Monday, June 01, 2015

Mnorities are the subjects of police shootings. That cannot be dismissed.

April 3, 2015




Here’s a statistic for you: (click here) It’s been 31 days since the release of the White House Task Force on 21st Century Policing report, but the number of fatal police encounters is already over 100 and counting. That’s an average of more than three people killed each day in March by police in America.

Too many of this month’s victims fit a profile we know all too well – unarmed men of color, some of whom have psychiatric disabilities. Victims like Charly Keunang in Los Angeles, California; Tony Robinson in Madison, Wisconsin; Anthony Hill in DeKalb County, Georgia; and Brandon Jones in Cleveland, Ohio; confirm that the problems with policing are national in scope.

This isn’t a problem concentrated in a few rogue police departments. Even those police departments with the best of intentions need reform. Take, for example, last week’s Department of Justice report that Philadelphia police shot 400 people – over 80 percent African-American – in seven years. This is in a city where the police commissioner is an author of the very same White House task force report calling for police reform....

I realize there are all kinds of finger pointing in Baltimore because of an uptick of gun violence. The escalated deaths in the city since are since the arrests of the police that allowed the death of Freddie Gray after they tortured him in a 'rough ride' in the police van.

Yes. Allowed the death of Freddie Gray. Allowed it to happen. That is a problem. Police are suppose to serve and protect even when arresting a black man.

I do not believe there has to be any fault assigned regarding the new statistics in Baltimore. The fault belongs to the people that disregard human life and no one else. They broke the law, they killed and that is where the blame stops. 

I think neighborhoods can be strengthened if the Baltimore Mayor and/or the State Prosecutor hold Town Hall Meetings. The people of the neighborhood have to identify the problem and it is then up to the elected officials of Baltimore to find a solution. The uptick in violence was there the entire time, it was on low simmer. 

Oppressing the problem of violence results in the violent deaths of people that should still be alive today. The deaths of these men cannot be dismissed. The facts are obvious, there was no government overthrown, there were police arrested after the heinous death of a citizen of Baltimore. 

And, yes, the death of Freddie Gray is completely heinous. He was in police custody. Police custody is suppose to be where everyone is safe, including the suspect.

The American system of justice doesn't say, it is okay for some people to be dead in order for others to live. The police of Baltimore indicted disregarded due process. 

There was an explosion of violence after the death of Freddie Gray and the iconic symbol was a CVS. Why was it a surprise there was an explosion of violence after the arrest of six officers responsible for the death of Freddie Gray?

Somewhere the idea the police are allowed to kill through negligence of the value of life is the price to pay for a balance of justice. The lives of these men never deserved to be victims. Whether it is a soon to be groom or a ride back home on the subway or the concealment of a small knife in a rough neighborhood or being homeless or returning to Dad's house with growing pains or anticipating the first day of college, none of these people should be dead. But, they are. They are suppose to be alive and carrying on a life with hope that tomorrow will be a better day than today.

What is so very outrageous about these deaths is the fact the USA invested in these people. They are minorities or mentally ill and the USA has spent monies to find a path for their lives to happen and improve over time. The people of Ferguson were doing exactly what the investment in them were suppose to be doing. They were Middle Class or less, but, many owned their own homes. They were achieving the way everyone else achieves in the the light skinned community. 

Michael Brown, Jr. at the age of 18 was a victim to the oppressive local government. He had developed an attitude that was propagated by the oppressive government and judge existing in that community. The social pressures he related to were not suppose to be there. Those that oppressed and tormented the community weren't suppose to be there. The elements that lead to an attitude of any young black man in Ferguson wasn't suppose to be there. 

The American people invested in a community of people and they were thriving as they could, but, they kept their eye on the prize and didn't give up. They did this under oppression and victimization. That doesn't make the oppression and victimization okay. Because the people of the community were moving forward that doesn't mean they were doing as well as they should have been.

Michael Brown Jr. became a victim of his police shooting the day he was born. It was not the plan of his parents, but, he was predetermined through oppression of an American young man to die at the hand of police after 18 years of being tired of the oppression and victimization. What occurred to Michael Brown Jr. the day of his death was simply another day in the life of those in Ferguson. 

He laid in the street for four hours. That is unconscionable.  

The City of Baltimore does well in most of it's neighborhoods, but, there is at least one where the people are not doing well. They try, but, they are mistreated and have crime in their face day after day. Their reality is an American nightmare. 

The governments at all levels have failed these people. The crimes are based in the fact life happens inside and outside of jail or prison. Their lives are completely demoralized by the law and justice system. Their identities are tied up in the crimes they commit. The actions of the police and the outcomes of their treatment, ie: Freddie Gray, only validates their understanding and enforces the reason for crime.

There is a problem in Baltimore. But, there is a problem in Ferguson, New York and Los Angeles as well. The people of the USA have not tolerated the fact some areas of the country are simply blighted with crime and/or poverty (interesting how the two go together 100 percent of the time) and that is the way it is. We have generation after generation pledged to the values that every American life matters. We carry that value in our appreciation of our military and the treatment of our soldiers. We carry that value into the schools of disadvantaged children and treat their hunger for food as well as their hunger for education and the American promise that brings. 

We are today at a reality no one seems to be able to stop. That is not acceptable. It has to stop. It means we continue to carry the message, the demands and provide for the opportunity. 

The USA is in transition in realizing how wayward the prison system is and how it impacts the repetition of crime. We have to do better. We have to readdress education, crime and opportunity all over again. We still haven't been doing it well enough. The communities have to be relieved of the wrongs done to them. Until morality and ethics returns to governments at all levels we will continue to try. It is the only way.

If we weren't seeing progress as in Ferguson which now is empowered by minority members in their government today we would not give up anyway. That opportunity to serve in government in Ferguson by minority citizens didn't exist before former AG Holder investigated the death of an 18 year old on his way to college. It didn't exist because of some local bigotry. That would be too easy to find and change. It didn't exist because the people were demoralized by their victimization. 

There is nothing easy about changing a country the size of the USA in a First World status. The change has to come and the measures we take have to persist in the face of failure. The demoralized citizens can't help but fail until they are uplifted enough to finally succeed.

Tomorrow will be another day in the USA. The sun will rise and set like clock work, but, human frailties exist and that is simply the way it is. The difference tomorrow is that Americans will seek information about corruption and wrongful policy in government and will lift the heavy truth to a level of justice. That will be the tomorrows for many tomorrows and we will all succeed. If newspapers were ever important and their virtue in telling the truth valued it is today and the tomorrows of all tomorrows. Americans are hungry for the information, they simply haven't realized it yet.

No one should live a lie, but, the adult children completely lost a father and now have two mothers.

The reality the family is left with is a difficult adjustment. It isn't just a divorce where each parent goes their own way. The adult children have to come to terms with the fact they lost a father while realizing they now have two mothers. It has be difficult. 

I am sure Caitlyn is finally relieved to live in a body she imagined as herself a long time ago. It is a very brave act of truth telling. 

Even though it's the truth, it is still surreal to the children. I hope the family can find laughter and happiness to fill the void.  

They might want to decide how to look at the family picture albums so they still carry the message of love that sustained all of them for so long.

When the going gets rough the tough get going.

In Texas raising the spirits of the people may actually mean passing perverse legislation. I am sure bullets will stop any flood on campus. Anything goes in Texas. I wish it was not so, but, dangerous living is the rule of the day.

June 1, 2015 
By Creede Newton 

...This brought the number (click here) of recovered bodies in Hays County, the district that houses Wimberley, San Marcos (another hard-hit city), and part of the Texas capital, Austin, to eight. There are still six people last seen in Wimberley listed as missing.

“It’s just so difficult for us, because this is a small community,” Susan Myers, a 61-year-old resident of Wimberley, told The Daily Beast while coordinating relief efforts at the Cypress Creek Church. “We’re all neighbors.”

The grisly discoveries came a week after the Blanco River that borders Wimberley rapidly rose to more than 40 feet, taking the community by surprise and levying destruction as a large weather system developed across Central and Southern Texas. 

According to a statement issued by Hays County, preliminary estimates place the county-wide cost at $32.7 million. More than 1,200 homes are damaged, and 209 have been destroyed. Hays County expects these numbers to increase.

“I was here for the floods in 1998, and that was horrible. But it was nothing compared to this one,” Myers said....

If the Texas Republican lawmakers share nothing else in common, at least they all subscribe to "The Church of the Gun."

June 1, 2015
By Jessica Glenza

Texas lawmakers (click here) have approved a bill that allows license holders to carry concealed firearms in most college and university buildings in the state.

 The governor is expected to allow the bill to become law. The approval comes after fierce opposition from college and university leaders and from outnumbered Texas Democrats.





The regulation will allow concealed-carry permit holders, or CHL licensees, in the state to carry loaded firearms on university and college campuses. Schools may create gun-free zones, but establishing such provisions is complex at best.

Many Democrats and advocacy groups have fought so-called “campus carry” legislation for years in the Texas legislature. At least one group, the Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus, was established solely to lobby against such laws....

The world is mourning the loss of Vice President Biden's son.

Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has expressed sadness at the passing away of Mr. Beau Biden.

“Saddened to learn about the passing away of Beau Biden, the eldest son of US Vice-President Joseph Biden, at a young age. Apart from a deep loss to the family, a promising public career has been tragically cut short. Our deepest condolences to the Biden family,” the Prime Minister said....

This expression of sympathy for the loss of Beau Biden is something that the USA and India share. Much of the moral content of India is shared by American values, so it is easy to know such sadness is a common understanding between the two countries.

Prime Minister Modi has proven himself in his practice of governance in India. 

It is the common understanding of the sanctity of life which brings me to make this entry. I apologize up front to any insult to any party. It is unintended. The expression of loss regarding Vice President's son was a surprise when I opened the Prime Minister's e-page. I thank Prime Minister Modi's note regarding the loss of Beau Biden. He will be missed by many. 

But, to a completely separate issue:

I am confident Prime Minister Modi is unaware of the illegal acts by some of our states' leaderships. In particular, Nebraska's governor plans to use drugs imported from India illegally. The understanding the people of Nebraska has right now is that there will be death sentence executions under a secret procedure because the drugs needed to perform that act are illegal in the USA under federal statues.

May 14, 2015
By Paul Hammel and Martha Stoddard

...sodium thiopental (click here) and pancuronium bromide, from a distributor in India, HarrisPharma,...

I realize India has a death penalty under certain conditions. The death penalty in the USA has been challenged by citizens to end it's practice. There was recently a law passed in Nebraska to end the death penalty in the state. There are many valid reasons for that. 

The current Nebraska Governor is determined to carry out the sentences without recognition of the new law from the Nebraska legislature.

It is my hope Prime Minister Modi may learn of this offense by the Nebraska Governor and find any capacity in his power to end the shipments to the USA from the India company noted above. 

I thank Prime Minister Modi for his great leadership in India and the expression of the love of life both India and the USA share. I wish everyone peace. 

Jeb Bush may be facing an investigation into his fund raising.

It's the Bush entitlement. "Do as they say, but, not as they do." 

June 1, 2015
By Carl Haasen 

The following words (click here) were actually spoken last week by Jeb Bush's non-campaign spokesperson: "Governor Bush is actively exploring a run. He has not made a final decision."

Every grownup in America knows this is a lie.

The voters know Jeb has already decided to run for the White House in 2016. Campaign donors know he's running. And the entire busload of other Republican presidential candidates knows he's running.

Two campaign-finance watchdog organizations, the Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21, want the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the "charade" of Bush's non-campaign. They say it's merely a weasel move that allows him to rake in unlimited, and mostly unregulated, donations.

That's absolutely true. It's an epic weasel move, though probably legal....

Jeb Bush is different than "W" on SSI so far. "W" instituted Medicare Part D and now Jeb wants to make that policy more difficult to achieve by pushing the age for eligibility to 68 or better yet 70.

That is a ridiculous understanding of the American people. We have a generation of people facing poverty wages at the bottom of the American ecosystem while older Americans are being told to wait for retirement.  

October 9, 2014
By Larry Copeland

...The average life expectancy (click here) for a person who was 65 years old in 2012 is 19.3 years – 20.5 years for women and 17.9 years for men. The difference in life expectancy at 65 years between males and females increased 0.1 year from 2.5 years in 2011 to 2.6 years in 2012....

Life expectancy should not be the focus for SSI. There are plenty of older Americans that work part time in order to make ends meet. Their loss of income after 2008 was profoundly felt by them first.

The idea SSI is a longevity issue is not the problem. There needs to be an evaluation of the cap on payments into SSI. The payments into SSI is not problem. The current 7.65% on employed Americans is more than sufficient to insure they have a retirement payment from SSI when they reach the age when they leave the workforce.

The 7.65% tax rate (click here) is the combined rate for Social Security and Medicare.  The Social Security portion (OASDI) is 6.20% on earnings up to the applicable taxable maximum amount (see below).  The Medicare portion (HI) is 1.45% on all earnings. Also, as of January 2013, individuals with earned income of more than $200,000 ($250,000 for married couples filing jointly) pay an additional 0.9 percent in Medicare taxes. The tax rates shown above do not include the 0.9 percent. 

Medicare has no taxable earnings maximum, but, SSI does. The cap/maximum was raised in 2015 to SSI by $1500. The SSI maximum needs to be eliminated and the balances in the entitlement will come into better alignment with the future.

The percentage of taxes for the upper limits is not different than anyone else. This is not a graduated tax. It is a flat percentage of income every year. The SSI tax is equitable for all citizens in the USA. That is reflected also in the amounts of payouts by SSI when Americans retire. The payout is not fixed and is based on the amounts placed into the fund during their working lifetime. 

With so many in the USA having a poverty income while trying to raise a family, their retirement amounts already looks dismal with no real way to change it. There are many reasons the minimum wage has to increase; retirement is one of them, too.

In more cases than not when Americans retire and have a new income from SSI, their ability to work is far less than the years they contributed. The idea of raising the retirement age for SSI will only put older Americans in peril they would not face if they retired on schedule. 

In many states, and if the Supreme Court decides adversely with the Medicaid extension, there are adults that will still have no real help with their hospital and medical expenses until they finally are allowed on Medicare at the age of retirement. The entire idea of pushing the retirement age back to 68 to 70 years old is outrageous. These are our seniors and should have financial security and medical security in their later years.

Americans should be congratulated in a country that has moved the longevity of Americans further into the future. It is a great accomplishment we should value without victimizing the very people we are proud of in their wellness. 

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2015/06/01/5828265/carl-hiaasen-jeb-bush-raises-tons.html#storylink=cpy

Shut up, Dick. You are the most blatantly violence monger the USA has ever produced.

Fooling everyone with a hat on a pale faced hate monger isn't going to work.

How does it feel to be in bed with Rupert Murdoch whenever the fears of peace politics enter the debate?

The USA should first apologize for this man and then count the number of people dead globally he has mentored. His daughter Liz needs to get a life.

May 31, 2015
By Patrick O'Connor

CASPER, Wyo.—Few people noticed (click here) the 74-year-old in the tan Stetson at a high-school rodeo here. Dick Cheney was happy to blend in.

That is about to change. The former vice president is looking to make a splash on the national stage with a new book to be published in September and a group he and his daughter Liz launched to advance their views.

The effort is sure to play directly into the 2016 presidential debate, in which national-security policy is already a point of difference between the Republican candidates, many of whom are looking to turn the page on George W. Bush’s administration....

Yes, Dick, Senator Rand Paul is a Republican and denial of it will only sink every nominee the party puts up!

When it comes to social settings and Dick Cheney it isn't a matter of recognizing him in a crowd to admire his years of supervising killing fields in the world; it is the fear he may recognize you. 

I wish Dick Cheney would begin to apologize for the killing he supervised by returning the Medal of Freedom he received by H.W.. I think it went to his head and continues to cloud his loyalties. 

Senator Lindsay Graham? He is running for DOD Secretary.

Unless he states differently today in his presidential candidacy announcement, Lindsay Graham is the polar opposite to Senator Rand Paul.

I will say this about the eligibility of Senator Paul as a serious candidate for the Presidency; he needs to have a far better ORGANIZATION behind him to keep the campaign out of ethical and legal troubles. 

I realize a campaign these days are very expensive and out of reach to most candidates, however, the sincere loss of legitimacy to end a campaign will result if there are problems within the campaign. Senator Paul needs to micromanage his campaign organization until it has the very real message, cheating or ethics violations are outrageous outcome to the public trust. 

I don't need to hear any more from Senator Graham. He isn't interested in the domestic problems of the USA. He is defining himself as the supreme war president. His run for president, his stated credentials provides a path to the DOD Secretary, not the presidency.

This is from the American Brain Tumor Association

President Obama dedicated significant funding to brain research. These statistics have to improve. 

None of these statistics provides insight into Veteran Beau Biden. I think as a country we need to pay close attention to those serving in our national defense and their exposure to dangerous chemicals and conditions. We should not be asking those that service this country to give up sound safety measures while in the defense of their country. 

Look, the USA issues masks for the chance of chemical agents, there has to be reasonable measures to evaluate and change the higher levels of disease in our veterans. It is very upsetting to have this reality of a former veteran with a service to the people in an elected capacity. The statistics of a forty something man dying of tumors of the brain is more than worrisome.
 
Brain tumors are the: (click here)
  • leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children (males and females) under age 20 (leukemia is the first).
  • second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in males ages 20-39 (leukemia is the first).
  • fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in females ages 20-39.
Brain Tumor Statistics:
  • Nearly 70,000 new cases of primary brain tumors will be diagnosed this year.
  • More than 4,600 children between the ages of 0-19 will be diagnosed with a brain tumor this year.
  • Brain and central nervous system tumors are the most common cancers among children ages 0-19.
  • There are nearly 700,000 people in the U.S. living with a brain tumor.
  • This year, nearly 14,000 people will lose their battle with a brain tumor.
  • There are more than 120 types of brain tumors.

I don't recall the campaign announcement of Former Senator Coons, but, he is talking about American education of their young generations.

May 28, 2015

...Among his top priorities (click here) was affordable college. Senator Coons commended programs like the Early College High School at Delaware State University, which gives students the opportunity to earn up to 60 hours of college credit during their four year high school career.

When asked about President Obama's proposal of free and universal community colleges, he said he supported the idea but he worries about how schools might respond.   

"One of my concerns is that whenever one of the federal government increases the amount of things available through things like Pell Grants, many colleges and universities simply raise their tuition in response." Says Senator Coons.

Senator Coons says now, lawmakers need to meet at a middle-ground to address the issues of college affordability....

I think he makes a very interesting point. Advanced Placement (AP) studies in high school can actually cut down on the cost of college. Sixty credits in a fourth year of high school seems somewhat excessive, but, I remain open minded.

This is an article from "The New Zealand Herald" that points to the presidential announcement speech by Former Governor Martin O'Malley.

 May 29, 2015

...A story last week (click here) reported that four of the world's largest banks - Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays, JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup - admitted currency collusion and manipulation and were fined a total $US5 billion. That's a big fine, but it was a big crime.

The fine could quite possibly be pocket change compared to the profits made by these banks who, on an almost daily basis for five years, colluded via a private chat room to manipulate currency markets for their trading benefit, harming countless consumers in the process.

How worried should investors be about potential market manipulation and what can we do about it? If big entities like banks can get away with it for years, how can we protect ourselves from being on the wrong side of a transaction?

Without being glib, I think investors have to accept, to some extent, market manipulation comes with the territory. I'm not talking about rogue traders and unscrupulous individuals who, through their talk and actions, move prices in their favour. Fortunately, they tend to be few and far between and are increasingly nailed by vigilant regulators....

The facts are obvious, the CEOs of the world's largest banks think nothing of their illegal activities when fines are the only penalty. There is no way to stop the abuse. Citibank recently rounded up all it's buddies to force through an amendment to the USA budget that supports exotic financial instruments with tax deductions.

There is no stopping their insult to the American financial infrastructure. Glass-Steagall has to be reinstated. The banking industry has to be regulated because the brevity of USA law evades them. According to the actions of the USA, the country's treasury receives part of the illegal monies and is on the dole.

Why would any of these CEOs view their activities as detrimental when they are justified as the USA Treasury sits in the center of the actions? 

The law of the USA has to be clear to all financial institutes that if they conduct risky investments while taking tax deductions the CEOs not only go to prison, they are broken up into far smaller banks. How small? Until it stops and there is no huge buffer of monies that can be paid by the bank's CEO. The deposits of any bank should not be so large it provides a vehicle to ignore the law.

Republicans rhetoic regarding the actions taken by the Executive Branch is based completely in lies.

The favorite right wing rhetoric to paint President Obama as a weak president with poor judgement is a complete lie. Does it matter that lies line the right wing 'talking points?' I want to know if the lies matter. As political right wing attempts to mimic liberal's truth telling, does it actually matter there is nothing but lies existing in the right wing media?

May 31, 2015
By Rod Norland

A senior United States official (click here) confirmed Sunday that negotiations were underway with Qatari officials that could possibly lead to a six-month extension of the travel ban. Late Sunday, Qatar “agreed to maintain the current restrictive conditions” on the five men while discussions continued, a State Department official in Washington said on the condition of anonymity.

The prisoner swap has been controversial in Washington, with leading Republicans criticizing President Obama for the deal, which they viewed as a violation of a law requiring Congress to be informed in advance of Guantánamo prisoner releases.

The media can talk about political positioning as if the truth doesn't matter. Does it? Does the truth regarding political figures matter? Are the elections of 2016 going to be dominated by nonsense as so many elections have before?

When elected officials launch into baseless criticism of the Obama administration it is nothing more than bigotry. In this case it is also bigotry against a USA ally. Why would Qatar allow prisoners within their borders to simply return to a life of killing again? The entire speech about Muslims that discriminates on the side of hate is incredibly inflammatory and based in profound bigotry. 

See, as long as USA prisoners, such as these four men, were in the strong Christian nation there would be no worries and validates the human rights violations of Gitmo.

This same rhetoric is very important as a reason why the USA should have a controlling interest in places such as Iraq with soldiers deployed to carry out a war that results in American values. Nation building. Nation building is supported by the hatred of other cultures. Nation building is based in bigotry. No other culture has the expertise to defeat America's enemies, but, America. 

The long standing hate speech of the political right wing is completely based in power brokering in the face of facts otherwise. The right wing is completely baseless in their political speech. Yet, because it deals fear the language of hate persists for no reason at all.

The speech Senator Paul made on the Senate floor yesterday nearly didn't happen. The idea a long standing Bush program was based in wasted spending and disruption of Americans' Fourth Amendment due process was a sincere threat to the political right wing.

I believe it was Senator Barrasso, as President of the Senate, yesterday that had to interrupt Senator Rand Paul's speech four times to call the chamber to order. It was good to hear Senator Barrasso defend an important address by Senator Paul. But, the point is the majority of the Senate never bothered to hear the words so important to Americans because their political priorities were more important and already predetermined. Senator Paul's own peers didn't regard him as important. That is how hideously permanent right wing political speech has become.

...Criticism of the deal to free Sergeant Bergdahl, especially in exchange for such prominent Taliban figures, grew after the Army revealed the charges against him. “The Obama administration put countless American troops and civilians at risk when it chose to ignore the law and unilaterally release five senior Taliban terrorists from Guantánamo Bay,” said Speaker John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio, in a statement issued by his office on Friday. “Now these five will be free to travel.”

However, United Nations officials have yet to lift their own international travel bans on four of them, so the only place they could legally travel to is their home country, Afghanistan, where government officials have made it clear they would promptly be taken into custody....

The hate speech will continue in right wing politics even as the facts of long standing USA allies uphold the paradigm of peace which accompanies the scrutiny of those that would disturb it; in this case Qatar and the United Nations.

The left wing never simply states, "The Republicans lie and are impossible to reason with because their politics don't accommodate the truth." I am confident our allies will use those words to end the hate speech, but, why does the call to facts and truth have to belong to allies and others outside the borders of the USA. It isn't President Obama that should experience the impact of right wing lies, it should be the right wing experiencing the impact of the truth. 

...There are abundant examples of former Guantánamo prisoners who have returned to the Afghan battlefield, but a recent example is particularly significant. Ghulam Rouhani, released in 2007, is now the Taliban commander in the Khogyani District, in Ghazni. The insurgents claimed the district center fell to their control last week, but government officials disputed that, saying they had simply moved the government offices to another town.

So far, Qatari officials have kept a tight rein on the former prisoners. Last fall, two suspected insurgent figures went to visit one of the five former detainees in Qatar, Mohammad Nabi Omari. According to senior security officials in Afghanistan, the Afghan intelligence agency, in cooperation with Qatari intelligence, arrested the two men and brought them to Kabul, where they remain in custody. The two included Anas Haqqani, a brother of the leader of the Haqqani network, part of the Taliban insurgency, and Qari Abdul Rashid Omari, the brother of the former Guantánamo prisoner, Mr. Omari....

The release of Ghulam Rouhani occurred eight years ago. EIGHT YEARS AGO. And today his activities are attributed to his release. Amazing. 

Let me ask one question. Is there any economy in Afghanistan that actually supports anything other than a Poppy or War economy? Murderers actually are paid for their loyalties and actions. Where is the economy in Afghanistan that will actually pay better and value life? The realities in countries occupied by American INTERESTS based in national security have no other recent history. The retaliation in Afghanistan began October of 2001 and the illegal and immoral invasion into Iraq was March of 2003. These people have known nothing but war and destruction for well over a decade. Are children actually of value and their futures nurtured when their land and society are trashed for the fears of Americans?

The USA has become ridiculous to it's own politics of fear. 

The USA needs to get used to the idea that POWs are released when the war is over.