In The News: H/t to ChrisM my MP3Angel for supplying the audio files. [After the commentary, from another time, and another war, The United States Of America Band celebrates the American Metaphysical Circus... and the price is right, the cost of one admission is your mind. Courtesy of the respective artists.] «o» Have you heard? The war on Iraq is "Over" on the first of next year! How come Americans aren't dancing in the streets and soldiers cavorting with the girls? Because many of those soldiers are going to be moved right next door to Kuwait, awaiting a renewal of hostilities, or perhaps to be re-deployed to Afghanistan to lay waste to that beleaguered nation before we're forced out of that country as well. Then MAYBE, we'll engage in a war against Afghanistan AND Pakistan in the near future.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai told Pakistan's Geo Television in an interview aired on Saturday that Afghanistan would support Pakistan if it were to go to war with the United States, or any other nation, calling Afghanistan "a brother" to Pakistan (Reuters, NYT, AP, WSJ, Guardian). The interview sparked a wave of criticism from many Afghans, particularly in the north if the country, who believe that Pakistan is responsible for much of their ongoing struggle with militancy. It is unclear when the interview was recorded, but its broadcast came just after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left Pakistan, where she pushed the government to facilitate reconciliation in Afghanistan, while at the same time pressing Pakistan to take more action against insurgents (AP, LAT, Post, Reuters). Pakistani officials have said that Pakistan made it clear to the visiting U.S. delegation that it is willing to assist the reconciliation process, but opening a front against the Haqqani Network based in North Waziristan is not an option, [More, with links]

The reason for the pullout from Iraq? US citizens will no longer be immune from prosecution under Iraqi law, and that includes military personnel. But our troop removal, advertised (choice of word intentional) by president Obama as 'forced' by Iraqi decree has some Withdrawal Symptoms, and "Cold Turkey" IS NOT what Doctor Strangelove ordered. From Chris Floyd:

Withdrawal Symptoms: Curtain Rises on Second Act of an Endless War Crime Monday, 24 October 2011 by Chris Floyd Barack Obama has announced that all American troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of the year. This was presented as America honorably adhering to the agreement signed years ago by the Bush Administration. At the same time, White House and Pentagon spinners were planting stories to make clear that the United States had fully intended to continue its military presence in Iraq past the deadline, but was thwarted by the Iraqis' unconscionable refusal to allow American forces to commit crimes with impunity -- and immunity -- on Iraqi soil. These backroom "process" stories -- filled, as always, with unnamed insiders providing savvy "nuance" -- were detailed, laying out a long series of negotiations, ending in what was clearly the Americans' chief goal: a military presence of 3,000-5,000 troops, placed strategically around the country, with a main focus in Baghdad. These negotiations failed; hence Obama's announcement that he was being forced to honor the existing agreement on withdrawal. At the same time, however, we are also told that the State Department will maintain "at least" 5,000 armed "security personnel" -- mercenaries of various stripes. These 5,000 militarized (if not officially military) troops will be stationed in strategic locations around the country, where the United States will establish mini-fortress "consulates" in Iraqi cities, with a main focus in Baghdad. So the Americans had a baseline goal of 3,000 armed personnel remaining in Iraq; they will now have a minimum of 5,000 armed personnel remaining in Iraq. It could be argued that the original intent was to have the 3,000-5,000 uniformed troops in addition to the 5,000 mercenaries, and thus the Americans have taken a bit of a haircut in the occupation department: 5,000 instead of combined total of 8,000 (or a top end of 10,000.) Maybe so. But the fact remains that whatever else happens, the American government will have a minimum of 5,000 men under arms, stationed all across the conquered land. What's more, there is apparently no limit on the number of such mercenaries the Americans can employ to provide "security" for the thousands of other American government operatives who will remain. Any number of pretexts could provide excuses for a "surge" in "security contractors": 8,000, 10,000, 20,000 -- who's to say how many will ultimately be "needed" to combat "terrorists"? So we have a baseline of 5,000 militarized forces remaining indefinitely in Iraq, with no immediate limit on an expansion in their numbers. And of course, all the stories make it abundantly clear that the Americans will quickly negotiate a new "security agreement" with Iraq, which will include -- or even be in addition to -- thousands of military "advisers" to help "train" the Iraqi forces, especially with the multitude of new weapons that Washington's war profiteers are lining up to sell to the "sovereign" government in Baghdad. How many troops will be involved in these "agreements"? Thousands? Tens of thousands? Again, we don't know... [In Full]

You might also want to note we left quite a few people behind who won't be dancing in the streets in Iraq OR America:

"We don't do body counts" ~~General Tommy Franks _src

But, of course that was just another lie:

"The Wikileaks Iraq war logs provide us with a unique picture of every death in Iraq. These are those events mapped using Google Fusion tables." When the Hand Cursor points at a red dot, click once for the specifics of that particular death.

«o» The Senate is in recess and will apparently work on "Job Bill II" when they return. Meanwhile the president is using that time to take a three day tour of the Western United States, Nevada, California, and Colorado, to announce his backup plan for the rapidly failing job bill which will be executive actions such as a loosening of loan requirements for individuals to refinance on their failing mortgages and he may also find a way to repair highways under executive privilege. More at Reuters. «o» There has been a Richter 7.5 (7.2?) earthquake in Eastern Turkey which has razed the provincial capital of Van and towns nearby. It happened at lunchtime. Several hundred are known dead so far and more than a thousand people have been injured in a land where "ReBar" is only a rumor. The quake also forced hundreds of thousands of people to spend a cold, sleepless night out in the open. «o» The heir apparent to the Saudi throne, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz has died at 83. He was a pivotal member of the royal family involved in the matters of the kingdom and it's unclear who will replace him. Bloomberg on that. In OTHER News: NOW he's talking like a Republican!

Ron Paul plans to ‘eventually’ end all federal student aid o o o “Because there’s no (congressional) authority to do this and just think of all this willingness to want to help every student to get a college education. So, they’re a trillion dollars in debt, we don’t have any jobs for them, the quality of education has gone down. So, it’s a failed program.” Last week in Las Vegas, Paul put forth his plan to slash $1 trillion from the federal budget by ending the departments of Energy, Education, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce and Interior. The Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drug Administration and Department of Defense would also see deep cuts." [In full with the "Meet The Press" segment in which he said this]

Meanwhile, in Sweden, "Drunk elk found in apple tree near Gothenburg" BBC Reports! A homeowner in southern Sweden got a shock when he found a drunken elk stuck in his neighbour's apple tree. The animal was apparently on the hunt for fermenting apples when she lost her balance and became trapped in the tree. Per Johansson, from Saro near Gothenburg, found the elk making a roaring noise in the garden next door. He called the emergency services, who helped him free the boozed-up beast by sawing off branches. She spent the night recovering in the garden. The next day she took herself off into the woods with her hangover. It is not unusual to see elk, or moose as they are known in North America, drunk in Sweden during autumn, when there are plenty of apples about. Other residents of Saro had seen the elk on the loose in the preceding days. Mr Johansson said the elk appeared to be sick, drunk, or "half-stupid", the Associated Press reported. (Source, BBC) Last, but certainly not least... What #Occupy IS REALLY about. America's "Five Planet Lifestyle", and American "Exceptional" rationalizations and denials that allow us to go about blithely destroying the planet we live on without an apparent care in the world.

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This is Razer Raygun saying 'Happy Motoring America...' Enjoy it while you can. Remember... You can see what class war war looks like if you pay attention: (PLEASE try to keep your government from killing all the dusky natives...) -30-
Creative Commons Copyright Courtesy of Cabale News Service, KPIG Radio, and KVMR Radio. Listen to KVMR Recorded & transcribed by Razer Raygun @ Razed By Wolves Postings Auntie Imperial and Razer Raygun Have Done Lately Are [Here] The Consolidated Items Listing in RSS format [Here] Travus T. Hipp Fan Page @ Facebook (unaffiliated) In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 and The Berne Convention on Literary and Artistic Works, Article 10, the news clippings, audio, and images used in this posting are made available without profit for research and educational purposes.

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