More logistics ...

Over the past week, Gord and I have been trying to get across how difficult our fight in Afghanistan is. How throwing more troops at the problem might not be the most prudent of moves, being it's getting more difficult to resupply them. Our pal Montag put a post up yesterday noting yet another attack on our supply lines a maxim our war planners should abide if we want success (as opposed to a 'Bushian Victory').

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The overland route is where all the "beans & bullets" come into Afghanistan. While airlift may work for VIP's and other assholes, it becomes prohibitively expensive to try and maintain an army that way. And there aren't any other friendly folks with border crossings we can use. Still, with Christmas and a Depression coming at the same time, KBR should be able to find a few folk who need the money.

The only way to get anywhere over there is with money. While KBR shouldn't get another dime of taxpayer money, if we want to get our stuff to where it's going, we're gonna have to bribe the locals. I'm not saying it's a strategy, but that's the way of allegiances in that part of the world. Allegiances change as the bid is raised and eventually it'll cost too much to maintain a 'loyal' population.

"But we need more troops there," you say, "to guard the convoys and pacify the area and then we'll win."

Remember General Shinseki? The guy who said we'd need several hundred thousand troops to 'win' (occupy) Iraq? Even at double his estimate, I doubt it would be enough to pacify Afghanistan. What we failed to do in Iraq (what allowed us to set up the 'Western Europe' we have today after WW2) was disarm the population thanks to our false assumption the Iraqis would act like Parisians in '44. We made the same false assumptions in Afghanistan.

We assumed they would be joyous over our defeating the Taliban (notice we bought the loyalty of the Northern Alliance to get the job done). We assumed they would have strong nationalistic ties to a 'free and democratic government' in Kabul. Like Iraq, we failed to look at the ethnic and tribal forces at work and what we assumed (they're all brown and Muslim) played against us. We could have never occupied the Axis nations if we would have left them with a well armed local population. The Afghanis will fight us from every nook and cranny of that horrible terrain with enough firepower to make us reconsider.

And that brings about talk of Pakistan, not only a safe haven for insurgent fighters (don't believe every swingin' dick with an AK is al-Qaeda over there, there are a lot of people in the fight for a lot of different reasons), but their supply line also. Through the tribal areas of Waziristan flow the RPGs, guns, and bullets along with the fighters. There is little doubt it will remain intact for it is protected on both sides of the border by people we cannot buy or intimidate. Vietnam vets will remember how the NV resupplied their people in the south, regardless of our efforts to disrupt their lines. Same shit here. They will get resupplied (by their allies in Pakistan, by people who have a contra-U.S. agenda, by nations looking to keep our forces tied down) until they make our lives miserable enough to leave. Like Afghanistan, we thought we could buy allegiances in Pakistan but blood is thicker than greenbacks.

We failed to understand the origins of the areas we call Afghanistan and Pakistan. We failed to consider the borders were arbitrary demarcations, laid down by the British (another group who failed to consider the consequences of war in the Hindu Kush), without regard for tribal or ethnic bloodlines. People in Waziristan show as much loyalty to Islamabad as they do to Kabul, and nothing we can do, no amount of money we can give them, will make them change. They've been living like this for too long to change, regardless of which army sets up camp in town, because they know the army will eventually leave when the costs become too high.

They know we will leave too. They know we can't win and they have all the time in the world. We will go as we did in Vietnam, as the British did, as the Russians did. It's just a matter of how many American lives we want to waste and how much money we want to flush down that toilet. If we're waiting for a 'shining beacon of democracy', we don't have enough of either. It's time to bring our troops home from both places and rebuild our military to what it was before the neocons got a hold of it. It's time to undo the mess George Bush and Dick Cheney made over the past 8 years, not add to it.

Questions ...

Oliver Willis haz them:

When Republicans go after Obama, will I be allowed to call them traitors for undermining the commander-in-chief like they have with us for the last eight years?

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You want rationality?

When I was 12 years old, she was gonna be my princess. Of course I want her to be my senator:

ALBANY, N.Y – New York Gov. David Paterson says Caroline Kennedy has told him she's interested in the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton. The Democratic governor will choose the replacement. He says Kennedy talked to him about the job Monday afternoon.

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EU Authorized to Sink Pirate Ships. Gates: "No intelligence".

Spiegel

Those involved in the European Union's anti-pirate operation "Atalanta" have said that the mission would have a "robust" mandate. Just what that means, though, has thus far remained classified. But according to information obtained by SPIEGEL, EU ships operating off the coast of Somalia have not only been given the green light to ward off or capture pirates -- they can also sink their ships.

The mission, involving half a dozen ships, up to three reconnaissance aircraft as well as unmanned drones, began a week ago and has not yet reached full strength. The German government has already agreed to contribute a frigate and 1,400 troops. The Karlsruhe is already in the region and is waiting for final approval from the German parliament, the Bundestag. Approval is expected to come on Friday.

As part of the worldwide effort to combat the piracy threat, the US recently submitted a proposal to the United Nations Security Council which would allow anti-pirate operations inside Somalia itself. But US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Sunday admitted that the US didn't have enough reliable intelligence to conduct such operations. "With the level of information we have at the moment, we're not in a position to do that kind of land-based operation," Gates said at a regional security meeting in Bahrain, according to Reuters. "Our first need is intelligence, (to know) who is behind it."

Some observers doubt that a purely maritime response to the pirates will be enough. Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, an expert with the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told Reuters that "the single most difficult problem the forces are facing is that they don't have the jurisdiction to chase (the pirates) into their natural habitat on land."

Sink as many of the sonsabitches at sea as you can and keep sinkin' 'em until they stop coming.

As to jurisdiction, follow 'em home and kill 'em. Better yet, since their whole raison d'être is that they're only pirates because they're poor fishermen who need to work for the warlords and terror cartels to make a living, capture as many as you can and disperse them amongst the seaports of the world. The civilian sailors and dockhands of the world'll, er, take care of 'em.

These people better read their history. I don't recall any jurisdictional disputes involving the Barbary Pirates, who operated freely for 700 years or so and made these small-time Somali clowns look like pikers.

it was the Barbary Pirates who were responsible for the formation of the U.S. Navy in 1794, and they sent ships and Marines to deal with them:

[...] By late 1793, a dozen American ships had been captured, goods stripped and everyone enslaved. Portugal had offered some armed patrols, but American merchants needed an armed American presence to sail near Europe. After some serious debate, the United States Navy was born in March 1794. Six frigates were authorized, and so began the construction of the United States, the Constellation, the Constitution and three other frigates.

This new military presence helped to stiffen American resolve to resist the continuation of tribute payments, leading to the two Barbary Wars along the North African coast: the First Barbary War from 1801 to 1805 and the Second Barbary War in 1815. It was not until 1815 that naval victories ended tribute payments by the U.S., although some European nations continued annual payments until the 1830s.

The United States Marine Corps actions in these wars led to the line "to the shores of Tripoli" in the opening of the Marine Hymn. Because of the hazards of boarding hostile ships, Marines' uniforms had a leather high collar to protect against cutlass slashes. This led to the nickname Leatherneck for U.S. Marines.

Note to Uncle Sam's Canoe Club: You exist because of pirates. Get back to yer roots. Show some sack instead of just launching air strikes. Hell, you don't even have to board 'em these days, just stand off and sink 'em with gunfire, so you don't have to get in very close. That's what Marines are for. Really, that's what Marines are all about. They're not just a funny little land army who talk like sailors like they're mostly used as these days. They're actually pretty good at assaulting from the sea. If they remember how...

Just get the Jarheads close to land. Over the horizon will do, so the big bad ferocious warlords can't see you and scare you, and cut 'em loose. The Marines have an ancestral tribal memory and will figure out what they're supposed to do on the way in.

Crazy Annie's Back!

Raw Story

Right-wing pundit Ann Coulter told the hosts of Fox & Friends on Monday that the Minnesota Senatorial race, in which an ongoing recount has Democrat Al Franken gaining ground against Republican incumbent Norm Coleman, "is being openly stolen in front of our eyes."

Yeah? And yer point is...?

Point is, stealing elections is OKIYAR, but when a Dem looks like he's going to win a close race, just accuse him of the things the Repugs did. Doesn't matter that it's a lie, it's all they got, and the shrinking base lurves them some gettin' lied to.

Worse:

Coulter was also asked what she thought of the incident in Iraq on Sunday where an angry Iraqi cameraman hurled his shoes at President Bush. Her immediate reaction was to compare it to the time in 2004 when an audience member threw a pie at her during a college speech. "Liberalism and terrorism," Coulter suggested, "different stages of the same disease."

She's gettin' pretty desperate. The 20% of ying-yangs who still listen to her don't buy books. Rocks are a lot cheaper to hold the door open with.

She needs re-wired. This time, wire everything shut she's got, even if it involves a lot of sewing.

Bush's farewell gift

AFP via Raw Story

Iraq faced mounting calls on Monday to release the journalist who hurled his shoes at George W. Bush, an action branded shameful by the government but hailed by many in the Arab world as an ideal parting gift to the unpopular US president.

"Throwing the shoes at Bush was the best goodbye kiss ever... it expresses how Iraqis and other Arabs hate Bush," wrote Musa Barhoumeh, editor of Jordan's independent Al-Gahd Arabic newspaper.

Zaidi jumped up as Bush was holding a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Sunday, shouted "It is the farewell kiss, you dog" and threw two shoes at the US leader.

I think we have more in common with our Arab brethren than we may have thought. Thanks, George.

"...all roads still lead to Rove"

If there's any doubt about President Obama's choice of Eric Holder as AG, this headline oughta put it to rest:

Rove Reportedly Will ‘Help Lead’ GOP’s Fight Against Eric Holder For Attorney General

A year after he resigned from public office, all roads still lead to Rove.

I'm sure ol' Turdblossom is more concerned that with a real AG all the federal law enforcement agencies' roads will lead straight to his front door. And others in Dallas and Wyoming.

The Cancer of Conservatism

Great rant at J. Miller Rampant! One paragraph of many:

Today, look what the Republican Party stands for: opposition to American working men and women, the channeling of trillions of dollars to the richest Americans, hatred of gays, hatred of immigrants, continued smoldering racism, opposition to desperately needed health care reforms, opposition to all environmental protections, spitting hatred for science, hatred for public schools, hatred of all those who are not fundamentalist Christians, support for torture, support for rendition, and support for the fantastically corrupt Bush-Cheney regime. The conservative cancer is the perpetuation of all the worst features of American life--intolerance, fear, prejudice, and tribalism. It is this cancer that screams out that Barack Obama is "the AntiChrist", a "Muslim radical", "corrupt", "ally of Satan", and all the other filth we have seen hurled at our next president. The Radical Right is now going to try to destroy Obama and block every reform he tries to institute. We, the Progressive Netroots, must and will fight these dangerous radicals every step of the way.

Oh, the irony...

Ironic Times

Obama Promises Millions of New Jobs
Mostly lawyers needed to prosecute Bush administration.

Economic Meltdown, Global Warming Much Worse Than Previously Believed
In fact, everything much worse than previously believed.

Study: Depression Peaks in 40's, Trails Off Later in Life
As mental acuity fades.

That explains a lot...

Yankees Sign Pitchers for Hundreds of Millions
Seek federal help to sign first baseman, extra setup man.

Man Lives With Female Robot
“It's a bit of an adjustment,” she says.

Bottom of the barrel ...

This is disturbing:

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Two years ago, the Intelligence Report revealed that alarming numbers of neo-Nazi skinheads and other white supremacist extremists were taking advantage of lowered armed services recruiting standards and lax enforcement of anti-extremist military regulations by infiltrating the U.S. armed forces in order to receive combat training and gain access to weapons and explosives.

Forty members of Congress urged then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to launch a full-scale investigation and implement a zero-tolerance policy toward white supremacists in the military. "Military extremists present an elevated threat to both their fellow service members and the public," U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, an Alabama Republican, wrote in a separate open letter to Rumsfeld. "We witnessed with Timothy McVeigh that today's racist extremist may become tomorrow's domestic terrorist."

But neither Rumsfeld nor his successor, Robert Gates, launched any sort of systemic investigation or crackdown. Military and Defense Department officials seem to have made no sustained effort to prevent active white supremacists from joining the armed forces or to weed out those already in uniform. [my ems]

...

Of course not. They need every able-bodied asshole they can get. Basically, you have to have a swastika tattooed on your forehead to be denied enlistment, especially if you're willing to take a combat arms specialty.

It doesn't worry me that a buncha drunks get together in the woods on weekends, shoot their guns, and yammer on about how they're the foot soldiers of the white race. They're more a danger to themselves than anyone else.

What does bug me is these same assholes are getting advanced weapons and explosives training, and then bringing that knowledge home to their butt buddies. It's bad enough they figure this shit out for themselves.

This will be a problem in the future (if you think Islamic terrorism is the big worry, wait) along with all the guys coming home from the Big Catbox with some screws loose. You think we got problems now?

Add this to the list of everything else the Rethugs have fucked up in the past 8 years. The 'New American Century' my ass. It's the End of the American Era and as soon as we get that through our heads, the better.

Quote of the Day

Vice-President Cheney:

"If we don't do this, we will be known as the party of Herbert Hoover forever,"

Ol' Herb just opened the lid and gave the Republicans a standing ovation.

What the Rethugs don't get, regardless of whom they blame, is that they own this mess. Every little bit of it (the war[s], the economy, the environment). They can yell and scream, point fingers, and call names; it doesn't matter. At this point, I think even the most obtuse among us get it (well, except for the 20-odd percent who've gone over the edge, but then a 20% minority never won anything).

Nutshells ...

Mr. Philadelphia sums up the entire financial crisis in 2 paragraphs:

Josh is right that there's less difference between the Madoff case and the financial sector generally over the past few years than will generally be acknowledged. There are differences, especially in that it was a kind of decentralized Ponzi scheme within and between organizations, and no one person could have stopped it or given up the game. But for years the housing, mortgage, mortgage backed securities, and everyone's favorite, the synthetic MBS, markets all depended on getting new suckers to throw cash into the system. And it wasn't as if nobody noticed.

The question we've been asking for some time is who gets left holding the bag. Unsurprisingly, it'll largely be taxpayers. Apparently we're the ultimate suckers!

One day, I'd just like to fuck up everything I touch and then get someone else to pay to straighten it out. Unfortunately, if you and I ran our finances like these guys with MBAs, we'd be living in a refrigerator box under a bridge somewhere. Or, like the Madoff case, we'd have been in jail long ago:

U.S. regulators never inspected Bernard Madoff’s investment advisory business, alleged to be a Ponzi scheme that cost investors $50 billion, after he subjected it to oversight two years ago, people familiar with the case said.

The Securities and Exchange Commission hadn’t examined Madoff’s books since he registered the unit with the agency in September 2006, two people said, declining to be identified because the reviews aren’t public. The SEC tries to inspect advisers at least every five years and to scrutinize newly registered firms in their first year, former agency officials and securities lawyers said.

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Weekend whorage

Another chapter of Birthright is up at The Practical Press.

Been busting my ass in the house this week. Call me Norm.

And for your Sunday evening listening, one of my favorite CSN tunes, on several levels. Great slideshow in this one too:

Crosby, Stills, and Nash - Southern Cross

Sunday Crazy '50s Saturday Night TV Rockabilly Blogging

I used to stay up late on Saturday nights and watch this show. Larry Collins had a lotta energy and turned it into a music career that's still going today. These days, they'da medicated him out of it.

From Gatorrock786:

December 13, 1958 on Town Hall Party. The show was broadcast on Los Angeles station KTTV every Saturday night from a theater made up to look like an old barn in the suburb of Compton.

Larry and Lorrie, The Collins Kids - "Blue Moon Of Kentucky"

50 Year Update:

Here are the Collins "Kids" these days. Not bad fer a coupla even older farts than me. This is at "THE FIRST FROG & ROLL WEEKENDER AT PONT D'AIN FRANCE". A long way from Compton...



Aw Screw It, In For a Dime, In For A Dollar Update:

How the Collins Kids got their start and the problems Lorrie faced as a female rockabilly.

Bush ducks size 10

Raw Story

In his surprise final visit to Iraq this weekend, President Bush got an unusual reminder of his lack of popularity.

They were about a size 10.

An Iraqi journalist throw his shoes at Bush during a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad. Bush ducked both throws and neither leader was hit.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino suffered a black eye from a microphone that hit her in the ensuing chaos.

The shoe-thrower was wrestled to the ground and taken away. In Arab culture, throwing shoes is a grave show of disrespect.

After U.S. troops pulled down a statue of former dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraqi bystanders tossed shoes at it, according to news reports at the time.

Sorry about the shiner, Dana. It's a small price to pay for being that asshole's mouthpiece.

Bush has been ducking reality for the last eight years. A shoe is easy.

Update:

I just saw the video on TV. If Bush hadn't ducked, both shoes would have got him right in the kisser. Props to the thrower for accuracy, if not for speed.

How to keep a pizza frozen 'til dinnertime when yer outta freezer space

Click to emhugen

Ancient History, and I was there...

Well, I wasn't really there there. This is from October 1965. I was at Camp Lejeune protecting the Eas' Coas' from the Viet Cong and the Cubans. This video is worth watching just to see an incredibly young Chris Hillman and an equally young but as yet undissipated David Crosby.

Also, the faux duck hunting set, complete with fake (hopefully not stuffed!) Springer Spaniels and lovely young mod birds with double-barrel shotguns is a hoot!

Playing chicken with the economy

December 11, 2008
A DAY THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY.

Senate GOP: Let Us Destroy UAW,
Or We'll Destroy the Economy

Murderers Row ...

D-cap has a good idea, get the Yankees to bail out the auto industry.

...

It warms my heart that the city and state see fit to give the Yankees tax breaks, allowing them to sign players at ridiculous salaries in the worst of times, while the rest of us get to walk to the unemployment office.

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How The Bailouts Were Created

I got this in an e-mail from our pal Bustedknuckles. Pretty much the same bunch that engineered the bailouts, I'd say. Obviously of the school of No Tax Dollars Left In The Treasury When We Get Kicked Out Have To Leave.