Paying the Jizya, Defiling the Soul, Wagging the Dog

You have to wonder when someone is going to ask the obvious question; Why is Barrack Obama so interested in the welfare of the Afghan people including the welfare of the Taliban? It isn't difficult to understand General McChrystal's actions or Sec Def Gates, for that matter. They are just doing their boss's bidding. Political appointments are exactly what one might assume them to be; a form of political 'nepotism'. It is a sort of political incest where you continue to reproduce yourself by insuring those you appoint think exactly like you or are, at the very least, willing to compromise their very soul for you and your vision. Of course nothing is done without a price and it will require a little time to find out what the cost of one's soul is on today's market.

This week there was a meeting in London to discuss the future of the Afghan war, the welfare of the Afghan people and the Taliban, reintegration of the Taliban with the Karzai government and what all willing nations were willing to pledge in 'support' for the rebuilding of Afghanistan's 'infrastructure' (such as it is). The amount will certainly be in the billions. It's good to see that the Islamic tradition of the jizya tax will remain intact and that there are so many willing leaders of the nations of the world still understanding the necessity of subjugating their entire populations to theology and jurisprudence of Islam. It's also good to know that what they started almost 1400 years ago will not be a wasted effort. Of course, India was not invited to participate because they don't share the same view of the Taliban. Read this piece: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2440497/posts

Just as an aside; there were several American deaths in Afghanistan this past week , at the hands of the very people we are now intending to 'forgive' and elevate to world power. I won't spend too much time on that because we already discussed that in the last piece and after all, our government apparently believes those lives to be a minor inconvenience in light of the wonderful events that they are now instrumental in bringing to fruition; the rise once again of the Taliban to power. Here are a few examples of what your government deems an appropriate price to pay to turn our enemies into government officials:

http://bigpondnews.com/articles/World/2010/01/31/Afghan_interpreter_kills_two_soldiers_423178.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/27/us-soldiers-afghanistan

How blind must you be to think any of this makes sense on any level? In any case what does it take to understand the simplicity of an oath taken? All oaths taken by citizens of this country that deal with national security say essentially the same thing and are sworn before the same entity; God. This means that you intend to carry out the elements of your oath (which are pretty specific in scope) and understand you will incur the wrath of a Sovereign God should you fail. Again; for those who missed it the last time; AFGHANISTAN, TALIBAN, ISLAM, PAKISTAN, THE UNITED NATIONS, THE EUROPEAN UNION, et al, are not included in your oath! You are sworn to 'support and defend the constitution of the United States of America against all enemies foreign and domestic;' as are all of us who have taken that oath (which has no 'sunset').

It's hard to believe that there are still those who believe that COIN is a viable strategy for a largely 'Christian' force to employ in the midst of an Islamic nation where the 'Insurgency' is home grown, home supported and that we are also actively working with to 'mainstream' and elevate to power?!

I once had a dog that chased his own tail - incessantly, to what avail I have no idea. I don't know if he had any idea what he was going to do when he finally 'caught' it but I do know it was going to be painful. Bad analogy? I don't think so.

Semper Fidelis;

John Bernard

Holbrooke ENDORSES Return of the Taliban to Power!!!

One day after the DOD announced the deaths of 4 more Marines, Lance Cpl. Jeremy Kane of Cherry Hill, N.J, Sgt. Daniel Angus, 28, of Thonotosassa, Fla., Lance Cpl Timothy J. Poole, 22, of Bowling Green, Ky. and Lance Cpl Zachary D. Smith of Hornell, N.Y., U.S. Representative to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke applauded the removal of (5) former Taliban from the sanctions list according to Stratfor. Harmid Karzai, the UN and the Obama administration are hopeful that more former Taliban will be taken off the list shortly.

Let's talk about this for a moment, shall we? We went into Afghanistan, 8 years ago to remove Al Qaida from Afghanistan and hold the Taliban accountable by removing every vestige of them from power. Since that time, we have done everything unseemly and unimaginable to insure not only that we could not possibly win the war there, but to insure the highest level of American casualties possible while simultaneously protecting the Afghan civilian population and, apparently, the Taliban fighters as well.

We must remember something else; we have been told over and over again, that the Taliban isn't an Afghan phenomenon but in fact a loose confederacy of disaffected 'extremists' from all over the world; an unwelcome cancer in Afghanistan. We were told that a Counter-Insurgency Strategy (COIN) would be the best strategy to endorse (even though many of us have held that there never has been a successful one) in order to remove this cancer from Afghan society. Let us recap:

1. The Taliban were in charge when we entered Afghanistan 8 years ago.

2. Obama, McChrystal and Gates told us the Taliban was largely made up of foreigners.

3. A Counter Insurgency would best alleviate the problem

4. The Afghan people just want peace and would be more than happy to help us once we made 'friends'.

Two weeks ago the civilians in Garmsir rioted and chanted anti-American death slogans because someone told them an American had 'abused' a Koran. This week 4 more Americans are slain in Helmand province by whom? Oh yeah; the Taliban and then we have the issue of Scriptures on Optics used by American Marines and Soldiers, who are largely Christian. Our General Petraeus decides this is 'troubling' along with a list (not yet released) of other Generals who seem to have misplaced their manhood and their American credentials and have now pressured the manufacturer, Trijicon into removing the Scriptures not only from new products but ones currently in use by our troops. And lastly we have Richard Holbrooke, a member of the Obama administration applauding the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan.

This all begins with our fundamental misunderstanding of the enemy and our unwillingness to understand him as he declares himself to be - rather than imposing on him what we would like him to be. Even Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey took great issue with Islam and Islamics being addressed by any modifier of Islam like 'moderate' or 'extremist'. If you can't identify the enemy, how do you identify who you are fighting?

If you are unwilling to identify the enemy, doesn't that also suggest an unwillingness to fight him? So here we are, 8 years later, hundreds of young, honorable, American men dead following the uncertain trumpet of battle blown by self-serving bureaucrats lacking honor, courage, conviction and purpose. And for this great cost, we, America, will have nothing to show for it because the enemy is still out there, still convicted by their faith, still intent on carrying out its mandate which is to force the entire world to 'submit' (Islam) to Allah, not to mention soon to be back in power, somehow.

So tell me; do you know where 'East' is because at the rate we are going we are all going to be required to pay homage to Mecca, five times daily along with the rest of the Muslim world.

Folks; this is not a simple misunderstanding of the complexities of governance or foreign policy, this is a simple failure on the part of elected officials and their appointees, in this government, to understand that they are ultimately responsible to their oaths and the electorate. They have all failed us miserably and, I fear, for some devious and evil personal gain. I would love to end by saying we have November of 2010 to correct this injustice and 'oust the bums', but why should we have any hope in that after all, Obama was some 5700 words into his speech before he even mentioned foreign policy and then it revolved around 'nuclear weapons proliferation' rather than Afghanistan and there was hardly a whisper of protest from either side of the isle.

And what of the men and women who sacrificed their very lives for this country in that hell-hole, trusting that their leaders were of sound mind, strong heart, forthright souls sending them into harm's way for honor and country?What of the families who have lost their sons and daughters? What of the future of this country?

The real answer lies with, as it always has, with the people. Are the citizens of the United States going to settle for fraternizing with the enemy at the highest levels of our government?

Semper Fidelis;

John Bernard

A Logical Regression and the Shame of a Nation!

ISAF Commander General McChrystal has said he sees his strategy leading to a likely 'negotiated peace' with the Taliban(see - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/30b0c4d8-091f-11df-ba88-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1 ) while eradicating these cut-throat, sub-human creatures has now apparently become completely unpalatable. He has in fact equated his hope for a 'negotiated peace', with wars in the past where reasonable peoples and nations have chosen to cease hostilities and come to a meeting of the minds. Must we again remind everyone that theirs (the Taliban and Al Qaida) is a war of religious necessity? We need to remember that these 'insurgents' don't represent any flag, nation or people. They represent, and legitimately so, their religion. They fight, kill, maim. slaughter, torture, brutalize and rape in the name of Allah - their god. They don't take to the field of combat in a uniform or conform to the Geneva Conventions. They don't differentiate between women, children, foreign uniformed soldiers or Mother Theresa. They are equal opportunity murderers carrying out the mandate of their Holy Book, the Koran. They are neither any more violent nor any more peaceful than their predecessors and have purposefully supported efforts by Al Qaida to export death and destruction to the shores of the United States of America.

STRATFOR - Afghanistan: McChrystal Focuses On Peace With Taliban

January 25, 2010

U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the NATO commander in Afghanistan, said his troop surge could lead to a negotiated peace with the Taliban, AFP reported Jan. 25. McChrystal stated that he hopes his allies will leave the Jan. 28 meeting in London with a “renewed commitment” to the increasingly bloody conflict. By using the 30,000-strong surge in U.S. troops to secure territory stretching from the Taliban’s southern heartlands to Kabul, the general said he aims to weaken the insurgency so much its leaders would accept a political settlement. McChrystal added that a political solution to all conflicts is the inevitable outcome.

We have lost some 5000 men and women in the effort to cordon both the Taliban and Al Qaida in their continued efforts to force the world to submit to Islam and specifically to kill and maim Americans and destabilize our nation. Eight years ago, our Commander in Chief handed down his Commanders Intent to Locate, Close with and Destroy Al Qaida and all those who stand with them. Dutifully, Honorably and Courageously, our Warriors took to the field of battle and began a campaign to do just that. Within 90 days we had completely disrupted the Taliban and all but destroyed Al Qaida's presence in Afghanistan. Now, we're hoping to make peace with them. While we can only hope for peace, the reality of peace with an element whose focus is world-wide submission, is unlikely. This is tantamount to the Police choosing to make peace with a mass murderer rather than risk anything further in trying to bring them to justice. And this comparison is not without merit because we decided long ago to hold these Islamic murderers to the 'Law of the Land' - American law, American land, American Rights, rather than to hold them accountable in a Military setting. We effectively covered them with our coveted Constitutionally guaranteed rights (rights the Islamist finds repugnant), and to treat them like US citizens.

In addition, the United Nations, that bastion of honor, courage and honesty, has decided to take Senior Taliban Leaders OFF THE UN LIST OF TERRORISTS! One has to wonder if a grievous injustice was done by placing them on the list to begin with. Did we make a mistake and were they just gentle farmers? Did we mis-ID quiet respectful, God-fearing souls for cold blooded murders and are now determined to right this injustice? No; this is just another reflection of the cowardice that is all pervasive.

Stratfor - Afghanistan: Remove Some From Terrorist List

January 25, 2010

Kai Eide, the United Nations special representative to Afghanistan, called on Afghan Officials to push for the removal of some senior Taliban leaders from the United Nations' list of terrorists, in an attempt toward opening direct negotiations, the New York Times reported Jan.25. Eides also asked the U.S. military to speed cases through of about 750 detainees in U.S. military prisons in Afghanistan.

Hey; here's one for you Kai Eides; how about we release our Warriors from prison who have been charged with crimes on Afghan and Iraqi soil? No chance, huh?

MG asked a great question; Why does Trijicon have to remove Bible Scripture from their ACOG scopes currently in use by our Warriors (presumably over 'separation of church and state' issues as well the fear of 'insulting' the Taliban) but then require our Warriors to help in the re-building of Mosques, when many good Christian and Jewish, American Warriors might find that repugnant - not to mention the whole separation thing.

(see - http://www.marine-corps-news.com/2010/01/afghan_government_leaders_join.htm)

We are rapidly moving toward Sharia being introduced into our American system of justice. Our European partners in the 'War on Terror', or whatever we are calling it today, are already having serious discussions along these lines. We can only speculate as to the motivation but whatever it is, it is insane. In our case, it will be nothing short of sedition.

Call me crazy. Maybe I am in the minority and maybe we should all be taking a knee to Islam and the Taliban and Al Qaida as some seem to be suggesting. Or maybe; just maybe, these people have sold their collective souls to the highest bidder for assurance of a bright future career.

Lest we forget the ultimate goal of this blog and all who have followed and understand; we are adamant that the Rules of Engagement under which our Warriors must try to perform, win and still come home alive, must change to reflect the reality of war not some social experiment. Knowingly placing our Warriors in an untenable situation with unreasonable expectations born of a fanciful, theater-wide, controversial, historically improvable strategy with an implacable enemy whose sole purpose for fighting and existing is the propagation of their religion is IMMORAL if not insane. The very administration that appointed the current ISAF Commander and that is bending over to accommodate the enemy with this surreal vision of the battlefield; even they don't envision being able to hold any support from the people who elected them beyond the next 18 months.

Does this tell us anything; do you think?

Semper Fidelis;

John Bernard