Subject: Nobody ever wrote about crucial differences between Afghanistan & Iraq

The Afghani people are not only uneducated, but a majority of the population cannot even read...and it is one of the poorest countries in the world. Housing and living conditions are extremely primitive, even in Kabul, no running water, no toilets, let alone electricity and TV in the homes. "Democracy" is a meaningless word here, and if people came out to vote, it is because they are hoping for better lives, though Condoleezza Rice said to David Frost that the people don't care about poverty, they just want freedom. (And having spent so much time in Afghanistan and with the Afghani people, she must know.)

Afghanistan has always been one of the world's poorest economies. It survived as a rentier state in the near absence of an industrial base. It has little agriculture because it lacks rain and water. In recent times, it became the world's largest exporter of poppy, until the Taliban clamped down on it, starting in 1999, and virtually eliminated the growth of poppy in eastern and southern Afghanistan by the year 2000. The north, controlled by the Northern Alliance, kept cultivating poppy and used the money from the drug trade to finance its operations against the Taliban.

Afghanistan is sparsely populated with a large percentage of nomads who drift with the weather. In an area of over 650,000 square kilometers, the population has never exceeded 25 million. While the Pashtuns comprise over 50% of the population, the Tajiks make up around 20% population. The rest are Uzbeks, Hazaras, Chahars, Turkmen, Nooristanis and some Balochis. Due to its strategic location as "the gateway to India" and "the back door to Russia," Afghanistan has been the victim of considerable strife and even more intrigue over the last two centuries. But the last three decades have been the culmination of all previous strife.

This time the US has promised that Afghanistan will not be deserted. So far only humanitarian relief is being made available in Afghanistan, with very little effort to help reconstruct it. A large number of individuals have begun to express their skepticism, but there is hope that with the present government in Afghanistan (emplaced by whatever means) likely to stay for some length of time, reconstruction might begin. The questions that concern most analysts relate primarily to the issue of how to proceed with this noble venture in order to achieve a "sustainable peace"''' in Afghanistan. To understand that, it is essential to identify some of the areas of concern that the international community has.

Iraq, on the other hand, has been a secular society for a long time, it has a much more educated population, women have gone to school for years, girls go to school now, the level of sophistication and information is much higher. Iraq has some of the world's richest oil fields, and has had private enterprise for some time. It has a rich ancient culture (much of which has now been stolen out of the museums and is probably in private collections all over the world) and the people are proud. The war with Iran, the war with the US and the subsequent sanctions created a great deal of poverty and suffering, but Iraq remained an industrialized country whose poverty and ignorance cannot be compared with Afghanistan.

When the US decided to invade Iraq, it seemed as if the Bushies, and the American people in general (including the entire Congress) thought that the Iraqis were just like the Afghanis...how should they know the difference? How many Americans had ever been to Iraq, read about it or learned about it in school?

And we know the level of information that flowed between the various government agencies only dealt with WMDs and Saddam; the people were never taken into account as a factor...the images of the Iraqi people greeting the US army with flowers was a fantasy of ignorance, it was a fairy tale that had nothing to do with the real Iraqis, regardless of the fact that they wanted to get rid of Saddam.

If the American media did what the European media does, pay attention to the Iraqi blogs, interview people on the street (how can it, if its reporters stay in the Green Zone and never even see the real people?) they would see that Iraqis - even the old men sitting in cafes and smoking their water pipes - are very interested and aware of what is going on, articulate, and extremely upset by the death and destruction which the US has caused.

It's easy for Condoleezza Rice, coming out of a luxurious hotel in her Chanel suit and surrounded by an army of body guards, to spout platitudes of how the sacrifices are worth it...she didn't have to make them. Ever.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: anti-environmental fraud and payola

Dear BuzzFlash:

The Bush team is coming down Broadway again with another distraction and misinformation parade aimed at stalling the environmental movement. As you know, Global Warming is only one part of an unfolding catastrophe that includes water, air and soil pollution/contamination, plus their domino effects. That needs to be emphasized to keep these crooks from narrowing the debate to a catch phrase. People also need to be reminded of the fraudulent anti-environmental "research" which has come to light in recent years. Again, as you know, a good deal of this fiction-for-pay research has served as the basis for Big Business' propaganda efforts. No doubt the Bush Administration and its friends plan to repackage these lies and already have "journalists" lined up to do anti-environmental infomercials. Now is the time to cut them off at the pass.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Scalia and the Emperor and his Go-fers

Put Scalia in as Supreme Court Chief Justice, and you have the final piece of the puzzle in place. The Congress, The Supreme Court and the King and his royal court...The Holy Trinity. Add the Religious right, the Corporate big-wigs, the ignorant Serfs, the Military and....voila!! What a Country!!!

My God, if you truly exist, will you please intervene before this nightmare becomes complete reality? Before it is truly a fait accompli, we need to make a stand against the inevitable tyranny that we face in the few years that lie in front of us.

They have the power, but we have the enlightened truth. It (the truth) must be shouted from the rooftops until God himself (herself) hears our plight. A Democracy reborn...we can accept no less.

Richard Wagner
Saginaw Michigan

Subject: Quote From Barron's

Quote from this weeks Barron's (Dow Jones) regarding private social security accounts.

Subject: Whatever happened to the Plame/CIA/Fitzgerald investigation?

Whatever happened to the Plame/CIA/Fitzgerald investigation?

Nate

[BuzzFlash Note: Good question. Well, we learned yesterday that Gonzales is taking with him, from the White House to the Justice Department, some key Plame figures. That should really make for a tough investigation, don't you think? Meanwhile, U.S. Atty. Fitzpatrick is still in charge of the case. Here's the Washington Post's article: Gonzales to Take 3 White House Lawyers to Justice Dept. (Dana Milbank).]

Subject: OBL on Social Security. Plus, the Real Michelle MALKIN

Unless I missed it, OBL [Osama bin Laden] has been unusually quiet again since the election. He has always been there for Shrub whenever Shrub has most needed him. Now that Shrub is fighting his uphill battle to deform---uh, REform---Social Security, it would seem that OBL is being remiss in his civic duty by not going on the record with his thoughts.

And Shrub needs a break from the "on message" mode:

When he first took power it was: TAX CUT TC TC TC TC TC TC TC TC TC TC ...

And the MSM thought it was so cute, and when Congress caved, a male "reporter" dude, said, with an aw-shucks-ain't-the-boy-cute, "pResident Shrub has gotten his tax cut..."

Then it was: NINE ELEVEN NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE ...

Then it was: IRAQ ATTACK IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA ...

There have been a few other items, but now it's: SOCIAL SECURITY SS SS SS SS SS SS SS SS SS SS ...

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: social security

Have been reading about privatizing our soc. sec. in the amount of 4%. To me this is allowing the repugs once again to frame an issue by miniaturizing the amount (4%).

If the total employee/employer amount is 12% then 4% of 12% equals 33.3% (a third) of our money to be privatized. Dems. & Progressives should be framing it this way, more to the truth of the matter.

Afterthought:

Also my distrust in this administration they might be looking to privatizing only the employee percentage 4% of 6% which equals 66.6% (two-thirds) of our money to be privatized. Then allowing their corporate cronies only to match the remaining 2% saving them 66.6%. (The devil could be in the details!)

S.M. McGough

Subject: Spongebob Squarepants

While Mr. Dobson may be dutifully working on the serious Spongebob threat, I have discovered an even more insidious cartoon character, also very popular with today's youths. You may have already guessed--it's Yogi Bear. This cartoon is so vile and destructive I don't know where to begin. Never mind that Yogi and Booboo are undoubtedly homosexual lovers. And never mind that the concept of talking bears is, how shall we say, more than just a nod to the theory of evolution. (The show attempts to indoctrinate children with the false belief that the animals are somehow on a par with humans. As if a chimp or a bear can ever "evolve" into a human being.) Far worse about Yogi Bear is the promotion of a socialistic or communistic world view. Though the bears in no way deserve the picnic baskets of the hard working vacationers, they literally steal what does not belong to them and redistribute it to the poor, represented by the bears themselves.

But friends, let's call a spade a spade: these bears are terrorists, extorting goods and material wealth from decent folk like you and I. The idea is presented by using a supposedly humorous "Robin Hood" appeal, which of course is another insidious tale aiming at the redistribution of wealth according to socialist ideals. These revolutionary bears are presented as the good guys when they steal from the ruling classes in their crimes of liberation. Our youth are being brainwashed and indoctrinated and this must stop. Yogi bear and Booboo must be banned from the airwaves and exposed as the willing tools of those freedom-hating socialists and communists. (And queers.)

And lastly, perhaps the worst thing of all is the disrespect for authority. The show quite consciously presents Mr. Ranger in a negative light. Even though he is uniformed and a legitimate agent of the U.S. Government, he is constantly made fun of by the radical bears. Yogi and Booboo are presented as clever and likable when they lie and deceive the government. And, by extrapolation, the bears are undermining the war effort by mocking those who wear U.S. Government uniforms, like our troops in Iraq. This so-called classic cartoon is in fact openly pro-homosexual, unpatriotic in its disrespect of U.S. authority, pro-poor, and anti-American in a communistic kind of way. I say take it off the air and replace it with Fox News for Kids. That way our youths will get a healthy head start on their way to world domination.
 
Frank Phillips
Silver Spring, Maryland

Subject: Bloomberg

Bloomberg heckled after saying he'll challenge ruling allowing gay marriage 2/7

I'm not a fan of his by a long shot but I think Bloomberg is wise to appeal. If he doesn't, somebody will. Better a sympathizer go though the motions and file a brief that might not be very aggressive (and simultaneously not incur the wrath of the party) than have an adversary throw serious time and money into a strong legal case and a long, protracted fight. Maybe.

Rosamond

Subject: Two Social Security talking points

1) Making the Bush tax cuts for the elite permanent will cost three to five times more than any shortfall in the Social Security program.

2) If the Republicans are serious about not cutting benefits to seniors, why don't they propose a voting supermajority requirement to cut benefits?

Best,

Matt, Bob, and Josh www.ThereIsNoCrisis.com

PS. The first point was inspired by Senator Kennedy on Meet the Press this morning. Tim Russert has, by the way, been one of the single worst pundits on this issue. After parroting the 'There's a crisis' line in December, he's now continuing in the same 'What's YOUR idea for fixing Social Security, wise guy?' line of right-wing framing. This despite the fact that (a) Bush doesn't have a clear plan for fixing anything (b) All plans Bush has pointed to don't actually have any effect on Social Security solvency but DO require the borrowing of trillions and (c) There is NO crisis with Social Security, and any long-term problems require minor tweaks at the MOST.

PPS. Can someone please ask Tim Russert to actually get the facts on Social Security before going off and saying stupid things like this: "We have a situation where the number on people in Social Security is going to double. People, rather than spending 15 months, are going to spend 15 years."

This is flat-out wrong. Infant mortality rates were higher back then, which explains much of the life expectancy gap.

Atrios has it right: http://atrios.blogspot.com/...

Um, Timmy? No. There's a difference between life expectancy at birth, and life expectancy at 65. According to the folks at the SSA, for the cohort of people who turned 65 in 1945, 53.9% of men and 60.6% of females survived from age 21-65. And, for those made it that long - survived until 65 - on average males lived until they were 77.7 and females lived until they were 79.7. There is no crisis.

Subject: Saudis

Saudis call for anti-terror center. Maybe they can have the bin Laden family fund it. 2/6

Doubtful. The House of Saud is and has been in extremely precarious shape, barely fending off the Wahibist lower classes. Like most petro-economies, there is an obscenely wealthy upper crust (propped up by the US) floating in a seething sea of poverty and extremist hate. They don't like Osama but they will never openly oppose him. Osama (yeah, he's nuts, etc.) is a little like Che and other revolutionary leaders in that he comes from the upper classes but derives his power from the adoration of the aforementioned seething mass.

Rosamond

Subject: Bush and the Texas Rangers: The Texas "Roid" Rangers

Last year, at the State of the Union address, Dear Leader warned baseball to clean up its act: No More steroids! If the allegations of former baseball slugger Jose Canseco are true, Dear Leader, then the managing general partner of the Texas Rangers was presiding over the biggest collection of steroid abusers in major league history. Canseco claims Bush knew about it. That certainly must be the case. The tell tale emergence of a player from wimp to Hercules - in a period of one off season- is impossible not to note.

That's the Bush M.O. Slip drugs into the country while leading a War on Drugs. Talk of Peace and conduct Perpetual War. Cry Freedom from the highest mountaintop while destroying the Constitution that is the very bulwark of that freedom. Feign Christian humanitarian scruples while signing documents authorizing the use of torture against people who are guilty of no crime at all. Wave the American flag, while turning over your national security - and the troops under your charge- to a madman in Tel Aviv.

I was hoping that enough people would come to their senses and oust this regime - before it was too late. Not to be. The race was close enough that the computer hackers could push Dear Leader over the top. You can lead people to truth but you can't make them think.

Brad F.

Subject: Sistani

It's tempting to point to the outcome of Shi'ia rule as a terrible unintended consequence but demonizing Sistani, who is relatively moderate (though not in our eyes, perhaps) will play right into the hands of the Bush administration who will soon be making Iraq the equivalent of Iran, and then attacking both.

Rosamond

Subject: Social Security "Crisis"

Hey Buzzers,

A rarely discussed aspect of the SS debate.

The "crisis" caused by the retirement of the baby boomers will eventually subside. Bush stated that there used to be 16 workers paying in for every retiree and soon it will be only two. However, as the baby boomers retire and begin to die off, the ratio of workers to retirees will begin to rise again and stabilize. This is never mentioned.

Also, the letter in the Feb. 3 Mailbag proposing a raise in the minimum wage to $7.00 per hour from $5.50 is a great solution. We should ask our lawmakers to consider this smart option. This plus eliminating the ceiling on who pays into SS from $90,000 to all wages paid should be more than sufficient to cover any future problems.

Both Paul Krugman and Josh Marshall's columns have been brilliant lately at explaining the nature of the theft that the Repos are attempting here. If the Democrats can't unite and get the real facts out about the Piratization, and FINALLY expose the lies of the Neo-Con Artists, then they deserve to be consigned to the dung heap of history. I mean, really, how hard is it to lay out the facts that Bush is taking away a guaranteed benefit for a gamble?

I'm counting on Howard Dean and Barbara Boxer.

Keep buzzin',

Leslie Crabtree, Member of the Resistance, Occupied Smirkistan

P.S. My husband got a letter published in Friday's NY Times. As a 53 year old he is screwed. He's paid in for over thirty years, he will have benefits cut no matter what and he has too few years to earn money in any sort of "privatized" account.

Subject: Bush to Propose Billions in Cuts

El Bush will propose cuts in everything that doesn't affect his base, including the wealthy, corporate America and Christian Right, except military spending. There will still continue to be record budget and trade deficits. Prime targets will be Social Security and Medicare. But he will certainly demand tax cuts for the wealthy be made permanent, and likely call for more cuts or elimination of corporate taxes. Welcome to third world America.

RB

CLICK HERE FOR PART 2 OF THE FEBRUARY 8, 2005 BUZZFLASH MAILBAG.