Is there anywhere in politics for moderates?

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I was a member of the 9.12 project. I quit. It wasn’t what I was looking for. I was a member of RedState. I quit. It wasn’t what I was looking for. I would never join MoveOn.org. Any group that would take out a full page ad playing games with Gen. Petreus as Gen. “Betray-us” is repulsive to me (which they’ve since taken down from their website). I’m like Moses wandering in the desert looking for the Promise Land. The problem with politics on the internet is it’s just group think. The Right Wing site say,” Blah,Blah,Blah Democrats are bad!” The Liberal site say’s,”Blah,Blah,blah, Republicans are bad!”

Meanwhile their audience just nods there head and logs on looking to have their views spoon-fed to them that what you feel is OK. Everyone here feels the same way.  Where is the political discourse? Where is the time honored American tradition of compromise? It’s no where! No where on the most influential medium of our time. The internet.

I’m sure that members of the conservative/right will have no problem with their newsletters and forums convincing 100% of Republican voters to vote Republican. I’m also sure that 100% percent of liberal/progressive newsletters and forums will convince 100% of Democratic voters to vote Democratic. Unfortunately elections are won and lost by independents. These groups vote with their brains. The others vote with their hearts.

This is a comment I received from a group I belong to-

“even when I read a post from a moderate I have to blink and shake my head. It is like that song, “You have to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything”. Even Charlie Brown was teased because he could not make a sound decision on anything.”

There are SO many things wrong with that comment. Number 1. You can’t take advice from song lyrics.  That’s like me saying whenever I read a post from a liberal/conservative it’s like that song, “She’s buying a Stairway to Heaven”. And to take advice or see any symbolism amongst Charlie Brown cartoons is unreal. I mean Snoopy dressed up as the Red Baron..does that mean he supported the Germans in World War 1?

It’s bizarre. I can’t get political information from the news. All the channels are just corporate mouthpieces. Pushing their views so that they can get bigger ratings and sell higher priced commercial time. That’s not a free media. People like to rip Fox News but in an Alice in Wonderland type world they do somewhat give liberals at least a chance to appear and get shouted down on their shows. The craziest thing I ever seen on TV was when a guest on Sean Hannity said that,’ Sarah Palin is a “more articulate” speaker than Barack Obama.” Juan Williams head almost exploded right on the set. (Video at the 2:30 mark and on)

The other night MSNBC had an interview of Harry Reid’s opponent in Nevada Sharon Angle. The interview (with video) consisted of a man sitting 2 feet away from Ms.Angle and yelling at her. Then we saw the one reporter chase Sharon Angle down a parking lot yelling at her trying to get answers. Where were these reporters when Barack Obama was running for President?  When a GOP strategist starts a group called “Republicans for Reid” what does that tell you? Harry Reid has been linked with Nancy Pelosi, and Barack Obama’s dangerous “liberal, marxist , communistic philosophies”, and now Republicans in Nevada are going to support him? HIM!

This is another sign of how Jesse Ventura former governor of Minnesota once said, “that it’s all fake”. The rivalry of the Republicans and Democrats are just as real as the rivalry of professional wrestlers. If you read any Socialist or Marxist material you would know that they don’t believe that Obama is a “socialist or Marxist“. Obviously with all the money that Obama raised from Wall Street and the oil companies they didn’t think he was a dangerous Marxist.

Where were all the “patriots” screaming against the violation of the Constitution when George Bush passed the Patriot Act? Where is the ACLU screaming bloody murder as Obama and Lieberman move closer and closer to government control of the internet?

“Right now China, the government, can disconnect parts of its Internet in case of war and we need to have that here too,” Lieberman told CNN’s Candy Crowley on State of the Union Sunday.

This is just more fear mongering by the chief war monger of the Senate Joe Lieberman. A man who lost his parties nomination because of his pro-war stance and was able to circumvent democracy by running as an independent. Yeah Joe we should be more like China. Let’s start by cutting off the 4 billion dollars in foreign aid that we send to Israel. I’m sure China doesn’t send them 4 billion. I agree we need to be more like China.

I can go on and on about the double standards and hypocrisy in this country. A government of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich. A government of war mongers and speakers of fear. And it doesn’t matter who gets elected. Democrats, Republicans. It doesn’t matter. We sink everyday deeper in debt. More Americans keep dying fighting the Taliban. Not Al-Qaeda. The Taliban. And everyone who cares. Just keeps sprouting off the party line. I guess that is politics 2010. It’s a disgrace. My question to you is there any room in America for moderates? What about on the internet?

56Rebels

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The Rolling Stone Interview Shows Afghanistan Can Not Be Won

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General Stanley McChrystal’s piece in the magazine Rolling Stone is being talked about in the media about all the “offensive” things that him and his aides say about the Obama administration. After reading the article it becomes clear that there is a hidden message between the lines. Afghanistan cannot be won. The war is un-winnable. It’s gone on longer than Vietnam and there is still no end in sight. The article in Rolling Stone is a great read and the media will love the quotes that bash Obama and make the General look like a sophmore on spring-break more than the leader of the greatest military in this world. To me the most offensive thing in it was the fact that the General drinks “Bud Light Lime”.

After reading it I don’t know if I like the guy or hate the guy. One thing is certain I respect the guy. Here is a comment from the article-

McChrystal dismissed the counterterrorism strategy being advocated by Vice President Joe Biden as “shortsighted,” saying it would lead to a state of “Chaos-istan.” The remarks earned him a smackdown from the president himself, who summoned the general to a terse private meeting aboard Air Force One.

I hate to admit it but Biden may be on to something. He envisions small groups of Special Forces and drone strikes. I hate Biden and think he’s a clown but the current strategy is not working.

He (Obama) ordered another 21,000 troops to Kabul, the largest increase since the war began in 2001. Taking the advice of both the Pentagon and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he also fired Gen. David McKiernan – then the U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan – and replaced him with a man he didn’t know and had met only briefly: Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

He accumulated more than 100 hours of demerits for drinking, partying and insubordination – a record that his classmates boasted made him a “century man.” (concerning McChrystal’s record at West Point)

Obama got his guy. McChrsytal. If Obama didn’t know what or who McChrystal was then shame on him. Just another indication of his amateur hour Presidency that we witness on a day by day basis.

According to sources familiar with the meeting, McChrystal thought Obama looked “uncomfortable and intimidated” by the roomful of military brass.

He should be. He knows that he’s in a room full of guys who have accomplished some major things. Some men and women who have sacrificed everything in their lives “to protect and defend the Constitution”.  These are people Obama has no clue how to interact with. He knows they expect results from their underlings and when they say things lives hang in the balance. Obama is very unfamiliar with that.

Then, without ever using the words “victory” or “win,” Obama announced that he would send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, almost as many as McChrystal had requested. The president had thrown his weight, however hesitantly, behind the counterinsurgency crowd.

McChrystal wanted 40,000 troops. Obama sent 30,000. If your willing to send 30 why can’t you send 40? Obama wants to appear like he’s a hawk on this issue. The numbers show the truth. Either your all in or your not.

“It’s not going to look like a win, smell like a win or taste like a win,” says Maj. Gen. Bill Mayville, who serves as chief of operations for McChrystal. “This is going to end in an argument.”

This is what the Chief of Operations has to say. Very cryptic.

In private, Team McChrystal likes to talk shit about many of Obama’s top people on the diplomatic side. One aide calls Jim Jones, a retired four-star general and veteran of the Cold War, a “clown” who remains “stuck in 1985.” Politicians like McCain and Kerry, says another aide, “turn up, have a meeting with Karzai, criticize him at the airport press conference, then get back for the Sunday talk shows. Frankly, it’s not very helpful.”

That is pretty self explanatory. And disturbing.

“Fuck, when I came over here and heard that McChrystal was in charge, I thought we would get our fucking gun on,” says Hicks, who has served three tours of combat. “I get COIN. I get all that. McChrystal comes here, explains it, it makes sense. But then he goes away on his bird, and by the time his directives get passed down to us through Big Army, they’re all fucked up – either because somebody is trying to cover their ass, or because they just don’t understand it themselves. But we’re fucking losing this thing.”

The soldiers serving over there are left feeling vulnerable and feeling like they are fighting with one hand tied behind their backs. Would you want to fight the Taliban with one hand tied behind your back? Notice the words “we’re losing this fucking thing.” It’s not being said by a member of Code Pink.

“It’s all very cynical, politically,” says Marc Sageman, a former CIA case officer who has extensive experience in the region. “Afghanistan is not in our vital interest – there’s nothing for us there.”

I would assume that all the members of Al-Qaeda who were participants in 9/11 have been captured or killed except for the big two. Zarquairi and Bin Laden. Who are we fighting now? Taliban? Afghans? What do we gain by staying there?

Celeste Ward, a senior defense analyst at the RAND Corporation who served as a political adviser to U.S. commanders in Iraq in 2006. “That’s the game we’re in right now. What we need, for strategic purposes, is to create the perception that we didn’t get run off. The facts on the ground are not great, and are not going to become great in the near future.”

Is that what this is all about? War for war’s sake. Keep throwing men, machines and money into the meat grinder in some satanic game of chicken? Are we trying to avoid another Saigon? Is it a sin for a country to realize that a war is a lost cause? When America left Vietnam did America survive after that? Yes. We did our damage to Al Qaeda and we killed a lot of enemies over there. How many more young Americans have to lose arms and legs and lives for us to get the message that Afghanistan is a sewer not worth our effort?

“There’s a possibility we could ask for another surge of U.S. forces next summer if we see success here,” a senior military official in Kabul tells me.

If that is the case then re-instate the draft. It’s too much to keep asking people who volunteer to serve to have to be in a un-winnable situation. If it’s so important to America then all Americans should have to step up to the plate. And start the draft with the children of the highest tax brackets first. None of this poor and black go first garbage. Then we will see how committed our country is to Afghanistan.

“Winning hearts and minds in COIN is a coldblooded thing,” McChrystal says, citing an oft-repeated maxim that you can’t kill your way out of Afghanistan. “The Russians killed 1 million Afghans, and that didn’t work.”

I can say honestly if Afghans can’t decide or won’t decide if they want to support America or the Taliban then they need to get what’s coming to them when the Taliban role back in country en mass. There should be NO DEBATE about winning hearts and minds. If they can’t decide if THEY want to risk their lives to save their own country or they would prefer the Taliban then we need to leave.

As for McChrystals’ comment that “The Russians killed 1 million Afghans and that didn’t work.” Well it’s not like they fought Russia alone. They had tremendous support from America in the form of weapons and manpower and money from the Middle East. Take away America’s stinger missiles and it’s a different war. We all know that Pakistan is helping the Taliban. If that is not a sign of how messed up the situation is then what is?

There is a reason that President Obama studiously avoids using the word “victory” when he talks about Afghanistan. Winning, it would seem, is not really possible. Not even with Stanley McChrystal in charge.

All the major media will drone on and on about McCrystals’ comments that are disparaging to Obama and his advisors but the serious subject matter is the question of “Can America win this war?” “How long do we have to be there?” “How much will it continue to cost?” “How many more lives of Americans do we have to deliver to Afghanistan for victory? “Do we even know what victory is?”

I like war just as much as the next average American. I supported Iraq and I still think it was poorly executed but strategically sound. It took out Saddam Hussein and put Iran in a tough position. But even that war wasn’t won til the Iraqi’s got a taste of Al Qaeda in their neighborhoods, turned on them and literally chased them out of An-Bar province, and the surrounding provinces.

When do the Afghani’s decide what they want? Only then will America understand what they will get. Either go in full throttle or get out. No in-betweens. We can’t keep our troops in Afghanistan to die a death of a thousand cuts. If you feel that I’m being a lefty or a liberal, then sign up your son or daughter, and we can debate who’s a patriot another day.

56Rebels

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Quid Pro Quo? Drones for Al-Qaeda

On January 21 the New York Times printed an article about the United States providing un-manned drones to the Pakistan military to help battle Al-Qaeda along its porous northern border. Since that time Pakistan has been killing or capturing Al-Qaeda terrorists at a breathtaking pace.  The article mentions- “The CIA reportedly succeeded in killing the head of the Pakistani Taliban — the most recent in a flurry of drone attacks the agency has launched in South Asia and the Middle East. Another strike in Pakistan reportedly took out one of the FBI’s most wanted terrorists; another in Pakistan took out a master bomb-maker for the al Qaeda affiliate in the Philippines, Abu Sayyaf; and a strike in Yemen targeted a senior military leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the group behind the Christmas Day attack (his fate has yet to be determined).”

2010 is becoming known as The Year of the Drone as top-level Al Qaeda leaders have been rolled up into caskets or jail cells. What took so long? Since the Al-Qaeda attack on the C.I.A. on January 7, 3 major Al-Qaeda officials have been killed. Now the news that Pakistan police may have captured the American Taliban Adam Gadhan. Since the C.I.A. personal were attacked it appears that the war has gone into overdrive or has it been since the U.S. “gave’ Pakistan the drone technology?

To me it appears quite clear that a deal has been made. Pakistan in return for some of the best technology America has to offer is rounding up Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Did they know where they were at the whole time? Are the results gained from time and experience or are the Pakistanis playing a global game of poker and using the Al Qaeda members as chips to throw in the pot. I think if you read between the lines it’s quite clear. Now America is going to send Pakistan “smart bomb kits“. I will bet big money that in return for the smart bomb kits Pakistan is going to come up with some big fish. If the lower level leadership is worth drones. Is the top-tier worth smart bombs? Pakistan seems to be fully cooperating with the United States now. It appears that as America makes friends, with its technology, Osama bin Laden is losing his friends. One drone strike at a time.

J.P. Douglas

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• Pakistani news source insists American al Qaida Adam Gadahn arrested (trueslant.com)

Soldiers, Firemen, Policemen, and Flight Attendants?

Soldiers, Firemen, Policemen and Flight Attendants. Reminds me of the days when I would watch Sesame Street as a child.  During that time they would do a short skit called “One of these things is not like the other.” You may recall it. As the War on Terror progresses or digresses, as it appears, each one of these “jobs” is on the frontline of the battle. We all know the sacrifices that soldiers make to bring some sort of law and order to foreign lands that more resemble the planet Tattoine in Star Wars then 21st Century Earth. At least they have weapons and body armor. We know that policemen or women died on 9/11 saving lives and confronting the evil of terrorism. In the future the men and women who wear the badge will find themselves face to face with terrorists maybe even here on the streets of America or the malls or movie theatres. As we have seen in Russia, or Bombay, or even Fort Hood. We know that firemen and women took the brunt of the pain of 9/11.  Three hundred and forty-three died that day. And with the way Al-Qaeda sets up their attacks they hit a target once then wait for the first responders and then they hit it again. These men and women must know what they lay on the line on a normal day. Let alone when Al-Qaeda has you in their sites.

And then we come to Flight Attendants. It seems they may or may not know that the uniform they wear makes them targets. Why anyone would want this job beats the hell out of me. The payscale runs from $18,000 to $45,000 a year. They are not armed,they don’t wear body armor, and they are on the front lines. How could you sign up for a job where you give out pillows and drinks, then have to fight the lowest lives on this planet. It baffles me. What kind of union do they work for? They see people on Terrorist Watch Lists get on flights and then expect their union members with minimal pay and minimal training to fight some insane Muslim bent on destruction and death. Where is their leadership? Where is their protection? Who gives a voice to the voiceless? When does the leadership of the flight attendants and air personal say either get our people protected or you don’t fly with them! When does President Obama (More Pro-Union then Jimmy Hoffa) say it’s not fair to these people. That people doing their jobs under stressful and dangerous conditions, who get paid less than a manager at McDonald’s, don’t have to be locked aboard a submarine with wings with wannabe mass murderers! A Terrorist Watch List is not designed to watch terrorists get on board a plane. When a psychotic killer’s father comes to the U.S. Embassy and say’s my son is with religious extremists. It’s time to take things serious.

Americans learned a hard lesson on 9/11. For arguments sake we were sucker punched. No one was fired. No one’s head rolled. For Christ’s sake George Tenet of the C.I.A. was given a medal. It is up to President Obama to get the message out. Incompetence and ignorance will get you fired. Someone has to lose their job. No if’s, ands, or buts. Whether it was someone in the State Department or Homeland Security they must be out of the business of protecting Americans. President Obama must be the voice of the voiceless now. Every shift the people who work on those flights put their lives on the line. Not only do they have to deal with airlines that cut back on their own maintenance budget in the name of the bottom line. They also have pilot error, or people from other countries who want to slice their heads off in front of their customers. We were warned before 9/11 and we ignored the threat and we payed a horrible price. No more warnings. Americans deserve results. So do these flight attendants.

56 Rebels

How to Win in Afghanistan. Seriously.

927. That’s the number of soldiers who have died in Afghanistan according to Washingtonpost.com- Fallen Heroes Project as of today. That’s almost 1000. Every life lost impacts a mother, a father, a brother, a sister, or even a son or daughter. And according to the powers that be we can expect a surge of casulties to increase as our planned troop levels increase. Not too appealing. Every American knows why we are there. And I have a plan to get us out or at least keep our troops out of the crosshairs.

Now to win in Afghanistan we need to set  clear goals . I was under the impression that we went to Afghanistan to kill Osama Bin Laden and drive out the Taliban who were harboring him.  Eight years later and we have no trace or intelligence that leads us to believe we know where he is at. Is he in the Swat Valley? Maybe he is and maybe he’s not. America had our chance to kill him at Tora Bora and the powers that be were either too incompetent or were not interested in letting America’s Boogie Man get taken out of the picture for any myriad of reasons.

Vice President Joe Biden likes to throw out some bizarre mathematics when he says “we have $1 invested in Pakistan for every $30 we have invested in Afghanistan”.   Joe Biden would like to see that number reversed. With reasons that range from “that’s where Al-Qaeda is” or that “Pakistan is the country with nukes” and that endangers America more than Afghanistan. Well Joe your wrong. Afghanistan needs that much because they have nothing. Zilch. Zero. Pakistan is getting more than enough money. They have an economy. They can even afford nuclear weapons. You know those pointy things that demolish a city. Yeah, they have them and fighter planes. So excuse me if I don’t think that we should have to buy them billions of dollars of weapons and equipment so the Afghans can beat back the Taliban with prayer rugs. According to Joe Biden’s philosophy we should give all the college funding money to rich white kids. Why? Because their the ones who go to college. We need to build up Afghanistan period. Pakistan is playing us. I’m not saying that they haven’t done a good job in the War on Terror. They caught Khalid-Sheik Mohammed, the mastermind behind 9/11, and other Al-Qaeda cronies. Back during the Cold War nations knew that if you went to America and told them you had Communists in your country and needed help the money would pour in. That is the same situation with Pakistan. They will do just enough to make us happy but not enough to destroy the problem because big money is to tied to their struggle with Al-Qaeda. Once AQ is done, so is the gravy train.We must continue funding Afghanistan.

Every talking head on television loves to come on the screen and sprout off “Afghanistan is ruled by warlords”. And? That is a bonus. A country ruled by lords of war. Because we are fighting a war. The game is to get the “warlords” to fight our enemy. Basically in a nutshell what we need to do is give these “warlords” an incentive to keep their territory free from Taliban and Al-Qaeda. How? Real simple. There is an old Afghan saying,” you can’t  buy an Afghan. You can only rent him”. Now what we need to do is make these warlords rich by having them deliver peace. We need to have our CIA/Military figure out who has muscle in that country. Who can protect civilians and keep peace and quiet. Who are the political and military Alpha-males. Once we identify these people we need to make them this offer. If you can get roads paved and built in your area we will give you x amount of dollars. For every school and clinic that opens and does not get destroyed or harmed. We will give you x amount of dollars. For every IED or soldier that gets harmed in your territory you will forfeit a percentage of your monthly income that you generated by the roads, schools, and clinics.  For every Al-Qaeda you capture or kill you will be rewarded.  You can get more bees with honey.

Buy up the poppy crop. We are continously told that the poppy crop is funding the insurgency or the Taliban/Al-Qaeda. Ok. We know the farmers are going to grow the poppies. We have to accept that. In return we buy up the crop so that our enemies can’t use it for funding. Once we have it we then destroy it. Now the farmers have a customer in us and not an adversary. And the Taliban will have to find another way to make money.

Finally use Americans as the backup for the Warlords.  If the Warlords are having problems with Taliban and Al-Qaeda they can ask for help and it will not hurt their financial bottom line. We need to know where and who the insurgents are then we can destroy them. To have our soldiers playing Kabul Policeman is ridiculous. Afghans need to learn to protect their country. We have bought them enough time. Now we are there to help. But to drive from town to town and get blown up by I.E.D.’s is only going to lose the war. We need to make progress every day and every hour. Progress is a semblence of normalcy.

These are just some ideas that I feel could help. Afghanistan is an empire killer. But America does not fall into the trap that other countries have in the past. We do not want to own Afghanistan. We want them to be able, so that when we leave, they can beat back the Taliban. Without a Taliban then there is possibly no free hand for Al-Qaeda to build camps and re-start up the process that was before America came. No Taliban in Afghanistan. No Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. And then when we look at Afghanistan we can see cleary that  we have won.