America’s Disastrous Afghan War

Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission.

Remember when Barack Obama claimed in 2007-09 the Afghan War was the right war, the good one, as opposed to the wrong and bad Iraq War prosecuted by Bush/Cheney? Of course, they were both disastrous wars, but until the Biden administration finally pulled out, chaotically so, in 2021, the mainstream media was still supporting the idea that America was doing good in Afghanistan.

I suppose enough time has passed for the New York Times to allow for a measure of honesty, if only to support Joe Biden’s reelection this year. See, Biden made the right decision to withdraw because now we finally can admit the war was a disaster. Naturally, it wasn’t entirely or even mainly the U.S. government’s fault…

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California Senate To Vote on Automatic Sign-Up for Military Draft

The California Senate will vote this week on a bill to automatically register register draft-age applicants for driver’s licenses and state IDs with the Selective Service System for a possible future military draft.

The floor vote in the state Senate on SB-1081 is expected this week and could come at any time. You can use this form to send a message today to your state Senator to oppose SB-1081.

SB-1081 was held in the ‘suspense’ file by the Senate Appropriations Committee, but was called up and sent to the floor for a vote by the full state Senate despite both Democratic and Republican opposing votes in committee, with only minor amendments that fail to assuage any of the opponents of the bill.

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War, Secrecy, and Lies

Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission.

I heard yesterday that H. Bruce Franklin had died at the age of 90. Bruce and I never met, but we corresponded and talked on a few occasions. An Air Force veteran and cultural historian, he was a principled and consistent opponent of war.

In his honor, here’s an article I wrote in 2019 on Bruce and his book, Crash Course.

Wars, Secrecy, and Lies
W.J. Astore

You know an American war is going poorly when the lies come swiftly, as with the Afghan War, or when it’s hidden under a cloak of secrecy, which is also increasingly true of the Afghan War.

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What? GOP Reps Propose US Military Benefits to Americans in ISRAELI Military!

On today’s Ron Paul Liberty Report:

Two Republican US Representatives have submitted a bill that would extend the same benefits provided to US military servicemembers and veterans to American citizens who choose to serve in the Israeli military. This at a time when US vets find themselves out in the cold when it comes to getting the care and benefits they were promised. Also today: F-35 fighters are stacking up at Lockheed factories as the Pentagon says “no, thank you” to purchasing them.

Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.