Afghanistan: More Dollars and No Sense

When War was War and Not a Game!

More Dollars
The cost for each American soldier deployed to Afghanistan has now reached one million dollars per year. The cost of maintaining a Taliban soldier in the field for a similar period is somewhat difficult to estimate, but many find the figure to be under $3,000. This means the debt ratio is about 300 - 1, with the Taliban maintaining a overwhelming edge. The debt ratio is not however the only problem, but the ugly question of sanctuary is again hitting the American military in the face as it did in Korea, Vietnam, and to a certain extent in Iraq. The Taliban and their al Queda allies are more or less free to move between Pakistan and Afghanistan and we are powerless to attack them in their strongholds in the mountains of western Pakistan. Yes. we have the UAV's (unmanned aerial vehicles) with their hell-fire missiles that occasionally find an al Queda leader in a remote mud hut hidden in some mountain valley and dispatch that trusty Hell-fire against him at a cost of $100 to $200 thousand dollars each. The parts of this fallen leader are quickly gathered up and buried before sunset as is the custom in that part of the world. And a new leader is quickly named at a cost far less that the cost of sending the first on his trip to meet the many virgins. When I hear that we have killed another Taliban leader in the mountain of Pakistan, I almost laugh. Its like killing a single ant in the giant ant hill and calling that some kind of victory. This is not war, this is playing at war, this sadly has become a game with the young men of our country being the pawns in a protracted conflict we can never win with the current rules of engagement . We will lose this war without ever having lost a battle and the many young men who will never return to their families will have fallen in vain because of this great political game. The Taliban and al Queda will continue to be funded by the massive amounts of petro dollars coming from the Wahabis sects in the Gulf States and the enormous sums of money generated by the opium poppy in the mountains of Afghanistan.

No Sense
The way this war is being waged in the mountains of Afghanistan is absolute madness and insanity that is totally out of control and one that has its roots going back to the 1950's and the Korean War. In that conflict the U.S. government under the leadership of President Truman allowed a great American army to be stalemated in the mountains of Korea, and despite repeated request by the commander in the field General Douglas MacArthur for tactical nuclear weapons to be used they never were. Today we have a nuclear armed state in North Korea, a state that poses a serious threat to all of its neighbors in that region. A few years later in another part of the world French forces in Indochina faced a turning point in their struggle against a communist insurgency in what is now northern Vietnam. French forces were surrounded and outnumbered at the besieged fortress of Dien Bien Phu and after many request from the french government for tactical nukes to be used to break the siege Dien Bien Phu fell and we had the establishment of the communist state of North Vietnam and the stepping stone to the Vietnam war where tens of thousands of young American soldiers died. To this day the use tactical nuclear weapons remains off the table even though that decision has cost us tens of thousands young Americans lives. At some point in the very near future the battle field situation will become so dire that an American President may be forced to revisit that decision and for once think about the troops in the field and not the journalist at the London Times. Even after seeing what happened in Korea and at Dien Bien Phu we entered another war where we were bound by old rules of engagement that had failed us in the past. Our enemy was allowed sanctuary---a place to regroup and rebuilt and a place from which to attack again and again. In Vietnam the American soldier never lost a major battle, but the government lost the war and Vietnam fell to the enemy. This is our current path in Afghanistan, a path we've traveled many times before and it will end in the same place--DEFEAT AND DISHONOR!

The defeat will not be of battles lost by our brave troops for none have been lost. And the dishonor will not fall on them for they are all, all honorable men. The defeat is the nations and the dishonor is ours. Ron Russell

No New Troops for Afghanistan for Now

Here we go again the Obama administration is now using a disputed election in Afghanistan to deny an American general additional troops in the field. Troops he evidently needs or they would have not been requested. Politics-politics and more politics are coming into play as a reluctant president who obviously has do desire to send more troops into a country that a few months ago he called vital to American security---the war that we needed to fight! Some misguided people say Obama is using this disputed election as an excuse to cave-in to his base. I contend this is not the case. Obama would have American forces withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan if he could see a way to justify that move. The man simply doesn't believe that troops are needed in those areas and that the war on terror should be a matter of police action and not military involvement. This position by Obama has a long, long history on the American left and Barack is certainly a member of that group. So for now the generals will have to wait, the soldiers in the field will have to make do without the help of additional support and the enemy will have more room to maneuver in the mountains of Afghanistan and position themselves so as to inflict greater causalities on American forces. Barack Himself Obama is not being indecisive but doing exactly what he always intended to do. In the end this man will leave both Iraq and Afghanistan if he is able to stay in office for two terms and America will the the weaker for it.

One last thing, no one wants to see American combat troops stay in Iraq or Afghanistan for years to come, but to totally withdraw would create a vacuum that a nation such as Iran or others would quickly fill. Too much blood and treasure has been lost not to maintain some type of American presence in this strategic part of the world.

It would be irresponsible to send more troops to Afghanistan until a legitimate and credible government is in place, the White House and top Democrats said Sunday.

White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said the most critical issue facing U.S. strategy is whether the Afghans can be an effective partner in destroying Al Qaeda safe havens and bringing stability to the region.

"It would be reckless to make a decision on U.S. troop levels if in fact you haven't done a thorough analysis of whether in fact there's an Afghan partner ready to fill that space that U.S. troops would create and become a true partner in governing," Emanuel said in an interview Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."

Emanuel stressed that the central question is "not how much troops you have but whether in fact there's an Afghan partner."

As the White House faces mounting pressure in implementing a viable strategy in the 8-year-old war, the outcome of Afghanistan's Aug. 20 presidential election remains in question because of reported ballot fraud. Afghan President Hamid Karzai declared victory, but a runoff election with his closest challenger is now a possibility. read more at FOX News

Air Force One to Fly to Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen

Air Force One will spirit our great commander-in-chief off to "Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen" , as the old song goes, this week while American troops are dying in the mountains of Afghanistan awaiting their fearless leader's decision to send re-enforcements to help them in the great battle against Islamic terrorist. This guy spends more time on Air Force One than a black Chicago pimp spends in his elongated black car with its fur-covered seats riding around checking on his "hoe's". Leading me to wonder who does the work back at the Oval Office, I suppose its those many Czars which we know little about. In my view Barack is fast becoming the "pimp-in-chief" instead of the "Commander-in-Chief". This new "Pimp-in-Chief is literally going to the street corners of the world and selling his goods to dumb "whitey". Enjoy your trip Barry, enjoy meeting up with Michelle who will arrive ahead of you, enjoy the fine restaurants and the Danish pastries, enjoy the good life while our brave troops are dying in the field. Yes, you fake command-in-chief, you two-faced coward enjoy yourself now for the clock is ticking and time is winding down for you sir are about to be busted by an angry America.




Obama Draws Criticism for Pausing to Promote Chicago Olympics Bid
The White House announced Monday that the president will travel Thursday night to Copenhagen to make a personal appearance before the International Olympic Committee to promote Chicago as the host city for the 2016 Summer Games.

President Obama is taking his eye off the ball, his critics say, chiding him for his plan to travel to Denmark to make the case for having his hometown of Chicago host the 2016 Olympics.

The White House announced Monday that the president will travel Thursday night to Copenhagen to make a personal appearance before the International Olympic Committee as it prepares to announce the host city for the 2016 Summer Games. Obama will join his wife, Michelle, who is leading the U.S. delegation, along with senior adviser Valerie Jarrett.

But with the health care debate still brewing, with Iran stoking international concerns over its nuclear program and with a decision pending on how to deal with the rising violence in Afghanistan, the president will be leaving at a key time for his administration.
read full story at FOX News

The Judgement of Obama

Obama is about to face one his toughest foreign policy decisions. Does he send some 30,000 plus more troops into Afghanistan or does he continue on the current path where we are in a no win situation. If he complies General McChrystal's request he angers his base the extreme left in this country, if he continues the war with the forces that are there the outcome will be uncertain at best and could be a disaster. This will not be an easy call.

As I see it we must jump in with both feet and use all our resources and push for some type of quick victory or just get out. The latter does not seem to be a good choice in that a withdrawal would give the Taliban and al Qaeda a platform to launch future attacks against our homeland not to mention that the terrorist throughout the world would declare a great victory and new recruiting posters would go up hailing their great victory over the United States. There are no good solutions to this problem and this is one where Obama will have difficulty in straddling the fence, something he usually does. I believe however, that unlike King Soloman, Obama will split the baby and the war in Afghanistan will become even a more protracted conflict and American causalities will increase to a point where the public will no longer support our effort there and in the end we will leave the field to the enemy. The world is watching and the clock is ticking!
by Ron Russell


Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who is expected to request 30,000 to 40,000 additional troops, met with Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, FOX News has confirmed.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, received the widely anticipated troop request Friday from the top commander in Afghanistan, aides told FOX News.

Mullen, accompanied by Gen. David Petraeus and other top military officials, met at Ramstein Air Base in Germany with Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who is expected to ask for 30,000 to 40,000 additional troops. Mullen is now headed back to the U.S., FOX News has confirmed.

Mullen asked McChrystal for the meeting earlier in the week following the leak of McChrystal's strategic assessment to hear directly from his commander what resources and how many troops he will need to succeed in Afghanistan, aides told FOX News.

"He wanted to understand the request for himself before it arrives in Washington and he is asked to discuss, defend it," an aide told FOX News.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to receive the troop request Friday. But Gates will hold onto the request until the White House and Pentagon get to a "proper stage" in their assessment of the war in Afghanistan, a Pentagon spokesman said earlier this week, explaining that it is premature for the request to be considered until the assessment is fully reviewed.

Mullen hand-picked McChrystal to lead the fight in Afghanistan after firing Gen. David McKiernan in May.
FOX News

The Day After & The Butterfly Effect

Today, the day after the anniversary of 9-11 gave me the title of today's post. I was reminded of a 1983 movie. "The Day After" showing the after effects of a massive nuclear exchange with the former Soviet Union. No this post is not about nuclear war, but simply a look at where we are today following the attack on 9-11.

I recall the day in 2001 when the first bombs began to rain down on Afghanistan and the satisfaction I took as the Taliban were quickly routed and American forces went into Kubal. The morning I got the news that Saddam Hussein was rooted from his spider hole was great. And the many other events along the way, but good and bad. This post however is not one of reflection, but rather a look at where we are today.

The picture is not good. The war in Afghanistan has taken a turn for the worse at this time. The Taliban has learned well from the insurgences in Iraq and the use of the IED's is beginning to take a toll there. The improvements the Iranians have made on these devices has proved devastating to allied forces. And there seems to be little desire on the part of those in Washington to do anything about it. Support for the war effort is waning and unless progress can be shown soon this weakling we now have for a president will buckle and begin withdrawing American forces---I have little doubt of that. That said, let me say that having thousands more American troops killed and injured by these improved IED's is not acceptable to me either, and the only solution I see is to go after the factories in Iran turning out these devices. It is becoming increasingly clear that Iran, must be dealt with now and dealt with decisively. The IED's, the nuclear issue, its role in international terrorism---all these things must be stopped in order to have peace in the area. Should we abandon our efforts in Afghanistan, all the gains there will be lost as well as the gains in Iraq----the two are linked. They are linked by their common neighbor Iran and its there that victory must be won or all is lost in that region of the world. Should Afghanistan fall back under the control of the Taliban, then the way will be paved for the reemergence of Osama and his followers in that region and in that area where all this began will again be a spring board for more attacks on the homeland.

The outlook on this "Day After" is bleak, we have an administration that will not deal with Iran forcefully and it is Iran that holds the key to final victory in Iraq and for the ultimate victory or some type of favorable outcome in Afghanistan. This president will not, and I repeat will not put the necessary pressure on Iran to secure success in either Iraq or in Afghanistan. A pivotal point is quickly approaching and this weakling in the White House may soon lose what little control he has left over the situation, there is an increasing possibility that Israel may take action against the Iranian state and that would change everything. The deck would be reshuffled and the outcome for the entire region would be any ones guess.

One lesson that history teaches is that the smallest occurrences often have a profound effect on events(a freak gust of wind, exposing an IED on a road to Kubal; or even a dung beetle pushing his tiny ball across a field). Events I dubbed the "butterfly effect" many, many year ago---but alas, a name which was stolen as my classroom lectures were not copyrighted. So predicting or simply speculating on such things is merely folly for fools like me.
by Ron Russell

PFC Robert C. Thomas, a 19 year old from Detroit was amazed as he carefully watched the two large shining beetles push the almost perfectly round ball inch after inch and foot after foot across the rocky ground going around the larger stones and over the smaller ones. This young man from the inner city had never witness such a unique act. He was perplexed and amazed at their efforts and completely oblivious to anything else for the moment. And it was at this exact moment that the enemy slipped past his sharp, but distracted eyes. A huge explosion rocked the mountain valley, un-noticed by the two dung beetles, but jarring the young soldier from his trance and in an instant 22 American soldiers lay dead. This brought the causality total for the year to over 1000, a milestone and led congress to cut funding for the war in Afghanistan---The BUTTERFLY EFFECT!

Redneck Special Forces of the United States RSFUS

The Pentagon announced TODAY the formation of a new 500-man elite fighting unit called the United States Redneck Special Forces (USRSF)


These boys will be dropped off in Afghanistan and have been given only the following facts about terrorists:

The season opened today.
There is no limit.
They taste just like chicken.
They don't like beer, pickups, country music or Jesus.
They are directly responsible for the death of Dale Earnhardt.

The Pentagon expects the problem in Afghanistan to be over by Friday.