Tony Blair and the ink-blood of millions...

Since he left the trappings of office Tony Blair has seldom been far-away from the news headlines, this says a great deal about this mass murderer and his egotistical shortcomings. The publication of his book written and further more, it has to be said in the ink-blood of millions, the proceeds of which are to be given over to the Royal British Legion making it the biggest personal donation ever received by this officer guided organisation which plays its part in exulting the horrors of war, and I make no apology for saying that despite the relief and support that it may deliver to the families of service personal. But please don’t take any notice of what I have to say, listen to the grieving families they have dismissed Blair’s donation as nothing more than a ‘PR stunt’ intended only to assuage his guilt over the blood spilled on the battlefield.

More than 500 British troops were killed in wars launched by Mr Blair during his time at No 10, including 179 in Iraq and 331 in Afghanistan.

Hundreds more have been wounded or suffered psychological scars, and that’s not to mention the innocent civilian citizens killed, maimed or mutilated, and dare I say it – yes I dare, killed unlawfully!”

If you have the change spare to buy the book, I suppose you could read it, but I know what I would do with it – burn it.


Just one other thing and that's Blair really does remind me of an older Damien from the film the Omen, and I wonder if he has the number of the beast on his head 666?"

The 'key' to success in Afganistan - $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits

Well as expected Cameron the Prime Minster, has started off on the same footing as Brown hobbled away on in regard to foreign policy and Afghanistan, and back from his trip and briefing MPs he said that people are asking why are we in Afghanistan:

“Let me tell you; I can answer in two words; national security.”

“Our forces are in Afghanistan to prevent Afghan territory from again being used by al-Qaeda as a base to which lunch attacks on the UK or our allies.”

So it has nothing to do with a report in the New York Times then, that says the US has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself, according to senior American government officials.

The previously unknown deposits — including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium — are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe.

An internal Pentagon memo, for example, states that Afghanistan could become the “Saudi Arabia of lithium,” a key raw material in the manufacture of batteries for laptops and BlackBerrys.

Well this changes everything then, whilst the US have been protecting their interest in a pipeline carrying oil for the west, they that’s the Pentagon of the United States military establishment, have been snooping around and have found what amounts to an 'Aladdin's Cave' of new riches, an abundance of  mineral and material possessions and resources, and they will grab the lot!

Three Days that Won't Change a Thing!

This is the week that is; we all have the responsibility (so they say) of placing our X on the ballot paper.

And let me articulate right from the off: I am so disappointed with it all, what comes to mind is the American 2000 Election that produced George Bush, and Al Gore. I thought at the time, six hundred and fifty million inhabitants, And the American people end up with one of these two about to be given the power to run the nation; warning bell's ringing!

We all know what came to pass eventually, and what trouble Mr Bush, along with the aid of his poodle’ Mr Blair brought upon the world. I’m personally pleased they have both gone, I wish that could be the end of it, but we all have their legacy to live with, more so the families of our solder's that return home in caskets, we picked the wrong leaders and the high number of British military personnel killed on operations in Afghanistan and Iraq only reminds me of this.

Now what are we to do?

I think we have the same problem, estimated sixty five million people in Britain, and what do we have?

Well not a lot in my opinion, Brown, Cameron, and Glegg, all three of them spout and jabber the same basic party policies and sing the same song from the same song sheet, tell them nothing, that’s what the TV debates were about; and now we have just the one day; this marvellous word that politicians love to brandish swinging back and forth every five years which they call democracy is anything but.

That’s democracy, after one day it slips into the sidetracks the political hard shoulder of this capitalist democracy. Our democratically elected ministers toe the leaders line and do as they are told, whilst the rest of us, keep paying the piper that plays the tune, the tune being two wars that we have been dragged into and an economic crises not of our making.

We pay £45m everyday into the EU and £6,000 Interest every second of the day and night, on our National deficit, it is said that every man women and child in Britain owes £20,000.

No I’m not impressed at all with any of our politicians, near past or near future.

All of those who are about to vote I salute you – for being able to differentiate between the players - because I cannot!

I read that a demagogue is someone “who will preach doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he thinks to be idiots,” This is a pretty good description for the leaders debates in action. Although the one thing the leaders should not underestimate, and they do so at their peril; is that the British people are not idiots!

Post By: Brian Hopper or In the Box - Former Socialist Labour Party Parliamentary Candidate for Scunthorpe 1997

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crocodile tears!

This photo was taken by a cell phone it shows an Afghan child who was allegedly killed during a US- led raid in Azizabad village of Shindand district of Herat province west of Kabul, Afghanistan. The bodies of at least 10 children and many more adults were covered in blankets and shrouds. I've put it up here with another image of the war that Britain participates in; because these are the innocent whose blood is shed and spilt  without any political leader here or in the US spilling a single tear of concern. I post them on my blog because despite being upsetting and horrific they bring home at least to me, the murder that a vast majority of our elected (not all) representatives have had a hand in, who consoled and comforted their parents then, not tearful Brown or Campbell nor 'I've no regrets' Blair!     

And this a war injured child.

Please read the comments on the last post.

What's the flurry he's only the Pope

Image via Wikipedia

I was listening to the news report on my radio of the attack upon his Holiness the Pope the other day; in fact it was on Christmas Eve, that’s when this cited assault occurred, what intrigued me more than anything, was the language used by a Vatican spokesperson who said that despite the security arrangements, how were they to prevent a mentally deranged person attending such a service or even being amongst the vast crowd assembled.

My first thoughts were; what the Pope he is mentally deranged?

But of course, the spokesperson was not referring to the Pontiff but rather the woman who if you like, brought down (pardon the pun) the Pope. And let’s face it, we do not know what her mental or medical status is, just because a Vatican spokesperson is quoted as saying she is suffering from mental health problems or whatever, will simply not do, and it’s also a bit much to hear a representative of the Church and only hours later use these terms and words that are derogatory, disparaging and belittling to all suffers of mental health, especially on the eve of making that big annual pitch and sell, you know what I am talking about, the so-called birth of a special child.

The latest is that a Vatican judge will decide within the next few weeks whether the 25-year-old Swiss woman who assaulted the Pope will face criminal charges.

I think that I ought to say, it’s not my intension to put down someone’s or even anybody’s religious beliefs and notions.

I must also say; that for me, I have a problem with the credibility of such organised religion, particularly in the light of the sexual abuse on children by ordained clergymen. I do not hear or see the Vatican rushing about describing these individuals as deranged, which would be a very-light and mild description at its very least!

One other thing that stands out like a burning bush; is that the Church in fact all religion is run by living mortal’s, wannabee’s and somebodies.

The Times Person of the year is Neda Soltan, the Student shot during a demonstration against the Iranian (religious) regime in June. Just to recap, Ms Sotan 26, joined and protested because she was outraged at the way that the regime stole that presidential election and Neda paid the ultimate price with her life. This was a beautiful young woman now in death being used as a symbol of opposition. When you think about it, the young have been the casualties of this decade, the three examples I will cite are war, protest and disposition. As we have seen our young service personnel here in the UK fighting a war in Afghanistan, with some returning via the streets of a solemn Wootton Basset in flag-draped caskets. Being an older man, old enough to be the father of anyone of those youngsters, I simply fill with despair when I look at their ever so young faces published by the media; some were still at school only a few years ago.

Young people have been in the forefront of climate change campaigning, their activities and, to their credit, have made more and more of us aware of the damage being done to the world’s environment and the move towards the depletion of our dwindling resources. In April during the G20 demonstration, the police directed by the state were particularly heavy on the climate camp people, and this in turn will have pushed more of the young to start to question, mistrust the state and its use or the employment of force. 2010 will mark 19 years since the Poll Tax demonstrations in London, with today’s mounting unemployment, and the young being the hardest hit, even universities are turning-out 40% of graduates strait onto the dole, could mean that we see new political developments amongst the young as they start to ask why?

“hope” and “change” and the "afghanistan pipeline"

Catching up with the preparations in respect to Afghanistan and the Obama choice to deliver the 7th Cavalry, reminds me of the so-called left here in Britain who were hoping, praying for his election as if it were a divine heavenly deliverance from evil and, I suppose compared to the last administration, it’s the lesser of two evils.
But the decision to send 30,000 additional troops comes as no big surprise, despite the length of time that Obama has taken to contemplate his options, which were always going to be what he decided in the end. He may be the Commander in Chef but at the end of the day he’s merely a puppet to the rich and influentially powerful who own, control the profit making apparatus.

So I’m just remembering “hope” and “change” promised by the Obama campaign.

Most of us know that the Middle East is a centre of activity for world oil production. Some of us have heard about the Caspian Sea, and the touted possibilities for great oil resources there. But few would think that rocky, war torn Afghanistan might be part of this energy production picture. Yet it most certainly is. And the information about Afghanistan's role is readily available on the World Wide Web to anyone who wants to investigate. The vast energy reserves in Central Asia and vast energy reserves in Central Asia and the Caucasus have made the region a priority for the United States.

The United States has to get that oil and will make a deal with whatever governments are there in place that is willing to work with
them.

The US government Energy Information fact sheet on Afghanistan dated December 2000 says that, "Afghanistan's significance from an energy standpoint stems from its geographic position as a potential transit route for oil and natural gas exports from Central Asia to the Arabian Sea. This potential includes a multi-billion dollar oil and gas export pipelines through Afghanistan.

Why?

And yet again here on my blog; I find myself asking the question, why are so many young people dying in Afghanistan; just why, why and why?
I’ve just been reading that At least 21 US soldiers and Marines have been killed in Afghanistan since last weekend, making October the bloodiest month for US forces since they invaded the country eight years ago. Still more have been wounded by roadside bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire.
President Barack Obama is expected to announce soon an escalation of the war which will only drive up casualties, as tens of thousands of additional soldiers and Marines and let’s not forget 500 more British that are being sent into Afghanistan to suppress popular resistance to what is nothing more than a foreign occupation.

Why, why, why???

‘Liberty’

The ‘Troops out of Afghanistan’ demonstration yesterday in Trafalgar Square marked the 8th anniversary of the start of the war in Afghanistan. It is a conflict in which tens of thousands of Afghans’ have been killed, as well as 222 British troops. The war has now lasted twice as long as the First World War - and yet there are still no clear objectives; only that of looking after the west’s commercial interests in the region.

I came across this young member of the Labour Party, when I say young, I mean a smartly dressed late 20s early 30s something and wearing I noticed an enamelled pin badge on his overcoat that I instantly recognised as the old logo of the Labour Party, the one which had the symbols of a torch or furnace of fire, a quill pen and a shovel; the hand tools of the labourer, well all in fact symbols of sold labour whether by hand or brain. Just pausing for a moment to think about the quill, the tool used for the first three millennia or so since the invention of paper, the writing instrument of choice in western culture was the quill. One simply found a goose, who could be persuaded to donate a tail feather, harvested the feather, allowed it to dry out then, after softening up the quill under moist heat, one used a pen-knife (of course) to shape the tough, horny shaft into a good writing point and split it to hold a small amount of ink. Then, one dipped the quill in ink and wrote a line, dipped, wrote a line, dipped...

It is really rather surprising, when you stop to think about it, that a portable pen that could carry its own ink supply was not perfected until fairly late in the 19th century. What a marvel is human ingenuity and the power of our creative imagination we recorded and with the aid of technology from the first printing press to newspapers and books through to today’s computers and the relevantly still young phenomenon of the internet, we are able to share thoughts, stories and ideas with literally millions and around the world.

And yet the greed of our society and world-wide too, knows no bounds. Coming back to the encounter with the young member of the Labour Party, the first thing he asked of me was why am I against the war? Didn’t I know that our presence in Afghanistan was necessary to keep us safe and prevent the terrorists from attacking as they did on the London underground. Well I was standing politely listening but at the same time thinking to myself – blimey; you couldn’t make this up even if you tried! I then attempted to put this young man right on a thing or two, whether I succeeded I have no real idea, but I said to him; that I realised he was a member of the Labour Party because of the badge he was sportingly wearing, he pointed out that it had the word ‘Liberty’ written on it. The conversation continued about ‘Liberty’ and about Socialism which I said was a far better description for the society that I sought after, and much better than the vague word ‘Liberty’. I ended the conversation by telling this young man that the Labour Party had taken a ‘Liberty’ during the past 12 years with the lives of thousands; to think that 1.500 British Iraq veterans have been diagnosed with mental health disorders, that 1,100 veterans sleep rough every night in London is nothing short of a ‘Liberty’.

“As Commander-in-Chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm’s way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home. I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.”
Barack Obama

The words of Barack Obama, who may end up becoming the next President of the US after the November elections. What I find and not surprising at that, is the scramble of many on the so-called British left, (whatever that is, all things that have nothing to do what so ever with Socialism) to indorse; I have a dream kiddie Obama, he’s just an opportunistic apologist for world capitalism and in particular the greed of US capital no matter whom is elected it will be big business that call the shots and the workers will ultimately pay the price - same old - same old. What if he starts specking to god that’ll be next?

The Grip Of Terror

It is worth noting that the Taliban did not take power until seven years after the Russian withdrawal. By 1996, half of Kabul had already been destroyed by the mujahideen, who had been armed and supported by the USA. Tens of thousands were killed in fighting over the city.
Today Afghanistan is in the grip of terror. Human Rights Watch has described atrocities “committed by gunmen and warlords who were propelled into power by the United States and its coalition partners after the Taliban fell in 2001″ and who have “essentially hijacked the country”. The report describes army and police troops controlled by the warlords kidnapping villagers with impunity and holding them for ransom in unofficial prisons; the widespread rape of women, girls and boys; routine extortion, robbery and arbitrary murder.
The Human Rights Watch spells out a desperate situation for education in Afghanistan. “Schools are being shut down by bombs and threats, denying another generation of Afghan girls an education and the chance for a better life. Human Rights Watch found entire districts in Afghanistan where attacks had closed all schools and driven out the teachers and non-governmental organizations providing education. Insecurity, societal resistance in some quarters to equal access to education for girls, and a lack of resources mean that, despite advances in recent years, the majority of girls in the country remain out of school. Nearly one-third of districts have no girls’ schools. ”
Afghanistan is now the world’s largest producer of heroin, in 2004 it produced 90% of the world’s crop. No alternatives exist for farmers and the promised new roads and irrigation projects that would allow diversification have never materialised. The UN World Food Programme reports that: “over 50 percent of children are malnourished in Afghanistan, while one in three of people living in rural areas are unable to meet daily basic nutritional requirements.”

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What's It All About.....Afghanistan

With the proverbial clock a ticking, on the Presidency of George W. Bush and his gang of vile gremlins, it seems that the administration of 'These Here United States' is having billboards erected throughout Afghanistan, and offering a 'Sheiks Ransom' for information that leads to the arrests of Osama Bin Laden, (Bin Liner) Taliban Chief Mullah Mohammad Omer and the US Al-Queda member Adam Gadahn.

As the curtain begins to descend on George W. Bush, one last shot in the dark is being made to bring in illusive' Bin Laden, the nemesis of Bush. Tens of thousands of troops are still searching for the fugitives that we are all led to believe remain at large, while Afghan officials claim they are across the border in Pakistan. Violence in Afghanistan is reported to be at its highest level since the 2001 invasion. On Friday scores of innocent citizens (76) died in a military operation by American and Afghan troops in the Western part of the country. It is said that the Taliban is gaining so-called "hearts and minds" because of the sheer anger of ordinary people at the coalition bombardments on innocent civilians, even the Afghan government has accused American bombers; allegations that are denied. Kandahar has seen much of the violence and has become Afghans most troubled province, last week a new governor replaced the old one accused of torture and corruption. In this week alone the coalition lost three Canadian , ten French and three Polish soldiers, and if that's not enough wasted young life, then add to that, the ten civilians killed in the province when a landmine exploded, a judge gunned down outside his home and a child that died when he played with the wires of a buried mine.

The Taliban was once derided as a ragtag rabble unable to match the might of the US troops, but have transformed into a fighting force - advanced enough to mount massive conventional attacks and claim American lives.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLe9pJSRas0