human oddities of 2009

time for you to go

It's the new year and I'm getting caught up...

Well here we are and its the new years, and I've been sick and not posting, or working on a podcast, or doing much of anything, and I think its time to get back at it, so I've started with getting up today and adding a bunch of new bumper sticker designs to the Radio Free Exile Super Swag Emporium.
You can see them below, they're $3.95 each, discounts for quantity orders, and they are cooler than shit, really. See something you like, and click on the image to order. Or go to Radio Free Exile Super Swag Emporium to see the entire line of stickers, posters, mugs, t-shirts, and all kinds of unique and interesting stuff. There's a little something for everyone, at least everyone as unbalanced as me, so now, in no particular order:



Anyway, after I post this I'll be opening up my audacity program, and start working on the next episode of Radio Free Exile, probably finished this time next week, and I'll be adding more streaming video to Radio Free Exile Televised, so this isn't just a commercial for t-shirts. In fact, there's going to be tons more madness coming at you from exile, in any medium I can find out how to work.

Happy New Year.

2010

MiNsTeR HILL - "Everything"

Don't Tread On Me

Here's a little something out of the Radio Free Exile archives, you might think it's funny, or you might just think it's sick, anyway, it is what it is, and it has been out there on the www for a while, so this is nothing new, and neither are my run-on sentences.

Don't Tread On Me by exileguy

Marijuana legalization initiative

Supporters of an initiative that would legalize marijuana in California say they have collected enough signatures to ensure that it will be on the November 2010 ballot.

The petition drive, which was run by a professional signature-gathering firm, collected more than 680,000 signatures, 57% more than the 433,971 valid signatures needed to put it on the ballot, said Richard Lee, the measure's main proponent.

"It was so easy to get them," Lee said. "People were so eager to sign."

The initiative would also allow cities and counties to adopt their own laws to allow marijuana to be grown and sold, and the localities could impose taxes on any aspect of marijuana production and sales. It would make it legal for adults over 21 years old to possess up to an ounce of marijuana and to grow it in a 25-square-foot area for personal use.

It is one of four initiatives circulating that aim to legalize marijuana use.

Lee, who owns Coffeeshop Blue Sky, Oaksterdam University and other pot-related businesses, said he has spent at least $1.1 million so far to put the measure before California voters. He said he expects the campaign to cost between $7 million and $20 million, depending on how much opponents spend. He said he hopes to raise most of that from marijuana legalization supporters across the country and he has already set up an Internet fundraising operation.

"We feel like we've done our part," he said.

Polls have shown that a majority of California voters support legalization. A Field Poll taken in mid-April found that 56% of voters in the state and 60% in Los Angeles County want to make legalize and tax pot as a way to help solve the state's fiscal crisis. In October, a poll taken by a nonpartisan firm for the Marijuana Policy Project found 54% support in the county.

A poll taken for the initiative's proponents by EMC Research, an opinion research firm in Seattle, found that 51% of likely voters supported it based on language similar to what will be on the ballot, but support increased to 54% when they were read a more general synopsis.

Some marijuana legalization advocates initially criticized Lee for moving forward with his measure, arguing that they would have a better chance in 2012, a presidential election year.

"I think things have turned our way so much that we have a good chance of winning without having to wait to 2012," Lee said. "This is the time to bring up the issue and talk about it. Who knows what will be going on in 2012?"

Lee said that the increasing acceptance of medical marijuana has changed the political dynamic. Since the Obama administration announced it would not prosecute medical marijuana providers or users who follow state law, hundreds of dispensaries have opened in California.

"Medical marijuana in California has been accepted as legalization in some ways by a lot of the population," he said, noting the widespread awareness that it is easy to get a doctor's recommendation to use it. "To me this is codifying what it happening."

Lee said he did not think that the backlash against dispensaries, which in many cases have flouted local laws by opening in neighborhoods, would have much effect on his campaign. "It's tough to say whether it's more good or bad," he said. "On one hand, you have your bad apples, on the other hand, it shows the need for better regulation."

-- John Hoeffel

radio free exile televised new additions

Here are some new additions to the radio free exile televised stream.






As well as these great segments:

Phil Oochs - "Power and the Glory"
Marsha de la O - "Death"
Playing for Change - Phekama, Africa
The Zutons - "Don't Ever Think (Too Much)"
Bill Hicks - "JFK Assassination"
George Carlin - "Democracy in America"
Gong - "How To Stay Alive"
Sweet Honey In The Rock - "Sylvie"

And then there's this:



So there you have it. Continue to check out radio free exile televised, because it is always evolving, and there are things you just need to see. Trust me. No, really.

Sweet Honey In The Rock - Sylvie

now streaming on radio free exile televised:

Gong - How to Stay Alive

Take Things From Work

here's a bit of a bit of one of the most downloaded audio tracks from radio free exile...go ahead and give it a listen - thanks

Take things from work by exileguy

George Carlin - Democracy in America

GOP Land

Bill Hicks - JFK Assassination

Congress Lifts Ban On D.C. Medical Marijuana Law

The U.S. Senate passed historic legislation to end the decade-long ban on implementing a medical marijuana law in Washington, D.C. This marks the first time in history Congress has changed a marijuana law for the better. Only Obama’s signature is needed for the change to become law.

This is not only a huge victory for medical marijuana patients in the nation’s capital, it marks a historic shift on the medical marijuana issue nationwide. This is the first time Congress has given its assent to a state or local law that permits medical use of marijuana. Coming on top of the announcement that the Justice Department will no longer interfere with state medical marijuana laws, this shows that the ground has fundamentally shifted.

Before the D.C. law can go into effect, the city council will need to transmit the original 1998 initiative to Congress for a 30-day review period, which is not expected to present an obstacle. The law will take effect at the conclusion of this review, and the D.C. government will then be charged with creating regulations to govern the implementation of the initiative’s language.

It seems that Congress is finally listening to voters, who have supported protection for medical marijuana patients for well over a decade, as well as to the medical community’s growing recognition of marijuana’s medical value. Lifting the ban on D.C.’s law falls far short of sweeping, national reform, but it is surely a sign of good things to come.

peace prize. really?

bad day for rudolph

Commissioner pushes for legal medical pot use

WEST PALM BEACH, FL - Like it or not, marijuana is a fact of life today. Like alcohol, some people use it; others don't. Alcohol became a cash-cow for the country with the end of Prohibition.

Would it work with marijuana, making money to bail out financially strapped counties and states?

A local politician wants to see how the numbers stack up it's no secret plenty of Americans use marijuana. In many places it's still against the law even for medical purposes.

The Obama administration is changing that leaving it up to the states to decide. Even further, decriminalizing "social marijuana" could be a boon for cash-strapped states and counties.

Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson wants to study the numbers. He said, "There's so much to be said for number one decriminalizing for a small amount of marijuana and number two to look into it as to whether or not you should have it federally as legal and if it's tied to revenue like you do for alcohol and that would be a great boon to the economy of the united states."

Aaronson does not waffle when it comes to the debate over medical marijuana. "Medical marijuana, to me, is a no-contest thing. I mean it's a no-brainer. People cannot suffer the way they suffer when doctor say using marijuana for medical purposes will alleviate the strains and stresses and pain that they have and I think that anyplace that doesn't allow people to be able to use marijuana for medical purposes is doing an injustice to many, many people who are suffering today."

Far from endorsing decriminalization, Aaronson wants to find out if it would financially viable. “If we don't go ahead and put people in jail, the sheriff's department doesn't have to arrest them, the courts don't have to listen to them, the state attorney doesn't have to prosecute them and we don't have to incarcerate them which costs the taxpayer money."

Aaronson believes Florida should move forward and, at the very least, legalize the use of medical marijuana.

Could Florida be the next to Legalize Medical Marijuana?

The drug has long been illegal in the state but recent changes in federal policy have citizens wondering if a change could happen soon. Until recently federal laws had banned the sale of the drug as well but with the new laws allowing states to dictate regulation of medical marijuana and the success of advocacy groups legalizing it’s sue on 13 states that may change very quickly. Before now even in states where medical use was legalized federal agencies could supersede these laws and prosecute those who possessed or bought the drug. The changes came after it was decided that federal opposition to state regulations was a waste of federal resources.



In states like Florida changes like these raise the interest in seeking legalization. For many organizations it’s as if the largest obstacle has been removed emboldening the interest in getting medical use passed in the state. According to such organizations the legalization of medical marijuana has benefited through tax dollars, reduced youth drug abuse and decreased alcohol abuse but for the opposition there is still the concern of potential crime increases and recreational use rather than medical purposes. Citing the difficulty the state already faces because of lax prescription laws and a subsequently high rate of their abuse those against legalization feel that it could only make such problems worse as physicians in the state are already viewed as far too lax in their prescription of existing drugs.



Such groups also feel that legalization of marijuana for medical purposes is merely meant as an avenue for recreational use rather than a help for those with chronic pain. For the moment there are no considerations being made by government offices for these sort of legal changes only time will tell if this will change.

First Gourmet Marijuana Restaurant Opens In Denver

A medical marijuana dispensary in Denver has decided to get creative and make the business into a full-service restaurant that caters to those who need to use medicinal marijuana to ease physical ailments.

The owner of Ganja Gourmet located at 1810 South Broadway Avenue said the restaurant will "aim to help distribute medicinal marijuana to those licensed to have it and provide an atmosphere where patients can visit with one another in a safe environment."

Ganja Gourmet plans to offer lasagna, gourmet pizza, jambalaya, paella, chocolate mousse and flavored cheesecakes, among other gourmet dishes.

"It's a different buzz too. It's a more alert, more awake buzz," Medical Marijuana Chef Evan "Budman" said.

Budman believes it will put South Broadway on the state's budding medical marijuana map. "It will bring people from all over Colorado here," he said.

The restaurant will be decorated in a 1960s retro feel, including tie-dye attire for the employees.

Steve Horowitz, an owner of Ganja Gourmet, says the restaurant will not promote a party-like atmosphere.

"With the new laws in Colorado, medicinal marijuana is a business like any other. Dozens of legal dispensaries are everywhere. We have to set ourselves apart as a business in order to survive," Horowitz said in a prepared statement. "Just like any other restaurant, we have to work on the quality of our food and our atmosphere to make sure our customers have an enjoyable experience that makes them want to come back." Horowitz said the restaurant will offer courtesy rides home for customers who feel they can't drive.

"I hope the launch of Ganja Gourmet will set the standard for other Colorado distributers and distributers around the nation so that those suffering from illness get the best service possible," Horowitz said.

The marijuana-laced menu is actually prepared off-premises. Building inspectors won't allow an on-site kitchen because of a fire hazard.

Some neighboring businesses it's just the latest proof several blocks of South Broadway are going to pot. "I don't think it's good for the neighborhood," an area business owner said. "I think it's a joke that they're using the guise that it's medicinal. It just shows it's not medicinal."

Former State Rep. Don Armstrong, injured in Vietnam, says the ganja gourmet is just what he needs instead of powerful painkillers.

"This is an alternative for me. It's a great alternative, when I do this," Armstrong said. "I can function with life in me and be able to live a normal life … I'm learning on the eating part. I'm just trying this out now."

Ganja Gourmet opened on Wednesday.

new bumperstickers

Hi Friends, The Holidays are only a couple weeks away, and you still need some cheap (inexpensive) gifts, and who the hell wants to go out and shop in the madness of the malls and crazy winter weather. Not me. So, here's some cool bumper stickers just added to the Radio Free Exile Super Swag Emporium. Check 'em out, you need them, I know you do. Click the images for ordering info....

surge

peace prize

Things to Love About Glenn Beck

Top 10: Things to Love About Glenn Beck

America’s hero of hyperbole is stronger than ever these days. The growing list of sponsor drop-outs and petitions from civil libertarians can’t bring our dear Glenn Beck down. He may eventually end up broadcasting from his bomb shelter wearing a tin foil hat and talking into a soup can tied to the remaining hairs on his head. But for now, he’s planted firmly on his donut pillow at Fox News.

There’s a lot to love about Glenn Beck.

Number 10: He can out-rant anyone from Bill O’Reilly to Christian Bale

Sure, Bill O’Reilly can threaten to “do it live”, and Christian Bale will “trash your lights”, but Glenn Beck can outwit, outrage and out-rant the best of ‘em, from the pithy to the British.

During a conversation about health care reform on his radio show with a venerable opponent known only as “Kathy”, Glenn’s voice transformed into a psychotic growl as he ordered the woman to get off his phone. He spun into a frenzy, squealing once again, “Get off my phone!” in an eerie, falsetto howl. O’Reilly and Bale can do the whole angry thing, but can they do it in a spine-chilling shriek? Can they strike terror in the hearts of Kathy’s everywhere?

Didn’t think so.

Number 9: He don’t need no stinkin’ logic!

Ever want to spit in the face of reason and good sense? Glenn does this on a daily basis. He’s been quoted as saying, “The most used phrase in my administration if I were to be President would be ‘What the hell you mean we’re out of missiles?’” On another occasion he said, “Timothy McVeigh was a coward. Violence is the stupid way out. It’ll discredit any real legitimate movement.”

Take that, brainiacs! Glenn is able to inspire us all to say what we feel, not what we mean.

Number 8: He doesn’t need weed to concoct a good conspiracy theory…

In the olden days, conspiracy theories were reserved for reefer-toking burnouts who were set to discredit scientific facts and oppressive government organizations. Glenn has brought radical suspicion to the rest of us, turning the most jovial conservative into a seething, paranoid extremist. He can transform public leaders into nazis, communists, fascists or any other kind of unpleasant party you can think of. Even…gasp…a socialist! Move over McCarthy, there’s a new psycho in town.

Glenn has even spearheaded the popular new party game, “Six Degrees of Oligarchy”.

Number 7: Who doesn’t love chipmunks?

Glenn vaguely resembles this petite, striped member of the rodentia family. Chipmunks are loveable little creatures that scurry about, collecting nuts and seeds to stuff inside their cheeks. So what’s Glenn’s excuse? What has he been storing up there? Is it razors or pushpins, to easily bring tears on command? Frogs, to help croak out his distinctive Kermit voice? Nuts, because sometimes he feels like a nut?

Number 6: He’s been through butt surgery “gone awry”

Glenn’s deep feelings go all the way where the sun don’t shine. Back in 2007, when Glenn hated the American health care system, he had “eye-opening”, “melt your brain”, “phenomenally bad” hemorrhoid surgery that led him to the brink of suicide. Glenn fully recovered from the ordeal, despite becoming the butt of many jokes thereafter.

Sadly, surgeons were unable to remove the bug that clearly still resides there.

Number 5: He went to church for sex

Some people start going to church to make themselves a better person or to live a life serving God. Glenn found religion because his second wife, Tania, refused to have premarital sex, and wouldn’t marry unless the two adopted a faith. So Glenn did what any red-blooded male would do, and that is to race to the car in search of God, leaving a trail of dust à la Speedy Gonzales. The two proceeded to go on a “church tour” in search of the perfect religion, ultimately deciding on Mormonism.

One has to wonder, however, if Tania wasn’t trying to pull off some colossal bluff when she asked Glenn to find religion before getting in bed with her.

Number 4: He is undaunted by fearsome foes like Whoopi Goldberg

When appearing on The View in early 2009, Glenn was reluctant to address a complicated conflict between him and the ladies regarding an interlude on an Amtrak train. He responded to Barbara Walter’s melodious inquiry, “Why are you nervous?” with the assured, confident reply, “Have you looked the way looking-whoop-Whoopie’s looking at me?”

What’s even better is he had absolutely no response to Whoopie’s assertion that Glenn is a “lying sack of dog mess”.

Number 3: He has perfected the bittersweet “Pre-Cry Gasp”

Glenn’s been mocked for his frequent crying spells, but people don’t realize that it takes a certain talent to achieve the consummate Pre-Cry Gasp and subsequent Breath Hold. These steps that sound a lot like challenging wrestling moves are no laughing matter. If performed incorrectly, Glenn could suffer an aneurysm from holding his breath too long, or worse – even more brain damage.

Consider each successful tantrum a victorious walk along a thin, dangerous line.

Number 2: Glenn might have been the second shooter in the JFK assassination

In homage to our friend Glenn, let us explore the possibility of his involvement in the JFK assassination.

The alleged second shooter was purported to have shot JFK from a grassy knoll. The letters G and K of “grassy knoll” correspond with the first and last letters of the name “Glenn Beck”. The U.S. Government affirms that Lee Harvey Oswald was the one and only shooter. Glenn’s middle name? Lee. Glenn was born in Washington State. What was the capital of the country in which JFK was murdered? Washington, DC.
The shooting occurred on November 22, 1963. Glenn Beck was born less than three months after, on February 10, 1964. Coincidence? Hardly.

Draw your own conclusions, America.

Number 1: He tried to go back in time

In the 80’s, Glenn was arrested for speeding in his DeLorean. He would have been more successful at getting a “re-do” on his life if he hadn’t left one of the gull-wings of his car wide open. Great way to get in an accident, terrible way to retreat in time to convince your mother she had a headache the night you were conceived.

Glenn don't just send political debate back to the dark ages...send the past the gift of your company

Don’t ever change, Glenn Beck. You are truly and thankfully one of a kind.

The Irrefutable Stupidity of Sarah Palin

by Cenk Uygur

From time to time, I'll get into a debate with a right-winger about whether Sarah Palin is actually stupid or if liberals are just hopelessly biased against her. They claim this bias comes from the fact that liberals are scared of her electability, her charm, her looks, her femininity, her Christianity, her ability connect to the common man and her overall wonderfulness. So, the theory is that we have all collectively decided that she is the best Republican candidate in some secret liberal meeting and are conspiring against her because we are afraid of how brilliant and electable she really is.

Now, there are a couple of problems with this theory. There are no opinion leaders on the left with Rush Limbaugh-like authority who can command all other progressives to think the same thing and use the same arguments against one person. In other words, we all think she is stupid because she is in fact stupid, not because some liberal cabal told us to think that.

How come we don't call Newt Gingrich stupid? Or Dick Cheney or Kay Bailey Hutchinson or Elizabeth Dole or Dennis Hastert? And the list goes on and on of heinous and deplorable right-wingers who are not stupid. We don't make those charges against those people, because as much as we might not agree with them or like them, we know that they are not dullards. They're all clever in their own way. Mitt Romney is greasy, Michael Steele is a clown and Tom DeLay is dirty, but we don't go after their mental acuity like we do with Sarah Palin because they're not as dumb as her (not even Steele).

So, finally we get to the evidence. I thought I'd just do it here and be done with it. Then I can just point people to this post from now on and end this senseless argument.

Now, there are a million examples of this, but I thought I'd go with three knockout punches here. In the first video, we have the classic Bush Doctrine answer, where she does not know the basic foreign policy of the Republican president at the time. How could she possibly be running for vice president and not know this? The only thing more unconscionable is the sad excuses her supporters make for this terribly botched answer.

In the second video, we have a largely overlooked example of her pathetic lack of foreign policy knowledge. She has no idea what Hamas is or what they have to do with the Gaza Strip. If you're next door neighbor or plumber doesn't know this, that's fine, but they weren't running for Vice President of the United States. This should be game set and match for anyone, especially self-respecting conservatives, thinking of supporting her. This is when you have to walk away embarrassed.

But remarkably, they didn't slink away embarrassed after this answer, so we have the latest example of her buffoonery. In this interview with Bill O'Reilly, he asks her if she is smart enough to be president. Her answer has to be seen to be believed. Don't get me wrong, just because you see it won't mean you'll understand it. So, I put a transcript of her answer below so that you can try to decipher it in your spare time.

Bill O'Reilly: Let me be very bold and fresh again, do you believe that you are smart enough, incisive enough, intellectual enough to handle the most powerful job in the world?

Sarah Palin: I believe that I am because I have common sense and I have I believe the values that I think are reflective of so many other American values, and I believe that what Americans are seeking is not the elitism, the uhm, the ah, a kind of spineless, spinelessness that perhaps is made up for that with some kind of elite, Ivy league education and, and a fat resume that is based on anything but hard work and private sector, free enterprise principles. Americans are could be seeking something like that in positive change in their leadership, I'm not saying that that has to be me.

Can anyone really be biased enough to think that was a smart answer? The great irony is that he asked her if she's smart enough to be president and she gave what might be her dumbest answer yet. That answer was so bad it almost made George W. Bush look smart. Can anyone in good conscience defend that answer and say with a straight face that she should be this country's leader?

If you say yes, then there is no sense in talking to one another anymore because we are not operating in the same reality, or planet. We'll never be able to agree on anything if we can't agree that was just about as incomprehensible and stupid an answer as you can possibly come up with. And that settles the debate, because you either live in the reality based world and realize she is obviously not qualified, or in the immortal words of Stephen Colbert you believe that "reality has a well-known liberal bias" and she would make a great president.

29 years ago today

Chomsky Speaks on US Imperialism

Noam Chomsky delivered the Edward W. Said Memorial Lecture to a packed crowd on Thursday.

by Claire Luchette

According to Noam Chomsky, all U.S. leaders are schizophrenic.

Students had to be turned away from Thursday’s event featuring the famed linguist Noam Chomsky, as the room filled up to three times its capacity. Chomsky gave the Edward Said lecture. (Jawad Bhatti / Staff photographer)

Chomsky, Professor Emeritus of Linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, came to Columbia on Thursday to discuss hypocrisy and "schizophrenia" in American foreign policy from the early settlers to George W. Bush.

Chomsky, often considered one of the fathers of modern linguistics, is also well known for his controversial criticism of the United States' actions in international politics.

At the fifth annual Edward W. Said Memorial Lecture hosted by the Heyman Center for the Humanities, Chomsky began his speech on "The Unipolar Moment and the Culture of Imperialism" by applauding Said for calling attention to America's culture of imperialism. Said, a cultural critic and literary scholar who taught at Columbia for about three decades, died in 2003.

Though America just celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Chomsky said the commemoration ignored a glaring human rights violation that occurred only one week after the wall fell. On November 16, 1989, a U.S.-armed Atlacatl battalion assassinated six leading Latin American Jesuit priests, he explained.

Chomsky contrasted America's self-congratulation of the Berlin Wall destruction with the resounding silence that surrounds the assassination of these priests.

He said that this was just one example of the many stains on America's foreign policy record. Chomsky criticized the U.S. for its role in the continuing conflicts in the Middle East. Alluding to the wall dividing Israel and Gaza, he stressed the need to "dismantle the massive wall ... now snaking through Palestinian territory in violation of international law."

Discussing the United States as an international player, he said, "To this day, the U.S. is reverentially admired as a city on a hill." Chomsky characterized this as an imperialist policy, "a conception that we are carrying out God's will in mysterious ways."

He argued that the U.S. sacrifices democratic principles for its own self-interest, and tends to "focus a laser light on the crimes of enemies, but crucially we make sure to never look at ourselves."

Democracy, he said, is "supported if it defends the strategic and economic objectives of the United States."

Akeel Bilgrami, director of the Heyman Center for the Humanities, said in an e-mail prior to the event that they were honored to have Chomsky return for a fourth visit. "He is one of the greatest figures of public conscience of the last century," Bilgrami said, adding that, in linguistics and philosophy, Chomsky "single-handedly generated a revolution in the subject."

Bilgrami noted that the Heyman Center's choice of speakers does not necessarily reflect its political views. He said, "To some extent, the choice of speakers and interests over the years have reflected the progressive, humanistic, politically radical possibilities in the study of the humanities but it has never been a political platform" and explained that any sort of agenda would "cancel out other voices and points of view."

Preaching peace, flexing muscle

Preaching peace, flexing muscle: America's 'surge' may only expand, intensify and prolong the Afghan conflict

by Eric Margolis

NEW YORK -- There were no surprises in President Barack Obama's historic speech at West Point last Tuesday.

Obama faced the choice between guns (Afghanistan) or butter (his national health plan). The Nobel Peace Prize winner chose guns.

As expected, Obama will rush 30,000 new troops into the Afghan quagmire and arm-twist reluctant allies to contribute more token forces. Confusingly, Obama promised some of the 100,000 U.S. garrison will begin withdrawing in 2011.

The president insisted his objective remains destroying al-Qaida. But al-Qaida barely exists in Afghanistan. Only a handful remain in Pakistan. His real target may be Pakistan.

Obama's plan mirrors the Bush administration's Iraq "surge" that candidate Obama sharply criticized. The Soviets also tried the same surge tactic during their Afghan occupation.

Tragically, the "anti-war president" missed another major opportunity to end the Afghan War through negotiations.

Anyone who understands Afghanistan's deep complexities knows that Obama's surge won't win the eight-year war. Afghanistan's Pashtun tribal majority will continue to resist western occupation.

The additional U.S. troops will be used to protect the main cities and roads connecting them -- again, mirroring Soviet strategy in the 1980s. U.S. Marines will crush rebellious Kandahar the way Iraq's Fallujah was laid waste.

At best, it will be an exercise in managing failure.

Americans are turning against the war. Congress is fretting over its mounting costs: $300 billion US for 2009 in a $1.4-trillion deficit year. This war is being waged on borrowed money. Democrats are rightly calling for a special war tax on all Americans rather than continuing to hide the war's huge expenses on the national credit card. Canada should do the same.

It costs $1 million US to keep each American soldier in Afghanistan. Renting Pakistan's assistance will cost $3 billion per year. Thousands of U.S. troops will remain stuck in Iraq. Obama vowed to fight al-Qaida in Africa and Asia. No wonder many angry Democrats are calling him "George Bush's third term."

The most positive interpretation of Obama's "surge" is that it is a face-saving exercise to cover America's retreat from the Afghan morass. An Afghan army will be cobbled together (the Soviets did the same), the Karzai government will be somehow sanitized and victory will be declared in 2011. This will hopefully allow substantial U.S. troop reductions before the next mid-term and presidential elections - if all goes well.

But things are not going well in Pakistan, without whose co-operation, bases and supply routes the U.S. cannot wage war in Afghanistan. The U.S.-backed Pakistani government of Asif Ali Zardari is awash with corruption charges, condemned as a puppet regime and may soon be ousted by Pakistan's military.

Most Pakistanis support the Taliban, see the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan as driven by lust for oil and increasingly fear the U.S. intends to tear their unstable nation apart in order to seize its nuclear arsenal.

Obama's advisers have convinced him an early U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan will provoke chaos in Pakistan. They don't understand that it is the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan that is destabilizing Pakistan and creating ever more anti-western extremism.

What Obama should really have been concerned about was Osama bin Laden's vow to break America's domination of the Muslim world by luring it into a final battle in Pakistan, a nation of 175 million.

The longer U.S. forces wage war in Afghanistan, the more the conflict will spread into Pakistan, where 15% of its people and 25% of its military are Pashtuns who sympathize with their beleaguered fellow Taliban Pashtuns in Afghanistan.

A grimmer view is that Obama has become a captive of the military-industrial complex, Wall Street and Washington's rabid neocons who seek permanent war against the Muslim world. Obama's "surge" may only expand, intensify and prolong the Afghan conflict.

In the end, there will be a negotiated peace that includes Taliban. But how many Americans, allies and Afghans must die before it comes?

the age of stupid

peace prize