1
POPSWootton Bassett - the debate
I have decided to publish a section of the letter available to anyone (by clicking the link). My reasons? I am heartily sick, in this enlightened year of 2010, having this meaningless preamble with a religious bigot. I say so not because he is a Muslim, but because he incants the very superstitious tripe uttered by Roman Catholics and other zealots the world over. Being brought up with the Prodestant Work Ethic, my education was tested in the back streets of the Shankill Road and the Crumlin, my beliefs were reinforced by the attitudes of religious leaders from the Dominee of the Afrikaans religion, to the wishy-washy bullshit of the Anglican church led by Desmond Tutu. Perhaps the finest and most moving orator of my generation would be the Reverend Ian Paisley, but his single mindedness to his form of religion is precisely the problem I have with all religious sects and creeds. The irony of it all is that collectively, these people could be and probably are most generous of sp
5
POPSRaping Women In the U.S. Military=Unimportant Spend 3 minutes of your time to watch this hair-raising video and then read the article. More from the article below: "By the Pentagon’s own estimate, as few as 10 percent of sexual assaults are reported, far lower than the percentage reported in the civilian world. Specialist Erica A. Beck, a mechanic and gunner who served in Diyala Province in Iraq this summer, recalled a sexual proposition she called “inappropriate” during her first tour in the country in 2006-7. “Not necessarily being vulgar, but he, you know, was asking for favors, she said".
13
POPSThe US Military Is Exhausted These troops refuse deployment for a variety of reasons: some because they ethically oppose the wars, some because they have had a negative experience with the military, and some because they cannot psychologically survive another deployment, having fallen victim to what has been termed "Broken Joe" syndrome. The voices of refusal coming from within the US military send a powerful message that soldiers will not be fodder for an unjust and unnecessary war. And the longer the war in Afghanistan drags on - the more lives that are lost and destroyed - the more resistance we will see coming from within the ranks.
1
POPSReligious Christmas cake Now let's get the reporting accurate. Was he barred from the UK? Did he, or did he not graduate from university? Is it the same Security organisation who reported on Saddams' supposed WMD - in this man's case lessons in maths instruction - wants Carte Blanche on every former soldiers identity by forcing us all to carry dubious ID cards, and who couldn't sit straight in cinema if given a free ticket?
4
POPSHome Found In Narazeth It is a gift to me also to see the historical significance of what it means to follow Christianity. It poses the very important question: How did the religion of Jesus become pro-rich, pro-war and only pro-American? For Christians, it is a provocative question that should haunt us in what often seems to be a Christ-forgetting country.
4
POPSCourt-martial warning for pregnant US soldiers It outlines some 20 barred activities. Most of them are aimed at keeping order and preventing criminal activity, such as selling a weapon or taking drugs, but apart from pregnancy includes a ban on elective surgery that would prevent their deployment. Under Gen Cucolo's order, troops also are prohibited from "sexual contact of any kind" with Iraqi nationals. And, they cannot spend the night with a member of the opposite sex, unless married or expressly permitted to do so.
2
POPSGloBull WARming Professor Michael Klare noted in 2007: Sixteen gallons of oil. That's how much the average American soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan consumes on a daily basis -- either directly, through the use of Humvees, tanks, trucks, and helicopters, or indirectly, by calling in air strikes. Multiply this figure by 162,000 soldiers in Iraq, 24,000 in Afghanistan, and 30,000 in the surrounding region (including sailors aboard U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf) and you arrive at approximately 3.5 million gallons of oil: the daily petroleum tab for U.S. combat operations in the Middle East war zone. And in 2008, Oil Change International released a report showing that: * The war is responsible for at least 141 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e) since March 2003. To put this in perspective, CO2 released by the war to date equals the emissions from putting 25 million more cars on the road in the US this year. article continues...
0
POPSUS Afghan Surge is Really 86,000? During the Iraq and Afghan wars, there were no reports of casualties of contractors added to US Troop casualties and it was a long time before anyone knew what Blackwater, now Xe, was up to until they shot 17 Iraqi's last year. On top of all the other transparency problems, I don't fell very good about US soldiers having to depend on "mercenaries" for safety, transport, food, etc. How about you?
6
POPSExclusive: Elite Special Forces in Afghanistan With Fox Embed 
“There’s a lot of different tools in our tool kit,” the Major said, “to influence the populace and to win over their support.” They also work closely with Afghan soldiers and elite commandos. Something that has gained in importance, as well. The Major and his colleagues have done that in South America, Africa and Asia. “We’ve already done that around the world,” he told Fox News. “Coming here and working with the government is nothing new to us.” Officials say high-level, irreconcilable Taliban and Al Qaeda figures still have to be killed or captured. Which is something the Major and his men have no problem with. TO VIEW VIDEOS --- LINK TO SITE HERE: http://bit.ly/8HpiHC “Without targeting the Taliban and providing security for the populace,” he says, “we’re a lot worse off.” And there are more commandos getting into the fight. Special Forces numbers have surged to a reported 5,000 in Afghanistan, with more expected -- if they clear the
9
POPSSend a message to the US troops Xerox is sponsoring Let's Say Thanks. I clipped some messages from soldiers that have received the postcards. It is easy to do. Select a drawing, select a message (or write your own) and type in your name and city. I encourage every Clipper, regardless of personal politics, to send a message of thanks for the brave men and women that are away from their families right now. It takes 10 seconds. Thanks!
4
POPS 'UK Can’t Back Obama Pledge on Afghan Pullout' His comments reflect dismay at the highest level in the British Armed Forces about Mr Obama’s suggestion this week that US troop withdrawals would start by mid-2011. Britain expects to have substantial forces on the ground in Afghanistan for at least five or six more years. David Cameron, the Conservative leader, also voiced disquiet over “artificial timetables”. “I think it is very important not to send mixed messages. Instead, let’s say we’re here to train up the Afghan National Army and police and as soon as the job is done we can bring our troops home. But don’t let’s set artificial timetables”... Even if some parts of Afghanistan were handed over to local forces next year, he refused to say whether that meant some British soldiers could come home. “I think there’ll still be a job to be done for some time in other parts of the country...You’ve got to provide as many troops as you can to meet the needs of the mission.”
4
POPSAnti-US Feeling Running High as CIA Drones Take a Civilian Toll
Many Pakistanis see the US military presence in their region as the cause of militant extremism, not its cure. Reaction to Obama's speech was ambivalent, with rightwing commentators insisting his true aim is to invade Pakistan and capture its nuclear weapons. The hostility means that, in Pakistan, Obama relies more heavily on spies than soldiers. Obama's favoured tactic has been the use of CIA-operated pilotless drones, which have made over 80 strikes in the tribal belt since 2006, half of them this year. Targets included the Pakistani Taliban leader, Baitullah Mehsud, killed last August, and al-Qaida leaders. Today the New York Times said the CIA is pushing to extend drone strikes into Balochistan province, further west along the Afghan border. While the drones put few American lives in danger, they still carry substantial risks. Strikes that have killed at least 750 people in the past two years have provoked public hostility. Any move into Balochistan is likely to spark a fierc
5
POPSBlack Muslim Group Crowns Seattle Cop Killer A 'Black On White' Martyr ........AGAINST WHITE TERRORISTS & RACIST COP REGIME "WHEN I GROW UP, I WANNA BE A PIG," he said in his heart. "As the pig is a despicable animal, Brenton was a despicable man who embraced the values of a despicable system. Certainly he was rewarded with a pig's fate. Can you smell that stench in the air today? A pig's been slaughtered. It smells like something died." Speaking near the location where Brenton was gunned down and addressing more than fifty Seattle Black Foot Soldiers, Shafford condemned the life of officer Brenton, the Seattle Police department, mayor Greg Nickels and all the city's whites.
5
POPSObama May Allow US Soldiers to be Tried in the Hague Because Kabul in 2003 ratified the Rome Statute—the ICC’s founding treaty—all soldiers on Afghan territory, even those from nontreaty countries, fall under the ICC’s oversight, Mr. Ocampo told me. And the chief prosecutor says he is already conducting a “preliminary examination” into whether NATO troops, including American soldiers, fighting the Taliban may have to be put in the dock. Because Kabul in 2003 ratified the Rome Statute—the ICC’s founding treaty—all soldiers on Afghan territory, even those from nontreaty countries, fall under the ICC’s oversight, Mr. Ocampo told me. And the chief prosecutor says he is already conducting a “preliminary examination” into whether NATO troops, including American soldiers, fighting the Taliban may have to be put in the dock. Taking up his inquiry of Allied soldiers, he added, “there are different reports about problems with bombings and there are also allegations about torture.” Tuesday, December 01, 2009 http://bit.ly/6ljUDk
2
POPSObama Orders 1 Million US Troops To “Prepare For Civil War” He is to announce in a nationwide address to his people this coming week that he is going to expand the level of US Military Forces in Afghanistan by tens of thousands of troops, while at the same time using the deployment of these soldiers as a “cover” for returning to the United States over 200,000 additional American soldiers from the over 800 bases in over 39 countries they have stationed around the Globe bringing the level of these forces in America to over 1 million, a number the US Military believes will be able to contain the “explosion of violence” expected to roil these peoples when they learn their economy has been bankrupted.
3
Pops
Newest Clips
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Print
Save
Turn on live update