[Peace-discuss] "The US did not choose to fight a war in Afghanistan"!

[Morton K. Brussel]

Yes, this speech was truly disheartening, indeed horrible, for it  
points to more destruction and death inflicted by US military and  
economic power to peoples far away, and more economic and political  
deprivation for us at home.

The speech in its gross dishonesty repeated the ever reliable old  
refrain that we are in imminent and dreadful danger from the bogeymen  
of Al Quaeda. Of course, Al Quaeda  is defined as essentially everyone  
fighting against us.

It cannot be that Obama is dumb, or ignorant. Or is it just that he  
has chosen his advisors badly? No, he has other things on his mind;  
"U.S. interests", broadly conceived to mean the interests of governing  
US and allied elites. Absolutely necessary, then are Quisling regimes  
in Afghanistan and Pakistan (and others around this strategic region),  
even if "we" must build some roads and schools to achieve it.

Practically, the Obama scenario has little chance of the "success" he  
desires. His enemies will not decrease. But I find little hope in that.

--mkb





On Mar 27, 2009, at 11:28 AM, C. G. Estabrook wrote:

> A flat-out lie this morning from Obama as he announced the expansion  
> of the war
> that he was elected to end.  He seems to think he can get away with  
> saying anything.
>
> We're occupying Afghanistan and increasingly Pakistan because of  
> 9/11, he says
> -- even more shamelessly than the last administration did -- and  
> we're doing it
> more brutally.
>
> He has to say it's because of 9/11, of course, because he has no  
> authority to
> wage war for control of Mideast energy resources.  The killing he's  
> doing in
> AfPak has Congressional authorization only under the "Authorization  
> for Use of
> Military Force Against Terrorists," enacted September 18, 2001, and  
> authorizing
> the use of the US military against those responsible for the attacks  
> on
> September 11, 2001. The authorization granted the President the  
> authority to use
> all "necessary and appropriate force" against those whom he  
> determined "planned,
> authorized, committed or aided" the September 11th attacks, or who  
> harbored said
> persons or groups.
>
> So he has to pretend that that's what he's doing in Afghanistan and  
> Pakistan.
> The mendacious conclusion of his speech today is below.  --CGE
>
> ================
>
> "The United States of America did not choose to fight a war in  
> Afghanistan.
> Nearly 3,000 of our people were killed on September 11, 2001, for  
> doing nothing
> more than going about their daily lives. Al-Qaeda and its allies  
> have since
> killed thousands of people in many countries. Most of the blood on  
> their hands
> is the blood of Muslims, who al-Qaeda has killed and maimed in far  
> greater
> numbers than any other people. That is the future that al-Qaeda is  
> offering to
> the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan -- a future without  
> opportunity or hope;
> a future without justice or peace.
>
> "The road ahead will be long. There will be difficult days. But we  
> will seek
> lasting partnerships with Afghanistan and Pakistan that serve the  
> promise of a
> new day for their people. And we will use all elements of our  
> national power to
> defeat al-Qaeda, and to defend America, our allies, and all who seek  
> a better
> future. Because the United States of America stands for peace and  
> security,
> justice and opportunity. That is who we are, and that is what  
> history calls on
> us to do once more."
>
> 	###
>
>
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