Political post of note today

I can''t seem to find the words.  I sound like an idiot when I try to express my feelings.  However, Soloman and Beck do it quite well.

http://wisdomofsoloman.blogspot.com/2010/03/bloody-mary-for-health-care-debate.html

And that's all I am gonna say about it for now.

Happy Constitution Day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l_aaBCdP_g
Best video I have seen all day

http://www.constitutionday.com/the-constitution-text.html
When is the last time you read it?



Let's do all we can to keep it intact!

America - Change - And who is our President surrounding himself with?

I don't want my blog to become a political one. I started it for fun, journal keeping, creative outlet, and on the side, made some amazing friends.

However, times dictate that I have a voice about things that are important. Therefore, as I mentioned once before if I come across something that I feel needs to be shared, I'm gonna be turning political for a few minutes to share it. Also, won't it be interesting to look back on these in a few years?

If you know me, you know I lean towards the conservative side. That being said, my father was a proud democrat until the day he died. Many of that party's positive views were instilled in me, and I like to think I am open minded, fair and try to look at all angles. I do not disregard the good from either "side of the aisle". As I grow older and mature, I find that most of my core beliefs and values tend to lean more to the right. However, I am against any kind of extremist behavior or views. I really believe if my dad saw the Democratic party in it's current state, he would not believe it! He was an attorney and versed in the law. Now, more than ever, I wish he were here to get his views and insights.

Right now, I find myself a little disenchanted with both Republicans and Democrats. I think politicians in general have become, for the most part, quite corrupt. I believe many started in office with good intentions, but when money and power become involved, it becomes hard to stay focused on the will of the people and the true purpose of public service. Right now I find myself in the middle.

Yes, I watch Glenn Beck and others on Fox news. Before you make the assumption (which seems to happen when I mention I watch Beck) that I am now a fanatic, I also watch MSNBC, CNN, and the three major networks. I read blogs from people on the right, I read blogs from people on the left. I concede that I am sometimes not the brightest bulb in the chandelier and can often be an airhead, but I am not stupid, can think for myself, and come to my own educated conclusions. I am also not afraid to ask questions of those that I trust.

I have been following some interesting and yes, quite concerning stories on a cable news program for the past several days. Last night's was a kicker. I can't stay quiet anymore.

Please take the time to watch the video. I realize it's long. You'll need to settle down, get a diet coke, grab a chocolate snack, and pay attention.

After watching it, ask yourself, is this right? Is this what I can live with?
If you think he's wrong, PROVE IT! I beg of you. PROVE. HIM. WRONG.

If you can't, then we need to act friends. We cannot stand idly by and see our country, our principles, our very constitution become a shambles.

http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html?playerId=videolandingpage&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=8990946&referralPlaylistId=playlist (sorry you have to link over, I tried multiple times to embed...)

And yes, I allow comments, I don't moderate them, I'll even take anon comments, but if you have something to say please be respectful, use facts and don't get personal.

American Capitalism gone with a whimper??

Checked out on Snopes...unfortunately, true!

The irony of this article appearing in the English edition of Pravda (Russian State Newspaper) defies description.

Even the Russians know, but the Americans can't grasp what is happening to us....

American capitalism gone with a whimper

It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American descent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people.

True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century, especially the past twenty years. The initial testing grounds was conducted upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would not just roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how much money Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists.

Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and betters.

First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather than the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas then the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their "right" to choke down a McDonalds burger or a Burger King burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our "democracy". Pride blinds the foolish.

Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different "branches and denominations" were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top Protestant mega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the "winning" side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the "winning" side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America .

The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America 's short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more than another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Weimar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe .

These past two weeks have been the most breath taking of all. First came the announcement of a planned redesign of the American Byzantine tax system, by the very thieves who used it to bankroll their thefts, losses and swindles of hundreds of billions of dollars. These make our Russian oligarchs look little more then ordinary street thugs, in comparison. Yes, the Americans have beat our own thieves in the shear volumes. Should we congratulate them?

These men, of course, are not an elected panel but made up of appointees picked from the very financial oligarchs and their henchmen who are now gorging themselves on trillions of American dollars, in one bailout after another. They are also usurping the rights, duties and powers of the American congress (parliament). Again, congress has put up little more than a whimper to their masters.

Then came Barack Obama's command that GM's (General Motors) president step down from leadership of his company. That is correct, dear reader, in the land of "pure" free markets, the American president now has the power, the self given power, to fire CEOs and we can assume other employees of private companies, at will. Come hither, go dither, the centurion commands his minions.

So it should be no surprise, that the American president has followed this up with a "bold" move of declaring that he and another group of unelected, chosen stooges will now redesign the entire automotive industry and will even be the guarantor of automobile policies. I am sure that if given the chance, they would happily try and redesign it for the whole of the world, too. Prime Minister Putin, less then two months ago, warned Obama and UK 's Blair, not to follow the path to Marxism, it only leads to disaster. Apparently, even though we suffered 70 years of this Western sponsored horror show, we know nothing as foolish, drunken Russians, so let our "wise" Anglo-Saxon fools find out the folly of their own pride.

Again, the American public has taken this with barely a whimper...but a "freeman" whimper.

So, should it be any surprise to discover that the Democrat controlled Congress of America is working on passing a new regulations that would give the American Treasury department the power to set "fair" maximum salaries, evaluate performance and control how private companies give out pay raises and bonuses? Senator Barney Frank, a social pervert basking in his homosexuality (of course, amongst the modern, enlightened American societal norm, as well as that of the general West, homosexuality is not only not a looked down upon life choice, but is often praised as a virtue) and his Marxist enlightenment, has led this effort. He stresses that this only affects companies that receive government monies, but it is retroactive and taken to a logical extreme, this would include any company or industry that has ever received a tax break or incentive.

The Russian owners of American companies and industries should look thoughtfully at this and the option of closing their facilities down and fleeing the land of the Red as fast as possible. In other words, divest while there is still value left. The proud American will go down into his slavery without a fight, beating his chest and proclaiming to the world, how free he really is. The world will only snicker.

Stanislav Mishin© 1999-2009. «PRAVDA.Ru». When reproducing our materials in whole or in part, hyperlink to PRAVDA.Ru should be made. The opinions and views of the authors do not always coincide with the point of view of PRAVDA.Ru's editors.

I found a link to this guys's blog, a Russian, who posts the same article. What captured me is the comments left by both Russians and Americans. Very interesting reading.

PS - Are you watching him this week? If not, you should be. You'll learn more than you thought you wanted to.


PSS - Thanks BFC for passing this on.

I realize this might be getting old.......

But really, I like this dude........



I like that he uses facts, and has his documentation right in front of him. This video is straight from the meetings, not some news channel's sound byte and spin.

I dig this Congressman

I like this guy.... some more food for thought.




I suppose I should be careful, my blog is gonna get "flagged" if it hasn't already.

Well said......Thank you Congressman Rogers - A must watch if you care about Healtcare reform

Saw this on Pedaling's blog.....loved it, and wanted to share it. Thanks Pedaling!



I wonder how long it's going to take until the government tells me what kind of toilet paper I have to use too.....

Can't sit by and let this happen! We need voices. I think I'm gonna hit my next townhall meeting and become a "mobster"

God Bless our Troops - "Why I love Marines and Americans"

BFC's hubby (retired Marine colonel) had this posted on his FB today. I loved it and with his permission have done a copy and paste. No changes made to his original text.

Outnumbered 8 - 1: 'A good day for the Corps' By Peter Bronson

"Our vehicles came under a barrage of enemy RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) and machine gun fire. One of our humvees was disabled from RPG fire, and the Marines inside dismounted and laid down suppression fire so they could evacuate a Marine who was knocked unconscious from the blast." That's
not from an episode of The Unit or 24. It's not from an anti-war movie. It's not from any newspaper or TV news reports I could find.

The quote comes from a "designated marksman who requested to remain unidentified." He was reporting what happened recently in the city of Shewan, Afghanistan. The story was told in a Marine Corps News report by Cpl. James M. Mercure. It will give you goose bumps and make you want to stand up and salute the nearest flag. Here's more, because it's a lot better than anything I could write today:

"The day started out with a 10-kilometer patrol with elements mounted and dismounted, so by the time we got to Shewan, we were pretty beat,"the marksman said. Mercure reported, "Shewan had been a thorn in the side of Task Force 2d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force Afghanistan throughout the Marines' deployment here in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, because it controls an important supply route into the Bala Baluk district. Opening the route was key to continuing combat operations in the area."

"The vicious attack that left the humvee destroyed and several of the Marines pinned down in the kill zone sparked an intense eight-hour battle as the platoon desperately fought to recover their comrades. After recovering the Marines trapped in the kill zone, another platoon sergeant personally led numerous attacks on enemy fortified positions while the platoon fought house to house and trench to trench in order to clear through the enemy ambush site.

"The biggest thing to take from that day is what Marines can accomplish when they're given the opportunity to fight," the sniper said. "A small group of Marines met a numerically superior force and embarrassed them in their own backyard. The insurgents told the townspeople that they were stronger
than the Americans, and that day we showed them they were wrong."

"During the battle, the designated marksman single handedly thwarted a company-sized enemy RPG and machinegun ambush by reportedly killing 20 enemy fighters with his devastatingly accurate precision fire. He selflessly exposed himself time and again to intense enemy fire during a critical point in the eight-hour battle for Shewan in order to kill any enemy combatants who attempted to engage or maneuver on the Marines in the kill zone. What made his actions even more impressive was the fact that he didn't miss any shots, despite the enemies' rounds impacting within a foot of his fighting position. "I was in my own little world," the young corporal said. "I wasn't even aware of a lot of the rounds impacting near my position, because I was concentrating so hard on making sure my rounds were on target."

After calling for close-air support, the small group of Marines pushed forward and broke the enemies' spirit as many of them dropped their weapons and fled the battlefield. At the end of the battle, the Marines had reduced an enemy stronghold, killed more than 50 insurgents and wounded several
more. "I didn't realize how many bad guys there were until we had broken through the enemies' lines and forced them to retreat. It was roughly 250 insurgents against 30 of us," the corporal said. "It was a good day for the Marine Corps. We killed a lot of bad guys, and none of our guys were seriously injured."

Such an amazing story of heroism and victory would have been on Page One in every paper in the country during World War II. Just 30 Marines giving eight hours of hell to 250 insurgents is the kind of story that would make a good movie -- if that kind of movie still could be made.

But these days, it did not even make Page 10. I couldn't find a story about it anywhere. The only mentions were on conservative blogs and military Web sites. The soldiers who are fighting for their lives and our country might as well be in another dimension. News from the battlefronts in Iraq and
Afghanistan is apparently not important. It reminds the jaded anti-war crowd that they were wrong. We're winning. It reminds a self-centered nation that some Americans are making sacrifices much bigger than a loss in their 401(k)s.

So we don't hear about it.

But we need to hear news like that, because a good day for the Marine Corps is a good day for freedom. And that's a good day for America.


I am proud and grateful to you Colonel R and all who have served with you, serve now and will proudly serve in the future!
For the record, I am certainly not front page news, just a little ole blog. But anytime I learn of something like this, it's getting space on my blog. Any time.

"Ooh-Rah"

PSA - 'Cause I'm a giver

Normally, I would give you heads up if you are an Obama lover, or a Glenn Beck hater, but today, I don't care where you sit, on which side of any aisle. If you haven't seen this already, you need to watch it, and give it some thought

http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html?playerId=011008&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=7478735&referralPlaylistId=playlist

Fundamentally change. Yes, I think we need some things tweaked, perhaps, even overhauled a bit, but FUNDAMENTALLY the United States is sound.

Please Mr Obama. Don't.go.down.this.path.


**For the love of all that's holy, I can't embed the video, you're gonna have to hit the link. BTW - PSA is a blood test that checks the prostate. Wonder how many google searches will lead here? : )**

In the name of educating others........

Here's to hoping this really long post with lots of really long links won't bore you..... BUT -

I recently did this post.

My blog feeds through facebook (please don't ask me how, I have no idea, my smartest techie guru BIL did it for me, xoxoxo BIL S).

I received some strong comments via FB regarding this post. It was basically a public calling out that I was lacking information and was linked over here for the real truth.

In addition to feeling stupid, I was left wondering if I really did miss some facts or was mislead.

When I am buying a cut of meat, I ask a butcher. If I am going to buy a car, I ask a mechanic. If I need plumbing done, I call a plumber. You get the idea. So, when I have a military question, I ask those in the military. Those whom have earned my trust.

So I linked my BFC to the above posted site and asked her opinion. And if there were additional insights I needed. She posted a comment on the persons blog, but it did not get approved, therefore, did not get shared.

I think it's only fair, that an educated response get it's public due......

"D,
I do not believe we have officially met yet so today is the day, thanks to my cousin, your sister in law, M.
Hope I make sense, since I am home sick but several things stuck me about this posted blog.
First, even though this is someone else's work and opinion, for myself I would have to amend to hell with war to War is Hell. We live next to Camp Lejeune, NC(Lejeune was another marine general). We see firsthand the wounded warriors, the families in stress and distress, and we live the life, by choice, the General speaks of.

You see, Some give none, some give some while others give all.

I speak as a wife of a retired Colonel of the Marines after 27 years of service and first hand experience in war, both large and small, in small countries that do not make the headlines and larger countries the media completely misrepresent to make a buck or to pursue their own darker agenda. (I would love to read a blog on that one!)

After retirement, my husband did some lucrative contract work and found exactly what the General talks of but also some very good people trying make a change. He left that and now he is now Regional Chief Instructor of the Marine Expeditionary Warfare School from the Marine Corps College of Continuing Education. I will pass this on to him for much professional comments than I. But before you discount our comments because we appear to be making money off what the General has put so disdainfully and honestly, realize we have seen and experienced much of what he says first hand. I would seriously suggest you do a little more research into this person whose script you use and know about him and his motives. He had the courage to stand for what he believed in, which I greatly respect. While much of what he says is true, some is not. Again, you need to understand him as a person and his agenda. Mark my words, he had an agenda. No matter his rank, he is first and foremost a human being like all of us, imperfect, and his views are colored by his experiences, just as each of us.

It is a unique person who desires to and qualifies to be a "Leatherneck" or "Jarhead". There is a lot of pride involved and that can be a problem as pride precedes the fall.
I see and know a lot I do not agree with around me and coming from the higher ups. Corruption is all around us. General Smedley Butler was not immune to it either.
He became a prominent political figure and advocated military isolationism. He gave numerous speeches at Communist Party meetings in the 1930's as well as for the League Against War and Fascism however in 1935 he broke ties with anti-fascist groups when they called for war to defend from fascism. I, myself, find that remarkable that one so dedicated to freedom would not support protection from fascism.

The forward of the book you blogged was written by Lowell Thomas who said "General Butler has been motivated by the same fiery integrity and loyal patriotism which has distinguished his service in countless Marine campaigns." We do have a street named after General Butler here at Camp Lejeune.

Somehow Semper Fidelis and some of what the General said/believed is out of balance. Fortunately for you, you live in a country who knows the importance of freedom and will fight to protect your freedom and his, to share and express thoughts, feelings and opinions without fear of death.

There have always been those who will seek to profit at another's expense so that is not surprising, sad, but not surprising. We know wonderful people who will give everything they have for this country, many who will not, and even more who will stand in judgment with no background or feet to stand on.

Lets try a parallel you may understand. I daresay you have found in the real estate business the same thing and people the General was disenchanted with. But does it stop you from being in real estate? We are very aware of what some people in banking and real estate have done, but does that make real estate WRONG and make EVERYONE involved wrong so we should say to hell with real estate and go back to squatting property?

"There is a time and a place for everything",
"Everything is as it should be" for the next step to happen and there will always be vultures. By all means, we should work to expose their ways and weed them out. That is very true today. I am sure the General is turning in his grave to see the sorry state of events and had he lived this long to see some of what he thought actually come to pass, he would have several followup books and words to right his own possible misunderstandings. :)

None of us are perfect, we learn as we go and it would sure be nice if we could trust other people and other countries so there was no need for war. When war is necessary to protect our freedom, it would be nice if people were honest and not looking to turn a profit at the expense or lives of others. Same holds true in real estate. :)

Looking forward to future blogs and it was a pleasure to "meet" you!

T"

Names were changed to initials for privacy but other than that, this is a direct copy and paste of her response.

I do feel more educated. I do feel more enlightened. But more, I am humbled by the sacrifice of others for the right of free speech.

That leads me to my next post, the question of the day.......

Why are we in Afghanistan?.......the real answer

I received an email from my beloved cousin, whom I have mentioned before. Her husband, whom I love as well, is a retired Marine who has done his share of "tours of duty". He currently is serving as:
Regional Chief Instructor
Expeditionary Warfare School
Marine Corps College of Continuing Education
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

I loved the article she sent me that explains why the crap we are in Afghanistan and why it is imporatant. I understand it's a loooooong read, but it's excellently written and so informative that I wanted to post it for not only others who might benefit from the writer's education and analysis, but for history's sake as well.

You no likey long reads? Click mark as read, I'll understand and still love you anyway.

My cousin does a good job of not only sharing her wise persective but at making sure the author gets due credit. The next portion is a direct cut and paste from the email with slight modication to protect privacy:

"This is excellent and well written...but if your time is limited the last section is very important. The entire article is well worth the read to understand what is being tried. Sounds good, but it is the Taliban. The Taliban was not responsible for 9/11 anymore than Iraq was... my personal feeling is Al Qaeda has set up home elsewhere in the world but as any good chess player, left some distractions behind in Afghan, that is just me speaking there.

This is not classified so feel free to share but please do give credit to the author who is the founder of Stratfor (Strategic Forecasts). One of R's major info sources and one for the classroom.

Strategic Calculus and the Afghan War
July 13, 2009

By George Friedman
U.S. and allied forces began their first major offensive in Afghanistan under the command of U.S. Gen David Petraeus and Gen. Stanley McChrystal this July. Inevitably, coalition casualties have begun to mount. Fifteen British soldiers have died within the past 10 days — eight of whom were killed within a 24-hour period — in Helmand province, where the operation is taking place. On July 6, seven U.S. soldiers were killed in separate attacks across Afghanistan within a single day, and on July 12another four U.S. soldiers were reported killed in Helmand.

While the numbers are still relatively low, the reaction, particularly in the United Kingdom, has been strong. Afghanistan had long been a war of intermittent casualties, the “other war.” Now it is the prime theater of operations. The United States has changed the rules of the war, and so a great many things now change.
The increase in casualties by itself does not tell us much about the success of the operation. If U.S. and NATO forces are successful in finding and attacking Taliban militants, Western casualties inevitably will spike. If the Taliban were prepared for the offensive, and small units were waiting in ambush, coalition casualties also will rise. Overall, however, the casualties remain low for the number of troops involved — and no matter how well the operation is going, it will result in casualties.
Laying the Groundwork for Counterinsurgency

According to the U.S. command, the primary purpose of the operation in Helmand is not to engage Taliban forces. Instead, the purpose is to create a secure zone in hostile territory, staying true to the counterinsurgency principle of winning hearts and minds. In other words, Helmand is supposed to be a platform for winning over the population by securing it against the Taliban, and for demonstrating that the methods used in Iraq — and in successful counterinsurgency in general — can be applied to Afghanistan.

The U.S. strategy makes a virtue out of the fundamental military problem in counterinsurgency whereby the successful insurgent declines combat when the occupying power has overwhelming force available, withdrawing, dispersing and possibly harassing the main body with hit-and-run operations designed to impose casualties and slow down the operation. The counterinsurgent’s main advantage is firepower, on the ground and in the air. The insurgents’ main advantage is intelligence. Native to the area, insurgents have networks of informants letting them know not only where enemy troops are, but also providing information about counterinsurgent operations during the operations’ planning phases.

Insurgents will have greater say over the time and place of battle. As major operations crank up in one area, the insurgents attack in other areas. And the insurgents have two goals. The first is to wear out the counterinsurgency in endless operations that yield little. The second is to impose a level of casualties disproportionate to the level of success, making the operation either futile or apparently futile.

The insurgent cannot defeat the main enemy force in open battle; by definition, that is beyond his reach. What he can do is impose casualties on the counterinsurgent. The asymmetry of this war is the asymmetry of interest. In Vietnam, the interests of the North Vietnamese in the outcome far outweighed the interests of the Americans in the outcome. That meant the North Vietnamese would take the time needed, expend the lives required and run the risks necessary to win the war. U.S. interest in the war was much smaller. A 20-to-1 ratio of Vietnamese to U.S. casualties therefore favored the North Vietnamese. They were fighting for a core issue. The Americans were fighting a peripheral issue. So long as the North Vietnamese could continue to impose casualties on the Americans, they could push Washington to a political point where the war became not worth fighting for the United States.

The insurgent has time on his side. The insurgent is native to the war zone and has the will and patience to exhaust the enemy. The counterinsurgent always will be short of time — especially in a country like Afghanistan, where security and governing institutions will have to be built from scratch. A considerable amount of time must pass before the counterinsurgent’s strategy can yield results, something McChrystal and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates have both acknowledged. The more time passes and the more casualties mount for the counterinsurgent, the more likely public support for the counterinsurgent’s war will erode. Therefore, the counterinsurgency timeline is unlikely to match up with the political timeline at home.

The Intelligence Problem
The problem of intelligence is the perpetual weakness of the counterinsurgent. The counterinsurgent is operating in a foreign country and thereby lacks the means to distinguish allies from enemy agents, or valid from invalid information. This makes winning allies among the civilian population key for the counterinsurgent.
Unless a solid base is achieved among the residents of Helmand, the coalition’s intelligence problem will remain insurmountable. This explains why the current operation is focusing on holding and securing the area and winning hearts and minds. With a degree of security comes loyalty. With loyalty comes intelligence. If intelligence is the insurgent’s strategic advantage, this is the way to counter it. It strikes at the center of gravity of the insurgent. Intelligence is his strong suit, and if the insurgent loses it, he loses the war.

Then there is the issue of counterintelligence. Every Afghan translator, soldier or government official is a possible breach of security for the counterinsurgent. Most of them — and certainly not all of them — are not in bed with the enemy. But some inevitably will be, and not only does that render counterinsurgent operations insecure, it also creates uncertainty among the counterinsurgents. The insurgent’s ability to gather intelligence on the counterinsurgents is the insurgents’ main strategic advantage. With it, insurgents can evade entrapment and choose the time and place for engagement. Without it, insurgents are blind. With it, the insurgent can fill the counterinsurgent’s intelligence pipeline with misleading information. Without it, the counterinsurgent might see clearly enough to find and destroy the insurgent force.

Counterinsurgency and the al Qaeda Factor
The Afghan counterinsurgency campaign also suffers from a weakness in its strategic rationale. What makes Afghanistan critical to the United States is al Qaeda, the core group of jihadists that demonstrated the ability to launch transcontinental attacks against the West from Afghanistan. The argument has been that without U.S. troops in the country and a pro-American government in Kabul, al Qaeda might return, rebuild and strike again. That makes Afghanistan a strategic interest for the United States

But there is a strategic divergence between the war against al Qaeda and the war against the Taliban. Some will argue that al Qaeda remains operational and, therefore, the United States must make a long-term military investment in Afghanistan to deprive the enemy of sanctuary.

But while some al Qaeda members remain to issue threatening messages from the region, the group’s ability to meet covertly, recruit talent, funnel money and execute operations from the region has been hampered considerably. The overall threat value of al Qaeda, in our view, has declined. If this is a war that pivots on intelligence, the mission to block al Qaeda eventually may once again be left to the covert capabilities of U.S. intelligence and Special Operations Command, whether in Afghanistan, Pakistan or elsewhere.

Widening the war’s objectives to defeating the Taliban insurgency through a resource-intensive hearts-and-minds campaign requires time and patience, both of which lie with the insurgent. If the United States were to draw the conclusion that al Qaeda was no longer functional, and that follow-on organizations may be as likely to organize attacks from Somalia or Pakistan as they would be from Afghanistan, then the significance of Afghanistan declines.

That creates the asymmetry that made the Vietnam War unsustainable. The Taliban have nowhere else to go. They have fought as an organization since the 1990s, and longer than that as individuals. Their interest in the future of Afghanistan towers over the American interest if it is determined that the al Qaeda-Afghanistan nexus is no longer decisive. If that were to happen, then the willingness of the United States to absorb casualties would decline dramatically.

This is not a question of the American will to fight; it is a question of the American interest in fighting. In Vietnam, the United States fought for many years. At a certain point, the likelihood of a cessation of conflict declined, along with the likelihood of U.S. victory, such that the rational U.S. interest in remaining in Vietnam and taking casualties disappeared. In Vietnam, there was an added strategic consideration: The U.S. military was absorbed in Vietnam while the main threat was from the Soviet Union in Europe. Continuing the war increased the risk in Europe. So the United States withdrew from Vietnam.

The Taliban obviously want to create a similar dynamic in Afghanistan — the same dynamic the mujahideen used against the Soviets there. The imposition of casualties in a war of asymmetric interests inevitably generates political resistance among those not directly committed to the war. The command has a professional interest in the war, the troops have a personal and emotional commitment. They are in the war, and look at the war as a self-contained entity, worth fighting in its own right.
Outside of those directly involved in the war, including the public, the landscape becomes more complex. The question of whether the war is worth fighting becomes the question, a question that is not asked — and properly so — in the theater of operations. The higher the casualty count, the more the interests involved in the war are questioned, until at some point, the equation shifts away from the war and toward withdrawal.

Avoiding Asymmetry of Interests
The key for the United States in fighting the war is to avoid asymmetry of interests. If the war is seen as a battle against the resumption of terrorist attacks on the United States, casualties are seen as justified. If the war is seen as having moved beyond al Qaeda, the strategic purpose of the war becomes murky and the equation shifts. There have been no attacks from al Qaeda on the United States since 2001. If al Qaeda retains some operational capability, it is no longer solely dependent on Afghanistan to wage attacks. Therefore, the strategic rationale becomes tenuous.

The probe into Helmand is essentially an intelligence battle between the United States and the Taliban. But what is striking is that even at this low level of casualties, there are already reactions. A number of prominent news media outlets have highlighted the rise in casualties, and the British are reacting strongly to the fact that total British casualties in Afghanistan have now surpassed the number of British troops killed in Iraq. The response has not risen to the level that would be associated with serious calls for a withdrawal, but even so, it does give a measure of the sensitivity of the issue.

Petraeus is professionally committed to the war and the troops have shed sweat and blood. For them, this war is of central importance. If they can gain the confidence of the population and if they can switch the dynamics of the intelligence war, the Taliban could wind up on the defensive. But if the Taliban can attack U.S. forces around the country, increasing casualties, the United States will be on the defensive. The war is a contest now between the intelligence war and casualties. The better the intelligence, the fewer the casualties. But it seems to us that the intelligence war will be tougher to win than it will be for the Taliban to impose casualties.

U.S. President Barack Obama is in the position Richard Nixon found himself in back in 1969. Having inherited a war he didn’t begin, Nixon had the option of terminating it. He chose instead to continue to fight it. Obama has the same choice. He did not start the Afghan war, and in spite of his campaign rhetoric, he does not have to continue it. After one year in office, Nixon found that Lyndon Johnson’s war had become his war. Obama will experience the same dilemma.

The least knowable variable is Obama’s appetite for this war. He will see casualties without any guarantee of success. If he does attempt to negotiate a deal with the Taliban, as Nixon did with the North Vietnamese, any deal is likely to be as temporary as Nixon’s deal proved. The key is the intelligence he is seeing, and whether he has confidence in it. If the intelligence says the war in Afghanistan blocks al Qaeda attacks on the United States, he will have to continue it. If there is no direct link, then he has a serious problem.

Obama clearly has given Petraeus a period of time to fight the war. We suspect Obama does not want the Afghan war to become his war. Therefore, there have to be limits on how long Petraeus has. These limits are unlikely to align with the counterinsurgency timeline. The Taliban, meanwhile, constitute a sophisticated insurgent group and understand the dynamics of American politics. If they can impose casualties on the United States now, before the intelligence war shifts in Washington’s favor, then they might shift Obama’s calculus.
This is what the Afghan war is now about.
STRATFOR.COM

If you made it this far, good on ya. Perhaps this helps to understand a little better why we are there and why it's important. It certainly did for me.

And for the upteenth time, let me express my gratitude for those serving in any branch of the armed services to protect our liberties and freedoms.