Title: Ron Paul: Feds spend $400/gallon on gas in Afghanistan Source:
[None] URL Source:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62wSsXE7NXA Published:Jul 11, 2010 Author:Ron Paul Post Date:2010-07-11 21:15:42 by RidleyReport Keywords:None Views:320 Comments:37
This is an unofficial illustrated version of Ron Paul's upcoming July 12 broadcast on Afghanistan. And you thought a few $69 toilet seats were a big deal!
Six young Army men died in Afghan this past week. No one cared.
I care. All troops home now. Draft Chickenhawks. Make them pay a war tax to supply and rent whatever they think they need in order to do all by themselves what they want done.
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"They're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." -- Col. Puller, USMC
Sunday, July 11, 2010 By Kay Johnson, The Associated Press
KABUL, Afghanistan -- A wave of attacks killed six U.S. troops and at least a dozen civilians Saturday in Afghanistan's volatile south and east, as American reinforcements moving into Taliban-dominated areas face up to the fierce resistance they expected.
Increased U.S.-led military operations in the southern province of Kandahar are aimed at trying to break the Taliban's grip where they are strongest by delivering security and government services to win over Afghan people.
The hope is that once the tide begins to turn, more control can be handed to Afghan forces without fear that the Taliban might again seize power, bring back its harsh interpretation of Islamic law and resume sheltering al-Qaida terrorist leaders. Then U.S. troops could begin withdrawing in July 2011, in line with a timeline set by President Barack Obama.
Senior U.S. military officers have warned, however, that the fight in the Taliban's spiritual birthplace would lead to a rise in casualties for troops. June was the deadliest month of the nearly 9-year-old war, and July has kept pace.
On Saturday, two of the U.S. troops killed died in the south in separate roadside bombings. In Kandahar city, a remote-controlled bomb on a motorcycle exploded, setting cars ablaze and shattering windows at a popular shopping center. The provincial government said one passer-by was killed.
The other American service members died in the east: One as a result of small- arms fire, another by a roadside bomb, a third during an insurgent attack and the last in an accidental explosion. Their deaths raised to 23 the number of American troops killed so far this month. Last month, 103 international troops were killed, 60 of them Americans. [end excerpt]
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"They're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." -- Col. Puller, USMC
Last week, GOP chairman Michael Steele came under fire for daring to say what a lot of Americans already know – that our involvement in Afghanistan is an ill-advised quagmire with no end in sight. After nearly 10 years and approaching $1 trillion spent, the conflict is going nowhere because there is nowhere for it to go. After all, if victory is never really defined, defeat is inevitable.
With our economy at home in serious trouble, this wasteful occupation is something we clearly cannot afford. Each soldier costs us $1 million per year, and yet most in Washington are only considering how many more soldiers to send. Fuel costs an astonishing $400 per gallon for our military in Afghanistan! Yet somehow, many politicians feel it is acceptable to squeeze this money out of our taxpayers, who are truly struggling economically, to fund this non-war. Our economy here is not showing any real signs of improvement. Official unemployment is pushing 10% and getting worse. (Real unemployment is over 20%, according to the free-market economists.) The growing debt and inflation used to fund this occupation only dooms us to more economic hardship for a long time to come. And - for what?
Where the money for Afghanistan comes from is one problem – where it goes is another. Recently, it has come to light that much of the aid money we send to Afghanistan is lost due to corruption. Billions of tax dollars from hardworking Americans are ending up lining the pockets of corrupt Afghan officials, and likely even filtering into the Taliban we are ostensibly fighting. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that curiously enough, billions more than the Afghan government collects in revenue is leaving the country in the form of cash on huge pallets and in suitcases and mostly ending up in Dubai, as well-connected Afghan officials buy up luxury homes and enrich their personal off-shore bank accounts. Investigations into corruption and graft have been blocked by the Karzai government, probably because Karzai’s own brother would have to be implicated. It is encouraging that the foreign aid appropriations subcommittee has attempted to block billions in aid as a response to these allegations, but this is likely temporary and may not even succeed.
The point is that sending aid money to Afghanistan is not making poor people over there better off. It is making poor people here worse off. Corruption is endemic to Afghanistan, with graft comprising about one fourth of their economy! Even though it is considered the second most corrupt nation in the world according to Transparency International, we still send the Afghan government billions of dollars in aid and are shocked to find it is not making its way out of the sticky fingers of the officials entrusted with it.
Robbing citizens here to fund corruption over there is not helping average citizens anywhere. We are sacrificing real economic opportunities at home for the opportunity to line corrupt pockets in Afghanistan. Not only that, but American soldiers are being killed and maimed. It is tragic and frustrating how much we have lost and wasted already. It is time to leave Afghanistan to the Afghans to sort out. I am glad more Americans are finally willing to face this reality.
Last week, GOP chairman Michael Steele came under fire for daring to say what a lot of Americans already know – that our involvement in Afghanistan is an ill-advised quagmire with no end in sight. After nearly 10 years and approaching $1 trillion spent, the conflict is going nowhere because there is nowhere for it to go. After all, if victory is never really defined, defeat is inevitable.
We won't pull out of Afghanistan until the Trans- Afghanistan Pipeline is completed, operational, and secure.
9/11 was just a ruse where one of the primary goals was the acquisition of Afghanistan for that pipeline. The formation of the growing police state and perpetual "war on terror" were other "benefits" of those attacks.
Those who pull the strings will not simply give up because the American People are sick of the war, they'll find some other reason why we "need" to stay there until they're good and ready to pull out, if that day ever comes.
"The real deal is this: the ‘royalty’ controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
Post the article concerning the six young men, see how much interest is shown here.
Then look at the "truthers" post currently running.
Although it's tragic that lives were lost, how many people have been killed in our name today that go unreported? Those young men signed up willingly, naively perhaps, but they are there as an occupation force, and it's not unfathomable that they might not be entirely welcome by those who call it home.
The Soviets ended up losing many lives before deciding it was time to leave. Hopefully our "leaders" will decide it's time to leave before there are many more lives lost, but the chances are that will not happen, at least not anytime soon.
"The real deal is this: the ‘royalty’ controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
Post the article concerning the six young men, see how much interest is shown here.
Then look at the "truthers" post currently running.
Bingo!
"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools." - Douglas Adams
Post the article concerning the six young men, see how much interest is shown here.
Then look at the "truthers" post currently running.
If Afghani troops were occupying America how many of them would you take out, given the opportunity? Why are we in Afghanistan or in most other nations where we have troops? Just a big expense for nothing. If our troops were indeed "fighting for our freedom" they could do it a hell of a lot closer to where they live if you take my meaning.
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. Lord Acton
He (Gordon Duff) also implies that forcibly removing Obama, a Constitution-hating, on-the-down-low, crackhead Communist, is an attack on America, Mom, and apple pie. I swear these military people are worse than useless. Just look around at the condition of the country and tell me if they have fulfilled their oaths to protect the nation from all enemies foreign and domestic. OsamaBinGoldstein posted on 2010-05-25 9:39:59 ET (2 images) Reply Trace
It is a demonstration of where the public interest lies.
Are we supposed to be surprised that there will be casualties? Do you think we can actually convince Obama and those who pull his strings to do the right thing?
"The real deal is this: the ‘royalty’ controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
Post the article concerning the six young men, see how much interest is shown here.
IF the Volunteer Imperial Forces doing the butchering in our name don't wake up soon they're likely ALL going to die over there. And I'll throw a modest party.
In short, anyone on THIS site that gives a hoot when a VIF gets zipped probably is on the wrong site...
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams
I "think" it has nothing to do with oil, opium or terror.
What do you "think" it is about then?
"The real deal is this: the ‘royalty’ controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
Oil, opium and terror are a GREAT cover story though. Because 'we' deal in all of them at a world class level...
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams
Those who pull the strings will not simply give up because the American People are sick of the war, they'll find some other reason why we "need" to stay there until they're good and ready to pull out, if that day ever comes.
bingo. war is the health of the state. the only thing that could end it is for all troops to say no. they couldn't prosecute their wars without bodies to do it. a mutiny or huge revolt against the PTB is what is needed.
The trick is talking people out of the default cowardice they've been taught to retreat to when one speaks of defying government.
Men and women have to be willing, once again, to stand up and not fear the bullet.
"The more artificial taboos and restrictions there are in the world, the more the people are impoverished.... The more that laws and regulations are given prominence, the more thieves and robbers there will be." - Lao Tzu, 6th century BC
maybe if the people understand that they're not fighting for our freedom in these foreign lands, it will stop. i'm not holding my breath though.
It's an easy thing to illustrate to them. Ask anybody who chirps off that "they're fighting for our freedom", what precise freedoms they are defending.
None I can think of really. The best I ever hear in response is "well well well...they're keeping them from attacking us". That's when it's fun to point out that there are < 100 of those goobers in Afghanistan, and that they are by and large incompetent and simply got lucky on 9/11. You can't fight "getting lucky" with troops.
"The more artificial taboos and restrictions there are in the world, the more the people are impoverished.... The more that laws and regulations are given prominence, the more thieves and robbers there will be." - Lao Tzu, 6th century BC
the only thing that could end it is for all troops to say no
That'll never happen. SOME might get sick of it all, but those in command will always reign them in, one way or the other.
Not many, if any, wars have been fought where the troops didn't suffer low morale at times, and there are mechanisms in place to keep that from exploding into open mutiny or rebellion.
"The real deal is this: the ‘royalty’ controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
The individual, regardless of how he got there, is expendable, totally valueless.
This past June set a record for military suicides. Even their deaths is of no interest or concern to the general populace. They volunteered, no fault but their own. That is not a callus view, rather a view arrived at without full knowledge and experience of what makes this country run. For instance, no volunteers, immediate draft of those that so detest...the volunteers.
#31. To: Cynicom, RidleyReport, Lod, IRTorqued, FormerLurker, Turtle, James Deffenbach, Rotara, christine, SonOfLiberty, Disgusted, All (#29)
They volunteered, no fault but their own. That is not a callus view, rather a view arrived at without full knowledge and experience of what makes this country run. For instance, no volunteers, immediate draft of those that so detest...the volunteers.
Yes, and no volunteers means invadable by all who covet our resources. America must have a Military always. They take orders from civilians who have done nothing but keep the wars going. It's not supposed to be the Military's job to pick and choose whether they want to take political matters into their own hands. All the people complaining about the Military not going AWOL and Deserting would likely be denouncing them for a coup if they stopped taking their orders from D.C. It might make people feel better to imagine that's what they should do but imagine if they did that everytime they got in a bad mood and decided to takeover the government. Who knows which way the political winds would be blowing on any given day? Would just depend on who had the biggest arsenal there at their disposal. It is not a President's job to hold peace hostage or to end war. It is Congress's job to end the war and it is the people's job to pressure them to do that. No sense in tossing that responsibility onto the Military like a hot potato so civilians can try to exonerate themselves of it and feel gooder by blaming them.
Here is a post that shows our war policy is being dictated by the G8 and such:
McChrystal's grim self-assessment emerged just after the G8 summit in Toronto set Afghan President Hamid Karzai's a five-year deadline to improve the security and governance in Afghanistan, calling for "concrete progress."
Here is a comment that I submitted in response which PRESSTV refuses to print:
What?? 5 more years? -- says the G8? Americans are being told we musn't plan on a deadline to leave next year after nearly a decade of war there because that would embolden insurgents but the G8 can encourage Karzai's corrupt government to drag its feet for half a decade more before it cleans up its act because the G8 is determining war policy for us now and how much longer we'll be there providing security for him and his cabal? If I misunderstood the G8's directive, somebody please say so.
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And, lo and behold, close to 5 more years (2014) is exactly what Britain and NATO have been announcing since the G8 summit "proclamation" above.
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"They're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." -- Col. Puller, USMC
I "think" it has nothing to do with oil, opium or terror.
And former Lurker asks the following question.
What do you "think" it is about then?
May I take the liberty to answer that in a very direct and truthful manner?
JEWS
Our government has been compromised and taken over by the jews. That's right! They have us over there in the ME doing more of their dirty work. The very jews who think we are on the same level as cattle and the very jews that are slaughtering Palestinian women and children by the thousands. The very same jews who are crying and perpetrating the hollowcaust. (Not misspelled).
There, I've said it for you and didn't mince words.
Sometimes soldiers with guts take on a regime. These guys came within a hair of their goal.
Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg Born Claus Philipp Maria Schenk 15 November 1907(1907-11-15) Jettingen, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire Died 21 July 1944 (aged 36) Berlin, Germany
Cause of death Execution by firing squad Nationality German Employer Wehrmacht Heer Known for 20 July plot coordinator Home town Albstadt, Germany Title Oberst (Colonel) Religion Roman Catholicism
Spouse(s) Nina Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg Parents Alfred Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg Caroline Schenk Gräfin (von Stauffenberg family) Relatives Gm Berthold Maria Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (son), Franz-Ludwig Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (son)
Men and women have to be willing, once again, to stand up and not fear the bullet.
BINGO!
I happen to agree with that statement, and it applies to you just as much as you think it applies to me LACUMO because you are doing the same as everyone else - absolutely nothing.
Yes LACUMO I get what you are saying and so does everyone else. I am a coward for not being willing to martyr myself in a one man war against the federal government. You, on the other hand, are somehow a brave hero for also not being willing to martyr yourself in a one man war against the federal government. You've made your point on this issue several times now. Once you can give a logical explanation as to why your lack of action makes you brave and mine makes me a coward, your accusations might have weight. Until then it's just gum bumping.
Hypocrisy thy name is LACUMO.
"The Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any significance in the major media." ~ William Colby, Director, CIA 1973–1976
Nothing in the State, everything outside the State, everything against the State - Jan Lester, Escape From Leviathan
"When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that justifies it." - Frederic Bastiat
Good order results spontaneously when things are let alone. - Zhuangzi
