Day: June 6, 2016

Remembering D-Day

72 years ago today the Allies opened up their second front against the Nazi war machine…..D-Day….and it was the beginning of the end of Nazi Germany….

Source: Remembering D-Day | New Republic

Probably the last legitimate war the US would participate in…

Take a moment and remember those that gave their all to save the world from a mad man….

Apparently there are not many left behind that remember the sacrifices made and the destruction that was wrought on the world……

Truly sad how quickly we forget……

Iraq: You Can Lead Them To Water

But they will not learn to dance.

In this case I am referring to the Iraqi Army…….

After the US-trained and armed Iraqi military collapsed in the face of ISIS offensives in 2014, the US embarked on a broad effort to retrain and reorganize the military. 17 months into this effort, US officials are increasingly admitting the effort is another failure.

Retired Lt. Gen. Mick Bednarek, who commanded the US training mission until last year, said the Iraqi Army has not improved much, saying the big problem is a lack of recruitment and retention in the Iraqi forces, saying the US officers are ready to train who shows up, but are never sure who that’s going to be.

Other US officials complained that the Iraqi military’s commanders are too cozy with the Shi’ite militias they so heavily depend on in the war, and that many of the US arms being transferred to the Iraqi military “either because of corrupt commanders or outright robbery,” end up in the hands of the militia.

Things are just not going as planned in Iraq……the US cannot break the unsuccessful program of training the Iraqi Army…..the whole situation has been a disaster for 13 years….and yet we just keep trying…..

A 17-month U.S. effort to retrain and reunify Iraq’s regular army has failed to create a large number of effective Iraqi combat units or limit the power of sectarian militias, according to current and former U.S. military and civilian officials.

Concern about the shortcomings of the American attempt to strengthen the Iraqi military comes as Iraqi government forces and Shi’ite militias have launched an offensive to retake the city of Falluja from Islamic State. Aid groups fear the campaign could spark a humanitarian catastrophe, as an estimated 50,000 Sunni civilians remain trapped in the besieged town.

Source: US Falters in 17-month Campaign to Revive Iraqi Army, Officials Say | World Affairs Journal

BTW, what was it that genius Einstein had to say about doing the same things over and over?

“Leave No One Behind”

Every movie and TV show about the US military they push the concept that the US leaves NO MAN BEHIND….but it is pure bullshit….let’s call it cinematic license…….

Does any one remember a group known as Montagnards or how about the Nungs…these were indigenous people of South Vietnam that were loyal to the US and did whatever we asked of them…then when the US pulled out of Vietnam ahead of the advancing North Vietnamese army we left these loyal participants behind to suffer at the hands of the Communist North….not one of our more honorable moments.

Did we learn from this betrayal?

Not a bit!

We are fighting endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and we have used indigenous people to act on our behalf as interpreters and soldiers…these people suffer all sorts of torture when they are outed as “collaborators”…..but the US will take care of our fiends as we always have, right?

Again….total bullshit!

As our nation fought wars against terrorists and despots in Afghanistan and Iraq, we were assisted by patriotic citizens of those two countries who recognized that America’s efforts were in the long-term interests of their nations also. These courageous individuals – who served principally as translators for the U.S. military – often undertook this service at great personal risk to themselves and their families. In acknowledgement of this service, our nation created a special immigrant visa program allowing these patriots to move, along with their families, to the United States and taste a piece of the American dream.

And yet, earlier this month, the House Armed Services Committee advanced the defense authorization bill without providing adequate authority to ensure the Afghanistan component of this program is available to those who served alongside our soldiers. By failing to do so, we are breaking the solemn promise we made to these patriots – and condemning them (and their families) to persecution and, potentially, death.

Source: Diluting SIV Visa Program Could Condemn Loyal Military Translators to Death | US News Opinion

I have written about this in the past….and as usual no one was listening…..but the situation arises again….why would any indigenous people help the US achieve their goals?  I would not help knowing their track record of betrayal.  Would you?

This may not be something that most people worry over….but for me it hits home….in Vietnam I had to leave behind some good friends among the Nungs….

We are doing what we always do…..use people up and then like a broken tool we discard them….and soon forgotten.

Welcome To Refugee Island

(I should insert the theme from the old TV series “Fantasy Island”…..but that would be a bit much even for me)

Plus this article is pressed from the WaPo….I am not thrilled with this paper for it is as much a propaganda tool as it is a “news” source….

With all the stuff in the news about the plight of all the refugees from conflict one might think that this post would be about the Greek isle known as Lesbos….or refugee island.

Sorry to say that if that is what you think then you will be wrong.

The conflicts, especially those in the Middle East, have created a world problem…..people fleeing from these wars……the world knows them by their media designation….REFUGEES.

There are lots of opinions but most have NO footing in reality…..for you see most people are too damn lazy to research cause and effect….so they prattle on about something they have NO idea of what it truly encompasses.

There has been lots written on the possible solutions to this problem.  For me it is simple…if a country help create the problem then they are part of the solution.  But I am a lonely person with this…..

There are many that feel that these people are just looking for freebies….or a path to help destroy the “West”…..personally, it is just people that are trying to out run war and find a safe place for their families…..

There is one idea for a solution that I found that is a bit unusual…..please read and tell me what you think…..

Europe is now years into a refugee crisis of historic proportions, and, frankly, there’s no end in sight. Even well-intentioned efforts to stem the crisis have struggled: One high-profile diplomatic arrangement designed to cut the migration route through Turkey and Greece into Eastern Europe appears to have unintentionally diverted refugees toward even more perilous journeys from North Africa across the Mediterranean. The Institute of Migration says at least 1,000 people have died making that journey in the past week alone.

The sheer intractability of the problem has spawned a number of wild suggestions for imaginative — though not necessarily practical — solutions. The latest may be one of the most audacious: a proposal to build a man-made island off the coast of Tunisia that would serve as a haven for refugees hoping to make it to Europe.

Source: A Dutch architect’s plan to put Europe’s refugees on a man-made island near Tunisia – The Washington Post

Would you get behind this solution?  Would this be a more humane solution than the options now ahead of these people?

If you do not like this solution….do you have one as an alternative?

Turning Away Refugees Won’t Fight Terrorism

Well crap!  The hurricane season is 6 days old and already a tropical storm in the Gulf….looks like a long season to look forward to this year…oh goody!

This post ought to get the rabidly insane frothing at the mouth…..

Even with the election the continuing saga of the refugees that are running from the conflict in several countries….even with the election there are those that need a boost for attention from the media like Alan West or other low level Repub….

There are many Americans that have a burning fear of these people….most because they allow morons to throw fuel on the flames of fear…..they seem to fear these people….all of which in their little brains are only looking for hand-outs…..I guess that is easier than having a conscience…..or spending some time trying to understand the situation.

I read a piece about what is helping make this crisis that so many fear…….

“They make a desert and they call it peace,” is the bitter line Tacitus attributed to the British tribal leader Calgacus speaking 2,000 years ago of the devastation inflicted by the Roman army on the rebellious British. The denunciation has echoed down the centuries and been applied to many pacification campaigns, but it is peculiarly appropriate to what is now happening in Iraq.

Some 20,000 Iraqi soldiers, special forces, federal police and Shia paramilitaries are advancing on Fallujah, a Sunni Arab city held by Isis since early 2014. They are backed by the destructive might of the US-led coalition of air forces that have carried out 8,503 air strikes in Iraq and 3,450 in Syria over the last two years. Without such close air support, the anti-Isis forces in Iraq and Syria would not have had their recent successes.

Source: Air strikes on Isis in Iraq and Syria are reducing their cities to ruins – The Unz Review

After reading this article I thought I would press it for my readers to have a chance to also read it.  Sadly it will most likely make little difference because I suspect that there is a deeper reason or possibly a deeper ear at work.

Many American governors have banned Syrian refugees from their states. But that choice might not have the intended consequences.

That raises an ethical question, of course—do Americans deserve peace of mind more than Syrians refugees deserve safety? The more practical question though, is whether blocking Syrian refugees will stop terrorism.

Defined narrowly, the answer is a qualified yes: A Syrian refugee moratorium would block the narrow subset of terrorists who also happen to be (or are posing as) Syrian refugees.

Source: Turning Away Refugees Won’t Fight Terrorism, and Might Make It Worse | WIRED

There is more….the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has a study and has issued a statement on the resettlement of refugees…..(this one will go unread)……

Germany must accelerate structural reforms to boost growth potential by broadening the participation of refugees, women, and older workers in the labour market, the International Monetary Fund has said.

The IMF recommended that Germany implement several reform measures to help revitalise potential growth and enhance the authorities’ leadership at the European level in the area,

Source: IMF: Refugees may hold key to Germany’s economic growth – AJE News

A lot to take in and sadly few will take the time……

Conflict Is Key to Understanding Migration

Before I start my week of pissing people off….my morning harvest……

Today I shall attempt to touch on the on-going situation of the refugees….I realize that this subject is one that creates lots of passionate responses…all that I ask is that the reader put aside any preconceived thoughts and actually read and think about the situation the world is facing.

The refugees from war have made the pages of the idiotic Right blogs and “papers”…..they are most concerned that some of these people may show up in a town near them….of course most of these dolts seem to think that all these people are after a “free ride” in America or worse…they are all terrorists in waiting to go and commit some heinous crime….

I have several friends in the Middle East….Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine and Jordan and when we talk not one has ever asked about the “free stuff” the government gives out.  Maybe it is just the people that I know….but I do not think that is the case.

There have been reams of research on why these people have joined the ranks of the refugees……and all the research does not feed the lunatics and their far-fetched theories….but these people have never let facts get in the way of their disguised hatred…..

They, the deniers, are most critical of anyone who tries to help the world understand the refugee situation…the many aspects from economics, to climate to armed conflict……but fortunately their hateful words do not explain the reasons or the events and all they are doing is helping the idiots feed a delusion…..

If European policymakers are to address the migration crisis effectively, they must understand that it is a crisis largely born out of war.

The West’s current focus on the refugee crisis in Europe obscures the larger truths of a global crisis of displacement that endangers the international order. This is a crisis largely born out of war, and one that will be with us for decades to come. Understanding this reality is essential if Europe is to mount an effective response.

Deadly conflict, above all, is driving the massive exodus of refugees. Wars in Afghanistan, Somalia, and Syria alone were responsible for more than half of the world’s refugee population as of mid-2015. Forty million people—two-thirds of the world’s forcibly displaced—are displaced within their own countries by conflict and violence. The Middle East, with its political upheaval and conflict in recent years, has seen the fastest increase in forced displacement. Since March 2011, the Syrian war alone has accounted for almost 12 million displaced people, one-fifth of the world’s total displaced and over half of the country’s population.

Source: Conflict Is Key to Understanding Migration – Carnegie Europe – Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Refugees are victims….not criminals…..and to paint them as criminals is doing a huge injustice to mankind.  Do you want others making snap judgements on you?

If they want to hate then they should not hide behind some made-up garbage….tell the world the real reason you hate these people.

Is it their religion?  Maybe it is the color of their skin…..maybe even that they are homeless….just what makes them so undesirable?