2021-08-28

Cool

ACOUP Musings on Afghanistan

t turns out a lot of empires have had very successful times in Afghanistan; the Afghans themselves founded more than a few of them. Of course that means admitting that Afghanistan is not some intractable, naturally un-ruleable country, but merely that this or that (western) power lost there, a thing which happens from time to time to all powers, Great and minor, but which we have come to imagine does not happen to western Great Powers, except against other western Great Powers. But of course this is nonsense too.
Who Owns The Machine Anyway?
Well said The Gatekeeper Shrugged – Island of Signal

US Gov to forgive ITT Tech loans

Move impacts anyone who attended an ITT school between 2008 and 2016 but didn't graduate

Granholm Chartered Military Jet to Ukraine as US Struggled To Evacuate Americans From Afghanistan

Granholm on Monday flew to Ukraine to attend the Crimea Platform Summit, a conference to support Crimea's independence from Russia. Also on Monday, the Pentagon instituted an emergency program called the "Civil Reserve Air Fleet," which ordered civilian airlines, including American Airlines and Delta Airlines, to provide planes to help the evacuation efforts from Afghanistan.
Experts warn of dangers from breach of Dominion voter system software

Woman Sentenced to 7 Days in Jail for Walking in Yellowstone’s Thermal Area
US police shoot dogs so often that a Justice Department says it's an “epidemic”

Republican efforts questioning the outcome of the 2020 presidential race have led to voting system breaches that election security experts say pose a heightened risk to future elections.

The US Intelligence Community’s Assessment on Covid-19 Origins
Active Duty, Retired Naval Intelligence Members Told They Cannot ‘Disrespect’ Biden Over Afghanistan Debacle.
"I Demand Accountability": Marine Commander Fired For Viral Video Ripping 'Inept' Afghan War Decisions | ZeroHedge

one high ranking Marine officer has done just that in a now viral video. Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller until Friday was a sitting Marine infantry battalion commander in good standing, but late in the day it's been confirmed he was promptly relieved of his command over his statements. "I am willing to throw it all away to say to my senior leaders, 'I demand accountability,'" the Lieutenant colonel said in the Facebook video which already racked up millions of views across various platforms.

US Forces Begin Leaving Kabul Airport Amid Final Stages of Afghanistan Withdrawal | ZeroHedge

"US troops have begun their withdrawal from Kabul airport, the Pentagon said on Saturday, following a two-week scramble by Washington and its allies to fly out their nationals and Afghans at risk of reprisals under Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers," Reuters reports.
Facebook says it’s hiding friends lists on accounts in Afghanistan
US drone strike targeted ISIS-K planner
US Says It Killed "Planner" Behind Kabul Airport Attack In Targeted Drone Strike | ZeroHedge

It wasn't clear what said "indications" were or what evidence the Biden admin planned to show to the public that any of this had ever happened. It also wasn't clear just how the US intelligence apparatus which failed so miserably with the evacuation of Afghanistan managed to track down and successfully eliminate the one person who was supposedly behind it all. Indeed, coming at the lowest point for the careening Biden admin, it wouldn't be a huge surprise for the president to fabricate an entire drone attack just to appease his neo-con media warlords and in hopes of boosting his cratering approval rating.
U.S. retaliates against ISIS with drone strike in Afghanistan
(Aug 17) Long Afghanistan: The End of the Occupation | Anne Bonny Pirate
Taliban kill squad hunting down Afghans – using US biometric data

Climate change will alter where many crops are grown
- comments include "They're growing watermelons in Germany for the first time ever!" and then suppressed responses from Germans who have been growing watermelons their entire lives.