U.S. trucking funds reach Taliban, military-led investigation concludes

U.S. trucking funds reach Taliban, military-led investigation concludes

www.washingtonpost.com

A year-long military-led investigation has concluded that U.S. taxpayer money has been indirectly funneled to the Taliban under a $2.16 billion transportation contract that the United States has funded in part to promote Afghan businesses.

(visit the link for the full news article)

"Too Big to Succeed"

With all the talk in Washington about cuts to Entitlement programs. I believe there needs to be a greater recognition and emphasis cutting waste and corruption from every nook and cranny of our overblown government.

The unreleased investigation provides seemingly definitive evidence that corruption puts U.S. transportation money into enemy hands, a finding consistent with previous inquiries carried out by Congress, other federal agencies and the military. Yet U.S. and Afghan efforts to address the problem have been slow and ineffective, and all eight of the trucking firms involved in the work remain on U.S. payroll. In March, the Pentagon extended the contract for six months.

www.washingtonpost.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

With entanglements thoughout the world and billions of taxpayer dollars changing hands, it's very possible we've simply become "too big to succeed" like the Roman Empire before us.

For the sake of our country's continued existence, security and prosperity, perhaps we should heed the words of George Washington:

"It is our true policy to steer clear of entangling alliances with any portion of the foreign world."

~ George Washington

Ron Paul's position on our foreign policy is often misrepresented in the media, even by so-called consevative pundits.

But it is far more in line with the principles set forth by our Founding Fathers. And, George Washington was certainly aware of the dangers to national security posed by the terrorists of his day.

But what policy is best? How should we deal with the rest of the world in a way that best advances proper national interests, while not threatening our freedoms at home?

Noninterventionism is not isolationism. Nonintervention simply means America does not interfere militarily, financially, or covertly in the internal affairs of other nations. It does not mean that we isolate ourselves; on the contrary, our founders advocated open trade, travel, communication, and diplomacy with other nations.

www.lewrockwell.com...

It's time we took a fresh look at our place in the world and what our priorities really are.

just one more reason for all truckers to go on strike...if it's not high fuel prices, it's something like this

Wow, there are so many people involved, it's hard to believe the US didn't know. We've been perpetuating war by funding the enemy. Hmm, who would want perpetual war?

What will happen in the morning when the soldiers' families process the news? Will they accept the answer that the problem has been fixed thanks to these findings?

Originally posted by gentledissident
What will happen in the morning when the soldiers' families process the news? Will they accept the answer that the problem has been fixed thanks to these findings?

Ron Paul Campaign Raises Most Donations from Military

LAKE JACKSON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, it was confirmed that the campaign of 2012 Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul has raised more than any other current presidential candidate in donations from members of the military. Of those donors who indicated their occupation and employer, Paul topped the other contenders, a distinction he also achieved during his 2008 presidential run.

Our fighting men and women take an oath to protect America, defend our Constitution and defend our borders,” said Ron Paul 2012 Campaign Chairman, Jesse Benton. “They look at Ron Paul and see a leader who takes their oath seriously, and who will fight to ensure that we don’t misrepresent that oath by sending them off to police the world, instead of defending our country.”

finance.yahoo.com...

I think the "boots on the ground" know what's really going on.

The Fall of the Roman Empire:
quotes from: www.rome.info...

There were several reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire. Each one intertweaved with the other. Many even blame the initiation of Christianity for the decline. Christianity made many Roman citizens into pacifists, making it more difficult to defend against the barbarian attackers.

America's obsession with eletronic toys and hypnosized by incessant television viewing has created an overly passive population reticent in confronting the real threats to our well being. Then there's the flouride in the water and discussions about adding Lithium as well.

Many of us may be surprised to know that television is a controlling medium, relaxing us enough to switch off our analytical brain (the left side of the brain) so that we uncritically, or unlogically, process the information beaming from the television. This means we are less able to make decisions or judgments about what we hear on television.

Our brains undergo a similar process under hypnosis.

Left in this state for some time can mean that we become less inventive in problem-solving and less able to concentrate. This suits some environments. In the UK, television is used to keep prisoners quiet. It is regarded as one of the best types of control mechanisms by the General Secretary of the Prison Governors' Association. Prisoners are subjected to the tranquillising effects of television which subdues behaviour, and the other benefit is that it is a cheap and effective way to do that.

www.naturalnews.com...

Reasons for the Fall:

(1) Decline of Moral Values -
America's has that covered unfortunately.

(2) Public Health - Flouride, GMO's, pesticides, tainted vaccines. Obamacare on the horizon. Anyone can add to the list - rates of cancer, diabetes and Alzheimers skyrocketing.

(3) Political Corruption-

Then in 186 A. D. the army strangled the new emperor, the practice began of selling the throne to the highest bidder.

- PAC's, professional lobbyists, crony capitalism.

(4) Unemployment-

During the latter years of the empire farming was done on large estates called latifundia that were owned by wealthy men who used slave labor. A farmer who had to pay workmen could not produce goods as cheaply. Many farmers could not compete with these low prices and lost or sold their farms. This not only undermined the citizen farmer who passed his values to his family, but also filled the cities with unemployed people. At one time, the emperor was importing grain to feed more than 100,000 people in Rome alone. These people were not only a burden but also had little to do but cause trouble and contribute to an ever increasing crime rate.

Sounds alot like what is happening in America. Between the out sourcing of jobs and the influx of both legal (work visas) and illegal workers, American workers are increasingly edged out of gainful employment.

(5) Inflation-

As the amount of gold used in coins decreased, the coins became less valuable. To make up for this loss in value, merchants raised the prices on the goods they sold. Many people stopped using coins and began to barter to get what they needed. Eventually, salaries had to be paid in food and clothing, and taxes were collected in fruits and vegetables.

ment

QE 1 and 2 have effectively "decreased the amount of gold in our coins" by flooding the market with piles of fiat currency. Matters will only get worse if the Fed is allowed to continue.

(6) Urban Decay - Our country's infrastructure is crumbling.
(7) Inferior Technology -

My own best guess is that the next great hotbed for tech innovation will be China. It is steadily tightening the rules for software intellectual property protection. And a raft of amazingly fast-growing Internet businesses have already arisen, including portals Sina.net and Sohu (Charts), search engine Baidu (Charts), game company Shanda (Charts), auctioneer Alibaba, and communications and gaming pioneer Tencent. Some number their customers in the hundreds of millions.

Of course the lure of India, China and other developing markets is powerful regardless of what is happening in the United States. That's where the growth is.

money.cnn.com...

(8) Military Spending --

Maintaining an army to defend the border of the Empire from barbarian attacks was a constant drain on the government

Such an army was not only unreliable, but very expensive. The emperors were forced to raise taxes frequently which in turn led again to increased inflation

We spend billions at this point to maintain countless military bases, police the world, and endless wars.

So, my friends, the handwritings on the wall.

I am so sick of the complacency of our citizens it makes me want to puke. I am ashamed to be called an American because of this. I served to defend this country only to watch it whither away and be taken from us by the very people who were elected to run it as defined by the Constitution. When the f**k are the people going to wake up? And also where is the tea Party? Why haven't they been staging protest marches? Seems like once their candidates got into office, they just fell off the map. We need something like the Tea Party movement to once again show the teeth of the American people. We need the leadership of those who know what is right and not serve the lobbyist or corrupt police state politicians. We need to exercise our constitutional right to change this government into one that was envisioned by our founding fathers.

reply to post by haarvik


I have great respect for people like yourself who joined the military for noble reasons. When all is said and done it's only your own face that you need to be able to look at, with clear conscience, in a mirror. You have your honor and that is a lot more than many others have.

Where has the Tea Party gone? Great question. Answer: I don't know really. I suspect some have rallied behind Bachmann, others-Palin, still others - talk show hosts like Beck or Levin and organizations like FreedomWorks. I think the GOP has been trying to coop it to a certain extent. Ron Paul supporters are Ron Paul supporters and probably reflect a lot of the original participants.

Since the Tea Party isn't one particular political party, a specific ideology/platform - discontent with the country's current direction is the common thread. I suspect that a lot of folks are still out there and working out for themselves how they will become involved.

At least some people have "awoken", I don't think that they've gone back to sleep. I'm watching and waiting at this point as well as gaining info. I'm figuring out for myself what I can do to best support the principles and candidates that I believe in.

No worries.