Welcome to New Libya

Looks like some of that “Change” stuff  is coming to Libya now that the Obama administration has helped arm and support the bloody coup in that country…

“Head of the National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, laid out a vision for a new Libya with an Islamist tint, saying Islamic Sharia law would be the "basic source" of legislation, and that existing laws that contradict the teachings of Islam would be nullified.

He outlined several changes to align with Islamic law, including putting caps on interest for bank loans and lifting restrictions on the number of wives Libyan men can take. The Muslim holy book, the Quran, allows men up to four wives…”

Well, it could be worse; they might have opted for a Christian theocracy…Inquisition anyone?

Peace,

Chad (The Left) Shue

Obama's War

Afghanistan Body Count: 10/24/2011
Total Americans Killed: 1,817
Post Obama Inauguration: 1,217
http://icasualties.org/

“…We will finish the job…” Pres. Barack Obama

----------------------------

Latest Confirmed Casualties:


*Lance Cpl. Scott D. Harper, 21, of Winston, GA died Oct. 13 in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

*Staff Sgt. Robert B. Cowdrey, 39, of Atwater, OH died Oct. 13 in Kunar province, Afghanistan.

*Spc. Jeremiah T. Sancho, 23, of Palm Bay, FL died Oct. 13 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan.

*Staff Sgt. Houston M. Taylor, 25, of Hurst, TX died Oct. 13, in Kunar province, Afghanistan.

*Spc. Michael D. Elm, 25, of Phoenix, AZ died Oct. 14 in Khowst, Afghanistan.

*Staff Sgt. Jorge M. Oliveira, 33, of Newark, NJ died Oct. 19 in Paktika province, Afghanistan.

*Chief Petty Officer Raymond J. Border, 31, of West Lafayette, OH died Oct. 19 in Paktika province, Afghanistan.

*1st. Lt. Ashley I. White, 24, of Alliance, OH died Oct.22, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan.

*Sgt. 1st Class Kristoffer B. Domeij, 29, of San Diego, CA died Oct.22, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan.

*Pfc.Christopher A. Horns, 20, of Colorado Springs, CO died Oct.22, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan.


Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

Iraq - The Next Chapter

President Barack Obama has formally announced the end of our occupation of Iraq with the full withdrawal of our military forces by December 31, 2011. As one of millions of Americans who opposed the invasion and occupation of Iraq from the beginning (and who continues to report on the ongoing casualties on a too regular basis), I am pleased to hear this news and praise President Obama for not extending the date of departure that was set by George W Bush before he left office in 2008 to end this almost nine year long nightmare.

However, as an American who has watched what our government does with more interest than in what they say; I have to say that I am still withholding final judgment until I see where we are in another year. As I posted here, America’s toll in blood and treasure in Iraq will not be ending in December. With hundreds of State Department personnel to staff the world’s largest embassy and thousands of mercenaries to provide security for them (all on the US taxpayers’ dime) you can be sure that there will still be bloodshed and dollars squandered.

And what of the issue(s) of how we became involved in that country; the lies that were told; the crimes against the Iraqi people; the lives lost? Does President Obama's announcement also signal the official end to any possible investigation(s) into the people or circumstances that culminated in some 4,500 dead American troops, almost 40,000 wounded, and thousands upon thousands of dead, wounded and displaced Iraqis?

And so, while I will be celebrating on the day the last American soldier departs Iraq, I will live under no illusion that we have heard the last about our involvement in that country.

Peace,

Chad (The Left) Shue

Might Make Right...If you are the US

You know, I guess I am pleased that people are standing up for themselves and throwing off the yoke of tyranny but somehow I am having a hard time accepting that my country is fully entrenched in the business of regime change and assassination. Under the Obama administration, we are engaged militarily in more countries than ever before. Unmanned drones are killing hundreds – some bad guys; some innocents – and we seem to have given up on trials and have chosen the “shoot first, ask questions later” posture of the school yard bully.


I mean, even the Bush administration captured Saddam alive and turned him over to an Iraqi court. Under Obama, bin Laden was shot down (unarmed by all accounts) and his body disposed of; two American citizens, Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Kahn, were killed by drone attack at the direction of the Whitehouse, and today we learn that Omar Gadhafi was killed rather than captured. I suppose I am just being naïve and should just accept it that, so long as we are the good guys – we will only invade countries that deserve it and only kill bad people.

My country, right or wrong. Right?

 
Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

Leaving Iraq? Don't hold your breath

The AP has a piece out this morning about the Obama administration reaching a final decision on pulling the remaining US troops out of Iraq at the end of this year; effectively ending 8 years of military intervention in that country. As you can imagine, there are a couple of interesting elements to this story. First of all, there is the fact that there was any debate over this decision in the first place. I mean Obama did campaign on ending our military involvement there and George W Bush had signed an agreement in 2008 to leave at the end of 2011 right? Well according the AP article:

”In recent months, Washington has been discussing with Iraqi leaders the possibility of several thousand American troops remaining to continue training Iraqi security forces.
But a senior Obama administration official in Washington confirmed Saturday that all American troops will leave Iraq except for about 160 active-duty soldiers attached to the U.S. Embassy.”

So what was the issue that most concerned the Obama administration and our military leaders and gave way to this seemingly final decision to withdraw our troops?

“The issue of legal protection for the Americans was the deal-breaker.
Throughout the discussions, Iraqi leaders have adamantly refused to give U.S. troops immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts, and the Americans have refused to stay without it…Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has told U.S. military officials that he does not have the votes in parliament to provide immunity to the American trainers, the U.S. military official said…Iraqis are still angry over incidents such as the Abu Ghraib prison scandal or Haditha, when U.S. troops killed Iraqi civilians in Anbar province, and want American troops subject to Iraqi law…American commanders don't want to risk having their forces end up in an Iraqi courtroom if they're forced to defend themselves in a still-hostile environment.”

Well, whatever the reasoning, it sure feels good to finally be getting out there right? Well, not so quick there.

“Regardless of whether U.S. troops are here or not, there will be a massive American diplomatic presence.The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is the largest in the world, and the State Department will have offices in Basra, Irbil and Kirkuk as well as other locations around the country where contractors will train Iraqi forces on U.S. military equipment they're purchasing.
About 5,000 security contractors and personnel will be tasked with helping protect American diplomats and facilities around the country, the State Department has said.”

Can you say “Blackwater/Xe”? That’s right. 5,000 PRIVATE security contractors (mercenaries) paid for with US tax dollars (that’s our money). You do understand that these mercenaries typically are paid at a much higher rate than our own military? From a study published in 2007:

“And even without overbilling, weapons-toting employees of private military contractors are often paid about $600 per day, five or six times what the average U.S. soldier earns.”

But even if we are to continue to funnel Billions of dollars into that country, at least our troops will finally be coming home, right?

“An advisor close to al-Maliki said the Americans suggested during negotiations that if no deal is reached in time, U.S. troops could be stationed in Kuwait.
With the U.S. military presence in Iraq currently at about 41,000 and heading down to zero, almost all of those forces will be flowing out of Iraq into Kuwait and then home or other locations.
A western expert in Iraq said it is conceivable that if the Iraqi government asks early next year for U.S. troops to return, there will be forces still in Kuwait able to come back and do the job.”

I’m not holding my breath.

Peace,

Chad (The Left) Shue

Obama's War

Afghanistan Body Count: 10/16/2011

Total Americans Killed: 1,809

Post Obama Inauguration: 1,209

http://icasualties.org/

“…We will finish the job…” Pres. Barack Obama

----------------------------

Latest Confirmed Casualties:

*Staff Sgt. Nicholas A. Sprovtsoff, 28, of Davison, MI died Sept. 28 in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

*Sgt. Christopher Diaz, 27, of Albuquerque, NM died Sept. 28 in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

*First Sgt. Billy J. Siercks, 32, of Velda Village, MO died Sept. 28 in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds 

suffered Sept. 27 in Logar, Afghanistan.

*Pvt. Danny Chen, 19, of New York, NY died Oct. 3 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan.

*Lance Cpl. Benjamin W. Schmidt, 24, of San Antonio, TX died Oct. 6 in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

*Spc. Ricardo Cerros Jr., 24, of Salinas, CA died Oct. 8 in Logar Province, Afghanistan.

*Capt. Joshua S. Lawrence, 29, of Nashville, TN died Oct. 8, in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.

*Capt. Drew E. Russell, 25, of Scotts, MI died Oct. 8, in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.

*Sgt. Nathan L. Wyrick, 34, of Enumclaw, WA (44^th Washingtonian) died Oct. 10 in Kandahar province, 

Afghanistan.

*Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Michael R. Tatham, 33, of University Place, WA (45^th Washingtonian) died Oct. 12 in Bali, Indonesia.




Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

The Outting of Kevin Hulten - A Cautionary Tale for Mr. Reardon

One of the worst kept secrets in Snohomish County got a bit more exposure last week; broadening the audience as well as the cast of characters. In a series of related articles, both the Seattle Times and the Everett Herald apparently decided it was time to awaken the general public to the questionable activities and tactics of Lake Stevens’ own Kevin Hulten.  At the very least, it seems Mr. Hulten may have finally chosen the wrong victim for his own brand of hitman politics.

The story coming from the media last week involves certain ethics complaints filed with the Public Disclosure Committee (PDC) against current Republican candidate for Snohomish County Executive, Mike Hope. At the center of the story is the question of where the complaints (most of which have been tossed out by the PDC) actually originated. You can follow the entire story best from the summary article run in the Herald by following the link here. Essentially what unfolded upon investigation by Mr. Hope’s camp and the Herald’s Noah Haglund was a trail that led back to the “sometimes” doorstep of Kevin Hulten. Have I mentioned that Hulten is currently employed in an “administrative position” by current County Executive, (Democrat) Aaron Reardon; candidate for re-election to that position?

Hulten (a former editor of the Lake Steven Journal) first came to my attention when he wrote a letter to the Everett Herald attacking a member of the Snohomish County Council (Democrat, Dave Somers) for what he claimed was an effort on the part of Somers to thwart the placement of a UW campus on a piece of land between the cities of Lake Stevens and Snohomish. At, that time Hulten was working as a legislative aide for then State Representative Steve Hobbs (D-Lake Stevens). Somers disputed the accusations and quickly pointed out that Hulten’s boss was a fellow Democrat who had previously lost a bitter primary contest for the seat Somers still holds today. Hobbs’ response at the time was that he could not hold Hulten accountable for actions that he took on his own time.  Then, last year during Hobbs’ run for state senate, Hulten’s name surfaced again when Hobbs’ Democratic challenger, Lillian Kaufer became the target of a cyber smear campaign. Although Hulten was never directly linked to the attacks (coming from a blog and Twitter account registered to a “ghostfacedstarx” in New York City), Kaufer as well as others in the 44^th LD insisted that Hulten was the most likely suspect given his access to personal and financial information on Kaufer and her husband via Lexis/Nexis, his obvious motivation to protect his boss, and the attack-dog style exhibited by the cyber bully as well as Hulten himself when confronted by members of the LD.

Until now Hulten has been able to maintain that degree of “plausible deniability” that allows those that he works for to remain above the fray. This adventure may have just blown all of that out of the water. For his part, Aaron Reardon has thus far stood firm by his denial of any knowledge of Hulten’s activities and is passing it off as mere coincidence. He has been quick to point out that Hulten does not have a place on his campaign staff and, if he were taking part in any political activity it would have been “on his own time.” Here’s the problem; Reardon, as the highest ranked Democrat in the county, is walking on thin ice if he says he has no knowledge of Hulten’s previous activities while on the staff of Sen. Hobbs. Reardon, after all, was Hobbs’ chief supporter in his failed bid against Dave Somers for county council and is currently endorsing Hobbs in his current run for US Congress. Interestingly, a few months ago, when I suggested to a potential Democratic challenger to Reardon, that Mike Hope might be looking to run a more robust and potentially negative campaign this year than had Reardon’s two previous challengers, he suggested to me that “I’m sure Aaron’s preparing for that. He has hired Hulten to come work for him.”

For many of us who follow the political comings and goings in Snohomish County, the activity being alleged in the media and by others in the “political know” is nothing new coming from Kevin Hulten. Perhaps the biggest surprise in this case is the fact that he has been caught doing what he does best and the fact that he may just drag down one of the more savvy and powerful politicians in the county in the process. I have a feeling that, unless these two gentlemen part company soon, their fate may be irreversibly joined.

Peace,

Chad (The Left) Shue

Obama's War

Afghanistan Body Count: 10/03/2011

Total Americans Killed: 1,798

Post Obama Inauguration: 1,198

http://icasualties.org/

 
“…We will finish the job…” Pres. Barack Obama

----------------------------

Latest Confirmed Casualties:

*Lance Cpl. Franklin N. Watson, 21, of Vonore, TN died Sept. 24 in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

*Spc. Garrett A. Fant, 21, of American Canyon, CA died Sept. 26 in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

*1st Lt. Ryan K. Iannelli, 27, of Clarksboro, NJ died Sept. 28 in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

*Lance Cpl. John R. Wimpey Cagle, 19, of Tucker, GA died Sept. 28 in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

*1st. Lt. Andres Zermeno, 26, of San Antonio, TX died Sept. 25 in Wardak province, Afghanistan.

*1st Lt. Ivan D. Lechowich, 27, of Valrico, FL died Sep 28, in Ghazni province, Afghanistan.

*Spc. Steven E. Gutowski, 24, of Plymouth, MA died Sep 28, in Ghazni province, Afghanistan.

*Pfc. David A. Drake, 21, of Lumberton, TX died Sep 28, in Ghazni province, Afghanistan.

*Spc. James A. Butz, 21, of Porter, IN died Sept. 28 in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

*Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Caleb A. Nelson, 26, of Omaha, NE died Oct. 1 in Zabul province, Afghanistan.






Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

Obama Orders Assassination of US Citizens Abroad

And so President Obama has finally raised the stakes in the poker game between himself and George W Bush over who can be the more provocative Commander in Chief. Up til now, Obama has basically played to a stand-still; simply matching each of Bush’s moves. Bush invades Afghanistan and Iraq: Obama keeps us there but rearranges the pieces. Bush opens a detention center at GITMO: Obama continues to employ its use. Bush utilizes “rendition” and torture: Obama scales back on the renditions and outsources the torture. Bush authorizes and employs the Patriot Act: Obama extends all of its provisions for the indefinite future. The beat, seemingly goes on. That is, until yesterday when President Barack Obama issued an order to assassinate two American citizens who were alleged to be Al Quaida operatives in a foreign country. To my knowledge, this is the first time that an order has been issued to kill an American citizen (not openly engaged in deadly combat) without any effort at apprehension, trial, or other elements of due process as defined in the US Constitution. And, given the nature of the current Amerika – the event was cheered by both sides of the political spectrum.

“Anwar al-Awlaki, the target of the U.S. drone attack, was one of the best-known al-Qaida figures after Osama bin Laden. American intelligence officials had linked him to two nearly catastrophic attacks on U.S.-bound planes, an airliner on Christmas 2009 and cargo planes last year. The second American killed in the drone attack, Samir Kahn, was the editor of Inspire, a slick online magazine aimed at al-Qaida sympathizers in the West.”

Please note that Awlaki was linked to two “nearly catastrophic attacks…” No one died or was injured and it is not specified how Awlaki was linked to the non-events. And then there is Samir Kahn; killed because he was the editor of an anti-American magazine. On the surface, these were men not to be liked or admired by Americans. However, we are supposed to be a nation of laws; guided by a constitution that GUARANTEES certain rights and obligations. Paramount among these rights is due process where an American citizen faces his accuser and is afforded the opportunity of defense. This act of targeting and killing American citizens (did you also note the part where this operation was executed by cowardly drone attack?) continues to take our country further down the rabbit hole of totalitarianism. But there is an ironic twist to this story.

“Late Friday, two U.S. officials said intelligence indicated that the top al-Qaida bomb-maker in Yemen also died in the strike. Ibrahim al-Asiri is the bomb-maker linked to the bomb hidden in the underwear of a Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a plane over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009.
Authorities also believe he built the bombs that al-Qaida slipped into printers and shipped to the U.S. last year in a nearly catastrophic attack.
Christopher Boucek, a scholar who studies Yemen and al-Qaida, said al-Asiri was so important to the organization that his death would "overshadow" the news of al-Awlaki and Khan.”

And so, while we might have had the killing of a suspected “high value” Al Quaida bomb maker with the death of two American citizens (also suspected in terrorist acts against the US) as “unfortunate collateral damage”, what we are left with is an American president – constitutional law scholar and Nobel Peace Prize winner – officially shredding the 5^th Amendment to the US Constitution.

Peace, (If we can find it)

Chad (The Left) Shue