FOXNews shows off its douchebaggery yet again

[Aaron]

Honestly, I support our actions there, as that is the power that attacked us, but I would dearly love to know what the fuck our plan is. Hell, with Iraq at least that was all somewhat on the table - knock over the government, rebuilt, tadaa. Afghanistan they never really explained. Toppled the Taliban and then we just kinda ran off to Iraq. No reconstruction, no education, no infrastructure, nothing. And now it has gotten bad again and there's not plan. And that needs to be answered quickly, as the loss of the airbase we were using and the surrounding terrain means we need to have a clear solid plan before logistics kills the mission and the fuckers rebuild and comeback.

We lost KAF?

From what I can tell, we're doing the usual building of schools, digging wells, starting radio stations and other businesses that people can make an honest buck off of. I honestly couldn't tell you if it's working but just looking at the numbers of the PRT's does not fill me with confidence. Nor does the corruption in the Afghan government, police or military.

So no, no one was fucking forced into Afghanistan, and above all not Canada. They voted in support of the idea, and then went further and deliberately placed themselves outside the scope of NATO in a high intensity role because they wanted to do as much as they could.

No we did not, the switch from Kabul to Kandahar was former PM Cretian wanting to get us out of the current hotspot. He was taking flak for the losses we were suffering and at the time Kandahar was quieter. After he was booted out the new government decided to go balls to the wall.

[Ender]

We lost KAF?

Yeah, the lease is not going to be extended, so Russia has us by the short and curlies for the supply lines unless something is figured out.

From what I can tell, we're doing the usual building of schools, digging wells, starting radio stations and other businesses that people can make an honest buck off of. I honestly couldn't tell you if it's working but just looking at the numbers of the PRT's does not fill me with confidence. Nor does the corruption in the Afghan government, police or military.

See, my understanding is that the terrain coupled with the fact that we were basically doing zip in the way of building more connectivity infrastructure is what was heavily undercutting us. With no strong connections (rail system, highways, etc) there is pretty much no way for the central government to govern. So all politics really are local. Meaning we still have to deal with a bunch of little factions because the towns turn local because those are the only guys who get things done. Plus it is really hard to forge a national identity like that, which undercuts attempts at bringing them into the fold economically and politically on an international scale.

[Edi]

And more to the point, the more out of line part of the post was the assertion that America started the war.

Yes, there is that. Sorry about missing replying to that. I was replying to Skimmer's words about nobody being forced to the ISAF. He's clarified that subsequently, so there is little to add to that.

As far as Zixinus goes, ignorance. He was around 10 or 11 when the Iraq war started, younger when the Afghanistan campaign started. So in that light his conflation of the two wars is to some degree understandable. That's not an excuse, it is more of an observation on why he probably said what he did. It was still full of shit, so he should apologize for that.

[Aaron]

Yeah, the lease is not going to be extended, so Russia has us by the short and curlies for the supply lines unless something is figured out.

We lease it from the Afghans? How odd, considering we captured it (well provided the means to capture it) and built everything worth having there. Wonder if it'll get stripped before we leave.

See, my understanding is that the terrain coupled with the fact that we were basically doing zip in the way of building more connectivity infrastructure is what was heavily undercutting us. With no strong connections (rail system, highways, etc) there is pretty much no way for the central government to govern.

Well, several highways have been built (more for us to move around easier from what I hear) but you'd have to be fucking nuts to drive on one if your an Afghan, the prospect of being run off the road by a large AFV or being shot at cause you didn't get out of the way can't be that appealing.

So all politics really are local. Meaning we still have to deal with a bunch of little factions because the towns turn local because those are the only guys who get things done. Plus it is really hard to forge a national identity like that, which undercuts attempts at bringing them into the fold economically and politically on an international scale.

Ahh, I understand you now. Indeed, some villages only get a rare visit from any kind of authority and as far as I know most of the leadership outside of Kanadahar/Kabul are being bribed not to oppose us.

Personally, I don't see much in the way of anything positive being done without a massive investment of capital and forcibly educating the populace. And even that is likely going to take at least a generation or two to get any real change.

[Sea Skimmer]

See, my understanding is that the terrain coupled with the fact that we were basically doing zip in the way of building more connectivity infrastructure is what was heavily undercutting us. With no strong connections (rail system, highways, etc) there is pretty much no way for the central government to govern. So all politics really are local. Meaning we still have to deal with a bunch of little factions because the towns turn local because those are the only guys who get things done. Plus it is really hard to forge a national identity like that, which undercuts attempts at bringing them into the fold economically and politically on an international scale.

Even in the national government, the only reason any of those people have any power is back they had personal militias and various alliances with other tribal leaders with militias, not because they command the national government. Meanwhile, all those tribal leaders, not just the Talaban are funded through drug sales. This has meant the government constantly undermines any and all efforts at drug eradication, and generally ensures that quality manpower does not flow into the Afghan National Army or police. Afghanistan has to completely change to become a modern state, and trying to work within the existing system is just not working.

[Jim Raynor]

This is disgraceful, although not surprising coming from FoxNews.

Maxim and Girls Gone Wild is actually a perfect representation of the Republicans' true support base: crass, commercial, and almost pornographic, but they stop just short of an invisible line because they want to maintain the illusion that they are something other than what they are. It reminds me of the NFL football fans who were outraged at Janet Jackson's titty shot in the Super Bowl because they had children present, but they had no problem with anything else there.

Conservatives are fucking pervs who won't admit it. Where I work, we're allowed to briefly surf the net looking at news and other benign mainstream sites when we have nothing to do. Nothing sexual allowed, as is the norm. I go to CNN, MSNBC, and FoxNews (just to see what they're saying) regularly.

FoxNews just displays sexual images right there in the open. Click the "Entertainment" tag looking for movie or TV news and you'll often get a picture of some hot, naked model or celebrity covering her boobs with her hands. Maxim has a regular column on FoxNews. Almost got me in trouble several times. This from the news service aimed at the Christian Family Values crowd.

[Ekiqa]

Yeah, the lease is not going to be extended, so Russia has us by the short and curlies for the supply lines unless something is figured out.

We lease it from the Afghans? How odd, considering we captured it (well provided the means to capture it) and built everything worth having there. Wonder if it'll get stripped before we leave.

You're thinking of the wrong airbase.

Ender's talking about the one in the former-Soviet state whose name I can't remember, where all the flights went through.

[Phantasee]

Yeah, the lease is not going to be extended, so Russia has us by the short and curlies for the supply lines unless something is figured out.

We lease it from the Afghans? How odd, considering we captured it (well provided the means to capture it) and built everything worth having there. Wonder if it'll get stripped before we leave.

You're thinking of the wrong airbase.

Ender's talking about the one in the former-Soviet state whose name I can't remember, where all the flights went through.

Uzbekistan? Or is it the other one, Tajikstan?

[Sea Skimmer]

Uzbekistan? Or is it the other one, Tajikstan?

The other one? The Stans are a bit more numerous then that. The US is currently losing Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan. We previously had an air base in Uzbekistan but lost that in 2005 after the local dictator massacred a bunch of protestors and we dared to say that wasn’t a nice thing to do. The possibility has now been opened up that Uzbekistan will let us use it again, but only for transport missions. What we need are combat bases we can fly fighter and UCAV sorties from without having to use an entire brigade to defend them from ground attacks. Any base in Afghanistan carries that penality, and we already use up a huge portion of ISAF and OEF-A strength guarding static bases for no other purpose then force protection (as in, the bases aren't also say protecting a key road junction or a major population center from the Talaban)

Tajikistan has at time allowed ISAF forces to utilize bases on the ground, mainly as supply transfer points, to support operations in Afghanistan, and the US actually turned down an offer of an air base in 2001. However much has changed since then, and more recently heavy Russian pressure has prevented them from offering up use of an air base, basically the Russians have said if they do that then Russia will withdrawal all support and construction workers from a major hydropower dam project. Russian forces also already do occupy a base in the country. India had an air base in Tajikistan for a while, but I believe they’ve since withdrawn, and India was not directly involved in Afghanistan.

The newly inaugurated rail supply line through Russia BTW, runs Latvia-Russia-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan, with supplies then being trucked across into Afghanistan. If we can get Turkmenistan onboard at some point, then we’ll be able to run the trains to a point closer to Afghanistan, but its not terribly important. So far Turkmenistan has only allowed use of its airspace, and only then for humanitarian aid flights. If they'd give us an airfield that would work out very nicely, and we'd then be able to move supplies by rail (with a ferry on the Caspian Sea) without the use of Russian territory. Georgia and Azerbaijan already agreed to such a route IIRC, not exactly sure if we got a complete green light from Azerbaijan but Turkmenistan is the real stumbling block. They just want no part of this war.

Also people should keep in mind, these central Asian nations aren’t just competition grounds for the world’s powers, they have numerous rivalries between each other. IN particular Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are moral enemies because Stalin created Tajikistan out of the former nation, and the former nation would rather like to get it back. This makes the whole are even more of a political minefield.

[The Yosemite Bear]

I would be outraged if it wasn't FOX news. To say they're lower than slug slime is to malign slugs.

at least we can kill slugs with salt, those Fox assholes show no sign of being efected by salt one way or another....

This is Fox, which tracked down an internet blogger and confronted her about her comments about Fox's insensitivity to Rape and Violence against women...

ok, they stalked and publicized a critic of their own "Blame the Victim" tendancies.

[hongi]

On March 23, Gutfeld issued a statement indicating his statements were "misunderstood." [6] Gutfeld also made an additional statement through his Twitter account, reading, "My apologies to the Canadian military, they probably could at least beat the Belgians." [7]

He just doesn't know when to stop digging his hole...

[Thanas]

Source?

[Aaron]

You're thinking of the wrong airbase.

Ender's talking about the one in the former-Soviet state whose name I can't remember, where all the flights went through.

Ahh, thank you. I wasn't aware that flights went through one of the former Soviet -stans, most of our flights actually go through the UAE.

[Knife]

I would be outraged if it wasn't FOX news. To say they're lower than slug slime is to malign slugs.

at least we can kill slugs with salt, those Fox assholes show no sign of being efected by salt one way or another....

This is Fox, which tracked down an internet blogger and confronted her about her comments about Fox's insensitivity to Rape and Violence against women...

ok, they stalked and publicized a critic of their own "Blame the Victim" tendancies.

Yeah, but damn it, they have the best looking twinkies in the US 24hours news. Or did.

[JLTucker]

Source?

His comment about the Canadians and the Belgians is on his Twitter.

[Thanas]

Thanks. That'll come in handy.

[Next of Kin]

It is great to read that one of the guests on Gutfeld's infamous show that poked fun at the Canadian military in poor taste is receiving some fallout.

Comedian's Edmonton gig cancelled over joke about military
Jodie Sinnema and Canwest News Service
edmontonjournal.com

Monday, March 23, 2009

EDMONTON - The Comic Strip at West Edmonton Mall has cancelled an appearance by comedian Doug Benson after the club received threats in response to his remarks on an American TV show about Canada's military.

Greg Gutfield, the host of Red Eye, which airs on Fox at 3 a.m. weekdays, has since apologized for comments that caused a firestorm in Canada as the country mourns the recent loss of four soldiers in Afghanistan.

On the show, Gutfeld mocked comments from Canada's commander of land forces, Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, who said on March 10 that the military would need a year to recover from its Afghan deployment because of the wear and tear on its equipment and personnel.

Gutfeld suggested the Canadian military would use the year to "do some yoga, paint some landscapes and run on the beach."

"Isn't this the perfect time to invade this ridiculous country," Gutfeld continued. "They have no army."

"I didn't even know they were in the war," said Benson, a panelist on the show. "I thought that's where you go if you don't want to fight."

Gutfeld said his comments were meant to be satirical.

"For the safety and security of The Comic Strip's patrons and staff, Doug Benson's shows have subsequently been cancelled," reads a press release from The Comic Strip.

The bodies of Canada's four most recent Afghan casualties were due to arrive at CFB Trenton on Monday. The soldiers were killed Friday in two separate IED blasts.

Canada has lost 116 soldiers and one diplomat since the war in Afghanistan began in 2002.

[JLTucker]

Thanks. That'll come in handy.

Sadly, according to this, Gutfeld doesn't have a twitter.

In an e-mail to The Globe, Fox spokeswoman Loren Hynes said the comments were made by an imposter. "Gutfeld does not have a Twitter account. That's inaccurate," she said.

[Phantasee]

I saw the news about Benson's show being canceled on the news. Good riddance. It's like they forgot there's 30 million people here who are potential customers or something.

It's effectively killed that guy's career, at least here. With CFB Edmonton and CFB Wainwright around here, and Cold Lake not far, there's way too many military families and people with some connection the military to piss off here. Not to mention people who aren't assholes, which, true to tradition, is most people around here.

[Glocksman]

Something this asshole apparently forgot is that there are many Americans who have family ties with Canada.
I'll defend the right of this Gutfeld asshole to say his shit free of government interference.
That said, if some offended Canadian kicked his ass halfway to PEI from New York City, I didn't see a thing as far as the cops are concerned.

[TithonusSyndrome]

Retarded, bellicose comments like these go a long way towards convincing me that literally everything motivating the mindset and thoughts of conservative Americans - the tax cut dogma, their small government fetish, their disdain for foreign methods of governance - is simple juvenile machismo, the same kind you can find in any high school. Literally no more sophisticated. America, and by extension themselves, is a nation of virile hyper-masculine heterosexual high achievers in their minds, and everything that isn't is feminine and impotent.

[The Yosemite Bear]

Oh BTW the woman who was reporting on Bill-O's mysogynistic tendancies, and was stalked by Fox reporters was on Keith-O's show.

Crooks & Liars

[ExarKun]

I never understood the conservatives' love of bashing other countries, especially Canada and France. I wouldn't expect anything else from faux news though. I've been watching that show that comes on at 9 right after oreilly factor, and it is absolutely hilarious and disgraceful the way the host is hysterical about Obama administration.

[hongi]

Sadly, according to this, Gutfeld doesn't have a twitter.

In an e-mail to The Globe, Fox spokeswoman Loren Hynes said the comments were made by an imposter. "Gutfeld does not have a Twitter account. That's inaccurate," she said.

That'll teach me to trust wikipedia. *shakes fist*

[Samuel]

I never understood the conservatives' love of bashing other countries, especially Canada and France. I wouldn't expect anything else from faux news though. I've been watching that show that comes on at 9 right after oreilly factor, and it is absolutely hilarious and disgraceful the way the host is hysterical about Obama administration.

They get to flaunt how the US is better than the socialists basically. Pure jingoism.