Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Is CENTCOM Going Native

a special report

Frank Gaffney in Newsmax:
IS CENTCOM GOING NATIVE?

THE CENTER FOR SECURITY POLICY is a non-profit, non-partisan national security organization that specializes in identifying policies, actions, and resource needs that are vital to American security and then ensures that such issues are the subject of both focused, principled examination and effective action by recognized policy experts, appropriate officials, opinion leaders, and the general public.

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Is Petraeus Going Native?

Wednesday, 30 Jun 2010 10:54 PM

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By: Frank Gaffney

It was bad enough when, two months ago, word got around that U.S. Central Command's commanding general, David Petraeus, had embraced the meme that Americans were being killed in his theater of operations because Israel had refused to make peace with its Palestinian enemies.

Now comes word that elements within his command – including many of its "senior officers" and "intelligence personnel" – believe the United States should abandon its longstanding policy of "isolating and marginalizing" Hamas and Hezbollah.

According to an article entitled, "Red Team: CENTCOM thinks outside the box on Hamas and Hezbollah" by Mark Perry published today online by Foreign Policy magazine, a Red Team at Central Command is recommending "a mix of strategies that would integrate the two organizations into their respective political mainstreams." The justification for treating these designated terrorist organizations as though they were part of the solution is to be found in the following, astounding remarks by unidentified CENTCOM officers:

"Putting Hezbollah, Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaida in the same sentence, as if they are all the same, is just stupid," [one] said. "I don't know any intelligence officer at CENTCOM who buys that." Another mid-level SOCOM [Special Operations Command] officer echoed these views: "As the U.S. strategy in the war on terrorism evolves, military planners have come to realize that they are all motivated by different factors, and we need to address this if we are going to effectively prosecute a successful campaign in the Middle East."

The contention that Hezbollah, Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaida are "motivated by different factors" is pure Brotherhood taqqiya – dissembling for the faith. Its embrace by anyone, let alone by intelligence personnel and senior military officers, constitutes an appalling dereliction of the "professional duty to know" the facts.

The reality is that all these groups absolutely, positively are the same in one respect, at least: They all share a commitment to the theo-political-legal-military program authoritative Islam calls Shariah.

As adherents to Shariah, they are all pursuing the same goal: the global triumph of Shariah under a theocratic Caliphate. Their tactics may differ from time to time, depending on circumstance. But what is really "stupid" is the notion that such differences or even structural differences actually preclude these groups and many others promoting Shariah (notably, the Taliban) from being kindred spirits – and unalterably our enemies.

Further evidence of the defective nature of the CENTCOM Red Team analysis can be found in the emphasis it reportedly places on "a quote from Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, stating that if Lebanon and Iran's interests ever conflicted, his organization would favor Lebanese interests." According to Perry, the Red Team concluded that "Hezbollah's activities increasingly reflect the movement's needs and aspirations in Lebanon, as opposed to the interests of its Iranian backers."

The notion that Hezbollah can be weaned from its client relationship with Tehran – either on the basis of appeals to its nationalist ardor or because of Homeland Security Advisor John Brennan's stated willingness to engage with its so-called "moderate elements" – is unsubstantiated by any material facts. Random quotes, particularly those cited out of context, are of course not at all the same thing as an established pattern of behavior on Hezbollah's part that demonstrates the proxy's actual independence from its Iranian masters. No such pattern can be discerned. The same dependency on Iran is operating with Hamas, as well, to say nothing of Syria.

These inconvenient facts notwithstanding, the Red Team is said to have recommended that the United States government open direct negotiations with Hezbollah and that they "be pursued again with the same vigor that peace talks in Northern Ireland were pursued." The Team goes on to note that, "As the U.S. took the lead with peace talks in Northern Ireland, the British could take the lead with unity talks between the Lebanese Armed Forces and Hezbollah in Lebanon." Never mind that the difference between Northern Ireland and Lebanon is the IRA was thoroughly defeated by the British in the former. In the case of the latter, Hezbollah would clearly be perceived as the victor.

The Red Team's views with respect to Hamas are equally inane. According to Perry: "The report argues that an Israeli decision to lift the siege might pave the way for reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, which would be 'the best hope for mainstreaming Hamas.'" As though the object of U.S. policy should be to facilitate Hamas' domination of the entire Palestinian proto-polity.

Even more instructive was the following line by Perry: "The Red Team also claims that reconciliation with Fatah, when coupled with Hamas's explicit renunciation of violence, would gain 'widespread international support and deprive the Israelis of any legitimate justification to continue settlement building and delay statehood negotiations.'" Indeed, delegitimation of Israel seems pretty much to be the Red Team agenda – a nation that has been and remains a key ally of what one would hope remains the Blue Team: the United States of America.

Particularly alarming is Perry's assertion that, "There's little question the report reflects the thinking among a significant number of senior officers at CENTCOM headquarters – and among senior CENTCOM intelligence officers and analysts serving in the Middle East." Add into the mix the controversial views previously espoused by Gen. Petraeus and you have a significant military organization that seems fully prepared to throw Israel under the bus.

If there is any glimmer of good news in Mark Perry's portrayal of the leaked Red Team analysis it is that, even though "There is a lot of thinking going on in the military and particularly among intelligence officers in Tampa [the site of CENTCOM headquarters] about these groups," according to an unnamed senior CENTCOM officer familiar with the report, "senior military leaders are [not] actively lobbying Barack Obama's administration to forge an opening to the two organizations. 'That's probably not in the cards just yet,' he said."

The bad news is that, given the determination of the Obama administration to isolate and undermine Israel, it is not clear that much "active lobbying" on the part of Central Command will be necessary to egg it on. But the political cover provided by General Petraeus, or at least by his CENTCOM staff, will surely come in handy for Team Obama when the chickens of the war that such policies will inevitably encourage come home to roost.

Does President Obama Need a Hearing Aid

This appeared in the latest EIR news weekly

Does President Obama Need a Hearing Aid?

by Ramtanu Maitra

June 25—On June 23, President Obama summarily dismissed Gen. Stanley McChrystal as the U.S. military chief in Afghanistan following the publication an article based on an extended interview with him in the counterculture magazine Rolling Stone. The article featured disparaging remarks by the general and his fiercely loyal staff about some of Obama's senior civilian advisors and Vice President Joe Biden. McChrystal was replaced by Gen. David Petraeus, the present Centcom chief, as U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan.

Upon his appointment of Petraeus, Obama, totally oblivious of the ground situation in Afghanistan, issued a statement, in which he said that the change in command of U.S. troops in Afghanistan would not change the Administration's policy in the war, which will enter a transition phase in 2011. Obama said Petraeus "understands the strategy because he helped shape it," adding, "Right now we're losing the tactical-level fight in the chase for a strategic victory. How long can that be sustained?"

No Change in Policy

The appointment of Petraeus made it evident that the counterinsurgency (COIN) policy being employed in the Afghan War, adopted by the Obama Administration last Fall, which has become as destructive as the failed Vietnam War policy of the last century, will be continued. As one unnamed civilian advisor to the U.S. military in Afghanistan told the Washington Post on June 23, "the strategy McChrystal put together is a counterinsurgency strategy, and Petreaus is the godfather of counterinsurgency. It's putting Yoda in charge of running the war," he said, referring to the fictional Jedi master in the "Star Wars" universe.

Simply put, the grinding war will continue leading to further destruction of the U.S. military, yielding nothing but more opium from the fields of Afghanistan; creating more heroin addicts around the world; weakening nations; and fattening the wallets of City of London and Wall Street bankers.

There is a reason why this author wonders whether President Obama needs a hearing aid: One obvious reason, is that McChrystal made these "disparaging remarks," about a policy which has no purpose and is not achievable. In addition, McChrystal was left to fight al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Washington's Af-Pak envoy Richard Holbrooke, Vice President Joe Biden, and U.S. Ambassador to Kabul Karl Eikenberry. The general wanted direct access to the President, but was thwarted by a White House, where, as one Washington source pointed out, duplicity is not just acceptable, it is a necessity. If Obama had cared to listen to, or read, what eyewitnesses have been reporting from the ground, he would have realized that there is nothing to win in this war: Instead, Afghanistan, and the entire region, would lose a lot deal if it is pursued any longer.

Anyone can see that the COIN policy has failed. That, however, does not mean that the counterterrorism effort, which is being pushed by an other powerful lobby in Washington, has any meaning whatsoever. This was what McChrystal pointed out in the Rolling Stone piece, when he said: "The Russians killed 1 million Afghans, and that didn't work." The Russians pursued counterterrorism in Afghanistan for almost ten years, before showing their weary and wounded backs to the Afghans, and trudging back home through the Salang tunnel.

The failure of the COIN program can be seen at Marjah. On Feb. 13, under McChrystal's leadership, the International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF)—a mish-mash of U.S. and NATO troops, with the Afghan National Army (ANA)—began a military campaign, Operation Moshtarak, ostensibly the largest in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban, in the southern province of Helmand. The main target of the offensive was widely considered to be Marjah, a small town in the central part of the province, which had been under control of Taliban militants, as well as drug traffickers, for years. With a lot of trumpeting, the campaign to win the "hearts and minds" of the southern Afghan Pushtuns residing there was launched. Afghan troops were given a lead role in the ground forces, comprising about 60% of those troops. Around 8,000 ground forces and 7,000 support troops are involved, when Coalition troops are included.

Weakening the U.S. Military

Four months later, the situation in Marjah has deteriorated to the point that the ISAF troops have been confined to a virtual stockade, harassed by a couple hundred of insurgents, shooting at them from all angles. The objective to capture, hold, and administer—the magic words of COIN—has long been given a go-by. U.S. and NATO troops are out there trying to stay alive.

Why has it come to such a sorry pass? That becomes evident from eyewitness reports. For example, C.J. Chivers, writing from Marjah for the New York Times, described on June 23, the shattered morale of the troops engaged in this impossible mission. "Young officers and enlisted soldiers and Marines, typically speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect their jobs, speak of 'being 'handcuffed,' of not being trusted by their bosses and of being asked to battle a canny and vicious insurgency 'in a fair fight.' "

Some rules meant to enshrine counterinsurgency principles into daily practices, they say, do not merely transfer risks away from civilians. They transfer risks away from the Taliban. Before the rules were tightened, one Army major who had commanded an infantry company, told the Times, "firefights in Afghanistan had a half-life." By this, he meant that skirmishes often were brief, lasting roughly half an hour. The Taliban would ambush patrols, typically break contact, and slip away as patrol leaders organized and escalated Western firepower in response.

Now, with fire support often restricted, or even idled, Taliban fighters seem noticeably less worried about an American response, many soldiers and Marines say. Firefights often drag on, sometimes lasting hours, and costing lives. The United States' material advantages are not robustly applied; troops are engaged in rifle-on-rifle fights on the enemy's turf. One Marine infantry lieutenant, during fighting in Marjah this year, told Chivers he had all but stopped seeking air support while engaged in firefights. He spent too much time on the radio trying to justify its need, he said, and the aircraft never arrived, they arrived too late, or the pilots were reluctant to drop their ordnance.

"I'm better off just trying to fight my fight, and maneuver the squads, and not waste the time or focus trying to get air," he said. Several infantrymen have also said that the rules are so restrictive that pilots are often not allowed to attack fixed targets—say, a building or tree line, from which troops are taking fire—unless they can personally see the insurgents doing the firing. This has led to situations that many soldiers describe as absurd, including decisions by patrol leaders to have fellow soldiers move briefly out into the open to draw fire once aircraft arrive, so the pilots might be cleared to participate in the fight.

Financing the Killers

In addition, what has been known to the outside world for years, has now been presented to the American people by a Report of the Majority Staff, prepared under the chairmanship of Rep. John F. Tierney (DMass.), Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, in June 2010. The report pointed out that the task of feeding, fueling, and arming American troops at over 200 forward operating bases and combat outposts sprinkled across a difficult and hostile terrain with only minimal road infrastructure, is handled by what is called Host Nation Trucking (HNT), a $2.16 billion contract split among eight Afghan, American, and Middle Eastern companies. Most of the prime contractors and their trucking subcontractors hire local Afghan security providers for armed protection of the trucking convoys.

Transporting valuable and sensitive supplies in highly remote and insecure locations requires extraordinary levels of security. A typical convoy of 300 supply trucks going from Kabul to Kandahar, for example, will travel with 4 00 to 5 00 guards, in dozens of trucks armed with heavy machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). The "security" to these convoys is provided by the insurgents, who are paid with American taxpayers' money, for, later, killing American soldiers or those Afghans who allow the insurgents to take a piece of the pie along the way, also for the purpose of killing American soldiers. This has been allowed to continue because, according to Washington, there is no better way of doing this.

The Afghan War cannot be won, because there is nothing to win. The only legitimate objective that President Obama has, as the Commander-in-Chief, is to wipe out the Afghan opium, which has shown phenomenal growth in recent years, under the British occupation of Helmand, the most prolific opium-growing region in Afghanistan. To infest Afghanistan with poppy, is the policy run top-down from Britain, the old colonial handlers of opium. What the U.S. troops have begun to realize, and speak out bitterly about, is they are being asked to lay down their lives to protect drug warlords and traffickers.

In essence, all that the Obama Administration has done, is to go along with this British imperial policy, by using the U.S. military to protect the drug traffickers, who generate oodles of cash for the bankrupt bankers of City of London and Wall Street. This was pointed out, at least a year ago, by the United Nations Office of Drug and Crimes (UNODC) chief, Antonio Maria Costa.

Obama's "benign neglect" of the Afghan opium explosion is not only destroying the U.S. military, but is further pushing Afghanistan to the edge of the abyss. Already a depleted nation, fighting for the last 30 years—first, in the war launched by Soviets that lasted for ten years; then the civil war launched by the druglords and warlords, that lasted for another ten years; and, after a respite of two years, the ongoing occupation by the U.S. and NATO troops since 2001—Afghanistan has no institutions, no infrastructure, devastated agriculture, and hundreds of thousands of opium addicts. The addiction has now become a part of the society, and, as Dr. Bruce Goldberg of the University of Florida pointed out in his recent report, Afghan infants are becoming addicted. The homes of Afghans are now smeared with opium and heroin. In other words, what the Obama Administration is allowing to occur in Afghanistan is sheer criminality.

The elimination of drugs, however, will be the first, and most important step in allowing the Afghans to set up institutions. Without a total eradication of opium, Afghanistan has no hope, and dangers will continue to mount in the region. A recent report by the U.S. Geological Survey shows that Afghanistan has huge stores of iron, copper, cobalt, gold, and critical industrial metals like lithium. These reserves are so big, and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry, that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, U.S. officials believe.

In 2004, American geologists, sent to Afghanistan as part of a broader reconstruction effort, tumbled across an intriguing series of old charts and data at the library of the Afghan Geological Survey in Kabul, that hinted at major mineral deposits in the country. They soon learned that the data had been collected by Soviet mining experts during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, but cast aside when the Soviets withdrew in 1989. "This will become the backbone of the Afghan economy," said Jalil Jumriany, an advisor to the Afghan minister of mines.

Ferghana Valley—The Next Target

However, in order to make it the "backbone of the Afghan economy," the war has to end, and the British-run opium industry must cease to exist. If it is allowed to continue further, it is going to engulf the Central Asian nations touching the borders of Russia and China, two powerful nations. With the riot in southern Kyrgyzstan this month, the drug mafia, and its usual collaborators, have sounded the clarion call. Their target is to unleash a long war in the Ferghana Valley, drawing in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, in particular, and cause an Afghan-style opium explosion there. Already, the Ferghana Valley is producing hundreds of tons of opium, besides being one of the important transit points to get the Afghan heroin to Russia.

The Ferghana Valley was cut up into three pieces following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Such fragmentation gave rise to dissensions among the countries that each got a piece of it. Furthermore, the Valley is the most fertile land where water is plentiful in the water-starved Central Asia. This dissension among the nations over who should own the Ferghana Valley has allowed the foreign NGOs to move in. Drug-legalization promoter George Soros's Ferghana Valley project is at least a decade old.

The Soros Foundation is involved in "supporting and developing the socio-economic infrastructure" of the Osh and Jalal-Abad regions, where, incidentally, riots took place this June. There were reports that the Soros-funded Open Society Foundation had been active financially, in pushing through the now-defunct Tulip Revolution. Soros's Foundation, which promotes the legalization of opium production, "to help ease financial problems of the farmers," has apparently lost out to the drug mafia. One may also ask: Was the Tulip Revolution organized to hand over southern Kyrgyzstan to the drug mafia? If that was the intent, it has mostly succeeded.

In addition, an alliance between the drug mafia, headed by the younger son of the ousted Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, Maksim Bakiyev, and the British forces has been established. Maksim has ownership in a British soccer club, the Blackpool Football Club, which like most British sports clubs, depends on drug money to pay its players. Maksim Bakiyev fled to Britain seeking asylum, and he is now under protection of the British Border Forces.

Under the circumstances, all insidious forces continue to grow stronger. The massive amounts of opium and heroin flowing in from Afghanistan have not only strengthened the drug mafia, the bankers, and others associated with those cash-generating criminals, it has also strengthened the hands of the Islamic fundamentalists, represented by Hizb ut-Tahrir, who are headquartered in Britain.

The following appeared as a box item with my article

LaRouche: Wipe Out the Afghan Opium Trade

June 26—Lyndon LaRouche emphasized in discussions with colleagues last week that the military revolt, represented by Gen. Stanley McChrystal's ouster as commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, following his highly publicized break in Rolling Stone magazine, with U.S.-NATO policy there, is yet another indication that the Obama Presidency is on the ropes. The mass strike that began last August in town hall meetings across the country, has now "trickled up" to the top military brass.

LaRouche said that McChrystal, like many other American military commanders, was worried about the "Vietnam War Syndrome"—the idea that the military will be blamed for the failure. "There is a dynamic within the military command, that extends far beyond General McChrystal. They see Afghanistan, increasingly, as a hopeless case. They want to get out."

LaRouche provided his own assessment: "We should go in and do what has to be done: Wipe out the opium trade, at every level. The problem is that Obama is unwilling to do that—because it is not British policy to wipe out the Afghan opium business. Russia would work with the U.S. to accomplish this, India would help, for their own reasons. And even Pakistan would see such an action as an opportunity to free themselves from the London/Saudi problems

The New Busy is not the too busy. Combine all your e-mail accounts with Hotmail. Get busy.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Non Professionalism Voice of America Staff

This strange non professional woman calls me from VOA from ++ 1 202 554 2835 , a rather dubious invitation that she wants me to participate in VOA night programme on 24 June 2010 about Mc Crystal Affair.

i immediately start preparing a draft of my ideas which consumes my three hours and thirty minutes time.

I cancel all my engagements to wait for the tel call at 2230 Hours.The lady Ayesha someting calls me and wastes my precious 25 minutes but does not ask my opinion.

She talks to two amateur experts who give the usual crap that US has a strategy in Afghanistan (assorted bull shit )

and another claims (total bullshit) that Talibans are not Pakistani proxies !

this is the end of my association with VOA.A bunch of non professional old hags from Pakistan .

you have paid non professional comperes from pakistan who are paid for doing nothing ?

and i who has not received a cent from VOA waste my precious hours in preparing a VOA talk to which i am invited by VOA and VOA then keeps me holding on telephone and thinks that i am a useless dud !

this is unprofessional par excellence conduct.

Agha H Amin

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Pakistans Crooks Exposed by Engineer Nasir Durrani

Dear Pakistanis !

Read, Think & understand the game International Powers are playing with us with the help of !

Electricity produced in Pakistan is from

three main sources

.

1). Hydral
2). Thermal (Gas/Steam/Furnace Oil)
3). Nuclear

There are four major power producers in country which include Water & Power Development Authority (

WAPDA

), Karachi Electric Supply Company (

KESC

), Independent Power Producers (

IPPs

) and Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (

PAEC

Below is the break-up of the installed capacity of each of these power producers (as of June-2008).

1. WAPDA

a. WAPDA Hydal

    Terbela                                                            3478 MW
    Mangla                                                             1000 MW
    Ghazi-Brotha                                                     1450 MW
    Warsak                                                              243 MW
    Chashma                                                            184 MW
    Dargai                                                                  20 MW
    Rasul                                                                    22 MW
    Shadi-Waal                                                           18 MW
    NandiPur                                                               14 MW
    Kurram Garhi                                                           4 MW
    Renala                                                                    1 MW
    Chitral                                                                     1 MW

Jagran (AK) 30 MW

Total Hydal ==> 6461 MW

b. WAPDA Thermal

    Gas Turbine Power Station, Shadra                             59 MW
    Steam Power Station, Faisalabad                              132 MW
    Gas Turbine Power Station, Faisalabad                      244 MW
    Gas Power Station, Multan                                        195 MW
    Thermal Power Station, Muzaffargarh                      1350 MW
    Thermal Power Station, Guddu                                1655 MW
    Gas Turbine Power Station, Kotri                               174 MW
    Thermal Power Station, Jamshoro                             850 MW
    Thermal Power Station, Larkana                                150 MW
    Thermal Power Station, Quetta                                   35 MW
    Gas Turbine Power Station, Panjgur                            39 MW

Thermal Power Station, Pasni 17 MW

Total Thermal ==> 4811 MW

APDA's Total Hydal + Thermal capacity is ==>

11272 MW

2. Karachi Electric Supply Company

    Thermal Power Station, Korengi                               316 MW
    Gas Turbine Power Station, Korengi                            80 MW
    Gas Turbine Power Station, SITE                              100 MW

Thermal Power Station, Bin Qasim 1260 MW

Total (KESC) ==> 1756 MW

3. Independent Power Producers (IPPs)

Hub Power Project                                                     1292 MW
AES Lalpir Ltd, Mahmood Kot MuzaffarGarh    362 MW
AES Pak Gen, Mahmood Kot MuzaffarGarh    365 MW
Altern Energy Ltd, Attock     29 MW
Fauji KabirWala Power Company, Khanewal       157 MW
Gul Ahmad Energy Ltd, Korengi          136 MW
Habibullah Coastal Power Ltd       140 MW
Japan Power Generation, Lahore    120 MW
Koh-e-Noor Energy Ltd, Lahore       131 MW
Liberty Power Limited, Ghotki                                         232 MW
Rousch Power, Khaniwal                                                412 MW
Saba Power Company, Sheikhpura                                 114 MW
Southern Electric Power Company Ltd, Raiwind    135 MW
Tapal Energy Limited, Karachi    126 MW
Uch Power Ltd, Dera Murad Jamali, Nasirabad 586 MW
Attock Gen Ltd, Morgah Rawalpindi                                 165 MW
Atlas Power, Sheikhpura     225 MW
Engro Energy Ltd, Karachi ----- MW

Kot Addu Power Company Limited (Privitized) 1638 MW

Total (IPPs)                                              ===> 6365 MW

4. Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
KANUPP    137 MW
CHASNUPP-1 325 MW
Total (Nuclear)                                          ===> 462 MW

Hydal Electricity generated by WAPDA varies between two extremities i.e. between minimum of 2414 MW and maximum of 6761 MW depending upon the river flow through the whole year.

Total Power Generation Capacity of Pakistan (including all sources) is 19855 MW and the electricity demand (as of today 20-04-2010) is 14500 MW and PEPCO is merely generating 10000 MW.

So it is obvious that these 15-20 hrs power shutdowns in most parts of the country are not because of the lack of generation capacity but only because of IMF / World Bank policies imposed on our nation by Govt. The Power Generation companies are not buying Furnace Oil from PSO by saying they don't have money to do that but we are all paying for Electricity that is generated from Furnace Oil. This is the reason that top refineries like PRL are operating at 40% capacities. IMF / World bank has imposed to reduce budget deficit by importing less crude oil. But due to this fact all our industries are under severe crisis. None of our political party who are in Assembly is ready to speak on it because every one is blessed by US / IMF / World Bank.

Dear Pakistani's,

This is a time to show your social activism your power and strength. It is your silence which is deafening and your couldn't care less attitude which makes the people in power more powerful evasive and secure in their Air conditioned offices.

PLEASE STAND UP AND BE COUNTED:

Please don't stop this e-mail and forward it to as many people as possible.

Thanks

WE WANT ELECTRICITY IN PAKISTAN.

Electricity now is @11 Rs. per unit, and it will increase after every two months as directed by (American) IMF policies.

Also CHINA offers to Pakistan Electricity for just Rs.200 Monthly Bill and Unlimited Usage of Electricity but our government is not taking the offer seriously. This is because there will be neither kick backs nor any commissions to be pocketed by the strong mafia of politicians and bureaucrats.

These people are there because of your votes. Let them serve you rather than rule you……

NOW THIS IS OUR TIME TO SHOW THE GOVERNMENT YOUR STRENGTH.

PLEASE SPREAD THIS MESSAGE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN, BECAUSE OF THIS MESSAGE MANY PEOPLE WOULD COME TO KNOW ABOUT THE TRUTH

Nasir Durrani

Saturday, June 19, 2010

A Unique Islamic Republic

A Unique Islamic Republic

Agha H Amin

Exploitation in name of Islam-Pakistan

Only 33 % of taxes are collected in Pakistan by direct taxation , whereas 77 % are collected by indirect taxation on fuel,services,utility bills , so common man is bled white and condemned to depression,mental anguish and a choice of suicide or being a suicide bomber !

He has no choice in between killing himself , or someone else to survive or resorting to the most disgraceful and degrading human activities to merely survive !

Such is the tax evasion in this so called Islamic republic , which is neither Islamic nor a republic , tax collection has fallen in last twenty years from 18 % to 9 % of GDP. This means that the rich have devised better or lets say more Islamic ways of tax evasion ! This is one of the lowest ratios in the world !

I spent some 16 years in various Pakistani libraries and ministries in research and was shocked to discover that in Pakistan some 2 % of population owns some 80 % of the wealth ! If this is an Islamic Republic then I would be happier in a sweaper non Islamic but more egalitarian pariah state.

A caretaker prime minister an ex world bank man releases a multi million USD advance for a project in mysterious circumstances and also writes in the summary that this project is not viable and should be cancelled .

The government of this so called Islamic Republic is so corrupt that non development expenditure in the last 20 years has increased by 350 % ! All praise to Allah !

No less a person than the very latest Finance Minister of this so called Islamic Republic was forced to confess , Alhamdulillah the tax evaders would say " A corruption of 500 Billion Rupees in the Federal Bureau of Revenue " per annum !

Afghan Transit trade is a major source of tax losses of this Islamic Republic and all anti smuggling forces in this so called Islamic State are controlled by the Pakistani army i.e Frontier Corps Balochistan,Frontier Corps NWFP,Coast Guards,Sindh Rangers,Punjab Rangers.All controlled by the army and only nominally under ministry of interior.The minister of interior cannot even post in or post out the lowest soldier or the lowest and junior most NCO.

The Foreign Minister of this unique Islamic Republic only controls foreign policy dealing with Botswana,Portugal,Finland,Britain and Hungary and some other while the major security policy dealing with USA,India and Afghanistan is controlled by the Pakistani military.

One of the swimming coaches of this Islamic Republic in 1990s did not know swimming !

Accountability is such that when the Indians in 1983 without being detected by the high and mighty military or military intelligence of this great State some 35 miles inside in Siachen , the local divisional commander was promoted to three star rank , the director of military intelligence was posted to a higher position , command of an armoured division and director of the ISI became a four star after some time.

Such is the coherence and unity of policy in this unique Islamic Republic that when its all powerful civilian prime minister was negotiating a land mark peace with India its social climber military chief was actually about to initiate an infiltration in Indian held Kargil.

Such is the love for Islam that Islam is discovered by this countrys elite only when US Dollars are required or the elite is under threat !

One may challenge anyone to discover where is Islam in this piece of land and where is the republic !

NARCOTIC-DRUG PRODUCTION IN AFGHANISTAN-Amb M.K.Bhadrakumar

NARCOTIC-DRUG PRODUCTION IN AFGHANISTAN

SPEECH AT THE INTERNATIONAL FORUM "NARCOTIC-DRUG PRODUCTION IN AFGHANISTAN: A CHALLENGE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY"

Moscow, June 9-10, 2010

Your Excellency Mr. Viktor Ivanov, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates and Ladies & Gentlemen,

At the outset, let me express my word of appreciation to be accorded the privilege of addressing this prestigious forum of well-known of experts and policymakers on the Afghan problem.

An advantage of speaking at the advanced stage of a conference is that it is possible to speak with the benefit of hindsight, as so much thoughtful discussion has taken place on this floor on the problem of narcotic-drug production in Afghanistan.

I wish to digress a bit and take a largely South Asian perspective. My emphasis will be on two core issues, namely, the effective development of regional cooperation to tackle the problem and on the approaches to a peace settlement in Afghanistan as a precondition for social and economic development.

The problem of drug production in Afghanistan seriously undermines the security and stability of the region. Pakistan is the region's major consumer of the drugs produced in Afghanistan, estimated to consume almost 10 percent of the total production.

Pakistan is also a major transit route for drugs from Afghanistan, estimated to account for roughly one-fourth to one-third of that country's total drug production, via Baluchistan to Karachi and on to Western Europe by sea as well as via an air route to Russia and Central Asia. Besides, according to a new United States State Department report released in March titled "International Narcotics Control Strategy Report for 2009", Pakistan is also a transit country for drug traffickers who import precursor chemicals used for processing raw opium poppy in Afghanistan into heroin and morphine.

Historically, traffickers exported raw opium produced in Afghanistan to Pakistan for processing into heroin and other opiates, but in the recent years, the country has emerged as one of the biggest producers of refined products.

What complicates the security scenario is the nexus that has formed involving the drug traffickers and the extremist groups based in Pakistan.

But here I must delve into a bit of history. This nexus is not a recent happening. Unfortunately, along with Islamic militancy and terrorism, drug trafficking is also a legacy of the "Afghan jihad" of the 1980s. The sponsors of the 'jihad' – US, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia principally – condoned drug trafficking as the price of military success. Opium surfaced for the first time as a potent force in Afghanistan's politics during the Pakistan-based, US-backed Mujahideen's covert war against the Soviets.

Not many would recollect that as the "jihad" was winding down, in May 1990 to be precise, Washington Post published a front-page article detailing how the then rising star of the "jihad", Mujahideen leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar was operating a chain of heroin laboratories inside Pakistan under the protection of Pakistan's Inter-Servies Intelligence [ISI]. The "jihad" transformed the Afghan-Pakistan borderlands, which had zero heroin production in the mid-1970s, into the world's largest heroin producing region.

The Washington Post graphically described how once the Afghan Mujahideen brought opium across the border, they sold it to hundreds of Pakistani heroin labs operating under the ISI's protection. Unsurprisingly, between 1980 and 1990, Afghanistan's opium production grew 10-fold – from 250 tonnes to 2000 tonnes. Even after the "jihad" ended and its western sponsors pulled out, ISI continued to fund its favourite warlords in pursuit of the long-term goal of gaining "strategic depth" in Afghanistan.

Thus today's formidable nexus of drug traffickers and jihadis with the state security agencies has a long history. The ominous trend is that the very same threat that India faced during the past couple of decades from this nexus is now beginning to haunt Central Asia, if the developments in Ferghana and the twists and turns to the "color revolution" in Kyrgyzstan are any indication.

That is to say, what is at stake here is much, much more than a matter of effectively destroying poppy fields and plantations or interdicting the drug traffic routes or locating the secret laboratories or even good governance.

Quite obviously, the drug cartels are run by rich and powerful khans who at the local level enjoy near impunity. Afghanistan's poppy crop is grounded in networks of social trust that tie people together in each step of the chain of production. Crop loans are necessary for planting, labor exchange for harvesting, stability for marketing, and security for shipment.

I wish to highlight three aspects. First, the big question is how to roll back the slow transformation of Afghanistan from a diverse agricultural system – with herding, orchards and over 60 food crops – into the world's first economy subsisting on the production of a single illicit drug? The modern firepower in war has devastated the herds, damaged snowmelt irrigation systems and destroyed many of the orchards. Without any aid to restock herds, reseed fields or replant orchards, Afghan farmers found sustenance in poppy cultivation, which requires nine times more labor per hectare than wheat. Opium cultivation offers immediate seasonal employment alone to more than a million Afghans.

The challenge, therefore, is to rebuild Afghanistan's rural economy making it possible for young farmers to begin feeding their families without joining the Taliban militia. Evidently, there is no alternative to the costly, long-term reconstruction of Afghanistan's agriculture. Quick fixes can only backfire. Rapid drug eradication without alternative employment will only plunge the country into greater misery and stoke the fire of mass anger. The only realistic choice is serious rural development – that is, reconstructing the Afghan countryside through countless small-scale projects until food crops become a viable alternative to opium.

In this connection, I should underline the need for the international community to set aside geopolitics and to seriously consider reviving Afghanistan's Soviet-era projects that offer an immediate means of employment generation. Again, where are the tens of thousands of Afghan experts and specialists and technocrats who were trained in the former Soviet Union? Setting aside geopolitics, the time has come to re-integrate them. The fact remains that on balance, thanks to Soviet assistance, Afghanistan scaled unprecedented heights of social formation.

Second, an approach predicated on an expanded international military presence driving back the drug traffickers and handing over pacification to the Afghan forces in the downstream cannot succeed. The choice is clear enough: end the war, vacate the foreign occupation and refocus on helping renew that ancient, arid land by replanting its orchards, replenishing its flocks, rebuilding its irrigation systems ruined in decades of war and foreign interference.

In short, a political solution is needed. An enduring solution t the drug trafficking problem cannot be found except within the framework of an Afghan settlement. Here, the imperative of a regional initiative cannot but be stressed. As frontline states that are facing the brunt of the ascendancy of the forces of militancy, venality and terrorism, the regional countries have huge stakes. For Afghanistan's neighbours, which include India and Russia, the challenge is to work for a neutral Afghanistan, free of foreign interference, stable and democratic. A settlement that is inclusive and reflects the plural character of the Afghan society is an absolute prerequisite of durable stability. And the search for political reconciliation needs to be Afghan-led with the regional countries acting as guarantors and facilitators.

Finally, there is the issue of Afghanistan's regional integration. A window of opportunity arises with Afghanistan's membership of the SAARC [South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation]. It is a matter of time now before Afghanistan ratifies the SAFTA, the framework envisaging the region's free trade. Conceivably, given its huge stakes in Afghanistan's security and stability, India will be more than willing to open its vast market to Afghanistan's agricultural produce.

No matter the differences in India-Pakistan relations, a cooperative attitude on the part of Islamabad in allowing transit through its territory for Afghan-Indian trade will immensely strengthen the cause of regional stability.

In sum, the range of measures that this forum is expected to adopt with regard to the coordinated strategies internationally for combating the drug production in Afghanistan has an important regional dimension as the long-term security and stability of the South Asia is at the crosshairs.

Amb. M.K. Bhadrakumar

Mr. M.K.Bhadrakumar served in the Indian Foreign Service for three decades and served as ambassador to Uzbekistan and Turkey . Apart from two postings in the former Soviet Union, his assignments abroad included South Korea , Sri Lanka , West Germany , Kuwait Pakistan and Afghanistan . He served thrice in the Iran-Pakistan-Afghanistan Division in the Ministry of External Affairs, including as the Head of the Division in 1992-95.

Mr. Bhadrakumar sought voluntary retirement from the IFS in 2002 and has since devoted himself to writing. He contributes to various publications in India and abroad and is a regular columnist for Asia Times and The Hindu. He has written extensively on Russia , China , Central Asia, Iran , Afghanistan and Pakistan and on the geopolitics of energy security. He normally resides at Delhi , when not traveling and lecturing abroad.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

"The War is Worth Waging": Afghanistan's Vast Reserves of Minerals and Natural Gas

Rebel Newsflash: "The War is Worth Waging": Afghanistan's Vast Reserves of Minerals and Natural Gas (plus 50 more items)

"The War is Worth Waging": Afghanistan's Vast Reserves of Minerals and Natural Gas

Posted: 17 Jun 2010 03:36 PM PDT

The 2001 bombing and invasion of Afghanistan has been presented to World public opinion as a "Just War", a war directed against the Taliban and Al Qaeda, a war to eliminate "Islamic terrorism" and instate Western style democracy.

The economic dimensions of the "Global War on Terrorism" are rarely mentioned. The post 9/11 counter-terrorism campaign has served to obfuscate the real objectives of the US-NATO war.

The war on Afghanistan is part of a profit driven agenda, a war of economic plunder.

Failure to ID the perps

Posted: 17 Jun 2010 06:21 AM PDT

I wrote this note tonight to a precocious young man who has helped put together a website which catches the latest oil catastrophe news fairly well, with the latest horrific predictions about the effects on people's lives from foul air poisoned by oily water that I myself have been forwarding around the Internet. As far as I know, the big enchilada of this operation is a Jew named Ray Palmer, which is why you will never see the magic word on this website.

Hawaii Elections Official: Obama not born here! JUNE 10, 2010 - SMOKING GUN?

Posted: 17 Jun 2010 01:39 AM PDT

BREAKING NEWS! Hawaii Elections Official: Obama not born here! JUNE 10, 2010 - SMOKING GUN?

Jews reveal their plans for the world

Posted: 17 Jun 2010 01:29 AM PDT

These quotes are from the Jews themselves.

Turkey Accepts the Challenge; Middle East is Changing

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 08:56 PM PDT

'Even despots, gangsters and pirates have specific sensitiveness, (and) follow some specific morals.'

The claim was made by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a recent speech, following the deadly commando raid on the humanitarian aid flotilla to Gaza on May 31. According to Erdogan, Israel doesn't adhere to the code of conduct embraced even by the vilest of criminals.

Bloody Sunday, Bloody Monday

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 08:39 PM PDT

Six Londonderry men and seven teenagers were shot dead by soldiers of the British Parachute Regiment on Sunday 30 January 1972. Five of the wounded were shot in the back. The Widgery Tribunal was convened rapidly. The dead and wounded had been in a march with over 7000 people protesting against internment without trial. The Widgery Tribunal was appointed under the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) Act 1921.

A Zionist State of Mind, A Dreamscape Of Ghosts

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 08:30 PM PDT

Although my mother fled Nazi Germany, as a child, on a Kindertransport, with a few family valuables sown into her clothing, and I was brought up on the myths and hagiography of the Zionist state, I, over time, came to recognize the folly of the whole colonialist enterprise — the folly of ethnic exclusion and expulsion, the inherent tragedy of nationalism based on the delusion of religious birthright. With much sorrow, I came to the sad realization that the dream of the State of Israel was based on European chauvinism and exceptionalism. This reckoning has been a difficult one for me to bear -- the hardest awakening of my adult life.

Noam Chomsky and Alan Dershowitz debate Israel and Palestine (2005)

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 06:51 PM PDT

We bring you a debate between Noam Chomsky and Alan Dershowtiz on the question, "Israel and Palestine After Disengagement: Where Do We Go From Here?" Dershowitz argued for a political solution based on an Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian towns and a mobile security fence to protect Israel's borders, while Chomsky insisted that the main obstacle to peace in the region is U.S.-Israeli insistence on maintaining settlements and rejecting minimal Palestinian rights. They faced off at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government last month.

Aarron Dykes Reports on Bill Gates's Strong Desire to be Top Eugenicist

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 06:07 PM PDT

Aarron Dykes Reports on Bill Gates's Strong Desire to be Top Eugenicist

'The Surge of Ideas'

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 06:00 PM PDT

EARLY THIS YEAR, Gen. David Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command, spoke at a public event in Washington, D.C., about the situation in Iraq and the priorities of the U.S. military in the greater Middle East.[1] The event was hosted by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a think tank led by Kimberly Kagan — spouse of the neoconservative writer Frederick Kagan — which claims to be a "non-partisan, non-profit, public policy research organization [that] advances an informed understanding of military affairs through reliable research, trusted analysis, and innovative education."

World Says Gaza Blockade Must Go

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 06:00 PM PDT

Under intense international pressure Israel declared last week that it would ease its crippling blockade on Gaza by permitting an additional but limited number of daily items, including food, into the coastal enclave.

Following Israel's deadly assault on the Free Gaza (FG) flotilla several weeks ago in international waters, during which nine activists were shot dead and dozens wounded, as the flotilla tried to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to the besieged strip, Israeli authorities came under enormous pressure to lift the blockade.

Is Benjamin Netanyahu Rational?

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 06:00 PM PDT

Is Benjamin Netanyahu rational? The question has to be asked because Netanyahu, the leader of a country that is paranoid about its own security, controls a secret nuclear arsenal and has the capability to bomb just about anybody. Rational behavior in the context of a head of state is admittedly an elusive quality, but it generally means that occasional lying is okay, particularly if it is tenuously based on something that might be true. Lying with a straight face or completely evading critical questions might even be considered a perk of office. But when the chips are down and hard decisions have to be made, a head of government should at least behave like a mature adult employing some logical process. That would mean weighing up the plusses and minuses of various actions, risks versus gains, and coming up with a response that serves the country's interests with the least collateral damage possible.

Congressional Commission to Examine Contractors in War

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 06:00 PM PDT

Should private contractors like Blackwater be allowed to continue to provide armed security for convoys, diplomatic and other personnel, and military bases and other facilities in Afghanistan and Iraq? A bipartisan U.S. Congressional commission will spend two days cross-examining 14 witnesses from academia, government and the companies themselves to come up with an answer.

"Some security tasks are so closely tied to government responsibilities, so mission-critical, or so risky that they shouldn't be contracted out at all," says Christopher Shays, a former Republican member of Congress from Connecticut.

Alex Newman Reveals Fed Manipulations & 'Bernanke's Trillions'

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 05:20 PM PDT

New American journalist Alex Newman talks with Alex about his latest article, Fed Manipulations in the Crosshairs. "It turns out that under the guise of "stabilizing" the economy, the Federal Reserve banking cartel had set in motion a series of actions that would eventually transfer trillions to the bankers at taxpayers' expense, all while decimating the investments of countless average Americans," writes Newman. Alex also covers the news and takes your calls.

Taking Israel's Side

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 04:00 PM PDT

The May 31st kerfuffle over Israel's interception of ships headed to Gaza brought forth some predictable reactions from the paleo-Right: Pat Buchanan, Stephen Walt, Ron Paul, and many others.

Of this crop, Steve Sailer took the most defensible position—one that at least did not willfully distort reality, or demand that Israel practice a forbearance that no rational nation could practice:

The World's Longest Con

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 04:00 PM PDT

Is there anything worse than listening to those hucksters in South Africa going bananas over the ugly game called football? Modern society is dominated by emotion and propaganda, not to mention profit, and when all three are combined what we get is the World Cup. Technicolor pictures of fat men and women jumping up and down while blowing into a contraption called vuvuzela dominate the front pages, as if an order had come from up high to feature the most boorish and the fattest, cheering for the most foul mouthed and overpaid.

It Will Be Interesting to See How This Plays Out

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 03:22 PM PDT

This morning, I posted an article suggesting to the Turks that the problems in Kyrgyzstan afforded them the opportunity to float a trial balloon for Turkish and Russian cooperation, which article stated,

"Turks, if you believe there is hope of finding genuine friends among the Russians, and for that matter the Chinese, then you could perhaps view this contrived dilemma as an opportunity to gauge the Russians and offer up a cooperative diplomatic and aid effort to end the crisis. *** I would love to see Turkey and Russia become very friendly nations and promote peace, stability and prosperity throughout the Middle East and the World. This provides a testing grounds for a first attempt at such a joint venture, but be very, very careful, and do not forget the Chinese. Keep it diplomatic and peaceful and watch for the hidden hand of the Mossad stirring up the trouble and expose it to the World public."

MSNBC's Cover-up of Provable Population Control Plan

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 02:29 PM PDT

MSNBC In Cover-Up Of Manifestly Provable Population Control Plan Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet.com Wednesday, June 16, 2010 As part of his obsessive drive to smear anti-big government activists as insanely paranoid and dangerous radicals, Chris Matthews and his guest, establishment neo-lib David Corn, previewed tonight's "Rise of the New Right" hit piece by claiming that the elite's agenda to enact dictatorial population control measures was a "conspiracy theory". As we have documented on numerous occasions, while Matthews points fingers at his political adversaries for preparing to engage in violence, the only real violence we're witnessing out on the streets is being committed by Obama supporters, MSNBC thugs and other leftists who refuse to tolerate free speech that counters their propaganda.

10 Things I've Learned About Writing For TV

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 02:21 PM PDT

The first thing you need to know about pitching TV shows is, you are not going to get a show. Television is 1,000 burn victims trying to seduce a supermodel; what was considered an OK deal ten years ago looks like a lottery win today. The good news is, you get paid for each rejection. In fact, many of us burn victims make pretty good money getting rejected. Eventually, most throw up their hands and agree to work on someone else's show but that's giving up. So here's ten things I've learned about the Sisyphean stage before that.

Before you even get started, you need to get like Tyson and surround yourself with people who are going to take your money. Give an agent and a manager 10% each and throw a lawyer another 5%. They get this until you die. If you try to pitch a show without an entourage and it works, weird things will happen like your credit card will stop working and restaurants will tell you they're closed even though you can see people in there, eating (people who play the game).

Israeli Nazism is the Root-Cause

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 12:49 PM PDT

Ever since the criminal piracy against the Gaza Freedom Flotilla on 31 May, Israeli and Zionist leaders have been spreading all sorts of obscene lies to justify the colossal crime of knowingly slaughtering innocent peace activists in international water.

Needless to say, this poisoned and nearly totally mendacious propaganda stems from the racist Zionist view that the lives of non-Jews have no sanctity.

The Afghanistan coincidence

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 11:48 AM PDT

Is it really a coincidence that as the Congress debates another $33 billion war supplemental bill for 2010 and Democrats ask us to oppose it, the New York Times breaks a story that the U.S. Identifies Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan.

Yes the Times opening reads, "The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself, according to senior American government officials.

Just ask Jenny

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 10:44 AM PDT

At first glance, two stories in Haaretz this week contradict each other. One, on Tuesday's front page, dealt with the decision of the High Court of Justice to deny government stipends to married yeshiva students because such practice amounts to discrimination against other students; the other story, in yesterday's pages, revealed the findings of Cornell and Tel Aviv University law researchers to the effect that the chances of having success in appeals against the state in civil and criminal cases are slight, as the state enjoys overwhelmingly superior power before the Supreme Court.

Who's more harmful than a yeshiva boy?

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 10:44 AM PDT

The similarity is striking: two insular and arrogant population groups, different and at times peculiar, powerful minorities with authoritative leaders, both with their own laws and norms. The settlers and the ultra-Orthodox - the former is some 300,000 strong, not counting settlers in East Jerusalem, and the latter numbers about 700,000, including Haredi settlers.

Don't give in to Immanuel

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 10:44 AM PDT

The discrimination in Immanuel contains in a nutshell the essence of the clash between the rule of law and separatist interest groups.

The affair of the Haredi education system's discrimination against Mizrahi girls in Immanuel has, over the past few days, become a locus of aggression that puts the government, the education system and law enforcement to the test.

Globalist Family Ties & Obama's Hidden Agenda

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 10:04 AM PDT

Alex breaks down the hidden agenda behind the BP Oil spill and shows how all the Elite families of the world have secret ties to each other and their nwo Master.

The Tragic Death of Haji Abdul Jabar

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 09:50 AM PDT

What Afghanistan just lost.

The Taliban scored another minor victory June 15 when Haji Abdul Jabar, the governor of Arghandab district, just north of Kandahar, was killed, along with his son, Kaduz, and a bodyguard, when his car was hit by a remote-controlled improvised explosive device. Jabar would appear to be just the latest of the dozens of local officials the Taliban has murdered -- but not to me. Two months ago, I spent a week in the district, much of that time in the company of the DG, as he is known. My article on Arghandab will appear this Sunday in the New York Times Magazine. What the article cannot reflect is the devastating effect the DG's death will have on Arghandab's people and on the rickety structure of local government painstakingly built by Afghan and U.S. officials there.

While No One's Looking, the Palestinians Are Building a State

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 08:23 AM PDT

Now it's time for the rest of the world to pitch in.

In the world of Palestinian politics, the recent weeks have been a study in contrasts. The international media has trained its focus off the shores of Gaza, where the flotilla fiasco has generated dramatic images of dead civilians and battered Israeli soldiers. The politics of this incident reflect the traditional sturm und drang of the Palestinian national movement: full of grand gestures and transformative ambitions that might result in bloodshed and embarrassment for Israel, but make no substantive contribution to Palestinian liberation.

A Short History of a Bad Metaphor

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 08:22 AM PDT

Working with Russia isn't necessarily a bad idea. Reducing it to a catchphrase is.

As policy initiatives go, the "reset button" didn't exactly have the smoothest of rollouts. On March 6, 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov with a literal button meant to symbolize the Obama administration's intention to repair frayed ties with Russia. Unfortunately, one misplaced syllable on the Cyrillic label meant that the button actually said "overcharge," not "reset," and Clinton was subjected to a few days of media mockery in both capitals.

Are Foreign Lives of Equal Worth to Ours?

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 08:20 AM PDT

FPIF When a U.S. civilian is murdered in a foreign land or in the United States, we rightfully feel angry, sad, and some of us demand vengeance. These are normal, primordial, and instinctive feelings of group loyalty and herd mentality that have bound communities and countries for thousands of years. Should such human traits, which are often beneficial, emotional and irrational, continue to justify the retaliatory killing of innocent civilians in the 21^st century?

It Takes Two to Reset

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 08:06 AM PDT

The Obama administration's efforts to reach out to Russia won't work as long as Russians don't take them seriously.

With Russian President Dmitry Medvedev due to visit Washington next week, Barack Obama's administration is seemingly anxious to tout improved U.S. relations with Russia as one of its primary foreign-policy achievements. The two countries have "made significant strides in resetting relations" said the White House statement announcing the visit, a reference to the widely touted "reset button" policy announced last year. "President Obama and President Medvedev have collaborated closely to enhance the security and well-being of the American and Russian people," the statement continued.

NATO rethinks its mission, perhaps too reluctantly

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 07:00 AM PDT

NATO is years overdue for a major review of its purpose. The last time the transatlantic military alliance looked in the mirror was 1999 – before 9/11, before widespread cyberattacks, before Russia veered from the democratic path under Vladimir Putin.

Now the alliance that was formed in 1949 to defend its members from a Soviet-bloc attack is finally getting around to drafting a new "strategic concept" – a new identity card. But did it wait too long? The timing does not work in its favor.

UN Secret Detention Report (Part Two): CIA Prisons in Afghanistan and Iraq

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 05:58 AM PDT

To complement my recent article, "UN Human Rights Council Discusses Secret Detention Report," in which I explained how, two weeks ago, the UN Human Rights Council had — after some delays — finally discussed the findings of the "Joint Study on Global Practices in Relation to Secret Detention in the Context of Counter-Terrorism," a detailed, 186-page report issued in February (PDF), I'm posting the section of the report that deals with US secret detention policies since the 9/11 attacks, in the hope that it might reach a new audience — and provide useful research opportunities — as an HTML document.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The Big Greene Monster

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 05:40 AM PDT

I live in Georgia. My congressional representative is Hank Johnson, a Democrat whom I am unafraid to call stupid. In April at a House Armed Services Committee hearing, Johnson expressed genuine concern that sending more personnel to Guam would cause the island to "tip over and capsize." After watching that comment issue from Johnson's lips, I was certain he was the most mentally impaired politician in recorded history.

Since I live in Georgia, I can see South Carolina from my kitchen. After last week's Palmetto State primaries, it is now apparent that Hank Johnson was merely John the Baptist announcing a frightening new idiocratic covenant—a dim-witted little voice in the wilderness prophesying the arrival of a figure whose cognitive deficiencies are so vast that they transcend mortals' understanding.

Why Jews are to be considered dangerous to the well-being of all non-Jews (Part 3)

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 04:39 AM PDT

Here is the last part of this smorgasbord of Jew self incrimination . This part is apparently all quotations from other Jews. There are literally thousands of these moral damnations – ONLY about the Jews. Interestingly No famous people ANYWHERE from ANY time period have condemned Arab people – nor ANY other ethnicity on earth for that matter – with such volume and consistency for immoral conduct as they have, that of the Jew.

Canadian Women Prosper at Expense of Men/Families

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 04:09 AM PDT

In 1986, the federal government passed the Employment Equity Act, which targeted the hiring of four designated groups: women, aboriginals, visible minorities and the disabled.

At the time this bill was drafted, men dominated the public service with 58% of the jobs and more than 95% of the executive jobs.

Spain Plays High-Stakes Poker Game with Germany as Borrowing Costs Surge

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 04:03 AM PDT

Spain has upped the ante in a high-stakes poker game with Germany, pushing for the release of EU stress test results for major banks in a move that risks precipitiating a dramatic escalation of Europe's financial crisis.

"We're not afraid of transparency," said the Spanish Banking Association (AEB), saying the full truth would put an end to rumours battering Spain's instutitions. El Pais reported that the government backs the initiative, putting it on a collision course with Germany which insists on secrecy.

BP Admits That - If It Tries to Cap the Leak - the Whole Well May Blow Up

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 03:52 AM PDT

As I previously noted, oil industry expert Rob Cavner said that BP must "keep the well flowing to minimize oil and gas going out into the formation on the side"

Turks, by gOsh, Do Not Act by Guess and by Golly

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 03:46 AM PDT

Kyrgyzstan is in the armpit of the former Soviet Union and borders China and Kazakstan (a nation with a large and influential Russian population). It is also about as far away from Israel as Turks are likely to venture. The Jews are leading you into a trap, much like they have led the USA into the quicksand of Afghanistan.

The Jews want to bog you down in conflicts with the Kurds, which also pull you eastward and consume your resources and hurt you in the eyes of the World public; and in "Pan-Turkey". Note that the Jews are stirring up trouble in Kyrgyzstan immediately after murdering your citizens in international waters. The Jews want you to intervene and pull you away from Israel and into a meat grinder between Russia and its allies and China. They want to suck you into a quagmire that will consume you.

There's No One Under the Bus

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 03:37 AM PDT

The charge that U.S. allies have been betrayed by the Russian reset is simply false.

Critics of the Obama administration's "reset" with Russia have created a narrative that they repeat with striking consistency. In order to garner concessions from the Kremlin, they claim the administration has "neglect[ed] and even abandon[ed] other countries in region." What's more, President Barack Obama got practically nothing in return for these alleged betrayals. Perhaps his most-hyped accomplishment with Moscow, Russia's vote for tougher Iran sanctions, is comparable to a used rug.

The Great Faux-White "Liberal" Babbles Again

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 03:34 AM PDT

In The anti-white left and the non pro-white right Auster once again describes the aggression of "liberals", like David Zirin, who he never identifies as a tribemate.

Once again Auster blames the "non pro-white right" "conservatives" for being worst:

The liberal-left's bigoted campaign to delegitimize and dehumanize conservatives is thus total and absolute.

The Fed's Purchase of US Sovereign Debt: "The US Treasury is under the Control of the Fed's Owners".

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 03:13 AM PDT

Were it not for the Federal Reserves purchase of Treasury and Agency bonds the US would already be unable to raise funds to service debt and issue new debt, and it would already have descended into national bankruptcy. It is no wonder the Fed does not want to be audited. Through various artifices the Fed has been purchasing US treasury paper. No one knows how much, because when asked the Fed says it is a state secret. That is what all Americans love. A country run in secrecy. A privately owned corporation operating under the cover of secrecy, and protected by a Treasury Department, that is under the control of the Fed's owners. How is that for an incestuous relationship?

White House Correspondent Helen Thomas—A Casualty of Zionist Duplicity

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 02:26 AM PDT

Zionist operatives ambushed veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas, a friend and a great American. When they won, America lost.

When reviewing the unedited video of her "interview," what you see is a rabbi rephrasing her answers to a question about Israel. Her response: "They should get the hell out of Palestine." The United Nations long ago endorsed that stance.

Afghanistan Through Teenagers' Eyes

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 02:25 AM PDT

What happens when you give cameras to a group of Kabul teens? You see Afghanistan not as a place of war and violence, but as a country where children still play and life carries on.

Last year, a group of teenagers at Afghanistan's Marefat School were given cameras as part of a photography project with teens at Philadelphia's Constitution High School. The students snapped away, and what emerged from the Afghan side were images of culture, friends, and daily life -- not car bombings and kidnappings. Above, a smiling boy sells eggs at an outdoor market, as photographed by Qasim Moradi, 18.

Rape and Spillage

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 02:15 AM PDT

What's with the president's war analogy on the oil spill? It's as if some alien force, "The Invasion of the Slippery Sludge," suddenly attacked us. "Abroad, our brave men and women in uniform are taking the fight to al-Qaida," President Barack Obama said Tuesday in his White House speech, "and tonight, I've returned from a trip to the Gulf Coast to speak with you about the battle we're waging against an oil spill that is assaulting our shores and our citizens."

The Talented Tenth

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 01:58 AM PDT

According to the business plan of the 10,000 Women project, an investment of $100 million over five years will create 10,000 female entrepreneurs in the developing world. The money goes to business education – MBAs – for women in the global south who, in turn, are expected to create businesses that employ people and grow the economy.

Independent Journalists Dismantling Israel's Hold on Media Narrative

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 01:56 AM PDT

"The systematic attempt and very deliberate first priority for the Israeli soldiers as they came on the ships was to shut down the story, to confiscate all cameras, to shut down satellites, to smash the CCTV cameras that were on the Mavi Marmara, to make sure that nothing was going out. They were hellbent on controlling the story," commented Australian journalist Paul McGeough, one of the hundreds of activists and reporters who witnessed the deadly morning attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla on 31 May ("Framing the Narrative: Israeli Commandos Seize Videotape and Equipment from Journalists After Deadly Raid," Democracy Now, 9 June 2010). McGeough was one of at least 60 journalists aboard the flotilla who were detained and their footage confiscated.

Afghanistan: The Longest Lost War

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 01:47 AM PDT

Despite almost a decade of warfare, including an invasion and occupation, the US military and its allies and client state armed forces are losing the war in Afghanistan . Outside of the central districts of a few cities and the military fortresses, the Afghan national resistance forces, in all of their complex local, regional and national alliances, are in control, of territory, people and administration.

Baroness Dr Jenny Tonge's Speech at UN Conference in Istanbul

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 01:09 AM PDT

I am sure most of you know the frustration and humiliation Palestinians suffer every day of their lives because of the checkpoints, the settler only roads, the arbitrary arrests, children included; the questioning, the searches; not to mention the land grabbing, uprooting of trees, destruction of crops sometimes by sewage from settlements and the chronic shortage of water which is controlled by the Israelis.

One of the incidents I always remember was in Bethlehem a few years back, when they could expect water through their taps every now and then, I travelled up the road to a settlement where there were sprinklers on the lawns there, and watering garden olive trees, which had been transported from, destroyed Palestinian fields.

Israel Demolishes Buildings in East Jerusalem

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 12:45 AM PDT

Israel has resumed demolitions in East Jerusalem. Three buildings were demolished Tuesday morning (15 June) in the Al Abbasiya neighbourhood of Silwan and the neighbourhood of Ath Thuri.

In Ath Thuri, the Jerusalem Municipality ordered the destruction of a 24 square meter garage used mainly for car repairs. Following the demolition, the owner of the structure received a fine from the municipality for the cost of the destruction of his own property.

Feds Demand Balkanization

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 12:34 AM PDT

The Federal Government is taking steps to make sure Americans vote sufficiently along racial lines.

PORT CHESTER, N.Y. — Arthur Furano voted early – five days before Election Day. And he voted often, flipping the lever six times for his favorite candidate. Furano cast multiple votes on the instructions of a federal judge and the U.S. Department of Justice as part of a new election system crafted to help boost Hispanic representation.

Voters Are Entitled To Know Their Votes Are Properly Counted, Says ACLU In Letter To South Carolina State Election Commission

Posted: 15 Jun 2010 04:00 PM PDT

COLUMBIA, SC – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of South Carolina sent a letter today to the South Carolina State Election Commission asking the commission to require South Carolina counties to copy or preserve the flash memory cards from voting machines used in the June 8 South Carolina primary elections for the U.S. Senate so that the information on the cards can be audited.

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