Oh, I don't disagree with the fact that Afghanistan was essentially a money-laundering pit making untold billions for faceless defense officials. They didn't even hide it that well; I wouldn't call it sophisticated. I also totally agree that essentially all of the players in DC need to be replaced—and the huge money connections need to b…
Oh, I don't disagree with the fact that Afghanistan was essentially a money-laundering pit making untold billions for faceless defense officials. They didn't even hide it that well; I wouldn't call it sophisticated. I also totally agree that essentially all of the players in DC need to be replaced—and the huge money connections need to be removed—to even begin to change this fact.
But, my point that the withdrawal was about as big a SNAFU as imaginable stands. Sure, they spent 20 years doing nothing and openly moving trillions of dollars around and enriching defense contractors, but the entire establishment really seemed to think that the puppet government—that was only propped up by the US military's presence—was a sound one. It was proof that for 20 years, nobody in charge knew what the fuck they were doing.
Sure, we need to remove the money from DC, but we have to remove these idiots too. There's just no spin on this situation that is justified that doesn't have Biden, Trump, Obama, Bush and almost everybody in the upper echelons of the government and military looking ultimately incompetent, or worse.
One wonders what is taught in US military academies these days, and what is the criteria of graduating? Isn't organized retreat and evacuation the most basic competency of any army? Contrast and compare with Soviet withdrawal, which was planned over a year in advance, well executed with active rearguard operations, and takeover by local forces that fought on for almost 3 years after last Soviet soldier left. This Afghan "government" folded while there were thousands of NATO troops in the country.
That's why this was planned to be a fiasco. I'm not sure if it is to enrich contractors, try to give us a reason to stay, import thousands of terrorists from Afghanistan or what, but there is absolutely no way our military doesn't know how to retreat, evacuate civilians and friendlies behind a perimeter and the military leaving last.
I actually think it is incompetence, pure and simple. Why? Because it was not done in last 30 years - military was tasked only with ever more expansion, ever more bases and outposts, and even modest proposals to consolidate, retreat (from most peaceful places where there is really no reason to be any more, such as Germany) have been met by veritably fury by flocks of chicken**it hawks in Congress and their MSM echo chambers. Funny how to start any wars, Congress finds way to avoid its constitutional obligations (AUMF and Patriot Act are at this point stretched beyond any limits of sanity), but as soon an idea is floated to withdraw, accusations of "high treason" start flying. This is truly the stuff how Empires die, as they lose internal feedback loops that brings them back to align with reality of "too many provinces, too few legions". Even the Romans realized that at some point and vacated two huge provinces - Dacia (275) and Britannia (410). These acts definitely helped preserve the core for at least a while. Our "senate" and "emperors" obviously have no such pragmatic wisdom.
It's good to hear a different take than mine. I don't know which perspective is worse, yours or mine. I have a kid in the army so this is super personal to me.
This is a #metoo comment: SIGAR did great work. It was comprehensively ignored because it didn't fit the narrative. Nothing happened. No one will be held accountable. The work is ultimately useless.
If you were to ask me 10 years ago whether I would rather work at SIGAR or a turnip farm, I would vote turnip farm. At least you get turnips, eventually.
Compare if you will the response to what was 'ignored' via the Pentagon Papers....
'The New York Times began publishing excerpts on June 13, 1971; the first article in the series was titled "Vietnam Archive: Pentagon Study Traces Three Decades of Growing US Involvement". The study was dubbed The Pentagon Papers during the resulting media publicity.'
Track the effort and attention paid via the Church Commission and then next twenty years of political activity - following the cost of the final evac from Saigon...
With were we are now.
Our broken forces were not revived until Operation Desert Storm - and - since Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld and post 9-11 - EVERY DOPE IN THE PEOPLES HOUSE HAS BEEN ON THIS GRAVY TRAIN...and led us to this point...
Except Donald J Trump - who announced from the moment he claimed Jerusalem as our flag in Israel - to his repudiation of Xi and his gangsters with his defense of the Westphalian Pact in Poland - to his consistent rejection of the 'military industrial never-ending-war-inc' whore of babylon cash cow -
And what was the response? -
A SHADOW GOVERNMENT RUN LESS THAN A QUARTER MILE FROM THE PEOPLES HOUSE WHEN THEY DARED ELECT A NON-POLITICAL ENTREPRENEUR...
Comey at FBI - Clapper and Brennen at CIA - and the dedicated efforts of a Media that found a way to make billions destroying represententive democracy...in the most craven and demented way - sick enough to make Gobbles & Stalin proud....
And so...many...more....from the Fed Balance sheet to the attack on King Dollar to the willing embrace of the CCP and any digital currency that can keep their train rolling....
The same clowns that have wrought this fiasco for the world to glare at - that have shit on every sacrifice made - just a few months ago were lecturing us about TRANSGENERISM and a so-called Jan 6th 'insurgency'
(proof positive that Harpers Ferry and John Brown are too 'controversial' for Academy discussion these difficult days)
these kinds of clusterfucks don't just unravel - these are calculations coldly executed....
Pandemic 2.0....sans mandetory masks or ATIFIA GARB....
And a wet sloppy XXX billion kiss via 'swag' to the Mullahs who had to endure the Trumper for a long 4 years....were we got routed by 12TH CENTURY PUNKS - who are barbarically murdering and raping and emulating the Hoards of Attila - while the business as usual crap is spread off the AP wire like it was a nothing burger....
Our Dotard is far more feckless than Chamberlain - and the Prosecutor in waiting from Sacramento? Hardly a cackling Churchill.....
I have seen zero evidence that we are entering some 'cold war' like this is the equivalent of the Berlin Airlift -
Oh, I don't disagree with the fact that Afghanistan was essentially a money-laundering pit making untold billions for faceless defense officials. They didn't even hide it that well; I wouldn't call it sophisticated. I also totally agree that essentially all of the players in DC need to be replaced—and the huge money connections need to be removed—to even begin to change this fact.
But, my point that the withdrawal was about as big a SNAFU as imaginable stands. Sure, they spent 20 years doing nothing and openly moving trillions of dollars around and enriching defense contractors, but the entire establishment really seemed to think that the puppet government—that was only propped up by the US military's presence—was a sound one. It was proof that for 20 years, nobody in charge knew what the fuck they were doing.
Sure, we need to remove the money from DC, but we have to remove these idiots too. There's just no spin on this situation that is justified that doesn't have Biden, Trump, Obama, Bush and almost everybody in the upper echelons of the government and military looking ultimately incompetent, or worse.
One wonders what is taught in US military academies these days, and what is the criteria of graduating? Isn't organized retreat and evacuation the most basic competency of any army? Contrast and compare with Soviet withdrawal, which was planned over a year in advance, well executed with active rearguard operations, and takeover by local forces that fought on for almost 3 years after last Soviet soldier left. This Afghan "government" folded while there were thousands of NATO troops in the country.
That's why this was planned to be a fiasco. I'm not sure if it is to enrich contractors, try to give us a reason to stay, import thousands of terrorists from Afghanistan or what, but there is absolutely no way our military doesn't know how to retreat, evacuate civilians and friendlies behind a perimeter and the military leaving last.
I actually think it is incompetence, pure and simple. Why? Because it was not done in last 30 years - military was tasked only with ever more expansion, ever more bases and outposts, and even modest proposals to consolidate, retreat (from most peaceful places where there is really no reason to be any more, such as Germany) have been met by veritably fury by flocks of chicken**it hawks in Congress and their MSM echo chambers. Funny how to start any wars, Congress finds way to avoid its constitutional obligations (AUMF and Patriot Act are at this point stretched beyond any limits of sanity), but as soon an idea is floated to withdraw, accusations of "high treason" start flying. This is truly the stuff how Empires die, as they lose internal feedback loops that brings them back to align with reality of "too many provinces, too few legions". Even the Romans realized that at some point and vacated two huge provinces - Dacia (275) and Britannia (410). These acts definitely helped preserve the core for at least a while. Our "senate" and "emperors" obviously have no such pragmatic wisdom.
It's good to hear a different take than mine. I don't know which perspective is worse, yours or mine. I have a kid in the army so this is super personal to me.
You are right, both are worse...
"The audits were simply ignored."
Yup.
This is a #metoo comment: SIGAR did great work. It was comprehensively ignored because it didn't fit the narrative. Nothing happened. No one will be held accountable. The work is ultimately useless.
If you were to ask me 10 years ago whether I would rather work at SIGAR or a turnip farm, I would vote turnip farm. At least you get turnips, eventually.
Compare if you will the response to what was 'ignored' via the Pentagon Papers....
'The New York Times began publishing excerpts on June 13, 1971; the first article in the series was titled "Vietnam Archive: Pentagon Study Traces Three Decades of Growing US Involvement". The study was dubbed The Pentagon Papers during the resulting media publicity.'
Track the effort and attention paid via the Church Commission and then next twenty years of political activity - following the cost of the final evac from Saigon...
With were we are now.
Our broken forces were not revived until Operation Desert Storm - and - since Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld and post 9-11 - EVERY DOPE IN THE PEOPLES HOUSE HAS BEEN ON THIS GRAVY TRAIN...and led us to this point...
Except Donald J Trump - who announced from the moment he claimed Jerusalem as our flag in Israel - to his repudiation of Xi and his gangsters with his defense of the Westphalian Pact in Poland - to his consistent rejection of the 'military industrial never-ending-war-inc' whore of babylon cash cow -
And what was the response? -
A SHADOW GOVERNMENT RUN LESS THAN A QUARTER MILE FROM THE PEOPLES HOUSE WHEN THEY DARED ELECT A NON-POLITICAL ENTREPRENEUR...
Comey at FBI - Clapper and Brennen at CIA - and the dedicated efforts of a Media that found a way to make billions destroying represententive democracy...in the most craven and demented way - sick enough to make Gobbles & Stalin proud....
And so...many...more....from the Fed Balance sheet to the attack on King Dollar to the willing embrace of the CCP and any digital currency that can keep their train rolling....
The same clowns that have wrought this fiasco for the world to glare at - that have shit on every sacrifice made - just a few months ago were lecturing us about TRANSGENERISM and a so-called Jan 6th 'insurgency'
(proof positive that Harpers Ferry and John Brown are too 'controversial' for Academy discussion these difficult days)
these kinds of clusterfucks don't just unravel - these are calculations coldly executed....
Pandemic 2.0....sans mandetory masks or ATIFIA GARB....
And a wet sloppy XXX billion kiss via 'swag' to the Mullahs who had to endure the Trumper for a long 4 years....were we got routed by 12TH CENTURY PUNKS - who are barbarically murdering and raping and emulating the Hoards of Attila - while the business as usual crap is spread off the AP wire like it was a nothing burger....
Our Dotard is far more feckless than Chamberlain - and the Prosecutor in waiting from Sacramento? Hardly a cackling Churchill.....
I have seen zero evidence that we are entering some 'cold war' like this is the equivalent of the Berlin Airlift -
Much more like Hitler and the Sudetenland...