Stop This War

MoveOn.org sent me notice about this video today. If you're tired of hearing the same lies over and over again, contact your congressmen and women and let them now that U.S. participation in the war in Iraq needs to come to an end. War cannot solve the problems in Iraq; it is merely putting off the inevitable and taking thousands of lives in the process. It's time to change course and bring U.S. troops back home to their families and friends.

Wow

I happened upon the following quote quite by accident tonight, but it stopped me in my tracks. Not a lot to say about it - it says it all really - but I just wanted to share it with you.

"Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime." --- Ernest Hemingway

Wow.

Haven't We Heard This Somewhere Before?

Well, he's at it again.

As reported yesterday by the New York Times, Dubyah is once again chanting an oldy, but a goody. Tuesday, Dubyah spoke at an air force base in Charleston, S.C. and was quoted as saying,

"The facts are that Al Qaeda terrorists killed Americans on 9/11, they’re fighting us in Iraq and across the world and they are plotting to kill Americans here at home again. Those who justify withdrawing our troops from Iraq by denying the threat of Al Qaeda in Iraq and its ties to Osama bin Laden ignore the clear consequences of such a retreat."

Do you notice how carefully this statement is worded? The way he mentions the fact that Al Qaeda was responsible for 9/11, then uses the pronoun "they" to group Al Qaeda and Iraqi insurgents together and then brings it all back together to say that it isn't just about fighting in Iraq, but about potential for disaster in the U.S. itself. (Also known as one of Dubyah's favorite tactics, politics of fear.)

Them there are some darn good speechwriters, but I ain't buyin' it.

Once again, Dubyah refers to mysterious, classified intelligence information that, of course, he can't share the specifics of with the rest of us, but BELIEVE HIM there's a connection. After all, he's the President of the United States - he wouldn't lie to us, would he?

According to the NYT, "Kevin Sullivan, the White House communications director, said the speech was devised as a “surge of facts” meant to rebut critics who say Mr. Bush is trying to rebuild support for the war by linking the Iraq group and the one led by Mr. bin Laden." Interesting language used here as well - "surge of facts," and "devised," - oh, how I love the English language!!

Basically, it sounds like the same old crap. Dubyah thinks he's right about staying the course in Iraq and no one is going to convince him otherwise. He's just going to keep coming up with reasons (lies) why he's right. Regardless of what the rest of us think, although, before he took office I was under the impression we were living in a democracy.

The point is, staying the course - no matter how many troops you add to the mix - is NOT working in Iraq. Whatever the reasons for preemptivingly striking Iraq, it was wrong, it's still wrong and while you may have taken out a dictator, Dubyah, you've now created a civil war.

I believe that no matter what we do there will continue to be bloodshed for years to come. However, keeping U.S. soldiers there is only putting off the inevitable. At some point, we will have to admit defeat; we will have to admit that we can do no more good; we will have to admit that our presence in Iraq is an exercise in futility.

At this point I don't really care what the reasons for entering into this catastrophe were or are or will be. I believe that the Bush Administration lies and they will continue to lie as long as they are in office. (January 2009 can't come soon enough!)

What I do care about is that another 50+ people were killed yesterday during what was a celebration of victory for the Iraq National soccer team and that another 130 were injured. I care that these suicide bombings are perceived as everyday occurrences that are basically unpreventable. What I care about is beginning a process that will eventually allow the people of Iraq to begin to heal and rebuild their lives. You can't do that while under military rule.

So I guess what I'm saying is, Dubyah can make all the speeches he wants - I don't think many of us are listening anymore.

Afghanistan: The Forgotten Country

I was reading The Nation last night before bed, I'm surprised it didn't induce fitful sleep and unpleasant dreams, and the cover story for the October 30th issue was titled "Taliban Rising." (Yes, I'm a little behind on my reading.) The story was about the new resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan bolstered by the war in Iraq, as well as insurgents and financial support coming in from Pakistani terrorist groups.

The "Taliban are back, coming out at night to burn schools, assassinate liberal imams, launch rocket attacks on government buildings and plant mines to kill NATO soldiers," according to Christian Parenti who wrote the article. These incidents used to be isolated to the southernmost territories of the country, but have now moved as far north as the capital, Kabul, which has suffered several suicide bombings this fall and U.S. military officials in Afghanistan now say that there are terrorist cells based in Kabul itself.

And yet many Americans have no idea what is going on - good or bad. It's been five years since the U.S. launched the offensive against Afghanistan in hopes of capturing Osama Bin Laden just weeks after the September 11th attacks and there are still a substanial number of U.S. troops trying to secure Afghanistan. You wouldn't know it from watching the news or reading the papers.

Headlines are dominated by the war in Iraq - after all things there are much more dramatic, much "sexier" with the daily suicide bombings and the kidnappings of several dozen people just yesterday. It was reported two days ago that more than 100 people - ONE HUNDRED PEOPLE - were killed just that day in various terrorist strikes across the country. There's no doubt that what's going on in Iraq is important, that we need to end that occupation as soon as possible, but we cannot forget the civilians and the troops still in Afghanistan.

And it's not just the rise in terrorist violence. The Afghani government is Corrupt (and, yes, the capital "C" was intentional) - government officials extort money from civilians looking for assistance and steal public funds to try and fatten up their $30-$100 per month salaries. Plain and simple the Afghani economy is almost non-existent with 92% of the country's income coming from international aid.

The people in Kabul will receive just three hours of electricity today, they do not have sanitary drinking water, there is no organized healthcare system, many schools do not have teachers, there are no public words programs and there is very little action to invest in the few state-owned businesses (coal and gas extraction, a national airline, a chain of small hotels) Kabul has - and this is all happening TODAY, five years after the overthrow of the Taliban.

So is it any wonder that some have become sympathetic to the Taliban, that some have even said they would welcome the Taliban regime back? The citizens of Afghanistan don't have enough to support themselves and what little they have is being stolen from them by a government they are supposed to believe is trying to help them.

According to Parenti, "To pay taxes in Kabul one must first bribe the tax collector! No bribe and your taxes (which will be stolen) won't be registered as paid. Without proof of payment a homeowner or shopkeeper could be reported to the police, arrested and repeatedly extorted at every step of the legal process."

There are so many other aspects to this situation - the opium trade (Afghanistan provides 92% of the world's heroin), prostitution, warlords, etc. - but I am ashamed. I am ashamed that my government has thrown two countries, TWO countries into turmoil and still doesn't seem to have a plan on how to get them out.

I don't want to "cut and run" either; I want these people to receive the assistance they so greatly need, but what I do know is that what the U.S. is doing right now ISN'T working. And while Rumsfeld's replacement was a welcome change, we must put pressure on our elected officials to make sure that this will not be a change in personnel only. Afghanistan and Iraq are in desperate need of a fundamental change in strategy if they are to come out of these wars in better condition than before they were pulled in.

So that's my political tirade for the day. This article by Christian Parenti is eye opening and I highly recommend you take the time to read it in its entirety. I learned so much and I think it's time that Americans open their eyes even wider to include Afghanistan in their scope when asking government officials for answers and real change in military issues.

More Randomness

Since I have nothing in particular to go on and on about today, I thought I would post a couple of GREAT links for you to check out.

This one is a trailer from a documentary entitled "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers." The film is a commentary on the private contractors and corporations (like Haliburton KBR and Blackwater) who were hired by the U.S. military to "aid" them in their reconstruction efforts in Iraq. The film, according to its website, "uncovers the connections between private corporations making a killing in Iraq and the decision makers who allow them to do so."

This is a topic that needs exploring. While many of us are focused, and rightly so, on ending the occupation in Iraq that has now spurned a civil war and bringing U.S. soldiers back home - this topic demands our attention as well. When the military does come home, when the suicide bombs and roadside attacks have stopped the people of the United States need to start asking questions regarding where their tax money went and why. Haliburton, a company of which V.P. Cheney is a former CEO, has already been under investigation for fraud in the overcharging and double-billing of the U.S. government for its services. And yet, still Haliburton gets the government contracts and still collects checks from our federal government.

Essentially, the U.S. military has "outsourced" much of what it does in times of war, ie assist in the building of roads, reorganizing and providing new routes for electricity and water for the citizens of Iraq, security for convoys moving about the country, so now they are paying a private contractor to do that work and in so doing profit from this war. Not only do I find it repulsive that war is being seen as a moneymaker, but the fact is that many of these private citizens have not been properly trained or given military quality equipment to defend themselves while working on the front lines of this armed conflict is sickening.

Just another example of American politics and government being driven by the almighty dollar instead of the health and welfare of the citizens of this country.
This film isn't backed by any corporate funding or advertising, so the only way people find out about it is through word of mouth. Check out the trailer and let me know what you think:





The other thing I want everyone to check out is over at Wallpaper of My Mind. Misha put together a very comprehensive (and humorous) list of the top 10 reasons why she thinks Bush should be re-elected if he were running again in 2008. Don't be nervous. I have not by any means changed sides - this list speaks volumes for me. It's not to be missed :)