contractors for their activities during the Bush war on terror.
The Justice Department last month released four legal documents that provided the justification for the harsh tactics that critics liken to torture. The clinically worded papers ignited fresh debate and prompted advocates on both sides of the aisle to call for release of more memos and reports, including findings from the CIA inspector general and the Justice Department's ethics watchdogs.
Lawmakers also requested a State Department document that Zelikow wrote about three years ago challenging the idea that the interrogation tactics complied with anti-torture laws.


Published 05/13/2009 by The Washington Independent
Lindsey Graham Hunts for a Kitty Dukakis Moment (click here)
After Philip Zelikow advocates closing Guantanamo Bay, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) — who, earlier in the hearing, praised President Obama for his “responsible view” about Guantanamo — tries to bait Zelikow with a question about Guantanamo’s “recidivism rate.” (The implication being the Bush Pentagon let dangerous terrorists out of Guantanamo to immediately return to the fight, so we have to keep the facility open.)
“There are no reliable statistics on the recidivism rate” at Guantanamo, Zelikow replies, and allows that there are indications that some unknown number of them have returned to fight. Isn’t that a “miscarriage of justice” then, Graham asks?
“Not necessarily,” Zelikow replies.
“What if it was your son or daughter?” Graham demands? How would he feel then?
Zelikow says he wouldn’t feel any different than when a parolee commits a crime. Graham meekly drops the point.

I have to agree with Zelikow. We know exceptionally little on recidivism of former detainees to the ranks of al Qaeda. The issue is not one of national security, UNLESS, the detainees are returning with knowledge provided by USA intelligence. And who knows, anything is possible.

But, the fact of the matter REMAINS that the detainees are FOR THE MOST PART 'grunts' with little to no responsibility for the events September 11, 2001 OR highly valuable knowledge of al Qaeda or the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden. Many of them have been returned SUCCESSFULLY to families and currently Saudi Arabia is looking to send some to the 'Jihadist Rehab' they have about a 50% success rate.

In my opinion this is simply ANOTHER 'GOP Political Stunt' to exonerate the party from the misguided paranoia of Cheney. At the end of the day, in the elections in 2010 and 2012 the GOP will be saying, "Obama did nothing different than Bush" and my guess is that it will continue to say, "He also was a poor choice for his lack of experience." with hopes there will be a percipitous event in the USA to validate that statement. The sincere PROBLEM with Zelikow's assessment of Gitmo and its closure, is it lacks 'political volleys.'

It is my opinion, the Gitmo Detainees CONTINUE to be victim of the GOP and its hold out for their attempted revival. Graham CONTINUES to hammer away at 'the what ifs' and 'in that' continues to state the same stupidity of Bush and Giuliani, "We will be attacked again."

If the people elected to office can't work to secure this country from another terrorist attack, then they have wasted our time and our country's money. We already KNOW the Visa Process is still wide open to fraud and our National Security STILL hangs in the balance. If there is ever ANOTHER September 11, 2001 it will be put directly on the shoulders of the people that held power during the Bush Years when DEARLY NOTHING was done to secure this country, EXCEPT, to terrorize the public and ask them to disrobe at airport terminals while their UNSCANNED luggage went into the belly of the plane.

The National Twinkie Defense (click here)
Sen. Lindsey Graham doesn't think we need anti-torture laws, just anti-torture niceties.
By Dahlia Lithwick
Posted Wednesday, May 13, 2009, at 7:23 PM ET
...Graham dismisses today's hearing as a "political stunt" because "we would not be having this hearing if we were attacked this afternoon." What this really means is that for all his talk of legality and law and the rule of law, in his view the law means one thing "in the quiet peace of the moment" and something entirely different in the immediate aftermath of a terrorism strike. It's sort of like a national Twinkie defense (Colloquialism for exonerating a murderer because of a 'sugar rush.), but Graham is willing to strap a saddle onto that Twinkie today and ride … and ride and ride.

It is all politics and has absolutely NOTHING to do with the USA's National Security. It CAN be argued that by continuing to treat these 'detainees' in such a manner while denying them 'due process' we are as bad if not worse than al Qaeda, the Taliban and Sharia Law, THEREFORE, wedging the USA into greater danger of attack than less.

CLOSE GITMO !

It is impossible to be bipartisan with people that cling to Bush/Cheney rhetoric. The entire GOP under this adminisration were zealots and misguided ideologues. When 'figuring' the quantum possibility of resigning OLD HATREDS of the 'radically right wing' and their policies, there is no 'reasonsable' quotient. There are some things that are not possible in life and bipartisanship with right wing radicals is not possible.

Example: The South Carolina Governor is under fire for his opposition to 'The Obama Stimulus.' Has anyone driven down I-20 in South Carolina lately? It is in disrepair, but, worse than that, the 'wetlands' that line the beauty of this highway are nearly dried up. This is huge drought in the lands of South Carolina and what does the SC Governor say? "We have a big dam for a reservoir nearby. There is a huge dam in Columbia, SC, so therefore 'the severe drought' that swallowed up Lake Lanier is irrelivant. At the very least the drought is the canary in the coal mine. But, no one can deal with this sort of extremism. The politicians that practice it are convinced their elections hang in the balance and they won't come away from it. The only salvation for states like South Carolina is to vote in a new Governor.

Associated Press
SC Legislature approves stimulus resolution (click here)

Associated Press, 05.14.09, 12:20 PM EDT

South Carolina legislators have approved a resolution that might help them deal with legal challenges that could arise in forcing Gov. Mark Sanford to request $700 million in federal stimulus cash.
The House adopted the measure on a voice vote with no debate Thursday. The Senate had approved the measure Wednesday after sending Sanford a $5.6 billion budget that requires him to request the money.
The resolution says the Legislature accepts the money under provisions in the $787 billion federal stimulus legislation.
Legislators say the measure would help them defend taking the money if a lawsuit is filed.
Sanford has said the federal cash needs to be used to offset state debt. The White House twice rejected that idea.

The objection Governor Sanford has to The Simulus Package is self defeating. In unemployment benefits alone, The Stimulus adds money to each check and provides for COBRA benefits. Sanford is unduly putting strain on an already compromised South Carolina economy.

SC borrows more for unemployment benefits (click here)

May 14, 2009
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina has borrowed another $20 million to cover unemployment checks and Gov. Mark Sanford wants legislators to do more to head off a tax increase on employers.
Sanford's office Thursday provided a copy of a letter to Senate and House leaders that asked for a push to move the Employment Security Commission into a new Cabinet-level agency he would control....

South Carolina's unemployment rate is 11.4 %, second in the nation to Michigan. (click here) The Stimulus would add jobs and stabilize the loss of jobs, but, 'the ideologies' of the South Carolina Governor won't allow him to save his own people from strife. It is hideous and these governors should be impeached.

Sooner or later, everyone has to admit Al Gore is correct. The Nobel Peace Prize is no joke.

Former US Vice President Al Gore speaks while attending the session ”Rising to the Challenge of Copenhagen” at the World Economic Forum in this January 30, 2009 file photo. A bill to fight climate change currently before the US Congress ”is a good start,” Nobel laureate and environment champion Al Gore said May 15, 2009. With the House Energy and Commerce Committee due to start its formal debate on the bill come Monday, hoping to approve it by weeks end and send it to the full House, Gore said the legislation ”has now reached the stage that a lot of people thought it never would.” AFP/Getty Images

Managing the health effects of climate change (click title to entry - thank you)
Launched in London, UK, May 13, 2009
A collaboration between The Lancet and University College London, UK, resulting in the first UCL Lancet Commission report, setting out how climate change over the coming decades could have a disastrous effect on health across the globe. The report examines practical measures that can be taken now and in the short and medium term to control its effects....

...A new advocacy and public health movement is needed urgently to bring together governments, international agencies, non-governmental organisations, communities, and academics from all disciplines to adapt to the effects of climate change on health. Any adaptation should sit alongside the need for primary mitigation: reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and the need to increase carbon bio-sequestration through reforestation and improved agricultural practices. The recognition by governments and electorates that climate change has enormous health implications should assist the advocacy and political change needed to tackle both mitigation and adaptation.

The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is:

There is other evidence that indicates the drying troposphere as well.

Lake Powell, Utah (click here)

Lake Powell and its dam per NASA on April 2, 2005.


Lake Powell and its dam per NASA on March 25, 1999.

A turning point or 'tipping point,' if you will, must be noted here. The year the 'static' ability of Earth ended was 2005. What occured in 2005? 2005 was a record setting year for hurricanes. Hurricanes do what? Hurricanes transfer huge amounts of heat (calories) from the troposphere to the oceans.

2005 Hurricane/Tropical Data for Atlantic (click here)

2005 in the Atlantic Hurricane Season saw the manifestation of three Cat 5s, two Cat 4s and two Cat 3s. It was the 'maximum' capacity for the lower troposphere in regard to hurricane sustaining water vapor. Ever since the hurricanes in the Atlantic have been sparse and dimished. No hurricane season since 2005 have manifested so many high velocity storms. The year 2007 had 17 storms of which the majority were Tropical Storms, with three Cat 1s and two Cat 5s. There have been no Cat 5s since.

It is my contention the surface level water vapor that sustained 'Normal Climate Patterns' is diminished and vaporized to a higher level in the troposphere. In other words, Earth's surface is dying up.
continued...


The two graphs below from the same study indicate increasing ocean temperature. The left column in the first graph has a smaller negative number at the top. That indicates there is
'(-)/less cold than the larger negative numbers at the bottom of the column.

The graph on the right indicates falling salt content as the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean is 'fresh water.' As the fresh water contained in the Arctic Ocean sea ice melts is 'dilutes' the saltiness of the Arctic Ocean waters. That leads to a slowing of the ocean currents that are first noted in the British Isles because of its proximity to the Arctic waters vs. Gulf Stream movement (which delivers warm water consequently a warmer climate) and the fact the islands are surrounded by water as opposed to a mainland country.

Change of ocean surface temperature and salt content over years in sea ice melting areas (Coastal areas of Alaska: North latitude 73.5-76 degrees and West longitude 145-155 degrees [Red framed area in Figure 2])

The study below showed a somewhat reassuring trend in regard to Arctic Ocean ice. From the years 2002 through 2005 there was approximately an reoccurring 'low volume' to the sea ice area. That indicated the 'worsening' of the 'cooling' ability of the Arctic Ocean had a possibly 'static' minimum. Such a minimum would act to stablize the deterioration of climate on Earth since the Arctic Ocean is the ice cube to the planet.

However, in 2006 there was a slightly deeper minimum, but, nothing that was over alarming EXCEPT it when 'thinking' about these dynamics in terms of a planet, any such dip has to be taken seriously as an indication there was something serious happening that might be an indication of a worsening circumstance.

Those concerns were confirmed in 2007 when the minimum was off the chart and fell below any previous minimum earlier than it had been recorded.

Change in the sea ice area in the Arctic Ocean as acquired by the AMSR-E (2002-2007) (click here).
A graph shows the change in the sea ice area in the Arctic Ocean between 2002 and 2007. Until this June, the area change trend was about the same as previous years, but since July, each day sets a new low record. On August 15, the previous worst record marked in Sep. 2005 was broken more than one month earlier. The shrinking area is expected to continue, and new records are expected.

...On Wednesday Hadow (click title to entry - thank you) revealed that the average thickness of the sea ice over the course of the Survey was 1.774 meters. He explained: "This seems to suggest it was almost all first-year ice. Our science advisors had told us to expect thicker, older ice on at least part of the route, so it is something of a mystery where that older ice has gone. It'll be interesting to see what scientists think about this."...

Local Time: 1:15 PM AKDT (GMT -08)

Lat/Lon: 58.8° N 137.0° W

Elevation :: 33 ft

Temperature :: 48 °F

Conditions :: Overcast

Windchill :: 44 °F

Humidity :: 58%

Dew Point ::34 °F

Wind :: 9 mph from the SE

Pressure :: 30.13 in (Steady)

Visibility :: 10.0 miles

UV :: 2 out of 16

Clouds:
Overcast 7000 ft
(Above Ground Level)

The disappearance of sea ice does not add to sea level change. The sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is floating, like an ice cube in a water glass.

The Truth is what The Truth. I wish the best for all the hopeful new candidates in the Democratic Party.

Don''t fall into 'the trap' of creating scandal via Republican Bank Wagon for the sake of trying to gain ground on incumbents. It isn't worth it.

Run the campaigns on 'the truth.' It is how the Democrats took back the country in 2006 and AGAIN in 2008. It is how they will maintain their majority and even gain seats in 2010.

Republican politics is underhanded, incideous and grass roots most of the time. Their corruption, however, is in the higher levels of office. The Republicans while corrupt and ruthless, breaking the rules in order to gain wealth and risking the country in order to do it; is supported by grassroots that seek facilitation in the face of corruption. After all, the Right Wing Republican believes their lives are 'judged' by one ultimate judge and therefore remove themselves from the facilitation of corruption.

The issues surrounding Speaker Pelosi are really mute. Even if she had information regarding all the torture methods and even began to understand their ramifications (which I doubt is possible in a single meeting.), there is dearly little she could have done about it. There were a lot of people regardless of country trying to impeach the Bush Administration. It wasn't getting traction.

http://impeachgeorgewalkerbush.blogspot.com/

However, if one were to reflect on having Cindy Sheehan in the seat what indeed would be the difference? That is what new Democratic hopefuls need to concentrate on.

I guarantee you, if Cindy Sheehan were in the House seat now filled by Nancy Pelosi and she came across questionable military strategies in obtaining intelligence and it was oppression of the will of the Democrats to 'out' the 'ill' and have the public deal with it; there would be no living with Cindy. She would have an army of 'activists' that would not only stand behind her, but, never give anyone a chance to malign 'the truth.'

The very best route for Democrats to 'replace' members of the party regarded as 'marginal' in their voting pattern is to engage in a vigor 'Primary' process and let the people decide whom they back.

I caution, examine the people now seeking an 'Independant' route while pandering to Right-Wing Agendas, i.e. Lieberman and now the NEW Democrat Spector. Be careful, the country we took back is 'at stake.' Know your electorate deciding whether a candidate can win in the General Election when running as a Democratic candidate in the Primaries.

Speaker Pelosie did nothing 'W'rong with the information she obtained regarding any 'water boarding.' Back then, we were all saying, "Water what?" She isn't a Cindy Sheehan when it comes to such intelligence, but, then again she is able to maintain her seat and has been not only a wonderful example for accomplishments for women, older Americans, but also a wonderful ally for the President. I sincerely hope she realizes as Speaker she is very susceptible to criticism in regard to 'fiscal heartiness' of the NEW USA economy. By 2010 the Republicans in every venue will have some kind of lopsided scoreboard to try to win elections.

Did the CIA lie? That is a question? Why? Did the CIA destroy tapes? Did Cheney's paper shredder work overtime?

There is only a two reasons that tapes of an intelligence agency would be destroyed. If "Mission Impossible" just received their new assignment OR if people were trying to HIDE the facts.

Commonly, if people DESTROY evidence, is usually means they want to hide LIES. Why else would it be destroyed, to 'let everyone in on it?' I don't think so.


CIA destroyed 92 interview tapes (click title to entry - thank you)
The Central intelligence Agency (CIA) has destroyed 92 tapes of interviews conducted with terror suspects, a US government lawyer has admitted.
The agency had previously said that it had destroyed only two tapes.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has launched a lawsuit against the CIA to seek details of the interrogations of terror suspects.
Techniques involved are understood to have included water-boarding, which the Obama administration says is torture.
The acknowledgment of the 92 destroyed tapes came in a letter sent to the judge presiding over the ACLU lawsuit.
"The CIA can now identify the number of videotapes that were destroyed," the letter by acting US Attorney Lev Dassin, obtained by the BBC, said. "Ninety-two videotapes were destroyed."...

"Slam Dunk"

Okay, let me see if I get this right.

During the eight years Dickie Cheney was Vice President, outing CIA agents, visiting some of the most youngest members of the CIA and coaching them on 'who knows what' and demanding 'record number' of documents to be classified because 'we are a nation at war,' no one could even get the 'minutes' of his Energy Committee.

Now.

Dickie wants the CIA to spill its guts, while the Commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan are obstruting prisoner abuse pictures for the reason the troops would be facing increased danger. But, of course, because the chicken livered, draft dodging (Oh, excuse me, mulitple deferment) Cheney can't handle his own reality, the CIA is supposed to publish memos so he can supposedly CYA. But, of course, torture docments won't have any effect on the troops.

Why is it I really consider Cheney a treasonist?

CIA denies Cheney's document request (click here)

WASHINGTON, May 14 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's request to declassify records of interrogations of suspected terrorists has been denied, an official said.
CNN reported that Cheney requested the CIA declassify documents related to two pending lawsuits.
"This request was handled in accordance with normal practice by CIA professionals with long experience in information management and release. It was for them a straightforward issue," CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano said
The former vice president will appeal the ruling, an aide said....

Did the Bush/Cheney White House MISLEAD the Congress?

Yes.

Did the Bush/Cheney White House MISLEAD the nation?

Yes.

Are the Republicans MISLEADING the country NOW as to WHOM is reponsible for waterboarding?

Yes.

Cheney Defends Waterboarding Order (click here)
By Jason Leopold December 23, 2008
Vice President Dick Cheney, in another stunning admission during his campaign to burnish the Bush administration’s legacy, said he personally authorized the “enhanced interrogations” of 33 suspected terrorist detainees and approved the waterboarding of three so-called “high-value” prisoners.
“I signed off on it; others did, as well, too,” Cheney said about the waterboarding, a practice of simulated drowning done by strapping a person to a board, covering the face with a cloth and then pouring water over it, a torture technique dating back at least to the Spanish Inquisition. The victim feels as if he is drowning.
Cheney identified the three waterboarded detainees as al-Qaeda figures Abu Zubaydah, Khalid Sheik Mohammed and al Nashiri. “That's it, those three guys,” Cheney said in an interview with the right-wing Washington Times.
Other detainees at secret CIA prisons and at Guantanamo Bay were subjected to harsh treatment, including being stripped naked, forced into painful stress positions, placed in extremes of heat or cold and prevented from sleeping – actions that international human rights organizations, and previously the U.S. government, have denounced as torture and illegal abuse....

It is my guess that if Cheney ordered the waterboarding there were a lot of people that knew about it. Right? Right. I betchya Generals and all those people knew about it. And guess what?

NO ONE COULD DO A DAMN THING ABOUT IT !!!!!!!!!!!

Pssst. I can guess what the photos looks like. Right? Right.

Do I believe the Speaker of the House in 2002 could do anything about waterboarding?

Are you for real?

Could Senator Feinstein do anything about the FBI memo in 2001 stating "Al Qaeda Known to Strike the USA."

GET OVER IT !!!!!!!!

Why did the Mexican Drug Cartels become more powerful than the government and a danger at our borders?

U.S. Justice Dept.: Sheboygan Has Ties To Mexican Drug Cartels (click here)
I-43 Considered 'Pipeline' For Drugs
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. -- It might not surprise some people that Wisconsin is not immune to the international drug trade, but it might surprise some exactly which city is now on the radar of federal authorities....
...The scenic city on the shores of Lake Michigan was named by Readers Digest as the No. 1 place in the whole country to raise a family about 10 years ago.
Now, the National Drug Intelligence Center lists Sheboygan as one of some 200 cities where there's a presence of "Mexican drug trafficking organizations," Homeland Security said cartels are the biggest organized crime threat in the United States....


The drug cartel problem in Mexico is huge. The prize is enormous, but, the LOCAL USA authorities 'get it.' But, whatever you do, don't let the USA government regulate the gun trade. After all the NRA's 'Right to Exist' in the face of tens of thousands of deaths is far more important than protecting even our USA law enforcement and life itself !!!


Undercover DEA agents display the drugs seized.
Updated: 3:23 p.m. May 13, 2009
Feds seize $6 million of meth, disrupting Mexican pipeline (click title to entry - thank you)
2 Duluth homes were raided, 4 men arrested
By MARCUS K. GARNER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
The federal Drug Enforcement Administration seized 351 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, authorities announced Wednesday.
The bust, made earlier this week, had a wholesale value of about $6 million, and ranks among the largest takes of the dangerous drug — called “Ice” on the streets — in the Eastern United States, said DEA special agent in charge Rodney Benson.
John Spink/jspink@ ajc.com
The Drug Enforcement Administration seized approximately 351 pounds of Mexican crystal methamphetamine in Gwinnett County in the largest seizure recorded on the East Coast.
“This is the largest seizure of methamphetamine east of the Mississippi [River],” Benson said Wednesday at a press conference at the Richard B. Russell Federal Building in downtown Atlanta....




DEA: Bribes taint late Mexican drug czar (click here)
By DANE SCHILLER Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
May 13, 2009, 8:52PM
A highly trusted former deputy attorney general, who later became Mexico’s drug czar and was embraced by Washington until his death, is accused in a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration report of taking bribes from one of Mexico’s oldest narcotics trafficking cartels.
Jose Luis Santiago Vasconcelos, killed in November in a mysterious plane crash over Mexico City, is among three senior federal law-enforcement officials named in an April 21-page DEA briefing on organized crime and drug trafficking south of the border.
Vasconcelos was never charged with a crime. The other two are being prosecuted by Mexico.
The report, prepared as a primer on drug cartels, does not say when, or how much money was allegedly taken by Vasconcelos, who spearheaded counternarcotics efforts for President Felipe Calderon and had similar duties as deputy attorney general over fighting organized crime for Calderon’s predecessor, Vicente Fox.
He is alleged to have been snared by the Beltran Leyva organization, which the DEA report says is known to use bribery and assassinations to ensure its share of Mexico’s drug trade, and go “toe to toe” with larger syndicates....

Mexico drug violence rises on border despite army (click here)
By Julian CardonaReuters Monday, May 11, 2009; 1:39 PM

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (Reuters) - Killings between rival drug cartels are rising again in Mexico's most violent city despite a massive army deployment that temporarily slashed the murder rate on the U.S. border....

...The 231 drug murders recorded in Ciudad Juarez in February dropped to 64 in March, the army says. But the number crept up to 81 in April and is already over 30 for the first week of May, according to police and media tallies.
Mexico's most-wanted man Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman is trying to drive out the Juarez cartel from the manufacturing city to control the prized smuggling route into the United States and dominate the lucrative local drug market, officials say....

Gunmen Kill Mexican Soldier (click here)
MONTERREY, MEXICO – Gunmen killed a soldier in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila, officials said on Tuesday.

The victim, identified as Victor Manuel Ruiz Rios, was a 22-year-old soldier assigned to the 33rd Infantry Battalion in Muzquiz.Ruiz’s body was found early Monday near the back wall of a high school in Torreon, the capital of Coahuila.

He had seven bullet wounds in the back, two in the back of the neck and one in the elbow.

The gunmen tied the soldier’s hands and placed him against the wall for a makeshift execution by firing squad, the Coahuila state Attorney General’s Office said, adding that the killers used 9 mm pistols....

Gunmen kill 9 in western Mexico, shoot horses
3 days ago
MORELIA, Mexico (AP) — Gunmen killed nine people in three separate attacks in the Mexico's drug-plagued western state of Michoacan, authorities said Sunday.
The state attorney general's office said gunmen broke into a ranch in a rural area and shot dead five employees, along with four horses and a bull....
...President Felipe Calderon has sent more than 45,000 troops to drug hotspots. More than 10,750 people have died in drug violence since then.

Benedict, first Pope to visit The Dome of the Rock. Seeks to unit faiths. Appeals for Palestinian State.

Last update - 23:23 13/05/2009
Ex-diplomats, U.S. Jews urge Obama to push two-state solution (click here)
By Natasha Mozgavaya, Haaretz U.S. Correspsondent

...Four former U.S. ambassadors and officials of a left-leaning Jewish organization sent a letter to Obama on Wednesday asserting that there was a broad consensus within the American Jewish community and among policymakers in support of an active U.S. role in assisting the sides to reach such a solution....

...They also called for an immediate renewal of U.S.-mediated Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, a freeze on West Bank settlement construction, the immediate reconstruction of Gaza and the cessation of Palestinian terror attacks on Israelis...

The Pope paid respect to the victims of the Holocaust. He should have brought Ahmadinejad (click here) as well as Khamenei. Khamenei is backing Ah-mad-in-a-jad (A Mad Man in a Jar) for President AGAIN. Let's hope the Iranian Moderates win this time.

...“Undivided love for the One God and charity towards ones neighbour thus become the fulcrum around which all else turns.”...

The exit begins. What Trump did wasn't in the best interest of anyone. Prejean's rant before the cameras was embarrassing and desperate.

What is the difference between Vanessa Williams and Carrie Prejean? The contest? Really? Carrie should just go on and pose for Penthouse. Collect a few grand.

The nude photos were of Prejean with consent. And they were nude photos. She wasn't wearing anything more than most exotic dancers wear and they are considered to be nude and not semi-nude. When one is topless it is nudity.


EXCLUSIVE: Shanna Moakler Resigns as Miss California Pageant Director Wednesday May 13, 2009 (click title to entry - thank you)
The day after Carrie Prejean was told she could keep her Miss California crown, Shanna Moakler has resigned, she confirms to Usmagazine.com exclusively.
"Since the press conference yesterday, I had a chance to think about what has taken place, and I feel that at this time it is in my best interest to resign from the Miss California USA organization," Moakler tells Us.
"I cannot with a clear conscious move forward supporting and promoting the Miss Universe Organization when I no longer believe in it, or the contracts I signed committing myself as a youth," she continues. "I want to be a role model for young woman with high hopes of pageantry, but now feel it more important to be a role model for my children. I am sorry and hope I have not let any young supporters down but wish them the best of luck in fulfilling their dreams."...

So much for flying the friendly skies. What did they think they were doing?

Airlines don't take care of their crews when 'lay overs' are required? That is something I had never realized before. Wow. I thought airlines were required to provide housing and meals when crews were away from home. Even $55,000 per year isn't enough for all those expenses.


...Board member Kitty Higgins (click title to entry - thank you) said fatigue has been a factor in other crashes and is a major concern for the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration.
"When you put together the commuting patterns, the pay levels, the fact that the crew rooms aren't supposed to be used (for sleeping) but are being used — I think it's a recipe for an accident, and that's what we have here," Higgins said.
Shaw, 24, made $16,254 a year, although she could have earned more if she worked extra hours, said Roger Cox, NTSB's aviation safety operations group chairman. In questioning officials for Colgan Air of Manassas, Va., he suggested that Shaw was commuting from her home near Seattle because she couldn't afford to live in the New York metropolitan area on her salary.
Colgan operated the flight for Continental.
The night before the accident, Shaw flew overnight as a passenger from Seattle, changing planes in Memphis, to report to work at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. She also complained about congestion and may have been suffering from a cold.
Shaw had worked for Colgan for 13 months. She had a second job in a coffee shop when first hired.
Renslow, 47, commuted to Newark from his home near Tampa, Fla. It is unclear where Renslow, who was in the middle of a two-day assignment, slept the night before the trip, but he logged into a computer from Colgan's crew room in Newark at 3 a.m. the night before, according to NTSB documents.
Colgan officials said their captains typically earn around $55,000 a year.
Neither pilot had a "crash pad" or apartment they shared with other pilots in the New York area, nor did they rent a hotel room, NTSB documents said.
NTSB investigators said 93 of the 137 Colgan pilots who worked out of Newark at the time of the accident were commuting from far away...

Obama needs to take a lesson from Abu Ghraib and CBS. It seems someone is leaking the pictures. Click here.

I thought the Geneva Conventions prohibited exploitation of prisoner pictures. Although, if it weren't for the publication of the Abu Ghraib pictures (click here) the torture might still being conducted.

I don't know that we will actually learn more from more pictures.

It is the Generals that oppose the release of any more pictures. I don't want soldiers put into danger because of an escalation of violence, but, unless a USA court denies the public's request for their release for the sake of security I don't see there is any benefit to delaying justice.

Besides, after the death of five innocent soldiers at the hand of one of their own, it is time to bring them all home.

We don't belong in Iraq.

We never did.

What are we doing over there?

Kurdish exports may signal shift in Iraq oil law feud (click here)
Missy Ryan
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
OIL PRODUCTION: Iraq and Kurdistan governments may be edging closer to resolving differences over energy legislation interpretation. (Getty Images)
The launch of oil exports from Iraq's Kurdish north might nudge a long standoff over vital Iraqi energy legislation closer towards resolution, the president of Iraq's Kurds said on Wednesday."It was a very important step, which goes along with implementation of the constitution and is in the interests of the Iraqi people'" Masoud Barzani, president of the largely autonomous Kurdistan region, said in an interview.An end to the fierce impasse over national oil and gas laws, which would set out rules for investing in Iraq and decide how to mete out revenues, would be a boon for Iraq as it seeks to boost output and repair decades of sanctions, war and neglect....

US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,294 (click here)
By The Associated Press – 20 hours ago
As of Tuesday, May 12, 2009, at least 4,294 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
The figure includes eight military civilians killed in action. At least 3,440 military personnel died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
The AP count is seven more than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Monday at 10 a.m. EDT.
The British military has reported 179 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia and Georgia, three each; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand and Romania, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan and South Korea, one death each.
Since the start of U.S. military operations in Iraq, 31,245 U.S. service members have been wounded in hostile action, according to the Defense Department's weekly tally.
The latest deaths reported by the military:
_ No deaths reported.
The latest identifications reported by the military:
_ Navy Cmdr. Charles K. Springle, 52, Wilmington, N.C., died Monday of wounds suffered from a non-combat related incident at Camp Victory, Iraq.
_ Army Spc. Omar M. Albrak, 21, Chicago; died Saturday in Baghdad, of injuries sustained during a motor vehicle accident; was an Individual Ready Reserve soldier assigned to the Headquarters, Multi-National Forces Iraq.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia have already organized their own governments and are building autonomous economies.

For those that don't recall the unforgiving slaughter of innocent people !


...The situation in the Georgian-South Ossetian (click here) conflict came under discussion at the UN Security Council. The emergency session was initiated by Russia after Georgia attacked South Ossetia. Georgia started this war in South Ossetia. Last night, the capital of South Ossetia, Tskhinvali, and the surrounding villages were subjected to intense artillery fire. Involved in the assault were aircraft, tanks, and infantry troops. There were victims among the population. On Friday morning, the shelling of Tskhinvali resumed with greater force. Brigadier General Mamuka Kurashvili of the United Staff of Georgian armed forces described the hostilities as “measures to restore constitutional law and order in the part of the Tskhinvali region which was not controlled by the country’s authorities”. He did not mention, however, that those measures were taken in violation of Tbilisi’s earlier pledges and the principle of the Olympic truce....

Georgia needs to relinquish the regions where tensions exist. It has proven to be hostile to the people there. Peacekeepers or otherwise are no longer needed. It is time to 'get real' about these circumstances. Perhaps we need a reminder as to the absurd accusations that could have ignited a far bigger war when Russian soldiers came to the South Ossetia defense.

Nothing was farther from the truth than this account:

...Some of the comments from, apparently, unconscious readers: (click here)
“SO RUSSIA GOES INTO THIS PLACE AND KILLS INNOCENT CHILDREN AND CIVILIANS AND WE ARE TO STAY OUT OF IT? I DON’T THINK SO. THAT RUSSIAN PRESIDENT IS AN ANIMAL. NO CHILD DESERVES TO BE SHOT OR BOMBED WHERE THEY LIVE! THEY SHOULD HAVE GIVEN WARNINGS TO THE INNOCENT PARENTS TO TAKE THEIR CHILDREN OUT FIRST. ANIMALS!”...



...This approach signalled that Russia's demand for recognition of South Ossetia as an independent state should be addressed at separate "status" talks in Geneva, while accommodating the insistence of Georgia and its Western allies on Georgian territorial integrity and a single OSCE mission in the country.... (click title to entry - thank you)


We want peace, longevity for all people, not war !

The Fuller Premise on The Huffington Post is "W"rong.

For all the talk of "smart power," President Obama is pressing down the same path of failure in Pakistan marked out by George Bush. The realities suggest need for drastic revision of U.S. strategic thinking....

The grossest error by Fuller is that he attempts to compare Pakistan in regard to two different USA administrations.

There is no comparison.

Bush's fatal error was to allow Rumsfeld to call Musharraf an ally while providing billions of dollars US to him which he used to arm his military to oppose India in Kashmir. That fact speaks eons to the loyality of Musharraf. India is an ally of the USA and The West. For Rumsfeld to have provided monies for 'renting' air space over Pakistan that was then allowed to be used to purchase Chinese weapons for a confrontation with India over Kashmir is an outrage. There is no way that should have happened.

So to say the relationship with Pakistan TODAY is the same as Pakistan in 2001 is a gross error in analysis. The leadership in Pakistan now is a return of the government before the Musharraf coup. Musharraf is no longer in power. He won't be back either. He was stripped of his General status that lead to a vulnerability in elections that removed him completely from any authority within Pakistan. Mussharraf was the one that nutured the Taliban back to life.

There is simply no valid comparison of Pakistan under Bush's Musharraf and the one we witness today under Obama's Zardari. No comparison at all.

Secondly, this is a country of warlords. The ethnicity of any member of the Pakistan populous is nearly mute when one realizes 'the warlord influence' is what turns the loyalty of any Pashtun. The Pashtun are not as offensive and aggressive as the Taliban. The Pashtun are survivors. They follow the power of the leadership that surrounds them. When the USA first invaded Afghanistan in 2001 the Pashtun were among the first to welcome them and assist the CIA in providing donkeys for their travel.

Shortly after the USA drove the Taliban and al Qaeda from influence in Afghanistan the Pashtun were elated to shave their beards, send their daughters to school, reopen libraries and open television parlors that showed 'racey' films to men.

There is a Tajek-Pashtun that has been leading Afghanistan out of the dark ages for most of his life. He was once a member of the Northern Alliance. He believes in the USA's mission in Afghanistan and believes in the liberation of his nation. He is running for President in 2009 and if there is any one person that deserves to be President of Afghanistan with vision, it is he. Dr. Abdullah Abdullah's influence as President of Afghanistan would be untarnished by corruption and void of warlord priorities. He would be a visionary for his nation with unyielding goals to peace and prosperity.

He enjoys connectedness with the Afghan Diaspora in the USA. It acts as a balance to his reality and an impetus to his leadership.

Civilization is possible for Pakistan and Afghanistan. The people of these countries want it. The region is capable of reducing violence even in Kashmir. But, it will not be possible without the influence of the USA. The Taliban and al Qaeda can be defeated, but, we have to 'keep our eye on the ball.'

Boycott Prejean Events - she's completely biased in regard to Civil Rights of Gays

It looks as though sexy women can pretend to have more virtue than any gay individual under the ? right ? of religious bias.

In the USA, Civil Right are for everyone, not just the 'religiously priviledged.' Trump made a huge mistake by turning the Miss Universe pagent into a political volley.

By victimizing Perez Hilton as an 'invoker of the devil,' Ms. Prejean has proven how immature she is and continues to be by not separating her personal belief system from that of her public role as Miss California. The 'beauty queens' are supposed to act to include all the populous of their state in issues regarding fund raising and social areas of neglect. It is a startling reality when a Miss California is allowed to biasly define 'the crown' in its capacity of compassion. I am quite surprised at the Trump Foundation in regard to this decision to allow such expressions of hate to be allowed as a fundamental right in his organization.

Perhaps the turth regarding the Miss Universe Contest is that it is another Right Wing activity, but, one wouldn't know it for the judges encouraged to provoke the address of social concerns that reveal personal bigotries of its candidates.



"I felt as though Satan was trying to tempt me in asking me this question," Prejean says (click title to entry - thank you)

The dangers of Human Induced Global Warning now involve 'horizontal ground winds.'

The Surface Winds that occur with 'every' tornado are becoming as much a destructive force as the tornadoes themselves. There is less water vapor at the surface of Earth to support the formation of the tornadoes, so the rapid winds at the surface are accumulating to provide enough velocity to harness a higher tropospheric formation.

Storm's winds destroy 2 Robeson homes (click title to entry - thank you)
...A powerful storm that rumbled across the region Monday morning destroyed Britt’s home in Robeson County and injured her daughter-in-law. Straight-line winds as strong as 125 mph snapped trees from Scotland County to Columbus County. Damage appeared heaviest in Robeson County, where at least two homes were destroyed and seven others were damaged on Sadie Drive and Elton’s Drive about seven miles southeast of Lumberton.
The storm covered an area of 2.5 miles by 350yards, according to the National Weather Service. But the lack of rotation suggested it was not a tornado, said meteorologist Mike Caropolo.
He said the extent of the damage was similar to an EF-2 tornado and winds of a Category 3 hurricane....

Tornadoes always begin with a rush of surface winds. The video loop below demonstrates that dynamic. The difference between tornadoes in previous years and the tornadoes being witnessed and measured this year is the 'required' surface wind velocity. The surface wind velocities are higher because the 'catalyst' to the tornado formation is water vapor and it is becoming more sparce in the lowest levels of the troposphere. Add to that higher heat indexes at the surface and it not only is dangerous to life it is growing exceptionally volitile and unpredictable.

Tornado Formation - The best video clips are here

We are heard. We have a President that regards are words as significant.

This video is from Mike's website (click title to entry - thank you).

Peace activists.

Anti-Violence Activisits.

Those that oppose death of any kind, we all are heard at the highest levels of government in the Obama Administration.

It is difficult for many to 'fight the good fight' while condoning any deaths anywhere. We would all like for 'the bad guys' to 'give up' in a recognition that the world opposes their directives, however, it is unrealistic to believe the lives of the 'peaceful' are secure without a strong defense.

War by its very nature is unforgiving. It stops lives and destroys countryside and hamlet. Anyone with a conscience would willingly stand in opposition to war and even place their lives on the line, such as we witnessed in the deaths of past civilians in the USA exampled by the senseless Kent State killings of innocent people that embraced life and opposed corrupt government.

What is happening in the White House under this President is a act of conscience by a President walking the path of 'sustainable' peace. He is presented with protecting a nation of Peacemakers. Americans oppose war, death, killing and seek answers that embrace life and love. It is our nature to seek the path of peace. Democracy in the USA breeds a freedom of thought that supports far ranging goals of 'peace for everyone' and the prosperity that accompanies it. We know that when dollars stop flowing for war they start flowing toward quality of life.

For those seeking peace and having conscience to promote non-violence there has to be a rush of conscience regarding whom we are protecting in our striving for a world engaged in prosperity and disengaged from violence and war. If stopping an war front means escalating the dangers to those that are peaceful, there is no conscience in that, but only provocation to greater dangers.

I am more than convinced the man in the Oval Office is a man of conscience. He has demonstrated significant intelligence and agility in handling his responsibilities. I provide words of support for him and his Defense Department as I too recognize the hideous acts of the past administration and realize there has to be an end to the 'allowance' and 'tolerance' of hate of the people of the USA and the need to have a secure sovereign country capable of peace.

The bottom line here is that while opposing war is important, we as people seeking a nation capable of promoting peace and security have to 'achieve' policies that eliminate danger to ourselves and others. That directive unfortunately involves acts of 'defense' requiring war. Finishing the war of 2001 in Afghanistan, while securing Pakistan cannot be understated. The people of Afghanistan are a magnificent people capable of understanding democracy and embracing peace. We will prevail. They will prevail. I am confident of that. I believe President Obama and Secretary Gates are capable of directing the abilities of the USA military on a path to peace, but, it carries dangers and pitfalls to all 'acts of peace.'

The war raging within Pakistan and Afghanistan is a war of conscience. It is not a war for resources and greed as we witnessed with the Bush/Cheney deceptions. It is the war that will end the 'heart' of al Qaeda and foster strong foundations of democracy. With the sustained help of the leadership of Pakistan and Afghanistan the USA will come to stop the hideous practices of endangering other lands to secure some 'agenda' of political will by the USA. We have a lot to 'correct' in these two countries. Past acts by the USA have toyed with their security and sovereignty and that has to stop. I do believe we are witnessing 'the reality' of the USA sins of the past in many of these venues.

When the sovereignty and security of Pakistan and Afghanistan are returned the USA will have accomplished a task that has long needed address and we will have honor to our country once again as well as a secure nation.

If peace is at the heart of the conscience of our actions we will never be unjustified. The methods to achieving that peace are paramont to its legitimacy. The citizens of Pakistan and Afghanistan are important and in many ways their best outcome is more important than they have yet to realize. We cannot allow them to wallow in the defeat of their wishes for freedom and security at the hand of barbarians within the faith of Islam. We simply can't do that. I am sure the new initiatives within these countries will provide a securer world for all of us.

The New Guy in Afghanistan. McChrystal - sounds like a Holistic McDonald's Meal. I am sure he'll be a friend to every Afghan child.

Maj. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal (right) and Acting Army Chief of Staff Gen. John M. Keane (left) brief reporters on how the U.S. Army is organizing to rotate forces supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom during a Pentagon press briefing on July 23, 2003. McChrystal is the vice director for Operations, J-3, the Joint Staff. DoD photo by R.D. Ward. (Released)

Basic Training needs review. It was shortened and abbreviated under Bush/Cheney compared to previous administrations.

We need to return to what works.


...Basic Combat Training is nine weeks long and is divided into red, white and blue phases. A typical day begins with wake up at 5:30 a.m. and ends with lights out at 9:00 p.m.... (click title to entry - thank you)

Basic training begins with in processing at the 120th Adjutant General Battalion (Reception). For most Soldiers, in processing is brief, from 4 to 10 days. Here Soldiers receive a general orientation, get fitted and issued Army uniforms, establish personnel records, obtain an identification card, receive visual,dental physical examinations, test for physical fitness, and receive immunizations. Soldiers also begin learning the Army core values and basic military skills during this phase. From the Reception Battalion soldiers are “shipped” to a basic training unit on Fort Jackson.

Why are they counciling soldiers in a war zone? Get them out of there.

Interdictive Military Strategies to maintain soldiers in a war zone while 'unfit' has lead to increases in PTSD and soldier suicides.

Bring the troops home. This is a strategy that Bush's military used to 'maintain' NUMBERS in Iraq. He never allowed the belief that a soldier's mental health was as important has his physical readiness for battle.

Bring the troops home! Enough. Iraq has to solve its own problems.


Official: U.S. soldier kills 5 at Camp Liberty
By Robert H. Reid - The Associated PressPosted : Monday May 11, 2009 13:17:53 EDT

BAGHDAD — A U.S. soldier opened fire at a counseling center on a U.S. base Monday, killing five fellow soldiers before being taken into custody, the U.S. command and Pentagon officials said.
The shooting occurred at Camp Liberty, a sprawling U.S. base on the western edge of Baghdad near the city’s international airport and adjacent to another facility where President Barack Obama visited last month.
A brief U.S. statement said the soldier “suspected of being involved with the shooting” was in custody but gave no further details. Nobody else was hurt, the military said. It was unclear what provoked the shooting.
In Washington, Pentagon officials said the shooting happened at a stress clinic, where troops can go for help with the stresses of combat or personal issues. It was unclear whether those killed were workers at the clinic or were there for counseling. No details were released about the gunman....

Wiley Pete - WP - White Phosphorus - Unfortunately, it isn't illegal. Morally, it isn't supposed to be used on human beings...

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is correct. This has to be over for his people. If his words of opposition to war mean anything, it is to 'warn' the USA forces that THIS TIME will be definitive or NOT at all. President Karzai was once abandoned to the 'rise of the Taliban' by Bush, he cannot allow such manipulation of his people again. We have to 'end it' for them.


Haji Barkat Ullah speaks with his daughter Frishta 7, who was wounded in coalition airstrike in Bala Baluk district of Farah province.

...but, when it is...


..." a potent psychological weapon against the insurgents in trench lines and spider holes..." (click title to entry - thank you)

...White phosphorus is not banned by any treaty to which the United States is a signatory. Smokes and obscurants comprise a category of materials that are not used militarily as direct chemical agents. The United States retains its ability to employ incendiaries to hold high-priority military targets at risk in a manner consistent with the principle of proportionality that governs the use of all weapons under existing law. The use of white phosphorus or fuel air explosives are not prohibited or restricted by Protocol III of the Certain Conventional Weapons Convention (CCWC), the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which may be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to have Indiscriminate Effects, which regulates the use of "any weapon or munition which is primarily designed to set fire to objects or to cause burn injury to persons . . ."

Personally, I would rather the USA military simply 'take responsibility' for the actions rather than attempting to blame the enemy for acts it did not commit. The Taliban might have WP, but, the likelihood is remote. What I find even more interesting is the LACK of use of more sophisticated weapons such as WMD, while it is known through tapes obtained by Nic Robertson at CNN in 2001, that al Qaeda was definately conducting such experiments. However, the 'lack' of evidence of the use of such weapons by The Taliban in Pakistan or Afghanistan suggests their warfare is limited to conventional 'hand held' guns and the like. They should be easily defeated and the progress made by the Pakistani military suggests that is what is occurring.

When al Qaeda and The Taliban resort to 'stronger' methods it is usually suicide bombers or roadside devices. Not that they aren't effective, but, the definition of 'their ability to conduct war' is grossly limited compared to that of the USA, Afghan, Pakistani forces.

I realize the USA Defense Department has 'the notion' that the popular status of any war is as important as the war itself. The American public is preceived as 'turning on' the military when people die regardless of their social status of soldier or civilian. That is true to some extent, however, there are segments of the populous that realize there are casualties, no one (regardless of their 'consent 'to war') consents to them and with the sophistication of weaponry, logistics and soldier, the First World nations should be able to 'do better.'

What is so very tragic is the 'longevity' of war, now in Iraq and before in Vietnam. The longer 'a war' such as we witness in these countries continues, the higher the death toll of soldier and civilian. When that occurs the USA becomes 'guilty' of victory by 'annihilation' and not disablement. The 'real challenge' to today's military, regardless of country, when Islamic extremism is involved, it to 'end it' as quickly as possible, to clearly illustrate to populous of civilians whom indeed 'the bad guys are,' before they can promote a propaganda war to recruit young Muslim men and influence school children RESULTING in sustained, generational killing and war without end. We initially did exactly that in Afghanistan in 2001, but, was diverted to Iraq and all was lost.

The 'redeloyment' of war into Pakistan and Afghanistan has occurred with an interesting perspective. While the USA was diverted for a 'war of resources' to Iraq, all the pandering by authorities in Afghanistan resulted in a successful propaganda war. Literally, if there wasn't a change in authority in the USA White House, the result in Afghanistan would have been the successful rise of the Taliban lead by Mullah Omar. We would not only be witnessing the first al Qaeda 'nation/state' but to realize Pakistan was being infiltrated 'in the name of religious fervor' is more than startling. Sincerely, for the oppression global nations were exerting on the USA for its illegal invasion into Iraq, the realization that Afghanistan was going to fall to terrorist elements with Pakistan not far behind is more than 'food for thought.'

"Just in time" is an interesting name for the NEW conflict within Pakistan and Afghanistan. What the American people, regardless of party affiliation or anti-war affection, oppose is the covert nature of the USA military from 'the realities of the war.' Recently the USA blamed the Taliban for killing 100 civilians, but, yet investigation shows differently. Today in the headlines AGAIN the 'psy-op' strategy is to blame again the Taliban for the use of WP. When investigation leads to evidence that blames 'legitimate' strikes by USA forces for casualities and responsibility is diverted it leads to greater and greater speculation to the legitimate actions of the military, therefore, popular opposition to it.

To successfully defeat Islamic extremism the 'temporal dimension' or TIMELINE has to be the priority of military action, not how LONG the war can be sustained. The people that oppose war understand all to well how quickly 'a nation's resources' are redirected and even citizens' rights change due to a conflict. When a nation's resources are redirected peacetime initiatives are nearly destroyed and priorities of peace sidelined.

Countries regardless of GDP cannot address their social ills when resources are 'secluded' for war rather than peaceful economies. In nations such as Afghanistan and Pakistan when poverty is allowed for generation after generation, the reality is The West have 'permanent' enemies rather than allies. If Western militaries want to be successful at 'winning the war at home,' they have to provide a 'real strategy' to war that wins on all venues, NOT just on 'sustainability of actions.'

Anti-War movements need to go further than simply protesting or monitoring body counts, they need to organize, raise funds and become an entity in venues such as the UN and International Tribunals where 'the rules of conflict engagement' are written and enforced. There als has to be a delination of when war is 'hostile' to civlization and peace and when war is necessary to enforce it.

In the year 2009, knowing my President is a man of peace before war, I find it difficult to disagree with his initiatives to support Pakistan through difficult times within its borders knowing the result will be the security of the USA.

I do not condone any deaths of civilians and find it difficult to believe the USA military can't do better. But, in the face of lack of 'offense' to the use of White Phosphorus what argument do I have? Yes it is MORALLY "W"rong to use such weapons on human beings regardless of their 'enemy' status, but, what is more worse are the deaths of 'innocent' soldiers conducting defense of our nation when their lives could have been secured.

I want peace. We aren't going to achieve that so long as terrorist elements believe they can hold power in the world and dominate 'populous' movements against BENEVOLENT governments.

May 11th, 2009 1:51 am

Probe sought after chemical strike burns Afghan girl (click here)
By Emma Graham-Harrison
KABUL (Reuters) - Human Rights Watch has called on NATO-led forces in Afghanistan to release the results of an investigation into a March incident in which an 8-year-old girl was burned by white phosphorus munitions.
The girl, Razia, was badly burned when her home was hit by a shell containing the chemical, which ignites on contact with air and can stick to flesh. U.S. military medical staff who treated the girl said she had white phosphorus on her face and neck.
Two of her sisters were killed in the strike in the eastern province of Kapisa. The case, the first known example of civilian casualties from white phosphorus in Afghanistan, was first reported by Reuters on Friday....

U.S.: Afghan militants using white phosphorous (click here)
Statement comes amid probe into coalition strike in Farah province

KABUL - The U.S. military said Monday that it has documented 44 cases where militants in Afghanistan have used white phosphorus in attacks or where the weapons have been found in caches.
The announcement came a day after Afghan doctors voiced concern over "unusual" burns on villagers wounded in an already controversial U.S.-Taliban battle, and the country's top human rights groups said it was investigating the possibility white phosphorus was used.
The American military denied using the incendiary in the battle in Farah province — which President Hamid Karzai has said killed 125 to 130 civilians....

We don't belong in Iraq.

We never did.

The Iraqi provinces will work out their differences without interference from The West. The longer we occupy Iraq, the more fuel for the 'extremist' fire in Iran. If The West wants to win the day with Iran, it has to leave Iraq. Iran has 'assumed' protectorate of the Shi'ites.

The USA military is NOT Maliki's private militia.