Afghan Village Kicks Taliban Out

This is a great propaganda victory for the “good guys.”

GIZAB, Afghanistan – The revolt of the Gizab Good Guys began with a clandestine 2 a.m. meeting. By sunrise, 15 angry villagers had set up checkpoints on the main road and captured their first prisoners. In the following hours, their ranks swelled with dozens of rifle-toting neighbors eager to join.

Gunfights erupted and a panicked request for help was sent to the nearest U.S. troops, but the residents of this mountain-ringed hamlet in southern Afghanistan held their ground. By sundown, they managed to pull off a most unusual feat: They kicked out the Taliban.

Villagers’ revolt against Taliban boosts hopes – Washington Post- msnbc.com

Mi-17s in Afghanistan

Good, reliable multi-purpose helicopter.  Too bad it’s Soviet.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. government is snapping up Russian-made helicopters to form the core of Afghanistan’s fledgling air force, a strategy that is drawing flak from members of Congress who want to force the Afghans to fly American choppers instead.

In a turnabout from the Cold War, when the CIA gave Stinger missiles to Afghan rebels to shoot down Soviet helicopters, the Pentagon has spent $648 million to buy or refurbish 31 Russian Mi-17 transport helicopters for the Afghan National Army Air Corps. The Defense Department is seeking to buy 10 more of the Mi-17s next year, and had planned to buy dozens more over the next decade.

U.S. buys Russian choppers for Afghan military – Washington Post- msnbc.com

American Firing Squad

Utah, baby.

The executioners were all certified police officers who volunteered for the task and remain anonymous. They stood about 25 feet from Gardner, behind a wall cut with a gunport, and were armed with a matched set of .30-caliber Winchester rifles. One was loaded with a blank so no one knows who fired the fatal shot. Sandbags stacked behind Gardner’s chair kept the bullets from ricocheting around the cinderblock room.

Death-row inmate dies in barrage of bullets – Crime & courts- msnbc.com

Don’t be Stupid and Industrious

 

I divide my officers into four classes; the clever, the lazy, the industrious, and the stupid. Most often two of these qualities come together. The officers who are clever and industrious are fitted for the highest staff appointments. Those who are stupid and lazy make up around 90% of every army in the world, and they can be used for routine work. The man who is clever and lazy however is for the very highest command; he has the temperament and nerves to deal with all situations. But whoever is stupid and industrious is a menace and must be removed immediately! 

–General Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord

Pakistan Up to No Good

This should come as no surprise.  It is in Pakistan’s best interest to keep Afghanistan as weak and unstable as possible.  The US is trying to pay off the debt established by the Durand Line in 1893.

KABUL – Pakistani military intelligence not only funds and trains Taliban fighters in Afghanistan but is officially represented on the movement’s leadership council, giving it significant influence over operations, a report released on Sunday said.

The report, published by the London School of Economics, a leading British institution, on Sunday, said research strongly suggested support for the Taliban was the "official policy" of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI).

Although links between the ISI and Islamist militants have been widely suspected for a long time, the report’s findings, which it said were corroborated by two senior Western security officials, could raise more concerns in the West over Pakistan’s commitment to help end the war in Afghanistan.

Report slams Pakistan for aiding Afghan militants – Afghanistan- msnbc.com

Australian Saves Lives at The Gap

This old man gets to see approximately one person per week jump.  Wonder how that feels….

Since the 1800s, Australians have flocked to The Gap to end their lives, with little more than a 3-foot (1 meter) fence separating them from the edge. Local officials say about one person a week commits suicide there, and in January, the Woollahra Council applied for 2.1 million Australian dollars ($1.7 million) in federal funding to build a higher fence and overhaul security.

Australian ‘angel’ saves lives at suicide spot – World news- msnbc.com

Easter

What a bunch of crap.

Heaven, everyone agrees, is the good place you go after death, a reward for struggle and faithfulness on earth. In most of our popular conceptions, we have bodies in heaven: selves, consciousness, identity. We do things. People yearn for reunions in heaven with friends and relatives—and even with their pets.

The Christian Mystery of Physical Resurrection – Newsweek.com

Easter should be all about eggs, rabbits, and chocolates, just like Christmas is all about presents, Santa Claus, and Frosty the Snowman.