Month: June 2016

Endless War, Endless Greed

Anyone that visits this site already knows just how much I dislike the M-IC….these toads start wars for one reason only….profits.  I know…I know most of this post is common knowledge….but we Americans need things hammered into our minds before we grasp it.

After reading this piece my hatred is just strengthened…….shameful to use the violence of war to make a buck…..and pathetic to use American lives as their cash account……

These days, lamenting the apparently aimless character of Washington’s military operations in the Greater Middle East has become conventional wisdom among administration critics of every sort. Senator John McCain thunders that “this president has no strategy to successfully reverse the tide of slaughter and mayhem” in that region. Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies bemoans the “lack of a viable and public strategy.” Andrew Bacevich suggests that “there is no strategy. None. Zilch.”

After 15 years of grinding war with no obvious end in sight, U.S. military operations certainly deserve such obloquy. But the pundit outrage may be misplaced. Focusing on Washington rather than on distant war zones, it becomes clear that the military establishment does indeed have a strategy, a highly successful one, which is to protect and enhance its own prosperity.

Source: Endless War, Endless Greed: The Pentagon Is Lining Its Pockets with Taxpayer Dollars | Alternet

Where does this all end?

I apologize if I sound like a stuck record…but I will continue this pursuit as long as the American public turns a blind eye to the real reasons for all these conflicts that the government feels we MUST fight.

Declaring War on “Islamist Extremism” Is Nonsense

Another attack and another round of fights over terminology……most of it is NOTHING new…most of it should be just re-blogged and save what limited mental facilities that some have…I mean the lack of brain power it takes to say the same thing over and over is just amazing…..

But because there is NOTHING new in the words of the illiterate…..they are becoming a one theme post prodigy…….I need to post this piece written in the the National Interests……BTW not a liberal publication….just in case one wants to start the lame name calling…..it is one of you guys….

What matters is not whether a group is Islamist, but whether it endangers America.

It is news to no one that Congress is filled with cowards.

The Constitution places the power to declare war with the legislative branch. This does not mean simply taking note that the president has bombed or invaded another nation. Congress decides whether there will be a war to fight. Constitutional Convention delegate James Wilson explained: “It will not be in the power of a single man, or a single body of men, to involve us in such distress; for the important power of declaring war is in the legislature at large.”

Source: Declaring War on “Islamist Extremism” Is Nonsense | The National Interest Blog

Arguing and debating over terminology takes valuable time and thought away from eliminating the culprit….but then if we do that then these one trick ponies will have NOTHING to write about…now would they?

Are Guns Really The Issue?

Nope….it is all about the appearance for the donors…..nothing else….

I had promised to let this shit go and leave that ranting to others of lesser IQs….I try to be good to my word, unlike so many that rattle on about moving on and keep repeating the same crap over and over and only because they do not like what someone else had to say in an opinion piece….. but sometimes there is no other choice but another piece….

After the attack in Orlando the dialog returned to the guns thing…..again a worthless effort and a huge waste of time…..

A divided Senate blocked rival election-year plans to curb guns on Monday, eight days after the horror of Orlando’s mass shooting intensified pressure on lawmakers to act but knotted them in gridlock anyway—even over restricting firearms for terrorists, the AP reports. In largely party-line votes, rejected were one proposal from each side to keep extremists from acquiring guns and another shoring up the government’s existing system of required background checks for many firearms purchases. With the chamber’s visitors’ galleries unusually crowded for a Monday evening—including people wearing orange T-shirts saying “#ENOUGH gun violence”—each measure fell short of the 60 votes needed to progress. Democrats called the GOP proposals unacceptably weak while Republicans said the Democratic plans were overly restrictive.

The stalemate underscored the pressure on each party to give little ground on the emotional gun issue going into November’s presidential and congressional elections. It also highlighted the potency of the National Rifle Association, which urged its huge and fiercely loyal membership to lobby senators to oppose the Democratic bills. “Republicans say, ‘Hey look, we tried,'” said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. “And all the time, their cheerleaders, the bosses at the NRA, are cheering them.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the Orlando shootings—in which the FBI says the American-born gunman swore allegiance to a leader of the Islamic State group—show the best way to prevent attacks by extremists is to defeat such groups overseas. Click for more on the story.

First let me say one thing….I TOLD YOU SO!

Now moving on…..the big story of these votes is not the fact that they were attempted but that all 100 senators were there to vote…..and for the first time this year.

All 100 showed up to vote on something that was going NOWHERE!

It is pathetic….these part timers cannot show up for work…it takes a worthless waste of time for them to show up…..if that is not the perfect example of how our government works then there is not one.

That’s it for the day….I will retire to my Situation Room and plan for my assault tomorrow on my readers sensibilities…..see ya!

Judging ‘the Lesser Evil’

If you are anything like me then you have nothing to look forward to in this election…..basically it is choosing between the lesser of two evils………there is only so much crap the American people can stand….the problem is they have not reached their full capacity as of yet…..

This election will be that election where the voter holds their noses and pulls the lever…….

The mainstream U.S. media rightly criticizes Donald Trump for his bigoted remarks about Mexicans and Muslims – and his know-nothing-ism on global warming – but wrongly ignores Hillary Clinton’s role in futile and bloody wars, Gilbert Doctorow notes.

There are many folks, including the editorial boards of several of our newspapers of record, who insistently tell us that the ongoing American presidential election is one of the most vile in the country’s history considering the venomous attacks that candidates have made on one another’s personal qualifications, morals, family members and — from time to time — even on specific political stands.

How this race really compares to elections past is hard to say. The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth attacks on the military valor and medals of candidate John Kerry in 2004 were a pretty good marker in the “how low can they go” category of trashing one’s opponents. (Republican operatives, many of whom had ducked war service themselves, even passed out “Purple Heart” Band-Aids at the GOP convention to mock the severity of Kerry’s war wounds.)

Source: Trump v. Clinton: Judging ‘the Lesser Evil’ – Consortiumnews

No matter which way it goes…there will be at least 4 years of total crap….and the voter will have to go through this scenario all over again…..

Is it really that bad?

But why is it an election of “lesser of two evils”?

This year’s presidential primary has left many voters feeling helpless and alienated from their political parties, according to a new poll, which found that Democrats and Republicans alike want to see major changes in the way presidential candidates are chosen

The survey, conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and published Tuesday, reported that a full 90 percent of voters lack confidence in the country’s political system while 40 percent went so far as to say that the two-party structure is “seriously broken.”

Seventy percent of voters, including equal proportions of Democrats and Republicans, said they feel frustrated about the 2016 presidential election and 55 percent reported feeling “helpless.”

Source: Poll: 90 Percent Of Voters Lack Confidence In America’s Political System

This election has the voter, the serious voter, feeling helpless and unheard……they are feeling like the election is rigged….they have felt this way before but there is something about this election that is a knot in their stomach…..

Source: ‘Rigged’ 2016 Election Has Voters Feeling Helpless and Unheard – Truthdig

Lack of confidence by the voter…..and it has been a long time coming….but this election has brought the feelings of helplessness to the American voter.

Why Hasn’t Congress Authorized Force Against ISIS?

With all the conflicts we are participating in when was the last time any of it was authorized by Congress?  (play Jeopardy music here)…….when was 2001 Alex.

Since then we are fighting in engagement after engagement without a vote…..under the Constitution that makes they illegal wars and are subject to international law.

So why hasn’t Congress done their duty on this issue?  I mean they waste time on stupid votes and it would seem that committing American troops to a life or death situation should take priority over this Obamacare battle……but then I am an apologist so I would ask such a probing question…..

Maybe the American Conservative can help answer this question…..

This coming August, the United States will have been engaged in a war against the Islamic State for two years. Tens of thousands of U.S. airstrikes on ISIS targets will have been conducted, billions of dollars will have been spent, and several thousand advisers and special-operations forces will have been sent to Iraq and Syria to gather intelligence, train local forces, and prepare plans for the final thrust into the cities of Mosul and Raqqa.

All of this will have happened without the U.S. Congress performing its most important job under the Constitution: declaring war or passing an authorization for the use of military force. In a new lawsuit, one professor, one human rights lawyer, and a captain in the U.S. Army aim to force the issue.

Source: Why Hasn’t Congress Authorized Force Against ISIS? | The American Conservative

Read the article and then make your comment……please……

The Race For Number 2

Let’s stretch our imagination a bit this morning…..what if Clinton wins the general in November…..who will be her VP?

My opinion….Bernie’

s out…he would be a constant thorn in her butt and she will not tolerate that……so who do you think it will be?

The Wall Street Journal has revealed a list of potential running mates being vetted by Hillary Clinton, and it doesn’t include Bernie Sanders. Possible future vice presidents currently in the early stages of vetting include Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Labor Secretary Tom Perez, Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Rep. Xavier Becerra of California, and Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio. A national poll conducted by Bloomberg found Warren leads in popularity among Clinton supporters, 35% of whom wanted to see her as vice president. She was followed by Booker, Castro, and Al Franken. (Newt Gingrich was the most popular VP choice on the GOP side.)

While some Sanders supporters had been hoping for a vice presidential nomination for him, Sanders himself wouldn’t be interested in the position anyway, according to a source close to him. CNN reports Sanders would rather work to change the Democratic party from the Senate than be seen as a “sell-out” or Clinton’s “partner.” That may explain the interest in Warren, whose policies are close to those of Sanders and who could possibly bring some of his supporters over to Clinton. Bustle calls her a “shiny apple to Sanders’ orange.” Sources close to Clinton say the top priority for a running mate is someone who would be ready to step in as president, and that advisers aren’t really looking at what a nominee does for Clinton’s campaign in terms of demographics and geography.

My prediction is someone close to her neocon leanings……Warren is out….she may be asked but she will decline…it will crap all over her “progressive” bona fides to say yes…….Kaine will be the perfect yes man but he will not be asked…..that leaves the major Hispanics….Castro….a political family that has graveled at the feet of the Clintons….he is my choice for her VP

Any predictions from the readers?

The New Iron Curtain

Does anyone remember the term “Iron Curtain?”  If so where did it originate?  (insert Jeopardy music here)…….times up!

At the end of WW2 Winston Churchill said that there was an Iron Curtain dropping across Europe and it remained in use until 1991……thus the beginning of the now infamous Cold War…….

I bring this little shout out of history because it is happening all over a gain…..the NATO (US) and Russia are partnering up to form alliances against one another….NATO is putting more and mor etroops into Eastern Europe and Russia is beefing up defenses against the build up….ergo….a “NEW IRON CURTAIN”

A foreign army consisting of 31,000 soldiers from an anti-American alliance are conducting military “exercises” a few miles from San Diego. Hundreds of tanks converge on the Rio Grande, while jets from 24 countries converge in attack formation, darting through Mexican skies.

It isn’t hard to imagine Washington’s response.

Yet that’s precisely what has been happening on Russia’s border with the NATO alliance, as the cold war returns. Economic sanctions aimed at sinking Russia’s fragile economy, plus a propaganda campaign designed to characterize Russian President Vladimir Putin as the second coming of Stalin – or, in Hillary Clinton’s view, Hitler – have history running in reverse. Once again, an iron curtain is descending across Europe – only this time it’s the West’s doing.

Source: The New Iron Curtain – Antiwar.com Original by — Antiwar.com

And it does not appear as if this is an isolated incident…..a curtain is falling around the globe….it is almost looking like a game of “Risk”……

Will the election cure this problem?

Not a chance….period!

Who’s To Blame? – Part 2

Last week I wrote a post and said that would be my last on the subject of Orlando attacks….I went back on my word and for that I apologize…..but this stuff is too important to ignore…..

Last week after the massacre in Orlando pointing at who was to blame for them attack.  Everyone is blaming whoever it is they do not like for the attack…..It was the Muslims fault……or the gays brought it on themselves…..even Obama was the cause of the attack…..I chose a rational group to blame….the FBI.

In case you missed my post or only read the title let me refresh your memory…..

I have been watching and listening to all the finger pointing surrounding the attack in Orlando……my first reaction was to ask why all the accusations not much is said about the attacks …

Source: Who’s To Blame? – In Saner Thought

I had a few people wanting to point the fingers elsewhere but I still maintain that the FBI dropped the ball…..and even more so after I read another piece…..

A missed chance? Even without his name on a watch list, Orlando gunman Omar Mateen raised suspicions in at least one gun store in the weeks before he slaughtered 49 people at the Pulse nightclub. Robert Abell, co-owner of Lotus Gunworks in Jensen Beach, Fla., tells ABC that a man he now knows was Mateen tried to buy high-end body armor of a kind typically used by law enforcement and 1,000 rounds of ammo five or six weeks ago. He says Mateen asked strange questions and made staff uncomfortable, so they turned him away and informed the local FBI office about the would-be customer. Abell says there was a follow-up conversation with the FBI, but agents never visited the store—and without a sale, the store didn’t have a name to give to investigators.

The FBI should stop looking for a scapegoat and step up and admit that they pissed this up….completely.

I have seen nothing yet that would lead me change my mind at the culprit of fault….

There is more that makes me feel the way I do about the FBI……

Before Omar Mateen gunned down 49 patrons at the LGBTQ Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, the FBI attempted to induce his participation in a terror plot. Sheriff Ken Mascara of Florida’s St. Lucie County told the Vero Beach Press Journal that after Mateen threatened a courthouse deputy in 2013 by claiming he could order Al Qaeda operatives to kill his family, the FBI dispatched an informant to “lure Omar into some kind of act and Omar did not bite.”

While self-styled terror experts and former counter-terror officials have criticized the FBI for failing to stop Mateen before he committed a massacre, the new revelation raises the question of whether the FBI played a role in pushing Mateen towards an act of lethal violence.

Source: Before Omar Mateen Committed Mass Murder, The FBI Tried To ‘Lure’ Him Into A Terror Plot | Alternet

This is just sad…..looks like the FBI is busy trying to entrap people and ignoring real threats…..

The responsibility still remains on the heads of the FBI….period!

Mutual Defense League

When the US signs NATO agreements with other countries part of that agreement is that the protection of the country…in essence….”an attack on one is an attack on all”……so if Russia out-right attacks one of the countries within the alliance then it is the duty of the US to come to their defense…….

Syria has a similar agreement it signed with Russia and quite possibly Iran…..Russia will come to Syria’s defense if they are attacked……

Pretty much cut and dry sort of agreements, right?

I ask these questions because of something that was issued by the State Dept……..

Described as the “dissent channel cable,” the document appears to mirror the CIA’s own narrative, which is that in attacking ISIS the US is fighting the wrong war in Syria, and instead demands that the US shift focus entirely to militarily imposing regime change on the Syrian government.

Though the State Department document is still secret, it appears to simply echo the CIA’s supposition that ISIS can’t be defeated while Syria has a “weak” government, and that therefore destroying what’s left of Syria’s government might conceivably help.

If you need to read a more detailed account of this situation……

More than 50 State Department diplomats have signed an internal memo sharply critical of the Obama administration’s policy in Syria, urging the United States to carry out military strikes against the government of President Bashar al-Assad to stop its persistent violations of a cease-fire in the country’s five-year-old civil war.

The memo, a draft of which was provided to The New York Times by a State Department official, says American policy has been “overwhelmed” by the unrelenting violence in Syria. It calls for “a judicious use of stand-off and air weapons, which would undergird and drive a more focused and hard-nosed U.S.-led diplomatic process.”

Source: 51 U.S. Diplomats Urge Strikes Against Assad in Syria – The New York Times

This may not be a big deal for you….but maybe you should think about the ramifications of such an attack.

Seriously?  Is this just chest thumping or are these morons high?

This is what you get when neocons can keep their jobs?

Taleban: Up From The Ashes

If you are looking for good news from the battlefront…then Afghanistan is NOT the place to look……why?

Remember in 2001 when the US went to war in Afghanistan against the Taleban and AQ?  After a couple of months we had everyone deemed a bad guy on the run….and we have been fighting an uphill battle ever since.

After we defeated the Taleban with the help of the Afghan Northern Alliance…all was never well.  After 16 years of blood and death what is the prognosis?

The installation of Lt. Gen. John Nicholson Jr. as the 17th commander of nearly 15 years of US-led occupation in Afghanistan provided yet another occasion for the US to take stock, this time with an eye on Nicholson’s proposals to loosen the rules of engagement for US combat troops. (once again our leaders are willing to throw American troops into the death mill again)

That meant another accounting of just how badly the war is going, and it’s bad. After ousting the Taliban, which was Afghanistan’s government before the 2001 invasion, they’ve been slowly but surely losing ground back to them, and the Taliban now controls more territory than any time since the war began.

That reflects both the steady erosion of Afghan government territory in the south, and more rapid Taliban gains in both Helmand Province and around the city of Kunduz. The Taliban has intermittently taken Kunduz itself, a northern city which was largely rebel-controlled before the war.

If there is a need of more information…..this article will help (that is if you care enough to watch what is to be done with our troops)……

KABUL, Afghanistan — The new U.S. commander in Afghanistan has submitted his first three-month assessment of the situation in the war-torn country and what it’s going to take to defeat the Taliban, a U.S. military official has told The Associated Press.

And though the content of the review by Army Gen. John W. Nicholson is secret, the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan received a major incentive this month when President Obama decided to expand America’s involvement with more airstrikes against insurgents, giving the U.S. military wider latitude to support Afghan forces, both in the air and on the ground.

Source: US Commander: Taliban Holds More Ground in Afghanistan Than Any Time Since 2001 | World Affairs Journal

The events in Afghanistan are telling in that the Taleban is not going away……

The security problems in northwest Afghanistan continue despite several trips to the region by Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum, a former general who comes from the region. Dostum has led at last four offensives against militants there since the summer of 2015, but when he leaves the militants return.The Taliban spring offensive is well under way in northern Afghanistan. Barely three years ago, northern Afghanistan was a relatively peaceful part of the country. It was a welcome situation for the governments of the Central Asian states, who fear Afghanistan’s problems could create instability among its neighbors.

Source: The Taliban Threat to Northern Afghanistan | Informed Comment

Afghanistan like the other interventions that the US has decided is in our country’s best interests is not going well….and the only answer our leaders have is to use more American lives as fodder for yet another failed conflict.