Never saw it in my paper.
But I did see this:
"Afghan official reportedly took $20m bribe" by Associated Press | November 19, 2009
WASHINGTON - A senior Afghan official allegedly took a $20 million bribe to steer a copper mining project to a Chinese company, a glaring example of the claims of corruption clouding the Obama administration’s deliberations over expanding the US commitment in Afghanistan.
How about CHECKING YOUR OWN WAR-LOOTERS FIRST?!!!!
In Washington, two US officials familiar with intelligence reports said Afghanistan’s minister of mines, Muhammad Ibrahim Adel, allegedly accepted the money soon after the $3 billion contract was awarded in late 2007 to China Metallurgical Group Corp.
I automatically toss western "intelligence reports" into the propaganda pooper for flushing now, if you know what I mean.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity. The payment to Adel was apparently made in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, said one of the US officials. Dubai, a three-hour flight from Kabul, has long been viewed as hub for illicit cash transactions, a report by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said. The minister has denied having taken any bribes and said the contract went through all legal channels.
Afghanistan today will swear in President Hamid Karzai in for a second five-year term.--more--"
Yeah, okay, then why is the NEXT ITEM CENSORED from my hick edition of the BG, huh?
"Clinton meets Karzai, demands reforms help Afghans; Surprise visit on inaugural eve" by Peter Baker and Mark Landler, New York Times | November 19, 2009
Aaaaah! I see now!
WASHINGTON - President Obama sent his top diplomat to Afghanistan yesterday to press President Hamid Karzai to deliver “measurable results’’ on governance and corruption as the White House prepared specific new demands to accompany an American troop buildup.
We couldn't do any better?
In an unannounced visit to Kabul, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned Karzai privately that future civilian aid would depend in part on how his government performs in such areas as developing an effective army and curbing cronyism, according to an American official. Publicly, she told reporters that Karzai had begun to tackle corruption but “not nearly enough.’’
Clinton also met with foreign ministers from about a dozen nations who are in the capital to attend today’s inauguration of Karzai....
--more--"But I did get this, so I guess everything is okay:
"Karzai makes big promises in Afghan inaugural" by Kathy Gannon and Elena Becatoros, Associated Press Writers | November 19, 2009
Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai greets the guards of honor as he arrives to the Presidential Palace for his inauguration in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009. After being sworn in to a second five-year term, Karzai said his government was doing whatever it could to implement reforms. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
KABUL --President Hamid Karzai faces a virulent Taliban insurgency and crippling corruption that has sown resentment among Afghans toward his administration -- and toward the Western powers that have supported it for eight years.
But he "won" election.
The West, too, has become resentful, with questions increasingly raised back home why the roughly 103,000 U.S. and other NATO-led troops in Afghanistan are being asked to die for a corrupt and inefficient government....
Hey, look, NO ONE IS FORCING US to STAY THERE!
And it is NOT ONLY THEIR INEFFICIENT and CORRUPT GOVERNMENT! That is for AFGHANS to figure out. WE HAVE OUR OWN PROBLEMS HERE!
Hundreds of Afghanistan's political and social elite attended the ceremony in the cavernous hall, lined with portraits of Afghan kings, warriors and academics. Men with long beards and expansive turbans sat among others who were clean-shaven and wearing suits, along with women whose heads were covered with scarves, some glittering with sequins. Dignitaries from across Afghanistan and the world listened intently for the promises of crucial reforms. And Karzai delivered -- at least in words....
Western criticisms had been unusually harsh -- and public -- leading up to his inauguration, particularly after an election so marred by fraud that it took nearly three months to produce a result.
Yeah, but NOT LIKE on IRAN -- and we PUT IN an ELECTORAL THIEF with no qualms! ATTENDED the INAUGURAL, fer crying out loud!
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who dined with Karzai on the eve of the ceremony, had warned that U.S. military and financial support would dry up without reforms. Speaking after the ceremony, Clinton praised Karzai's plans to fight corruption -- but also said attention would now turn to his actions....
PFFFFT!
As part of efforts to combat graft, Karzai said a law would be adopted under which senior government officials, including deputy ministers and governors, would have to register their assets. Until now, only ministers and higher-ranking officials were required to do so. He also said any government employees connected to the cultivation and trafficking of drugs would be dismissed and prosecuted.
The Boston Globe's Invisible Ink: Karzai's Kin
Kind of a KICK in the HEAD, huh, 'murka?
The CENSORSHIP is ASTONISHING!
Clinton acknowledged such efforts would not be easy. Another of Karzai's harsh critics, Britain, which has the second-largest contingent of troops in the country after the United States, also had words of praise -- tinged with a warning. "We've got the words now from President Karzai, we've got his commitments," Foreign Secretary David Miliband said after the ceremony. "It's words that have to be turned into deeds. ... Words are good, we've got a clear plan, but now we need to see it implemented."
You know, TELL IT TO ISRAEL, 'kay?
Because UNTIL THEN I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT about ANYBODY ELSE!!!!!
Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown said recently that his country would not continue risking the lives of its soldiers to defend a corrupt regime.
I love the OMISSIONS and LIES, don't you?
And while Karzai still desperately needs the foreign troops to battle the Taliban, he insisted that within half a decade, it would be Afghanistan's own army and police who would be in charge, with international forces providing only support and training....
I don't want to stay another minute, never mind five f***ing years longer!!!!
Even as the ceremony took place in Kabul, a suicide bomber killed two U.S. service members in the southern province of Zabul, local officials and NATO said. Hours later, another suicide bomber blew himself up in a busy marketplace in another province, killing 10 civilians, including three boys, and wounding 13 other people....
--more--"
Yeah, WHO CARES ABOUT THAT when we have such POMP and CIRCUMSTANCE, huh?
President Hamid Karzai was inaugurated yesterday in Kabul as resentment grows among ordinary Afghans still waiting for things to improve in their war-torn country. Western powers providing security also seek concrete changes. (Anja Niedringhaus/Associated Press)
Of course, the WEBBERS got you-know-who!
"Karzai is upbeat at inaugural; Vows Afghans will go it alone within 5 years" by Alissa J. Rubin and Mark Landler, New York Times | November 20, 2009
KABUL - Karzai.... received applause on only three occasions: when he pledged to create a transparent and accountable government; when he promised to fight corruption; and when he thanked the United States and other allies for their help....
Many Afghans who listened to the speech were unenthusiastic. After eight years in which both security and corruption have worsened, they say they are doubtful that Karzai, now given five more years in office, can make good on his word.
“We don’t have any hope for the future,’’ said Taimoor, 28, a lawyer who uses one name. He was watching the inaugural address on television in a north Kabul restaurant. “Rule of law is not something we’ve seen in eight years, and Karzai is not elected on the basis of law,’’ he added. “He can’t get rid of corruption, because he came to his position by fraud. People are really tired of war, but they are really tired of government, too.’’
Oh, Afghan people, WE ARE SO ALIKE -- except for the fact that MY NATION is OCCUPYING YOURS and KILLING YOU! You are NOT DOING THAT to US!!
In a reminder of the challenges he faces, two suicide bombers struck yesterday in the southern provinces In Zabul Province, a NATO convoy was attacked, and two US soldiers were reported killed. In Oruzgan Province, a man wearing a suicide vest detonated his explosives at a market, killing 10 people, including two children.
Yeah, SAVE all that for the AFTERTHOUGHT PARAGRAPH, NYT and BG!
Sick of that, too!
--more--"
Well, I'll be back later, folks. I'm taking a chance on basketball this morning. I know the foot will hurt later, but that's the price I must pay now. I just hope I play well, otherwise I'll be really down.
