The Taliban Side of the War in Afghanistan

Guardian: Reports on the Taliban side of the War in Afghanistan. Not sure I approve of a UK newspaper running a story on the Taliban side of the War in Afghanistan, even if its the left wing Guardian, but makes me worry. The simple reason is the West is fighting a 21 Century War against a people who are fighting in some respects a 19th Century War with some IEDs. The people of Afghanistan if not fighting each other like nothing more that fighting from their point a view a perceived invader. Also your dealing with terrorists who are fighting a religious war when your fighting a Western secular War. Why did the UK have to fight a War in Afghanistan, the two worse places to fight a Western War are Afghanistan and Vietnam. In Afghanistan the Taliban are fighting a religious War, in Vietnam the North was fighting a Revolutionary War that was also a Civil War, not easy to fight against, in both cases the enemy was hard to see from the civilians, at the end of the day the USA lost in Vietnam, it took the election of President Reagan in 1980 to bury the ghost of Vietnam, lets hope Bush 43 and Obama have not created another Vietnam, does the USA have another Reagan that is the question.

The Chicago Fix for the Afghanistan Election

The Times: Reports on the prospects for a clear winner in the August Presidential Election in Afghanistan, in essence don't hold your breath. It can be argued that the West has a horse in this race, that is the present President Hamid Karzai, he might have failed in his promises to Afghanistan from getting rid of corruption and drugs but he has not caused major problems for the the Obama Administration and that makes him Chicago's Man in Afghanistan. In between the Taliban threatening to cut off fingers and the buying of votes by the Karzai this really looks like the 1960 Presidential Election in Chicago, just replace the Taliban with the Mob and the corruption of Mayor Daley with Karzai doing deals to buy votes. It must bring back good memories to the New Chicago Leaders in the White House, when they are not picking up your email address if you oppose Obama. The Chicago Fix is in, Karzai will win, Obama needs he devil he knows, Afghanistan could become his Vietnam, and Karazi could be his Diem. The question is can Obama stand up to the Liberal Left of his Party, with the raising death toll in Afghanistan they will want to act as Neville Chamberlain, in other words appease the Taliban/Terrorists, has Obama the statesmanship of a Kennedy and a Reagan, that is open to question folks.

The Threat of a BLOODY Afghanistan Election

Telegraph: Reports that the Taliban have threatened to cut off fingers of those that vote in the August Presidential Election in Afghanistan. Thus its more important that Western Forces secure Afghanistan, thus a need to increase troops levels, the USA and the UK will have to send more troops, the UK troops will need better kit from the New Labour Government, thus when they travel they need land and air transport that is secure form IEDs or other attacks from the Taliban/Terrorists. If the good people of Afghanistan go out and vote they should be protected, they should not need to fear they will lose fingers, we cant lose now Afghanistan, thus the Government has to spend the money, if we can bail out the banks we can support our Armed Forces in combat.

The Price of Afghanistan

The Times: Reports on the human cost of Afghanistan, the dead and wounded soldiers, the expected lost of the 200th death in Afghanistan and how long the War attrition will have the support of the UK voter. As noted this blog for years has supported our Armed Forces in Afghanistan but not the War, those kind to read this blog might have noticed that since July of this year this blog has taken a marked different tone, we have to win in Afghanistan now, we lost 22 Armed Forces Personnel in July, in August so far we have lost 8. The blood has been spilled we got chased out of Iraq in many respects, not enough troops and not enough public support in the UK. The War in Afghanistan is different, we have lost more of our Armed Forces Personnel in Afghanistan than Iraq, in Afghanistan the total is now 199 in Iraq at the end we lost 179. The War in Afghanistan never going to make Afghanistan a Democracy in the model of the UK or the USA, women's rights are never going to be the same as they are in the UK or the USA. The idea that Western values can be transported to Afghanistan is an illusion. If and when we leave Afghanistan, and we will leave with the USA, it does not matter, a semi democracy with rights for women that protects the back of the West would be great but a one man rule by a strong man that gives not rights to women but protects the West is also okay. The UK and USA Governments have to understand that we cant nation build in Afghanistan, its the Wild West in many respects and we don't want to be General Custer, the UK has done that and got the T-shirt in the 19the Century. Lets hope the military planners know their history, because if they don't Afghanistan will be the modern Vietnam War for the USA and the UK.

Obama to raise your TAXES

Fox News: President Obama has admit that he will have to raise taxes to pay for his health care reform bill, the exception being those that earn under two hundred and fifty thousand will not pay, it will be the rich. This is rubbish, the one thing about health spending is it will go up, the NHS in the UK just soaks money. Lets be pointed here, the NHS in the UK is great, it has served millions for decades, but and here is the but its not totally free, it cant be, have you tried to get a NHS dentist of late, the last time one had an open list there was a long a very long line to sign up. Also if you don't want NHS glasses you have to pay more, its call NHS reality. But these issues are on the outskirts of major issues. The NHS is the best but that's the problem, when the NHS was created when you left the work force at 60 for women and 65 for men you didn't live that long afterwards, thus it didn't cost that much to the NHS. This is 2009, you can retire at 60 and 65 and expected to live for another forty years. Of course as you get older, the more things tend to go wrong, its life. Thus if the UK was staring the NHS now it would not be the same, yes it it would be free but people would be expected to pay a supplement NHS payment based on your DNA record, as in if your get heredity health issues you would pay more, that the real world folks. Just to prevent the attacks if you read this, the NHS is great but you cant place the NHS in the USA, the population of the UK is around 60 Million, in the USA is three hundred million, thus what Obama is trying to do is create the NHS model of 1945 in the USA. In the end it wont work, you cant soak the rich for 100% to pay for those that don't have health care, the USA is the new world not the old world, the USA has to find its own solution, a NHS USA is not the way, if you want bankrupt the USA support President Obama, if you don't want to be rich and old support Obama. President Obama is tax and spend liberal with but with TV skills.