As the number of troops who have lost their lives in the war in Afghanistan has now reached 1,000, the monetary cost of the war could reach into the trillions. The decade long war has had a terrible toll on both the American military and on the people of Afghanistan. The war in Afghanistan is now costing us more than the war in Iraq, both in lives and in treasure. But no one is paying any attention.
In light of the tragic and blatantly fraudulent presidential election in Iran, a group of both Iranian and non-Iranian students and concerned citizens of Austin and San Antonio are coming together to hold a demonstration and march at the Texas Capitol today (Wednesday) at 5:00pm in solidarity with the people of Iran and to show our disappointment with and disapproval of the election results.
After President Obama's election and the adoption of the nineteen month withdrawal plan, the war in Iraq has faded out of the public debate. However, the war in Iraq is far from fading on the battlefield, and the violence in Iraq could be on the verge of increasing.
According to Casualties.org 4,299 American military service members have died in Iraq and March was the lowest level of American casualties (9) since the war in Iraq began. However, last month was the highest total of American casualties (19) since September of last year, and this month 17 service members have died in Iraq.
The Washington Post reported yesterday, that three United States soldiers were killed and nine were wounded while on patrol in a marketplace in western Baghdad. Also, early that day eight Sunnis where killed in a suicide bombing in Kirkuk.
In northern Iraq tensions between the Kurds and the Sunni Arabs are mounting. According to an article in the New York Times earlier this week, the Kurds have refused to recognize the Iraqi government's sovereignty over the Kurdish occupied Nineveh province. The newly elected Sunni Arab governor was not allowed to enter a Kurdish controlled town, a Sunni Arab Nineveh police chief was not allowed to cross a bridge into a Kurdish controlled area, and there have been other similar incidents in the last several weeks.
Early this month the New York Times reported on a bombing in Sadr City; that kind of violence had not been seen in the city since November of 2006. The report stated that sectarian violence had increased recently, and the victims of the attacks expressed the possibility of retaliation against those they felt where responsible.
"...the people were angry and they started talking about reacting. Some of them said that they were ready to return back to the old days, and sink deep into a sectarian war again. Until last week I would not have believed that Iraqis dared to think that there is a possibility of returning to hell."
Why the United States must look towards the future and not the past in Iran.
With the economic stimulus and recovery package set to pass a final vote and subsequently to be signed by President Obama, hopefully the new administration can begin to shift their focus in different areas. The present economic crisis has presented a difficult situation for the new administration; the entirety of the message coming from the White House has been about the economy and the stimulus plan. Most of the rhetoric that has filled the media environment and the blogosphere has been about the economy and the stimulus plan. The problem is that the economic problems facing the United States and the rest of the world are the largest stack of papers on an already cluttered desk.
One of the priorities of President Obama during the campaign was to change the tone of foreign policy; specifically Obama promised to change direction in dealing with countries such as North Korea, Iran, and Cuba. Iran should be the highest priority simple because of the volatility of the Middle East and because of the difficulty that an unstable Middle East places on our ability to eliminate terrorist networks.
The politics in Iran are not necessarily unlike the politics of any other country; there has always been a dynamic between the more moderate leaders and the hard line leaders. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad uses political rhetoric to speak to his base in the same way that any other politician speaks to his base; while the rhetoric that Ahmadinejad uses to focus on the United States and Israel is offensive and repressible it is not done without political calculation.
The resignation ends nearly a half-century of iron-fisted rule that inspired revolutionaries but frustrated 10 U.S. presidents.
Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said the U.S. embargo on Cuba will not be lifted in the near term.
Castro revealed his plans without notice by publishing a letter in the middle of the night in state-run newspaper Granma.
"I will not aspire to, nor will I accept the position of president of the council of state and commander in chief," Castro wrote. "I wish only to fight as a soldier of ideas. ... Perhaps my voice will be heard."
Recently retired (because of Ciro Rodriguez) Congressman Henry Bonilla has withdrawn his nomination to become an ambassador to the Organization of American States.
Bonilla, a San Antonio Republican who lost his seat to Democratic Rep. Ciro Rodriguez in a December special election, said Monday he will join a lobbying firm as a consultant. He's barred by ethics rules from lobbying Congress for one year after his departure from office.
This is further proof of the benefits of controlling the Senate and House. By controlling the Senate, the Democrats are able to prevent bad nominees from representing our country.
As the Chronicle describes the Organization of American States, the group Bonilla would have represented us in, I am left with one question. Would you want this man representing us in this international organization?
The Organization of American States brings together nations of the Western Hemisphere to promote democracy and work on issues like poverty, human rights, drug abuse and trafficking.
From the world of the strange and bizarre comes news that Gov. Rick Perry will be flying out of the country to attend a super-secret annual forum in Istanbul, Turkey. Details (what little there are) courtesy of Christy Hoppe of the Dallas Morning News.
Gov. Rick Perry is flying to Istanbul, Turkey, today to speak at the super-secret Bilderberg Conference, a meeting of about 130 international leaders in business, media and politics.
The invitation-only conference was started in 1954 and named for the Dutch hotel where the conference was first held. Those who attend promise not to reveal what was discussed, security is tight, and the press and public are barred.
The conference has been the subject of conspiracy theorists and even Christian groups who wonder about its influence.
Robert Black, the governor's press secretary, said the governor was invited to attend and speak about state-federal relations. Mr. Black dismissed the conspiracy theories.
"He's looking forward to learning the secret handshake," Mr. Black joked.
Yes, I'm sure he's flying all the way to Turkey to discuss something as lame as "state-federal relations". I'm sure there wouldn't happen to be any of the folks from the Spanish toll-road interests that stand to gain billions in investment from his TTC scheme.
Of course, someone might wish to inform the Governor that Turkey has been building up forces along its southern border pending a potential incursion into the Kurdish lands in northern Iraq. Maybe this is all just a clever international draft effort to help another country invade Iraq since it seems to be the popular thing to do in the middle east these days.
Can anyone explain to me why Bush promised a few million dollars in foreign aid to rebuild Lebanon after the war with our ally, Israel? Are we not at war with terrorists and those who harbor and support them? Doesnt Lebanon harbor and support Hezbollah? Hezbollah is a listed terrorist organization, isnt it? I know I saw the Lebanese people cheering for Hezbollah on TV.
Are we not operating in a deficit and receiving foreign aid from China???
If Bush thinks he can outspend Hezbollah in Lebanon and win over the citizens he is high IMO.
Iraqi group uses Michael Moore film to mock Bush
Fri Aug 18, 2006 6:02 AM ET
By Alister Bull
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An Iraqi militant group has produced an elaborate video of what it said were attacks on U.S. troops, in the latest example of the increasingly sophisticated propaganda war being waged by Iraqi insurgents.
"The Code of Silence" was posted on the Internet by the Rashedeen Army, thought to be a relatively small Sunni group which has produced videos in the past of attacks it claims to have carried out.
At almost an hour in length, it is the longest and most professionally made of recent postings by mainly Sunni militant and insurgent groups fighting the U.S.-backed government.
The U.S. military said earlier this week that recent intelligence indicated al Qaeda in Iraq was refining its strategy by producing propaganda and adding a political base to its violent campaign of suicide bombings.
Lifting scenes from Michael Moore's anti-war film "Fahrenheit 9/11", Rashedeen's narrator taunts President Bush in softly spoken English over graphic images of Humvees being blown up by roadside bombs, and purportedly dead U.S. troops.
It was not possible to verify when the documentary was made or the authenticity of any of the images portrayed by Rashedeen, whose name means Army of the Rightly Guided.
At one point, the documentary cuts to a scene from Moore's 2004 award-winning film where he lobbies on the steps of the U.S. Congress in Washington.
"After all, there are honest and influential guys in America and if Mr Moore can talk to you like that, so can I," the Rashedeen narrator says.
In addition to numerous bomb and rocket attacks, the documentary also shows two militants painstakingly drilling a hole into an old artillery shell, turning it into a homemade bomb and then burying it to create a deadly trap.
"In the good old days of the invasion, this used to be a one-man show. Not any more. Your boys have become smart. They started to ambush us. Today it takes a big unit.
"That's good. It means your boys are on the run all day long, seven days a week. And it is really devastating for them, especially if they are on their third tour and don't have our secret weapon -- patience."
