17 December - The Wrong People in Prison

Afghan War Review: Slow Progress at a 'Very High Price'
Nine years since U.S. forces struck into Afghanistan to destroy the 9/11 terrorists, almost all of the war's objectives remain unreached.
Clinton :
"This administration, I think it's fair to remind us all, inherited an extraordinarily difficult situation'' in Afghanistan. "There was no strategy, there was no clearly defined mission, and our people, both military and civilians, lacked the resources they needed to get any progress accomplished.
"Today," she said, "we have a very different story to tell ... key parts of our strategy are indeed working well.''

Opit
There was a 'strategy'. Not an affordable one for the local population at a cost of 3 times the GDP for 'security', nor one using the resources at hand of the few literate people who were experienced bureaucrats, not the leader nor anything sought by the people who actually live there.
C.O.I.N. : an unaffordable policing strategy using desperate people on the brink of starvation in a land of mountains and wastes : populated in many cases by tribes historically were nomads in an arid land because it would not sustain 'western' farming methods. A mishmash of peoples speaking different tongues and of different cultures and religions to be brought under the heel of the conqueror in a land well practiced in making such efforts futile - as the Soviets discovered not long ago when they bought into the disinformation scam about the dangers of militant Islam.
Wait a minute. We're there for what, exactly ?

alfredschrader 7:56 PM Dec 16, 2010  

We are not trying to conquer Afghanistan. The Taliban are from Pakistan we are Afghan allies. The Afghans are the Mojahadin. This region is mostly mountains & sand. A lot of sand. If you were in the sand business, then I would say it has at least a minimal strategic value, otherwise. It's just sand. Miles of sand.


Kenneth 4:58 PM Dec 16, 2010    


This continues to be a very difficult endeavor,'' President Obama said Thursday. But he insisted that "we are on track to achieve our goals.''.... Typical politician no matter what the problem or task they always state they are on track to achieve the goal. Problem no one knows the goal!!
 
 
FBI's 9/11 Whistleblower Coleen Rowley Arrested Protesting Against War, for Exposure of War Crimes
Snow-covered peace activists and military veterans --- as well as legendary whistleblowers and former intelligence officers --- were arrested today in front of the White House while protesting the War in Afghanistan and rallying in support of WikiLeaks and for the exposure of war crimes.
Also arrested at the protest today were Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg (who we recently interviewed about WikiLeaks), 27-year veteran CIA analyst Ray McGovern (who we recently wrote about after last weekend's appearance on CNN telling host Don Lemon that CNN should "following [WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange's] example" by "seek[ing] out secrets" and Pulitzer prize-winning former New York Times correspondent Chris Hedges.

 Georgia prisoner strike comes out of lockdown
Officials at the Department of Corrections have been anxious about deteriorating conditions in Georgia's prisons since early 2010, when wardens were ordered to start triple bunking prisoners in response to budget cuts. Squeezing three prisoners into cells intended for one, prison officials were on the lookout for prisoners to riot, or prisoners' rights lawyers to litigate, or both.

Instead, prisoners used text messages to organize an unprecedented work strike by thousands of prisoners across 10 prisons. Demanding a living wage for work, the prisoners fault the GDC for having prisoners work for free "in violation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution prohibiting slavery and involuntary servitude."
 Prison officials responded to the strike by turning off the hot water, transferring prisoners they believe to be strike leaders, and confiscating cell phones. Cell phones are contraband in Georgia's prisons, but widely available for sale from correctional officers.

SPECIAL REPORT: Industry wraps coal ash regulation fight in the mantle of civil rights 
Why would Steele make exaggerated claims about the cost of coal ash regulation?Steele was at the EPA coal ash hearing representing Working People for Fair Energy (WPFE), one of the numerous 501(c)(4) "social welfare" lobbying groups that have sprung up in advance of this fall's elections -- and that are not required by law to disclose where their money comes from.

VOICES: Today's $7 billion new nuke attack
The White House and nuclear power industry are on the brink of grabbing $7 billion in new taxpayer-funded loan guarantees for new reactors

This Kills Twice as Many People as AIDS – Why are Doctors Ignoring it? 
About $282 million was paid to doctors by drug companies last year. Is this compromising the best interests of their patients?

Cancun climate change summit: Viscount Monckton admits that global warming is happening 
( What a rag.)
He said the science is so uncertain about the level of warming that it is ridiculous for the UN to try and stop temperature rise by reducing emissions.

He said the whole process was “undemocratic” because it would commit all countries to carbon reduction targets under the UN rather than sovereign governments.

“I think the world is in danger of throwing away its democracy, prosperity and freedom if it carelessly accepts what seems to me unresolved science and economics"