Despite all the obsession in the blogosphere these last few days regarding Senator Dodd’s noble effort to block a revision to the FISA law that would grant amnesty to telecomunications companies who acquiesced in Bush’s illegal spying program, Harry Reid’s cave in to Democratic activists, and Bush’s threats to veto any FISA bill that puts the interest of ordinary Americans over the interests of telecommunications companies who violated the law so the NSA could illegally eavesdrop on your telephone calls and email communications, the rest of the planet didn’t stop revolving, the Sun didn’t stop in the sky (as it allegedly did for Joshua during the battle of Gibeon), and other relevant news events continued to occur. Here is just one of the stories you might have missed:
Fifteen Security Guards for the American company US Protection and Investigations were killed yesterday in a Taliban ambush in Western Afghanistan:
Taliban fighters ambushed a convoy of fuel tankers travelling to Helmand province in Afghanistan today, killing 15 guards employed by a US security company.
The men, who worked for the Texas-based US Protection and Investigations (USPI), were travelling in a group of between six and eight vehicles guarding the tankers when the militants attacked.
A further five guards were wounded, according to Muhaidin Baluch, the governor of Farah province in west Afghanistan, where the attack took place. One fuel tanker was set on fire and one of the guards’ vehicles was taken.
The tankers were travelling from the western city of Herat to a military outpost in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, where some of the heaviest fighting has taken place this year between Nato and Afghan troops and the Taliban.
Good thing Bush never declared “major combat operations are over” regarding the Taliban and Al Qaida, because six years later they are still fighting, and regaining control of, much of the territory that was lost to them in 2001-02 after we took our military assets off to fight that WMD hiding, terrorist supporting, mushroom cloud making, Hitler-like threat to all mankind, Saddam Hussein. Well, Hussein is dead and gone, his regime is kaput, but our miltary is still bogged down occupying Iraq and Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaida and the Taliban seem to be doing just fine thank-you very much.
Meanwhile, our tax dollars are financing the private armies guarding convoys in Afghanistan and Iraq just like the one which was ambushed above, or carrying out other missions typically reserved fro the military in past conflicts. We don’t usually hear about the deaths of these people because they aren’t officially counted as part of our military, but for all intents and purposes they should be. They are employed, as are our other “contractors,” at overinflated prices, by our government to carry out military missions. Which is one reason the Bush administration likes to use them.
No one in the American media reports on the deaths of “mercenaries” like they do on the deaths US troops, and his republican supporters get to siphon off our tax dollars to enlarge their companies’ profits. It’s a win-win for Bush — no negative publicity about his endless “War on Terror” while he bleeds the coffers of the federal government dry for the benefit of his friends. How many billions of dollars have been siphoned off to Halliburton, KBR, Blackwater, and so many other private companies providing “services” to Mr. Bush’s war?
How much money has been wasted so that rich right wing nut case bastards like Eric Prince and his company Blackwater can wallow in record profits? How well does Dick Cheney and his friends at Halliburton and elsewhere rejoice each year when their corporations issue dividend checks? And how many of these lawless, unaccountable mercenaries we employ have committed war crimes which go unreported and unknown except to their victims’ families? Indeed, how many of these guns for hire have been killed or wounded, only to be replaced unceremoniously by the next round of hires from God knows where?
So be happy for the holidays that Senator Dodd accomplished one small delaying action to try to preserve our constitutional rights. Just don’t forget that in the big picture, where we are losing ground in Afghanistan and Pakistan every day to the people responsible for the attacks on September 11, 2001, where our international reputation has been shattered, perhaps beyond repair, and where George Bush continues to get all the funds he needs, with no strings attached, from Congress to keep fighting the wrong war against the wrong people in the wrong place (Iraq), that what Senator Dodd did yesterday represents a very small victory indeed.
Small? How about – Miniscule! And don’t forget that that American Traitor reid has just “Delayed” the bill. It is coming back in January. And you can bet your ass that when it does, it will be even harder to do what has to be done. The pressure between now and then will be ENORMOUS! So, take a breath and then get back in or this too will be a very hollow win!
The tragedy is that the media will portray this action as anti american.if you want an example, just look at todays NYT article. No mention of the real crime. They just cal it Immunity. Not what bush wants it to approve- RETROACTIVE!
And that is just the start!
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Fall 2006 – The emboldened Taliban army, like a Phoenix rising, ascended from the ashes last year into a larger, stronger threat; catching even top NATO commanders off guard. Fearless, they came down from the mountains to take root amongst Helmand’s populace in villages and urban centers. They effectively played off the failures of the local government, the stagnant economy and other grievances rife amongst Helmandis, to their benefit. This entrenched social and support network allowed the movement’s wings to spread, effectively fanning the firestorm of death and destruction that’s rapidly spreading across the rugged south.
Throughout last summer, British forces suffered almost daily attacks on their remote outposts that dotted the unforgiving wilds of Helmand’s most notorious hotspots. By October, unable to sustain this exceptional level of combat for ever, they drafted a controversial `peace deal’ between the locals and the Taliban in Musa Qala, a violent backwater in northern Helmand, and pulled out.
The agreement stipulated the tribal elders keep the Taliban out of Musa Qala, despite being closely aligned with them, and the Coalition forces would stay outside the city’s center.
…
Days went by and the call from Kabul to retake Musa Qala never came. By February 14, a third deadly air strike killed top Taliban commander Mullah Manan, who was an ‘instrumental part in the seizure of Musa Qala district center’ according to ISAF. This tactical advantage was soon lost as Karzai’s diplomacy with the militants continued to drag on for over four weeks.
December 2007: Allies move into town held by Taliban
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."It’s troubling to hear the Taliban are strong in Helmand province.
Yes, Steven, it is quite depressing when you step back and look at the big picture of how severe our country’s regression has been the last seven years. And with no apparent change of course in sight, the continuous capitulation and enabling by the Democrats, and the horrific performance of the media it is enough to make even the most optimistic person wonder why in the hell we should give a shit.
But as long as there are people like Dodd, Feingold and a host of people around the country willing to take the time to fight for true American principles, step up and be front and center in the battle, the battle has to continue.
One of the saddest and most frustrating things to me is that virtually no one I know is even aware of most of the crap that has gone on right under their noses during this horrible period. It has been allowed to happen virtually under the radar due to the complicity of our elected officials, the corporate owned news media and the conscious apathy and ignorance of the citizenry. So it is up to those who are paying attention to continue to ring the alarm bells on the steady disintegration taking place in this country.
There are still some true patriots left in this country. It is just unfortunate that very few of them are in positions of power right now. But that has to change. Because the only other option is too depressing to even consider. The rest of the world knows the government of this country has lost its mind these last seven years. They want the old America back as much as we do. It can happen. It will happen. It has to.
When your media is owned by corporations with an agenda to push a pro-corporate, pro-republican spin on the news this should not come as a surprise. That and we have a whole generation of newscasters, pundits, and journalists whose formative years occurred during the Reagan administration. I think that has had a huge influence on their attitude toward democrats. Combine that with the well funded far right attack machine which decimated a republican moderate President posing as a Dem (Clinton) and it is no surprise to me.
Thank god for the Daily Show and Olbermann. They are literally the last media bulwark against the lies our faithful stenographers so willingly report.
Meanwhile, the Senate is giving a big kiss-off farewell to Trent Lott right now.
Good points, one and all.
It might have been a small victory but it was a victory. Maybe spines can grow one vertebrae at a time, rather than forming fully formed after the 2006 election (as they should have).
Please don’t forget that a lot of us that took the time to call, e-mail, and write our congress critters on the FISA crap are also taking the time to do the same for a hell of a lot of other issues. We’re the ones talking about the incompetent handling of everything from domestic disasters to foreign wars and making sure that as many of the uninformed around us wake up to see the reality Bush has created. This one small victory may be the only thing that keeps us going today.
In my own very lowly opinion, restoring the constitutional protections and provisions is where it’s all at. Bush would never have gotten away with half of what he’s done if we had a congress willing to exercise their oversight duties (on either side of the aisle). Since so many in our government seem to have forgotten that they take an oath to protect and preserve the constitution, it’s a great place to at least start.
This is exactly the point I am at on this issue, too. It seems apparent to me that this is the common thread that runs through EVERYTHING that the Bush administration has been permitted to do, by both the Republican and the Democratic majorities.
Nothing, not one single illegal, immoral or unethical act could have occurred if we had been true to constitutional principles.
That is what adds such significance to fights like this. Nothing will be accomplished long term if we don’t return to the critical constitutional framework of oversight and checks and balances.
heh, you’ll never guess what i was just reading. for the record, i’m more of the steven d sort of thinker; i’m underwhelmed by what this “victory” really means. still, it’s motivating. right now, we need that almost as much as anything. the apathy of late is truly killing us.