Tag Archives: Afghanistan

Ronald Reagan on Afghanistan, March 21, 1983

To watch the courageous Afghan freedom fighters battle modern arsenals with simple hand-held weapons is an inspiration to those who love freedom. Their courage teaches us a great lesson—that there are things in this world worth defending. To the Afghan people, I say on behalf of all Americans that we admire your heroism, your devotion to freedom, and your relentless struggle against your oppressors.

US lawmakers: New tax should pay for Afghan war

More change I can believe in.

Influential US lawmakers on Thursday called for levying a new income tax to pay for the war in Afghanistan, warning its costs pose a mortal threat to efforts like a sweeping health care overhaul.

“Regardless of whether one favors the war or not, if it is to be fought, it ought to be paid for,” the lawmakers, all prominent Democratic allies of President Barack Obama, said in a joint statement.

The proposed “Share The Sacrifice Act of 2010” came with Obama set to announce within weeks his decision on whether to send more US troops to fight the war, now in its ninth year. (Read more from google.com)

Bribing the Taleban with Gold & Viagra

British forces should buy off potential Taleban recruits with “bags of gold”, according to a new army field manual published yesterday. ()

Also, from last year:

The Afghan chieftain looked older than his 60-odd years, and his bearded face bore the creases of a man burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women. His visitor, a CIA officer, saw an opportunity, and reached into his bag for a small gift.

Four blue pills. Viagra.

“Take one of these. You’ll love it,” the officer said. Compliments of Uncle Sam.

The enticement worked. The officer, who described the encounter, returned four days later to an enthusiastic reception. (Read more from washingtonpost.com)

FLASHBACK: US Lawmakers Invested in Iraq, Afghanistan Wars

Members of Congress invested nearly 196 million dollars of their own money in companies that receive hundreds of millions of dollars a day from Pentagon contracts to provide goods and services to U.S. armed forces, say nonpartisan watchdog groups.

. . . .

Lawmakers charged with overseeing Pentagon contractors hold stock in those very firms, as do vocal critics of the war in Iraq, says the Centre for Responsive Politics (CRP).

Senator John Kerry, the Democrat from Massachusetts who staked his 2004 presidential bid in part on his opposition to the war, tops the list of investors. His holdings in firms with Pentagon contracts of at least five million dollars stood at between 28.9 million dollars and 38.2 million dollars as of Dec. 31, 2006. Kerry sits on the Senate foreign relations panel.

Members of Congress are required to report their personal finances every year but only need to state their assets in broad ranges.

Other top investors include Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen, a New Jersey Republican with holdings of 12.1 million – 49.1 million dollars; Rep. Robin Hayes, a North Carolina Republican (9.2 million – 37.1 million dollars); Republican Rep. James Sensenbrenner Jr. of Wisconsin (5.2 million – 7.6 million dollars); and Rep. Jane Harman, a California Democrat (2.7 million – 6.3 million dollars).

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, the Democrat and former governor of West Virginia who chairs the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, invested some 2.0 million dollars in Pentagon contractors, CRP says.

Other panel chiefs who invested in defence firms include Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the Connecticut Independent who presides over the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Rep. Howard Berman, the California Democrat who heads the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

In all, 151 current members of Congress — more than one-fourth of the total — have invested between 78.7 million dollars and 195.5 million dollars in companies that received defence contracts of at least 5.0 million dollars, according to CRP.

These companies received more than 275.6 billion dollars from the government in 2006, or 755 million dollars per day, says budget watchdog group OMB Watch.

The investments yielded lawmakers 15.8 million – 62 million dollars in dividend income, capital gains, royalties, and interest from 2004 through 2006, says CRP. (Read more from commondreams.org)

Obama wins Orwellian “Peace” prize while expanding war, defending torture, targeting Iran

While continuing the 9th year of war in Afghanistan with all objective evidence demonstrating the US invasion is an illegal War of Aggression, refusing criminal investigation for torture despite all case law declaring waterboarding definitively as torture, despite over a year’s history of lying about Iran threatening to “wipe Israel off the map” and collaborating in the same lying war rhetoric against Iran that began his predecessor’s wars, and his defense of Israel in their enslavement of Gaza in the world’s largest concentration camp, Barack Obama and the Nobel Committee challenged the world’s peace advocates and sane citizens with an act George Orwell would sadly nod to in recognition: calling the criminal gang-leader of empire, war, and death as a leader for “peace.” (Read more from examiner.com)