All posts by Hutchins AAron

Born in Deutschland 1965, hometown was Bütthart, parents were not U.S. government employees. However, when father was tricked into joining the U.S. Air Force Civil Service, in 1969, with the promise that we could remain in Germany, we were promptly shipped off to Iran. Due to one of my Iranian educators being disappeared, along with her husband, by the U.S. ally Shah of Iran's Israeli & U.S. created Savak (for the then official terrorist act of promoting the idea that women can vote), and due to my U.S. citizen mother being placed on Savak's Terrorist Arrest List (for supporting the idea that women should vote, at that time the U.S. ally Shah of Iran did not allow women to vote, now they can) we left Iran for the United States in 1973, literally in the middle of the night. At the U.S. Embassy airbase the CIA operated Gooney Bird (C-47) was so packed with other U.S. citizens fleeing our ally Iran (because the Shah gave the OK to arrest any U.S. citizen for such terrorist acts as promoting the concept of voting) that we were turned away by the Loadmaster and had to take a chance on a civilian flight out of Tehran's airport. My father told me he and my mother had three culture shocks; first when they arrived in Germany as civilians, then after being shipped off to Iran as U.S. government employees, then again returning to the United States as unemployed civilians (because so much had changed in the U.S. while they were gone, their only news source was the U.S. Armed Forces Radio & Television Service which heavily censored information about the home front). Since I graduated high school in 1982 I've worked for U.S. government contractors and state & local government agencies (in California), convenience store manager in California, retail/property management in Georgia, California and Idaho. Spent the 1990s in the TV news business producing number one rated local news programs in California, Arizona and Idaho. 14+ years with California and Idaho Army National Guard and the U.S. Air Force. Obtained a BA degree in International Studies from Idaho State University at the age of 42. Unemployed since 2015, so don't tell me the economy has recovered.
Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Exceptional Failed State: Red State Idaho joins Obama Care insurance exchange corruption! IT company owner paid $180 per hour, with governor’s approval!

23 October 2013 (19:24 UTC-07 Tango 22 October 2013)/18 Dhu’l-Hijja 1434/01 Aban 1391/19 Ren-Xu (9th month) 4711

Idaho’s Your Health Idaho Obama Care false flag insurance exchange was outed by state legislators.

Your Health Idaho executive director, Amy Dowd, revealed she made a no bid contract with an unpaid board member, Frank Chan.  Under the deal Chan’s company, Applied Computing, would have been paid $180 USD per hour as a Obama Care enrollment consultant!  State lawmakers were outraged!

By the way, Idaho’s Red State Right to Work (you over) elitist governor Butch Otter appointed Chan to the board of the Your Health Idaho at the beginning of the year (there are an amazing 19 people on Idaho’s Obama Care board).  Dowd claims that Otter approved of the $180 per hour contract with Chan.  State representative Kelley Packer, from McCammon, said the first they heard about the deal was on 17 October, which is when Your Health Idaho actually published the deal on their website.

Chan founded Applied Computing in 1994.  He already has contracts with Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

Frank Chan canceled the Your Health Idaho deal the day after state politicians expressed their rage.  The no-bid deal could have made Chan $375-thousand!  Supposedly Idaho law says any government contract over $25-thousand must be done competitively, by bids.  Now, Your Health Idaho must get state approval for any contract over $18-thousand.

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

Exceptional Failed State: U.S. job losses & store closings 09 August 2013. Democracy NOW! going down? Utility bills too high for corporations! Pets suffer! New York hit hard! Investors killing more jobs!

Incomplete list of announced closings and layoffs:

California: What housing market recovery? In Fresno, roofing materials maker, GAF Materials Corporation, laid off six people.  In Chatsworth, Too Big to Jail JP Morgan Chase laying off 300 employees!  It’s part of the bank’s plan to layoff 15-thousand people across the country!  The evil bank officials admitted that the home mortgage disaster has reached a point where it’s not worth it for banks to continue stealing people’s homes, so they’ll take it out on their employees.  In San Diego, video game company Trion World closing.  They’re consolidating ops to their HQ in Redwood City.  The company has laid off dozens and dozens of employees since last December. Company officials said the layoffs were necessary to make lenders/investors happy!

Connecticut: The bad economy hitting even lawyers that make money from lawsuits.  A major law firm, Day Pitney, laying off as many as 40 employees.

Florida: Law firm, Boyd & Jenerette, closing their Miami office.  The office was in operations for only two years, and had lost 14 attorneys during that time.

Georgia: In Cornelia, 31 years old Gusben’s restaurant closed. The co-owner Jeff Hames said “I’d like to have more time off, spend more time with family.”

Illinois:  Navistar International laying off 140 contract employees! The semi-truck maker has already laid off hundreds of people.  Company officials gave a conflicting explanation, saying they were not “doing more with less” but then admitted they are pushing to increase “employee effectiveness”.  In Hinsdale, Italian restaurant Firenze closed.  The owners are switching to carry out only.

Michigan: The entertainment riverboat operation, Chesaning Showboat, now bankrupt.  According to the Chapter 7 filing, the company’s debt far exceeds its worth.

Minnesota: In Minneapolis, the 105 years old Falls Hardware shut down.  The owner said he was trying to sell the store so he could retire, but nobody wanted to buy it.

Missouri: Electronic transmitter maker, Process Controls International, now bankrupt.  Chapter 11 documents show the company owes as much as $10 million USD, yet has maybe $1 million in assets.  Last year the company was sued by another electronics company that alleges Process Controls stole one of their designs.

New Hampshire: In Nashua, the Main Street Bakery closed after less than one year of ops.  The owners blamed the bad economy.

New York: In Mahopac, non-profit NYSARC shut down its Putnam County Chapter Preschool Program, 47 employees laid off.  NYSARC is considered the largest non-profit helping disabled people.  The official WARN blamed “economic” reasons.  In NYC, WBAI radio announced massive layoffs.  All their news staff and most talk show hosts were let go, 75% of employees! WBAI is the birthplace of Pacifica Radio’s Democracy NOW!  WBAI is struggling to pay the rent for its transmitter atop the Empire State building.  Skin cancer treatment company, MELA Sciences, laying off 25% of employees after losing $7.4 million in its 2nd quarter of 2013.  In its 2nd quarter 2012 they lost $5.5 million.  In Soho, Cafe Cafe closed.  The restaurant had a 20 year lease, but the greedy property owner ended it four years early (read the small print on those lease contracts).  In Albany, Phillips Hardware closed. The family owners are shifting their money making to real estate acquisition.

North Carolina: Bus maker, DesignLine USA, laid off about 250 employees!  The troubled company ceased ops because they could not find any U.S. bank to give them loans for daily operations.  The company originated in the British empire country of New Zealand.

Ohio: Bankrupt aluminum smelter, Ormet, laying off 200+ employees at their Hannibal factory! The company cannot pay their utility bills, and has been asking for financial help.  Another 700 employees could lose their jobs!

Pennsylvania: In Elizabeth Township, the 38 years old Fallen Timber Animal Shelter shut down. Operators said they were financially forced to consolidate ops.

Virginia: In Middletown, the Wayside Theatre (note British empire spelling) closed after more than 50 years of playacting.  Despite raising tens of thousand of dollars in donations the board of directors said financial problems were overpowering.  What is suspicious is that the last fund raising efforts raised enough money for a year of ops, but the board of directors shut the live action theater down just a few months later.  A major sponsor of the theater, Royal Oak Computers, says they cannot get an explanation from the theater’s board of directors.  Perhaps the Board of Directors were the best actors in the theater company?  In Virginia Beach, California based boat and fishing store West Marine is consolidating retail ops. 34 employees affected. Company officials said it’s part of their plans to shut down smaller stores across the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) doesn’t count the hundreds of layoffs involving less than 50 people each, in its mass layoff reports. It also doesn’t count all the little ‘mom & pop’ businesses that shut down.

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

More Economic Decline: Idaho’s Coldwater Creek up for sale! Looking for “Strategic Alternatives”! 30% drop in stock prices! Loses $22 million!

22 October 2013 (12:28 UTC-07 Tango)/17 Dhu’l-Hijja 1434/30 Mehr 1391/18 Ren-Xu (9th month) 4711

Failing women’s clothing retailer, Coldwater Creek, is now finally up for sale as part of the company’s efforts to explore strategic alternatives.  Company officials clarified that just ’cause Coldwater Creek is up for sale doesn’t mean it will be sold.  The Board of Directors are just trying to make their greedy and impatient investors happy: “As a result of an increasingly challenging retail environment, we are continuing to take the necessary steps towards improving our financial position as well as our long-term prospects as a more competitive and successful company. In that regard, we will continue to concentrate on maximizing shareholder value…..”-Jill Dean, President & CEO

Apparently the announcement was not good enough for said investors, as the very next day the price of Coldwater Creek stocks dropped by 30%!  (on 15 October stocks were trading for 88 cents)

In September, Coldwater Creek reported yet another quarterly crash in sales.  A net loss of $22.1 million USD!  Compare that to the same time last year, when they lost $18.8 million.

The company shouldn’t be put up for sale, it should be put out of its misery!

 

 

International, U.S.

World War 3, Asian Front-Afghanistan, 04-06 October 2013: Taxpayers fund World’s largest solar power plant! U.S. kills people hunting for food!

“Thousands of our men have been martyred and as for your soldiers, we did not go after them to other countries. They came to our country and they have been torturing us and have sabotaged our government!….We are approaching total success as most of the country is now under our control…..when NATO leaves it will be as it was before, the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan.”-Qari Nasrullah

Bamyan Province: Taxpayers in New Zealand can be proud that they’ve paid for the World’s largest “off grid” solar power project!  It cost $18 million USD.

Farah Province: Bala Baluk District, U.S. led NATO forces launched an attack, destroying one Mosque and several homes.  Four Mujahideen killed, one Mujahid killed.

Farayb Province: Qaisar District, two Afghan border police were killed, nine wounded when a bicycle bomb exploded.

Kandahar Province: Zhari District, four U.S. Army personnel were killed by explosion. They were from California, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Oregon.  U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Command said one of those killed was a CID agent assisting Special Forces in investigating a possible crime by U.S. personnel.  Mujahideen say they were defending their area from a heliborne op by U.S. forces.  They say dozens of U.S.-NATO personnel were wounded from multiple explosions.  Mujahideen say they captured M4 assault rifles, a rocket launcher, three night vision goggles and other equipment.

Kunduz Province: During a surprise visit the German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere, and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerewelle, turned over one of the German army bases to the Afghan government. The unnamed base is in the northern part of the province.

Helmand Province: A U.S. Marine Lance Corporal from Wisconsin was killed in a non-combat incident.  That’s the officials U.S. story, however, Mujahideen claim they killed one, and wounded another, U.S. personnel in a firefight in Nad Ali District.

Maidan Wardak Province: Chak District, Israeli style U.S. led Afghan government home invasions left eight people dead, and five people were kidnapped.

Nangarhar Province: U.S.-NATO airstrike kills five civilians hunting for food!  Local police confirm a group of as many as 20 men were out hunting wild birds for food!  Police say the men were using air powered rifles, not military weapons.  U.S.-NATO officials are refusing to comment.  In Khogiyani District, a man was kidnapped by U.S. led government forces during an Israeli style home invasion.

Nuristan Province: Wama District, a police chief was killed while on his way to inspect police personnel.  His vehicle ran over a landmine.

Zabul Province: A U.S. Army Specialist from Ohio was killed in a Green on Blue attack.  The Afghan government personnel was killed.

The Afghan Interior Ministry claims that 107 Mujahideen were killed, and 52 captured in military ops around the country.

Mujahideen claim another dozen or more Afghan police and army personnel have switched sides.

“…..67% of the 72,000 equipment items have already been removed from our Marine Corps portion of the joint and coalition Afghanistan battle space. We have reduced 5.35 million square feet of aviation matting to 150 thousand square feet today. Additionally, of the over 42,000 total items retrograded to date, 60% of those are being inducted for reset actions at our depot maintenance plants.”-USMC Lieutenant General William Faulkner

“One cost driver is multi-modal transportation. While over the past several months multi-modal has been the primary means to move retrograde and redeployment cargo out of Afghanistan, projected volumes of cargo along the Pakistan Ground Lines of Communication are increasing and are currently trending at or near 50%. Surface lines of communication, the Northern Distribution Network and PAKGLOC are critical to achieving the retrograde velocity necessary to meet timelines and they are less expensive than multi-modal and direct air transportation.”-U.S. Army Lieutenant General Raymon Mason

 

Business/Economics, Technology, U.S.

Exceptional Failed State: More proof Obama Care website is False Flag op to steal your data & money! “Navigator” has warrant for her arrest!

21 October 2013 (13:56 UTC-07 Tango)/16 Dhu’l-Hijja 1434/29 Mehr 1391/17 Ren-Xu (9th month) 4711

“Don’t believe all the status and error messages that you see on the screen.”–Ben Simo, software tester quoted by Consumer Reports

In Kansas, it turns out that one of the Obama Care navigators (person who’s supposed to help people get through the healthcare.gov mess) is a wanted woman, by police!  The Obama Care navigator is wanted for arrest over an unpaid $5-thousand plus hospital bill (this also proves that in some states you can go to prison for not paying your debts).  She also has a past civil charge for using bad checks. State health care officials said her arrest warrant never showed up on the background check.

Kansas State Senator, Mary Pilcher-Cook, has also accused the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of making your medical and financial data available to anybody: “…..has failed to protect the security and privacy of Kansas citizens in the consumer outreach programs that use navigators or assisters. This work involves access to sensitive financial and health information and it is critical Kansas citizens be protected from fraud and identity theft.”  

“You’ve just told everybody where the gold is and you’ve left it unsecured. So it will come as no shock that this will be stolen.”-Morgan Wright, security analyst

“You have no reasonable expectation of privacy regarding any communication or data transiting or stored on this information system.”–hidden script on Terms & Conditions page of healthcare.gov

In Minnesota, an Obama Care employee ‘accidentally’ sent the personal data of more than 2-thousand people to an insurance agent.  The honest insurance agent reported it: “The more I thought about it, the more troubled I was. What if this had fallen into the wrong hands? It’s scary. If this is happening now, how can clients of MNsure be confident their data is safe?”-Jim Koester

Fukushima

More Fukushima Fallout: IAEA says Japanese government promises on decontamination can not be achieved!

21 October 2013 (12:42 UTC-07 Tango)/16 Dhu’l-Hijja 1434/29 Mehr 1392/17 Ren-Xu (9th month) 4711

The Japanese government has been promising the people of Japan that radiation contamination from Fukushima Daiichi would be reduced to one millisievert!  Today the International Atomic Energy Agency said that was impossible!

The IAEA spent the past week investigating the ongoing decontamination efforts at the GE designed nuclear reactors and basically concluded the current containment and cleanup efforts are a joke!

In their preliminary report, the IAEA said the government of Japan, and Tokyo Electric Power Company, are not communicating honestly with the public.

Also, Juan Carlos Lentijo, who heads the IAEA team, suggested at a press conference that radiation measurements are not being taken in accordance with international standards. Lentijo believes a major problem with the Japanese government is its inability to establish priorities: “In other words, we have to make decisions on how much are we going to spend in decontamination, how much in reconstruction of infrastructure etc.”

It will be two months before the IAEA releases their final report.

 

International, U.S.

World War 3, South East Asian Front: Japan & Vietnam practice war on China, under the guise of rescue ops!

21 October 2013 (05:06 UTC-07 Tango)/16 Dhu’l-Hijja 1434/29 Mehr 1391/17 Ren-Xu (9th month) 4711

Japan’s Maritime Self Defense Force is taking part in “rescue” games with the navy of Vietnam.

It’s interesting that some of the crews of the rescue training operations took part in familiarization with anti-ship missiles!  The three Japanese ships taking part are totally combat oriented, and are not true rescue ships.  Japanese naval officers also gave their Vietnamese counterparts a computer presentation about the combat capabilities of the Japanese ships.

Japan and Vietnam have increased military relations, in July the Japanese Coast Guard made a port call in Da Nang.

Several Japanese and Vietnamese news sources admitted that Vietnam and Japan are joining forces against China in ongoing territorial disputes.  Japan occupied Vietnam during World War 2, claiming they were liberating the country from French control.

During the Second World War, the U.S. government promised the Vietnamese independence if they rescued U.S. aircrew who were shot down by the Japanese.  Then after the war the U.S. government stabbed them in the back by letting France retake control of Indochina.

Japan is now a major lender of official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam.

Vietnam has also contracted with Japanese companies to build nuclear power plants.  Why isn’t the U.S. government upset over that?

Fukushima

More Fukushima Fallout: Strontium spreading!

21 October 2013 (04:25 UTC-07 Tango)/16 Dhu’l-Hijja 1434/29 Mehr 1392/17 Ren-Xu (9th month) 4711

After Typhoon Wipha blew through Japan, Tokyo Electric Power Company reporting spreading contamination due to heavy rain.

TEPCo is now reporting that eleven ridiculously short barriers around the leaking contaminated water storage tank farms, are overflowing with rainwater.  Rainwater overflowing six barriers is testing positive with strontium contamination, 71 times the government safe limits!

The barriers are only 30 centimeters (11.8 inches) high!  TEPCo subcontracted workers also found highly radioactive water in drainage ditches, that lead to the Pacific Ocean.

For the past two years TEPCo had ordered that during rain storms the drain pipes on the barriers be opened to allow the rainwater to run out.  However, in August this year is was discovered that rainwater was becoming contaminated after running off the water storage tanks.  Since then the drainage pipes are kept closed, and rainwater is pumped into small tanks.

TEPCo admitted their water pumps could not keep up with the latest heavy rainfall.  Not only that, but it turns out the small water tanks they’re using are too small, as one tank recently overflowed while being filled, for hours before anybody noticed.

On 16 October, Japanese news media reported that water in a drainage ditch contained 1400 becquerels (bq) of radiation per liter.  The day before there was only 19 bq!

On 18 October, Japanese media reported radiation suddenly skyrocketing in groundwater test wells.  As much as 400-thousand bq per liter of radiation was detected in one well.  More than 6-thousand times higher than levels detected the day before, in the same well!

Another typhoon is expected to hit Japan this week.

In related news, fishermen in the area have decided to resume fishing despite the never ending contamination of the Pacific Ocean.  They claim the fish they’ve caught are not contaminated.

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Exceptional Failed State: U.S. job losses & store closings 08 August 2013. Evil banks give up on stealing people’s homes, turn to laying off their own employees! More proof the layoffs will continue for years to come! More proof Obama Care is trying to kill you!

Incomplete list of announced closings and layoffs:

AOL (American On [Off ?] Line) announced more layoffs, this time as many as 500 Patch Editors!

The biggest dairy producer in the United States, Texas based Dean Foods, announced they are closing as many as 12 dairies by mid 2014.  They blame increased competition and declining sales, but that sounds far fetched for a company accused of being a monopoly!   Dean Foods also operations in Belgium, France, United Kingdom and Netherlands.  Dean Foods was taken over by Suiza Foods (the original Suiza Dairy is in Puerto Rico).  Suiza then changed their name to Dean Foods and began taking over dairies throughout the United States.  In 2010 the attorney generals of Wisconsin and Michigan charged Dean Foods with creating a monopoly.  In 2011 a law suit accused Dean Foods of falsifying ingredients on Horizon milk labeled as organic.  In 2012, it was revealed that Dean Foods was behind a California proposition that would have allowed companies to avoid disclosing to consumers if their food products contained GMO ingredients.  Reports say Dean Foods owns operations in the following U.S. states: Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.  Suiza/Dean Foods’ biggest client is Walmart.

Colorado: Legal drug pusher, Array Biopharma, laid off about 50 people.  It’s because a deal with Amgen, to market their new drug to treat type 2 diabetes, fell through.  Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains closed two health centers.  Officials blame it on ten years of no public funding.

Florida: The Florida Virtual School laid off 802 online teachers!!!  It’s blamed on a 32% decline in student enrollment, compared to last year.  I’ve asked this before; where are all the students going? (leaving the country?)

Indiana: Purdue University laid off seven faculty members at its Calumet campus.  12 teachers were forced to retire early.  Four assistant professors have been warned that this school year is their last year of employment.  Two assistant professors were told that they will be laid off in 2015.  School officials blamed a crash in students signing up for core classes, which is a sign that people are realizing that higher education does not result in finding good paying jobs that can help them payoff their student loans.

Missouri: In Affton, Red Racks Thrift Store closed down.  The owner would not respond to questions from local news media.

New York: In DeWitt, the privately funded Manlius Pebble Hill school laid off 12 employees.  According to reports, school officials intentionally decided to reduce student enrollment by 40, thus justifying the layoffs.

North Carolina: WakeMed closed down two nursing homes. 99 jobs lost.  Another 14 jobs are being outsourced.  Company officials stated they’ve always relied on Medicare payments, never making a profit, but now Obama Care is the straw that’s breaking their back: “We have always lost money in the tens of millions, and it has gotten worse over time, these other financial cuts to the healthcare environment and the healthcare reimbursement structure right now, we can no longer afford to sustain those kinds of losses.”-Elaine Rohlik

Ohio: FirstEnergy laid off 250 people!  The electric power company is also reducing health care benefits to employees.  The company is changing its retirement program for employees.  Company officials blame it on increasing government environmental regulations, and declining revenues.

Oregon: In Coos Bay, a couple of weeks after Sears Holdings announced they will close the Kmart, local news media revealed the store was averaging $4 million USD in sales every year.  At the end of July, greedy Sears Holdings officials had stated they were closing the store because it was not making enough money!

Pennsylvania: In Upper Saint Clair, Too Big to Jail Bank of America laid off 209 employees!  The evil bank officials admitted that the home mortgage disaster has reached a point where it’s not worth it for banks to continue stealing people’s homes!

South Carolina: Too Big to Jail JP Morgan Chase laying off 450 people between now and mid 2014.  The evil bank officials admitted that the home mortgage disaster has reached a point where it’s not worth it for banks to continue stealing people’s homes!

Tennessee: In Nashville, public relations company, Katcher Vaughn & Bailey, ceased to exist.  The problem was that most of their clients are in the failing health care industry.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) doesn’t count the hundreds of layoffs involving less than 50 people each, in its mass layoff reports. It also doesn’t count all the little ‘mom & pop’ businesses that shut down.

International, U.S.

World War 3, Asian Front-Afghanistan, 01-03 October 2013: Russia building up troops on border, preps for invasion? Obama regime allows Al Qaeda leader to run for president! More hypocrisy with taxpayer money! More illegal imprisonment by U.S. forces!

Helmand Province: Lashkargah City, Afghanistan’s version of Homeland Security, National Directorate of Security (NDS), bragged that they stopped a suicide bombing operation.  Guess what happened?  Major explosions rang out right after their claim.  A car bomb went off.  In a related incident, the mayor and a district assistant, from Garmsir District, were ambushed and assassinated by Mujahideen while they traveled to Lashkargah City.  In Nawa District, four Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were killed when they drove over a landmine.  Two soldiers wounded.

Herat Province: One ANA soldier and two civilians wounded when an army vehicle ran over a landmine.

Kunar Province:  An attorney for NDS was assassinated by remote detonated bomb, as he drove to work. His body guards were wounded.

Parwan Province: Near Bagram airbase, the Investigating Fates of Prisoners Committee confirms that out of 519 cases investigated so far at least 433 Afghans have been unjustly imprisoned in the Parwan Detention Center (aka Afghanistan GITMO) by the U.S. military.  That’s an extremely high rate of illegal detentions!  The Parwan Detention Center was only recently turned over to the Afghan government by the United States.   There were more than 3-thousand people trapped inside at the time of the turnover.  Afghan courts have been releasing those prisoners where the U.S. has failed to provide documentation accusing them of a crime. This begs the question; why did the U.S. military imprison them?

“Afghan National Security Forces carried out several cleanup raids in Nangarhar, Faryab, Kandahar, Uruzgan and Ghazni provinces within the last 24 hours. As a result 26 armed Taliban were killed, two wounded and seven others were arrested by the ANSF”-Afghan Interior Ministry statement

Remember all the hate rhetoric about Osama bin Laden being responsible for creating al Qaeda, and providing them safe haven in Afghanistan?  Turns out that was BS!  So now that Osama bin Laden is dead the actual person responsible for bringing al Qaeda to Afghanistan is now running for President!  Abu Sayyaf is so influential that even an al Qaeda rebel group in the Philippines named themselves after him.  Abu Sayyaf is considered the mentor to Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, the man accused of planning the 11 September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.  So why did the U.S. have to kill Osama, and why haven’t they gone after Abu Sayyaf?

Speaking of the NDS, investigators looked into the kidnapping of a female member of parliament (remember that one?) and now accuse the woman’s brother of orchestrating the kidnapping.  I was suspicious when the family repeatedly denied the woman had been kidnapped, even though nobody could explain where she was.

Reports that a former Afghan National Army soldier was arrested in Pakistan.  He’s wanted for killing three Australian Diggers. But get this, according to the Aussie government the guy was arrested back in February!  No explanation why they waited until now to report it.

Taxpayers from dozens of U.S. led NATO member countries are spending $200-million USD to teach Afghan soldiers how to read, this while NATO member countries slash and burn their own education funding!

The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR) is warning that a new program could waste another $1-billion in U.S. tax money.  The wise U.S. leaders are planning to give the Afghan National Police (ANP) unlimited U.S. tax dollars so the ANP can buy fuel, without oversight: “The ANP fuel program….remains at high risk of loss, theft, or misuse of U.S. funds and purchased fuel and, if not improved, may increasingly place large amounts of U.S. funds at risk of fraud, waste, and abuse.”-John Sopko, SIGAR

The Afghan Mines and Petroleum Ministry estimates that Afghanistan’s mineral resources, including oil, are worth about $1 trillion.  However, one analyst has a warning: “The sector, as a whole, is operating in a very uncontrolled way. There’s no oversight.”-Stephen Carter, Global Witness

In a now typical hypocritical move, the U.S. Senate passed a bill that would allow Iraqis who worked for the U.S. government to extend their visas.  This after the U.S. State Department began reneging on visas issued to Afghans who work for the U.S. government.

Tajikistan has allowed Russia to station more troops on their border with Afghanistan.  Also, Russia has promised to increase military weaponry to Tajikistan.  Russian and Tajik officials admit their military buildup is in preparation for the supposed 2014 U.S.-NATO pullout.  The renewed Russian-Tajik military pact is in effect until 2042!