February 16, 2013
"If a case of soap is pilfered from a U.S. military base here or pinched from a NATO shipping container, it will probably, sooner or later, end up for sale in the Bush Market..."
"... a sort of thieves’ outlet mall in central Kabul. Named after George W. Bush, the U.S. president who launched the war in Afghanistan, the bazaar has flourished for more than eight years, thanks to the long presence of foreign troops that provided war booty aplenty. But in the Obama era, with its steady withdrawal of U.S. forces, the good times are ending in the sprawling hive of vendors who hawk mountains of Pop-Tarts and enough Head and Shoulders shampoo to combat the dandruff of untold army divisions."
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48 comments:
Democracy! Whiskey! Soapy!
Obama is an enemy of free enterprise everywhere it would seem.
Math is hard Baby!
the veil of islamic militancy will soon fall on Afganistan. Thank you Mr. Obama!
'Bush market' got my attention, but it wasn't what I hoped it was.
Oso Negro said...
Obama is an enemy of free enterprise everywhere it would seem.
===============
Hard to call it "free enterprise" when it is basically the neocon initiated transfer of collossal waste in material paid for by the US taxpayer to the Bush "Noble Freedom Lovers" of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Who despise us, consider any who kill and maim Americans as righteous (even those we pay to be on our side). But in the meantime, will be stealing, wheedling, and demanding all the bribes we can give them for good behavior..that will only last as long as the US taxpayer saps give the "Freedom Lovers! of Bush's Religion of Peace" the expected goodies.
Not that Obama is by any means a budget hawk...but we have been locked into squandering 100s of billions a year in wasted defense dollars "nation-building" resentful Muslims. And patching up maimed Americans and paying families of dead ones for neocon adventures the troops should have never ventured into the quagmire of once we routed Al Qaeda in Afghanistan by spring 2002.
Hey C-fudd, I saw you posted yesterday during working hours. Did you finally get fired from your job at the gas station?
It kinda makes sense - after your morning JO you knew you couldn't get it up for another 10-12 hours so to keep from having a sad you ranted about da joooooos chez Althouse, since you've been bounced from almost every other blog for gems like
This (#51)
bpm4532 said...
the veil of islamic militancy will soon fall on Afganistan. Thank you Mr. Obama!
==================
You know what? Fuck the Afghans. It's not our job to stay there another 50-80 years to "save" them from their own self-determination choices or Westernize them against their will.
And fuck the Neocons that still think after a war that has lasted years longer than even Vietnam did that it is our eternal moral obligation to stay there. Stay and piss away more 100s of billions when we are forced to start cutting the meat and bones of the US military here at home. We are basically broke.
If the militants attack us again or set up terror bases that LOOK like they are going to hit us - go back in and blow the fuck out of the place and don't give them a cent for "dead civilians" or rebuilding.
It's good practice to leave a case or two of condoms out where a local thief will find it.
They should be size extra-large, labeled medium.
Let me guess.
A place where people traded "lost" EBT cards or items purchased with public assistance, if called an "Obama Market", would be racist.
Even the term "Obama Phone" coined by one of his supporters was termed racist.
Rosen, who demonstrates that the old French, Brit, and German propaganda of his vile ilk emerging as rodents from a sewer was not an entirely unfair depiction.
Not too late for the craven Rosen to head off to defend recent land grabs in the ME..vs cheer it from the safety of being under his manhole cover.
Oso Negro said...
Obama is an enemy of free enterprise everywhere it would seem.
===============
Hard to call it "free enterprise" when it is basically the neocon initiated transfer of collossal waste in material paid for by the US taxpayer to the Bush "Noble Freedom Lovers" of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Who despise us, consider any who kill and maim Americans as righteous (even those we pay to be on our side). But in the meantime, will be stealing, wheedling, and demanding all the bribes we can give them for good behavior..that will only last as long as the US taxpayer saps give the "Freedom Lovers! of Bush's Religion of Peace" the expected goodies.
Not that Obama is by any means a budget hawk...but we have been locked into squandering 100s of billions a year in wasted defense dollars "nation-building" resentful Muslims. And patching up maimed Americans and paying families of dead ones for neocon adventures the troops should have never ventured into the quagmire of once we routed Al Qaeda in Afghanistan by spring 2002.
This happens in any impoverished country where the US military operates. That's why they have rationing and merchandise control systems in the military. In 1970s Korea, you could get an all-nighter for a jar of freeze dried Taster's Choice coffee.
Cedarford said...
Oso Negro said...
Obama is an enemy of free enterprise everywhere it would seem.
===============
Hard to call it "free enterprise" when it is basically the neocon initiated transfer of collossal waste in material paid for by the US taxpayer to the Bush "Noble Freedom Lovers" of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Who despise us, consider any who kill and maim Americans as righteous (even those we pay to be on our side). But in the meantime, will be stealing, wheedling, and demanding all the bribes we can give them for good behavior..that will only last as long as the US taxpayer saps give the "Freedom Lovers! of Bush's Religion of Peace" the expected goodies.
Not that Obama is by any means a budget hawk...but we have been locked into squandering 100s of billions a year in wasted defense dollars "nation-building" resentful Muslims. And patching up maimed Americans and paying families of dead ones for neocon adventures the troops should have never ventured into the quagmire of once we routed Al Qaeda in Afghanistan by spring 2002.
Lighten up, Francis!
"Troop levels remained roughly constant under Barack Obama's predecessor, former president George W. Bush, with around 30,000 American troops deployed in Afghanistan."
"In addition to the 30,000 additional U.S. troops that Obama announced to deploy to Afghanistan Obama sent an additional 22,000 forces (which were earlier announced in 2009 (compare section above)) along with 11,000 troops that were authorized by his predecessor to Afghanistan."
From these numbers (from Wikipedia), the Post drawn this conclusion:
"Named after George W. Bush, the U.S. president who launched the war in Afghanistan, the bazaar has flourished for more than eight years, thanks to the long presence of foreign troops that provided war booty aplenty. But in the Obama era, with its steady withdrawal of U.S. forces, the good times are ending..."
Which ignores the effect of Obama's troop surge on the "Bush Market". Which could only have been written that way with a conscious effort to avoid directing any of the negativity in the article towards Obama.
The mainstream press has become an enemy of the truth.
"defend recent land grabs in the ME"
Huh? The flophouse must really be messing with that smudge of protoplasm that passes for your "mind".
Not too different from 1950's West Germany.
Dubya understood it was mainly a Spec Ops fight there.
Barry knew better and casualties skyrocketed.
Rabel, edutcher +1.
C4, you tiresome humorless scold, up your game. You're a broken record.
Rabel-
I really love your posts, I wish you would post more.
Ceaderford-
Kindly put a cork in it.
Rabel-
I really love your posts, I wish you would post more.
Ceaderford-
Kindly put a cork in it.
Osso Negro -
"Lighten up, Francis!"
Hah! Point taken!
However, the situation in Iraq and Afganistan in a few years will be like what my Dad said he thought when he watched the last panicked people in helos leaving from the roof of the Saigon Embassy in 1975.
Sick to his stomach. Thinking: "WTF did we waste so much blood and treasure on those people when we could have been working on making a better America?"
It's hard to lighten up....in the "Vietnam War? Well,Hahahah!" sense.
When we leave that hell hole, deaths of women and children will escalate. BUT we cannot stay in a country in which we are hated and killed by those we have trained and helped in so many ways. It's done, over. Hopefully we will never have to go back there in any capacity on a large scale.
Another reason to send the airforce. No unpleasant corruption when the B-52's leave.
We're not "hated by those we have helped in so many ways". We're hated by the Tahleebahn, the people with whom your Messiah wants to cut a deal.
And, no, it's not "done, over". Because we'll have to face the problem again because of the traitorous Democrats and Lefties.
"Hopefully we will never have to go back there in any capacity on a large scale."
But that's what we'll have to do because people like the She-Wolf of the SS were too busy betraying this country so they could have political power. This isn't over any more than it was when we left Saigon or Mogadishu and it won't be until we shut up the democrats and make people here understand we have to see these things through to the end.
Edutcher, the know it all at work again. The green on blue attacks were done by those we trained, those we helped. Do you know what a green on blue attack is?
Spare me the hypocrisy and the Lefty talking points.
We know there are infiltrators inside the Afghan ranks, but the She-Wolf of the SS and her imaginary daughter know more about A-stan than the many vets who comment here.
Go over to Kos and Puffington and tell them. It's where you get this drivel.
I heard all the same stuff after 'Nam. We must never go overseas again and interfere with the march of Glorious World Socialist Revolution. Largely because they wanted to waste that money on the Great Society and the War on Poverty.
Things haven't changed, except now it's tinged with the smell of fear from all the dhimmis, but the Lefties still want to blow the money on more Stimulus, more government kiddiegarter, more EPA regulations, and more healthcare "reform" and redistribution, rather than defending this country.
The She-Wolf of the SS doesn't want to address the fact that Barry had 3 times as many casualties in the last 4 years and Dubya did in 8. The She-Wolf isn't interested in the fact that, if A-stan is a mess, Barry's the one who made it that way. And the She-Wolf sure as Hell doesn't want to address the fact that the way we scooted out of Mog is what encouraged bin Laden and Zawahiri to hit us on our own ground. Let's run and hide and spend the money on Cloward-Piven.
Stick it up your pet wussy with a sugar alcohol chaser.
Ohhhh, did little eddy get mad about something I said? Hmmmm?
Back to the "imaginary daughter" meme I see. What a dope you are. Aridog knows it, it's becoming increasingly obvious As to what a blow hard know nothing you are. I'm enjoying immensely every single time someone calls you on it.
And eddy, Aridog is a REAL veteran, unlike you an armchair warrior.
"in a few years will be like what my Dad said"
C-fudd, you've been awfully confused about the gender of your alleged offspring - son, daughters, whatevs. Is the same true of your parents? In any case interesting to note you were still living at home in your mid-20s when Saigon evacuation took place (1975).
Inga said...
And eddy, Aridog is a REAL veteran, unlike you an armchair warrior
So is my brother-in-law - helo pilot qualified in gunships, Hueys, and gunships, vet of 20 year UT ARNG, tour in A-stan. I'll take his word.
But you are only a veteran of the Revolting Youth.
PS What does Aridog have to do with this?
He isn't even on the thread.
Unless he's another of your many sockpuppets.
Edutcher,
Yes sure Aridog is my sock puppet, so is Shiloh, so is Ritmo, so is Machine, so is garage, so is Freder Frederson, so is Robert Cook, so is Roche Voltaire, so is Harrogate, so is A Reasonable Man, so is Alpha Liberal, so is Meade, so is Althouse, so is Shouting Thomas and even Chickelit and Chip S. they've all been wearing my panties.:)
And I am employed by the DNC, my sole mission is to make you look like the idiot you truly are. You are making my job very easy.
As it has been noted before, in war many are killed, but a lucky few make a killing.
What does it say about modern American statecraft that what was sold as a perfectly legitimate military option (i.e., a punitive expedition to destroy AQ and kill UbL) has morphed into this decade long open ended monstrosity? Under two administrations of different parties and five separate congresses of both parties to boot? Those drones and missiles strikes look better to me all the time.
Inga wrote:
Yes sure Aridog is my sock puppet, so is Shiloh, so is Ritmo, so is Machine, so is garage, so is Freder Frederson, so is Robert Cook, so is Roche Voltaire, so is Harrogate, so is A Reasonable Man, so is Alpha Liberal, so is Meade, so is Althouse, so is Shouting Thomas and even Chickelit and Chip S. they've all been wearing my panties.:)
I don't know if all of them are wearing YOUR panties, but it wouldn't shock if a bunch of them were wearing panties. And had an excess of estrogen coursing through their veins. Befitting their status as women.
Inga wrote:
When we leave that hell hole, deaths of women and children will escalate. BUT we cannot stay in a country in which we are hated and killed by those we have trained and helped in so many ways. It's done, over. Hopefully we will never have to go back there in any capacity on a large scale
If you leave Afghanistan (or Iraq) and it quickly turns into a new breeding ground for terrorists again, why do you think we wouldn't?
By the way Inga, this war that you are denigrating is the war YOUR daughter is serving in. It's the war that your president escalated. It's the war your president says is a diversion from the REAL war on terrorism. And the war your president oversaw a surge in.
Why then am I more supportive of Obama's war than you? I didn't even vote for the guy, and yet I'm forced to carry the water that people like you don't. Your daughter should quit the military and come home.
KenK asked:
"What does it say about modern American statecraft..."
It's starting to look more and more like a small scale Vietnam -
Highly motivated, battle hardened enemy ingrained within the local population.
Outside support for that enemy from its ideological allies.
A US escalation that increased casualties but was not large enough to overwhelm the enemy.
Limitations on use of force both in-country and on enemy support areas in neighboring nations.
Surreptitious attacks against those supporting nations led by our intelligence agencies and covert military forces with limited effect.
A corrupt host nation with an ineffective military.
A failed atttempt to Vietnamize/Afghanistanize the war.
A gradual de-escalation and eventual withdrawal when faced with the impossibility of victory and a loss of popular support.
Followed by defeat of the host nation.
At this point, President Obama has only one goal in Afghanistan. That goal is to avoid the blame for losing the war.
Jr. My daughter is career Navy, there's no way she quitting because you don't like who the President is. She is back home in CA, now.
He's your President too, like it or lump it.
And don't forget Jr. He's HER CIC.
This is a familiar observation. Theodore White, reporting from civil war China, noted how corrupt the Chiang forces were and how pure the Reds were. There were similar observations about our allies in Korea and South Vietnam.....This reporting on the corruption of our allies just goes to show how unobservant journalists are. Does this asshole reporter think that the Taliban are in some way more honest and reliable than vendors who sell black market shampoo. He notes that the merchants aren't selling black market arms like in the Brehznev days. Perhaps that's the salient fact......Anyway there are worse crimes than selling black market goods, and, after we leave, there will be a surfeit of them.
Bush market, WTF! Is there anything our government touches that isn't somehow corrupt? The Bush market is a non-story, it's small change.
"He's your President too, like it or lump it"
"And don't forget Jr. He's HER CIC."
Right, criticism of Obama is not only ra-a-a-a-cist, it's downright treasonous. *Completely* different from the situation that obtained under Bushitler.
"The mainstream press has become an enemy of the truth. "
True, but this is not a recent conversion.
"Ceaderford-
Kindly put a cork in it."
He already does, it's just at the wrong end.
During my war we'd get into the cities once in a while, when there we'd take cash to the black market and buy the stuff we needed that the REMFs stole and sold.
Funny, the brass said that we riflemen didn't need handguns so we'd have to buy them, then the Officers would catch us with them and take them away because were not supposed to have them.
True story, I was in Da Nang in '68 and bought, on the black market a S&W .38 that had been confiscated from a guy in my outfit. So, he was out the cost of the shootin' iron, and a stripe, and I was out the cost of the shootin' iron, nobody made out but the lifer who took the gun and the black marketeer who sold it, twice.
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