Stupid Girls Pt. II

Funny how some things never seem to change! Stupid Girl Lindsay Lohan had barely gotten out of rehab when she was arrested again for DUI and felony cocaine possession. According to reports she had a BAC of .12 was booked on two counts of DUI, driving on a suspended license (where have we heard that one before?), as well as possession of cocaine and transportation of a narcotic into a custody facility. She was released after posting a $25,000 bond. Needless to say she's in deep trouble this time. If she thought 23 days in jail was bad for po' Paris, wait until she gets the book thrown at her for this exercise in stupidity. This goes back to the point I made in my earlier post that having wealth and power can't save you from your own stupid decisions.

Stupid Girls indeed.

Vacation and more by Vegas Art Guy

So, I'll be on vacation all next week, returning to the desert on the 29th. I do have a couple of thoughts to leave you with.

The first is the dogfighting ring that Mike Vick was indicted for running out of one of his homes and travelled across state lines to fights. How stupid can people be? One, race has nothing to do with it, this is about the cruel and inhumane treatment of dogs, you know, man's best friend?

He's in deep trouble over this because they are federal charges and not state ones. The feds don't mess around and most sane people have a visceral dislike to dogfighting these days. If he gets convicted of these charges and the IRS ones that are likely to follow (think he reported his winnings as 'income'?) his career is over. Nike has already delayed the launch of his new shoe until the dust settles on this.

The second is the betting scandal that involves an NBA referee. I'll be honest, I don't think this would have happened in Las Vegas because of all the internal and external policing that goes on here. Even though the sports books are in competition with each other, they will not hesitate to contact other books when any whiff of suspicious activity goes on. Bets, betting trends, and who's laying them are all analyzed for suspicious behavior. Things go sideways when the mob gets involved, once they get their hooks in you, you're dead meat.

The NBA is really going to have it's hands full with this one. David Stern needs to be very transparent with this issue and not try to hide anything even things that make the NBA look bad because a little pain now is preferable to lots of pain later. The refs themselves are also going to have to open their closets to make sure this is an isolated incident and do everything they can to avoid this in the future.

I'll see every one in a week, try to stay cool and avoid the truthberry punch kool aid!

Flashback by Vegas Art Guy

I was watching a History Channel Special on the Doomsday clock. This clock measured how close we were to doomsday and started shortly after WWII. It's gone from 15 minutes to midnight to about 5 minutes to midnight and back again depending on events like the cold war, SALT talks etc.

While this was interesting what made me remember this was one small scene that is still seared in my memory. That of airplanes slamming into the WTC on 9/11. I had not really thought about that terrible day in quite a while. And while the pictures of the buildings, ground zero and all that reminded me of that attack, the reaction wasn't the same. But when that airplane slammed into the tower I was brought back almost 6 years, and when the buildings fell I had tears in my eyes and a heavy feeling in my heart as those people ran for their lives among the death and destruction brought about by Al-Queda.

I hope that nobody ever forgets 9/11 and why we were attacked. If you ever get the chance watch the documentary that was filmed that day by a pair of French Filmmakers who were following around some of NYC's bravest. It shows both the best and worst humanity has to offer and is a stark reminder of the evil that faces us.

Why we hearken back by Vegas Art Guy

So why do many hearken back to the Reagan presidency anyway? Was the world that much simpler? Are we simply viewing those 8 years through rose colored glasses? Too much red state kool-aid? What is it about his administration that makes us all warm and fuzzy?

It's a few things actually. First and foremost, Reagan understood something that many in the GOP have forgotten. In most cases government is the problem, not the solution! He understood that in order to make our country as successful as possible that government needed to get out of the way and allow her citizens to do what we do best. He cut taxes, instructed his cabinet to go on a diet, cut red tape and then we did the rest.

Secondly he was not afraid to call evil, evil. He understood that you can't appease dictators and that the USSR was an 'Evil Empire' that needed to be defeated. In order to do this he did a couple of things. He supported anti communist forces like the contras. He increased military spending and development, trusting that we could not just increase the size of our military to match the USSR but that we could and did develop better tanks, aircraft and naval craft. You can't leave out SDI either. "Star Wars" as the press decried it was the final piece of the puzzle. It rendered MAD obsolete because we could shoot down their missiles and they could do nothing in return. It worried the USSR so much that they tried to get Reagan to cancel it during the 1986 talks in Iceland. Reagan not only denied this request but simply walked out of the meetings. What we didn't know at the time is that the Soviet economy was on the brink of collapse because Reagan simply out spent the Russians, knowing that their economic system was a corrupt as their political system. In addition he was not afraid to take military action either. After shooting down two Libyan MiGs, the Libyans bombed a nightclub in Germany killing some servicemen and innocent civilians alike. Once we knew that Libya was responsible, Reagan slapped them around, bombing military and economic targets alike. The result? We didn't hear much from them again until they gave up their WMD programs a few years ago. (The MSM really covered that story as well didn't they?) He knew that if this challenge went unanswered, that the terror would only increase. He did the right thing despite the howling from the democrats and the far left.

Finally, he came into office with a clear set of goals that he wanted to accomplish and then picked good people to put them into place. As long as the methods fell under his general guidelines his subordinates could come up with the best solution for the problem. This meant that from day 1 his administration could get to work and in addition it allowed them to drive policy and kept the press from controlling things because they were constantly reacting to the administration and not the other way around. As I remarked earlier, this was his one weakness and led to the Iran-Contra scandal because John Poindexter and Ollie North took advantage of their relative freedom and went down a path that Reagan didn't see coming and didn't want to go down.

Because the GOP had forgotten the Reagan model and his beliefs, they got their butt's kicked in 2006. If the GOP wants to retain the White House and regain control of congress and the senate, they're going to have to go back to the Reagan model. If it's not broke, don't fix it.

%*@#$ computer! By Vegas Art Guy

Sums it up doesn't? Tuesday for unknown reasons (no it's not Bush's fault!) my computer no longer powers up. After taking it to the local CompUSA where I bought it (no surprise it worked fine for the tech) I had to call tech support to have someone come out and look at it. Thank goodness I paid extra to have the extended warranty on that high tech piece of...

Anyway, the part the tech needs should show up in a couple of days, then I get to call the tech line back to arrange for the tech to replace either the power supply or the mother(effen) board. Meanwhile I have to access my personal email at the library and blog from elsewhere.

The good news is that I'll have more time to finish some reading and my latest art project. Wish me luck that I get my computer back up and soon.

Ronnie by The Vegas Art Guy

Now that school is out, I was able to start some serious reading. I just finished a book by Peter Wallison that talked about how Reagan governed in DC and why this style was both his greatest strength and his weakness.

Unlike many Presidents, Reagan came into office with not only a clear plan of what he wanted to do, but he also knew how he wanted to do it. He focused on a few clear goals, reducing the size of government, lowering taxes, defeating the USSR and allowing people to reach their full potential here in the USA.

He would then articulate those ideas to the members of his cabinet, who would then implement his ideas. As long as the end was accomplished, he allowed the people under him to come up with the best way to implement what he wanted done. By delegating his authority to the experts (something that good business managers do all the time) Reagan was able to focus his attention on the big picture. This worked very well for the first six years of his administration. Because Reagan had a set plan from day one, his administration were able to keep the press's attention on what he wanted to accomplish and why, in effect the press was not driving the activity of the administration like they had with many others.

This policy also hamstrung him with Iran/Contra. Because he did not involve himself in the day to day dealings of everything that went on (and realistically, he couldn't) and because he was not cynical by nature, it allowed the possibility of this scandal to occur.

Reagan gave conflicting testimony because he was unaware of what Poindexter and North were doing and why they were doing it. Now before you start sputtering and saying something along the lines of "Well he should have known!" ask yourself this. Would Anne M. Mulcahy be expected to know what's going on at every Xerox account in N. America? Of course not! That's the job of the Field and District Managers, her job is to keep the big picture in mind and to keep Xerox growing and thriving. You can't expect her to know what's going on in Las Vegas any more than we should expect the President to know what every person in their administration is doing at any one time.

Once Reagan got the full picture of what happened (not easy because North and Poindexter covered everything up) he was able to dismiss them, apologize and get his administration back on track.

Reagan was truly a great president, but he like all great leaders was not perfect and had his failures and shortcomings.

Stupid Girls by The Vegas Art Guy

Stupid Girls

“You pretend you're high
Pretend you're bored
Pretend you're anything
Just to be adored
And what you need
Is what you get

Don't believe in fear
Don't believe in faith
Don't believe in anything
That you can't break

You stupid girl
You stupid girl
All you had you wasted
All you had you wasted”

Those are the lyrics to the song “Stupid Girl” by the band Garbage. I picked those lyrics because they embody the attitude of characters in two stories that I am going to talk about, and how their stories relate to today’s pop culture and a couple of infamous pop tarts.

The first story that I am going to discuss is “Daisy Miller: A Study” by Henry James. In this story a young rich American girl named Daisy Miller travels through Europe breaking every social taboo she can get her hands on. The rules and social mores that guided how European society operated were to be bent, used and ignored depending on how she felt at the moment. It’s also worth mentioning that she was an American and the rules in the United States were different than those in Europe. However, she had been in Europe long enough to know right from wrong in social settings, and she enjoyed upsetting the social structure simply because she could. She’s a master at getting her own way and has a crowd of male admirers orbiting around her like the moon orbits the earth. Her father is nowhere to be found, her mother can’t control her little brother, much less Daisy, and she comes and goes as she pleases. One of these men, named Randolph Winterborne, who starts out totally captivated by Daisy and ends up distancing himself from her at the end.

In her world everything and everyone is hers to use at her pleasure. She doesn’t help rein in her little brother because if her mother is too tired to keep tabs on what she is doing and whom she’s doing it with Daisy can then come and go as she pleases. All the men in her life are there to take her places usually without any sort of chaperone, which was a huge deal those days because ‘good’ girls don’t do things like that in Europe. She, like many people of wealth and privilege likes to think the rules don’t apply to her. Daisy continues to push the envelope and eventually ends up dead as result of her poor decisions.

In the short story “Winter Dreams”, written by F. Scott Fiztgerald, Dexter Green becomes addicted to Judy Jones, a young rich hussy who flits from sexual partner to sexual partner, never wondering or caring about the cost of her lifestyle. Dexter meets her at a party she is holding while her parents are on vacation and he instantly falls under her spell. Even though Dexter and many of her other lovers know about each other, they have all fallen under her spell, and when she beckons, they come running. Dexter is no different, even ruining his marriage in order to have one last fling with Judy. Finally he moves far away from her and just when he thinks he’s heard the last of Judy Jones he finds out that not only did she get married but that her husband is militantly unfaithful to her. Although Dexter gets little satisfaction out of this information, most readers certainly do.

Finally we have the real life examples of Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton. Both of these young ladies have made the headlines with their poor decisions, fondness for alcohol, and a penchant for breaking social taboos as they see fit.

Paris Hilton just finished up a 23-day stint for a probation violation stemming from an earlier drunk-driving incident in which she pledged not to drive until her license was reinstated. Now since she swims in hundred dollar bills, it’s not like she couldn’t afford to hire a driver to take her from place to place, she just figured that the laws of the land didn’t apply to her. Her story has gotten so much attention that recently Mika Brzezinski refused to lead the news on MSNBC with the latest in the Paris saga and literally tried to burn the story on air. This follows incidents where photographs of intimate body parts were taken as she exited vehicles and partied at local hot spots. In addition, one of her ex lovers had video taped them while they were having some private time and then turned that private time into an adult movie ala Pamela and Tommy Lee. Needless to say she’s managed to combine the worst traits of both Judy and Daisy Miller into one blonde mug shot. Yea, that’s “Hot” alright.

Although Lindsay Lohan hasn’t yet starred in any adult films, she is facing the same legal problem stemming from a crash in late May where she tested at double the legal limit for alcohol. Keep in mind that she’s not yet 21 years old so you can add that to her legal troubles. Lindsay is also in rehab for her alcohol problems, something that she has in common with her father. Now that the Paris saga is over, expect Lindsay to push important things like the war on terror off the front pages and lead stories of newspapers and broadcasts.

As the four ladies have found out to their detriment and even early death, money and prestige cannot save you from your own poor decisions. They all thought that they were either bullet proof or made of Teflon due to their wealth, prestige or social standing. Instead they all learned the hard way that in the end, what you do will eventually catch up with you. Stupid girls indeed.

All Slaughters are not equal... by The Vegas Art Guy

Michael Yon, who is currently covering the real war in Iraq has reported on the true face of the enemy in Iraq. Be warned, the photos are brutal to look at, so if you have a tender stomach scroll past them. Long story short, AQI is not above depopulating villages that don't subscribe to their brand of Islam. Recently US and Iraqi soldiers happened across what was the village of al Hamira. The village was abandoned with the exception of booby trapped roads, animals and houses. The question on every one's mind "Where are the villagers?" was answered soon enough in a nearby palm grove where the smell of dead bodies were overwhelming.

At last report the total body count in the palm grove was 14. What has made many online very angry is the lack of reporting on this story by the MSM. While every coalition soldier's death is reported along with every mistake, abuse and other blunder by the MSM with huge headlines and lead story status, the silence regarding the barbarity of Al Queda and their ilk is staggering, but not surprising. Why would the media, who hate Bush with a passion, do anything to help him out? Why would they reverse themselves on their mantra of "Iraq is a failure", "Cut & Run", or any other idiocy? Because that would mean admitting they were wrong about many things. The nature of the enemy in Iraq, the real story about Iraq, President Bush and a great many things regarding the war on terror.

Their failure to report on stories like this is why more and more people are using the new media to get their news, the old guard is to interesting in pushing politics to accurately report on what's really happening in Iraq and around the world to be trusted, and their declining circulation and viewership is a direct result of this poor journalism.

Gridlock in DC by The Vegas Art Guy

Gridlock:

The very name conjures up images of huge traffic jams where tempers flare and time stands still. In Washington it's used to show how the system is broken and in need of repair... or is it?

Would it surprise you to learn that gridlock is built into how we make laws? Separation of powers, a bicameral legislature and an independent judiciary are all designed to make sure that it's very difficult to pass legislation in Washington DC.

Our founding fathers wanted to make sure that power was not usurped into the hands of a few, so they dispersed power into three branches and then allowed all the competing interests fight with each other knowing that change would come at a snails pace when no crisis was facing the country and that in times of war the country would come together out of self preservation, much like the Greek City States did in ancient times.

The result is that many times legislation does not get passed unless it's either very routine or in response to a true crisis. The minority party has enough power most times to scuttle legislation it does not like. That's why the filibuster in the Senate and procedural rules in the house are in place, not to irritate the average citizen but to protect them and us, from the government.

So the next time you hear or read about gridlock in DC, don't be alarmed, it means the system is working.

Surge Part III by Vegas Art Guy

Update #1...
Iraq the Model has got more news on the effectiveness of the new strategy employed in Iraq. The authors of this blog live in Iraq and are an excellent source of information regarding what is really going on over there. In short the Iraqis are really starting to turn on the insurgents and have thrown their lot in with the coalition troops.

"Iraqis are awakening, one very telling example can be seen in the ongoing operation in Diyala; members of the 1920 revolution brigades, once bitter enemies of the US military and Iraqi government are now assisting US and Iraqi military in fighting al-Qaeda even though the majority of the Iraqi soldiers and officers are Shia.
If the change in exclusively Sunni Anbar is good then the change in Diyala is good beyond words."

Need I say more about what's going on? This is a far cry from what you hear in the news about Iraq and the quagmire it's become.

Over at Burkean Reflections, Dr. Douglas has an interesting read about the military strategy behind the Surge in Iraq. Despite what Senator Reid and many on the left believe, the early signs, while mixed, are becoming more and more positive, especially in the Anbar province, once considered enemy territory.

I've commented here, here and here about Iraq, Iran's role in Iraq, and some well deserved justice for Iraqi kurds. In short there is more going on here than the MSM lets on too. Considering the liberal leanings of the MSM I'm not a bit surprised by this.

His opinion and the testimony that he's reacting to are both easy to read and very informative. One of the biggest surprises about this new strategy is the stunning success in Anbar where we now have the support and cooperation of local and tribal leaders in the fight against Al Queda and the like.

Michael Yon has also seen first hand the effects of this new strategy and mistakes by AQ as noted in Betsy's Page, who also has some good insights into what is actually happening in Iraq.

One of the most interesting things that I read in the article is that security has to be established before real political progress can be made. And while things are far from over and the Iraq's ability to defend themselves has progressed unevenly, it is progressing. Obviously it's going to take some time to undo the mistakes that the Bush administration made from 2003-2007, but it's folly of the highest order to say that we've failed with this new strategy, especially considering all of the additional troops have only recently been deployed and some equipment is still en route.

It took us 4 years to screw this up, it's going to take more than a couple of months to fix it.

Divinitus Inspiratus - by navyblue

The SEAL Community remembers with pride the eleven Navy SEAL patriots killed in Afghanistan, June 28, 2005, while conducting counter-terrorist and rescue operations.

On the second anniversary of those losses I want to gratefully acknowledge the sacrifice of the following warriors of the Naval Special Warfare Community:

The five SEALs from SEAL Team TEN who were lost are:

Chief Petty Officer Jacques J. Fontan, 36, Class 219
LCDR Erik S. Kristensen, 33, Class 233
Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffery A. Lucas, 33, Class 191
LT Michael M. McGreevy, Jr., 30, Class 230
Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffrey S. Taylor, 30, Class 229

The SEAL from SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team TWO who was lost is:

Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny P. Dietz, 25, Class 232

The five SEALs from SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team ONE who were lost are:

Senior Chief Petty Officer Daniel R. Healy, 36, Class 176
LT Michael P. Murphy, 29, Class 236
Petty Officer 2nd Class Shane E. Patton, 22, Class 239
Petty Officer 2nd Class James Suh, 28, Class 237
Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew Axelson, 29, Class 237

~ I also gratefully acknowledge the sacrifice of the following brave members of the US Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Night Stalkers, who died in the helicopter crash on June 28, 2005 with eight Navy SEALs, in the joint rescue effort to save four SEALs under fire on the ground in Kunar Province:

Maj. Stephen C. Reich, 34, of Washington Depot, Connecticut
Chief Warrant Officer Chris J. Scherkenbach, 40, of Jacksonville, Florida
Chief Warrant Officer Corey J. Goodnature, 35, of Clarks Grove, Minnesota
MSgt James W. Ponder III, 36, of Franklin, Tennessee
Sgt. 1st Class Marcus V. Muralles, 33, of Shelbyville, Indiana
Sgt. 1st Class Michael L. Russell, 31, of Stafford, Virginia
SSgt. Shamus O. Goare, 29, of Danville, Ohio
Sgt. Kip A. Jacoby, 21, of Pompano Beach, Florida

beati qui lugent quoniam ipsi consolabuntur

* On July 14, 2005, it was my privilege to attend the final services for GM2 (SEAL) Danny P. Dietz, and to be with his wife and Teammates as we said goodbye to a consummate naval special warfare professional and a man of exceptional valor. Patriot Dietz has since received the Navy Cross posthumously along with fallen Teammate SGT2 (SEAL) Matthew Axelson for courage under fire where both men “continued to fight the enemy with undiminished zeal, covering the extraction of the rest of their team while they stayed and fought…Putting the safety of their teammates ahead of their own, they displayed extraordinary heroism in combat.”

Today, on the anniversary of those warrior deaths in Kunar Province, my heart is with the families that still still grieve this profound loss.

I have these additional acknowledgements ~

Danny – The Starry Night is brighter because you shine
Patsy – I remain faithful to the Forever Blue mission
B. – Infinite BZ’s for your presence and strength on 7/14/05 and 4/29/06
ADM R. – I’m forever in service to the Kids
C. – You know how it is
Sweet J. – You will always have my best Prussian Blue Farkles wherever you go – Hail Mary!

And, Warriors of Redwing – Rest well Brave Souls. You have my Forever Gratitude

Haloscan

After much thought I have decided to switch from the blogger commenting system to haloscan. I did this so that I can manage the commenting on the blog and more easily remove comments when it becomes necessary. I'm not an expert on the whole computer thing so be patient if things aren't working like they should, like the blogger comments disappearing. If I can get them back, great! If not I'll use it as a learning experience.

And now for something totally different

The National Poetry Contest had come down to two semi-finalists:

a) a Yale graduate;
b) an Upper Michigander.

They were given a single word, then allowed two minutes to come up with
a poem containing that word.

The word they were given was "TIMBUKTU".

The Yale graduate stepped up the microphone and said:
"SLOWLY ACROSS THE DESERT SAND
TREKKED A LONELY CARAVAN.
MEN ON CAMELS - TWO BY TWO
DESTINATION - TIMBUKTU".

The crowd went crazy! No way could the Yooper top that, they thought.

The Upper Michigander calmly made his way to the microphone, and
Recited:
"ME AND TIM A HUNTIN' WENT,
MET T'REE WHORES IN A POP-UP TENT.
DEY WAS T'REE, AND WE WAS TWO
SO I BUCKED ONE, AND TIMBUKTU."

The Yooper won hands down.

A 'yooper' is someone who lives in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and yes, we pretty much talk like that at times.

If you've ever seen the movie Fargo you'll see what I mean.

PS People who live in the Lower Peninsula are called 'Trolls' because the live under the bridge.

Corruption by any other name by The Vegas Art Guy

For those who don't live in the Las Vegas area, we've had a streak going with catching crooked politicians. In the last year we've sent several to jail for corruption charges, including Lance Malone, Dario Herrera and a couple of others. Now another politician is now facing felony charges here in the Desert.

Former County Commissioner Lynette Boggs is facing felony charges stemming from the last election in which she was caught not living in her district. She faces two counts of perjury and two counts of filing false or forged documents. If she's convicted (and I hope she is) she could and should get up to 18 years in prison and $30,000 in fines.

I despise crooked politicians, no matter which party they belong to. I hope that she is convicted and sentenced to a long prison term for how she lied to the residents of Clark County. A clear message needs to be sent to the people we elect to represent us. If you break the law, you're going to go to jail, period. What really makes me mad is that I voted for her in a couple of elections.

Good Riddance to bad rubbish.

Justice in Iraq by the Vegas Art Guy

Don't believe me? Ask any Kurd about the man known as 'Chemical Ali'. He was responsible for killing 180 thousand, yes 180 thousand Kurds in the late 1980's. The chemical part comes from his use of chemical weapons during that time, especially in the Village of Halabja where 5000 men women and children were slaughtered.

Unlike the Saddam's reign of terror, this was not done at a whim, but he was tried, convicted and sentenced according Iraqi civil law. He had access to a legal defense and was treated like any other defendant.

It's a good day in Iraq, especially for the Kurdish North were they can rest easy knowing the man who was responsible for so much bloodshed and heartbreak will soon be answering to God for his actions.

The Un-Fairness Doctrine by The Vegas Art Guy

H/T: Sister Toldjah (she rocks!)

The fairness doctrine, consigned to the dustbin of history in 1987 is again in the news. The democrats, tired of the domination of conservatives in AM talk radio are trying to "balance the content" by law because they can't get on the air by actually having interesting hosts with interesting content. The first rule of talk radio is this... You better be interesting, if you're dull, you're gone.

Balance the content my asinine. This is censorship pure and simple. The doctrine was needed 50 years ago when the average person only had a few means of receiving both news and opinion. But today it's not needed. Go look at the election of 2006 if you want proof. Last I checked the GOP got their butts kicked and rightfully so. If the left were unable to get their message across about how 'corrupt' the GOP is, and how they were going to 'drain the swamp', (how's that going anyway?) why did they win so handily? Pure luck?

Why should a successful radio personality lose their job because of some asinine mandate that says a liberal needs equal time? It's not like the left has newspapers, broadcast networks, the Internet or cable news to fall back on. This is nothing more than another naked power grab by the democrats, who once again have proven that they'll stoop to any level to take and maintain their power.

At What Point? by The Vegas Art Guy

At what point are we going to actually start securing our borders? Thank God that no kids were hurt when 16 illegal immigrants ran from the law enforcement near a school in Mission Texas. The school is question was locked down and all 16 were arrested and are on their way back to Mexico. But at some point innocents like school kids are going to get hurt in large numbers or a terror attack is going to get traced through our porous border. There have already been numerous examples of drunk illegals killing people and most of the "Fort Dix 6" were here illegally as well.

I don't care if it's a fence, the military or some combination of the two, but this is more than a law enforcement or economic issue. It's a national security issue, hellooooo... Anyone home?
I don't want yet another 9/11 seared into my brain, one per lifetime is quite enough thank you.

The Quagmire is in Islamabad by Navy Blue

Regarding the Deaths of Eleven Navy SEALs on the Eastern Border of Afghanistan ~

Recently elsewhere on the web, I encountered the claim that the United States has abandoned its search for bin Laden because we're mired in Iraq in our imperialist grab for oil. If I understand correctly, 'mired' is similar to being 'bogged down', a lot like directionless 'warmongering', and uncannily akin to not having an 'exit plan'. I rebutted the claim we've abandoned the Afghanistan theater by discussing operations there, noting the monumental challenges in managing asymmetrical threats. I also remarked that since the aftermath of 9/11, the administration has stated that in prosecuting the Global War on Terror, bin Laden is but one actor in many. (The sing-song lament of the O My God Chorus that the war is not being fought hard enough should not be confused with its converse jingle that international terrorism is a mere 'law-enforcement' matter. )

As we approach the two-year anniversary of the Afghanistan deaths of eleven consummate warriors from the SEAL community, along with their eight brave comrades from the Army's Night Stalkers, it seems some perspective on the war in that region is in order. Following is a piece I wrote in the summer of 2005 in response to these unprecedented special warfare losses ~

- After the deaths of 19 US soldiers and special warfare sailors in the mountains of Eastern Afghanistan on June 28th, it’s time to correct the record about where the key obstacles in prosecuting the war on terror really lie. If 'quagmire' is the favorite political buzz word when scrutinizing the difficulty in quelling the murderous successes of jihadists, the discussion should then turn to the state actor whose gifts to terrorists just keep on giving - Pakistan.

Pakistan has long been drenched in political dramas that have revolved around killing off or otherwise ousting seated (and corrupt) leadership, then pushing for increased nationalism that has ties to jihadist goals. In 1977, Mohammed Zia implemented a coup to bump Ali Bhutto off the power seat, hanged him, and established a Sharia system that was vital to an eleven-year rule. In an effort to mitigate resistance influences, he sought increasing Islamic control over the culture, lauding it as the national ideology. Iran was exploding during this time, the Soviets were invading neighboring Afghanistan, and Pakistan's ever growing radicalism through its advancement of Sharia-driven domestic politics was shaping a future messy relationship with the mujahedeen and its US supported counter to the Soviet invasion. Zia was interested in a political system that sustained an elite military rule to stop civilian rebellion and called for brutal punishments of violations of Sharia. Notably, Zia was enamored of Mawdudi, founder of the Pakistani Jama'at al-Islami political party, and a radical who viewed Islam as a revolutionary force. To wit:

"Islam wants the whole earth and does not content itself with only a part thereof. It wants and requires the entire inhabited world. It does not want this in order that one nation dominates the earth and monopolizes its sources of wealth, after having taken them away from one or more other nations. No, Islam wants and requires the earth in order that the human race altogether can enjoy the concept and practical program of human happiness, by means of which God has honoured Islam and put it above the other religions and laws. In order to realize this lofty desire, Islam wants to employ all forces and means that can be employed for bringing about a universal all-embracing revolution. It will spare no efforts for the achievement of this supreme objective. This far-reaching struggle that continuously exhausts all forces and this employment of all possible means are called jihad."

Zia promoted Mawdudi to head up the Islamist intelligentsia that conveniently afforded Mawdudi and his ilk an opportunity to burrow deep into the state and its political hierarchy, which by this time, involved the CIA backed mujahedeen under the umbrella of the Pakistani ISI. Ultimately, the Zia intent was to stifle democracy and sanction a military penal code over the People with the support of the intelligentsia. A tax was imposed that funded the Deobandi madrassas whose rosters included poor Pakistani youth and Afghan refugees. The Taliban emerged from this population. Zia later relaxed his political system after achieving legitimacy in the region as a stabilizing force in countering the encroachment of the Soviets, and he declared Pakistan an up and coming 'democracy'. He died in 1985 after continued power struggles over departures from the Islam state, partisan warring, and alleged conspiracies to malign him. A new President and Prime Minister came into power and five years of fighting between and among factions within the political elite and military ensued. Pakistan continued along a trajectory of corruption, resignations, dismissals, and overthrows that led to the current Musharraf government.

Musharraf is a dictator who booted his predecessor out of the way and declared himself President. He is also a seasoned warrior and this begs the question of why he has such a hard time controlling his own border and internal affairs. But in the larger picture, were it not for Pakistan and it’s training up of militant zealots, as well as establishing a funding source and political support for Taliban activities in Afghanistan, Taliban competition for power would not have been possible (the Saudis have provided the same type of help and many of their madrassas are advantageously in Pakistan). Pakistan also supported rebels in Kashmir and has looked the other way when those factions targeted civilians. Pakistan’s government houses jihadists and operatives that offer assistance to al Qaeda and bin Laden who use the eastern border of Afghanistan for a base of operation. Musharraf’s former ISI chief, Hamid Gul, was an advisor to bin Laden before 9/11 and now is a strategic advisor to political parties governing two Pakistani provinces. These parties represent twenty per cent of the assembly in Islamabad. Gul has publicly declared his anti-American position and the 9/11 Commission received a report from a Pakistani source that stated the following:

"The imprints of every major act of international Islamist terrorism invariably passes through Pakistan, right from September 11 — where virtually all the participants had trained, resided or met in, coordinated with, or received funding from or through Pakistan — to major acts of terrorism across South Asia and Southeast Asia, as well as major networks of terror that have been discovered in Europe.”

Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM), and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET) have collaborative relationships with al Qaeda and Taliban operatives within Pakistan’s borders and their jihadi members are barely pursued, or altogether conveniently ignored by Pakistani authorities. It was Pakistan that hosted the butchering of Daniel Pearl on videotape. bin Laden is believed to have received medical treatment at a Peshawar military hospital with the knowledge and assistance of the ISI. Pakistani nuclear engineer Dr. Khan sold centrifuge technology to Iran, Libya, and N. Korea and is personally responsible for one of the most volatile proliferating schemes in the history of the planet. When the US became aware of this, Musharraf failed to arrest and prosecute Khan, pardoning him instead after he publicly ‘apologized’. It is believed that if al Qaeda or like-minded Islamic factions obtain a nuclear device it will be delivered though the ISI. Wherever terrorism goes, where proliferation succeeds, and where bin Laden finds refuge, the ISI appears to be in the equation and it is ludicrous to conclude Musharraf is unaware of the activities of his own cabinet and staff and can exert no control over those activities and actors.

Reviewing the litany of deadly and resurgent struggles the US military has encountered on the Afghanistan Eastern border, the quagmire is not in Iraq but well rooted in Islamabad’s ISI and the Musharraf-led government. It is costing the US unacceptable losses in blood and treasure as we deploy the finest resources of the Department of Defense into the same al Qaeda/Taliban death trap to stave off the jihading lunacy of those who re-constitute themselves and re-fortify with the express assistance of Pakistan. There is a discernible pattern: We enter the fray on the Eastern border to search for specific targets and to extract information critical to our greater mission, we encounter well-organized pockets of hostile resistance, lose assets, dispatch additional resources that then encounter their own trouble generated by a well-supported root source, and we lose those assets as well.

Some assert that such losses are tragic, but simply inevitable consequences of war. Many sit back after such a calamity and pass judgment on the military commanders in theatre, citing the improper deployment of certain assets, questioning the hardware they used, criticizing the timing, the number of operators they sent, the decisions the forces on the ground made while conducting operations, and so on. It’s implicit that war is a deadly business and that war with al Qaeda is exceptionally dangerous and fraught with unavoidable surprises. It’s also predictable in military theatres that miscalculations and errors in judgment will be made, particularly when the fog of war is thick and both tensions and intelligence stakes are excruciatingly high. However, those issues are sorted out soberly in de-briefings and retrospective military science, not by civilians non-conversant in tactical applications of counter-terrorist special operations.

But more importantly, missteps in battlefield strategies and tactical rationale are not the grit of what plagues us in prosecuting this war effectively. The war on terrorism ultimately begins and ends in Pakistan, and Afghanistan’s terrorism is the aggressive tumor of an unchecked metastasis wrought by Pakistani jihad. The old Taoist medical paradigm applies – “in acute illness, treat the branch, in chronic illness, treat the root.” One can suppress, shrink, and even kill off an acute surface tumor that extends from a pathogenic mother cell, but to cure the real illness, the root of the cancer has to be choked and starved until it can no longer produce aberrant cells with potential to spread. The US therefore, cannot apply its resources fully and effectively mete out consequences to the enemy if Mother Pakistan continues to supply a feeding tube to jihadist factions intent on our demise and the systematic picking off of our valuable special warfare resources.

Special warfare serves the US when we know we have the unique covert advantages required by our operators tasked with locating and neutralizing high value targets and/or bringing back critical information. That advantage is diminished when the border separating two nation states is routinely proliferated and staffed with enemy operatives who freely traverse two non-democratic political systems, one operating under a fragile transitional government, both still entrenched in tyrannical religious ideation and political history that run counter to legitimate transition and functional democracy. Conversely, when managing nuclear capable state actors who will not stupidly pull the trigger on their futures by entering a battle that predicts their military inferiority, the United States is well served by conventional tactics and unbending new deterrence policies that promise surgical excising of state resources, should an actor facilitate proliferation and serve up aid to US enemies. Pakistan is (currently) unwilling to commit national suicide and knows it can never win a battle with the US for military superiority. This favorable aspect of the security equation affords the US its required advantage in responding with increased success to terrorist activity in Afghanistan via harsh conventional consequences for Pakistani sponsorship of al Qaeda and Taliban. In doing so we would provide our special forces with a desirable political climate and unconventional upper hand in mitigating asymmetric obstacles to stability in their theater of operation.

Additionally, US temerity in standing up to Pakistan’s tacit nuclear blackmail program is essential to communicating to other nuclear capable states and those seeking a program, that no ally in name is worth our continued thwarted efforts and casualties in costly special warfare assets should state support continue to be given insidiously to our enemies. We cannot afford to pay in SEAL lives for bad decisions that place Pakistan in the seat of authority over the Eastern border, and is the foreign policy child of US fear that we will ‘de-stabilize’ the region if we upset a nuclear state. The US should also provide unmatched incentives to indigenous actors on the Eastern border to discourage their willingness to aid jihadists. If the border is to be for sale, the US should control the market, not only through tangible resources, but in political maneuvers that make alliances with American enemies unattractive.

Finally, the US should openly re-define terrorism as a forward deployed asset of nation states that don't want to confront American power directly, citing Pakistan as the template. While politicians currently don’t have the stomach to boldly utter such a raw truth, they should be reminded that calling fascist Islamic states our allies has not reduced the rabid hostilities that continue to issue from the loin of their 1400 year-old jihad and threaten potential for a thriving Middle East, as well as our way of life. When comparing Islam’s political trail and that of the Western democratic republic, the US is in an indisputable position to emphatically assert that Islam’s failure to enter political modernity, while pursuing modern weapons systems, is cause for our superior military presence internationally including on the holy sites that repeatedly breed losses for the West.

Criticizing our operators or their military leadership when valuable US assets are compromised and lost on the Eastern border, or summarily minimizing those losses as a mere by-product of an exceedingly difficult task, is political folly and an unhealthy distraction that yields unacceptable consequences for the United States in its war on terrorism. Pakistan is the insurgent, the quagmire is in Islamabad, and critical remedy lies in an exacting elimination of the base of operation that is the Eastern border, a zero-tolerance deterrence policy we are willing to implement, and unceremonious withdrawal of US dollars from Musharraf’s version of the war on terror. Currently, the US cannot get there from here due to three primary factors:

• A lack of political will and literacy in relevant foreign policy on the part of the American people
• Increasing encroachment of divisive partisan politics onto critical US security issues
• A failure of American leadership to accurately identify Islam as a system of political tyranny which cloaks itself in a social-religious construct to advance its goals

The result is that US special operators don’t have full support of the political arm of their government. They will subsequently experience unnecessary casualties when called to mitigate militarily the messes of foolish political actors prosecuting the war from the perspective that the US can bed down with an Islamic fox and trust it to count the chickens on Afghanistan’s Eastern border.

Here we go again...

H/T: The Oxford Medievalist

Now that Hamas has seized power in Gaza, they have set their sights on destroying any Christian presence in the area. They are going to make life so difficult for Christians there that they'll either have to leave, convert, or die. Not attractive options now are they?

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56241

Don't expect to see this in the MSM any time soon, they'd sooner die than paint Christians in a positive light. It's far easier for them to roast Jerry Falwell or talk about Fred Phelps than show how Christians are really treated around the world.

Is this the true face of Islam? If not, where is the outcry about the brutal treatment that non-Muslims and especially ex-Muslims that have converted to another faith? And yet Jimmy Carter would have us recognize these, these thugs as the rulers of the Gaza Strip.

I've blogged earlier about how Christians are treated around the world here, here, here, here, and finally, here. Read them if you dare enough to care. We forget that in many parts of the world Christians are in the minority and not the majority and get treated like dirt and worse, especially in Islamic countries where sharia law is the final word. May God help them because nobody else seems to give a damn...

Surge Part II

General Petraeus sure isn't sitting in his easy chair in Iraq, that's for sure. After getting an additional 31,000 troops into the country and radically changing how we are fighting the bad guys in Iraq, the second part of his strategy has begun outside of Baghdad. Instead of having big bases and trying to lure the enemy into set piece battles, Petraeus has made the soldiers and their Iraqi counterparts a daily part of Iraqi life in both the capital and Anbar province, where according to recent reports, (h/t Burkean Reflections) the situation has gone from dire to promising and that's before the 31,000 troops had all arrived.

Now the General hopes to catch or kill as many of our enemies as possible in this new offensive by plugging as many of their escape routes as possible by driving them into the flanking troops who are cutting off their retreat. The other change is the lack of publicity this offensive was given ahead of time. Strategic surprise is difficult to achieve considering you're talking about 10,000 troops, but tactical surprise is another thing entirely. Hopefully tactical surprise was achieved and we were able to catch them with their pants down. (that depends on the quality of the Intel we get, and the indications are that our Intel has been getting better and better since the new strategy was implemented) Every time we have a firefight with the enemy they get crushed at a ratio of 60:1. That means for every coalition soldier that loses their life in the line of duty we kill 60 terrorists. To give you an example of how overwhelming this is, during the Korean war we had a kill ratio of 12:1 in the air which many consider to be total domination. We're talking 5 times that kill ratio in Iraq, talk about taking your enemy to the woodshed!

If this move succeeds and we can make headway on the policital front then things are indeed looking brighter in Iraq and the matter of the troops coming home will become 'when' and not 'if'.
I say this because there has to be a political element to this as well, a purely military solution is impossible and the Iraqis need to do more of the heavy lifting so that we can go from doing most of the fighting to supporting the Iraqis while they take care of their own country, much like we did in S. Vietnam from 68-73.