More on Obama’s War in Afghanistan

The following excerpts are from an article by Columnist Clive Crook

Casualties there are mounting – this has been the deadliest month for US forces since the fighting began in 2001. The losses have attracted less attention in the US than British losses have in Britain, and pressure on the administration to pull out has been mild. But this will change. When it does, Mr Obama will longingly recall those carefree months debating healthcare.

Quietly, public opinion has already turned against the war. According to a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, 51 per cent now say the war is not worth fighting. Among Democrats, seven out of 10 say that.

A recent Economist/YouGov poll found that only 32 per cent agree with sending more troops – something the army is expected to request imminently. To the question “What do you think will eventually happen?” came a response to thrill every Taliban fighter: 65 per cent said “The United States will withdraw without winning” and only 35 per cent “The United States will win”.

The issue has not yet come to the boil but Mr Obama’s position is as difficult as it could possibly be. This is now his war. He asserted ownership again only recently, calling the conflict for the hundredth time “a necessary war”, unlike his predecessor’s supposedly needless “war of choice” in Iraq.

Yet Mr Obama’s war, necessary or not, will be hard to win, and impossible without greater expense of lives and money. Withdrawal, meanwhile, involves great dangers of its own. To complete the president’s quandary, his rationale for the war is unconvincing and, as the polls confirm, his strongest opposition comes from his own party. source.

Obama’s Criticisms of President Bush are Naïve, Unfounded, and Unintelligent

Obama, with his socialist outlook and total lack of qualifications and experience, had the gall to criticize his betters and call the Iraq War a “war of choice” and the Afghanistan War a “war of necessity”. Those bold, but stupid, comments added to his recent increases in funding and troops for the war in Afghanistan gives Obama and the Democrat leadership exclusive ownership of that war. Earlier the White House said the War on Terror was over and now Obama is saying that Afghanistan is the most important part of the War on Terror.

What is the Likely Futue?

In the meantime, no one is minding the store in Iraq and the future looks grim. But that was Bush’s war of choice, so we are abandoning Iraq and playing silly games with phony rules of engagement and policy in Obama’s war in Afghanistan.

Obama and the leftists are laying out a strategy to lose both wars; Iraq and Afghanistan. How many thousands of Americans will be wounded and killed before competence is restored to the American government is unknown. But one wounded or killed troop is too many for an Administration playing silly games and needlessly risking American lives.

Obama Took a Recession from Bush and is Using it as a “Crisis” to Wreck America

Obama Raises 2010 Deficit Estimate to $1.5 Trillion (Update3)
Aug. 25 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. unemployment will surge to 10 percent this year and the budget deficit will be $1.5 trillion next year, both higher than previous Obama administration forecasts because of a recession that was deeper and longer than expected, White House budget chief Peter Orszag said. source

What This Means

This is over three times the Bush deficit of $459 billion in FY 2008. Everyone but the loony leftists and the disloyal socialists in our country know that to generate more economic activity, more tax revenue, and to reduce the deficits, we must reduce taxes and control government spending during a recession. Obama, being the socialist he is, and his loony leftists supporters in Congress did just the opposite, raised what taxes they could and increased spending to insane levels. The results; unemployment skyrocketed to 10% with no end in sight and the deficit grew to 3 times the Bush deficit in 2008. Federal tax revenues are plummeting.

Our gross domestic product (GDP) the sum of everything we do from farming, manufacturing, services, etc., all income, all products, property, investments, – everything will be about $12 trillion or less in 2009 and it’s still declining.

How are the Leftist Loonies and the Socialist President Responding?

Those without honor or decency fall back on the tried and true. Lie like a rug and blame someone else for your incompetence and mistakes. Expect to keep hearing a chorus of “It’s Bush’s fault! It’s Bush’s fault!” Nobody can lie like the leftists and socialists so expect the MSM to write hundreds of articles blaming everything on Bush and saying the only solution is to spend untold $trillions more on socialized medicine to “save money”. It is impossible to save by spending more, especially when you are borrowing the money to spend.

And you know what? I bet the $1.5 trillion dollar deficit estimate turns into $2 trillion or more when the truth comes out. By the way, you could confiscate every cent of the “rich” in America and not make up for the rising debt. So taxing the rich is not a solution, it is another lie and a cover mantra for incompetence and dishonesty. There is not enough wealth in America to sustain the insane spending rates and the huge deficits. You could tax all of the income of all of the people, rich and poor, and still be in the hole.

The Only Possible Solution

We need an amendment to the Constitution to force a balanced budget on the federal government. And, we need harsh penalties (such as personal fines or removal from office) for overspending on purpose or by accident or incompetence. The amendment should state that in time of war and a limited number of other specified national emergencies there could be deficit spending if approved by 3/4 of the Congress and signed by the president.

A second critical national need is a flat rate income tax so that everyone in America pays some taxes. Those who escape taxes and live off the work of others are not really fully participating in the American system. They are participating in a parasitic sense by living off or others, but they are not participating by supporting their country. As a result, they don’t have as much of a stake in saving America as do those paying income taxes. I’m sure the demagogues will want to keep the progressive nature of our income taxes and this is probably unavoidable. But there should be no exceptions to paying some income tax. All citizens should have a stake in America.

Obama’s War in Afghanistan Going Badly

*******UPDATE*******
Update, 23 August 09
More Troops Needed in Afghanistan
(via Drudge and link cited at end of update)

The assessments about troop needs came as the top American commander in the region, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, has been working to complete a major war strategy review, and as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, described a worsening situation in Afghanistan despite the recent addition of 17,000 U.S. troops ordered by the Obama administration and the extra security efforts surrounding the presidential election.

"I think it is serious, and it is deteriorating," Mullen said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" program. "The Taliban insurgency has gotten better, more sophisticated, in their tactics." He added that McChrystal was still completing his review and had not yet requested additional troops on top of the those added by Obama.

The U.S. commanders in Afghanistan spoke at length this weekend with Richard Holbrooke, Obama's special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Over the past two days, Holbrooke visited all four regional military command centers in Afghanistan, and the message from all four followed similar lines: While the additional American troops, along with smaller increases from other NATO alliance members, have had some benefit in the south, the numbers remain below what commanders say they need. source

*******END UPDATE*******

During the 2008 election, Obama and the others leftists Democrats hammered and bashed Bush over the war in Iraq and adopted the war in Afghanistan as the “right” war to fight.

Then after the election, Obama and his incompetent and inexperienced advisors took control and accelerated withdrawal of US forces from Iraq (see here via the Drudge Report for some horrible terrorists bombing results).

At the same time, Obama and his cronies adopted the war in Afghanistan as their own.

Recent developments and irresponsible decisions made on rules of engagement by the high school bunch in the White House, have muddied the water in determining the status and future of the war in Afghanistan.

High School Level Thinking in the White House

Rules of engagement (ROI) are the rules our troops must use to attack the enemy, defend themselves from enemy attack, and protect people and territory in a war.

History has shown us that the only winnable war is one where the objectives are clear and supported by the people and our government. Only wars with objectives of 1) destruction of the enemy’s will to resist and capacity to resist and 2) complete defeat of the enemy so that his only option is unconditional surrender are winnable. The best example is WW II. Limited objective wars and “police actions” always result in deaths of American troops followed by stalemate (Korea) or defeat (Viet Nam).

Recently the high school mentality and level of understanding in the White House has set some ridiculous, sure to fail, rules for aircraft in Afghanistan.

This is from the AP with thanks to Theodore’s World for discussing the ridiculous ROI in Afghanistan.

Air Force may buzz before bombing in Afghanistan

The Air Force general in charge of the air war in Afghanistan says a new strategy means warplanes in some cases may be buzzing rather than bombing some insurgents.
SNIP
Hostage told reporters at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina his forces can easily drop bombs with pinpoint accuracy.

But the three-star general said that at times, it may be better to fly low over enemy forces and disperse them with noisy warplanes that threaten with firepower but don't immediately unleash it.

Obama’s High School Level of Understanding & Rules of Engagement

Incredible as it sounds, US troops are to call for air support less often and the air support is to scare the enemy with “noisy warplanes” rather than fight him. This nonsense did not come from the field commanders in Afghanistan; it came from the White House.

The Afghans have been claiming that “innocent civilians” (those giving aid, shelter, and support to the Taliban) were being killed by airstrikes. They, and everyone else, should understand that if you support and shelter the enemy in times of war you may be attacked because you are a part of the war; you are no longer innocent civilians. This level of understanding is beyond the capability of Obama and the socialists in the White House.

Obama is Responsible for the Needless Deaths of Americans in Afghanistan

Make no mistake about it; this is dereliction of duty and it is needlessly sending our troops to their death. It is insane for our Commander in Chief to order our troops to fight without air support and to order our Air Force to scare the enemy with our warplanes’ noise rather that attack them to protect our ground troops. American troops are dying because of the incompetence of Obama and his leftist advisors forming of rules of engagement favoring the enemy.

Misunderstanding and mismanagement of Obama’s war in Afghanistan is resulting in ever increasing numbers of wounded and killed American troops. A nation run by experienced and patriotic politicians would act to impeach a Commander in Chief who needlessly and deliberately betrayed our troops. Unfortunately, our Congress is neither of these things. The leftist Democrats have complete control of the Congress and the Executive Branch and they must bear responsibility for every American needlessly wounded or killed in Afghanistan. Their RINO GOP collaborators must also be responsible for their share of the needlessly killed and wounded US troops.

Key Questions

Are the lives of American troops worth less than the lives of Muslim terrorists and their collaborators in Afghanistan?

If we are not going to fight to win the War in Afghanistan, should we be there?

Unholy Triumvirate for Socialized Education; Lie Down with Dogs and You get Fleas

Sharpton, Gingrich Join Forces to Push Obama's School Reforms
Friday, August 14, 2009
By Libby Quaid, Associated Press

Washington (AP) - Education Secretary Arne Duncan is joining forces with two unlikely allies, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Republican former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, to push cities to fix failing schools.
SNIP
The idea came from a meeting they had with President Barack Obama in May at the White House. source.

Bi-Partisan Triumvirate Seeks New “Right”

This triumvirate from hell also defined education, including college education, as “the new civil right of the 21st century “according to Newt. This sounds to me like the first announcement of a coming push to nationalize education after socialized medicine is accomplished.

Newt is running for president and he has already joined Hillary and Gore in supporting anthropogenic global warming alarmists. Now, he is in a triumvirate from hell with Obama and Sharpton starting a push to federalize education from pre-school through college. More trillions of dollars wasted on unions, community activists, and “Chicago style” crooks.

Lie Down with Dogs and You get Fleas

Al Sharpton better watch out, getting in bed with Obama and Newt Gingrich may cause him to need an ocean of Calamine lotion; he will be scratching like a hound.

Obama: I'm a Toker, I'm a Joker, I'm a ...

I'm a Toker,



I'm a Joker,



And I'm a Midnight Muslim

If you want to finish the song, there are plenty of things to include:
• I bow my head to Arabia!
• I can't speak without a teleprompter, Oh my!
• I’m the first Kenyan President of the US in history, yeah baby!
• Smoke, smoke, smoke dem cigarettes!
• Etc. etc. …

A Funny You Might Enjoy

Called the perfect husband. I got it via email and had to pass it on.

More and More Problems with Obama’s Socialized Medicine

Many people are starting to raise important questions about socialized medicine.

Doctor Shortage Looms Amid Healthcare Reform
“There aren't going to be any doctors around – doctors are going to bail out,” says Kathryn Serkes of the Association of American Physicians & Surgeons. “You may have an insurance policy from the government, you may have a piece of paper, but you won't be able to get an appointment or get into a hospital and get an actual doctor to take care of you.” source.

Please read the entire article and watch the video at the above link. Scary.

This is Real, not Scare Tactics

I have travelled to the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and have seen this happen myself. I have not been to Massachusetts lately, but I understand their state brand of socialized medicine is failing rapidly.

Did you ever wonder why Congress spends so many, many billions of dollars on pork in their districts and states? The reason is that the residents in that district or state feel that if it is federal government money it is free. They do not stop to think that some states get a lot more pork than others. And those states getting less than the average amount of pork are paying MORE in taxes than they receive in pork. Not to mention that much of the pork dollars are wasted on useless projects.

Socialism, and particularly socialized medicine, is much the same. Many people in America think the health care will be free. Well, it will be for half to three quarters of the people at first. But once demand for health care outstrips funds and facilities available to meet the demand, and then taxes will go up. This usually happens within 2-3 years. The result is increasing health care costs demanding a bigger and bigger share of the government budget. And then the day comes when all those people who thought they would get something for nothing by taxing the rich find out that health care costs are eating into every other program in government. Of course, this cannot continue but for a few years and then health care costs will have to be cut before they consume the entire federal budget (usually in 5 years or so).

Now, the free lunch crowd supporting socialized medicine will find they will sit for untold hours waiting for attention. Diagnoses will ultimately become less and less accurate as funds for more doctors and more new technology disappear. At this point, health care rationing will be a fact of life that no one can do anything about. Because, big federal programs never go away.

More and more people will suffer and die than would today under our current system. The unnecessary suffering and death will impact nearly all Americans. All but the politicians and a few super rich that can afford to buy their own personal physicians.

Mexican Drug Cartels Corrupt US Officials and Bring Horrible Crime to America

Introduction

Phoenix, AZ leads the US in kidnappings and home invasions. At first, these kidnappings were mostly limited to other illegal immigrant criminals but now they include some innocent victims too.

Tragically a 15 year old girl was killed in a carjacking attempt after a botched home invasion in Tucson. This murder of an innocent school child, a horrible crime, is much too common in Arizona and the Southwest. source.

Factors leading to these outrageous murders include 1) maintenance of an open border which assists and encourages the Mexican drug cartels and their hit men, 2) corruption of US officials to assist the cartels, 3) lack of prosecution for almost all illegal invaders, and 4) tolerance or acceptance by American Hispanics of illegal aliens, drug houses, and criminals in their neighborhoods. On the rare occasions when police try to clean up some of these high crime areas, Hispanic supremacy groups, the ACLU, and other anti-American organizations scream racism, racial profiling, and harassment.

Unfortunately, these brutal kidnappings, home invasions, and murders are going to plague Hispanic neighborhoods until the good people there stand up and demand justice and police protection. This will not happen until these good people overthrow the race panderers and drug smuggling criminals holding them hostage.

It will take more than good people in Hispanic neighborhoods to stop the rising corruption, see here for example. The border must be sealed and patrolled, illegal aliens must be deported and prevented from returning, and employers who hire illegal aliens must go to jail.

Additional Information the PC MSM Ignore or Minimize is Given Below

The FBI drug smuggling sting operation, called Lively Green, that went south continues to unfold in federal court. From a previous post, we know that the sting operation went very bad as FBI informants and drug smugglers held a drug-sex orgy which, among other things, resulted in the gang rape of an unconscious woman. The FBI agent in charge of running the informants, his colleagues, and the smugglers kept the orgy-rape secret. For a year and a half, the FBI agent running the case withheld the orgy-rape incidents from the courts and the public, thus assisting or leading the cover up, until defendants in the trial brought out the orgy-rape incidents and others.

The convicted criminals were given plea bargains and lighter sentences to keep the lid on and the FBI case agent “was removed from the case”. The agreement made by the FBI, federal prosecutors and the drug smugglers was that no defendant would get more than a 5 year prison sentence (although the sentencing guidelines could have set sentences many times this) if the orgy-rape and other incidents were kept secret. Well, the secret came out, and although we will never know how much more did not come out, the good old US Attorneys, FBI, and federal judge are living up to their bargains with the drug smugglers.

The disturbing part is that the drug smugglers included military personnel, Border Patrol agents, state dept. of corrections officers, and others. If ever there was a case that should have resulted in maximum sentences this was it. We cannot allow Mexican drug cartels to corrupt our military, FBI, Justice Department, and federal courts; but it seems we did in this case. source.

Details on the “Lively Green” sting operation and, corruption of state, military and high FBI and Justice Department officials, the horrible rape and “body waste” abuse of a woman, and the cover up are here.

Early Warnings Ignored

Earlier I have reported here on the inexorable movement north of crime, violence, and barbarism by the Mexican drug cartels, the drug and people smugglers they control, and the Mexican government, including its army. For example, please see the following.

• Violence moving north
• The spread north and east
• Illegal aliens and their allies
• Foreign and domestic threats
• Soaring drug smuggling
• Corrupt drug cartels
• Kidnapping moving north
• And even more violence
• Armed invasion of America
• And a survey of some reports and crimes

Not only has crime and violence moved north from Mexico, their corrupt system has corrupted America from our Border patrol Agents, to our military, FBI, Federal Courts, the Justice Department, and the White House. Please read from the following examples.

• Lively Green corruption of troops, correction officers, the FBI, US courts, and the Justice Department
• Fouling our environment and the government looks the other way
• More corruption of our law enforcement and courts

Summary

I hope this Gives a Better Picture of the Problems of an Open Border and US Support for Illegal Immigration, Mexican Drug Cartels, and Amnesty

The MSM is controlled by the leftists and “Open Border Crowd” who take every step they can to minimize Mexican drug cartel violence in America and spin the problems to blame the US.

The above links and discussion should provide a better picture of the Mexican drug cartels’ role in drug smuggling and illegal alien smuggling and the associated corruption of US officials, the incredible barbarism and violence, and the environmental destruction in America that follow.

The Class System Destroying America

Americans used to look with disdain on Europe and its systems of class. The classes were typically royalty, upper class, middle class, lower class, etc. If one were born in a part of Europe with a strong class system, and born lower class, that’s probably how you grew up, were educated, and lived. If you were born upper class then that determined you would live a life of relative ease in the upper class.

We in America had a better idea. Let a person’s abilities and character determine the level of education obtainable and the degree of success of that individual. The Civil War ended slavery and the Civil Rights struggle was completely won and settled by 1964. America was truly the land of opportunity where one’s abilities, hard work, intelligence, and education almost completely determined how far that person could go. Of course, we had the Rockefellers and Kennedys, but for the 200 million or so other Americans, anyone could rise to the limits of their abilities, work, and education. There were no real class or race limits.

The Social Destruction and Establishment of a Class System in America

The roots for the destruction of the ideal America described above are hard to trace all the way back to their sources, but we know several key steps in the destruction of the American ideal.

First, were FDR and the New Deal. This brought us the idea, and fact, of big government, socialist policies, and the Democrat coalition of special groups based on identity: minorities, unions, and others. FDR also brought us the imperial presidency and drastically reduced the power of the other branches of the federal government. Concurrently, the federal government made huge power grabs at the expense of the states and of individual liberties. Every Democrat Congress and President since has sought to expand big government at the expense of the identity classes they created and then turned into dependency classes. People dependent on big government block vote for Democrats and the vicious cycle of big government and more dependents continues.

The social degradation, cultural reformation toward baseness and indecency, and decreases in individual responsibilities during the 1960’s are still reverberating and shaping the course of America. This was the decade when the civil rights movement rose to triumph and fell to bickering, debasement, and racism. By the 1970’s the push was not for equality of opportunity for all men and women but for special treatment, rights, entitlements, and quotas. Equal employment opportunity (EEO) morphed to affirmative action and racial classes.

Classes and the Rise of Brutal Discrimination in America

America lost its way, its compass, and the concepts of equal rights and equal opportunity gave way to a system of race and sex-based protected classes. Race, color, creed, sex, and sexual preferences, age, and disability were used to form what is termed “Protected Classes.”

Americans were then divided into one or more of these protected classes. This division was not based on equal opportunity and equal justice under law but their antitheses of inequality and injustice. It was also based on the underlying assumptions that people in protected classes were being harmed by individuals and groups not in one of the protected classes and that people in the protected classes would not harm anyone not included in the protected classes.

Protected Classes and Laws and Policies

If one is a member of a protected class and attacks a member of the unprotected class, government’s sympathy and resources are with the member of a protected class. But if the attack is by a member of the unprotected class on one who is protected, then government’s sympathy and resources are again with the member of the protected class. This tendency in society has been codified by the government and is called hate crime legislation.

A more widespread and older use of protected classes is in civil cases rather than criminal ones. Under the laws and policies of the United States if a member of a protected class charges a unprotected individual with discrimination or another grievance, then two things happen. The government investigates the alleged charges, and if they find the possibility of merit, then the member of the protected class gets a government paid lawyer to pursue the civil litigation. At the same time, the member of the unprotected class is 1) assumed guilty until proven innocent (an almost impossible and very expensive task) and 2) forced to hire an attorney at his own expense.

The result is that the entire wealth and power of the federal government is working for the member of the protected class and against the member of the unprotected class. This process continues from the original allegation and then through the courts as long as the unprotected individual can afford to pay his personal attorney. Meanwhile the member of the protected class pays nothing and looks forward to a big payday.

Why a big payday? Other than the super rich, no individual can afford to continue fighting the presumption of guilt and the power of the federal government. The individual of the unprotected group usually is faced with financial ruin or admitting guilt, even if he is innocent. Now, if the alleged incidents leading to the grievance charges happen in the work place, the situation is often worse. Few, if any companies have the will or the money for a long and costly series of trials and appeals. Rather than spending millions of dollars in court, most companies opt to buy off the complaining member of a protected class for less than court trial costs or a judgment and abandon the accused member of the unprotected class. In the individuals’ case and the employer’s case guilt or innocence is not relevant. It is cheaper to settle for a few hundred thousand dollars buying off the complaining individual than it is to either pay for trial costs or a court judgment both of which can be in the millions of dollars. For class action type allegations, the settlement may be for millions which is usually less than the amount of the lawsuits or lawyers costs defending the case. So, companies and individuals are both intimidated by the government to give in.

Before you say all this can’t be true, check it out. When you hear Joe in accounting has been charged with sexual harassment, what’s your first reaction? If you are like most people you say something like, “Well, he has had it either way, but he is probably guilty and I hope they throw the book at him.” This is much the same with racial discrimination, sexual discrimination, and all other protected class allegations. The presumption of innocent until proven guilty is usually not there and the almost inevitable “settlement” by the charged individual or company is seen as “proof “of guilt. Few remember that the individual or company may just be taking the easy, and sometimes only, way out. The final result is a big payday for the member of the protected class and the end of the unprotected individual’s job/career and reputation.

Politics has entered all of this injustice in a big way. There are different rules for Democrats and other far leftists. Conservatives really are thrown to the lions while leftists cry and apologize. So if you are a leftist politician or other leftist millionaire and a member of the unprotected class, you might skate. If you are both conservative and a member of the unprotected class, then there literally is little or no hope for you.

Protected Classes and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

EEO is dead and has been replaced by protected classes, quotas, diversity, and affirmative action. The horrible discrimination starts early and for the very young. Protected classes usually get a pass and special consideration at all levels of our education system. From biased teaching in elementary school to SAT scores, up to hundreds of points lower for members of protected classes than for the unprotected class, discrimination is a way of life taught from pre-school to graduate school.

Then it gets worse. When people in the protected classes leave school and look for a job, doors open. Those swinging doors are closed for the unprotected. This is called hiring for diversity, affirmative action, quotas from class action suits to make up for racial or sexual imbalances, the 4/5 rule, and on and on without limit as the government and bureaucrats think up new ways to discriminate. And we are not through yet. The discrimination keeps on via promotions and other rewards through higher retirement and right up to the grave.

What Do You Know?

Now it’s time for the big surprise ending. Do you know the only Americans who are not members of a protected class?

Of course you do.

At Last! The Real Obama

From Drudge Report 3 Aug. 2009

At Last! The Real Obama

I couldn't help posting this when I found it.
How appropriate for a president who can't talk without a Teleprompter.

Enjoy! It's your president without the makeup.