Sunset last night.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Monday, May 08, 2006
American Bandstand
See Brokerbelle's Blog on the Evening at Dick Clark Theatre and the fun of seeing the stars of American Bandstand. Her blog is located at : http://www.brokerbelle.blogspot.com/
Hogzoom motorcycle. Yes, it does have a tail fin.
For a look at the Patch Collection of 1957 Autos and a review of the American Bandstand Stars showing at the Dick Clark Theatre in Branson go to http://everythingbranson.blogspot.com/
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Pashtun Statistics
Most of the Taliban come from the Pashtun tribe. A few simple statistics provide an interesting picture.
Number of Pashtuns in Afghanistan--12.5 million.
Number of Pashtuns in Pakistan--28 million
Number of Pashtuns in Iran--500,000
Number of Pashtuns in UK--88,000
Number of Pashtuns in Netherlands --26,000
Number of Pashtuns in U.S. --44,000
So is it any wonder that the Taliban disappear into Pakistan. Also the Taliban continues to recruit new soldiers from the Islamic faithful in Pakistan.
In many provinces of Pakistan, including those controlled by the Pashtun, the central Pakistan government can not send in soldiers without the permission of the Pashtun leaders.
And if you were Osama, where you would you have gone to hide where you could not be touched. You got it. Into Pakistan areas controlled by the Pashtuns.
Not too hard to figure out.
HarleyDad
Number of Pashtuns in Afghanistan--12.5 million.
Number of Pashtuns in Pakistan--28 million
Number of Pashtuns in Iran--500,000
Number of Pashtuns in UK--88,000
Number of Pashtuns in Netherlands --26,000
Number of Pashtuns in U.S. --44,000
So is it any wonder that the Taliban disappear into Pakistan. Also the Taliban continues to recruit new soldiers from the Islamic faithful in Pakistan.
In many provinces of Pakistan, including those controlled by the Pashtun, the central Pakistan government can not send in soldiers without the permission of the Pashtun leaders.
And if you were Osama, where you would you have gone to hide where you could not be touched. You got it. Into Pakistan areas controlled by the Pashtuns.
Not too hard to figure out.
HarleyDad
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Taliban and Afghanistan
The Taliban controls large sections of the southeastern countryside. U.S. and Afghan forces go out to villages and the Taliban disappear. They leave and the Taliban return. The Taliban drift back and forth through these sections of Afghanistan and take refuge in Pakistan in areas that are largely controlled by the Pashtun tribe instead of the Pakistani government. It is like putting your finger in water and withdrawing it.
If you are an Afghan villager, what would you do? You would cooperate with whoever was there doing your best not to cause any enemies, knowing that when the U.S. or national Afghan soldier was gone, the Taliban would be back.
A story in the AP Press covers this can be found at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060503/ap_on_re_as/afghan_taliban_threat_1
The province of Orusgan, is close to falling. The new governor of the Province, Maulavi Abdul Hakim Munib, controls only a small area around Trin Kot.
Taliban militants evidently move almost freely through the countryside in Helmand and Kandahar provinces. They also are strongly present in parts of Zabul, Ghazni and Pakika provinces.
There are increased ambushes and bombs along the road between the main Kabul-Kandahar highway.
U.S. focus is both on military operations and on building local relationships. However, I would question the value of the local relationship building. If I were a resident of the provinces, I would have heard that British troops will soon be replacing U.S. troops in this part of Afghanistan. Thus a local relationship with U.S. troops might not mean much if they will soon be replaced with British troops.
For an article on General Eikenberry's efforts at local relationship building see the account of his visit to Lagman Province in the Washington Post at the following link:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/03/AR2006050302372.html?nav=rss_world
Listening to what the locals say, however, is very good.
Although his efforts are commendable, I wonder if this is somewhat like to redecorate a ship that has hit an iceberg. It seems like one needs to plug the hole. The Taliban are flooding in.
A brave front and strong, courageous personality is not enough.
All of that being said, plugging holes between a mountainous border between Pakistan and Afghanistan may be like plugging holes along the U.S. - Mexico border. It is alot more difficult to do than to say. This is especially true when you are using a small mobile force that can only go from place to place on an emergency basis.
HarleyDad
If you are an Afghan villager, what would you do? You would cooperate with whoever was there doing your best not to cause any enemies, knowing that when the U.S. or national Afghan soldier was gone, the Taliban would be back.
A story in the AP Press covers this can be found at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060503/ap_on_re_as/afghan_taliban_threat_1
The province of Orusgan, is close to falling. The new governor of the Province, Maulavi Abdul Hakim Munib, controls only a small area around Trin Kot.
Taliban militants evidently move almost freely through the countryside in Helmand and Kandahar provinces. They also are strongly present in parts of Zabul, Ghazni and Pakika provinces.
There are increased ambushes and bombs along the road between the main Kabul-Kandahar highway.
U.S. focus is both on military operations and on building local relationships. However, I would question the value of the local relationship building. If I were a resident of the provinces, I would have heard that British troops will soon be replacing U.S. troops in this part of Afghanistan. Thus a local relationship with U.S. troops might not mean much if they will soon be replaced with British troops.
For an article on General Eikenberry's efforts at local relationship building see the account of his visit to Lagman Province in the Washington Post at the following link:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/03/AR2006050302372.html?nav=rss_world
Listening to what the locals say, however, is very good.
Although his efforts are commendable, I wonder if this is somewhat like to redecorate a ship that has hit an iceberg. It seems like one needs to plug the hole. The Taliban are flooding in.
A brave front and strong, courageous personality is not enough.
All of that being said, plugging holes between a mountainous border between Pakistan and Afghanistan may be like plugging holes along the U.S. - Mexico border. It is alot more difficult to do than to say. This is especially true when you are using a small mobile force that can only go from place to place on an emergency basis.
HarleyDad
Friday, April 28, 2006
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
ARE WE CRAZY YET?
Are we crazy yet?
According to Yahoo News, Osama bin Laden has demanded death for those involved with cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad. He stated: “Heretics and atheists, who denigrate religion and transgress against God and His Prophet will not stop their enmity toward Islam except by being killed.”
Osama (not yo mamma) expressed his views in connection with cartoons posted by Jyllands-Posten in Denmark on September 30, 2005.
Shiites take a more tolerant view of pictures of Mohammad than Sunnis. Shiites believe that pictures of Mohammad are permissible so long as done with the greatest respect. Sunnis take a more extreme view and prohibit pictures of Mohammad altogether. And, of course, Osama is a Sunni, which is the predominant group of Islam.
Denmark has refused to apologize for the cartoon saying that it respects freedom of speech.
The cartoons were reproduced in several newspapers. Riots relating to the cartoons have resulted in at least 50 deaths.
The cartoons are described by proponents of Islam as being “culturally insulting,” “islamaphobic,” and “blasphemous.”
Are you prepared to see Cartoons so terrible that they are worth the death of 50 people and so terrible that Osama thinks you should die. If you are go to this link: http://www.humaneventsonline.com/sarticle.php?id=12146
To read an article about the Danish cartoons go to the Wikipedia link which also has a picture of the cartoons : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyllands-Posten_Muhammad_cartoons
So are we crazy yet? No? Then let’s move on.
Osama went on to say that for the Danish government to refuse to apologize take action from preventing this crime shows “ that the freedom of speech have no roots, especially when it comes to Muslims.”
Now we are crazy. In effect Osama says that there is no freedom of speech or press in Denmark because they allowed pictures to be published that offended his personal religious beliefs. Therefore freedom of speech would be NOT to allow the press to speak on things that offend Muslim sensibilities.
Yeah. That’s just the way they do it in some Islamic countries. Freedom of speech is when you shut down the newspapers and kill those who speak things you do not want to hear.
I think we are crazy now if we believe this and put up with it. Many a person in the U.S. has died defending our freedom of religion and freedom of speech. And I for one do not intend to sacrifice these freedoms in the fear that someone in another part of the world call me “Islamaphobic.”
The 50 people who died might have good reason to be Islamaphobic. Newspapers that cannot publish something that might offend someone’s religious sensibilities be they Christian or Islamic, might be Islamaphobic if they are afraid of the results of their freedom of speech.
Are we crazy yet? Yes, I think may be we are.
According to Yahoo News, Osama bin Laden has demanded death for those involved with cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad. He stated: “Heretics and atheists, who denigrate religion and transgress against God and His Prophet will not stop their enmity toward Islam except by being killed.”
Osama (not yo mamma) expressed his views in connection with cartoons posted by Jyllands-Posten in Denmark on September 30, 2005.
Shiites take a more tolerant view of pictures of Mohammad than Sunnis. Shiites believe that pictures of Mohammad are permissible so long as done with the greatest respect. Sunnis take a more extreme view and prohibit pictures of Mohammad altogether. And, of course, Osama is a Sunni, which is the predominant group of Islam.
Denmark has refused to apologize for the cartoon saying that it respects freedom of speech.
The cartoons were reproduced in several newspapers. Riots relating to the cartoons have resulted in at least 50 deaths.
The cartoons are described by proponents of Islam as being “culturally insulting,” “islamaphobic,” and “blasphemous.”
Are you prepared to see Cartoons so terrible that they are worth the death of 50 people and so terrible that Osama thinks you should die. If you are go to this link: http://www.humaneventsonline.com/sarticle.php?id=12146
To read an article about the Danish cartoons go to the Wikipedia link which also has a picture of the cartoons : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyllands-Posten_Muhammad_cartoons
So are we crazy yet? No? Then let’s move on.
Osama went on to say that for the Danish government to refuse to apologize take action from preventing this crime shows “ that the freedom of speech have no roots, especially when it comes to Muslims.”
Now we are crazy. In effect Osama says that there is no freedom of speech or press in Denmark because they allowed pictures to be published that offended his personal religious beliefs. Therefore freedom of speech would be NOT to allow the press to speak on things that offend Muslim sensibilities.
Yeah. That’s just the way they do it in some Islamic countries. Freedom of speech is when you shut down the newspapers and kill those who speak things you do not want to hear.
I think we are crazy now if we believe this and put up with it. Many a person in the U.S. has died defending our freedom of religion and freedom of speech. And I for one do not intend to sacrifice these freedoms in the fear that someone in another part of the world call me “Islamaphobic.”
The 50 people who died might have good reason to be Islamaphobic. Newspapers that cannot publish something that might offend someone’s religious sensibilities be they Christian or Islamic, might be Islamaphobic if they are afraid of the results of their freedom of speech.
Are we crazy yet? Yes, I think may be we are.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
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