Drone gone

The Iranians say they have shot down and captured a US stealth drone. This drone, possibly a RQ-170, is super secret and can avoid detection.

The unmanned drone can scout the landscape for nuclear weapons. No pictures of the drone in Iranian hands or other evidence to prove the capture of the drone have emerged. Loss of the RQ-170 could leak secret technology to other countries, like China, which could have an opportunity to examine it closely.

The US did admit a drone went missing last week.

We will just have to wait for confirmation and, in the meantime, hope it's not the drone.

McCain is wrong - No mercenaries

Today, Senator John McCain said that Iraq will continue to need our troops and we need to have continued presence in Iraq. There is some confusion here. McCain is wrong.
Iraq can not control our troops for any reason. Our troops were deployed for WAR. Once the war is over, the troops can return home. Iraq may need Americans to build and modernize their country, but they can not use our troops. Nation-building is not war and it is not a duty for Americans to pay for Iraq nation-building. Iraq has many resources and many private companies are in Iraq making lots of money, along with the corrupt government officials. America has a huge deficit and is paying for the Iraq war with a credit card from China. It does not make any sense
We need to bring all of our military stuff home, along with our soldiers. There are basically three ways for Iraq to get non-war Americans into the country for nation-building. First, Iraq can hire a mercenary military to keep their people under control for years to come. Second, Iraq can hire American corporations, businesses and non-profits to work on various projects and needs. Lastly, Iraq can contract with the US to send non -military volunteer workers for various jobs. Anyone who wishes to volunteer to live and work in Iraq can do so via the State Department and be paid higher wages with benefits by IRAQ, not the United States.
Our military is not mercenary. Hence, countries can not pay our soldiers to come in and fight their wars. The US military only fights to protect and defend the US. The Foreign Legion is a mercenary military  group that takes men from any country to fight anywhere for pay. So, to hire a military, Iraq needs to look into hiring the Foreign Legion. If the US puts non-military persons in peril to build Iraq, there is every chance a war build-up could restart if the safety of these people is jeopardized. Iraq has already said that there will be no immunity and all Americans in Iraq will be subject to Iraqi law. Having seen the videos of Qaddafi's torture and death, I think most Americans will not be prepared for the Iraqi justice system. In addition, there are still hundreds of thousands of IED's hidden throughout the country.
The best situation is for private corporations and non-profits to send employees to Iraq, the companies and workers will be paid by Iraq, and the businesses will be responsible for the care, safety and costs involved. This will also help both the deficit and the US unemployment situation.

Republicans want war extended and more debt

Republicans don't get it. THE WAR HAS BEEN DECLARED OVER and the troops will be home for Christmas!!! The Republican leaders are saying to President Obama, this is too soon and we need to keep our troops in Iraq, and other Middle East countries, until they are stable. Hey, these countries have almost never been stable in our lifetimes. Unlike Americans, they have grown up in a culture of violence and fighting. You can clearly see the difference in how they treated Qaddafi vs. how we treat our "hated ones," like Madoff. We are a different culture with different beliefs. In the Middle East, when one fight ends, another begins.
The final story is, the US war in Iraq is over and we need to ship out our stuff and bring home the troops. This also means that the huge costs of the war, and the aftermath, will markedly decrease. We can stop borrowing as much from China and reduce our huge deficit. Thanks President Obama.
For years we were doing a lot of nation-building in the Middle East - but this is not the proper use for troops. Once the war ends, the troops come home. Now, as far as continual nation-building, we can use American businesses and others who want to contract and profit for various deals. But, not our troops.
We need our public money directed towards improving the American economy, encouraging job development, and improving the financial crisis.
So Republicans get over it, the WAR IS OVER!!!!!

PRESIDENT OBAMA DECLARES WAR OVER

YAHOOOOO!!!!! The day we have waited for for over ten years. President Obama declared today,"the Iraq/Afghanistan war is over" and the President states all troops will be out by the end of the year and hopefully home for Christmas !!!! LET'S DANCE!!!!!!
Republicans say, not so fast. Republicans feel U.S. needs to be involved in the war area for additional years and want to pour more borrowed money into Iraq, Afghanistan, and the corrupt pockets of foreign leaders and contractors. Republicans do not understand that the money used for the war was borrowed from China and has a huge interest component. Our children for generations will be paying of this ten-year plus war debt. We can not afford to increase our debt more and continue a questionable presence in the Middle East.
President Obama is correct. End the war this year, stop the financial waste and borrowing, and allow our troops to come home and get their lives back.
THEY'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Military makes excuses to stay in Iraq

I am going to comment on this edited CNN news brief. I am a strong supporter of bringing American troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. We have seen the Middle East leadership playing both sides of the conflict - taking mega money and human lives from the United States and giving American money to the anti-American forces to kill, maim, corrupt, and enslave our patriotic troops.

El Paso, Texas (CNN) -- A brigade of U.S. troops originally scheduled to be among the very last to leave Iraq is being pulled out of the country months ahead of its planned departure, military officials said Saturday (10/14/2011).

The announcement follows news this month that a deal to keep American troops in Iraq past a December 31, 2011, deadline to withdraw was on shaky ground after Iraqi leadership said any remaining U.S. forces would not be granted immunity from Iraqi prosecution. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and other top brass have repeatedly said any deal to keep U.S. troops in Iraq beyond the withdrawal deadline must require a guarantee of legal protection for American soldiers.(Comment: Panetta, why would we stay. The war is over. We have military setting up residence in Iraq.)

The Fourth Brigade Combat Team, First Armored Division, based at Fort Bliss, deployed to Iraq in August to replace two withdrawing brigades. The troops were sent with the understanding they would be among the last to leave the country and were told to expect up to a 12-month deployment (Comment: That's about one year past our promised withdrawal date)

                                              As part of that agreement, the State Department is deploying thousands 
                                              of workers to Iraq to take over where military officials leave off in their 
                                              dealings with the Iraqi government.(Comment: This article clearly                                        
                                              states we have no agreement or immunity with Iraq. So, these 
                                              workers will not have immunity, So,  they can be imprisoned, 
                                              tortured and hanged after trial (or other Iraqi process) in Iraq. Who 
                                              is going to protect these thousands of government workers? Is 
                                              this just another ploy to keep more American troops in Iraq 
                                              beyond the 2011 deadline?)

"At the same time we're building a comprehensive partnership with Iraq under the Strategic Framework Agreement including a robust security relationship, and discussions with the Iraqis about the nature of that relationship are ongoing," said Tommy Vietor of the National Security Council.(Comment: We have no "partnership" with Iraq! Mr. Vietor does not understand for there to be a partnership there must be transparency, agreement, trust and a willingness to follow the terms/rules of the contract. Vietor must be making money under the table.)

"We shouldn't see American soldiers in Iraqi courts on trumped-up charges," he said.(Comment: Get out troops out now!)

The meetings include discussions about the rights of American troops and what will be required in order for those troops to assist Iraqi forces in the future, according to Panetta.(Comment: How clear can Iraq be - no immunity. You have the right to be tried and hung! When did we become Iraqi assistants. We were there for a war. It's over - BRING OUR TROOPS HOME!)

U.S. officials have been pressuring Iraq's leadership for months for an answer to whether it would request a troop extension, with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen saying over the summer that the U.S. needed a a decision by August.(Comment: Who cares if they ask for an extension of the services of our troops. They just shot down another plane full of SEALS. We are not a maid or babysitting service. Of course they want our troops longer, because we send boatloads of money to Iraq as long as they are there. Americans who need jobs will have to go to Iraq to find them. If they request our troops, tell them to pay up and tell the troops the war is over,but they can sign up to "improve Iraq" if they wish. We should not be nation-building there. The troops are not slaves for the rich. )

.

The negotiations have been strained following WikiLeaks' release of a diplomatic cable that alleged Iraqi civilians, including children, were killed in a 2006 raid by American troops rather than in an airstrike as initially reported by the U.S. military.

Shortly after the WikiLeaks cable gained attention in September, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered an investigation into the deaths outside of Tikrit.

U.S. officials have long said they believe Iraq may need help with training, counterterrorism, air defense, command and control and intelligence operations. Any U.S. troops remaining to do those jobs might also need additional security forces.(Comment: This is "crazy land." Iraq will use all of their skills from our training against Americans and our allies at home and abroad. Our troops get pushed into Iraq without that training. Our values are misplaced as we arm the Middle East to win against us.)

The prospect of U.S. troops staying beyond the end of the year sits uncomfortably with many Iraqis, who have routinely questioned American motives following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. (Comment: As we get closer to the deadline, they will kill more and more of our troops.)

Radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose Sadrist political party is closely aligned with al-Maliki, has vowed to escalate armed resistance if the U.S. military does not leave as scheduled, a move that could destabilize the country should his militia repeat the bloody battles it waged against American and Iraqi forces during the height of violence.

Odierno said last month that there would be risks in leaving a large force of U.S. troops in Iraq, noting such a force could provoke new claims of U.S. occupation and distract from efforts to develop the Iraqi military's abilities. He would not comment directly on reports that the White House administration had decided to leave between 3,000 and 5,000 troops, should they be requested by Iraq.(Comment: Hogwash!!)

Odierno, who served as the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said that training of Iraqi security forces was not complete.(Comment: No, we have not completely taught you how to kill us and take over our country, security and economy.)

"We need to probably be there to assist them at certain levels for a while," he said last month in a question-and-answer session with journalists at the Pentagon.(Comment: Odierno is NUTS!!!)

As of last week, 41,000 U.S. military personnel remained in the country, according to Major Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, spokesman for U.S. Forces-Iraq. Buchanan said Wednesday that "we are on track, and we will meet our requirement to redeploy the last remaining military personnel from 41,000 down to zero by the end of the year." A brigade typically consists of between 3,000 and 5,000 soldiers.(Comment: We are watching. All troops and our secret stuff out of Iraq and Afghanistan by the 31st deadline!!)

Cut the deficit?

Do the Republicans want to cut the deficit? I don't think so. So far we have spent over a ½ trillion dollars on the Afghanistan/Iraq war. Want to cut billions of dollars from the budget, send the troops home. All of this money on credit from China - plus interest. Anyone who has handled a budget knows this is failure. Spending on war must stop. But many make huge profits from wars, so the opposition is strong. War using a credit card.

With our expensive borrowed money, the corrupt governments in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and more buy weapons and kill Americans, get our soldiers hooked on drugs, infiltrate America with more corruption...

Those soldiers who return to the US and are not addicted to drugs, not corrupted and have escaped death now must face lifelong medical/social care and repercussions from PTSD and physical disfigurements. In addition, unemployment eats at the soul and contributes to additional depression, obesity, anger, violence, divorce and addictions. The effects of war will last generations. Additional billions of dollars will be needed to care for the veterans and their families. Everyone suffers when the PTSD leads to suicide and violence in the families and communities.

The Karzi government is corrupt and wants to entice us into many additional years of war. The people in the Middle East must pay for and fight their own wars. We Americans must leave now.