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- Published: Thursday, 09 April 2009 14:00
09 April 2009
Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand
This morning some monks performed a ritual under a tree near my door. I did not want to intrude upon their tranquility with a camera, so I modestly enjoyed the moment, knowing that in just a few days I would walk into another, very different land.
In Laos, a few days ago, I awoke before sunrise to photograph monks collecting morning alms in Luang Prabang. Perhaps a hundred monks from the local temples collected alms from the people. After the transaction the monks and the people dispersed into the cool morning. In the great book of days, people were busy writing the pages of their lives.
Read more: More Photos for You
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- Published: Tuesday, 07 April 2009 14:36
Luang Prabang, Laos
07 April 2009
The sun had already set when I settled the bill at l’Elephant and walked up the darkening street away from the Mekong. This small town with French ambiance and Asian culture is calming, very calming compared to the wars.
The night was cool and quiet and there were no mosquitoes. No sounds of birds although I saw a few sparrows. During my last trip to Laos, I ate baked swallows along with beetle soup. People eat practically everything in Laos. Fresh bats can be bought in a local market, and live frogs whose legs have been broken. Without refrigeration, they keep the frogs alive so the meat will not spoil, and break their legs to prevent escape.
Read more: A Photo for You
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- Published: Tuesday, 07 April 2009 03:54
07 April 2009
War correspondent Matt Sanchez emailed saying he authored this FOX story.
Mr. Sanchez also wrote:
"You're looking at this from a rational, dispassionate, journalistic point of view--that's a mistake. I wrote that article on Mexico and I had one side calling me a traitor (Sanchez denouncing Mexico) another side claiming I was slandering gun dealers and insisting I was a New York liberal. You just can't win in this one. Stick to the facts."
Read more: Classic
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- Published: Monday, 06 April 2009 10:44
06 April 2009
It would appear that the Mexico situation carries enough emotional potential – in North America – to dwarf anything we saw on Iraq. Afghanistan is more like a martial metronome, or a software program that’s running in the background; we only notice when it crashes.
Read more: American Guns and Mexicans
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- Published: Sunday, 05 April 2009 04:42
05 April 2009
Luang Prabang, Laos
A concerned reader passed this along. Gateway Pundit posted commentary and a video link of Taliban savages flogging a girl in public. I recommend viewing this disturbing video. While watching, one can only dream of a bunch of U.S. Marines bursting in to confront these savages man to man. Please watch the video on Gateway Pundit -- Where Hope Finally Made a Comeback -- and spread the link far and wide.
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- Published: Friday, 03 April 2009 05:16
03 April 2009
Speaking not as a writer, but only as an American citizen, there are a few “irritants” as one learns more about the AmMex drug/criminal war. Firstly, there seems little doubt that many guns are coming from the United States. And so on this issue, the United States seems to be taking most of the blame. Okay, got it, though the main points remain in dispute at this time. Yet when we switch the subject to drugs, suddenly the United States is also to blame because we are the big user.
Read more: Dear Mexico: Stop Whining
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- Published: Friday, 03 April 2009 04:45
03 April 2009
A concerned reader sent me this CNN video link on Youtube. Please view this very disturbing piece: Mexican Incursions into the US.
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- Published: Friday, 03 April 2009 03:53
03 April 2009
I’m heading to Laos in a few hours and so comms likely will be tenuous. Meanwhile, the war continues to unfold. A reader sent the following story about the black market of war supplies in Pakistan. I saw the same in Iraq. Up in the Kurdish region, there are vibrant markets selling, for instance, AN PVS-14 night vision gear. The same kind that most of the soldiers and I use in combat. American uniforms are sold, and most anything else imaginable. I recall seeing similar items, only Russian, being sold in Polish markets during the early 90s. I bought a Russian night vision device. It was terrible compared to ours. There are also vibrant black markets outside of U.S. military bases in the United States. This is not the end of the world. Just another “thing.”
Read more: Black Market
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- Published: Friday, 03 April 2009 03:11
03 April 2009
The "law" is a fascinating topic. When I was young, I read many dozens of books written by lawyers. When the vignette linked below landed on my desk, it conjured memories of stories about American trials wherein wives accused husbands of rape. Yet often the courts did not recognize that it was legally possible for a husband to rape his wife. This was America.
Read more: Wife Rape
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- Published: Thursday, 02 April 2009 16:06
02 April 2009
Several readers have forwarded this important story. Thank you.
If FOX is right and the government is wrong (not surprising), this will be a feather in FOX's cap!
Read more: Weapons to Mexico: Government Lying?
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- Published: Thursday, 02 April 2009 03:12
Jingle all the Way
1 April 2009
Hidden compartments don’t mean much to man’s best friend. This working puppy found enough Emulite to kill hundreds of people. Needless to say, the soldiers and contractors treat these dogs like royalty. There is no exaggeration whatsoever in saying that the working dogs are treated far better than our soldiers. (Not that anyone complains, but it is humorous for everyone to see that the dogs get treated even better than Air Force personnel, who are treated 2x better than soldiers, who are treated 5x better than Marines. That means bomb dogs are treated at least 10x better than Marines.)
Read more: Jingle Bombs, Jingle Bombs
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- Published: Thursday, 02 April 2009 02:06
2 April 2009
President Obama's new plan for Afghanistan and Pakistan (AfPak) was eagerly anticipated. I first reported from Afghanistan in early 2006 that the war was being lost, so any new plan to address the problems is at least three years late. This is not Mr. Obama's fault, but it is his problem.
During his March 27 announcement, Mr. Obama said that critical assets were diverted from Afghanistan to Iraq. That's true, but it's not the only reason why Afghanistan is in trouble. For a variety of reasons - history, geography, people - Iraq is remarkably different than AfPak.
Please Click to view entire article in the Washington Times.
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- Published: Wednesday, 01 April 2009 15:55
1 April 2009
President Obama announced a goal to stand up 216,000 Afghan security forces by 2011. This falls far short of assessments by our own military that a security force of 400,000 is needed to secure Afghanistan.
Today there are 80,000 Afghan police and 82,000 soldiers in various stages of readiness. Obama's aim to train 54,000 new soldiers and police in 33 months, which equals about 1,600 new recruits a month, is less than bold. At this rate, approximately a dozen years and hundreds of billions of dollars will be needed to reach 400,000. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking.
Read more: Obama's Afghanistan plan moves much too cautiously
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- Published: Tuesday, 31 March 2009 14:35
31 March 2009
I am very proud of the British units I was in combat with in Iraq: 2 Rifles, 4 Rifles, Queen's Royal Lancers, Duke of Lancasters, 2 Para (Afghanistan).
This writer would return to combat with any of these units at the drop of a hat. Big politics is one thing, but these soldiers are something that the United Kingdom should be proud of. As an American, I am proud to know them. I'll prove my point by contacting the British Army right now to request they take me back with them in combat.
Read more: Please Remember that the British Government is not the British Soldier
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- Published: Tuesday, 31 March 2009 13:34
31 March 2009
Gary Sinise has gotten personally involved with helping to promote this movie. I am in Asia (Thailand/Singapore/Laos/Malaysia) and have not yet seen it, but the reviews are outstanding. I spoke at length yesterday with the Director/Producer Jake Rademacher, and I asked Mr. Rademacher to send a schedule of film screenings.
Read more: Brothers at War -- Screenings
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- Published: Monday, 30 March 2009 19:35
30 March 2009
Nobody seems to dispute that tons of weapons apparently are flowing into Mexico. A big question is, where are they coming from? The only casualties assured to occur are those people who are shot by the real guns from the questionable sources, and the truth. There are almost certainly people within the U.S. government who would fit the facts to fit their agendas, and there are vast numbers of citizens who would do the same. Iraq and Afghanistan provide stark international reminders of this on the global scale. It seemed that every cranny of government and civilian political organizations, overtly lied or spackled over inconvenient facts that did not lead to pre-determined outcomes for Iraq, in particular.
Read more: Tons of Arms Flowing into Mexico, But From Where?
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- Published: Sunday, 29 March 2009 18:43
29 March 2009
The following story represents just one of the great crevasses opened by torture. This is serious business. Some previously high-placed American officials could be forced to restrict international travel, or face arrest and imprisonment in foreign jails:
Read more: Torture: Some Global Implications
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- Published: Sunday, 29 March 2009 18:37
29 March 2009
How many of the guns in Mexico are coming from the United States? Good question that will prove extremely contentious if the number of weapons proves to be high.
Read more: Truth or Dare: Guns to Mexico
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- Published: Friday, 27 March 2009 15:22
27 March 2009
President Obama has just spoken on AfPak. I closed my eyes and listened closely to his words, coming via the BBC from the other side of the world.
The President's words were disappointing. He talked about our goal to reach a force level of 134,000 Afghan soldiers and 82,000 police by 2011. This is not even in the neighborhood of being enough. Further, the increase of 21,000 U.S. troops is likely just a bucket of water on the growing bonfire. One can only expect that sometime in 2010, the President will again be forced to announce another increase in U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
Read more: Obama on Afghanistan: Disappointing
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- Published: Friday, 27 March 2009 12:04
27 March 2009
Many of us are waiting -- not so patiently -- for President Obama's announcement of the new strategy on AfPak. No matter which road we chose, it will be long and filled with liquid, political mirages.
Carlotta Gall has emerged as a premier voice on AfPak. I've noticed over time that she seems to be ahead of the curve on reporting, and so when her name appears, my eyes focus on her words. It remains popular to bash the New York Times, but when it comes to war reporting they are tough to match. Alternative media sources seem to be mostly avoiding serious firsthand Afghanistan reporting. Have any non-active duty dedicated-bloggers spent a year there yet? I'm currently reading through the latest of about $600 worth of books on the fight -- waiting quietly in the back of the room, for today --before the rough journey ahead. Unfortunately it looks like Mexico might fill the off-seasons from AfPak.
Read more: Waiting...
