The drone wars! Are we at war or not?

PBS: "Targeting the Taliban"


McCain and Lieberman offer reassurance about relations with US as Pakistan renews call for end to US drone strikes to improve them!

While Lieberman and McCain were in Pakistan touting our cooperation and success in the drone program they both promised to continue Pakistan has renewed calls for an end to US drone aircraft strikes, an issue that could strain ties as the CIA hunts down Muslim militants after one of the deadliest attacks in its history in neighboring Afghanistan. In Pakistan, McCain and Lieberman offer reassurance about ...

As they have from the beginning Pakistan officially objects to the operations against suspected al Qaeda and Taliban militants along its border with Afghanistan, saying they violate its sovereignty to satisfy their citizens. At the same time Islamabad has pushed Washington to provide it with the drones to allow it to carry out its own attacks on Taliban insurgents, a move that could ease widespread anti-American sentiment in Pakistan.

Under Obama from the beginning The United States has stepped up its attacks with the pilot less drone aircraft attacks in Pakistan even more so since a double agent blew himself up at a U.S. base in Afghanistan on December 30, killing seven CIA agents. The so called weak President on terror has drastically increased the use of like it or not what has become an important tool in the so called war on terror. Pakistan renews call for end to US drone strikes

Are we at war or not? I am not going to say the US should be able to put boots on the ground wherever she wants in this still just beginning so called war on terror but it must be realized and acknowledged that like it or not the US is a prime target if not the main target and is the prime face in the so called war on terror.

We have been saying from the beginning that this is a new kind of war, a war like no other. We the entire world better make believe they realize that and act accordingly. Our future depends on it. Everyone who reads my reports knows I did not trust Bush and Cheney an iota. They made me question everything we have done in the past.

That said, consider the source! I would hope that Obama has no designs of dominating the sovereignty of Pakistan, Yemen, or anywhere else we have to go to prosecute this so called war on terror. Muslim countries do not want our boots on the ground so they have to allow openly or clandestinely our use of drones in this the first war of the 21st century!

The uses of Drone’s are a necessary evil. They are our equalizer as IED’s are the militant’s necessary evil and equalizer in the new battlefront! The draw back in IED’s or drones is civilian casualties. Civilians always pay the price!

That said, civilian casualties are hard to verify as the so called enemy inflates the numbers to win the media war for hearts and minds with wild allegations as we are not allowed to put boots on the ground in Yemen or Pakistan.

Therefore civilian casualties are Yemen and Pakistan’s fault as all sides agree we can not relent and we must all increase our efforts and do what we can to ensure our success and our successful future!






James Joiner
Gardner, Ma
www.anaveragepatriot.com

White House: US Will Be Out Of Afghanistan by 2017 but we better heed Pakistan's warning!

They do not want a large increase in troops and I have to agree with their reasoning. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said the United States must fully share its plans for Afghanistan with Pakistan so that it can contribute to them. He warned of our closing posts near the border and I agree we should increase our presence there. Pakistan's Gilani warns Obama over US Afghan troop plan

I agree with Pakistan that we should put Karzai to the test and concentrate our efforts on securing the Afghanistan Pakistan border to contain militants in Pakistan so Pakistan can eradicate them if possible and keep them from migrating into Afghanistan to complicate our efforts. Border security is key to the success of both Pakistan and Afghanistan and should be a prime concern and the effort of Afghan forces can be spent training up and killing the militants that are already in country!

I agree with what should be the final option on the table, dubbed the "hybrid" option, it would involve a surge of around 20,000 troops to reinforce major population areas coupled with a renewed counter-terrorist effort against al-Qaeda and Taliban targets in lawless tribal areas along the border with Pakistan coupled with the major emphasis being training up Afghans to take over their security so we can go home.

We will find out in a few days and I am gratified with much of what I am hearing about Obama's plan but dismayed that he wants to add some 34,000 troops. Head of Management and Budget Peter Orzak had a ring side seat because of the costs involved. At a cost of $1 million per year per soldier and a possible “temporary” increase of some 34,000 soldiers we are not talking peanuts here and have heard rumors of a war tax, pay as you fight! US Will Be Out Of Afghanistan By 2017: White House

With the U.S. deficit hitting $1.4 trillion and fueling Americans' concerns about high government spending, sending more troops to Afghanistan will be a politically risky move for Obama. Republicans of course want the troop increase but will use the deficit to make sure that this is Obama’s Waterloo.

As you know, concerns at home are the smallest part of this. This is very complicated thanks to Bush’s ineptitude. Pakistan is blaming militants regrouping outside Waziristan on the US but it is due to their success. Counter to their belief, I think a surge hurts us but will in fact help them. I guess once again we will have to find out the hard way. I remember Obama saying he wanted to be out before his time was up knowing that meant two terms. Now we hear 2017. We can only hope that is etched in stone! Pakistan Taliban regrouping outside Waziristan


James Joiner
Gardner, Ma
www.anaveragepatriot.com