Ok, so given that the tenth anniversary of the attacks on September 11th are coming up it is not surprising that people are putting out videos that said that 9/11 would not have happened if we could all just get along. The target of today is the group called Our Journey to Smile.
If you have not heard of this group they talk a lot about ideals but never have anything about making those ideals happen. Not once.
Lets go into the video.
I think that peace is a state of being, that we choose to live in peace, and we choose to live in hate So if you choose to live in peace, it’s contagious If you choose to live in hate, it’s contagious
So, if you live in hate, other people who are in contact with you will live in hate.
Uh except that how do you intend to make that work? If it were that easy you really think that issues like gangs and crime would be still here. Yet you expect that phrase to work in one of the most violence countries in the world. Really?
All of us can feel your pain, because you lost a family member on September 11. All of us can feel your pain because here, it’s like September 11 every day. Every day, Afghans are losing their family members.
Again, really? You do not think that people in America have not lost friends and relatives to violence before 2011? Or what about the claim that 9/11 happens every day in Afghanistan. Your tying to say that over 3,000 people die in Kabul every day? Because that is what made 9/11 a big deal because of the large number of people who were affected in such as short amount of time. But it sound since despite the fact that it has no truth in reality.
We can work side by side to end this war, & work for a non-violent solution in Afghanistan.
By doing what? How are you going to bell that cat.
One group that I have been following by the name of“Journey to Smiles” . When I first started to watch them I had some hope that it may turn into something useful. But as of the past year or two, all they produce is Hallmark type videos with cliches and naive slogans.
We send you our love through our friends on the US Boat to Gaza sailing with the Freedom Flotilla 2.
A fortnight ago, there appeared a remote possibility that two of us would be considered for travel on the Mavi Marmara. It gripped us that we may have been able to share each other’s pain at a closer distance, for a little while. The people of Mavi Marmara and the other flotilla boats have opened up the seas of our hearts. Afghanistan needs a flotilla too, but you would know that Afghanistan has no sea.
We imagine the blue seas. Imagination helps friends not to worry about whether they’re available for each other ALL the time, or whether they will ever see each other face-to-face.
20-year-old Skye Miller was our friend for a brief moment, introduced to us by Kathy Kelly, one of our dear activist friends on the US Boat to Gaza. Skye was dying from cancer in a hospice and Kathy had passed her a blue scarf from our silent, peace walk in Kabul this spring.
We sent a message to Skye, ‘Mohammad Jan, Abdulai and I are typing this email feeling a sadness, and feeling that life must be more than just what we see. It is meaningful for us to give you our small ‘salams’ through Kathy and through the visions of peace colored in blue. Thank you Skye! ‘
Not to be out done Rethink Afghanistan is claiming that it is gaining ground that three Senators are calling for the withdraw of Afghanistan. They even have a Republican. But it kinda loses it impact once you see it is Rand Paul.
The senators are right. We need that money here at home, not wasted on a war that drags out for another 3 years. Get them home!
Once again it is all about the money and the troops a after thought. But he slogans sound nice.
In the past two years Rethink Afghanistan has been actively seeming to go after any General that seeks to combat the Taliban and al qaeda in Afghanistan. They have called for the firing of General McChrystal for complaining about not getting the support that was requested.
McChrystal should have been fired for any number of reasons: his disrespect for the civilian leadership of the U.S., his working of the media to limit President Obama’s political space to adopt strategies in Afghanistan that didn’t include major troop surges, for his role in the Pat Tillman cover-up, etc.
Remember that part because they sure do not remember it. Enter a nameless Colonel that does the exact same thing, except that the Officer sent in a letter directly to the Media. But surely that such a act would have the same reaction from Rethink Afghanistan by such comments. Right?
TIME Magazine’s Battleland blog features an email from an active duty colonel ripping the war wonks at D.C. insider think tanks for pushing more militarism as the answer in Afghanistan. For those that aren’t familiar: there’s a whole cottage industry of think tanks and non-profits pushing for more war, often funded by those with deep ties to the war industry.
Yea I am sure that they are more then willing keep this mystery Officer nameless considering how the last Officer that was used to attempt to get another General fired turned out to be a bust. But that has not stopped them from going after General Petraeus.
The once-seemingly untouchable General David Petraeus is seeing his brainchild roundly rejected in Afghanistan. Counterinsurgency, the doctrine pushed by Petraeus and his protege, General Stanley McChrystal, as the “new” strategy for Afghanistan, has suddenly become the target of fierce criticism within the administration and without. And it’s about time, too: thanks to this failed strategy, U.S. taxpayers are being charged $2 billion a week for a war that’s not making us safer.
Yea and we are the ones that are being accused of yellow journalism.
NOT GOOD ENOUGH: President to announce withdrawal of fewer than 10 percent of troops from Afghanistan this year. According to various news reports, President Obama plans to withdraw fewer than 10 percent of U.S. troops from Afghanistan this year, despite promises to make this drawdown “significant.”
So I figured that I would hear something about concern about the troops or the families of those deployed. But what do they open up with?
Under this plan, the U.S. would continue to charge taxpayers roughly $2 billion per week for this war for years. That’s unacceptable.
So that is what it comes down to, money. The same theme that it has always been. It cost too much and that all our woes are the results of the conflicts abroad despite evidence suggesting otherwise. But lets move on.
This war isn’t making us safer, and it’s not worth the human or economic costs.
Even when they try to sound sympathetic those that are affected in Afghanistan or even Iraq it still comes back to money. The reason why I think that the first two statements are token is because it is the exact same phrase over and over like a planned script. Then they expect people to believe this is real concern since they are more then happy to speak for the fallen who have died since the SEAL mission. Really I mean do you know the views of each and everyone on that list? But hey why need to know that when using them in your articles. I know that if something happened to me and you used my name like that I would be pissed. But don’t worry because you mentioned the “Human Cost” totally means that you “care”.
Facing a war-weary public, President Barack Obama is expected to call for a major withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan Wednesday night, with roughly 10,000 coming home to the U.S. in less than a year.
Yea, were are so “War Wary” as a population that the we are shunning anything to do with War in our daily lives. Oh wait were not? Or those tough rationing and products restrictions, oh wait not that ether. Or it must be having to deal with being called up at any time to got to war. No, not that too. So exactly what is the reason that entire country outside the military community is affected? Really I mean how is the conflicts have drastically changed the daily lives of the general community of this country? I can wait.
Oh Rethink Afghastan still thinks that those in Command who question or complain about the President should be fired. Unless that they agree with your own view point.
“The United States Conference of Mayors calls on the U.S. Congress to bring these war dollars home to meet vital human needs, promote job creation, rebuild our infrastructure, aid municipal and state governments, and develop a new economy based upon renewable, sustainable energy,” the resolution said, noting that the United States pays $126 billion a year to support the wars that have killed more than 6,000 U.S. troops.
Yet I have to wonder what happened to the money from the stimulus bill. Because according to Rethink Afghanistan spending one Trillion dollars in one year was not enough.
And here’s the big picture: “Local governments shed 28,000 jobs last month, the Department of Labor reported, and have lost 446,000 jobs since employment peaked in September 2008.”
These wars are killing our people, they’re killing our economy and they’re killing our communities. They’re not worth the costs. They’ve got to end.
Or perhaps it as more to do with what happened in shortly after September of 2008. Now what could that be?
ADDED Sporkmaster: Oh and guess who have been helping behind the scenes.
So once again Rethink Afghanistan is playing willful ignorance in there newest statement.
In addition, over the past few years, U.S. forces have killed or captured dozens of significant al Qaeda leaders. Then, on May 2, 2011, American Special Forces acting under your direction located and killed Osama bin Laden. The death of the founder of al Qaeda is a major blow that further weakens the terrorist organization.
But wait, this is the organization that decried the operations of Special Forces in Afghanistan not long ago. Even coming out and saying that the Special Operations in Afghanistan were the cause of increased civilian deaths. Also claiming that the missions done by the Special Forces like the one that eliminated Osama were not having any effect what so ever and should be done away with.
Back in March, British Maj. Gen. Richard Barrons, a member of Petraeus’ staff, estimated that there were 900 leaders at all levels and 25-36,000 fighters in the entire Afghan Taliban. Petraeus is claiming that special forces alone have removed from combat 26% of the leadership and roughly 10% of the fighters within just three short months.
That claim begs a bunch of questions – not least of which is: “how can it possibly be true?” If that level of attrition happened to the US military it would likely be disrupted, unable to continue fighting. Yet even Petraeus admits that spec-ops forces have not yet reversed the Taliban’s momentum.
But if it were true, we’d have to ask what the hell Generals McChrystal, McKiernan and McNeill had been doing during their times in command of US forces in Afghanistan in the preceding eight years.
Then we’d have to ask about just how fast the Afghan Taliban can regenerate its leadership and fighting cadre, as well as how large it’s recruiting pool is – i.e. how fast can the Taliban recover its losses.
And we’d have to ask whether the large number of civilian casualties caused by special forces raids – including the likes of shooting pregnant women – contribute to that regeneration to the extent of rendering any figures Petraeus is touting about Taliban attrition meaningless.
But the second they have to acknowledge the success of the of the operation to take down Osama it is a complete change as listed above.
Mr. President, according to our own intelligence officials, al Qaeda no longer has a large presence in Afghanistan, and, as the strike against bin Laden demonstrated, we have the capacity to confront our terrorist enemies with a dramatically smaller footprint. The costs of prolonging the war far outweigh the benefits. It is time for the United States to shift course in Afghanistan.
Yep considering all the previous above the Death of Obama has caused a instant conversion. You know the same people that they posted a video of here.
But wait it gets better. Here is a quick summery of there next statement Because of the corruption in Afghanistan any effort to help rebuild Afghanistan will fail. So it is in the interest that this effort should be done by the same people we view as the reason for the corruption. Don’t believe me read further.
Endemic corruption in Afghanistan diverts resources intended to build roads, schools, and clinics, and some of these funds end up in the hands of the insurgents. Appointments of provincial and local officials on the basis of personal alliances and graft leads to deep mistrust by the Afghan population. While it is a laudable objective to attempt to build new civic institutions in Afghanistan, this goal does not justify the loss of American lives or the investment of hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars. Instead of continuing to be embroiled in ancient local and regional conflicts in Afghanistan, we must accelerate the transfer of responsibility for Afghanistan’s development to the Afghan people and their government.
Oh and when they say they want all the troops out, they really do not mean that.
We should maintain our capacity to eliminate any new terrorist threats, continue to train the Afghan National Security Forces, and maintain our diplomatic and humanitarian efforts. However, these objectives do not require the presence of over 100,000 American troops engaged in intensive combat operations.
So again all does not really equal all. It is like they are intentionally trying to have the events during the fall of Saigon repeated. Also I would really like to know what numbers game they are playing as far as how many troops are needed to perform all of these jobs. Not to mention that the Taliban and al Qaeda can and has infiltrated the Afghan Police and Army. The same people that would be replacing the use troops that are being used for base defense because of the draw down you are demanding.
Is there anyone here that would you rather trust your safety to a fellow service member or to a local national? Yea thought so, but hey it is easy to go along with that when your not the one that has to stay behind.
We urge you to follow through on the pledge you made to the American people to begin the redeployment of U.S. forces from Afghanistan this summer, and to do so in a manner that is sizable and sustained, and includes combat troops as well as logistical and support forces.
Yea because nothings is impossible to the person(s) that does not have to do it. Then they wonder why they are regularly ignored.
Once again Rethink Afghanistan is putting idealism ahead of reality by claiming that anything short of total pacifism will resolve the problems in Afghanistan and the rest of the world.
The new numbers released this weekend show that the escalation strategy in Afghanistan continues to be a failure on its own merits and a cruel joke perpetrated on the Afghan population. It’s time to get those troops home.
Cruel joke? How about this for a cruel joke. Use the plights of the plight of the Afghanistan population for the withdraw of US troops. Then if and when that happens the same people will completely discard them into the waiting hands of the Taliban and friends. Oh but don’t worry they will be getting thoughts of solidarity from people and “there in spirit” songs/poems. That is totality going to happen, I mean this is the change that you can believe in.
The comments are even better
You don’t have to be a hero anymore, President Obama. Stop the war now!!!
Dear Mr President: Your troop increase did NOT “protect the population from insurgent violence”. It increased the death toll of Afghan civilians. Time to pull out!
War is an inhumane and evil act. Do the right thing and stop the bloody war now!
War never works. Bring the troops home now!
Unjust wars like these makes deadly enemies out of friends. When we go under, don’t expect anyone to even get hankee for us. Our leaders are destroying this country. Where are all the protest? Can we as a nation really be so into ourselves that we cannot see the suffering this unjust nation is doing? I can’t buy into all this flag waving when this country is the cause of 99% of opression. We are the most violent nation on earth and we will pay for it very soon.
It seems that Rethink Afghanistan is now going to use the name of each casualty as a bullet point for leaving Afghanistan.
What do we say to their families? This war’s not making us safer, it’s not worth the cost, and Osama bin Laden is gone. How many more troop deaths and civilian killings will we tolerate before Washington acts to end this war?
President Obama and his advisers have promised repeatedly that significant troop reductions would begin in July 2011. With that time fast approaching, it’s time for the administration to declare the start of a swift withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan so this list doesn’t continue to grow to no good end. We need our loved ones and our tax dollars (more than $2 billion/week!) home.
Except that I would like to know how do you know what each person’s view on Afghanistan was. I know that I would be upset if I was a casualty and my name ended up there because even if I knew that I would not made it back that it is something worth doing. It is the same reason that I will never use the names of the fallen as a support for us to stay there. The fallen should be remembered for their sacrifice and service. Not for how you can use their deaths for your views. More so when you id them by name.
