“Afghanistan – the long shadow of a never-ending war” Collage by Kevin Dayhoff November 14, 2009 Click here for a larger image: http://twitpic.com/xmqjm or here: http://kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/post/328268071/afghanistan-the-long-shadow-of-a-never-ending
For several of my recent columns in The Tentacle, http://www.thetenctacle.com/, I had to do a good bit of reading on Afghanistan… This is one of several threads of information of which I came across… I thought it might come in handy for some colleagues…
updated 1 day ago
Big stash of illegal drugs seized in southern Afghanistan
Troops with the NATO-led force in Afghanistan have seized more than 6,000 pounds of illegal drugs, the force said.
updated 2 days ago
Two security contractors charged in Afghanistan killings
Two men who worked as security contractors for the company formerly known as Blackwater have been charged with murder in the killings of two Afghan men, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
updated 2 days ago
U.S. senators laud use of drones against suspected militants
Missiles shot from pilotless planes are an effective tool against suspected militants, two U.S. senators said Thursday.
updated Tue January 5, 2010
Top intel officer slams work of U.S. spies in Afghanistan
U.S. spies "can do little but shrug" when commanders ask for the information they need to fight the Taliban insurgency, the top U.S. military intelligence officer in Afghanistan said in a blistering report.
updated Wed December 30, 2009
Attacks kill 8 purported CIA employees, 5 Canadians in Afghanistan
An attack by a suicide bomber at a military base in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday killed eight Americans believed to be CIA employees, a senior U.S. official told CNN.
updated Mon December 28, 2009
Afghan official: 10 civilians killed in coalition operation
U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan said Monday they are investigating reports that 10 Afghan civilians, including eight students, were killed Saturday in a coalition operation in the Narang district of Kunar province.
updated Fri December 25, 2009
British monarch reflects on 'difficult' 2009
Queen Elizabeth II addressed the economic crisis and the war in Afghanistan on Friday in her annual Christmas Day message.
updated Wed December 23, 2009
CNN Poll: Afghanistan war still unpopular, but troop increase isn't
Although the war in Afghanistan remains unpopular with most Americans, the public supports President Obama's decision to send more U.S. troops to the conflict, according to a new national poll.
updated Sun December 20, 2009
British troops to get first new camouflage in 40 years
British troops will get new camouflage uniforms for the first time in more than 40 years, based on computer modeling of Afghanistan's terrain, the Ministry of Defence announced Sunday.
updated Sun December 20, 2009
CNNMoney: Afghanistan: 30,000 troops, $30 billion a year
War is expensive, and it's about to get more so as the U.S. government escalates its military efforts in Afghanistan.
updated Fri December 18, 2009
Corruption a way of life in Afghanistan
In the Afghan capital's department of motor vehicles, the simple act of registering a car can turn into days, even weeks, of waiting and frustration. Unless you pay off the right people.
updated Thur December 17, 2009
Congress to probe private military contractors in Afghanistan
Congress is launching a broad-ranging investigation into possible waste, misuse and corruption tied to billions of taxpayer dollars used to support private military contractors in Afghanistan.
updated Thur December 17, 2009
My hardest decision: Saying no to Afghanistan war
Calling for a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan may have been one of the most difficult decisions I made during my freshman year.
updated Thur December 17, 2009
No good reason to be in Afghanistan
I recently attended the White House Christmas tree lighting and congressional holiday party. Christmas is traditionally a time of peace and love, quite a juxtaposition for a nation fighting three wars, one in Iraq, one in Afghanistan, and a global war on terror.
updated Thur December 17, 2009
Revelations in the war zones
The men and women who are serving in our armed services are my heroes. I spent a week in the presence of true heroes -- men and women who live in the war zone, fight the enemy, risk their lives, and depend on our support.
updated Mon December 14, 2009
Attack on Afghan police post kills 8 officers
Gunmen attacked a police checkpoint in northern Afghanistan early Monday, killing eight police officers, authorities said.
updated Tue December 8, 2009
Winning hearts and wallets in Afghanistan
Two of the biggest goals for U.S. forces in Afghanistan are building up Afghan security forces and convincing Taliban fighters to lay down their arms -- and cash could come into play in achieving both.
updated Tue December 8, 2009
McChrystal: Uprooting bin Laden and Taliban key to winning in Afghanistan
Finding al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and rolling back a resurgent Taliban are necessary steps toward winning the war in Afghanistan, the top U.S. commander there told a Senate committee Tuesday.
updated Tue December 8, 2009
UK defends Afghan mission after 100th death
Britain's prime minister on Tuesday defended the mission in Afghanistan as "vital" to protecting his country from terrorists, following the death of the 100th British serviceman in Afghanistan this year.
updated Mon December 7, 2009
Is Afghanistan really a 'graveyard of empires?'
The hand of history will be weighing heavily on U.S. President Barack Obama's shoulders as he deploys thousands more troops to Afghanistan in the hope of finally crushing a relentless Taliban insurgency.
updated Fri December 4, 2009
New Afghan push takes aim at militants
More than 1,000 troops have started a big push against insurgents in a militant stronghold of southern Afghanistan, the U.S. Marines said Friday.
updated Fri December 4, 2009
Review: Nothing to love about 'Brothers'
"Brothers," a drama centered around the war in Afghanistan, is based on a 2004 Danish film, but it could just about be a remake of the aftermath-of-Vietnam 1978 soaper "Coming Home."
updated Thur December 3, 2009
This week in iReport: Afghanistan views and one giant condom
This week in iReport, we're looking at one of the hottest topics of discussion lately: President Obama's decision to send more troops into Afghanistan.
updated Thur December 3, 2009
Frequently asked questions about the mission in Afghanistan
President Obama announced Tuesday that he's sending about 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan over the next six months.
updated Thur December 3, 2009
Pakistan a key factor in U.S. Afghan policy
When President Obama took to the world stage to detail U.S. policy toward Afghanistan, he hammered home a key foreign policy principle: Success in Afghanistan is "inextricably linked to our partnership with Pakistan."
updated Wed December 2, 2009
Soviet commander: U.S. faces similar Afghan fate
A former commander of Soviet forces in Afghanistan has warned history is being repeated in the war-ravaged country as the United States and its allies become increasingly mired in an "unwinnable war."
updated Wed December 2, 2009
U.S. commander: 'I have exceptional confidence right now'
A day after President Obama announced his decision to send 30,000 more U.S. service members to Afghanistan, the top U.S. general there talked optimistically about the road ahead to an audience of troops.
updated Wed December 2, 2009
Comment: Europe faces dilemma over troops in Afghanistan
The 41 other nations contributing to the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan have had to wait to hear U.S. President Barack Obama's plans. But in the end he has come down firmly on the side of the "One More Push" brigade rather than those urging "Let's Cut our Losses and Quit."
updated Wed December 2, 2009
Transcript of Obama speech on Afghanistan
President Obama spoke Tuesday night at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, about the future of the U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan. The following is a transcript of his remarks:
updated Wed December 2, 2009
Don't escalate a failing war
President Obama just announced he plans to send 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan, where hatred of the U.S. grows every day. Next door, nuclear-armed Pakistan tilts toward disaster. It's time for Americans to insist on a nonmilitary way out of this mess.
updated Tue December 1, 2009
CNN Student News: Daily Discussion
Media Literacy Question of the Day
updated Tue December 1, 2009
Will Obama's war become his Vietnam?
As President Obama announced he's sending more troops to Afghanistan, he also took on critics who made comparisons between the current situation and the war in Vietnam.
updated Tue December 1, 2009
The battle for Afghan hearts and minds
"Why are the Americans in our land? What can I say, we are powerless."
updated Tue December 1, 2009
Analysts: Obama's Afghanistan speech crucial
U.S. President Barack Obama has waited too long to address the instability in Afghanistan, putting at risk the efforts to stabilize the troubled country, a pair of authors said Monday.
updated Tue December 1, 2009
Britain to send 500 more troops to Afghanistan
The United Kingdom will send an additional 500 troops to Afghanistan in early December, bringing the British contingent there to more than 9,500, Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced Monday.
updated Mon November 30, 2009
Troops alone can't win Afghan war
How can we best meet our national security objectives in Afghanistan?
updated Thur November 26, 2009
NATO chief hopes allies 'step up to the plate' in Afghanistan
NATO's secretary-general is confident that "all allies will step up to the plate" and provide more soldiers to the fight in Afghanistan after President Barack Obama announces his decision next week on an extra U.S. troop deployment.
updated Wed November 25, 2009
UK 'optimistic' on more Afghan troops
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is "optimistic" that other countries will contribute more troops to the mission in Afghanistan, he told the head of NATO in a letter this week.
updated Tue November 24, 2009
Poll: U.S. split over Afghan troop buildup
If President Obama decides to send 34,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, a new national poll indicates Americans would be split over whether to support such a move.
updated Mon November 23, 2009
Obama, advisers meet on Afghanistan
U.S. President Barack Obama met Monday night with his national security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan, the White House announced.
updated Mon November 23, 2009
Kids smuggle food for cents along war border
Sabar Mina is cloaked in a light green shawl tinged with dirt. She is holding an empty flour sack that she plans on filling with firewood.
updated Mon November 23, 2009
Afghan schools seek survival amid attacks
In his work for a humanitarian agency in Afghanistan, Lex Kassenberg asks an important question when he visits schoolchildren: What will you do when you grow up?
updated Fri November 20, 2009
Suicide attack in Afghanistan kills 13
At least 13 people were killed in a suicide bombing Friday morning in Afghanistan's western Farah province, police said.
updated Thur November 19, 2009
Two U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan
Two U.S. service members were killed in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, NATO's International Security Assistance Force confirmed.
updated Wed November 18, 2009
Pentagon names soldiers missing in Afghanistan
The Pentagon on Wednesday identified two U.S. soldiers who disappeared in Afghanistan this month, announcing the death of one of the men and saying that the whereabouts of the other remain unknown.
updated Wed November 18, 2009
Germany extends Afghanistan mission
The German Cabinet has decided to extend the country's mission in Afghanistan but won't approve more troops.
updated Tue November 17, 2009
UK urges 'clear political strategy' in Afghanistan
Success in Afghanistan can only come with a clear political strategy, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband told a NATO gathering Tuesday.
updated Sat November 14, 2009
Three Americans killed in Afghanistan
Three Americans, including two from the International Security Assistance Force, have been killed in Afghanistan, the NATO-led force said Saturday.
updated Fri November 13, 2009
Germany to send 100 more troops to Afghanistan
Germany will send 100 more troops to Afghanistan to help with reconstruction efforts in the war-ravaged nation, the defense ministry said Friday.
updated Thur November 12, 2009
Dog back after a year MIA in Afghanistan
An Australian special forces dog has been found alive and well more than a year after going missing in action in Afghanistan.
20100110 50 or so CNN stories on Afghanistan Pres 2009 44 Obama admin, Pres 2009 44 Obama-Barack, World Middle East Afghanistan http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2010/01/50-or-so-cnn-stories-on-afghanistan.html
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Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/ Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://www.westgov.net/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/
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While it is obvious that the decline in the economy and the rise of unemployment above 10% make one of the most important stories of the year, the government response to this crisis is really an even bigger story. The decision to address the crisis with uncontrolled and poorly directed spending, causing further economic decline and an exploding debt which may be impossible to resolve without defaulting on debt obligations, will have consequences which last for decades. Gross fiscal irresponsibility including bailouts for favored industries, handouts to political allies and the largest budget increase in history while continuing to escalate the war in Afghanistan showed such economic ignorance, greed and irresponsibility that it actually woke the sleeping voters and may lead to one of the greatest political upheavals of our times in 2010. 
The economic crisis spurred the emergence of a powerful non-partisan movement for smaller government, fiscal responsibility and individual liberty. The people rose up in the millions and shouted "stop" at a government they view as out of control. This was manifested in the Tea Party protests and a rise in activism from independent voters as well as a pronounced political shift to the right on economic issues in the Republican Party. As the people expressed their displeasure in the streets and in the polls and in raising spokesmen like Glenn Beck to national prominence, Republican legislators actually heard the message and stood firm in opposition to every major spending measure in the Congress in a remarkable show of political resolve. 
When Russian hackers released a decade worth of emails between top climate scientists it stopped the efforts of global socialists to implement draconian environmental regulation dead in its tracks. The evidence of a conspiracy to manipulate, misrepresent and conceal scientific data was impossible to write off and it eviscerated the Copenhagen Climate Conference and left Al Gore hanging in the wind. 
The health care debate exposed the dark and rotten underbelly of partisan politics to the public in a way which hadn't been seen since the days of Richard Nixon. An awakened electorate got to watch Democrat leaders engaging in every kind of bullying and bribery to pass legislation to which their constituents were overwhelmingly opposed both on the right and left. The issue served as a vehicle for exposing partisan corruption of the media and the disdain of legislators for any interests but those of the political class. As voters watched in horror their eyes were opened to the blatant corporate takeover of the establishment left and the gross corruption of the political process. 
With international interests including the United States arrayed against them, the people of Honduras defied the world by demanding that the rule of law and the legitimacy of their constitution be recognized in opposition to the attempt of Marxists to subvert their political system. Despite all the forces arrayed against them, the people of Honduras prevailed and remained free. 
Everyone is picking Sully Sullenberger as their hero of the year, but his remarkable competence was not expressly political in nature. The real political hero of the year was John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods who defied his own left-leaning customers and risked one of the most successful emerging businesses of the decade by defending his vision of 21st century capitalism and publicly suggesting some rational alternatives to Obamacare based on his successful experiments in his own business. 
After a suspect election led to protests, government crackdowns led to further protests and further crackdowns to the point where Iran has developed a serious anti-government movement with the potential for a revolutionary uprising. The heavy handed violence of government forces in attacking protesters and assassinating outspoken opponents has shredded the mask of democracy which had cloaked the harsh rule of the Mullah oligarchy. The combination of middle class discontent, angry and persecuted ethnic minorities and a young population fed up with cultural isolation may be too volatile for the theocratic regime to keep under control. 
A madman with flaming underpants reminded us at the end of the year that the problems with international terrorism and defending the homeland were far from resolved. The convoluted process by which ample warnings of his intentions were ignored and mishandled showed both problems in our current security apparatus, but also the failures of the administration as they responded with pathetic denials and ridiculous suggestions for impractical responses. It also gave us new heroes in the passengers of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 who took action where the government had failed and saved their own lives on Christmas in the air over Detroit. 
The tumult surrounding the candidacy of Dede Scozzafava in the 23rd Congressional District in New York exposed the weaknesses of both the Republican establishment and the rising far-right opposition. The selection of Scozzafava by the political leadership of the state showed a disregard for the preferences of Republican voters which led to a backlash in support of what turned out to be a very unappealing alternative in the form of inarticulate boob Douglass Hoffman. The far right tried to flex its muscles and managed to force Scozzafava out of the race, but Hoffman was just too weak a candidate and they ended up giving the seat to the Democrats. There is an important lesson about compromise and listening to the people to be learned here, but it remains to be seen whether any of the factions in the GOP will heed it. 
For good or ill, 2009 showed us that Sarah Palin was not just a flash in the pan and was not going to go away. Despite continued derisionm from the media and the left and despite the refusal of blue state bookstores to even stock her campaign memoir, she made the top of the bestseller list and was very well received in her nationwide tour. She continued to demonstrate that whatever her shortcomings, she is unflappable and continues to have a strong national appeal. 