It's time for Pakistan to publicly embrace assistance to go after Taliban extremists on their soil with U.S Special Forces assistance!

The news this morning that the Pakistan Taliban, along with al-Qaida, were involved in the suicide bombing by the Jordanian doctor, Humam Khalil Abu Mulal al-Balawi, of the 7 CIA agents at a U.S. base along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border region. It is proof that Pakistan must crack down on their Taliban extremists. The story, from NAHAL TOOSI and MAAMOUN YOUSSEF, Associated Press Writers, says, "Footage showed Humam Khalil Abu Mulal al-Balawi — whom the CIA had cultivated as an asset against al-Qaida — sitting with Mehsud's successor in an undisclosed location. It essentially confirmed the Pakistani Taliban's claim of responsibility for one of the worst attacks in CIA history, though a senior militant told The Associated Press that al-Qaida and Afghan insurgents played roles, too."

This smoking gun proves beyond question the Pakistanis must do more and if unable, must allow the U.S. to provide more direct assistance including the use of U.S. Special Forces within their borders. It is time for the veil, of not needing help from the US in the form of troops on the ground, be dropped. This problem with Taliban extremists affects the Pakistani people more so than the U.S. and the people of Pakistan need to wake up to this fact or their lives will never return to normal. We must work in concert more overtly and both Pakistanis and Americans need to support this effort without question nor politics involved.

Quoting more from the article, "The development may lead the U.S. to further aid and push Pakistan to crack down on Taliban militants on its soil. The success of the attack also raises doubts about the effectiveness of the Pakistani military's ongoing ground operation against the Pakistani Taliban in its stronghold in the South Waziristan tribal region."

To get more background and read the entire news report from Yahooclick on this link.

Apathy of the American voter: Will this time be different?

Only 55% of the eligible voters in the U.S, actually vote. Can you believe that something as important as who will be our next President and the person who decides whether we are allowed to exercise our Constitutional freedoms (or not, as in the case of Bush/Cheney) and only 55% go vote. You see the problem my friends isn't just the Republicans or the Democrats. It's the people who could care less to vote and it turns out they represent almost half of us. This means that about 26-27% of the entire voting age public (52% of actual voters for one Party to win vs 48% of the other Party) will be the "deciders". We promote democracy everywhere around the world, except here at home. Some countries make it mandatory to vote. I'm not sure that is any better than not voting. Must things get far worse to wake these people up? How could they get any worse? Oh, I forgot, Bush and Cheney still have almost 5 months to do more damage, if that's possible. God help us all.

You think I am kidding? The Bush/Cheney duo almost decided the Pakistani Presidency today in favor of our enemies, by sending U.S. forces by using helicopters into the rugged region of Pakistan adjoining Afghanistan. It seems Bush wants to capture Osama Bin Laden in his final months and most likely knows where he has been hiding all along. It almost worked, but while the Pakistani people were very angry at our intrusion to their sovereign country they also seem pretty smart and still voted for Bhutto's husband, a friend of the U.S. But Bush almost turned the whole country against us by this latest unannounced move into the rugged mountains of Pakistan. Why would he do that? Bush wants to have an October surprise so that the Republicans, under John McCain can get re-elected in November. If that is true, think about how many waisted lives he has lost in Iraq and the cost to our treasury of Trillions of dollars. Then ask yourself should the Republican Party be rewarded this November. I think not! If he knew where Osama was and didn't even pursue him these last 7 years, shame on him for using him as a political trophy to capture at the most convenient time, while many of our soldiers are fighting an elective war of choice that should be stopped.

So this election period, let's have "New Rules" as Bill Maher would say. If you don't vote, you can't complain after the election or you will be thrown into jail and the key thrown away, with the only possibility of parole if more than 75% of the public votes in any election.

The world is a little different today in a good way

With voters from Pakistan winning a resounding victory over President Musharraf's ruling party and with Kosovo gaining its Independence yesterday as well, we add one more change to the International picture, Fidel Castro resigns as President in Cuba. In less than a year, the United States will also be a part of a changing world, when we first announce a new President, hopefully Barack Obama, and then we bid farewell to the worst President in the history of this country, President Bush. There indeed are better times coming!

Pakistan at a critical moment with Bhutto assassination

Bhutto has been assassinated. "Who is to blame?" is the comment most heard after the first report of this tragedy. The real question is, "Does it matter?" I guess first of all, she is, as she didn't head the warnings that were very clear that told her not to go back to Pakistan. So in one way she is accountable. In another way, Pakistan President Musharraf and his military forces are as they are charged with the responsibility of protecting her and it is obvious from early reports that they failed to adequately secure the scene of the assassination. And I guess humanity is also accountable that we have grown into societies and a species that kills its own kind and not for food like other animals but out of rage. We have not tamed the beast within us and until we do as a species we will not evolve but may instead devolve.

Who loses the most with her death? Possibly the people of Pakistan have the biggest loss. Possibly the United States loses the most as she was seen as an ally of the U.S. Possibly Musharraf has the most to lose, as he will certainly be blamed and Bhutto's people may consider him responsible and want to payback his forces and Musharraf himself. But the real loser here is Civilization, as we have not become more civilized apparently over 2000 plus years.

UPDATE: They say after a suicide bomber blew himself up near her, that she was shot in the neck with a bullet in her car. The question I have was the shot fired from within the car or from outside the car. It is not clear amid the confusion in reports from the area.

The Musharraf distraction

Can you believe the world is focused on his clothing and not his actions? We insist he "take off" his Military uniform and put on something like an Armani or a Zegna suit. How about he take off, PERIOD!

There is nothing much dissimilar between Pakistan and the U.S. Pakistan is just further down the road to losing its democracy than we are but similar steps have been taken here, albeit chipping away at our Constitution a little slower than in one fell swoop. But it is happening just enough so that we don't wake up like the Pakistani's have, until it's too late. Oh one other difference, Pakistan Musharraf has been proud to wear his uniform and stay in the Military over the course of many years. President Bush couldn't wait to take his off when he was younger and in the Air National Guard and Vice President Cheney never wanted to wear the Military uniform, favoring Armani or more likely, Brooks Brothers suits instead.

Suggested reading: Naomi Wolf's latest book titled, "The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot"

Inciting news or reporting news? A Free Press demands responsible reporting.

As I was watching a news clip from CNN this morning, fresh from Pakistan, I was listening to the announcer and watching the video footage of the "protesters clashing in the streets with police forces who were using tear gas in the Capitol." What I saw in the footage was a crowd of about 50 people. One individual was taunting police who stood behind a barbed wire barrier. The interesting visual here was that there were about 2/3rds of the people had cameras held high in the air to apparently capture the pictures of the taunting. I presume these were journalists for the most part. This begs the question, do the journalists incite the story or report on it. It looked to me that they were inciting the story as they significantly outnumbered protesters. You had to empathize with the police behind the barracade being photographed while being taunted. Ever wonder why violence breaks out in these situations?

Responsible reporting requires less drama seeking and more conscientiousness, as to ensure that reporting is actually done, not inciting the story. With the Freedom of the Press comes responsibility in accord with that privaledge.

Pakistan institutes a State of Emergency. It could happen here too!

News item: Pakistan's Musharraf declares emergency. As I saw this on Yahoo News, I wondered why as there didn't appear to be any violence in the streets unless I missed something in the past day or two. It didn't seem justified. Here's a shortened version of the article on Pakistan:

Pakistan's Musharraf declares emergency
By MATTHEW PENNINGTON, Associated Press Writer

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - President Gen. Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan on Saturday ahead of a crucial Supreme Court decision on whether to overturn his recent election win and amid rising Islamic militant violence.

Eight Supreme Court judges immediately rejected the emergency, which suspended the current constitution. The government blocked transmissions of private news channels in several cities and telephone services in the capital, Islamabad, were cut.

"The chief of army staff has proclaimed a state of emergency and issued a provisional constitutional order," a newscaster on state Pakistan TV said, adding that Musharraf, who took power in 1999 coup, would address the nation later Saturday.

This came as a total surprise to me and caught many off guard. Consider the following, this could happen here while we are sleeping or while our "consciousness" is asleep. The Bush/Cheney Administration has "secret" plans to install a new government should a state of emergency ever be needed for reasons I will leave to your imagination. Musharraf has learned from Bush well. He sees what we citizens allow in our, so called, democracy and beats Bush to the punch.

We have no moral ground to ask Musharraf to do something we wouldn't do, to stand down. Remember as Senator Joe Biden said in the last debate which now appears prophetic, Paraphrasing the good Senator, he said that he was worried more about Pakistan than about Iran. Iran is trying to make 2 Kilo's of enriched nuclear material, Pakistan has made thousands upon thousand of Kilo's of this material and they sit atop Missiles pointed at India and Israel. That's what we should keep our eye on, said Senator Biden. But no, President Bush and Vice President Cheney are still rattling their saber at Iran instead of worrying about Nuclear weapons falling into the hands of Al-Qaeda. We took our eye of the war on terrorists for this war in Iraq and we may yet pay the ultimate price as a nation for doing so.

Terrorist tape taunts us not to leave Iraq

According to AP in an article today, "A new video of al-Qaeda's No. 2 leader released on Saturday mocks President Bush and U.S. legislation requiring the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, saying the bill would rob the group's fighters of the chance to kill more Americans."

When al-Qaeda asks you to do something, do the opposite. If they mock us for withdrawing, that is exactly what we need to do. Osama bin Laden's deputy Ayman al-Zawahri taunted Bush today according to AP, "recounting an April 12 suicide bombing in Baghdad's heavily protected Green Zone when an attacker slipped through security and killed a Sunni legislator in the Iraqi parliament's cafeteria. An al-Qaeda-led amalgam of Sunni insurgents in Iraq claimed responsibility.

'And lest Bush worry, I congratulate him on the success of his security plan, and I invite him on the occasion for a glass of juice, but in the cafeteria of the Iraqi parliament in the middle of the Green Zone,' al-Zawahri said."

The complete article can be read by clicking here.

Looking at the AP Photo above, it looks as though the picture was taken in an educated person's home from the books on the shelves. It is a guess but I would wager it is in Pakistan and this backdrop was used to embarass President Musharraf and anger the U.S., as they continue to use Pakistan as a safe haven.