Showing posts with label peace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peace. Show all posts
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Friday, September 14, 2007
Delusions
The Bush administration keeps pushing the delusion that the occupation of Iraq is comparable to the occupation of Korea... or even more far-fetched, Japan or Germany. A moment of common sense demolishes any such comparison.
"We garrisoned troops in these three countries for half a century, as we did in Saudi Arabia for about a decade. The periods of military government in Japan and Germany were relatively brief. And most importantly we never mounted counter-insurgency operations in any of these countries." Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo (my bold)
The VietNam analogy works much better, both as a picture of a lost counter-insurgency and what will happen in the end. In the end, we will have to withdraw, because no government that we support can survive, because we support it. 57% of Iraqis think it is a good thing to attack US Troops. 93% of our new allies (according to Petraeus), the Sunnis think so.
Kim
"We garrisoned troops in these three countries for half a century, as we did in Saudi Arabia for about a decade. The periods of military government in Japan and Germany were relatively brief. And most importantly we never mounted counter-insurgency operations in any of these countries." Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo (my bold)
The VietNam analogy works much better, both as a picture of a lost counter-insurgency and what will happen in the end. In the end, we will have to withdraw, because no government that we support can survive, because we support it. 57% of Iraqis think it is a good thing to attack US Troops. 93% of our new allies (according to Petraeus), the Sunnis think so.
Kim
Thursday, September 6, 2007
It can't be said better -- VII
The Iraq War has always functioned as bloody wishing well. You throw Americans down the hole in exchange for a wish: a fervent wish for a region transformed, and a country re-birthed, and a legacy untarnished. If it doesn't work, do it again. American lives continue to be the cold commerce of foreign policy failures, the spent loose change of patriotism.
Hunter, Daily Kos, 09-06-07
He coulda stopped there, but if you want to read the rest....
Hunter, Daily Kos, 09-06-07
He coulda stopped there, but if you want to read the rest....
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
It can't be said better--IV
So what do educated Iraqis think? This one is an MD and if you read the rest of the comments, angry beyond belief with America and Americans--
"The problem in Irak is the presence of the invaders. It is not possible to even begin to reconstruct until that problem is solved. The violence is because the American invader is there. Not despite it. If as you claim, you want to help, then you tackle the root problem. Which is that your troops are in our country. Until then the violence will escalate. The attacks are to make the country ungovernable and they are working."
Nym: Maryam, in conversation at Firedoglake, my bold
Get out now. Bad as it is, there is no other practical policy.
Kim
"The problem in Irak is the presence of the invaders. It is not possible to even begin to reconstruct until that problem is solved. The violence is because the American invader is there. Not despite it. If as you claim, you want to help, then you tackle the root problem. Which is that your troops are in our country. Until then the violence will escalate. The attacks are to make the country ungovernable and they are working."
Nym: Maryam, in conversation at Firedoglake, my bold
Get out now. Bad as it is, there is no other practical policy.
Kim
Friday, July 20, 2007
It can't be said better II....
"Rather than offer to brief the congressional oversight committees on this critical issue (Pentagon planning for withdrawal, or if none, why none), Under Secretary Edelman – writing on your behalf – instead claims that congressional oversight emboldens our enemies. Under Secretary Edelman has his priorities backward. Open and honest debate and congressional oversight strengthens our nation and supports our military. His suggestion to the contrary is outrageous and dangerous." (My bold)
Senator Hillary Clinton, 07/20/07
To Secretary of Defense Gates
Note that all Senator Clinton requested was that the appropriate oversight committees in Congress be briefed on what plans the Pentagon had made for any troop withdrawals, and if none had been made, brief them on the reasons for such a policy decision. She's not asking that the plans be implemented, she's not asking for a public discussion, she's not even demanding a commitment to withdrawal.
Instead she gets the Goebbelsian propaganda stance that anybody who questions is a traitor and aiding and abetting the enemy. Anybody still doubt there's a Big Lie here, too? They've been remarkably clumsy though. A healthy majority doesn't believe them anymore.
Kim
Senator Hillary Clinton, 07/20/07
To Secretary of Defense Gates
Note that all Senator Clinton requested was that the appropriate oversight committees in Congress be briefed on what plans the Pentagon had made for any troop withdrawals, and if none had been made, brief them on the reasons for such a policy decision. She's not asking that the plans be implemented, she's not asking for a public discussion, she's not even demanding a commitment to withdrawal.
Instead she gets the Goebbelsian propaganda stance that anybody who questions is a traitor and aiding and abetting the enemy. Anybody still doubt there's a Big Lie here, too? They've been remarkably clumsy though. A healthy majority doesn't believe them anymore.
Kim
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Why?
Why the French Revolution, you might ask?
I think of it like this. Things in France before the Revolution were a mess. The Bourbon monarchy was basically too ignorant/short-sighted to notice that the people who did all the work were too poor to feed, shelter and clothe themselves. Or if able to do so, barely able while living in and among those who had excess to excess and consumed it conspicuously. Unfortunately, even ignorant and uneducated people can see what is front of their faces. Hence, The Revolution and Liberte, Fraternite, Egalite. When the leaders who came to power abused that power, the people could see who was not helping and eventually turned on the Terror. The goons out of the way, the people could see who was winning battles for La Patrie and who wasn't and hence Napoleon. (Kellerman the elder probably could have done it, too, but I doubt he could have run out the string like Napoleon, which might have been better for France) Overwhelmed by the combined power of Europe and with the Bourbons restored to power, the people could see that Bourbon rule was still not in their best interests, hence the Hundred Days. And even though Napoleon lost at Waterloo, that was still the end of Bourbon rule, because the people can see what's in front of their faces.
What's that got to do with the War in Iraq? Well, in the face of determined propaganda effort, the People have figured out a) THEY have no compelling interest in Iraq, b) we are not fighting terrorists in Iraq and therefor c) a substantial majority (hasn't fallen below 65% since 2006) are of the opinion that we should get out of Iraq. Facing a determined propaganda effort to get us into a fight in Iran, nobody is believing that the Iranians are arming a Sunni Al Qaeda, so if all the violence is from Al Qaeda in Iraq, then Iran is not the problem.... We can see what is in front of our faces, and we are not stupid.
If you want to get us into a war, truth is the only thing that will work, 'cause if you have to lie to get us to go, we are going to quit when we find out and we can see what's in front of our faces.
Kim
I think of it like this. Things in France before the Revolution were a mess. The Bourbon monarchy was basically too ignorant/short-sighted to notice that the people who did all the work were too poor to feed, shelter and clothe themselves. Or if able to do so, barely able while living in and among those who had excess to excess and consumed it conspicuously. Unfortunately, even ignorant and uneducated people can see what is front of their faces. Hence, The Revolution and Liberte, Fraternite, Egalite. When the leaders who came to power abused that power, the people could see who was not helping and eventually turned on the Terror. The goons out of the way, the people could see who was winning battles for La Patrie and who wasn't and hence Napoleon. (Kellerman the elder probably could have done it, too, but I doubt he could have run out the string like Napoleon, which might have been better for France) Overwhelmed by the combined power of Europe and with the Bourbons restored to power, the people could see that Bourbon rule was still not in their best interests, hence the Hundred Days. And even though Napoleon lost at Waterloo, that was still the end of Bourbon rule, because the people can see what's in front of their faces.
What's that got to do with the War in Iraq? Well, in the face of determined propaganda effort, the People have figured out a) THEY have no compelling interest in Iraq, b) we are not fighting terrorists in Iraq and therefor c) a substantial majority (hasn't fallen below 65% since 2006) are of the opinion that we should get out of Iraq. Facing a determined propaganda effort to get us into a fight in Iran, nobody is believing that the Iranians are arming a Sunni Al Qaeda, so if all the violence is from Al Qaeda in Iraq, then Iran is not the problem.... We can see what is in front of our faces, and we are not stupid.
If you want to get us into a war, truth is the only thing that will work, 'cause if you have to lie to get us to go, we are going to quit when we find out and we can see what's in front of our faces.
Kim
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Vacation is over/news is good
After being off line for six days, I came home to find that 1) the Mariners are solidly in second and moving up on the Angels and 2) a majority of American voters favor impeachment (Impeachment numbers) of Dick Cheney and George Bush. A majority of all Americans favor impeaching Darth Cheney.
I spent a good deal of the holiday thinking about how to put a little militance into my anti-war convictions. This included some meditation on the venerable peace symbol. Regardless of what its mystical origins might be, it remains for me and a lot of my generation a simple expression of the notion that violence begets violence and only peaceful solutions last. So I think I might let it sprout all over everything I own again....
After driving past the old guys with flags (VFW?) peace demonstration on Saturday at fair, I started waving the old two-fingered peace sign around. I guess biking to work isn't the only reason I'm feeling 10 years younger.....
Kim
I spent a good deal of the holiday thinking about how to put a little militance into my anti-war convictions. This included some meditation on the venerable peace symbol. Regardless of what its mystical origins might be, it remains for me and a lot of my generation a simple expression of the notion that violence begets violence and only peaceful solutions last. So I think I might let it sprout all over everything I own again....
After driving past the old guys with flags (VFW?) peace demonstration on Saturday at fair, I started waving the old two-fingered peace sign around. I guess biking to work isn't the only reason I'm feeling 10 years younger.....
Kim
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