This is one slick dude.  He pulls off the crime of the century, other than those committed by George W. Bush and company, and has managed to evade an international manhunt for nearly eight years.  He’s rich as all get out but lives in caves and safehouses away from the reaches of the most sophisticated military machine ever assembled.  That machine has managed to kill many thousands of other “terrorists”, not to mention the collateral damage of killing children, but still can’t find the motherfucker who did this to our country.  Considering the U.S. has no problem with killing children as long as it gets some Al Qaeda terrorists, it is surprising that Osama hasn’t been bombed to smithereens.    

The 9/11 Commission Report blamed the 9/11 attacks on al Qaeda as led by Osama bin Laden.  The U.S. invaded Afghanistan, specifically to gain revenge on the Taliban who supposedly supported al Qaeda in its efforts to annihilate America, and to find bin Laden and his cohorts.

But hey, there’s good news.  The CIA, our own bastion of truth and righteousness, says Osama is hiding in Pakistan.  

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worl…

Yep, the rather large bastard is hiding in Pakistan and you better believe it because the CIA is saying so in mainstream media.  And they’re after his ass too, sending extra agents to the area.  This is exciting.  Like reading about the Feds going after Bonnie and Clyde back in the day.  When will they catch them, and what will they do?

Strangely, Benizir Bhutto, the former prime minister of Pakistan who was assassinated on December 27, 2007, is on record as saying Mr. bin Laden was murdered.  

Now, we’ve been killing civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan with those drones controlled by gaming maestros on some base in California.  Nintendo warfare.  All in the name of killing Al Qaeda suspects.  We’ve bombed the shit out of them and killed many of those terrorists.  Not to mention many more innocent women and children.  So I just can’t help but wonder why the CIA hasn’t been able to locate this bin laden terrorist dude, at least enough to throw a remote controlled bomb at him.  Come on CIA, what’s up?  You’ve had almost eight frigging years.  

Oh, who knows, maybe it’s all a scam.  Why does the CIA keep saying they think they know where he is?  The CIA is expert in propaganda.  Whatever they say, especially as leaked to the mainstream media, should be taken with an extra large grain of salt.  We know what the CIA did to instigate the Vietnam war.  This response in Afghanistan and now Pakistan, justified by 9/11 is now in its eighth year with no end in sight.  Trillions of dollars being spent, thousands of innocent lives being ended, hundreds of thousands being displaced and further into poverty.  U.S. soldiers being killed.  This is like 1969 of the Vietnam war, eight years in, except now the support from Democrats for a Republican war, makes the current antiwar movement look like pansies.

The conflict in Afghanistan is based on the same fear propaganda that was used for the Iraq war, and is being used in many circles for a possible attack on Iran.   The same old tactic of a possible nuclear strike, heard since the early days of the Cold War, is being used to pacify the public into accepting American hegemony and feeding of the Military Industrial Complex.   If bin Laden isn’t dead, we don’t really care where he is.  

Crossposted at Daily Kos

Now that the Afghanistan conflict is closing in on eight years and President Obama has claimed the war for himself, as righteous, it may be time to exploit this comparison.  At least for those of us that are against this travesty.  

There are many aspects to compare and many differences.  But the key similarties are;

-the killing, injuring and displacement of massive numbers of civilians, disproportionate to women and children.

-a long conflict that will prove to be based on lies, just as Iraq.

-a conflict as a result of the Military Industrial Complex.

-we can’t tell who the enemy is so we just kill em all.

Why are we still in Afghanistan, let alone creeping into Pakistan and other areas?  Is all this really necessary for the safety of U.S. citizens from al Qaeda?  This man and his family probably don’t think so:

Comparing that to the Vietnam War:

The U.S. economy is primarily based on the killing and displacement of civilians.  The MIC is such a powerful force now, nearly fifty years after President Eisenhauers warning, that there is no way President Obama can or will change course.  

The only chance these people have is us, not our politicians.  Afghanistan will end like Vietnam did, probably worse.  We will be there longer than we spent in Vietnam and the loss of civilian life will be even worse.  The aftereffects, which are still very prevelant in Vietnam, will continue to haunt the Afghan and Iraqi people for decades.  It’s time to call this for what it is, a MIC inspired holocaust against innocent civilians.  

Crossposted at Daily Kos

Who wants peace?  The people of the world want peace!  I have proof, damn skippy.  I was messing around on Youtube looking at old classic rock videos and came upon Peace Train by Cat Stevens. I liked that song alot when I was younger and I like the nostalgia that comes with seeing the videos as opposed to just listening.    Then I checked out another version of Peace Train, the one done by Yusef Islam at the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony.  Of course, Yusef was Cat Stevens prior to his conversion to Islam.  It was very good, I also enjoy seeing the older performers still doing their thing.  Then I scrolled down to the comments and I found the proof.    

This proof makes me think.  Why don’t we have peace when the people of the world want peace?  The answer is simple, we need a Peace Train.  And we could get one running if we wanted.  Check out this video by Yusef:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…

Then check out the comments.  This video has been posted for a little over two years, has over a half million views, and the comments prove we can develop a Peace Train.  Over and over, the comments were a simple:

“Peace from: ______.”  

That’s it, with a few exceptions, that’s all they wrote!  Over 2500 comments from people in over 80 countries!  Really, go check it out.  You see, everyone wants peace.   It’s our damn governments, that we supposedly elect for our best interests, who are dissing the number one will of the people – Peace!

Peace from:

USA, England, Morocco, Iran, Canada, Georgia, Algeria, Australia, Dominican Republic, Turkey, Ireland, Kashmir, Malaysia, Brunei, Uruguay, Israel, Germany, Saudia Arabia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Norway, Iran, Sweden, Maracaibo, Kuwait, Argentina, Malta, Qatar, Norway, Vanuatu, Poland, Mexico, France, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Austria, Holland, Hong Kong, Zimbabwei, Nepal, Bosnia, Denmark, Italy, Tasmania, Croatia, Belgium, Nigeria, Mauratania, Puerto Rico, Serbia, Mambai India, Cyprus, Peru, Phippipines, South Africa, Switzerland, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Macedonia, Egypt, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, West Sumatra, Palistine, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Aruba, Libya, Colombia, Mauritius, Costa Rica, Afghanistan, Slovakia, Portugal, Maldives, Chili, Finland, Japan, Syria, Brazil, and Hague, the Netherlands!

Over four months into the new Democratic Presidential administration, the debate on torture has been front and center in the discussions of the previous Republican Presidential administration.  We’ve seen the former VP and his daughter of all people, repeatedly go on national TV to defend and actually extoll the virtues of torture.  Obama and his team have waffled and wheezed at every turn on what to do with the evidence and there is no sign as yet that his and AG Holders proclamations about “justice” will bear fruit to those of us outraged at torture in our names.  

So why all the outrage about torture?  The plain fact of the matter is that the U.S. has been involved in the torture game for decades.  The evidence is very clear.  From the Church hearings in the seventies, to the countless books on CIA operations, we can know that torture has been used, either by the U.S., or through intermediaries, under virtually every U.S. President.  

So ya, we torture all right.  We’re a world power in that too. But what about the killings?  Why doesn’t the killing of our soldiers and innocent civilians create as much systemic outrage as torture?  As much as we know about torture, we also know the Iraq “attack of another country” was illegal, based on lies.  Even Cheney admitted as much recently although he didn’t admit the lies.  Torture was simply one of those lies used to justify that “attack of another country”.  

On May 4th, 130-140 innocent civilians were killed in a bombing by the U.S. in the Farah Province of Afghanistan.  Women and children for criss sake.  The U.S. is admitting the mistake while trying to cover it up.  Jeremy Scahill is right in calling for accountability and justice for the victims:

  http://www.commondreams.org/vi…

Although this is probably the worst incident of direct U.S. involvement in the killing of innocent civilians since the invasion in 2001, we all know of many lesser numbered killings, such the “wedding parties”.    In 1995, a federal building in Oklahoma City was bombed and 168 innocent civilians lost their lives.  Our country went into shock.   Nearly that many are killed by our U.S. military in another country and our country is numb.  

President Obama has said “We don’t torture, anymore”.  That’s another story.  I wish he would come out and say, “We don’t kill innocent civilians, anymore”.  Looks like its too late for that.  May 4th was clearly on his watch.

Consider a defendant charged with the rape, torture and murder of a woman.  Three different charges committed during the same crime event.  The charges of rape and torture carry twenty year sentences.  The charge of murder carries a life sentence.  There’s a reason for that.  

Everyone and his sister is crying out about torture in our names.  We need to also cry out about these insane hegemonic adventures the U.S. is continuing under Obama, and the killing of innocent civilians.  Until we can “change” the military industrial complex that is ruling this country, there will never be any real change, and the killing of innocent women and children will continue in your name.  

Crossposted at Daily Kos  

I was talking to a friend the other day and we got into some war talk.  I was spreading my usual hate for the imperialistic adventures of the U.S. and my friend, he of the less well read, challenged me about the Global War on Terror (GWOT).  I think that’s a much better name than the “Long War” because the “Long War” seems like something that should be given after the fact.  The war lasted fifty fucking years, i.e., the Long War.  Could be just a social engineering ploy by those in power to get the populace accustomed to a long war, but I’m not a Conspiracy Theorist.  No way, not me.

Anyway, I tried to explain to him what the real purpose of the GWOT was and he still didn’t get it.  I mean, I gave him my best anti-imperialist speech.  Everything I’ve got.  Oil, natural gas, American interests, CIA, torture, fucking with Russia and China, everything.  Still, those fucking Arabs who are going to come over here and plant a nuclear bomb in downtown L.A., were too powerful a force to overcome.  I had only one chance.  

I told him Obama is going to be worse than Bush on foreign policy.  That seemed to perk him up abit.  Not because he was an Obama supporter, but he knew how much I hated Bush.  I told him that Bush went after a couple of defenseless countries who were no danger to the continental U.S.  That would be small stuff compared to what Obama is planning, or what those behind Obama are planning, and already carrying out.  That plan is to secure American supremacy for the next one hundred years by going after China and Russia, effectively playing each off the other.  “The Grand Chessgame” as a dude named Zbignew wrote.  

He didn’t really have much to say about that.  He still thinks the U.S. military is used for all that is good in the world, and we are right in our actions to take down viscious dictators and cruel rulers.  We are right in our quest to get them before they get us.  

I like my friend, particularly when we don’t talk politics.  This time, all I could say is “Dude, you’re an Imperialist”!  

Cross posted at Daily Kos

Are there any real men left in the United States?  I will proclaim myself as a “Real Man” because I don’t kill children.  But there are many others, particularly among our politicians, that are not real men.  I know Bush Junior and Poppy Bush aren’t real men.  The Bush family is the most evil and self absorbed famiy in American history.  And a family that appears to have never had a “real man” in its midst. The Bushs hired people who were not real men, such as Cheney, Wolfowicz, Rumsfeld, Petreaus, and Gates.  But now that Obama has hired the same type of people, and continued the U.S. practice of killing children in other countries, what am I supposed to think of him?

Not our children mind you.  The children in the countries who attacked us, and those in the countries that are trying to kill us.  Why not?  They killed 3000 of our people.  They are trying to develop weapons of mass destruction.  Fair is fair.  We can’t allow an attack on our homeland, killing 3000 people, to go unanswered.  Not only that, if we don’t take action now and show them we mean business, they might attack again.  We have no choice.  The very security of the citizens of the United States is at stake so we must do whatever is necessary to protect them.  

The people who attacked us are evil and developing weapons of mass destruction is evil.  We must fight them wherever they are, no matter what country of the world.  The very future of the world depends on our response and the need to eradicate terrorism and weapons of mass destruction in the hands of evil people.

War has costs.  We must keep in mind those costs, but realize those costs are nothing compared to what could happen if we don’t react.  Just as the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki saved thousands of American lives, we need to take whatever actions necessary to save more American lives.  That is the purpose of our military, save American lives and protect American interests.  That is the American way.  

Madeline Albright said it best in 1996 in her interview with Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes.  

“Lesley Stahl on U.S. sanctions against Iraq: We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that’s more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?

Secretary of State Madeline Albright: I think this is a very hard choice, but the price–we think the price is worth it.”

http://www.youtube.com/…

She did make a mea culpa to Amy Goodman of Democracy Now, stating she should not have made that statement, but the facts are there.

http://www.democracynow.org/…

Former SOS Albright isn’t the only politician or statesperson to make such a claim regarding the costs of war or political sanctions.  But her statement certainly makes her one of the poster childs.  Imagine thinking that over one half million dead children is worth the benefits we received from sanctioning Iraq.  Imagine what kind of person Madeline Albright must be.  Now imagine what Albright thinks, is normal for our politicians and diplomats.  I remember watching a video of Bill Richardson where he said the same thing as Albright.

http://www.youtube.com/…

The utterly disgusting thing is she made these comments based on the sanctions on Iraq.  Sanctions!  The over 500,000 dead children occured because of sanctions.  Then the U.S. flat out invaded and occupied Iraq which has resulted in the deaths of over 1 million MORE Iraqis, and has completely devastated the environment and infrastructure.   If left to peace right now, it would take well over a generation to overcome the effects of the war and its destruction, including cancer causing and disease causing conditions.

But don’t kid yourself.  We’re Americans, we take care of our own.  If a half million  kids have to die half way around the world so we can be safe here at home, so be it.  No one said life is fair.  We’re talking about a third world country here anyway.

So when you see what comes out of this current AIPAC meeting regarding Iran, i.e., the sanctions, don’t fret about what the cost may be.  There may be some Iranian kids that die.  But Iran might be able to make a nuclear weapon.  That is unacceptable and if some children must die to keep it from happening, the world will be a better place.

Update:  There is no doubt that the U.S. is going to use further sanctions against Iran to try and prevent its development of a nuclear weapon, however realistic that is.  And there is not doubt that the country most interested in these sanctions, other than the U.S., is Israel (not that other countries don’t have similar interests). AIPAC is Israels most influential lobby group in the U.S.  The meeting this week will focus on sanctions on Iran.  My point is, we saw what sanctions did to Iraq and its children.  What will these sanctions, if enacted, do to the children of Iran?  This has no more to do with Israel and AIPAC than it does with the US Congress and Senate.

Crossposted at Daily Kos – http://www.dailykos.com/story/…    

The world, and especially the United States, has been given a gift.  Not the rulers and kings and presidents and the elite, but the common person.  The gift is the greatest contrast in human history and the highlighting of its biggest contradiction.   That gift has immeasurable value.  That gift could save humanity.

The contrast we were given is that between Presidents Bush and Obama.   Bush represented a culture of war, torture, loss of civil liberties, economic collapse, and banal behavior.  Obama represents intelligence, calmness, pragmaticism, hope and change. There has never been a greater contrast between American presidents.  The contradiction we were given comes with the path Obama appears to be taking during his Presidency, the same thing only different.

The contrast and contradiction could not be more evident.  That is the gift.  It is a gift of truth and realization.  The truth that nothing can change the mechanisms controlling the world other than the people standing up and making it change.  And the realization that if Obama can’t do it, we likely will never find a single person who can.

I’ve lived for well over half a century.  As a child, WWII was still fairly fresh in most citizens minds and the bulk of the population had been affected by that war.   WWII changed things forever.  It gave the U.S. the opportunity to become the world superpower.  Powerful forces working behind the scenes took control of this agenda and have engineered the deaths of millions of humans to advance that agenda.  This overall world approach has been largely ignored by common citizens while the country went through various phases.  The fifties saw the consumer lifestyle come into full force.  The sixties were a time of protesting civil rights and the Vietnam war.  Since that time, the country has been bombarded with the continued escalation of the Military Industrial Complex (MIC) and unregulated capitalism.  

Citizens struggled to understand the whole picture.  Then along came Bush and his cadre of evil people.  People who had the hubris and capabilities to take the game to a whole new level.  They thought they could justify things up front, like torture and invading countries based on lies.  Bush was so far out there that only the ignorant, uninformed, or the republican political robots could tolerate his antics.  The people wanted change so badly that when a black man named Obama gave eloquent speeches telling them what they wanted to hear, they literally broke into tears.  The people were ready and waiting.  

Its been almost 100 days since Obama took office.  There are lists of what Obama has accomplished in that time that on the surface, look pretty good, comparatively speaking.   But what he hasn’t done is disturbing and shows contradictions from his pre-election speeches.  He is escalating the Afghanistan conflict and furthering our activities in Pakistan.  The indications are that the GWOT and the Grand Chess Game, espoused by his trusted advisor Brezsinski, are in full throttle and  geopolitical games are all systems go.  We still don’t know for sure whether his CIA, or whoever they contract out to, is not torturing.  He does not have a good plan for getting out of Iraq because the security on the ground will never be sufficient for that to happen.  He will NOT investigate the torture allegations.  

Back to the gift.  The contrast and contradition we have experienced makes it clear that the only way to change U.S. foreign policies and force the U.S. to take a more humane and sensible approach to world affairs, will need to come from the people.  Obama can not and will not do it without us.  In that sense, the gift may be the best one we could have received.   Obama is the President.  He must take the heat, and he is responsible for listening to the people.  Now the people must make him listen.  

Crossposted at Daily Kos:  http://www.dailykos.com/story/…

Let’s face it.  Torture is effective.  These programs would not be happening if they weren’t effective in some manner.  The examples throughout history, particularly during the medieval ages, prove it.  There is no doubt.  So lets not get into this torture is effective or not game. It is, period.  It’s not effective in getting the truth to prevent a “24” type catostrophic incident, the “ticking time bomb” scenario.  But that’s not why a broad scale torture program is initiated.  It is most effective in getting false confessions and spreading terror to a population.  Think of the Vietnamese torture program at Hanoi Hilton.  It was designed to strike fear at the American soldiers and pilots, individually and as groups, and to gain false confessions or statements to deploy propaganda.  The idea that the primary reason is to “gain actionable intelligence” as Cheney and his cohorts claim, is ridiculous because they know that rarely happens.  

I’m talking to you, those who want the U.S. to be an empire, the sole superpower of the world, the ying and the yang.  Is this really what you want?  I’m not criticizing you one way or the other.  It’s just, if this IS what you want, I think there’s a better way.   You see, war and torture and stuff like that kind of pisses most people off.  They don’t like it.  You might be able to contribute to your plan of concentrating more wealth to the wealthy, but in the long run, if you don’t have the people’s support, you’re going to lose.  

So I have an idea to help you with your empire building.  You can actually take this torture issue and turn it to your advantage.  The majority of citizens in this country and the world do not agree with torture.  It is an abominable, inhumane, disgusting practice  and should have been left to rot in the medieval ages.  The chastity belts and torture racks and thumbscrews and stretch racks and water boarding is something we normal humans feel should be left for viewing in museums as an example of human depravity.

But hey, shit happens.  We aren’t the only ones to do it since the middle ages.  There are many examples of it from the Japanese, the Vietnamese, countless countries and agencies including the CIA.  Oops, did I say the CIA?  Maybe a Freudian Slip but I’ve read some stuff that indicates the CIA has actually tortured for decades!  I’m digressing here, we’re talking about the Bush Administration practice of torture, not what we’ve been doing for decades.  My bad.

Anyway, back to my idea.  I think if you conduct an investigation and ultimately prosecute those involved in torture, including Bush, Cheney, Rice, et al, it will actually help your empire building.  Imagine the goodwill you would receive internationally from admitting, investigating, prosecuting, and completely repudiating torture.  It would far exceed the flowers and chocolates we received from liberating Iraq from Saddam. Way far.  

Especially with President Obama as our figurehead.  We all know how inspiring he can be.  Imagine if he had the courage to follow through with these investigations and prosecutions.  It would be like manna from heaven.  The empire would have all the love it could have imagined.  The entire world would be singing, “Praise be to Justice”!

And Empire people, I know you’re smart  You don’t get an empire by being stupid.  You know this would help greatly with your empire building.  You don’t have to get out of Iraq.  You don’t have to get out of Afghanistan.  You don’t have to stop operations worldwide in your quest for empire.  The goodwill you receive from being moral and humane will actually give you greater support for your global endeavors.

So think seriously about this.  Throwing Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Wolfiwicz, and whoever else to the wolves is nothing compared to your overall goal and you know it.  So get on with it now.  You’ve got Iran and North Korea and the Caspian Sea to work on.  Finish up this business, put some people in jail, and go forth with the Empire.

There are many issues in the hands of our politicians facing American citizens today.  The economic crisis, our deficit, unemployment, health care, civil rights, environmental issues, aging infrastructure, gun issues, drug issues, our prison system, retirement, to name some.  

Then there is war, and torture, and U.S. imperialism.  I know we have an economic crisis and all.  But it seems to me that death of innocent civilians, inflicted during the course of war, including through torture, takes precedence in the overall scheme of things.  Not having a job is one thing, but getting killed by a drone plane is another.   Not having health care is one thing, but getting hit by white phosphorus while sleeping is another.  That is if you believe the life of an Iraqi, Pakistani, Afghani, Iranian, or Sudanese woman or child is just as precious as the baseball player who died from a drunk driver last week.  

The thing about U.S. imperialism is that ending it could solve many of our problems.  U.S. military expenditures are double what the rest of the countries in the world, 200 or so, spend combined.  Most people don’t like to talk about imperialism or hegemony for reasons I won’t venture.  But when reviewing the official definitions, I can see no other terms that better fit the behavior our military spending and geopolitical activities exhibit.  

I understand the U.S. faces geopolitical “concerns” and must be heavily involved in world affairs, to an extent.  However the reasons our controlling elite want this strategy is to ensure the U.S. remains the worlds sole superpower and to have the greatest access to natural resources, most particularly, oil, and other business interests.  I fail to see where this is benefiting the vast majority of U.S. citizens.  It certainly doesn’t seem to be making things better.  China is in a better position now than the U.S. and they have taken am economic approach to world status.  Russia could be in a better position than the U.S. if oil prices rise.  

That is the primary reason I disliked the Bush adminstration – the “Global War on Terror”, or GWOT.  I never bought into it like most Americans.  It was clear to me that it was simply a cover for pursuing more global interests, creating more instability for our potential adversaries, and implementing further control on the American public.   From this GWOT we also got the Patriot Act and declining civil liberties, torture at a scale we are now finding completely disgusting, FISA and illegal spying on U.S. citizens, Homeland Security and DOD plans to control the U.S. population should unrest occur, and damage to our economy taking much needed help from U.S. citizens.

We’ve learned of the actions the CIA and and other black operations have conducted that seek to create terrorism for fomenting instablity to bring about regime change or economic collapse of adversarial countries, i.e, Russia.  That’s a big part of this Afghanistan escapade, if the U.S. can’t control the resources, make sure China or Russia can’t, and feed the Military Industrial Complex (MIC).    

Line in the Sand.  The origin is disputed but the overall theme is if you cross that line, you’ve gone beyond that which can be accepted.  At least by whoever drew the line.  I drew that line long ago concerning the wars of aggression in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The rationale Bush used for Iraq has been proven false, and the only reason to believe the rationale for Afghanistan is if you believe in the GWOT.  Which I don’t.  I’m not saying there isn’t terrorism, I am saying we should not approach it as a war with a military solution.  

So now comes the Obama administration, perpetuating the Iraq fiasco, and escalating the Afghanistan tragedy.   Those that say we will be out of Iraq in accordance with the SOFA are deceiving themselves.  Those that think we can “win” something in Afghanistan, after already being their eight years, are deluding themselves.  It’s like watching a horror slasher flick.  I’ve seen that movie before.

I have my line in the sand.  It’s my right and if you don’t like it, make your own line.  Mine was crossed by Bush.  Now it is being crossed by Obama.  There’s really nothing I can do, it was my line, I have to honor it.  I understand the blame goes far beyond Obama, but direction of criticism goes to the top, same as with Bush.  That’s the way it is.  

So far, the U.S. has spent well over a trillion dollars, cost the lives of nearly 5000 U.S. military men and women, over 100,000 injured – many for life, 1133 Coalition military members killed, well over one thousand contractors, and 139 journalists.  Studies of overall civilian lives lost in Iraq indicate over 1.3 million.  Millions more displaced and living in terrible conditions.  Afghanistan civilian losses are in the tens of thousands but harder to verify.  Over 4000 civilians lost their lives in Afghanistan directly from the bombing raids the U.S. conducted between Oct 7, 2001 and March 2002.

http://www.justforeignpolicy.o…

http://www.nationalpriorities….

The infrastructures of two countries have been destroyed.  Basic necessities such as food, water, and electricity are hard to come by for most citizens, millions of them.  Women and children are forced to live their lives in terror.  Billions of dollars have been wasted on contractor fraud, outright theft, and shoddy contractor construction.  Now the U.S., not to mention the entire world, is at Def Con 5 on the Economic Crisis meter.  Another crime of the century, another story.  But our military imperialism didn’t help the matter.

So why has all this happened and has it been worth it?  The official reason for these costs, human and financial, are because we were attacked on 9/11 by Al Qeada and that Iraq had WMDs.  Afghanistan was attacked first, less than a month after 9/11.  The stated reason for invading Afghanistan was to capture Osama bin Laden, destroy al Qaeda, and remove the Taliban regime who supported and provided safe harbor to bin Laden.  The “Bush Doctrine” was developed, where as policy, the U.S. would not distinguish between al Qaeda and nations that harbor them.  

So boil it down a little.  Again, we know that the Bush rationale for the Iraq war was built on lies.  The Project for a New American Century (PNAC) clearly laid out plans for Iraq, and its agenda and signatories were hired by Bush.  They received their “excuse” from 9/11 and went after their prizes.  It was all bullshit as we now know and Obama can do nothing other than admit that and tell us we will get out.  

The Afghanistan war rationale is more nebulous.  Which is why Obama still has support from the left for his surge and continued use of the Bush doctrine and rationale for a war on terror.  Even though SOS Hillary said we won’t use that term any longer, give me a break please.  Hey, did you hear, we won the war on terror, but now we are in the “Long War”.  That’s just ridiculous. We know that the invasion of Afghanistan was prepared well before 9/11 hit.  We know that oil was a big part of the stategy.  And we know that the whole thing was planned and carried out by the same people who lied about the Iraq war and just about everything else they did in their eight shameless years.  If you don’t believe Bush about Iraq, why believe him about Afghanistan?  And extending that, why believe Obama?  

Neither war would have occurred without 9/11.  Approximately 3.000 people were killed that day.   A terrible tragedy for sure.  The response is the greater tragedy.  Over 5000 U.S. military killed and over 100,000 injured, over 1000 Coalition deaths, over 1 million Iraqis killed, tens of thousands of Afghanis killed and injured, and over a trillion dollars spent.  And no real end in sight.  That is the price paid to avenge the acts of 20 hijackers and a rogue band of Muslims.  

Timothy McVeigh killed 142 citizens in a domestic act of terrorism.  No one died in the apprehension of that terrorist.  All twenty of the direct actors in 9/11 died.  Only the planners and funders remained.  A law enforcement action could have been conducted to find, apprehend and prosecute those responsible.  A proclamation of war and massive military might resulting in over one million deaths, mostly innocent civilians, was never a logical approach to 9/11.  Unless there were ulterior motives, which we know there were.  

Still, regarding those ulterior motives, were these costs worth that agenda?  The one about oil and other resources, and geopolitical gamesmanship to keep the the U.S. on top?  Is it worth the over 300,000 children that have been killed?  Children like mine, like the President’s, like yours.  Is it worth destroying millions more lives?  People criticized Israel for its disproportionate response to the rockets fired by Hamas.  The disproportionate response from the U.S. is far, far greater.  

That’s my line in the sand.  Imperialism, War and killing.  I served in the Vietnam war and know the truth behind it.  If Obama wants to perpetuate this war on terror, resulting in the continued deaths of innocent women and children, I won’t support that or him.  Because human life is more important than anything, regardless of the color of skin, nature of religion, or who happens to be their ruler.

My personal protest.  The power of the vote.  That seems to be the only thing we have left to impact politics.  Protests don’t seem to work, petitions don’t seem to work, calling your representatives doesn’t seem to work.  Not on the big stuff, war, torture and imperialism.  I don’t have a draft card to burn, so I’m mailing my democratic party registration card to the White House and telling them to keep it until U.S. imperialism is ended, and a humane and sane approach to world politics and affairs is created. Fuck it, I’m getting too old for these games.