10 Non-Watch Times

 

1,250 Canadians

From the CBC:

“Canada says it knows of hundreds of citizens and permanent residents left in Afghanistan”

As the Taliban declared victory this morning, the federal government said roughly 1,250 Canadian citizens, permanent residents and family members remain in Afghanistan. Canada was part of a coalition airlifting those seeking refuge out of the country as the Taliban seized control of Kabul. The government said it was able to get 3,700 people out of Afghanistan, but last week couldn't answer how many citizens were stranded.

On Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau said the government is now aware of 1,250 Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their families still in Afghanistan. The government also announced it has reached an agreement with the U.S. to "co-operate on the safe passage of Afghan nationals out of Afghanistan" and will accept 5,000 Afghan refugees who were evacuated by the U.S.

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said Canada and its allies have received word from the Taliban that those with proper documentation can leave the country, "Over the weekend, Canada and its allies received assurances from the Taliban that Afghan citizens with travel authorization from other countries would be allowed to safely leave Afghanistan," he said. "We have a clear commitment from the Taliban, and we are going to hold them to it. "Earlier Tuesday morning, the Taliban marched into Kabul's international airport, hours after the final U.S. troop withdrawal that ended the U.S.'s longest war. "Afghanistan is finally free," Hekmatullah Wasiq, a top Taliban official, told The Associated Press on the tarmac. "The military and civilian side [of the airport] are with us and in control. Hopefully, we will be announcing our cabinet. Everything is peaceful. Everything is safe."

Garneau urged those still in the country to stay put while coalition officials work to figure next steps. He said he's speaking with his counterpart in Pakistan about processing refugees crossing into that country. Last week, as the airlift mission wrapped, the government said visas issued to those Afghans eligible to come to Canada will remain valid even if they haven't left the country yet. Mendicino said his department is working to make sure the language on the documents is updated so people can leave the country. The Liberals have faced mounting criticism of their government's response to the crisis on the campaign trail so far with both Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh suggesting they responded too late.

^ 1,250 Canadian Citizens abandoned by Trudeau. Those men, women and children are now at the hands of Terrorists (ISIS and the Taliban.) ^

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mendicino-garneau-afghanistan-withdraw-1.6159352

Special Ed Shortage

From Disability Scoop:

“Feds Say Nearly Every State Short On Special Educators”

Schools in almost every state are scrambling to find enough special education teachers to meet demand as they welcome students back for the new academic year. Across the nation, all but two states — New Hampshire and New Mexico — are projecting a shortage of educators trained to meet the needs of students with disabilities for the 2021-2022 school year. That’s according to information submitted by states to a database maintained by the U.S. Department of Education.

So desperate are schools to recruit special educators that some are dangling thousands of dollars in bonuses to attract new hires in the field. Issues finding enough special educators are not new. The Education Department database shows that in the last decade more than 90% of states and Washington, D.C. have reported projected shortages in special education each year. But, the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating the situation, advocates say. “The pandemic, as we know, has illuminated existing inequities and shortfalls,” said Denise Marshall, CEO of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, or COPAA, a nonprofit that works to advocate for the rights of students with disabilities and their families. “We join our civil rights colleagues and the administration in asking for Congress to invest in teacher prep to assure there is a well-trained, diverse workforce to close the gap.”

^ The shortage of Special Education Teachers is a major problem that every US State and the US Federal Government needs to address. If something isn’t done soon to get more qualified Teachers then a generation of disabled Students will suffer. ^

https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2021/08/30/feds-say-nearly-every-state-short-on-special-educators/29467/

New KSAR Update

From SPCAI:

“URGENT UPDATE AND ACTION PLAN FROM CHARLOTTE & KABUL SMALL ANIMAL RESCUE (KSAR)”

We’re writing with an urgent update on the status of Charlotte Maxwell-Jones, founder of Kabul Small Animal Rescue; the animals under the care of Kabul Small Animal Rescue, including 130 dogs; and the ongoing efforts to evacuate them along with the shelter’s staff.

This update includes Charlotte’s latest updates from Kabul. It also includes timely information from the organizations (SPCA International, War Paws, Marley’s Mutts and Puppy Rescue Mission) who have been working non-stop to evacuate her and the military working dogs, and pets under the care of Kabul Small Animal Rescue. We are in regular communication with Charlotte, and our latest debriefing occurred on August 30, 2021, at 3 pm EST.

Despite being at the airport when the ISIS-K bombing took place on August 26 and facing the vast array of threats there, Charlotte is now off airport grounds in Kabul and, for the moment, is safe. On August 30, she was forced to leave the airport with one puppy under her arm as final military evacuations occurred. She was escorted by the Taliban back to her rescue shelter, 7 miles outside of Kabul, where she remains safe for the moment.

As the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was happening, Charlotte never relented in her efforts to help the animals of Kabul and even took on new animal-care responsibilities. She was able to rescue 46 working dogs and several personal pets belonging to fleeing Americans. Her dedication to saving lives in a war zone during a military evacuation is a remarkable testament to her courage and commitment.

The majority of KSAR staff, and the cats in their care, were never granted access to the airport. They are safe for the moment at another location in Kabul.

The current information regarding the status of KSAR’s 130 dogs is much less clear, despite our constant efforts to confirm their whereabouts.

Here is what we know: In the end, the dogs and their caretakers were explicitly NOT allowed to board military aircraft, and numerous private charter aircraft were not granted access to the airport either. Charlotte was informed that most of the KSAR dogs had to be released into the airport on August 30 as the airport was evacuated – turning once rescued shelter dogs into homeless strays. They were not given access to the flight we had secured to transport them out of the country. They are within the airport in an area used for housing employees at the far end of the flight line. We haven’t been able to confirm the number of dogs released, nor can we confirm whether the U.S. Military evacuated the 46 working dogs that had been under KSAR’s care when they left. We are urgently pressing for more details, and while this is more difficult now that the U.S. military has completely evacuated Kabul, we refuse to give up.

Moving forward, KSAR’s primary objective is to return to the airport– when it is safe and with the hope of Taliban cooperation–to try and retrieve or re-rescue the animals who were released at the airport. The situation at the airport remains very unsafe, but KSAR is hopeful their staff will be allowed to return to the airport at some point to try to save their dogs. During her departure from the airport on August 30, Charlotte requested the U.S. Military open the bags of dog food she was able to bring into the airport and scatter their contents in the area where the dogs had been released.

Our team of NGOs (SPCA International, War Paws, Marley’s Mutts and Puppy Rescue Mission) has been working tirelessly to rescue KSAR and the animals in its care for the last week, exhausting every possible option and resource we could. We have worked day and night to develop and implement strategies for rescuing Charlotte, her staff, and her animals, as well as contingency plans. The massive network of U.S. and foreign agencies, politicians, charter companies, and rescuers that we enlisted also did their absolute best to advocate for the extraction of Charlotte and the dogs. We also appreciate the support of those in the U.S. military who helped us. 

 “We are heartbroken that the aircraft we secured to transport the rescued dogs of Kabul Small Animal Rescue out of Afghanistan were not ultimately allowed to take the animals and their caretakers safely out of the country,” said Lori Kalef, Director of Programs at SPCA International. “Our team has been working around the clock and has exhausted every possible option and resource we could in our mission to rescue the dogs before the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. We’ll continue to do everything we can to evacuate Kabul Small Animal Rescue’s staff and animals from the country after August 31. We cannot thank our supporters enough for everything they’ve done to help the dogs and cats of Kabul and their caretakers.”    

“I feel eternally grateful for our team, partners and all the government agencies that stepped up to lend their voice during this intense and difficult time. Charlotte’s courage and steadfast devotion to the rescued animals in her care and the tireless efforts of all involved animal advocates working around the globe is awe-inspiring,” said Zach Skow, founder of Marley’s Mutts. “We are dedicated to saving them and will continue to seek options to help her and the rescued dogs and cats to leave Kabul safely. They deserve no less.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recently enacted policy suspending transports of dogs from Afghanistan and more than 100 other nations into the U.S., was another terrible impediment, despite our negotiations and pleadings. We applied for an Emergency Exemption so that Charlotte and the dogs could get out on our chartered flight this week. But the CDC’s adherence to its import policy during this time of crisis put animals and people at risk. We are alarmed that leaders at the CDC are not bringing a more balanced perspective to the importation of dogs, especially after the U.S. House of Representatives rebuked CDC on this issue and passed an amendment to restore a proper screening process.

This entire situation is a reminder that when governments, including the United States, don’t recognize the human connection to animals, they put people at risk. If Charlotte and her staff had been allowed to take their animals – with the support of private animal rescue groups that had paid for and organized a charter flight – they’d be safe, and so would the animals. Now she’s still in Kabul, desperately working to bring these animals into a safer space.

While this was our last chance to evacuate the dogs from Kabul before August 31, we are not giving up. We’re currently pursuing options for transporting the dogs and cats out of Afghanistan after that deadline, and the funds we raised will continue to support the care of the animals in Kabul. SPCA International will continue to act as a conduit of information between KSAR and the public.

Here is what’s needed:

We urge the U.S. Armed Forces not to forget the animals of Afghanistan or the people who care for them. We ask them to share the most up-to-date information on the released dogs in Hamid Karzai International Airport and to work with us on options to remove Charlotte and her dogs after August 31.

KSAR needs continuing support. We will continue to work with Charlotte to use every avenue possible to send funding and logistical support.

We cannot thank our supporters enough for your donations and advocacy on behalf of the dogs and cats of Kabul. They have made all the difference in building a coalition of advocates around the world on behalf of Kabul Small Animal Rescue. We will keep you updated on our progress and how you can take action to help Charlotte, her team, and the animals.

^ I honestly wish there was more I could do to help KSAR and all the workers and animals get out and be safe. ^

https://www.spcai.org/news/press/urgent-update-and-action-plan-from-charlotte--kabul-small-animal-rescue-ksar?fbclid=IwAR3KKzGt6JxPcUsdx9aFsUikCvR56eg71SuCEYjKZZSOO4jdBcJAr_XYis8

Pumpkin Spice

^ Just one more day to enjoy the Summer. Come September 1st it will be Pumpkin Spice everywhere. ^

Masticating

I love to masticate. I masticate at least three times a day (sometimes more.) I masticate in private, but it is more fun to masticate in public. I like to sit with friends and family and masticate together. I'm a masticator -  are you? Don't lie. Everyone masticates.

FYI: Masticate = To grind or crush food with or as if with the teeth. To chew.  (Not what you thought? You dirty bird.)

Tuesday!

Last Soldier

From USA TODAY:

“He was the last U.S. soldier to leave Afghanistan after 20 years of occupation”

(In this handout provided by the U.S. Central Command, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, boards a C-17 cargo plane at Hamid Karzai International Airport August 30, 2021 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Donahue was the final American service member to depart the country)

After 20 years of occupation, more than 2,400 U.S. troops killed in combat and a frenetic evacuation, in the end, just one last soldier remained on the ground in Afghanistan. Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, based in Fort Bragg, N.C., was the final soldier to leave Afghanistan as U.S. troops boarded a C-17 aircraft at the Kabul airport just before a self-imposed U.S. deadline to evacuate. The Pentagon tweeted a photo recognizing Donahue as the final soldier in America's longest war, which saw more than 775,000 American troops serve over two decades. In the photo, Donohue is alone and stone-faced, carrying his firearm, with a Kabul airport hangar behind him as he gets ready to climb aboard the aircraft that left just before a self-imposed U.S. deadline to evacuate. The photo is shot through a night-vision lens, giving the scene an eerie green tint. Donahue was deployed to Afghanistan this month to help secure the Kabul airport as the U.S. drew nearer to Tuesday's withdrawal deadline. U.S. military presence in Afghanistan had increased in recent days but the Pentagon remained tight-lipped on the exact numbers.

(Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, 82nd Airborne Division commanding general, talks to a reporter during an exercise on Fort Bragg in 2020. Donahue is headed to Afghanistan as U.S. military leaders talk with the Taliban.)

Donahue – a former special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon – previously served as the commander of special operations joint task force-Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. Over his long military career, he has been deployed 17 times to carry out operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, North Africa and Eastern Europe. "In awe of our Sky Dragon Soldiers," the XVIII Airborne Corps tweeted alongside the photo of Donahue. "This was an incredibly tough, pressurized mission filled with multiple complexities, with active threats the entire time. Our troops displayed grit, discipline and empathy.

^ I wouldn’t say 20 years of US Occupation, but other than that this is a very powerful picture of the last American Soldier leaving Afghanistan. ^

https://www.yahoo.com/news/last-u-soldier-leave-afghanistan-020712642.html

The 51%

From Reuters:

“Americans give Biden low marks on Afghanistan pullout: Reuters/Ipsos poll”

Less than 40% of Americans approve of President Joe Biden's handling of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, and three quarters wanted U.S. forces to remain in the country until all American civilians could get out, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Monday.

The national survey, conducted Aug. 27-30, found that 51% disapproved of Biden's approach to the pullout while 38% approved. The United States completed the withdrawal of its military forces from Afghanistan on Monday, two decades after it invaded the country following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The United States and its allies have flown out more than 122,000 people since Aug. 14, including their own citizens and Afghans who helped them over 20 years of war.

But some Americans and many thousands of eligible Afghans did not make it out of the country, which is now once again under the control of the Taliban. Washington will pursue a diplomatic effort to evacuate those left behind. In the poll, completed just before the last U.S. troops left Afghanistan, 49% said the U.S. military should stay in Afghanistan "until all American citizens and Afghan allies have been evacuated," and 25% said that U.S. forces should remain until all U.S. citizens could leave.

Only 13% said that troops should "evacuate immediately." When asked what they thought of how the Biden administration handled the resettlement of America's Afghan allies, 45% approved while 42% disapproved. Biden's administration has been swamped by a trio of crises this month, including the coronavirus pandemic and Hurricane Ida, which wreaked havoc across Louisiana after making landfall on Sunday. The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 20% of adults said Biden deserves the "most blame for the current state" of the Afghanistan war.

Ten percent mostly blamed former President George W. Bush, who ordered the invasion of the country two decades ago, and 9 percent blamed former President Donald Trump, who last year negotiated a swift withdrawal of U.S. forces. Another 30% blamed a slew of other actors in the region, including the Taliban, the Afghan military, U.S. military leaders and ISIS-K, the militant group that claimed responsibility for last week's bombing at the Kabul airport that killed 13 U.S. service members.

Even as they watched the dramatic evacuation under way in Afghanistan, Americans remained focused on issues closer to home: the pandemic and the U.S. economy. Both are areas of relative strength for Biden. The poll found that 35% of Americans believe that the coronavirus is the biggest problem facing the country today, while 18% said it was the economy. Only 10% said it was the war in Afghanistan. Some 55% of adults approve of the way Biden has steered America’s COVID-19 response, while 38% disapprove. About the economy, 47% said they approved of his policies while 45% disapproved.

Americans also do not appear to be beating up on Biden’s Democratic Party following the highly criticized evacuation effort in Afghanistan. When asked which party has a better plan for handling the war on terror, 29% said Republicans while 26% said Democrats, giving the Republicans a 3-point edge. Four years ago, ahead of the 2018 midterms, Republicans had a 7-point advantage over Democrats with the same question. Under the 2020 withdrawal agreement, Trump began to sharply reduce troop levels to the point where there were only about 3,500 left in Afghanistan - from a onetime peak of 100,000 at the war's zenith - by the time Biden took office in January. Like Trump, Biden had promised to end the war. But his administration miscalculated the strength of the U.S.-trained Afghan military, which quickly surrendered large swaths of the country to the Taliban in the weeks leading up to Biden's self-imposed Aug. 31 deadline for the U.S. withdrawal.

The 20-year conflict cost the lives of more than 2,400 U.S. troops and an estimated 240,000 Afghans. It may have cost as much as $2 trillion. The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online, in English, throughout the United States. It gathered responses from 1,003 adults, including 465 Democrats and 354 Republicans. The results have a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of 4 percentage points.

^ 51% against Biden’s actions (inactions) in Afghanistan is high, but it should be 100%. ^

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/americans-give-biden-low-marks-afghanistan-pullout-want-see-evacuations-through-2021-08-30/

200 Americans Stuck

From the AP:

“As US military leaves Kabul, many Americans, Afghans remain”

As the final five U.S. military transport aircraft lifted off out of Afghanistan Monday, they left behind up to 200 Americans and thousands of desperate Afghans who couldn't get out and now must rely on the Taliban to allow their departure. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the U.S. will continue to try to get Americans and Afghans out of the country, and will work with Afghanistan’s neighbors to secure their departure either over land or by charter flight once the Kabul airport reopens. “We have no illusion that any of this will be easy, or rapid,” said Blinken, adding that the total number of Americans who are in Afghanistan and still want to leave may be closer to 100.

Speaking shortly after the Pentagon announced the completion of the U.S. military pullout Monday, Blinken said the U.S. Embassy in Kabul will remain shuttered and vacant for the foreseeable future. American diplomats, he said, will be based in Doha, Qatar. “We will continue our relentless efforts to help Americans, foreign nationals and Afghans leave Afghanistan if they choose,” Blinken said in an address from the State Department. "Our commitment to them holds no deadline.” Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, told reporters the U.S. military was able to get as many as 1,500 Afghans out in the final hours of the American evacuation mission. But now it will be up to the State Department working with the Taliban to get any more people out.

McKenzie said there were no citizens left stranded at the airport and none were on the final few military flights out. He said the U.S. military maintained the ability to get Americans out right up until just before the end, but “none of them made it to the airport.” “There’s a lot of heartbreak associated with this departure," said McKenzie. "We did not get everybody out that we wanted to get out. But I think if we’d stayed another 10 days we wouldn’t have gotten everybody out that we wanted to get out.” McKenzie and other officials painted a vivid picture of the final hours U.S. troops were on the ground, and the preparations they took to ensure that the Taliban and Islamic State group militants did not get functioning U.S. military weapons systems and other equipment.

The terror threat remains a major problem in Afghanistan, with at least 2,000 “hard core” members of the Islamic State group who remain in the country, including many released from prisons as the Taliban swept to control. Underscoring the ongoing security threats, the weapon systems used just hours earlier to counter IS rockets launched toward the airport were kept operational until “the very last minute” as the final U.S. military aircraft flew out, officials said. One of the last things U.S. troops did was to make the so-called C-RAMS (Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar System) inoperable. McKenzie said they “demilitarized” the system so it can never be used again. Officials said troops did not blow up equipment in order to ensure they left the airport workable for future flights, once those begin again. In addition, McKenzie said the U.S. also disabled 27 Humvees and 73 aircraft so they can never be used again. Throughout the day, as the final C-17 transport planes prepared to take off, McKenzie said the U.S. kept “overwhelming U.S. airpower overhead” to deal with potential IS threats.

Back at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, watched the final 90 minutes of the military departure in real time from an operations center in the basement. According to a U.S. official, they sat in hushed silence as they watched troops make last-minute runway checks, make the key defense systems inoperable and climb aboard the C-17s. The official said you could hear a pin drop as the last aircraft lifted off, and leaders around the room breathed sighs of relief. Later, Austin phoned Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, who was coordinating the evacuation. Donahue and acting U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Ross Wilson were the last to board the final plane that left Kabul. Officials spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details of military operations. “Simply because we have left, that doesn’t mean the opportunities for both Americans that are in Afghanistan that want to leave and Afghans who want to leave, they will not be denied that opportunity,” said McKenzie. The military left some equipment for the Taliban in order to run the airport, including two firetrucks, some front-end loaders and aircraft staircases. Blinken said the U.S. will work with Turkey and Qatar to help them get the Kabul airport up and running again. “This would enable a small number of daily charter flights, which is a key for anyone who wants to depart from Afghanistan moving forward,” he said.

^ Biden on August 20, 2021: "We will get you out!"

Reality on August 30, 2021: 200 American men, women and children abandoned in Afghanistan. Thousands of Afghani Allies abandoned.

I hope every American now sees Biden for what he really is: A Commander-In-Failure. ^

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-military-leaves-kabul-many-000608028.html

Veteran Help

The Department of Veterans Affairs, veterans groups and mental health organizations want Afghanistan veterans to know one thing: You are not alone. In a wave of press releases Monday, the VA and veterans groups urged active-duty and former service members to reach out to comrades in arms, family members, friends and organizations if they are feeling a crisis of faith over their sacrifices in Afghanistan, which has been overrun by the Taliban following the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces.

"Veterans may question the meaning of their service or whether it was worth the sacrifices they made. They may feel more moral distress about experiences they had during their service. It's normal to feel this way," VA officials said in a press release. "Act. Get help or give help," wrote a coalition of more than 30 military and veterans organizations, including Blue Star Families, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. "Reach out to teammates and fellow military- or veteran-connected family members and friends. Check in on them.” With distressing images on television of Afghans clinging to the outside of an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III as it took off from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, mental health providers who treat military personnel and veterans have gone on alert, urging those with symptoms of post-traumatic stress or feelings of despair, frustration or anger to seek help.

Here is a list of VA resources for veterans needing mental health care and support:

Veterans Crisis Line. If you are having thoughts of suicide or need to speak immediately with someone for a mental health event, call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1.

VA Medical Centers. Emergency mental health care can be obtained at local VA medical centers at any time, regardless of a veteran's discharge status or enrollment.

Vet Centers. Community-based counseling, staffed by veterans, is available at these centers.

VA Women Veterans Call Center. Call or text 1-855-829-6636 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

VA Caregiver Support Line. Call 1-855-260-3274 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time

VA self-help apps. Tools can help veterans handle common reactions such as stress, sadness and anxiety, and track symptoms

 

Additional resources are available:

RallyPoint. A social network for military service members, veterans and family members.

Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. Survivors can request peer mentors.

Together We Served. Connects service members and vets with others in their units.

George W. Bush Institute. The institute's Check In program supports veterans who need help, through the website or at 630-522-4904.

Elizabeth Dole Foundation. The Hidden Heroes program provides assistance to caregivers.

American Red Cross Military Veteran Caregiver Network. Offers peer support and mentoring.

Team Red, White & Blue. Hosts hundreds of events weekly.

Student Veterans of America. Provides support on college campuses for veterans.

Team Rubicon. A disaster response organization made up of veterans.

Cohen Veterans Network. Provides no-cost counseling to service members, veterans and their family members in major cities.

Support also is available through veterans service organizations such as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, AMVETS and others. Even if medical assistance or formal help is not needed, these organizations urge former service members to get involved, volunteer with others or simply reach out to their fellow veterans. "Our shared connections are invaluable and we encourage our members to perform buddy checks to help one another process their emotions and connect with resources," DAV National Commander Andy Marshall said in a statement Monday.

^ With the Fall of Afghanistan now complete it's important to repost these numbers for those that need help with all of this. ^

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/08/17/need-support-these-veterans-organizations-are-offering-help-during-time-of-stress.html

The Suits Not The Boots

 

^ It’s important to repost this now. ^

KSAR Abandoned By US

From PetRescueReport.com:

“UPDATE: Kabul Small Animal Rescue dogs and cats not as lucky as NOWZAD”

In a heartbreaking update from Kabul Small Animal Rescue, the rescued dogs could not be successfully evacuated. The Department of Defense made a policy decision and along with other organizations, people and animals have all been disappointed. According to Monday’s email address from the rescue organization, the last ditch effort which included intervention with the Veteran Sheepdogs of America, prompted unforeseen hurdles still being investigated.

The end result this afternoon was to release all the dogs as the last United States planes prepared to leave. The dogs were not left in their cages. “Charlotte [Maxwell-Jones] has chosen to remain in Kabul because she refused to give up one of the disabled rescue puppies in order to get on a flight. She is no longer at the airport.” The staff is all reported to be safe, and it is planned renewed rescue efforts will commence on September 2.

The rescued cats had no airport clearance and are currently safe at NOWZAD. Efforts will be made to evacuate them as soon as possible. Please thank the following organizations for their part in helping: Puppy Rescue Mission, War Paws, SPCAI, Humane Society International, H# Foundation, Veteran Sheepdogs of America et al. Also, many thanks and appreciation to heroes of the NGOs, the United States government and the intelligence community who can not be named because of security issues.

^ More that we have abandoned to the Terrorists. Who knows what the Taliban, ISIS or both will now do to the owner Charlotte Maxwell-Jones since she is both an American and a Woman and both Groups hate Americans, Women and especially American Women. Another example of Biden's "We will get you out" promise. ^

https://petrescuereport.com/2021/update-kabul-small-animal-rescue-dogs-and-cats-not-as-lucky-as-nowzad/

Ida

From News Nation:

“‘We are doing the best we can’: FEMA providing relief to hurricane damaged New Orleans”

Hundreds of emergency responders were in place in Louisiana and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had power restoration experts and generators at the ready as Hurricane Ida hit on Sunday as one of the most powerful hurricanes to make landfall in the U.S., federal officials said. New Orleans residents faced a massive cleanup effort and possibly weeks without power. Whole toppled trees blocked streets, pulled down power lines, covered yards and damaged homes. Ida was blamed for at least one death — someone hit by a falling tree outside Baton Rouge. But with many roads impassable and cellphone service knocked out in places, the full extent of its fury was still coming into focus. President Joe Biden remarked in a briefing with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, WH advisor Cedric Richmond and other state officials that, “We are doing the best we can” with disaster response. The president said Monday that state officials should contact the White House if they need additional support — even though the effort is being led by FEMA. “We’ll get you what you need if we can,” Biden said. “The people of Louisiana and Mississippi are resilient. But it’s in moments like these where we can certainly see the power of government to respond to the needs of the people, if government’s prepared and if they respond.”

The Coast Guard prepositioned vessels for “deep water search and rescue efforts,” and Biden said federal support would remain in the region for “as long as it takes.” Much of the response began days before landfall and included special precautions due to the coronavirus pandemic, the White House said. FEMA deployed more than 100 ground ambulances and 20 air ambulances were deployed to help evacuate nursing homes in the storm’s path. During the storm, four Louisiana hospitals were damaged and 39 medical facilities were operating on generator power, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said. Precautions were also being taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at the large shelters the American Red Cross is opening, including masking, rapid testing and social distancing.

The governor’s office said over 2,200 evacuees were staying in 41 shelters as of Monday morning, a number expected to rise as people were rescued or escaped from flooded homes. Stephens said the state will work to move people to hotels as soon as possible so that they can keep their distance from one another. “This is a COVID nightmare,” she said, adding: “We do anticipate that we could see some COVID spikes related to this.” U.S. health officials Monday declared public health emergencies for Louisiana and Mississippi, seeking to suspend government red tape that may get in the way of providing help to people affected by Hurricane Ida. The emergency declaration by Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra puts a pause on certain payment rules and other requirements that could become an unwelcome distraction for hospitals and doctors trying to provide services under stressful conditions. Rescuers set out in hundreds of boats and helicopters to reach people trapped by floodwaters and utility crews mobilized Monday after a furious Hurricane Ida swamped the Louisiana coast and made a shambles of the electrical grid in the sticky, late-summer heat.

FEMA deployed 10 Incident Management Assistance Teams to support states — six in Louisiana, two in Alabama and two in Mississippi — and said three more teams were on standby to deploy if needed. More than 2,400 FEMA employees were in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas and ready to provide additional help, FEMA said. Environmental Protection Agency spokeswoman Jennah Durant said the agency’s personnel are coordinating with FEMA as well as state and local authorities in Louisiana. She said the agency had contacted the owners and operators of the 23 highly polluted Superfund sites in the state to ensure prestorm security preparations were being made. Biden approved an emergency disaster declaration for Louisiana on Friday, which authorized direct federal help for all 64 parishes, including power generation, air transportation, wildlife management assistance and water management. The White House said Biden also spoke with the governors of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama “to make clear that States have the full support of the Federal government to provide assistance as needed and to aid local emergency response efforts.” Edwards told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that Ida was a “major, major storm” that will test the state in ways it hasn’t been tested before, as it happens along with the pandemic. “It’s impossible today to say how long the power will be out. And that begins to test your systems,” Edwards said, “whether it’s the opportunity to deliver water to the hospitals. You can’t run a ventilator without electricity.”

^ It seems that while Ida brough damage and power outages and didn’t bring the devastation they said it would  - when they compared it to Katrina. ^

https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/mid-south/we-are-doing-the-best-we-can-fema-providing-relief-to-hurricane-damaged-new-orleans/

Shameful Withdrawal

 

The last American Combat Solider has now left Kabul. The Fall of Afghanistan is now complete.

Every single person all over the world now needs to mourn our dead and remember the men, women and children we ALL abandoned to the Terrorists (the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and ISIS.)

Every single person also needs to remember the men and women of the US Military who worked tirelessly around the clock for the past 17 days - until the very last day of Biden’s Deadline - to bring 150,000 American, Canadian, British, French, Polish, Spanish Dutch, Australian, Belgian, Azeri, Austrian, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Latvian, Lithuanian, Luxembourgish, Mexican, New Zealander, Pakistani, Indian, Nepali, Russian, Filipino, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovakian, Slovenian, Singaporean, South Korean, Swedish, Turkish, Swiss, Ukrainian and Afghani Men, Women and Children to safety.

We especially need to remember those 13 men and women of the US Military who gave their lives during the Evacuation (as well as every American Solider who fought to protect us over the past 20 years.)

As we hold our heads down in shame for what the Politicians have done in our name it is now time to hold those responsible for the disorganization, chaos and deaths accountable for their actions (and inactions.)

Biden, as the Commander-In Failure, is at the top of that list. His words: “We will get you out!” ring as hollow as all his other promises (made to our Western Allies, our Afghani Allies and to us - the American people.)

Only after we hold all those responsible for all of this (Biden, his Advisors, etc.) can we ever hope to one day hold our heads high again and have others take our words and actions as serious promises and not merely lies.

We also need to help the men, women and children that fled for their lives with only the clothes on their backs (their only crime being that they helped us over the past 20 years.)

The already tired and heroic men and women of the US Military – who worked countless hours to bring people to safety and freedom – now have to work even more countless hours to also feed and house these hundreds of thousands of people.

 

US Leaves Kabul

From Reuters:

“Last U.S. forces leave Afghanistan after almost 20 years”

The United States on Monday said it had completed the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan following a chaotic airlift nearly 20 years after it had invaded the country in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America. More than 122,000 people have been flown out of Kabul since Aug. 14, the day before the Taliban - which harbored the al Qaeda militant group blamed for the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington - regained control of the country. The chief U.S. diplomat in Afghanistan, Ross Wilson, was on the last C-17 flight out, Marine General Frank McKenzie, the head of the U.S. Central Command, told a Pentagon news briefing.

The emergency air evacuation came to an end before a Tuesday deadline set by U.S. President Joe Biden, who inherited a troop withdrawal deal made with the Taliban by his predecessor Donald Trump and decided earlier this year to complete the pullout. The United States and its Western allies scrambled to save citizens of their own countries as well as translators, local embassy staff, civil rights activists, journalists and other Afghans vulnerable to reprisals. The evacuations became even more perilous when a suicide bomb attack claimed by Islamic State - enemy of both the West and the Taliban - killed 13 U.S. service members and scores of Afghans waiting by the airport gates on Thursday. Biden, who faced intense criticism at home and abroad over his decisions, promised after the bloody Kabul airport attack to hunt down the people responsible.

^ The United States has now completely withdrawn from Afghanistan (the last nation to do so) and so now the whole world has completely abandoned their own citizens and Afghani workers to the Terrorists. It is a sad day for the United States. It is a sad day for Afghanistan. It is a sad day for the world. ^

https://www.reuters.com/world/last-us-forces-leave-afghanistan-after-nearly-20-years-2021-08-30/

EU Removes US

From News Nation:

“EU takes US off safe travel list; backs travel restrictions”

The European Union recommended Monday that its 27 nations reinstate restrictions on tourists from the U.S. because of rising coronavirus infections there, but member countries will keep the option of allowing fully vaccinated U.S. travelers in. The decision by the European Council to remove the U.S. from a safe list of countries for nonessential travel reverses the advice that it gave in June, when the bloc recommended lifting restrictions on all U.S. travelers before the summer tourism season.

The EU’s decision reflects growing anxiety that the rampant spread of the virus in the U.S. could jump to Europe at a time when Americans are allowed to travel to the continent. Both the EU and the U.S. have faced rising infections this summer, driven by the more contagious delta variant. The guidance issued Monday is nonbinding, however. American tourists should expect a mishmash of travel rules across the continent since the EU has no unified COVID-19 tourism policy and national EU governments have the authority to decide whether or how they keep their borders open during the pandemic.

More than 15 million Americans a year visited Europe before the coronavirus crisis, and new travel restrictions could cost European businesses billions in lost travel revenues, especially in tourism-reliant countries like Croatia, which has been surprised by packed beachesand hotels this summer. “Nonessential travel to the EU from countries or entities not listed (on the safe list) … is subject to temporary travel restriction,” the council said in a statement. “This is without prejudice to the possibility for member states to lift the temporary restriction on nonessential travel to the EU for fully vaccinated travelers.” U.S. travelers would have to be immunized with one of the vaccines approved by the bloc, which includes Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson&Johnson.

Possible restrictions on U.S. travelers could include quarantines, further testing requirements upon arrival or even a total ban on all nonessential travel from the U.S. The EU recommendation doesn’t apply to Britain, which formally left the EU at the beginning of the year and opened its borders to fully vaccinated travelers from the U.S. earlier this month. The United States remains on Britain’s “amber” travel list, meaning that fully vaccinated adults arriving from the U.S. to the U.K. don’t have to self-isolate. A negative COVID-19 test within three days before arriving in the U.K. is required and another negative test is needed two days after arriving. The EU also removed Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro and North Macedonia from the safe travel list on Monday. Meanwhile, the United States has yet to reopen its own borders to EU tourists, despite calls from the bloc to do so. Adalbert Jahnz, the European Commission spokesperson for home affairs, said Monday that the EU’s executive arm remained in discussions with the Biden administration but so far both sides have failed to find a reciprocal approach. In addition to the epidemiological criteria used to determine the countries for which restrictions should be lifted, the European Council said that “reciprocity should also be taken into account on a case-by-case basis.”

The European Council updates the safe travel list based on criteria relating to coronavirus infection levels every two weeks. The threshold for being on the EU list is having not more than 75 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the last 14 days. The U.S. , meanwhile, is averaging more than 155,000 new coronavirus cases and 1,200 deaths per day, and several U.S. states have more COVID-19 patients in the hospital now than at any other time during the pandemic. Authorities in Oregon are seeking extra refrigerated trucks because morgues are at capacity and Florida is in a similar situation after a week in which more than 1,700 people died from the virus in the state. Hospitals are desperately running out of staff in several states, and the start of the school year has brought even more fears that the outlook will worsen as millions of unvaccinated students return to their classrooms. U.S. school districts have been struggling over whether to impose mask mandates, sometimes even suing in states where officials are against such requirements.

Vaccine hesitancy also remains a problem in many locations in the U.S., where 61% of the eligible population is inoculated against the virus. In contrast, Britain has fully vaccinated over 78% of adults and EU countries have inoculated nearly 70% of those over 18.

^ This doesn’t surprise me. Not only are US Covid cases rising quickly, but the US Federal Government still doesn’t allow non-Americans (including the vaccinated) to enter the country. ^

https://www.newsnationnow.com/health/coronavirus/eu-set-to-recommend-reinstating-restrictions-on-us-travelers/

Hard-Working States

From News Nation:

“Which states are the hardest-working?”

If you live in Alaska, your workdays might be a bit longer and there’s less time for leisure, according to a new study on the hardest-working states in the U.S. WalletHub compared several factors including the average hours in a workweek, the amount of vacation time left unused and average commute time. They found that Alaska had the highest average work week hours and lowest average leisure time of all 50 states surveyed. The state is known for its labor-intensive industries like fishing and mining which can require longer hours than office jobs more common in other states.

The full top 10 list includes:

Alaska

North Dakota

Nebraska

South Dakota

Texas

Wyoming

Oklahoma

Virginia

New Hampshire

Kansas

When it comes to the states that are the least hard-working, those states were more likely to have shorter workweeks and more leisure time spent per day.

 

The 10 least hard-working states in the country (ranked 41-50) includes:

Massachusetts

New Jersey

Illinois

Oregon

Michigan

Rhode Island

Connecticut

New York

West Virginia

New Mexico

WalletHub used data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics and other organizations to calculate their criteria which made a state more or less hard-working Most Americans work more than 8 hours a day. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the average American works 8.29 hours a day. One concern WalletHub addresses in its results is that you can work too hard and leisure time is important. Gallup found that 61% of women and 52% of men felt stressed on a typical day, before the pandemic. Burnout among employees is also rising with COVID-19 influencing growing stress and anxiety related to work. The job aggregator website Indeed found that 67% of all workers believe their burnout worsened during the pandemic. WalletHub does stress it is possible to work hard and not be burned out. When asked what that might look in the post-pandemic workplace, Josh Congdon-Hohman, College of the Holy Cross Associate Professor of Economics, stated to WalletHub changes will need to be made. “Employers will need to strike a balance between workplace needs and worker needs. Though employers and employees may want to return to pre-pandemic times, the threat from the virus and new variants, along with uncertainty for those who depend on regular child care from providers or schools, will likely mean differences in how we work together, where we work, and how we get things done,” Congdon-Hohman said.

^ This was interesting to read especially since I have lived in places on both sides of the list. ^

https://www.newsnationnow.com/business/which-states-are-the-hardest-working/

KSAR's Last Chance

From the Mirror:

“Hours left to save 250 animals trapped in Kabul as deadline for troops looms”

(Dogs to be rescued from Kabul)

Kabul Small Animal Rescue has launched an eleventh hour 'Operation Hercules' to pluck stricken dogs to safety from Kabul as the August 31 deadline for US troops to withdraw looms. A fresh rescue attempt is underway in hopes of saving animals stranded in Kabul - with a deadline for foreign forces to leave the country just hours away.

Kabul Small Animal Rescue (KSAR) is reported to have secured a plane to pluck animals and several shelter workers to safety. The bid to pluck dogs from the Afghanistan capital is drumming up widespread support for its campaign on social media. But the 'Operation Hercules' campaign says it requires US military support to fly out from Kabul's airport safely with the canine cargo, with just hours to go to troops' August 31 withdrawal deadline. Hamid Karzai airport has been the scene of building tension as the date for US and UK troops and other foreign militaries to exit Afghanistan looms. The airport was struck by a deadly ISK terror attack last week, killing Afghans waiting to flee Taliban rule, along with US troops and British nationals.

The latest animal rescue mission comes after British former Marine Pen Farthing returned to the UK safely on Sunday with a planeload of rescue animals. His high-profile mission sparked controversy as some critics said all rescue operations should have put stricken people ahead of dogs and cats. Dominic Dyer, an animal welfare campaigner, said Mr Farthing had been forced to travel back to the UK with the animals alone after being told it was not possible to find people to fill the plane's seats. The ex-Marine had tried to help shelter staff to flee, but they remain in the country and in contact with the charity, Mr Dyer said, adding that efforts are underway to try to get them out.

Now, the SPCA international is urging supporters to lobby US President Joe Biden and his deputies in a bid to use remaining US forces resources at the airport to get KSAR staff and animals to safety. 'Operation Hercules' is being spearheaded by an American in Kabul named Charlotte Maxwell-Jones who has been trying to evacuate around 250 animals and 40 workers, NBC reports. Ms Maxwell-Jones claimed Taliban militants had asked her to leave without the workers and animals, but she told the broadcaster she won't flee without them. She said in recent days: “I'm working on getting out with my staff, and so if it is all on one plane, I go with them. "But I think I want to make sure that everybody's on the flight first.”

According to KSAR's public campaign updates the charity has since secured a plane to whisk dogs out of Kabul, but it requires support from US forces to leave safely. US veteran and campaigner for KSAR, Tommy Amenta, tweeted a video on Sunday to update supporters, saying "this is our last shot." He said the previous two aircrafts commissioned for the job had fallen through, and the third and final craft due to land Sunday night was the last option for getting the animals out of Kabul. He said: "This plane is our last chance." KSAR tweeted on Sunday: "Things continue to change and progress and change again by the minute. We have the attention of who we need at this time. Thanks so much for getting us to this point." The latest animal rescue bid is being launched amid a deepening crisis as exiting forces take their final flights out of Kabul, leaving people unable to be processed in time to make their escape. There were widespread reports of rocket fire near the airport as the US nears the complete withdrawal of its troops from the city. As many as five rockets were fired at Kabul's international airport overnight Sunday but were intercepted by a missile defence system, a US official told the Reuters news agency.

^ There are only a few more hours until the last American Troops leave Kabul (every other country has already left) so this is the last chance to save the Kabul Small Animal Rescue (their animals and people.) ^

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/hours-left-save-250-animals-24866763

Monday!

 

Afghan's Gen Z

From Reuters:

“Afghanistan's 'Gen Z' fears for future and hard-won freedoms”

When 20-year-old Salgy found out last week that she had topped some 200,000 students who took Afghanistan's university entrance exam this year, she was elated. For months, she had locked herself away in her room in the capital Kabul to study, sometimes forgetting to eat. With her family crowding round their solar-powered TV as the results came in, she realised her hard work had paid off. "That was a moment when I felt someone gifted me the whole world," Salgy, who like many in the country goes by one name, told Reuters. "My mother cried out of happiness and I cried with her." That feeling turned almost immediately to worry when she remembered the events of the previous weeks. Following the withdrawal of the bulk of the remaining U.S. forces in Afghanistan, the Taliban began a lightning advance across the country, culminating in the fall of Kabul on Aug. 15. "We are faced with a very uncertain future, thinking what will happen next," Salgy told Reuters. "I think I am the luckiest and unluckiest person."

Almost two third of Afghans are under the age of 25, and an entire generation cannot even remember the Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until it was toppled by Western-backed militia in 2001. During that time they enforced a strict interpretation of Islamic law, banning girls from school, women from work and carrying out public executions. Since 2001, the militants fought an insurgency in which thousands of Afghans died. Since re-taking power, the group has been quick to reassure students that their education would not be disrupted, also saying it would respect the rights of women and urging talented professionals not to leave the country. But used to a life with cellphones, pop music and mixing of genders, Afghanistan's "Generation Z" – born roughly in the decade around the turn of the millennium - now fears some freedoms will be taken away, according to interviews with half a dozen Afghan students and young professionals. "I made such big plans, I had all these high reaching goals for myself that stretched to the next 10 years," said Sosan Nabi, a 21-year-old graduate. "We had a hope for life, a hope for change. But in just one week, they took over the country and in 24 hours they took all our hopes, dreams snatched from in front of our eyes. It was all for nothing." A Taliban spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions for this article.

HARD-WON FREEDOMS On the morning of Aug. 15, as the Taliban neared Kabul, 26-year-old Javid rushed home from the university where he worked after graduating. He declined to give his full name out of fear of reprisals. He deleted all emails and social media messages he had shared with foreign organizations and governments, especially the United States. He took hard copies of certificates given by U.S.-funded development programs to the backyard of his house and set them on fire. He broke a glass trophy received for that work against the floor. Many Afghans working for overseas organisations have tried to flee the country in the last two weeks. With little to go on but stories from parents about the Taliban, some young people said they were afraid, whatever the reality of the situation on the ground. The first time many of them ever saw members of the group was patrolling streets after their conquest of Kabul. Besides safety, young people Reuters spoke to said they worried other hard-won freedoms could be taken away. Secondary school enrolment rose from 12% in 2001 to 55% in 2018, according to the World Bank. From a time when a single state-owned radio station broadcast mainly calls to prayer and religious teachings, Afghanistan now has an estimated 170 radio stations, over 100 newspapers and dozens of TV stations. That's not to mention smartphones and the Internet – non-existent under Taliban rule – giving young people access to events beyond Afghanistan's borders, said Elaha Tamim, an 18-year-old who also just passed her university entrance exam. "It is something we all use at all times," she said. "We use it for entertainment when we want to relax, it's our way of discovering what's happening in the rest of the world. I don't want to lose that."

WOMEN'S RIGHTS Some young women are particularly concerned by the Taliban's victory. The number of girls in primary school rose from effectively zero under the Taliban to over 80%, according the World Bank. The Taliban has said it will respect the rights of girls to go to school this time around, though Javid said many female students at his university had stopped coming to class out of fear.  "I grew up in an environment where we were free, we could go to school, we could go out and about," Tamim said. "My mother tells stories of her bitter time (under the Taliban). Those stories are frightening." Ammar Yasir, a member of the Taliban's political office in Doha, personally congratulated Salgy - the student who topped the university entrance exams - on Twitter for her results, and for gaining admission to medical school. She now hopes to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor, despite the uncertainty. "If the Taliban allow girls access to higher education and they don't create barriers for them then that is good, otherwise my whole life's struggle is at risk," she said. Despite the assurances, some people Reuters spoke to said they were desperate to leave, but didn't know how. "If I thought me staying here would bring any hope of a positive change then I would be ready, like the thousands of other young people, to give up my life for it," Naby said. "But we all know that isn't a reality."

^ It is extremely sad to think that Afghanistan went from a modern and open society to a backyards Islamist Terrorist Dictatorship all in a matter of 11 days. It seems all the hard work and freedoms that were gained over the past 20 years have simply disappeared. The Taliban say they have changed, but so-far their actions do not support that. ^

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/afghanistans-gen-z-fears-future-hard-won-freedoms-2021-08-30/

Only X Number

I hope that any person (Politician or not) from any country that says they "only" abandoned X number of their Citizens and Allies in Afghanistan will one day get the pleasure of being the only person we abandon to Terrorist groups like the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and ISIS.

Military Support

The United States of America has not had the Military Draft since 1973 and so has relied on an All-Volunteer Military for 48 years.

That means that every single American Solider, Sailor, Airman/woman in the US Military today choses to risk their lives to keep complete strangers (Americans and Foreigners) safe around the country and the world.

Before the Draft ended in 1973 a survey done throughout the United States found that 86% of all Americans either served, were serving or knew a family member that was serving in the US Military.

In 2019 a survey done throughout the United States found that 1% of all Americans either served, were serving or knew a family member that was serving in the US Military.

Despite the vast majority of Americans no longer having any direct contact with the US Military and so support has been down for decades the men and women of the US Military continue to risk their lives to protect the United States and the rest of the world on every single continent and have a military presence in most countries.

The 13 men and women of the US Military who died at the Kabul Airport (and the 18 US Soldiers wounded) on August 26, 2021 did so protecting Americans, Afghanis and other nationalities.

They were working hard, under impossible conditions to save thousands upon thousands (over 150,000 so far) of: American, Canadian, British, French, Polish, Spanish Dutch, Australian, Belgian, Azeri, Austrian, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Latvian, Lithuanian, Luxembourgish, Mexican, New Zealander, Pakistani, Indian, Nepali, Russian, Filipino, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovakian, Slovenian, Singaporean, South Korean, Swedish, Turkish, Swiss, Ukrainian and Afghani Men, Women and Children.

The Suits (Biden, his Advisors, the Politicians, etc.) create and end the wars.

The Boots (the men and women of the US Military - the US Army, the US Air Force, the US Marine Corps., the US Space Force, the US Navy and the US Coast Guard) have to keep the world safe within the terms the Suits set on them.

Keep THAT in mind when you think about what is going on around the world right now.

It's the Suits' (not the Boots') fault for the chaos and death. 

(I realize I already used the meme recently, but it is worth reposting.)

The Cost

From the BBC:

“Afghanistan: What has the conflict cost the US and its allies?”

With the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan and the takeover by the Taliban, we look at how much the US and its Nato allies have spent in the country in 20 years of military operations.

What forces were sent in? The US invaded in October 2001 to oust the Taliban, whom they said were harbouring Osama Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda figures linked to the 9/11 attacks. US troop numbers grew as Washington poured in billions of dollars to fight a Taliban insurgency and fund reconstruction, peaking at about 110,000 in 2011. US troop levels in Afghanistan. 2002 - 2020. Chart showing US troop levels in Afghanistan from 2002 to 2019 2020 figure as of December. Last year, there were just 4,000 US troops. Official data may not always include special operations forces, and other temporary units. Other countries were also part of the foreign troop presence in the country, including other members of the Nato alliance. But the US had by far the biggest single contingent.

What is the Nato defence alliance? Nato formally ended its combat mission in December 2014, but kept a 13,000-strong force there to help train Afghan forces and support counter-terrorism operations. There have also been significant numbers of private security contractors in Afghanistan. This included as of the last quarter of 2020 more than 7,800 US citizens, according to US Congress research.

How much money has been spent? The vast majority of spending in Afghanistan has come from the US. Between 2010 to 2012, when the US for a time had more than 100,000 soldiers in the country, the cost of the war grew to almost $100bn a year, according to US government figures. As the US military shifted its focus away from offensive operations and concentrated more on training up Afghan forces, costs fell sharply. By 2018 annual expenditure was around $45bn, a senior Pentagon official told the US Congress that year. According to the US Department of Defense, the total military expenditure in Afghanistan (from October 2001 until September 2019) had reached $778bn. In addition, the US state department - along with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and other government agencies - spent $44bn on reconstruction projects.

That brings the total cost - based on official data - to $822bn between 2001 and 2019, but it doesn't include any spending in Pakistan, which the US uses as a base for Afghan-related operations. According to a Brown University study in 2019, which has looked at war spending in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, the US had spent around $978bn (their estimate also includes money allocated for the 2020 fiscal year). The study notes that it is difficult to assess the overall cost because accounting methods vary between government departments, and they also change over time, leading to different overall estimates. The UK and Germany - who had the largest numbers of troops in Afghanistan after the US - spent an estimated $30bn and $19bn respectively over the course of the war. Despite pulling out nearly all their troops, the US and Nato have promised a total of $4bn a year until 2024 to fund Afghanistan's own forces. So far this year, Nato has sent $72m worth of supplies and equipment to Afghanistan.

Where has the money gone? The bulk of the money spent in Afghanistan has been on counter-insurgency operations, and on the needs of troops such as food, clothing, medical care, special pay and benefits. Official data shows that since 2002, the US has also spent about $143.27bn on reconstruction activities in Afghanistan. More than half ($88.32bn) was spent on building up Afghan security forces, including the Afghan National Army and police force. Nearly $36bn has been allocated for governance and development, while smaller amounts were also allocated for anti-drug efforts and for humanitarian aid. Some of this money has been lost to waste, fraud and abuse over the years. In a report to the US Congress in October 2020, the watchdog responsible for the oversight of reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan estimated that about $19bn had been lost this way between May 2009 and December 31, 2019.

What about the human cost?

Since the war against the Taliban began in 2001, there have been more than 3,500 coalition deaths, of which more than 2,300 have been US soldiers. More than 450 UK troops have died. A further 20,660 US soldiers have been injured in action. But these casualty figures are dwarfed by the loss of life among Afghan security forces and civilians. President Ghani said in 2019 that more than 45,000 members of the Afghan security forces had been killed since he became president five years earlier. Brown University's research in 2019 estimated the loss of life amongst the national military and police in Afghanistan to be more than 64,100 since October 2001, when the war began. And according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (Unama), nearly 111,000 civilians have been killed or injured since it began systematically recording civilian casualties in 2009.

^ To understand a War you need to look at all sides (the Politics, the Politicians, the Groups, the Financial Costs, the History, the Militaries Involved, the Civilian Casualties, the Military Casualties) to get the full pictures. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-47391821

Category 4

 From the AP:

“Hurricane Ida rapidly intensifies into dangerous Category 4, to hit Louisiana Sunday”

Hurricane Ida was rapidly intensifying early Sunday, becoming a dangerous Category 4 hurricane on track for a potentially devastating landfall on the Louisiana coast while emergency officials in the region grappled with opening shelters for displaced evacuees despite the risks of spreading the coronavirus. As Ida moved through some of the warmest ocean water in the world in the northern Gulf of Mexico, its top winds grew by 45 mph to 150 mph,  just 6 mph shy of a Category 5 hurricane until landfall. Only four Category 5 hurricanes have made landfall in the United States: Michael in 2018, Andrew in 1992, Camille in 1969 and the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935.

The system was expected to make landfall Sunday afternoon, set to arrive on the exact date Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years earlier. The storm was centered about 65 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River, and 80 miles south-southeast of costal Grand Isle, Louisiana. It was traveling northwest at 15 mph. Ida threatened a region already reeling from a resurgence of COVID-19 infections, thanks to low vaccination rates and the highly contagious delta variant. New Orleans hospitals planned to ride out the storm with their beds nearly full, as similarly stressed hospitals elsewhere had little room for evacuated patients. And shelters for those fleeing their homes carried an added risk of becoming flashpoints for new infections.

Gov. John Bel Edwards vowed Saturday that Louisiana’s “resilient and tough people” would weather the storm. He also noted shelters would operate with reduced capacities “to reflect the realities of COVID.” Edwards said Louisiana officials were already working to find hotel rooms for many evacuees so that fewer had to stay in mass shelters. He noted that during last year’s hurricane season, Louisiana found rooms for 20,000 people. So, we know how to do this,” Edwards said. “I hope and pray we don’t have to do it anywhere near that extent.”

In coastal Gulfport, Mississippi, a Red Cross shelter posted signs displaying directions for evacuees along with warnings about COVID-19. With skies still sunny, only a handful of people had shown up Saturday evening. Shelter manager Barbara Casterlin said workers were required to wear face masks. Evacuees were encouraged to do the same. Anyone who refuses will be sent to an isolated area, she said, and so will people who are sick. “We’re not checking vaccinations,” Casterlin said, “but we are doing temperature checks two or three times a day.” President Joe Biden approved emergency declarations for Louisiana and Mississippi ahead of Ida’s arrival.

Comparisons to the Aug. 29, 2005, landfall of Katrina weighed heavily on residents bracing for Ida. A Category 3 storm, Katrina was blamed for 1,800 deaths as it demolished oceanfront homes in Mississippi and caused levee breaches and catastrophic flooding in New Orleans. In Saucier, Mississippi, Alex and Angela Bennett spent Saturday afternoon filling sand bags to place around their flood-prone home. Both survived Katrina, and didn’t expect Ida to cause nearly as much destruction where they live, based on forecasts. “Katrina was terrible. This ain’t gonna be nothing,” Alex Bennett said. “I hate it for Louisiana, but I’m happy for us.”

Long lines formed at gas pumps Saturday as people rushed to escape. Trucks pulling saltwater fishing boats and campers streamed away from the coast on Interstate 65 in Alabama, while traffic jams clogged Interstate 10 heading out of New Orleans. Ida intensified so swiftly that New Orleans officials said there was no time to organize a mandatory evacuation of its 390,000 residents. Mayor LaToya Cantrell urged residents to leave voluntarily. Those who stayed were warned to prepare for long power outages amid sweltering heat. Officials also stressed that the levee and drainage systems protecting the city had been much improved since Katrina. But they cautioned flooding was still possible with up to 24 inches of rain forecast in some areas. Edwards said 5,000 National Guard troops were being staged in 14 Louisiana parishes for search and rescue efforts. And 10,000 linemen were on standby to respond to electrical outages.

Ida posed a threat far beyond New Orleans. A hurricane warning was issued for nearly 200 miles of Louisiana’s coastline, from Intracoastal City south of Lafayette to the Mississippi state line. A tropical storm warning was extended to the Alabama-Florida line. Meteorologist Jeff Masters, who flew hurricane missions for the government and founded Weather Underground, said Ida is forecast to move through “the just absolute worst place for a hurricane.” The Interstate 10 corridor between New Orleans and Baton Rouge is a critical hub of the nation’s petrochemical industry, lined with oil refineries, natural gas terminals and chemical manufacturing plants. Entergy, Louisiana’s major electricity provider, operates two nuclear power plants along the Mississippi River. A U.S. Energy Department map of oil and gas infrastructure shows scores of low-lying sites in the storm’s projected path that are listed as potentially vulnerable to flooding.

^ Batten-down the hatches! Hopefully it won’t be as bad as Katrina. ^

https://www.newsnationnow.com/weather/hurricane-ida-rapidly-intensifies-into-dangerous-category-4/