As the video cued up on the link provided; Exxon was the obligatory advertiser prior to the story. How fitting and sad that "energy security" was the focus of the ad and one of if not the underlying reason for our presence in Afghanistan.

"War visits destruction on both the vanquished and the victor alike." Gen. Omar Bradley.

"Was is falsehood, fear and folly paraded as purpose, courage and glory." Gen. William Westmoreland.

(quotes from "Uncommon Reason", a book by Colin D. Mallard}

During the last 10 days, I've been in three conversations, (different persons different settings), each time concluding American taxpayers are being bled to pay for both 'sides' in the mock 'war' of terrification. We finance the Taliban and al Qaeda, and we pay both 'sides' to shoot and bomb each other.

I have talked with these same people before. None of them believed my allegations before; this time each of them reached that conclusion by their own reasoning and said it first.

USGovt pays 100,000 uniformed personnel in Afghanistan and pays 100,000 soldier-of-fortune' mercenary murderers, a 1-to-1 'stalemate' of opposing 'sides'. Same troops-to-mercs ration in Iraq. And now Libya. And Sudan. And Syria. and ...

Readers who no longer choose to Support Our Oops (USGovt 'wars' of "bad intelligence") may be interested in getting involved in the performance of and reaction to a public discussion about 'war' built on Nine-Eleven Op terrification which is built on lies.

The growing crowd of BushObama doubters now includes some whistleblower(s) in SEAL Team 2, having witnessed the 'results' for SEAL Team 6 having followed orders to stay silent -- not blow the whistle -- about what they knew (of the phony bin Laden 'war' 'news'), according to Wayne Madsen 'sources' (i.e. Unit 2).

Wayne Madsen Report .com [paywalled]

August 10-11, 2011 -- Obama welcomes home SEAL Team bodies after the SEALS became a "problem"

President Obama welcomed home the coffins carrying the remains of Navy SEAL Team 6 members, other SEALs, and Special Operations personnel. Obama flew to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware as the coffins arrived from Afghanistan. A Chinook helicopter carrying Navy SEAL Team 6 members was involved in the so-called "take out" of Osama Bin Laden in Abbotabad, Pakistan, an event that boosted Obama's flagging poll numbers.

Most of the SEALS killed in the downing of the helicopter in the Tangi Valley of eastern Afghanistan were part of the team that supposedly surprised and then killed Bin Laden in Abbotabad in May.

WMR has learned from Navy SEAL Team 2 sources that the Chinook was flying under prescribed normal transit altitudes, which made it vulnerable to an attack from a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG). SEAL Team 2 is based in Little Creek and Dam Neck, Virginia, where many of the dead SEAL Team 6 members were also based. The sources claim that many SEALs believe the SEAL Team 6 members were sacrificed for political reasons because they "knew too much" about the Abbotabad raid. Moreover, SEAL Team 2 members believe their comrades were eliminated by CIA assets operating in the area in an effort to eliminate witnesses to the actual events that occurred in Abbotabad.

The bitterness of SEAL team personnel over what happened with the Chinook is intense ....

Tenskwatawa: I am speechless............

Pat Tillman's family sure didn't let up, and I doubt these Navy Seals' families will either.
It's certainly possible that Wayne Madsen is right - he's got some real connections - but that last shred of idealism in me is begging me to accept the official version.
Having sources in the military doesn't make it true. There are agendas and gossip. They even have a word for it: Scuttlebutt.

However, it was a little disconcerting today when - right on cue - I saw these 2 stories:
1. The Taliban who got off the "lucky shot" have been killed.
2. Sony is planning to release a bin Ladin movie just prior to the 2012 Election.

I'm not sure if any of this is true, but the entire way this has played out has felt too scripted. It is exactly like when they tried shutting down an operation in "The Bourne Identity." What did they call it? "Cleaning it up"?

But this is real life. Wouldn't it be interesting if the families of these Navy Seals are so demanding in their quest for the truth, that it becomes the impetus for finding out the truth of the last few decades?

One thing's for sure: If that happens, then nobody could possibly argue that Navy Seal Team 6 died in vain.

Osama's been dead for years.

tenskwatawa: does our friend Wayne have any actual proof of this claim? Or must it be kept secret, like the secret plot by a ring of pedophiles in upper Navy ranks which kept Wayne from being promoted to LCDR... I wish I was making that up but Wayne apparently believes that. I know, a broken clock is right twice each day...

And, Jack, do you have any actual proof for your stated belief about Osama's demise, or is this just speculation on your part?

Glad to see Jack is at least one progressive (liberal?, Independent?, City of Portland gadfly?...) who is not afraid to keep criticizing the wars.

"Obama Gets a Blank Check for Endless War"
===
url: http://reason.com/archives/2011/08/08/obama-gets-a-blank-check-for-e

The biggest loudmouth I knew back in W's first term could never shut up about Blood for Oil, etc etc has been the quietest church mouse ever the last two years. I wonder why?

I'm done with Obama. He turned out to be kind of a bum.

Obama and our mayor are not bums, but street persons. And as street persons deserve our love and tax dollars.

Tillman is a gift that keeps on giving for some people. I think that we all had a hand in the Tillman lie.

As for the Taliban - I could care less if they rape their boys and kill their daughters and blow up Buddhas, but I'm not a conspiricist and actually believe that they permitted the circumstances that allowed for the 911 attack and others.

A bunch of comments.. mostly ranting of, well, less than rational ideas.
And not one thank you to a man who volunteered to serve his country not a condolence to his family..
Sad.

Thanks tfixer. Thanks to all of those who do the work that allows the republic to survive.

Get out of Afghanistan now. The war is a high cost, low return quagmire -- zero lasting benefit. Let the oxen pull the plows in peace.

Seymour, "... any actual proof of this claim? Or must it be kept secret, like ... which kept Wayne from being promoted?"
Reading more of his career path, I need help to see where was the failure to be 'promoted' -- As a U.S. Naval Officer, he managed one of the first computer security programs for the U.S. Navy. He subsequently worked for the National Security Agency, the Naval Data Automation Command, Department of State ... is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and the National Press Club.

Somewhere during my years of reading Madsen, (no link here to my 'source') an 'anecdote' was told of the time Barbara Bush filed suit against Madsen for false claim / libel / defamation, at which point Madsen only threatened to file countersuit for false allegations by 'Babs' and she immediately withdrew her action for suit. And the SheBush has sat silent ever since against Madsen's claims and charging crimes against her & hers.

All of 'them' who Madsen has charged and indicted in the Press, ALL of them have sat silent, 'taken the Fifth' in the face of direct named criminal accusations on them.

In this case SEAL Team 2 members have material to attack Madsen if he has misrepresented statements of his 'sources' or injured the Team morale, or maligned their 'patriotism' and with as much as they need to go after him, what do we hear them say about what he said ... [crickets]

Or, before we can give credence to Madsen's intel.community-insider 'scuttlebutt,' must he name names who told him?

My main point is that every. single. person. who ever 'played ball' and 'went along with' the CIA/etc. personified in G.H.W.Bush, every 'teammate' (co-conspirator) ends up double-crossed dead after having served his or her useful purpose. It is said that The Company is the only job from which you can never retire ... 'alive' belongs as the next word to be said.

It just seems to me looking back over the decades filled with a long list of premature deaths of every B-for-Bush Team 'player,' and in seeing that, then prospective new recruits and rookies might well not sign on, run away immediately, and never ever go there. (Find Bush-invented 'Team B' in material at this link.) Beyond not playing the game, it is another matter for Justice to indict and prosecute the murderous crimes, such as Bush Daddy's proxy 'W' (for Worthless) for heinous torture-murders and worse war crimes.

Justice Dept also stays silent and mute, too much so for too long, until dismay wonders what 'Team' the US Attorneys play for ...?

Tenskwatawa: can't help but notice you really didn't answer my question. I guess you 'took the Fifth', right?

I've seen other of your posts on this site and on occasion agree with you. I just hope you haven't bought in to Mr Madsen's looniness. Not to mention his dedicated, fervent antisemitism.

And don't let the name fool you - I'm Catholic myself (convert).