In attempting to come to grips and make some sense of this incredible boondoggle, the only thing I can think of is that Biden's CIA and MIC overlords "convinced" him that the Taliban would not be able to do what they did despite obvious on the ground intelligence that said otherwise hoping that a forced crisis would make it more amenable to the American public to accept an even more forceful response and continue our presence in the region. We will rightfully demand to go back and protect our citizens and the vulnerable Afghans left behind and then we will stay. Once again we have been played. We shall see.
It's one of those newspapers where you can't read the article unless you subscribe. Dang.
Really? I'm not subscribed but maybe it's part of the WaPo or LaTimes etc. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This weekend the US experienced another “Saigon moment,” this time in Afghanistan. After a 20 year war that drained trillions from Americans’ pockets, the capital of Afghanistan fell without a fight. The corrupt Potemkin regime that the US had been propping up for two decades and the Afghan military that we had spent billions training just melted away.
The rush is on now to find somebody to blame for the chaos in Afghanistan. Many of the “experts” doing the finger-pointing are the ones most to blame. Politicians and pundits who played cheerleader for this war for two decades are now rushing to blame President Biden for finally getting the US out. Where were they when succeeding presidents continued to add troops and expand the mission in Afghanistan?
The US war on Afghanistan was not lost in Kabul. It was lost the moment it shifted from a limited mission to apprehend those who planned the attack on 9/11 to an exercise in regime change and nation-building.
Immediately after the 9/11 attacks I proposed that we issue letters of marque and reprisal to bring those responsible to justice. But such a limited and targeted response to the attack was ridiculed at the time. How could the US war machine and all its allied profiteers make their billions if we didn’t put on a massive war?
Congress has kicked the can down the road for 20 years, continuing to fund the Afghan war long after even they understood that there was no point to the US occupation. There were some efforts by some Members to end the war, but most, on a bipartisan basis, just went along to get along.
The generals and other high-ranking military officers lied to their commander-in-chief and to the American people for years about progress in Afghanistan. The same is true for the US intelligence agencies. Unless there is a major purge of those who lied and misled, we can count on these disasters to continue until the last US dollar goes up in smoke.
The military industrial complex spent 20 years on the gravy train with the Afghanistan war. They built missiles, they built tanks, they built aircraft and helicopters. They hired armies of lobbyists and think tank writers to continue the lie that was making them rich. They wrapped their graft up in the American flag, but they are the opposite of patriots. The mainstream media has uncritically repeated the propaganda of the military and political leaders about Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and all the other pointless US interventions. Many of these outlets are owned by defense industry-connected companies. The corruption is deep. American citizens must also share some blame. Until more Americans rise up and demand a pro-America, non-interventionist foreign policy they will continue to get fleeced by war profiteers.
Political control in Afghanistan has returned to the people who fought against those they viewed as occupiers and for what they viewed as their homeland. That is the real lesson, but don’t expect it to be understood in Washington. War is too profitable and political leaders are too cowardly to go against the tide. But the lesson is clear for anyone wishing to see it: the US global military empire is a grave threat to the United States and its future.
—Ron Paul
Let's be clear. No one outside the military industrial complex and the most severe neocons have any issue with the withdrawal in Afghanistan, Hell we all welcome it. The valid criticism comes in the method in which it was done. It does not take a brain scientist to know that you do not publicly give an exact deadline and you slowly start to remove any Americans and Afghans who would be in danger of staying due to assisting us in the conflict as well as any equipment that the Taliban can use to reverse engineer BEFORE you remove the troops to avoid this tragic inevitability. The incompetency in the logistics is astounding. I agree with every word in this article, I often think of the huge opportunity we missed out on not electing Dr. Paul as our President. And BTW nice to know Ron Paul is all of the sudden a relevant and reliable source of information for you considering he is ridiculed at every turn when his point of view does not fit the narrative here.
Never mind that - Toy Matinee was KEVIN GILBERT!!!!!!! Everyone right now needs to stop what they're doing and go put on his album Thud. The guy was a freaking genius, and in line to replace Phil as Genesis vocalist. He performed all of Lamb Lies Down at Progfest (no easy audience) with his band Giraffe. and was part of the Tuesday Night Music Club, the group with Baerwald... and when Gilbert brought in his girlfriend, Sheryl Crow, she took their songs, went on to be a star, and did not give him/them proper credit. .
Yep. Have the Toy Matinee CD. Got lot's of airplay here in Cleveburg. Put this song in one of my mixtapes a ways ago. Very familiar with the story, too. Saw Crow way back when, then, when The Allman Bros did their answer to Lolapallooza with their unplugged tour (95 ?, where the Evening With TABB sets came from). She was the opening act up on the top of the hill at our local clamshell, Blossom Music Center playing on a flatbed trailer by the food vendors. Just her and three other guys. She was just a skinny hippie chick dressed in jeans and an ordinary leather vest playing and getting sweaty in the process. She was actually very good. Later, the Bros were just perfect. Especially in the middle of the set where they all came out and sat down on chairs and picked away for about 45 minutes or so. I had totally forgotten about this concert until being reminded by you of the Sheryl Crow thing.
I will pull this disc out and review it when I get caught up on stuff.
It's one of those newspapers where you can't read the article unless you subscribe. Dang.
Really? I'm not subscribed but maybe it's part of the WaPo or LaTimes etc. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This weekend the US experienced another âSaigon moment,â this time in Afghanistan. After a 20 year war that drained trillions from Americansâ pockets, the capital of Afghanistan fell without a fight. The corrupt Potemkin regime that the US had been propping up for two decades and the Afghan military that we had spent billions training just melted away.
The rush is on now to find somebody to blame for the chaos in Afghanistan. Many of the âexpertsâ doing the finger-pointing are the ones most to blame. Politicians and pundits who played cheerleader for this war for two decades are now rushing to blame President Biden for finally getting the US out. Where were they when succeeding presidents continued to add troops and expand the mission in Afghanistan?
The US war on Afghanistan was not lost in Kabul. It was lost the moment it shifted from a limited mission to apprehend those who planned the attack on 9/11 to an exercise in regime change and nation-building.
Immediately after the 9/11 attacks I proposed that we issue letters of marque and reprisal to bring those responsible to justice. But such a limited and targeted response to the attack was ridiculed at the time. How could the US war machine and all its allied profiteers make their billions if we didnât put on a massive war?
Congress has kicked the can down the road for 20 years, continuing to fund the Afghan war long after even they understood that there was no point to the US occupation. There were some efforts by some Members to end the war, but most, on a bipartisan basis, just went along to get along.
The generals and other high-ranking military officers lied to their commander-in-chief and to the American people for years about progress in Afghanistan. The same is true for the US intelligence agencies. Unless there is a major purge of those who lied and misled, we can count on these disasters to continue until the last US dollar goes up in smoke.
The military industrial complex spent 20 years on the gravy train with the Afghanistan war. They built missiles, they built tanks, they built aircraft and helicopters. They hired armies of lobbyists and think tank writers to continue the lie that was making them rich. They wrapped their graft up in the American flag, but they are the opposite of patriots.
The mainstream media has uncritically repeated the propaganda of the military and political leaders about Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and all the other pointless US interventions. Many of these outlets are owned by defense industry-connected companies. The corruption is deep. American citizens must also share some blame. Until more Americans rise up and demand a pro-America, non-interventionist foreign policy they will continue to get fleeced by war profiteers.
Political control in Afghanistan has returned to the people who fought against those they viewed as occupiers and for what they viewed as their homeland. That is the real lesson, but donât expect it to be understood in Washington. War is too profitable and political leaders are too cowardly to go against the tide. But the lesson is clear for anyone wishing to see it: the US global military empire is a grave threat to the United States and its future.
Never mind that - Toy Matinee was KEVIN GILBERT!!!!!!! Everyone right now needs to stop what they're doing and go put on his album Thud.
The guy was a freaking genius, and in line to replace Phil as Genesis vocalist. He performed all of Lamb Lies Down at Progfest (no easy audience) with his band Giraffe.
and was part of the Tuesday Night Music Club, the group with Baerwald... and when Gilbert brought in his girlfriend, Sheryl Crow, she took their songs, went on to be a star, and did not give him/them proper credit.
Regardless of all of the lying and posturing going on it seems the real fun will begin the shit hits the fan when they stop letting people into the airport ... 30 August ?
Did the War in Afghanistan Have to Happen? In 2001, when the Taliban were weak and ready to surrender, the U.S. passed on a deal. Nearly 20 years later, the Taliban hold all the cards.
But Washington, confident that the Taliban would be wiped out forever, was in no mood for a deal.
âThe United States is not inclined to negotiate surrenders,â Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld said in a news conference at the time, adding that the Americans had no interest in leaving Mullah Omar to live out his days anywhere in Afghanistan. The United States wanted him captured or dead.
All human knowledge is but a little bit, and all little bits are but brief moments of fleeting opportunity to connect with the source of all knowledge. Reason, ration, reach...
That there little bit, might help perceive all the other little bits.
All human knowledge is but a little bit, and all little bits are but brief moments of fleeting opportunity to connect with the source of all knowledge. Reason, ration, reach...
That there little bit, might help perceive all the other little bits.
Ha, yeah...you know what they say about a little bit o knowledge
and a dollop of spicy bum salve...
All human knowledge is but a little bit, and all little bits are but brief moments of fleeting opportunity to connect with the source of all knowledge. Reason, ration, reach...
And BTW nice to know Ron Paul is all of the sudden a relevant and reliable source of information for you considering he is ridiculed at every turn when his point of view does not fit the narrative here.
