The Political Conundrum!

I love comments on my blogs and wish I got many more than I do. Every once in a while I get a really nice or well-thought out comment. Last night I received one from a fellow soldier who is studying at one of the premier military higher-education institutions. He flattered me by asking little ole’ me for my opinion on issues in Afghanistan. I started replying to him in the comments section, but then realized while writing my answer that this may be something everyone else who reads this blog, but doesn’t necessarily read the comments, may want to see. So I am re-posting his comment here with my answer below.

Thanks for your service to our great country, in addition to taking the time to keep up on Afghanistan and blogging about it.

I am Texas National Guardsman currently enrolled in Command and General Staff College. I will get to spend a couple of weeks at home during the Christmas Holidays, then will jump the pond and head to the “Rock Pile”.

The Washington Post had an article in yesterday’s paper, U.S. to Boost Presence Near Kabul. In summary, MG Schloesser is going to put one of the new brigades in the Wardak and Logar provinces. We lost three there in June by ambush and it was also the sight where the UH60 was shot down last month.

What piqued my interest in this article, was MG Schloesser’s quote in regard’s to Operation Lionheart, which is a synchronization effort with the Pakistan, Afghanistan, and U.S. military conducting border operations.

“None of these things are the thing that’s going to be the tipping point. But each and every one of them, as you add them, they are important in terms of adding to overall security. Just the ability to work on both sides of this very tough border, to talk to each other, to have complementary operations – it’s encouraging.”

My question to you, a question that is on the mind of a lot of people in this country and others that are prosecuting the war in Afghanistan, what is the “tipping point”? You been there and I value your opinion. Can you give me an assessment on how long you think we will still be engaged and what needs to be done to ensure success?

Thanks again for your efforts in your blogging. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

MAJ Pollock
Staff Group 29A

Maj Pollack,

First let me thank you for reading and then for commenting. You pose a very good question for my opinion, so let me do my best to answer here.
Let me start with the fact that I think we will see US forces in Afghanistan for upwards of 20-25 years. I see our forces at that time to be in the same posture as our forces in Germany or Korea. More of a deterrent and a QRF type of force.
The “tipping point” in my opinion will be a generation change. As long as the US forces there continue to act with professionalism and treat the people humanely, then the younger generation growing up (whom hasn’t had their heads filled full of lies from the madrassas and mosques) will see that the principles we stand for and are trying to share with them are the right ones. The people there are uneducated and literally just a week and a half out of the stone-age. For us to be successful and hit that “tipping point”, we need to bring them a little closer to modern times. I don’t mean to be westernized, but to be educated. They need to have access to information, multiple viewpoints, etc so they can shape their own opinion. When you are uneducated, illiterate, and ignorant to the world, all you have to hang on are the words of the “smart and holy one” in your village. For most Afghans this is the Mullah who is supposed to know the Koran, know how to read, and be educated. They believe whatever that guy says. So as long as the bad guys control the mullah, they control the village.
This younger generation needs to grow up with more influence besides a crooked mullah and they need to develop the fire in their belly for their country. This is a major issue with the ANA and ANP, they are not in it for the greater good of Afghanistan, they are only in it for the paycheck. The younger generation that will eventually fill the ranks of government and the country’s security forces need to care about their country and their culture, not just their village. They need to feel like they are part of a bigger thing, and not just what is around them. By being uneducated and kept in the dark, they have no idea what is happening anywhere else, nor do they care. How can they care about something they have no knowledge about? Karzai and his government rule in Kabul only, and have really nil to no influence outside of Kabul, this includes places as close as Wardak province which borders Kabul to the southwest.
In order to start the education process, in order for the infrastructure to be built up, in order for this whole process to begin which will demonstrate the values and benefits we are trying to emplace, in order for all of that…..we need security. The little girls can’t go to school without being mutilated unless there is security. The schools can even stay operational unless there is security. The cell phone towers that provide a weak link to the outside world can’t even stay up at night without security. We, as the main effort in the coalition there, along with our coalition partners cannot even begin to shift our work effort to true mass rebuilding without security.
I hope I answered your question to your satisfaction. If I went off on a tangent and missed something, please feel free to comment again or email me by clicking on the link in the upper left.

Troy “Bouhammer” Steward

Co-Editor's Note: See the "Newslinks" box for links to updated news on the attacks.
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Suspected Islamic terrorists have attacked at least eight places in Mumbai, the financial hub of India on November 26 evening. They fired indiscriminately, and lobbed grenades around while making their way to Hotels and Railway Stations and Airport. At least 60 people, many foreigners have reportedly died and nearly 150 injured in these terror attacks. Times of India report quoting hospital sources, indicated that at least 80 people were dead and 250 injured in the terror attacks. There are unconfirmed reports of a Hostage situation also in Taj Mahal and Oberoi Hotels (with most foreign guests). The first incident of firing was reported at Leopold Cafe, a well-known watering hole for tourists and foreigners in Colaba. The second incident was near Taj Mahal hotel, the third was near Oberoi hotel in Nariman Point and the fourth one was at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station. Also a major blast was also reported in Vile Parle in suburban Mumbai. As per the latest reports around 15 people, half of them foreigners are taken hostage on the roof of the Taj Mahal Hotel.

The needle of the suspicion is on the Lashkar- e- Toiba and Student Islamic Movement of India combine (Now they credibly calling and proving them as Indian Mujahedeen terror group).

The incidents took place one day after the reported arrest of Lashkar -e-Toiba linked Raheel Sheikh by the Interpol in London. Raheel is one of the alleged masterminds of the conspiracy and was involved in the funding of the July 11, 2006, Mumbai serial train blasts that killed nearly 200 commuters and wounded over 500 people on that fateful day.

Russian warships sailed into a Venezuelan port Tuesday, greeted by a 21-gun salute and an eager welcome from President Hugo Chavez as Moscow seeks to expand its influence in Latin America.

Federal authorities are warning law enforcement of a possible terror plot against the New York City subway system during the holiday season. A memo says the FBI has received a "plausible but unsubstantiated" report that terrorists may have discussed attacking the subway system.

The pirate "mother ship" sunk last week by the Indian navy was actually a Thai fishing trawler seized hours earlier by pirates, a maritime agency said Wednesday. The Indian navy defended its actions, saying it fired in self-defense.

Intense dealmaking among Iraq's political factions on Wednesday delayed by one day a parliamentary vote on a security pact that would allow American forces to stay in the country through 2011 under tight Iraqi supervision.

Virginia officials say they are not trying to hoard aircraft carriers, despite a comment from a Florida senator Tuesday that the Old Dominion is being "a little piggy."

Upon the ongoing debate about the release of Guantanamo detainess or their processing through US criminal courts, a heavy fact is still unaddressed: future prisoners of war. If indeed the United States is and will continue to be at War with "an enemy" -and the forthcoming Administration has announced an escalation in the War in Afghanistan- one can only project that US forces may (rather will) take future prisoners. This inevitability is expected to put pressure on the ongoing debate. For seizing the enemy's combatants under the law of war and releasing them through criminal law is a hybrid equation about to crumble. In the following piece I am making the case to the new Administration to make a choice: cancel the war or apply its laws..

I have talked about this piece of crap several times, Nick Meo that is. I have covered his actions here, here, here and here. Well he is up to it again or at least he and his employer have been. When the Army Public affairs officer from Afghanistan first told me and other milbloggers about how Meo acted completely unprofessional and unethical while embedded with US forces from Task Force Phoenix, I along with many others in the milblog community jumped on this.

We all blogged about it and then you, YES YOU, the milblog reader acted and sent emails to Meo and the Sunday Telegraph, forwarded the blog links to your friends, etc. I don’t think we ever know or appreciate how much power the blogosphere has, and more specifically the milblog world has.

The feedback to Meo and the Telegraph was so great that they went crying to the NATO run International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF). You may remember the acronym ISAF, as I have blogged about it several times, to include what US soldiers downrange through it stood for. I blogged about that here. Anyway, I digress…so they complained to ISAF which really means nothing. Task Force Phoenix does not fall within the chain of command of that NATO force, nor do they care what ISAF cares about or not. The sad part is that the overly pompous ISAF leadership thought they could say something and tried to get involved, but CSTC-A was cordial enough to essentially hold their hand up and say “talk to the hand, becuase they ears aren’t listening”. TF Phoenix works for CSTC-A and not ISAF, so ISAF had to essentially go back to the Telegraph and Nick Meo and tell them “sorry there is nothing we can do”.

The bigger story here is, what if they could do something? What the F@#$ were they going to do? I don’t work for TF Phoenix anymore, as I am back to being a civilian. None of the other bloggers that wrote about this work for TF Pheonix either. We are independent civilians that are expressing our freedom of speech to say whatever we want. I am not sure what the Telegraph or ISAF was thinking. Do they not understand what blogging is or who bloggers are?

Ironic that we found out about these late breaking events this week, because tonight is a big show on The You Served Blog Talk Radio Show. We have a special roundtable panel that will talk about the topic of “The power of the milblogs”. Sitting on this panel will be Susan Keating who blogs at http://susankatzkeating.blogspot.com/, Old Blue who blogs at http://billandbobsadventure.blogspot.com/ and special guest, Task Force Phoenix Afghan Regional Security Integration Command-South Public Affairs Officer, LT Amy Bonnano who writes the Command’s official blog at http://arsicsouth7.wordpress.com/ and will be joining us from Afghanistan. There are some other special guests on tonight’s show also, so please join us on this Thanksgiving week special night show at 7:00 PM EST over on http://www.blogtalkradio.com/youserved

Want another take on this story that is humorous and is written with creativity, check out my good friend, LL’s blog over at http://www.chromedcurses.com/2008/11/25/cry-baby-cry-baby-suck-your-thumb/. Just a heads up, she does not hold back and this blog is not for those that are easily offended.

According to http://www.star-telegram.com/279/story/1059777.html, it appears that the Afghan security forces have arrested the people who threw the acid on the Afghan school girls, which I had written about before right here, http://bouhammer.com/wordpress/?p=2048.

It appears that one of the teachers that was wounded along with the girls wants to follow the passages of the Koran which say “and eye for an eye”. After her herself being burned with acid and of course being there with her students as they were burned and blinded with acid, I can’t say I blame her at all. I hope the legal system there satisfies her wishes.