Taliban under siege as fighting rages in north "one Taliban commander had defected"

AFP ^ | 25/09/2001 | AFP

[freedomnews]

Unfree Republic

by Jeff Elkins

Let the stench of Middle East flesh reach Paradise reassuring them that these filth have gone to hell permanently."

The quote above is representative of many posted on the FreeRepublic.com site in the wake of the WTC attack, and unfortunately its like is not uncommon elsewhere. Americans are angry, predictably and rightly so, but just as predictable are the side effects. As always, that righteous anger will be accepted as a beloved gift by the state and molded into tools of oppression.

It’s funny how that works. Every single state-sponsored war the US has become embroiled in has resulted in an inexorable increase in the power of the state.

It’s also funny that it’s always assumed that human behavior in the past has no relation to how we behave today. Why those people were old-fashioned, we’re modern, educated, etc.

The beginning of this repeating pattern has already become public with the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security. It has an ominous sound, that name, almost Germanic. (I can’t wait to see the uniforms.)

On April 13, 1917, days after our entry into World War One, President Wilson created the Committee on Public Information to promote the war domestically while publicizing American war aims abroad. Bush has replicated that step, with this new cabinet-level department.

Under the leadership of journalistic muckraker George Creel, the CPI was a propaganda apparatus unparalleled at that point in world history. The CPI functioned as a de facto public censor, vetting nearly all published material about the war and helping to draft legislation such as the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918. In the months prior to our entry into the war and especially after our entry when they were nearly criminal, antiwar viewpoints were rarely heard.

The same pattern emerges now: Penn. Gov. Tom Ridge will be President Bush’s George Creel, and just as in those dim days of yesteryear, he’ll have plenty of willing civilian accomplices. And after all, there’s so much more to censor -- Ridge will need all the help he can get. In seeking warriors for the front line of Internet censorship, Ridge needs look no farther than FreeRepublic.com. The atmosphere there is now poisonous.

Again, look back to Wilson's CPI. It encouraged businesses to spy on their employees, parents to spy on their children, children to spy on their parents, neighbors to spy on neighbors, and above all to report "disloyal," pro-German sentiments. State authorities banned the teaching of German in schools and changed German street names. As the madness mounted, those regarded as pro-German were hounded from their jobs, pressured to change their German names, beaten, and in a few cases lynched. Almost all cases of violence, while incited by the state, were carried out by "civilians" in the grip of war hysteria.

Along with this anti-German hysteria, Congress passed several measures designed to rigidly suppress criticism of the war. In particular, the Espionage Act, passed in June 1917, specified a fine of $10,000 or twenty years in prison for "whoever, when the United States is at war, shall willfully obstruct the recruiting or enlistment service of the United States, and whoever, when the United States is at war, shall willfully utter, print, write, or publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government of the United States, or the military or naval forces of the United States, or the flag."

The Espionage Act was very popular in its day. It was cheered on by mindless lemmings under the influence of state propaganda. Their great grandchildren now inhabit FreeRepublic.com, viciously attacking anyone who questions the wisdom of the state.

Our Congress is considering similar measures under the rubric of "anti-terrorism," and as it was at the beginning of the 20th Century, the FreeRepublic lemmings of the 21st are cheering the morally corrupt politicians along.

It’s not just message posters on the site. The management of FreeRepublic has instituted a "loose lips sink ships" campaign, with new moderators patrolling the forum to delete posts that in their opinion are detrimental to the "war effort."

The FreeRepublic mission statement claims "We're working to roll back decades of governmental largesse, to root out political fraud and corruption, and to champion causes which further conservatism in America."

Sanctimonious hogwash. Everything old is new again – the keyboard warriors of FreeRepublic would be right at home in 1917 shilling for Wilson.

September 24, 2001

[MissAmericanPie]

cajungirl you make me proud to be from the south, lol.

[TKEman]

Well, I personally assume that the government's statements regarding the Taliban are for public consumption.

[dirtboy]

I thought that was what they were going to do anyway. The only difference should be an acceleration of the process.

The only difference should be that they fight each other instead of going after OUR troops. In war, you WANT the other army to have massive defections. It's a lot easier than capturing or killing them by arms. Are folks in such a hurry to kill members of the Taliban military that they lust for actions that would end up costing the lives of American soldiers? I don't want our boys dying to satisfy bloodlust - I want them to take the most effective actions to end the reign of the Taliban and stomp out terror camps in Afghanistan.

[VoodooEconomist]

Must be a different sect "Defectors for Allah".

LOL!

[lepton]

Interesting commentary. When the Taliban kills prisoners, the rest are supposed to be demoralized and leave the country.

There is a difference between "Defectors" and "prisoners". Prisoners are those that have given up, generally in the face of attack, and are taken into custody. Defectors are ones that have changed sides, generally not under attack. While Defectors may not be particularly trustworthy, they are generally a desirable thing.

[mdittmar]

Why do I have this feeling that the Northern Alliance fighters are walking into these villages and findindg nothing but dead Taliban fighters with the Ace of Spades playing cards laying on there chests and walls spray painted with Kilroy was here?

[Petronski]

Yes, I know the Turks aren't in Iraq yet, but maybe very soon?

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

This film included previously unknown videos of the clandestine activities of radical Islamic terrorist groups operating in the United States, and featured interviews with moderate Muslims and federal counter-terrorism officials speaking for the first time about the magnitude of the threat posed by militant Muslim groups on U.S. soil.
This is a must see PBS video that is 1 hour long but plays thru streaming video on RealPlayer
so you don't have to wait for it to load on your computer.
Pay very close attention to the very begining where the CIA gave 3 BILLION dollars to help Afganistan to defeat Russia during the 80's and how that defeat gave the terrorists the signal that they could beat anyone, because they had just beaten Russia.
Also watch the documented evidence gathered in the late 80's of the threat to attacks in the US.

[green team 1999]

yes,the sas from the brits favors to wear clothes similar to the gerrillas.

[refermech]

I'm with you cajungirl. These people hate us. They will always hate us.Let the women and kids live but hunt down all the males of fighting age and send them to their god!!

[dirtboy]

hunt down all the males of fighting age and send them to their god!!

Brilliant. Kill a bunch of folks who are no threat to the United States, ensuring that a lot of our soldiers will get killed as well, just to satisfy your bloodlust instead of carrying out a mission to ensure the security of the United States.

The goal here, folks, is to protect this country. We should kill combatants to the extent that such actions aid in that mission. Killing them all because they are different is a recipie for disaster. Hitler tried that when he invaded the Soviet Union, and the Ukrainians who initially treated him as a liberator from Stalin turned against him as guerrila fighters. We gotta use our brains if we are going to win this war.

[STD]

The Soviet-Afgan war,the 1st Afgan War, the civil war and the current conflict have all featured turncoat tribal leaders. It's considered "How you do business in Afganistan". I agree with your solution, however.

Remember the Towers,

DrMike

[537 Votes]

The reason why the Taliban is crumbling is because the Afghans know we are coming. They know this because George W.'s last name is Bush, and this isn't going to be a deal where we leave the Boss Man in power at the end. In fact, we're going for the Boss Man's throat . . . .

[cajungirl]

Dirtboy!!! Calling me a bigot!!! What about this taliban with their Holy War, their Jihad, their stoning of women, their killiing of over 6 thousand Americans. You sir, are not fit for company. You have alot of damn nerve. Forum, ban this SOB

[PsyOp]

I wouldn't either. But then, a $25 million dollar reward is just about as good as any psyop campaign. What we need is to print up the wanted posters with all the current rewards (in excess of $35 Mil), and drop them all over the country. We'll soon see which has more drawing power - cold hard cash in the bank, or some mullah's promise of heavenly virgins in paradise after death.

[dirtboy]

Dirtboy!!! Calling me a bigot!!! What about this taliban with their Holy War, their Jihad, their stoning of women, their killiing of over 6 thousand Americans.

So that in turn justifies your comment These guys understand one thing,,death and pigs.. I thought our goal would be to rise above the likes of the Taliban, but I see you wish instead to sink to their level.

You sir, are not fit for company. You have alot of damn nerve. Forum, ban this SOB

Don't make me laugh.

[sharktrager]

That defecting Taliban Commander, debrief his sorry a@@ and shoot him.

We ought to get that Taliban commander in a debrief room or cell and get whatever info we can about where the dog osama is.

Shoot him in elbows and knees first then debrief him.......speeds up interview process.

Agreed, shoot him first then debrief his sorry a@@.

I just don't get why so many of you think we should take this man's underpants. I'm also confused as to why our military has a special room just for this process. Finally, I'm concerned about those of you who seem to want to remove the underwear from a dead man.

I think the stress is starting to get to us.

[TomGuy]

Brits and Russians both...probably some extremely Western (i.e., USA) assistance, too.