This is an addition to the state of the union post.
In his speech, fearful leader said that the troops "will" start to withdraw from Afghanistan in 2011. Yep, according to the "plan" he mentioned just before the latest "surge".
Funny, but every Pentagon "plan" has troops in that country until 2015/2016 at a minimum. The Air Force has plans that call for them to be there until 2015 for training and maintenance.
The Army is there at least until that same time or longer. Again, for training and building up the Afghan Army.
No doubt this administration just might actually "pull" some troops out of Afghanistan and bring them home by 2011. Yep, they'll do just what old Nixon did back in 1971. I was with 5th Marines in Vietnam 1970-71. We had a radio link with an Army until a few kilometers from our regimental base. Every so often we'd drive over to drop off mail and check on our guys who kept up the radio link with the Army.
One day, we enter the Army base and saw they had a different unit insignia on the main gate. When we asked about it we were told that the "old" unit we had known went home. Now, all the Army troops we had been working with were still there. They were now in a new unit. All that had "gone home" were the regimental flag, some paper work and maybe a few men. It was all smoke and mirrors, but it made the news back in the states as the unit coming home.
IF our troops come out of Afghanistan in 2011, I would be willing to bet this is how they will be "coming home".
I just do not, in any way, trust the government. So, I guess you can call me a doubter in fearful leader and his ability to get things done.
But, damn, he sure used lots of pretty words in that speech. Didn't he?
semper fi
27 January 2010
state of the union
OK, I tried, I really tried to watch the entire speech. Honestly, I did on the net. To be totally honest, it is still going on in a different window.
What got me was one statement our fearful leader made. He said he didn't want America to be in second place. Well bud, as far as health care goes, America is not in second place. Nope, America is, wait for it.............#37. Yep, number 37. That means that 36 other countries have better health care than we do. And that is before this health care "reform" he is still pushing.
Now, our Congress critters have a gold plated health care plan. Give the same they get to ALL Americans.
Can't afford it? Well, hell, just END the goddamn wars of choice we are stuck in. We spend over $190,000.00 each minute in Afghanistan alone! Holy crap people. How mush more of this horse shit will we take?
No, I do not have a solution. If I did, I'd either be very rich, or there would be a "contract" out on me.
We all know that not one damn thing he talked about in this speech will see the light of day.
He says there should be less involvement of the lobbyists? Now that would be something. Unfortunately it will never happen.
ENOUGH!!!!! Enough of the bullshit and lies. Enough of all the goddamn wars.
I should apologize for my language, maybe. Damn these moron politicians can get a guy very pissed off.
They treat us like mushrooms, keep us in the dark and feed us bullshit.
Note to self; do NOT eat before listening to any political speech.
semper fi
What got me was one statement our fearful leader made. He said he didn't want America to be in second place. Well bud, as far as health care goes, America is not in second place. Nope, America is, wait for it.............#37. Yep, number 37. That means that 36 other countries have better health care than we do. And that is before this health care "reform" he is still pushing.
Now, our Congress critters have a gold plated health care plan. Give the same they get to ALL Americans.
Can't afford it? Well, hell, just END the goddamn wars of choice we are stuck in. We spend over $190,000.00 each minute in Afghanistan alone! Holy crap people. How mush more of this horse shit will we take?
No, I do not have a solution. If I did, I'd either be very rich, or there would be a "contract" out on me.
We all know that not one damn thing he talked about in this speech will see the light of day.
He says there should be less involvement of the lobbyists? Now that would be something. Unfortunately it will never happen.
ENOUGH!!!!! Enough of the bullshit and lies. Enough of all the goddamn wars.
I should apologize for my language, maybe. Damn these moron politicians can get a guy very pissed off.
They treat us like mushrooms, keep us in the dark and feed us bullshit.
Note to self; do NOT eat before listening to any political speech.
semper fi
26 January 2010
Important new article
Hi again folks.
Very unusual, a second post here in one day.
Please go to Tom Dispatch and read his latest article titled "Our Wars Are Killing Us". In my personal opinion, it is one of the most important articles in recent times. He explains quite clearly the obscene amounts of money going to just the Pentagon for our "defense". In reality, the monies are for war, not the defense of America.
Remember as you read his latest Tomgram that he is ONLY talking about the money going to the Pentagon. He does not include the funds that go the the Department of "Homeland" (that vile term again) Security, the Department of Energy ( they work on the nukes) nor the various Veteran Departments.
America spends an obscene amount of money for our "defense", yet we are no more secure than we were on 9/10.
We spend as much as the rest of the world combined! And we are in no way "safer" since 9/11.
Of course the "tea baggers" do not protest this. The elephant gang will never ask for any cuts in this funding, nor will the donkey gang. It is a scam folks. We are being ripped off to continue to fund endless wars for endless profits.
Time to tell the "security" outfits enough. They need to re-enter the real world of very tight budgets. They need to come back to reality.
semper fi
Very unusual, a second post here in one day.
Please go to Tom Dispatch and read his latest article titled "Our Wars Are Killing Us". In my personal opinion, it is one of the most important articles in recent times. He explains quite clearly the obscene amounts of money going to just the Pentagon for our "defense". In reality, the monies are for war, not the defense of America.
Remember as you read his latest Tomgram that he is ONLY talking about the money going to the Pentagon. He does not include the funds that go the the Department of "Homeland" (that vile term again) Security, the Department of Energy ( they work on the nukes) nor the various Veteran Departments.
America spends an obscene amount of money for our "defense", yet we are no more secure than we were on 9/10.
We spend as much as the rest of the world combined! And we are in no way "safer" since 9/11.
Of course the "tea baggers" do not protest this. The elephant gang will never ask for any cuts in this funding, nor will the donkey gang. It is a scam folks. We are being ripped off to continue to fund endless wars for endless profits.
Time to tell the "security" outfits enough. They need to re-enter the real world of very tight budgets. They need to come back to reality.
semper fi
Poor folks and drones
Well, I got a very interesting email the other day. It came from a highly recommended site. The link to it is on this page, but I'll give it here also.http://unsilentgeneration.com.
The article in the email alert is about the "wonderful" Lt. Governor of South Carolina and how this guy thinks of poor people.
Now keep in mind that this guy, Andre Bauer, claims he is a "good Christian". He is running for the office of governor in his state also.
This "wonderful" person is on record as saying that we should treat poor folks like stray animals and not feed them. You see, according to this "good" guy, the poor folks will just come back for more if you help them. We should, I suppose, just let them fend for themselves, and if they die, well, so much better for the state. Yep, that way there would be fewer poor folks to clog up the system. Oh, and more for those who aren't poor.
It amazes me how these miserable damned jackasses can run around America claiming to be "good Christians" and then say crap like this and the media just lets them walk away from this sort of comment.
Here again is another "fine" example of what I continue to call an Xtian. There is NO Christ in the Xtianity they practice. There is none in what they preach either.
Now, some will jump on me as I am an old heathen, but I do know some bits of the Christian story. Jesus mentioned helping the poor at different times in the New Testament. He did not, that I remember, say to not feed them and just treat them like stray animals. In one story Jesus even went so far as to show socialist tendencies. I refer to the story where he told the rich man to sell all his belongings and give the money to the poor. Not being a follower of any religion, I do not have the chapter and verse in front of me. Any real Christians who might be reading this can look it up I am sure.
I just cannot understand how we allow any politician who claims, as the elephant gang has, to uphold "family values" to run around spouting this sort of bullshit. Have we all become immune to this? Don't we get angered at the hypocrisy any more? Do we just sit back and take all the manure that is dumped on us daily? When will people wake up and email, write, call, etc the offices of the politicians who make these outrageous statements? If we just sit and do nothing, we will lose even more of what little are left of our constitutional rights.
A second item came past me recently that ties in with the above. Over at Tom Dispatch, again, the link is on this page and it does work, there is an article by Nick Turse. Mr. Turse is a trusted commentator, trusted by me at least. He writes in his recent article about the drones we are using in our current wars and the future of these drones in, of course future wars.
Yes, folks, we are in for endless war. Endless wars for endless profits, but that is something I have said before, so, no with this post.
Mr. Turse points out how the drones are being used in increasing numbers in the current wars "we" are fighting. He has very good information as to how these weapons are being upgraded and the new types of equipment that is being planned for future wars.
Now that is all worth reading, but what I take from all of this "technological" breakthroughs and improvements is that the US military is increasing their use of these systems. Now, you may say this is good as it keeps our pilots out of harms way. Yes, it does do that, but, it also now makes war even more like a video game. Currently, many of the pilots of the drones we use "work" out of an Air Force base in Nevada. They come in at the start of their shift, fly the drone by remote control, preform the mission, and at the end of shift, they go back home. War by remote control, just like some video game.
And there is the danger to all this. As war becomes a video game, our "leaders" will be less inclined to stop and even try to reason with anybody before they start another war. Since the majority of the pilots won't even be in the actual combat zone, the Air Force losses could drop to zero. All drones, all the time. But, making war into a video game removes reality from what war actually is. War is a goddamn dirty business. Don't think so? Ask anybody who has been in a war zone just how "clean" war is. One historian, I can't recall his name just now, said in an interview some years ago that wars were fought in garbage dumps. He spoke the truth to some extent. The battlefields are littered with trash, just plain old "normal" trash and all the cast-off trash of war, empty shell casings, discarded rations, etc. You do not ever see any signs saying "keep our battle zone clean". War is nasty, brutish, vile, violent, bloody, on and on. I'm doing my best to keep this polite. War is not a damn video game. With the increased use of drones to carry on our wars, we are in danger of making war more attractive, more of an option than ever before in human history. There lies the danger of these new weapons systems.
War should always be the very last resort.
I am going to close this entry with some comments from General Smedley Butler. He said there were only two reasons for war. To defend OUR homes, and to defend the Bill of Rights. All other reasons for war are a racket. After 33 years as a US Marine and having been awarded the Medal of Honor twice, he knew what he was talking about.
In his short pamphlet "War is a Racket" he states;" Three steps must be taken to smash the war racket. We must take the profit out of war. We must permit the youth of the land who would bear arms to decide whether or not there should be war. We must limit our military forces to home defense purposes."
He ends his pamphlet with this final comment. "So....I say, 'To HELL WITH WAR!'"
I agree 100%.
The article in the email alert is about the "wonderful" Lt. Governor of South Carolina and how this guy thinks of poor people.
Now keep in mind that this guy, Andre Bauer, claims he is a "good Christian". He is running for the office of governor in his state also.
This "wonderful" person is on record as saying that we should treat poor folks like stray animals and not feed them. You see, according to this "good" guy, the poor folks will just come back for more if you help them. We should, I suppose, just let them fend for themselves, and if they die, well, so much better for the state. Yep, that way there would be fewer poor folks to clog up the system. Oh, and more for those who aren't poor.
It amazes me how these miserable damned jackasses can run around America claiming to be "good Christians" and then say crap like this and the media just lets them walk away from this sort of comment.
Here again is another "fine" example of what I continue to call an Xtian. There is NO Christ in the Xtianity they practice. There is none in what they preach either.
Now, some will jump on me as I am an old heathen, but I do know some bits of the Christian story. Jesus mentioned helping the poor at different times in the New Testament. He did not, that I remember, say to not feed them and just treat them like stray animals. In one story Jesus even went so far as to show socialist tendencies. I refer to the story where he told the rich man to sell all his belongings and give the money to the poor. Not being a follower of any religion, I do not have the chapter and verse in front of me. Any real Christians who might be reading this can look it up I am sure.
I just cannot understand how we allow any politician who claims, as the elephant gang has, to uphold "family values" to run around spouting this sort of bullshit. Have we all become immune to this? Don't we get angered at the hypocrisy any more? Do we just sit back and take all the manure that is dumped on us daily? When will people wake up and email, write, call, etc the offices of the politicians who make these outrageous statements? If we just sit and do nothing, we will lose even more of what little are left of our constitutional rights.
A second item came past me recently that ties in with the above. Over at Tom Dispatch, again, the link is on this page and it does work, there is an article by Nick Turse. Mr. Turse is a trusted commentator, trusted by me at least. He writes in his recent article about the drones we are using in our current wars and the future of these drones in, of course future wars.
Yes, folks, we are in for endless war. Endless wars for endless profits, but that is something I have said before, so, no with this post.
Mr. Turse points out how the drones are being used in increasing numbers in the current wars "we" are fighting. He has very good information as to how these weapons are being upgraded and the new types of equipment that is being planned for future wars.
Now that is all worth reading, but what I take from all of this "technological" breakthroughs and improvements is that the US military is increasing their use of these systems. Now, you may say this is good as it keeps our pilots out of harms way. Yes, it does do that, but, it also now makes war even more like a video game. Currently, many of the pilots of the drones we use "work" out of an Air Force base in Nevada. They come in at the start of their shift, fly the drone by remote control, preform the mission, and at the end of shift, they go back home. War by remote control, just like some video game.
And there is the danger to all this. As war becomes a video game, our "leaders" will be less inclined to stop and even try to reason with anybody before they start another war. Since the majority of the pilots won't even be in the actual combat zone, the Air Force losses could drop to zero. All drones, all the time. But, making war into a video game removes reality from what war actually is. War is a goddamn dirty business. Don't think so? Ask anybody who has been in a war zone just how "clean" war is. One historian, I can't recall his name just now, said in an interview some years ago that wars were fought in garbage dumps. He spoke the truth to some extent. The battlefields are littered with trash, just plain old "normal" trash and all the cast-off trash of war, empty shell casings, discarded rations, etc. You do not ever see any signs saying "keep our battle zone clean". War is nasty, brutish, vile, violent, bloody, on and on. I'm doing my best to keep this polite. War is not a damn video game. With the increased use of drones to carry on our wars, we are in danger of making war more attractive, more of an option than ever before in human history. There lies the danger of these new weapons systems.
War should always be the very last resort.
I am going to close this entry with some comments from General Smedley Butler. He said there were only two reasons for war. To defend OUR homes, and to defend the Bill of Rights. All other reasons for war are a racket. After 33 years as a US Marine and having been awarded the Medal of Honor twice, he knew what he was talking about.
In his short pamphlet "War is a Racket" he states;" Three steps must be taken to smash the war racket. We must take the profit out of war. We must permit the youth of the land who would bear arms to decide whether or not there should be war. We must limit our military forces to home defense purposes."
He ends his pamphlet with this final comment. "So....I say, 'To HELL WITH WAR!'"
I agree 100%.