12 year old protests, the Theatre of Anna Nicole, and a rant on McCain April 1, 2009

Um I am actually glad with who we elected after reading this response to Afghanistan by McCain. While President Obama has insisted that securing Afghanistan against a rise in terrorist groups is a top priority in the war on terrorism, Sen. John McCain said Tuesday that the problems in that country are not as thorny as those in Iraq. “It’s [Afghanistan's] not as tough as Iraq, and don’t let anyone tell you that it is, because when we started the [2007] surge, Iraq was virtually in a state of collapse,” McCain said during a speech at The Foreign Policy Initiative. Um…hello?!?!?  Afghanistan is a completely different type of insurgency then Iraq! Rural v. Urban. Terrain v. combat ability.  Never mind the different religious issues facing the country versus those found in Iraq.  No…Afghanistan is not like Iraq and it is that mentality that gets public opinion tired of the US at war. Hmmm…McCain…were you the one who really wanted to bring home the troops and Obama was the Hawk? Weird. Iraq was a stable country prior to US occupation, and it can be a stable country again (never mind the Saddam dictatorship). Afghanistan on the other hand has never been very stable and has been instead a country with a bunch of waring factions (not like the Sunni, Shiite, Kurds) that were only unified under the Taliban because of fear.  Remember the Russians in Afghanistan in the 80s? The Mujaheddin were able to take down Russian helicopters with rocks!  Fast forward to today, and the same issues apply!  The US is not prepared for a war in Afghanistan, because the challenges they face there are completely different then Iraq.  The basic premise to COIN is political, not military. You need to build up trust with the people in order to win the war, yet the US comes in, bombs, and then abandons the region infavor of Iraq. We never established ourselves successfully there and we are paying the price for it. In fact McCain stated that “This notion that you can’t succeed in Afghanistan without a success in Pakistan, I don’t subscribe with it. We need a strategy for both countries, but we also need a separate strategy in regards to Pakistan by itself.” What?!  Pakistan is our supposed ally in the region and for the last 7 years was suppose to be helping us in Afghanistan, yet the border region is held and run by the ISS not the Pakistani elected government.  If US choppers fly over a portion of Pakistan, they get shot at. Is that really an Ally?  Pakistan is too focused on their conflict with India to effectively help the US in Afghanistan, and the Taliban and Al-Queda know this. They arent stupid. They also know that Pakistan is run by two governments…the publicly elected one with little power, and the ISS military who happens to be mainly a fundamentalist religious based group of people with similar ideologies to those who are targeted by the US.  Gee…ever wonder why the ‘terrorists’ hide out in the mountains of Pakistan then? You cant fix the problem in Afghanistan without Pakistani help. You cant take an immigration tactic of building a fence on the border…thats just stupid and would never finish. But, the border between the two countries is porous and the easiest way to end that problem is to make precision ops on the Afghanistan side effective, and have the Pakistanis make their side inhospitable to those seeking refuge. That means working and fixing Pakistan…even if its via economic aid threat and forceful diplomacy. Obviously the carrot approach isnt working…try to take the hard line approach peeps!  Want to know more about the issues facing Afghanistan and the problems we face there…look up some books… (Ghost Wars by Coll, Charlie Wilsons War by Crile, and The Bear Went Over the Mountain by Grau, are a few).

Has anyone else seen this? Apparently London’s Royal Opera House is doing its next production which will be a libretto based on the life of the late Anna Nicole Smith. Seriously?  Seriously?! Wow..who knew posing in Playboy and marrying an old dude would make for good theatre!

Ive been watching the news roll in on the G20 protests in London…I have been smiling at the inventive costumes…some even dressed as Zombie bankers…but my favorite protester so far has to be the 12 year old girl who when asked what 12 year olds want said “Death to Capitalism.” I cant help but wonder if the girl is just exceptionally attuned to the world economic crisis or is (more likely) reiterating what the viewpoints from the environment she was raised in.  Either way, its kinda hard to believe a 12 year old actually understood the depth of her statement…especially since Im betting she has a computer or other products at home that seem to be the bi-product of the capitalist market.  Oh well….I liked hearing about her mainly because I can see me being the crazy mom or aunt who brings the kid to a protest rally…hmm…scary how easy that was to picture!

Well Im kinda getting sick, so Im off to relax and sleep…

Later!

Sad idea of fun, crazy people, and a war rant March 26, 2009

I guess since I live out on Oahu, the news of sending more troops to Afghanistan isnt really news.  Its old hat, by now, especially since Im in classes with pretty much all military peeps.  Oh well, I find it funny that the media is focusing on this, especially the fact that there is no “timeline.” Um…did the American public forget we are fighting a counterinsurgency in Afghanistan, and forget that the previous administration never actually fought that insurgency?!  In fact, they opened a wound and let it fester for 7 years. Well, now we pay the price.  Yes troops are being deployed, and yes, there is no timframe for withdrawl, but I bet we will be there for at least a 10 year period. Afghanistan is the wild west in the Middle East, and our solution appears to be right on track, but it will take time. Also of note…we are withdrawing troops from Iraq! The number being deployed to Afghanistan, and those being withdrawn from Iraq=less troops actually deployed over seas in a war zone!  Im not saying im not skeptical of the US’s ability to succeed in the region, cause I am, but at the same time, we cant just not do anything. I was against going in after 9/11…even to Afghanistan. I felt the excuses were flimsy, and where does one draw the line when targeting nations who harbor terrorists…cause heck they had beenliving in the US for some time before the attack…do we attack ourselves?! (Yes I know thats ridiculous).  But even so, once we entered, we cant leave..the job was started and now must be finished, or potential national security issues become reality.

Hey Jindhal…Mt. Redoubt continues to erupt…wanna move to volcano state and see if you want to fund volcano services?  (Ok, yes I know Ive been over this, but everytime I see that it erupts, it reminds me of the idiotic comments…so thus I blog)

A Massachusetts man was arrested and charged with kidnapping and beating his girlfriend following a five-hour-long argument they were having about what the operating hours are for the local library.  Um…kinda extreme since there is this new fnagled device calld Google…have you heard of it?  Maybe it can even inform the girlfriend on why dating abusive idiots is not a good idea!

A Florida man was arrested for trying to commit suicide. But the real issue wasnt his suicide attempt, but how he went about doing it.  According to police, the man tried to gas himself inside his car in a closed garage, but apparently did not have a garage himself, and was arrested for trespass when he drove into a stranger’s garage for the attempt, causing about $1,000 damage. I guess he didnt think that he would have any problems with the trespassing, since he wouldnt be held accountable if he was dead…too bad it failed.

Well Im off to keep my feet up and relax..maybe ill read…for fun for once!  Hmm..such a novel idea, but it is Sspring Break, and fun has been lacking. Is it sad that fun for me invlolves books? Guess Im bucking the wild child notion that my cousin has of me…although there was that Sharpie incident on St Pattys Day…among others…

Later!

Symbolism of statues, good sportsmanship, and good bye blackwater January 31, 2009

Hanama Bay

Sandys Beach

Waikiki at night

There is good sportsmanship after all!  American Shawn Crawford gave up his Olympic Silver sprinting medal to Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles.  Martina was disqualified for running out of his lane, but as Crawford stated  “I’m like, if a guy is 10 meters in front of me, I don’t care if he stayed in the middle of his lane…He was going to beat me anyway. He didn’t impede in anybody’s race.” To give up an Olympic medal is a huge gesture to the sport…even if a lane was violated. Kudos to you Crawford!

Whats in with a statue?  Well is can symbolize all sorts of things, from a national pride, to recognition of a historical event or figure, or just for visual stimulation…but the newest statue the world is obsessed with symbolizes an action of irrelevant figure.  When the US entered Iraq, there is the infamous picture of the Iraqis pulling down a statue of Saddam. It was the ultimate signal of freedom and hope for the population of a country. (Or at least thats what the US media wanted everyone to believe…propaganda anyone?) Now there is a different kind of pride being displayed in Iraq…this time the statue is of a shoe…the commemoration of the reporter and Bush’s ninja skills at shoe dodging.  The meaning of this is a sign of discontent, unhappiness, and a revolt against imperial oppression…wonder what statues will depict next!

The purple finger is back. Iraq had recent elections, but while violence wsa minimal, there is still complaints of people being rejected from voting, and the use of threats.  While the Iraqi government and the US president may be glowing at the success of the election, Iraq is still a long way off from being a stable and shining beacon of democracy in the Middle East.  Hopefully over time, and with minimal western influences, the Iraqis will unite or at least compromise, and a stable government will form…one that is non-discriminatory, whether democratic or not.

New blood has come to Gitmo.  An old classmate of Obamas from Punahou, Rear Adm. Coleman will be the next commander to oversee the detention center that has been fraught with scandal and a negative image in the US and the world.  Maybe some fresh blood is what is needed, but regardless, things need to change.

I apologize for the Iraq centered blog, but there has been alot of news on the region…including that Blackwaters contract with the State Dept is not being renewed!  Score one for the new government…sorry Mercs. (Or Private Defense Forces….whichever you prefer) It doesnt hurt that the new Iraqi government has denied Blackwater a license to operate in the country.

Well Hawaii is nice and warm, and I am still jealous that Im not getting to play in the snow back in Ohio.  Im getting eaten alive by mosquito’s yet again, and one bite on my big toe is driving me nuts!  Classes are good, but there is alot to do this semester.  I just hope it all goes relatively smooth!  I havent been doing anything too fun lately. I did go over to Sandys the other day for a short break, but ended up reading on the bus, at the bus stop, and again at the beach….at least studying outside is a nice break from my living room and bedroom.  I have a feeling Erik and I will be resuming our UH library sessions sooner rather than later…Fun! Well Im off to relax briefly before I jump into reading for counterinsurgency class.

Later!

ps: Happy Birthday Brat!

 

Happy New Years to all, and the craziness of 2009…already… December 31, 2008

Happy New Years! Hope everyone stayed up late and had fun with friends and family!  I know our little game night with wine and champagne was a success…lots of wine…alwyas a good thing!  And the entertainment always comed from my friends…and stellas drawing skills of Mt Rushmore…

I wonder what the new year will bring, although its definitely starting off in a bad spot…horrible economy, war in Irag and Afghanistan, disasters around the world, crazy athletes already causing trouble before the first hour of 2009 has passed…well maybe a little before… 2009…definitely the end of 2008. In case you have no clue what Im talking about, Charles Barkley was arrested in AZ. He was pulled over for speeding and a DUI…when asked by the officer why, he said he was on his way to get a blowjob, and that he was pulling around the corner to get one from his passenger…apparently he proceeded to tell the cop he had one a week earlier and it was the best one hes ever had and asked the cop if he thought the girl was hot…um…Charles…i’d expect to hear from divorce lawyers pretty soon… This one ranks up there with Plexico shooting himself…poor athletes…it must be hard to live a life of athletics…what with all that money, and publicity, and of course the chicks…(well unless you are a chick…well…nevermind)

Later!