Posted on 09/02/2013 4:42:31 AM PDT by Kaslin
Eric Tillberg, writer on Policy Mic says The War On Terror is Over, and the Terrorists Won.
After the first two shots of the War on Terror on September 11, 2001, the first major battle of the war occurred, and was lost, on October 26, 2001. This was the day the PATRIOT Act was signed into law by President Bush.Pakistan and US Drone Policy
Terrorists, by killing 3,000 people in a spectacular fashion, goaded the United States into compromising its values and betraying its citizens.
As a followup, the terrorists won another victory with the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security on November 25, 2002. This department gives a much more menacing facade to the federal government and proved to be the moment when American citizens got the idea that they were viewed as the enemy by their own government.
Defeats continued with the establishment of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), representing an increase in funding for an already bloated (and misnamed) Department of Defense. By this point, the American idea was on life support with little hope of reversal. The final blow that rang the bell of defeat for our nation was PRISM. Although PRISM began in 2007, we have only recently learned of its existence thanks to Edward Snowden.
The defeat of America in the War on Terror provides an excellent explanation for the resurgence of libertarian politics at home. It is a natural reaction, when one no longer trusts the government, to demand the right to keep and use arms and to demand that the government extract itself from most if not all aspects of our lives.
We don't only have to look internally to see that the terrorists have won. Al-Qaeda has not gone away and has not been obliterated. In this grand game of whack-a-mole, the moles see our weakening resolve to preserve ourselves and are encouraged by it. The passage of these laws must be seen as propagandistic victories to the terrorists and undoubtedly help in their recruitment. We must rediscover the American idea and begin living by it once again. This would be the best way to turn the tide on the War on Terror.
Roughly three-in-four Pakistanis (74%) consider the U.S. an enemy, up from 69% last year and 64% three years ago. And President Obama is held in exceedingly low regard. Indeed, among the 15 nations surveyed in both 2008 and 2012 by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, Pakistan is the only country where ratings for Obama are no better than the ratings President George W. Bush received during his final year in office.Pakistani Views of US, Obama
Moreover, roughly four-in-ten believe that American economic and military aid is actually having a negative impact on their country, while only about one-in-ten think the impact is positive.
Only 17% back American drone strikes against leaders of extremist groups, even if they are conducted in conjunction with the Pakistani government.
Exactly. The article is juvenile.
Ironically, he would deserve it if he would only nuke the pakis out of existence.
There is no calculus by which a nation like Pakistan would ever APPROVE or ENDORSE anything the USA does. None. You could put the sainted Ron Paul in charge of EVERYTHING for the next 100 years and Pakistan would still DESPISE the USA.
If currying the favor off Pakistan is somehow the end product of the American experiment in government than it might have never been tried in the first place.
Pakistan. Good grief.
The U.S. needs stay out of their cesspools...
American policy should be something like this: stay away from us - stay away from Israel - or we'll nuke you. Then walk away... let Allah sort them out - We have no dog in any of their numerous fights.
Search for “Bedaber Uprising”. It was in April 1985 when a group of Soviet and Afghan Army POWs captured a Pakistani army base. They have repelled numerous attempts to retake the base demanding to bring a Russian ambassador to the scene. At the end Pakis destroyed the base along with the POWs, Soviets learnt about this event and demanded explanation. Pakies have told mind your business and day later tested their F-16 with latest Sidewinder on a Soviet aircraft pounding ragheads who smuggled ammo from Pakistan to Afghanistan.
As a result Soviets unleashed an unprecedented campaign of sabotage and assassinations against the Pakis killing over 200 officials involved in training of Afghan rebels in a next three years. It is believed has been culminated in 1988 with killing of president Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, and the whole Pakistan’s military command in a plane crash.
I don’t think if Russians had a single problem with Pakistan ever since.
That is actually how you have to deal with them.
This is a Muslim country with a 96.4% population of Muslims. I would have expected a much higher figure. Frankly, I think we are doing quite well to have that low a number.
The big question is now that America is a militarized and para-militarized Police-Intelligence-Military Complex, how do we return it to common sense and efficiency?
1) To start with, we have 16 major intelligence agencies in the US, and countless para-government and commercial organization also functioning as an intrusive data gathering and mining operation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_intelligence_community
Clearly this needs to be streamlined, and to have clear parameters created as to who, when, and most importantly why they are to spy. Right now they operate with an open ended, uncontrolled, technology driven, unimportant minutiae of honest citizen approach, that is utterly wasteful and accomplishes nothing.
2) The US also has 100+ federal police agencies, and has gone so far as to authorize non-police agencies to arm themselves, train SWAT teams, and carry out police functions. Likewise, they give away vast amounts of military and communications equipment to every state and local police agency they can; while encouraging them to become paramilitaries instead of police.
While the vast majority of these police agencies can be consolidated, the demilitarization of state and local police needs to be done at the state level. To start with, removing and prohibiting the use of military weapons from local police departments; and giving such equipment to either county Sheriffs or the state police.
3) A federal act to recognize that there are times and places in which security profiling of people by their nation of origin, organizational membership, philosophy and religion are legitimate. There is no logical reason to insist on “fairness”, the use of extra security measures against all, when only a limited number of people should be regarded with enhanced security. Note, I did not say persecution. But, for example, if someone is a Muslim, for that reason alone they deserve extra scrutiny, and this is in no way unfair at this time.
4) While a border fence with Mexico is a grand idea which should be erected as soon as possible; non-Mexican foreign nationals require a different approach altogether, but one that has a remarkable inexpensive and effective approach.
A bounty paid to Mexican citizens, for information leading to the arrest and detention of non-Mexicans attempting to illegally enter the US. With the direct payment of between $100-$5000 paid directly and discreetly to Mexican citizens, our southern border would be airtight to non-Mexicans. Even if they paid smugglers a lot of money, the smugglers would still be inclined to inform on them for even more money.
Relatively speaking, this idea could be implemented within a few weeks, mostly time spent in publicizing it in Mexico, and would probably cost far less than $100,000 a year; so much so that even a private citizen could fund it.
However, it could only work if ICE completely discontinued its “catch and release” program for non-Mexican foreigners who had entered the US illegally. Right now, if an Iranian al-Quds Colonel was caught entering the US, they might very well let him go, on his assurance that he would show up to a US customs hearing scheduled some months in the future.
Which is intolerable to our national security.
The guy sure sounds like one of his followers.
Dubya should have hit Pakistan after Afghanistan instead of getting rid of the secular evil Saddam
paki Mozzies are worse. destroy Pakiland...
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