Escalation in Colombia

The recent treaty that gives United

States forces more access and freedom

of movement in and around Colombia

appears from the outside to be a

preamble for a war between Colombia

and Venezuela with logistical

support from the US. The range and

capabilities of us surveillance planes

reaches far beyond the borders of

Colombia. One questions the motive

which is stated to be an acceleration

of the war on drugs.

Many Americans at sometime in their

life have used Cocaine. The estimate

runs as high as 60% and in effect this

directly or indirectly supports F.A.R.C.

who support their activities mainly by

the sale of Cocaine. Most Cocaine

ends up in the U.S. and is an economic

force in the United States. The United

States has mounted an enormous and

costly "war" to stop the flow of drugs

from Colombia and other countries.

There is a less costly and logical

solution.

The American people continue

to use and sale Cocaine at the street

level, motivated by profit and greed.

Cocaine has become an integral part

of the underground economy. Cocaine

not only kills at the street level in

the Bronx and L.A. but supports

wars and counter revolutionary

activities that has resulted in the

death of millions outside the

borders of the United States.

The so called "war on drugs" has

proven ineffective in reducing

the use or Cocaine and other

drugs. Often it has been suggested

that legalizing the sale of all

drugs would remove the profit

motive and generate taxes. The

cost of setting up a beauracracy to

regulate drug sales would be a

fraction of the cost of a war

on drugs and would certainly

reduce the cost in the courts and

prisons where harsh laws and strict

enforcement have greatly increased

Prison populations.

The reduction of killing is incalculable

but significant to the security and

safety of the Global population.

Legalizing drugs would solve the

problem virtually overnight and

free the police from extensive

operations to curb the sale of drugs.

However this might be comparable

to the Banks and be to large of an

economic force to allow failure of the

illegal sale of drugs.

Americans continue to use and

inadvertently support the killing

through the use of illegal drugs.

Blinded by a smokescreen of good

intentions by their government and

euphoria.

PULL OUT OF AFGHANISTAN

President Obama is cranking up the conflict in

Afghanistan by adding a substantial number of

young able Americans to the fight for freedom in

that war torn country. Freedom is not a tradition

in a country that is habitually in conflict and they

have been murdering each other for centuries,

It is cultural.

Afghanistan, not unlike the United States , has

come to regard war as a cost for doing business.

LIke the U.S. they are dependent upon war to

move the economy along. This is a result of centuries

of tribal rule. If a tribe next door attacks you there

is a brutal economic and territorial war declared.

You gain, they lose economically and politically.

We are simply a tribe that came from a greater

distance with an enormous handicap. Our

understanding of the culture is practically nil

and the cost is an enormous drag on an already

crippled U.S. economy. The increase in troop strength

will result in more and better trained combatants

on the other side.

This escalation will elevate the ugly American

to the new status of invader.Using a phrase

from a most distinguished orator George Bush,

" This is a crusade". This ignorant phrase

put a religious twist to our efforts that we will

never shed. From a pheasants viewpoint we

may as well be knights on white horses who have

come to pillage, rape and murder the citizens of

Afghanistan.

No it is not VietNam where there was a unified

resistance to the French and later to the United

States. VietNam was not a cultural war it was

political and the populace was fully aware of

this. We like the French never had a chance

of real victory and occupation was never an option.

The great difference between the two conflicts

is glaring. To use a trite phrase it is like comparing

grapes to raisins. Yes there is a unified resistance

but in Afghanistan it is only as far as you can reach

out and pay the nearest unemployed person money

to kill Americans.

In VietNam it was expansive from border to

border people would fight for months living

on fish heads and a small personal bag of rice.

It was an idealistic cause.

There is not this total unification in Afghanistan it

is a fragmented cause, tribal, religious, territorial and

sometimes so localized that even brothers are

fighting and killing each other. The predictability of

the outcome farther than 50 miles from you is

impossible . There are no resources of any

value to support a stable economy, the political

resources are corrupt and ineffective. It is

impossible and foolish to set a date for a

pullout of American troops.

The most logical conclusion is that we should

pull out now since there is not chance of depositing

the seeds of democracy in Afghanistan . I

support our troops in their efforts to hunt

down and kill the leaders and operatives who

were responsible for 9-11. I do not see any

logical reason to establish a puppet government

as we have done in Iraq.

Pull out and use the technology that we have

developed, drones and selective bombing. Use

special units to penetrate any country that harbors

these devils and destroy them no matter the location.

Ignore civilian casualties since the body count

will be substantially less on both sides.