Trillions they say. Trillions.  And all I find is a penny now and then on the side walk.

The Public Service Messages that are aired on the radio from time to time should take hold of this opportunity.  Instead of the old, “Never has a man stood so tall as when stooped to help a child.” They should air the rebrand of American style Capitalism into something like, “Never has a nation stood so far above others in its desire to extract the native wealth of others.”

But this discovery is all talk.  Hold your cash.

Watch the FDI.  Watch to see if the charges against James Risen are mysteriously dropped.  He is now the Judith What’s-Her-Name of the Ny Times who reported with Michael Gerson that indeed Iraq had plans to build a nuclear bomb.

She went to Kiddie jail for a day or so.

We’ve come a long way.  Infortunately, it’s all in a circle.

But James “Jimmy Boy” Risen has identified himself as another journalist who can’t be trusted.

So, it’s a win one situation.  James Risen can now be ignored.

Two Journalists in one week:  Helen Thomas and James Risen.

Helen’s grand exit, though, showed some character and some smarts.

Mr. Risen, your bread has risen.  Go home.  Try teaching in some community college.

Maybe the Afghans should first speak with our native American tribes, especially the Sioux.

Gold! Gold I tell ya!  I am packing my bags and heading to Afghanistan to mine my fortune out of dem dar hills.

This is just a spin story to win more popular support for an increasingly unpopular war.  Quite a coincidence that the news of the “trillion dollar find” comes out just a week or so after it was announced that the cost of the wars had officially gone over a trillion.

Now we have to stay in Afghanistan to protect the resources from falling into the hands of the Taliban and being used to fund terrorists.  So stop all discussion about getting out, we can’t cut and run, too much is at stake!

Referring to maani’s post I say, “Laisez le bon temp roulez.

This is what the we’ve been asking for since the SDS of the 60s:  You got the cujones; show ‘em.

That dog on CNN’s Sunday morning GSP program pressed the President of Yemen to OK US drone attacks in his country.  I saw it and heard it.

Drones are the thing.  Like the latest diet craze.

But don’t forget we could move Israelis in amongst us, neighborhood by neighborhood.  Then what are they going to do?

Forget it.

The Drone strategy is soon to go the way of the aerial bombing— a lot of noise and desttruction resulting in al lot of hatred and determination.

And don’t forget the Huamnkind that you are asking to do this and become unpeople. 

We are like the Koreans in so many way, including learning.

Sorry, billion should have been trillion.

One billion dollars is pocket money for the Department of Defense nowadays. Discovery, schmiscovery. It is no big deal.

I feel sorry for Afghanistan. If they actually have the have natural resources we are going to take it all by hook or by crook, leaving the country poorer and miserable, except for the few puppet leaders that we’ll allow to ‘rule’ the country as long as they don’t upset the apple cart. See what happened to Saddam and Noriega?

But what the fu*k does it really matter. We are all going to hell in a hand basket. Half the people think the democrats are going to save them, the other half think the tea party is going to save them. The wars are still going on, the corporate elite are the only ones being bailed out, we don’t address real solutions or even identify the real problems, people delude themselves into thinking there will be a recovery, the Gulf of Mexico is becoming a wasteland, no one is asking people to conserve, our food supply is being Monsantified and toxic, and I have lost all expectation that the masses will rise up and say enough is enough.

Where is justice and compassion? MIA

When you are on a path, don’t be surprised when you arrive at its destination. Our path is paved with tears and blood, and the ones doing it are psychopaths who only use one criteria for making a decision, “What’s in it for me. And the hell with everybody else.” This includes Obama, Bush, Clinton, and most of our political and corporate elite.

And the elite aren’t so smart, they think they can survive intact separated from the damage and harm they cause. But everything is connected, there is no escape in the long run.

so it goes,

Maani…..  I thought everyone on Truth Dig realized
    that this is a very mainstream website that does
    little to embaress the government , especially
    the Democrat Party…

    You know well that one is not going to find
    much indepth ivestigative journalism on these
    threads…Truth Dig is for entertainment only.

    Even Hedges, is losing his cult like following
    as he strips himself naked each week exposing
    himself as just another Democrat apologist
    journalist.
  Truth Dig is just for letting off steam., nothing
  of any worth is going to be exposed here.

Here we go again.  U.S. service men and women will get to fight and die and tax
payers will get to pay for someone’s stinking profits.

WE INTERRUPT THIS THREAD TO BRING YOU A SPECIAL REPORT.  THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAS DROPPED ALL PRETENSE THAT IT IS NOT MOVING TOWARD PROTO-TOTALITARIANISM.  PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE AND NOTE THAT THERE IS NOT EVEN A SINGLE WORD ABOUT PRIVACY OR CIVIL LIBERTIES.  I HAVE ASKED TD TO POST THIS ARTICLE AS A NEW THREAD.  TAKE A DEEP BREATH!!

http://www.rr.com/news/topic/article/rr/9008/14001503/Feds_under_pressure_to_open_US_skies_to_drones

My reaction to the title of this article

HA HA HA HA HA HO HO HO HO HO

Just found,  the Russians missed it
The Afghan industrialists missed it

Just the good ole cowboys from the U.S. could
find these minerals, the same ones that don’t know
how to stop an oil gusher
My comments once again….HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

I have always suspected that there was a “real reason” for this invasion – now we finally have it!

They could use the “diggin for Osama’s body” ruse.

I guess they can strip mine it without any EPA oversight.  Use arsenic and all the methods outlawed in the U.S., what the hell the land is polluted by DU dust anyway.

Hey captain Suave, too bad Columbia doesn’t share a border with Bolivia.

If the U.S. was foolish enough to invade Bolivia, they could expect to fight every Latino from Chile to Mexico and those in the U.S. legally and illegally.

I read months ago on the Wiki that Balochistan on the Afghanistan border potentially has the largest copper deposits in the world.

pagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balochistan_(Pakistan)

hello. i do not understand where this is going. deserve less, want more, do nothing, lithium, the Brits- we are losing so badly there now, that the Taliban wants us to dig them new caves. i appreciate the Reuters’ post (could not remember where i read that), and as poker: i see the Brits want to abandon any support (gave a recent jab regarding publicly trouncing Bipartisan Pain/BP), and this may be directed more at them, than communists with big shovels: but does nobody realize lithium is being replaced? that photo does resemble my friend Clint on good days, when he can remember where he left his .44 magnum. the cover photo, of the shepherd and the desolate wilderness, more profoundly illustrates the fallacy of a war in Afghanistan. we are tourists, without visas, masquerading as democrats, wielding death.

Rico, Suave asks:

“Why don’t we invade Bolivia?

Don’t be silly. Why would Israel want us to invade Bolivia?

Invading Bolivia would entail taking some troops out of Iraq or Afghanistan,
where they are currently positioned bordering Iran on opposite sides—ready
to murder the Persians en masse for the Jewish Democracy ™ at any moment.

Yes, the reason why we don’t invade Bolivia is the same reason that most of our
“National Guard” troops are stationed in the Middle East: because the “nation”
they’re “guarding”—Israel—is in the Middle East.

Any Afghan mineral wealth is just a tangential benefit: we might as well get
something out of it, as long as we’re stuck there.

The reason for not invading Bolivia is precisely the reason I stated.  We are in three wars already with two looming—North Korea and Iran.

Again, 53 % of Americans are against the war in Afghanistan.

But to spell it out.

We invaded Iraq because they supposedly had WMD. It took a few years of lies from Colin Powell and others to persuade Congeress to vote in favor of the war, though.
We invaded Afghanistan because supposedly that’s where Osama bin Laden and Al Quaeda lived. (Ooooooh.)
We started bombing Pakistan becuase bin Laden and Al Quaeda moved to Waziristan, wherever that is. I know, I know.  It’s eastern Pakistan.

We invaded Iraq the first time because they invaded Kuwait.  Before that, though, the US ignored Iraqi claims that Kuwait was slant drilling (an American technology) into Iraqi oil fields.  The US diplomats seemed to give Hussein the green light.

We invaded Grenada for some reason or another about Medical students being held captive.

We invaded Vietnam for the now proved phony assertion that North Vietnam attacked US ships in the Tonkin Gulf.

These trumped up charges all took time to develop. 

The myths of the Cold War and the myth that said there was an Arab plot to push Israel into the Meditterraen didn’t develop overnight.

They had to give it a some time, rico. suave.  You know, press, tv and all that.

The reason I don’t publish my photo is that I am honest and aware.  I wouldn’t publish MY photo.

Keep on truckin’

This article is typical of the bullshit that “some idiot, somewhere”  digs up and publishes for political reasons of one sort or another.

The first paragraph is a bold, flat lie.  Especially the part, “that is until a gang of American geologists working from old Soviet maps uncovered…”

New information has only increased the estimate of the wealth, but he fact that Afghanistan has vast mineral resources has is not new. 

They have been trying to develop these resources for years.  In 2007, they were able to get a huge contract with a Chinese mining firm to develop their copper reserves.  This alone will produce huge revenues to this poor country. 

Maybe some of the other countries vying for other contracts could help with the security and instability problems, so this nation could work its way out of poverty, and relying mostly on foreign aide and poppy growing for its GDP.

Anyone who thinks the US Government owns these reserves or has any claim to them is absolutely wrong and speaking out of the wrong part of their body.   

America haters love to grab any piece of information, true or false, which can be used in their consistent tirades.  Any idiot could have quickly seen that this is not really news, and it is being used for political reasons only, whatever they may be. 

Here, for you lazy people who can’t check up on a story before you start railing against the US: 

—Excerpt from Reuters article dated April 2009.—

“Afghanistan currently relies on aid for around 90 percent of its budget, but its mines minister told Reuters last month the country is sitting on vast reserves of mineral wealth.

A U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) had shown the war-torn nation may hold far higher amounts of minerals than previously thought, with iron deposits alone estimated at between five to six billion tonnes, minister Mohammad Ibrahim Adel said.

He urged foreign firms to invest in the sector, and said he did not think the security situation would deter them.

China’s top integrated copper producer, Jiangxi Copper Co <0358.HK>, and China Metallurgical Group Corp, are going ahead with exploration of the vast Aynak Copper Mine, south of Kabul, after they won the contract to develop it last year.”  (actually, that was in 2007, I believe)

I wonder what the war casualty to mineral deposit ratio is?

Takes a lot of nerve—or mightly poor eyesight—to post a photo like that one.

Gringo imperialists, you are toast.

garth:

If Colombia is already our servant, and we need them for an invasion of Bolivia, why the delay?

My question was, “Why don’t we invade Bolivia?” It wasn’t “What percent of Americans oppose the Afghan war?”

How much intellectual firepower did you have to muster to beat me up about my photo? At least I have enough self-confidence to post one. Grow up.

By rico, suave, June 14 at 1:40 pm #

garth:

If lithium is worth a few more decades in Afghanistan, why don’t we save a ton of money and just invade Bolivia?

—————————————————-

Apparently, you are not an American.  Nor does it seem that you are not a citizen of this country, a country involved in three wars and many plots in many others.

As I said, this is poker now.  Geopolitical poker.

But to your question:  53 % percent of Americans are against the War in Afghanistan.  I’d guess the real percentage is much higher. 

Are you starting to get a clue?

The American’s propensity to invade any country, though, tells me that it would need bases in Colombia, the only knee-bending country in South America as of late, to fulfill that wet-dream.

But aside from that, your handle does not visually match your photo.  You look like an “Arnie Felcher” a flight attendant for El Al or an Air Traffic Controller at 5he Tel Aviv airport.

Maybe you dream of walking toward the camera in a white suit with a silk shirt opened at the neck, no tie, saying, “Io sono Franco Bolla.”

You remind me of the Germans who toured the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1972.  They farted and then looked at each other and laughed.  Your leaning forward in your picture seems to indicate you might be in a situation of pre-blast of a similar nature.

The real problem, as I saw it was reaffirmed with Negroponte’s appearance on C-SPAN this morning, you “unpeople” don’t seem to pay price.  Yet.

But I think it is coming.

They JUST found?

Pull the other one:  Why the fuck do you think they invaded the place?

Not just to insure that heroin gets to gringo junkies….

The Taliban’s ability to now claim that we’re “REALLY” there to exploit Afghanistan’s natural resources—priceless.

Let’s not forget that China won the bid on the copper mines ...

from the bbc:

However, questions are being asked about the timing of the release of the latest information.

The BBC’s Jill McGivering says that at a time of growing despair about Afghanistan and its government, the portrayal of the country as a potential goldmine could help to bolster international resolve and paint the country as a prize worth fighting for.

Lithium is an increasing vital resource, used in batteries for everything from mobile phones to laptops and key to the future of the electric car. Bolivia boasts the largest reserves

as they also say, it will take years of devleopment and (cough) “security” to permit extraction of this wealth—

before or after completing that much needed (but hopelessly stalled for years) long promised hydroelectric dam, I wonder…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/south_asia/10311752.stm

garth:

If lithium is worth a few more decades in Afghanistan, why don’t we save a ton of money and just invade Bolivia?

How surprising! 

Just think… this could be our big payoff for fighting The War on Terror for the Afghani’s.  (And if they don’t give—- we will take!)

Then again, Iran will have its new toy soon and given Obama’s spinelessness, I’m sure we will blink before Mahmoud does. And Afghanistan will be the site of the stare-down. Enter Russia, China and India into the vacuum.

Guess what les enfants?

And its coming soon. Farewell draw - down. For dat kind of money

“We’re in afghanistan for ever…..

Trillions of dollars worth of Lithium in Afghanistan.  Yeah, right.  And Jed Clampert found oil in his backyard in West Virginia, sold it and moved to Beverly Hills.

This is bluffing in geopolitical poker, and if I were Evo Morales in Bolivia sitting on the largest Lithium deposits, so far, in the world, I’d sit tight.  Watch the foreign direct investments (FDI) bit also keep in mind that these people have lots and lots of cash.  Maybe enough to afford a bluff that’ll force you to the negotiating table, but then again maybe not.

There is a free market, right.  You can mine your Lithium in relative peace, while in Afghanistan as of last Friday, McChrystal’s plan is not working.  He said it’ll be a bloody few months, this conquering of Kandahar.

Those damn, ignorant Afghanis.  Don’t they know who they’re fucking with?

So I’d tell Jimmy Carter and all those U.S. envoys who’ll be making return visits to Bolivia to go fuck themselves.

If they have as much Lithium to make Afhanistan the Saudi Arabia of Lithium, then does Hamid Kharzai become their Howdy Doody.

The article was written by James Risen of the NY Times.  Isn’t he under indictment for something dating back to his run in with the Bush administration.  I’d be suspicious.  Is this piece a Get Out of Jail Free Card.

AEI held a conference in suport of Free Market Capitalism this past week end.  It’s beginning to sound like the right wing’s belief of the attack on Christmas.

If you got it all wrapped up and Free Market Capitalism is the way to go with all its proven crimes and inequities, then why don’t you strap on a set of balls and run with it.

Their idea of free market capitalism is cheating or nickel and diming the rest of us out of what is rightly ours.  Cap & Trade, Charter Schools, privatized Social Security and Medicare are examples of their ideas.

Small government, no regulations, not taxes on the capital of the rich.  That’s their plan.

We can read the tabloids and dream of becoming the next superstar in whatever it is we dream about.

Professor Richard Wolff makes an interesting point.  He said the from 1940 to 1970 or thereabouts, Americans started to actually fulfill their dreams.  The dream of a house, a family, a steady job with benefits, children with a future.  All this was realized.  Now it is be grabbed by the greedy who are at their wit’s end in their efforts to continue wherre their grandparents left off before that traitor, FDR.

In 2000 I felt like Bush would be a one-term President so I accepted the Supreme Court’s decision.  In 2004, I and many like me were depressed because we knew Kerry won, but he conceded so abruptly. 
The British headlines read, “How Could 59 Million Americans Be So Dumb”
Now with Obama, we have what I again find hard to believe, but it’s true.  We have a third term of Bush.

When is this shit going to end?

Try honest business practices sans military.  Negotiate.  Make deals.  Be honest in the news reporting.  It’s all so easy.

Americans are over a barrel, you dimwits. 

If you are not smart enough to pull off the deal that gets you what you want, try not inter-marrying for a few generations.

rico, suave, June 14 at 10:29 am

We’re still the big dog. Russia, India, China and the
rest of the world are 2nd fiddle to our military and
they know it!
If this were a chess game (which it is) I’d be betting
on the Chinese; but they’re not ready yet and more
importantly they know it. The game is getting
interesting because nobody knows the outcome.
But we be in big trouble.

thecrow, June 14 at 10:54 am #
Ouroborus,

The truth never gets “old”, does it?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You do make a point! +1.

Ouroborus,

The truth never gets “old”, does it?

I am not concerned with “news”—only pattern recognition.

More “old news”:

http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2010/06/09/some-stunt/

“The previously unknown deposits
— including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold
and critical industrial metals like lithium…”

... and unobtanium! ... and kryptonite! ... whatever.

Good lord, is this whole thing going to get even worse now?

Ouroborus:

My point was, now that there is catnip in the air, Russia, China, and India will want a piece of the action. Til now, Afghanistan was a huge, worthless sinkhole for the US. You’re right, it’s our mess now, but I believe that will change fast.

Mundt:

I’m afraid I must agree.

Mundt, June 14 at 9:38 am

You get it! EOM.

rico, suave, June 14 at 9:22 am

Are you serious? We own this theater; for as long as we
allow it! Get it?

Wonderful. Some multi-national corporations will get richer, aome Afghan generals & politicians will collect some graft, the mines will be run by Europeans & Americans, the work-force will be imported from Bangladesh & Phillipines and will be housed in gated, guarded communities around the mines; and the average Afghan will get a boot in the chops.

thecrow, June 14 at 8:47 am #

Even without looking at the date; this is very old
news. Fail.

The US won’t stand a chance against the Russians, Chinese and Indians. They’ll be the ones going in there with the mining equipment while we stand around wringing our hands and worrying about how we’re going to be perceived by the “international community”.

Remember, the new US policy is “international cooperation” not cowboy unilateralism. Russia, China and India are going to “cooperate” us right out of there.

“Looky over here what I found, Sergeant! Surprise, surprise, surprise!”

http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2009/05/11/the-gas-must-flow/

PatrickHenry, June 14 at 7:28 am #
Gee, they found that out yesterday did they.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LOL. Yeah, can you believe it? LOL!

Gee, they found that out yesterday did they.

Paul Jay @ The Real News Network is also blogging about
this “new find”. Here’s a link;
http://tinyurl.com/246b4kl

Also, note the comment from a reader of his article.

HAHAHAHAHA. Knew it would eventually come out. Gee, if this story (and the mineral wealth in Afghanistan) had come out BEFORE the war got started, wouldn’t it just have ticked off the rest of the world? Wouldn’t everyone had been up in arms against America? Wouldn’t World Courts be threatening American Politicians with War Trials and execution if anyone had dared to voice the “idea” of starting a war to steal ... I mean a war to “rid the world of ‘Terrorists’?”

Ask instead how George The Shrub, failed oilman, “in” with vast numbers of oil profiteers, dealers, diggers and finders of “hidden treasure” in other people’s country got into the White House in the first damn place. And how on day 1, he was already flapping his gums about initiating war in a country that had NOTHING to do with anything! ... gee, funny how it all worked out with the Towers being brought down and Saddam and Bushy-wushy’s daddy, huh?

World? Our government and our citizens went there to establish true and undeniable hold until it was time to release the news of this “incredibly lucky” find. And now we’re going to steal it.

When the hell is the U.N. and every, single place in existence going to call for our arrest, trial and execution and get rid of the New Nazis? You didn’t learn the first time, didja?

****************

No, this is being reported like the u.s imperialism is saying
afghanistan has these minerals and ‘precious’ metals and gems,
when who do you think will be the real owners, actually, who are
the real owners now. I don’t see the highly vaunted u.s.a. just
letting these afghans claim this for themselves. If anything it is
just another excuse to keep the american military in there much
much longer and NOT allow afghans to extract THEIR own and
profit from their own mining.

Also, it could be the coverup of how they will build the oil pipe
line across afghanistan, because satellite probes would have
found this treasure trove decades ago.

This story is remarkable, if not incredulous! The New
York Times is really spinning this big time.
Anybody with half a brain who knows anything about
Afghanistan already knows it’s chock-a-block full of
gems, minerals, and elemental metals.
The NYT is reporting this as though this is a totally
unexpected “discovery”. Unadulterated crap!
The U.S. government has never had any intention of
leaving and now has the goose that lay’s golden eggs.
Of course it will be our responsibility to help the
Afghanis develop these “incredibly valuable”
resources to help Afghanistan get back on it’s feet.
And who knows; maybe it’ll pay for our expenses while
we’re at it.
Where have we heard that before; buckle up, here we
go again!