Americans in Iraq for the Long Haul

As I have postulated in previous posts (here and here), Iraq in many respects mirrors the Philippines.

The US had military forces in the PI for 94 years and we now have verbal confirmation, besides all the circumstantial evidence provided by the enduring bases and Green Zone Mega-Embassy, the US plans to remain in Iraq for the Long Haul.

Bush has declared American forces will never leave Iraq during his Dictatorship and, when asked whether it might last 10 years, replied: "It could easily be that, absolutely."

Of course, John McCain isn't content with a mere decade. He wants the US to be in Iraq for 100 years...


And the military occupation will continue to be sold to the American populace as necessary for their safety, good for the economy and to bring the light of freedom and democracy to the Iraqi people...

Update (01/15):
Abdul Qadir, the current Iraqi Defense Minister stated Iraq will not be able to defend it's borders till at least 2018.

Update (01/18):
Tom Engelhardt has an excellent commentary on the Surge Success and the pronouncement of at least 10 more years...

Mission Accomplished 2... This time it's for real...

Lieberman and McCain have spoken, The Surge Worked. Mission Accomplished all over again.

And apparently America should believe Bush with his upbeat assessment of the Surge calling it "incredibly successful beyond anybody's expectations".

Well, after being treated to repeated claims of progress by Bush:

April 24, 2003: "And we're making progress. There's tangible, visible progress on the ground there in Iraq"

April 30, 2004: "We're making progress, you bet,"

May 24, 2004: "We're making progress. Yet there still is much work to do."

August 11, 2005: "And we're making progress training the Iraqis. Oh, I know it's hard for some Americans to see that progress, but we are making progress."

I could go on posting links to the Bush mantra of progress but The Eye of The Witch blog has already done an excellent job of documenting the White House press releases hailing progress.

Here is Keith Olbermann's Progress Retrospective from Countdown:


I'll wait to proclaim success when Americans aren't dying.

Why do Americans ignore the last 5 years of death, mayhem and destruction in Iraq?

Probably because Neocon Warmongers and Warfare State supporters, who predicted the Surge succeeded back in March or April before it began, Surge Results Visible by Charles Krauthammer. Surge's Success Going Unnoticed by William Kristol and others spend all their time bombarding Americans with the Progress and Mission Accomplished meme.

Remove Brain. Wash Brain. Reinsert. Repeat as needed.

The Surge occurred to save Bush from the prospect of having to pull troops out under his presidency. Now, he'll be able to keep troops in Iraq until he slinks his way out of the White House and down onto his ranch in Crawford or Paraguay.

And if the next President is so foolish as to try and limit the amount of money being made by the peddlers of death and lobbyists of destruction he (or she) will find themselves the subject of brutal and non-stop "You lost Iraq" attacks until the uninformed populace believes...

Human Terrain Teams

Prior to my deployments, I received a 6 hour block on Iraqi culture. It was in a large lecture hall and most of the marines in the back had difficulty hearing the 3 instructors. I do not believe the class was of much help.

But, now the Universities of America are being combed for Anthropolgists!

Enter the Human Terrain Team. Armed with their knowledge of the social sciences, the HTTers use the Etic approach to teach young americans how to interact with the Iraqi populace. Dr. David Matsuda seems to be the current front man (via this news story and this release) for news coming out of Iraq.

This has caused much strife amongst the Academic community. The American Anthropolgists Association opposse the HTT system. I can understand the expressed concerns, instead of promoting cultural understanding the HTT system enables the continued occupation of Iraq. Danger Room has a series of posts and should be referenced.

I am conflicted about this, if the professors help limit Hadithahs and incidents such as the killing of two Americans by an Iraqi soldier it could be considered a success. But, the adoption of HTT program should be viewed by the American people as nothing less than another indicator we are in Iraq for the long haul. Again think of occupation of the Phillipine Islands.

Of course, this also highlights the American predliction to snear and disdain learning. If Americans had a little more knowledge of History and Anthropology they might have known about the 1920 Iraqi revolt against British Rule. Then they would have laughed at Dick Cheney when he promised, "We would be greeted as liberators", instead of cheering on the Warfare State.

However, the use of state funded education to turn Americans into cogs for industry or the military is a topic for another post.

Government Authority Tells World to stop hurting Religious Authority

Well, two recent incidents have me dismayed and perplexed. Our betters in Government have become alarmed since their systems of control are under attack. Hence we have the United Nations Third Committee of the 62 General Assembly approved a draft resolution Combating the Defamation of Religion.

The Assembly would further note, with deep concern, the intensification of the campaign to defame religions and the ethnic and religious profiling of Muslim minorities...

I have to give credit to the EU, led by the Representative of Portugal, which voted against the Resolution stating, "However, the concerns set out in the draft amounted to religious intolerance." And to India, which pointed out the draft "focused excessively on a single religion". Because this draft amounts to nothing more than a don't say anything bad about the religion of peace.

However, let me be very clear, no religion deserves respect. Religion is a construct, created by men and further refined by men throughout the years. No man-made idea or construct deserves respect. Period. It is Man, himself, who deserves respect. No system of thought is above or exempt from criticism, ridicule, or the prospect of being discarded to the dustbin of history. Religion above all, since it purports to speak to ultimate truth.

Of course, I also don't know what defamation exactly entails.

If I point out mohammed killed people who disagreed with him, experienced hallucinations and lied about having a horse fly him to Jerusalem and back in one night, have I defamed islam?

If I call christanity a collection of ideas taken from other religions and philosophical systems have I defamed, christanity?

And what should the punishment be for Richard Dawkins for this commentary?

Re-education? A Fine? Imprisonment? The pillory? The Heretic's Fork?

And the news from the US is as bad. Randy Forbes (shockingly a R-VA) has proposed the Government vote to change American history. House Resolution 888, contains this clap-trap:

Whereas religious faith was not only important in official American life during the periods of discovery, exploration, colonization, and growth but has also been acknowledged and incorporated into all 3 branches of American Federal government from their very beginning

I won't get further into the list of Whereasses, please go here for the excellent piece by Chris Rodda, or here for another good post, or here

This is another attempt for militant christians, ala House Resolution 847 Recognizing the importance of Christmas and the Christian faith, to continue to force their fantasies upon the American populace and turn America into a christian theocracy.

John Edwards, maybe, but I doubt it

Well, Mr. Edwards says if he's elected all troops will be out of Iraq within 9-10 months, save a contingent at the Disneylandesque US Mega-Embassy.

I applaud Mr. Edwards for the courage, in the current American political world, of admitting he made an error with his 2002 vote for war. As I've have stated earlier, it is difficult to admit an error and with political opponents ready to pounce on any actual or apparent change as flip-flopping, changing one's position becomes nigh impossible.

But, before I get all weak in the knees over Johnny I need to more closely examine the way Mr. Edwards made his money on malpractice cases. I hope it wasn't in destroying individual doctors from the perch of perfect, years gone by, hindsight. I also need to peruse Mr. Edwards other campaign statements.

As for future foreign policy, with this kind of money being allocated will you be able to resist the demands of the Warmongering profiteers?

Free Republic Update:
It's also sober to read what the Freepers have to offer up on John Edwards plan. Of course these people claim to support the troops, by wanting them to stay in Iraq forever. In reality Freepers use the troops as a club to attack political enemies...

This means they can come home now, right?

Al-Qaida in Iraq 75 percent destroyed.

Oh, but Gen Petraeus states the gains are, "tenous... and could be reversed".

And so the cycle of almost success continues. The cycle of just another six months and We're makin' progress which will keep us in Iraq for... 50 years?

Is it worth it?

Is Iraq worth what we are paying? No.

Does leaving cheapen the sacrifices of those who have served and those who gave the final full measure? Maybe...

But it's a vulgar gambler's fallacy of irrational escalation used by Chickenhawk Warmongers to tap into the raw emotions of those who have lost loved ones or those who have served and want to, need to believe their government didn't send them into a war for profit.

But, as everyone who's worn the uniform can tell you the goals of the military are:
1) Mission Accomplishment.
2) Troop Welfare.

The US government doesn't "Support the Troops". To politicians sitting in a Corinthian leather chair in DC, you the soldier, are a blip on a power point presentation. If you're ground into hamburger to accomplish the mission, oh well.

Take a look at the graphic above. Notice anything? The last 4 years have all been statistically the same. And that's it. Each of those 3900 killed is nothing but a number to Washington, a statistic.

I hope next year will be different. I hope at the end of 2008, we won't add another 850 and 6000 to the those grim totals. We have purchased a fragile peace by throwing money at the Anbar Sheikhs and right now Moqtada al-Sadr is just bidding his time. Many things could lead an upsurge in violence; the death of Sayyid Ali Husaini al-Sistani, a broader Kurdish-Turkish War, a revival of the Anbar insurgency.

And then there is the money. Only a fool or a madman would continue to throw money into a losing proposition.

We are currently paying 15 Billion a month for Iraq and Afghanistan. That doesn't include the 440 Billion set aside at the beginning of the fiscal year for the War Department.

Unfortunately, what's worse Iraq isn't a losing proposition, to some. Vast amounts of US money have simply been wasted, to the point where, We the People will never know what happened to billions of dollars of hard currency in Iraq.

But, it's been a windfall for Ahmad Chalabi, Blackwater, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and many more tied into the sick and twisted Waltz of Death.

Ron Paul loses some Luster

Well, I'm in an unevinable position when it comes to Ron Paul.

On a positive note the NYTimes did print a follow-up stating they should not have run a string of allegations and assertions without allowing a response from Paul's campaign. Not that it has stopped the racist meme from being adopted as "Internet Fact" by the likes of Democratic Underground.

But, Ed Brayton of Dispatches from the Culture Wars has a video of Ron Paul rejecting evolution, stating "it's a theory... theory of evolution. No one has absolute proof on either side."

Uugh.

I can't vote for someone who could reject the mountains of evidence for Evolution. And I can not in good conscience, rationalize his statments by telling myself Paul played to the audience and is trying to garner votes. Because if I am to vote for Paul, he has to be above that kind of pandering. Otherwise I am as guilty as everyone else who ignores the ugliness of their favorite candidate...

The problem is, Ron Paul's stated position on the Occupation of Iraq, understanding the root causes of 9/11 (It's Blowback not because they hate us for our freedom or because women drive cars unescorted), and ending the Imperial American Empire are a strong siren's call for me.

But, I can not ignore these repeated warnings .

Update (12/27):
Ironically, it seems, being caught up in the Paul Revolution caused me to lose sight of the title of my own blog...

Do you know what USMC stands for?

U
Suckers
Missed
Christmas

To all the Devil Dogs and Servicemembers overseas away from Hearth & Home, Friends & Family, Have a Safe and Merry Christmas.

One day hopefully, We The People, will understand the True Spirit of Christmas take command of our lives and not allow a bureaucracy to send our children into War for the advancement of the careers or stock portfolios of the Few...

The Anti-War 110th Congress!

Yes, I'm so glad the democratically controlled congress is saying no to giving the Warmongers money!

Wait, this post reads the senate just approved another 70 Billion in war funding?!? And now Iraq/Afghanistan have surpassed Vietnam in War Profiteering...

Let's read what hillary had to say about Funding the Iraq War 7 months ago:
"Well, today we're talking about this very important immigration issue, there'll be time to talk about that later." ~ hillary clinton

Well of course you have time hillary, you don't have to worry about chelsea getting her Tits blown off by an IED! But, of course chelsea is special she's been groomed for leadership and has just started a $150000 job in New York. Can, We the People really ask such a special young woman to put that all on hold and endanger her health, life and sanity?

Unbelievable. Can anyone continue to delude themselves a democratic president will pull the troops out before 2012? Let alone any of the Insane republicans... This is one of the wages of the Warfare/Welfare State...

Vote for Ron Paul.

Religious/Military Indoctrination

So, you are a squad leader and you have to take:
Tarawa defended by the Japanese or
The Fort Douaumont during the Battle of Verdun or
Pork Chop Hill in Korea or the
Russian Guns in redoubt at Balaclava...

How do you convince the men you aren't just ordering them to a wasted death? Why convince them they are in the service of a Glorious Sky Daddy and will be rewarded in their next life! And if any parents question the death of their loved one? Why just ask Lt. Col. Ralph Kauzlarich what to say! You see, the truth is, if the parents are upset their son is dead it's probably because they are Evil Non-Religious people and stupidly they believe their son is "wormdirt" and not enjoying the Big Reward. A sort of heartless Pascal's Wager.

And what better time to pound in the indoctrination than when the young men are under the stress of Boot Camp? You could even title your Religious Brain-washing 'God's Basic Training'! The First Strategic Objective being: Evangelize and Disciple All Enlisted Members of the US Military.

The ignorance on display here is disgusting. And once again this can be attributed to a lack of knowledge of history. Instead of distrubting copies of a book containing bronze age myths why not let military recruits read The War Prayer by Mark Twain?

Oh... Well I know why because the State doesn't want it's cogs to question the decisions of the State. The State has enjoyed a cozy relationship with Religious Authority. Everyone knew their Country was the Just Country, the Righteous Country because religious "leaders" said so.

Fortunately, a man of great courage, Michael L. Weinstein, is standing up, speaking out and leading the fight against those using their Military Rank to coerce and force their religious beliefs upon the troops under their control.

President Ron Paul

Ron Paul is going to win the Presidency. The question is whether the Gatekeepers of Society (Members of the Media, Corporate Interests, The Supreme Court, Controllers of the Voting System) will attempt to steal the election from Ron Paul.

You see it is not in the interests of the Establishment to have someone who would reduce the scope and power of the State by minimizing overseas forays, respecting the rule of law and adhering to the Constitution.

So the only thing, We the People can do is to overwhelm the system so as to not allow them to place another ignorant puppet in power. Support for President Paul by the People is on the verge of being overwhelming even as the ideologically driven dead tree media forces it's views on society.

Vote for Ron Paul. Give America and the World a chance.

A Closer Look at the Ron Paul Revolution.

Update (12/20):
A white supremacist, Don Black gave Ron Paul $500. Paul is not giving the money back. A Paul spokesman stated, "And that's $500 less that this guy has to do whatever it is that he does."

Some of the back and forthers at Wonkette apparently believe this to be the greatest political scandal E-V-A-R. I wonder if they have the morals to decline their tax refunds, paychecks, social security check, or pell grant money. I guess the $500 is worse than waterboarding or "Shock & Awe" and the 2 Trillion Dollar Price Tag for Iraq...

Waterboarding: An American Tradition since 1901!

The US used waterboarding in the Phillipines back in 1901. Of course back in 1903, they called it the "Water Cure":

The commonest form of torture was known as the "water cure," and it was so common that, on Bohol, toward the end of the war, people joked about getting it -- and then got it. It became, as its nickname suggests, a kind of liquid panacea, a cure for whatever you couldn't kill -- a cure for disloyalty, a cure for native "insolence," a cure for the insurrection -- that the army doled out like the shots for the small pox it also dispensed. Ostensibly, the "water cure" was used to elicit information. But the information it obtained was always suspect. And people died from it.

Testifying before Congress in 1903, Lt. Grover Flint gave a sanitized but still vivid account of the way that it worked:

A man is thrown down on his back and three or four men sit or stand on his arms and legs and hold him down; ...a carbine barrel or a stick as big as a belaying pin... is simply thrust into his jaws and his jaws are thrust back, and, if possible, a wooden log or stone is put under his head or neck, so he can be held more firmly. In the case of very old men I have seen their teeth fall out, -- and I mean when it was done a little roughly. He is simply held down and then water is poured onto his face down his throat and nose from a jar; and that is kept up until the man gives some sign or becomes unconscious. And then... he is simply... rolled aside rudely, so that water is expelled. A man suffers tremendously, there is no doubt about it. [S. Doc. 331, 57 Cong., 1 Sess. (1903), pp. 1767-1768]

Waterboarding is torture.

And it's frightening to read "Americans" (in reality FREEpers) support the practice. Or US Senator Kit Bond equate torture by drowning with swimming.

Hey Kit, would you have been happy if your son Sam had, "learned" to swim this way at Quantico? Or would it be okay if insurgents in Iraq used waterboarding on your son in Iraq? Because I don't think so, but I guess you would be fine with the insurgent freestyle...

Update:

Sam Stein at The Huffington Post exposes 30 Anti-American cowards against waterboarding. Strangely they all have General or Admiral before their name...

Chicken Hawk Defense

So, a standard defense by Chicken hawk Warmongers is, "Does one need to have been in the military to have an opinion on the military?"

This comment is usually left anomynously on blogs by those who feel it's some how a trump card.

The answer is: Of course not. But, I'll question everyone and anyone, who is willing to send Men off to war, with no intention of placing their own precious lives at risk, interrupting their own dreams and pacing their own aspirations on hold to fight "Islamo-fascism", and who have never "seen the elephant".

For the problem is one of perspective. If you have never seen a person bleed to death, be blown apart, or seen friends return from in-country and watch them drown themselves in booze or broads, expose themselves to X-Game like activities so the adrenline rush breaks through the dull ache of "normal" life or just let the melancholy overwhelm them so they slip away...

Well...

When I hear Warmongers talk about the need to stay in Iraq, I know you have no idea what you are talking about. Or you simply don't care because it won't be your friends and family in harm's way...

True Cowardice

Tomorrow, 12/12/07 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst brave Warrior Jonah Goldberg will give a lecture, All I am Saying is Give War a Chance.

You can (if space is available): "Join the UMass Republican Club for yet another lively and edifying political discussion on the costs, necessities, consequences, and benefits of war." (emphasis mine)

There is something especially twisted about enlistment age Men sitting around extolling the virtues of War while never entertaining the notion they themselves would have to pick up a rifle and fight.

Of course, I can understand the UMass Republican Club members trepidation. Who wants to go to MCRD San Diego or Parris Island to receive cruelty and maltreatment? As Sgt Glass stated, "I think it has to do with the Marine Corps not wanting to admit to the public what it takes to train somebody ... to go to war." (emphasis mine)

But, to those being trained as Captains of Industry and Leaders in Government the evils being visited upon others (home or abroad) matter little.

To them, War is a wonderful device to stifle dissent, unify the public under a hyper-patriotic Just War Banner and transfer vast amounts of wealth to those in charge of Government and Industry.