agreed

disagree! How about stop drug testing people in general! The land of the free doesn't or shouldn't say give me your blood for analysis.

When you are in the military you voluntarily give up being "free" to serve your country. You also have a responsibility to your fellow soldiers to be at the top of your game. Under these circumstances recreational drug use must not be tolerated. This should not apply to civilian life as it is only ones self at risk.

Sorry Wallace, I have to disagree with you. It may be their own lives at risk, but they are doing it with mine, yours and everyone else's tax money, hell yeah they should be tested.

they need to check KBR as well there was drug use in 05 and 07 not only kbr the local hires but military as well.

Agree, let's get out! The Russians knew it was a lost cause, what is wrong with our leaders?

The military, since the Revolutionary War, has been involved with substance abuse. It didn't just start in Afghanistan, Afghanistan being the number one producer of poppy does make excellent country-industry-US military comparative news though.

Drug testing, well why not test every corporation executive that gets tax payer money also for determination if they get any more?

JJ-johnnyreb2874187 - Bring them home! The stress leads to this. No more wars!

Tell the US Politicians to get the US out of the United Nations, then we (US Military) will no longer be used as the United Nation's Military B!tches.

What I personally have been involved with:

South Ossetia: UN Mission Observers.

Yemen: Redacted.

Libya: Redacted.

Iraq: IAW H.R. 4655. 1998 Operation Desert Fox. UN Mission Nation Building. 2002-2003 Operation Hotel California.

Kuwait: Liberation.

Afghanistan: Operation Cyclone. Weeks after 9/11 2001 Attacks, Overthrow the Taliban. UN Mission Nation Building.

Sudan: UN and UA (African Union) Mission. UN/UA Observers.

South and Central Americas: Redacted.

Somalia: UN Mission Somalia I and UN Mission Somalia II, and Operation Gothic Serpent aka Blackhawk Down.

Vietnam: Initially Hold French Indochina until French could reoccupy their Former Colony after the Japanese left after World War II. The French being US Allies, US Support during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. Later (1970s my involvement as a LRRP/Ranger) UN Mission support of Democracy of South Vietnamese as the Vietnam War.

What was before my time, my father involved (also Vietnam 3 tours):

Korean Conflict: UN Mission Police Action.

Wallace J. - When you are in the military you voluntarily give up being "free" to serve your country.

And that is exactly why the US Military is losing so many people. Many no longer Reenlisting. That US Civilian Mentality that started from prior to the Vietnam War, when US Citizens were involuntarily forced thru Selective Service to Serve in the US Military during Wars, requiring those US Citizens to give up their Rights as a Special Circumstance (did not want to be Serving in the US Military).

I want to see all the US Politicians, US Citizens that demand that, giving up of Rights, to live under the Four Legal Authorities Over the US Military. example: US Citizen in Debt, slam dunked under Article 134. Sex with other than their married Spouse, bam, Article 134.

stress doesn't lead to drug use the ability to get high leds to it

Get the he|| outta' there! Why are we still there????????????????????????????

Why don't welfare and disability recipients have to?

That's the BIGGER question that should be asked here, especially those who are plopping out their fourth or fifth kid, on OUR dime.

Sorry Wallace, I have to disagree with you. It may be their own lives at risk, but they are doing it with mine, yours and everyone else's tax money, hell yeah they should be tested.

They should be tested, yes. But the ultimate responsibility for their addiction problem lies with the boobs in Washington who put them there.

hotticket - Google 'welfare drug testing' and decide if the cost-benefit makes sense. I'm thinking it does not. The states are cash strapped - which budget should they cut in order to test people? It looks like the percentage of welfare drug users is in the low single percentages and cutting them off won't pay for the tests.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/19/2757792/drug-testing-welfare-applicants.html

If this had been whiskey I doubt that there would be such outrage, but alcohol is forbidden. The problem is the amount of stress and the desire to numb ones self in order to continue the mission. This is the longest and most cynical war, we as a nation, have ever fought.

There are real limits to what human beings can handle, and the Pentagon bean counters are pushing our fighters beyond those limits. If we had a draft the burden would be shared, but we don't and it isn't. The burden falls on those who have little option but to join the military as a ticket out of poverty, and even that is a false promise in this economy. There is little in the way of jobs to come home to, and our military knows it.

They signed up to protect our country, and they are increasingly being used to protect political and moneyed interests rather than our freedom. So yes, some may turn to drugs in the face of failing marriages, mortal danger, and the realization that for all their efforts and sacrifice no real permanent changes have taken place. One would hope that the military might keep that in mind when dealing with these soldiers, but it seems unlikely.

NFIL, If something was implemented, many people would lose their benefits due to a positive test. But In realty, I think drugs should just be legalized and taxed to make money instead wasting billions to fight a losing battle against them. Then simply don't allow EBT (food stamps) to be used to buy alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs. I have no problem helping a family in need, but those aren't needs.

They actually do drug test 1-2 times a year if they are in the US. Its kinda hard to do drug test out in the war zone. And its even more hard to drug test if the soldiers and marines keep getting back to back to back deployments. I can't imagine the logistics and the amount of money it takes just to do drug test in the warzone especially when platoons or companies are scattered all over the mountainous Afghanistan without the sample getting bad in 100+ degree heat. Most times you need helos to to get where we was at.

I was there in Afghanistan and Iraq 5-6 yrs ago and I agree about morphine being stolen out of medic bags. Kinda sad. These narcotics was for the injuried marines but yet stolen for easy fix. It was a problem then...... its a problem now. Luckly I kept my meds with me at all times to prevent from being stolen.

The big issue isn't so much the war. The big issue is the decline of the quality of recruit. It used to be that if you had any past history of drug use you couldn't join. Now that isn't a barrier in the least bit. If you have done them before you are much more likely to do them again. The quality of our soldiers have dropped, it's that simple.

Duh!!! .......... what did you expect, a rubber biscuit?

@ Post 1.9, I don't know how young you are but given their circumstances, yes stress can lead to this and if you know any Viet Nam vets ask them about this particular aspect goes, they'll tell you a book-full, go to a Vet. hospital, go to a vet organization.

All I can say is it's a repeat of Viet Nam. Pilots, soldiers far too many came home addicted. We don't have any reason to still be in Afghanistan.

Young people experiment and/or use drugs habitually and frankly stress is not the reason. They do because they like how it feels. Soldiers are put into very stressful situations that certainly add to the possibility of of making bad decisions they normally would not do in civilian life.

After 9/11, in order to ramp up a war it required using the reserves much more than we had ever before done. The reason being is the big reduction during the Clinton years of military personnel. Look up the numbers. It was significant. I am not blaming Clinton, just pointing out that reduction of troops has consequences. The overuse of the reserves continues with this president. Yes he has curtailed the war in Iraq that already was on a timetable by Bush, and the war in Afghanistan will be ratcheted down with nothing to show for it except the death of OBL that was no longer relevant.

Our relations in that regions have deteriorated not improved over the past couple years. The goal was suppose to be to win the hearts and minds of those living in that region which clearly has been a huge failure.

The US should never get involved in nation building nor trying to influence our type of governmental system on others since ours is very flawed as well. With every mishap in the private sector caused by a drone or some sort of event like the Kuran burning, we take giant steps backwards. Karzi was never to be trusted and we were just deluding ourselves that we could work with him.

Our decision to help the rebels in Libya was another foray into spreading democracy in a country embroiled in a civil war. It was their war to win or lose not ours. We then sent politicians over to Egypt to stick our nose in that mess which now has gotten worse with several Americans held for trial.

Obama blamed Bush for everything possible, but now he is finding that it wasn't so easy navigating those waters. Most regular people already knew that.

disagree! How about stop drug testing people in general! The land of the free doesn't or shouldn't say give me your blood for analysis.

Sorry, hibbage, but if you are the U.S. Military, you lose some of the rights enjoyed by a civilian. I believe that one of them is freedom from "unreasonable search and seizure" .

I am more of the opinion of those who would like to bring the troops home now, except that nations which aspire to respect in the world cannot behave in a random or impulsive manner, or ignore its own agreements. We have an established time table for our withdrawal. We should follow it, accelerating it wherever possible.

What we cannot [or should not] do is to leave abruptly.

Hello folks, there will be one business the U.S. won’t leave behind and that is the very lucrative opium business. Is it any surprise our soldiers get hooked on a drug they use to escape from the atrocities they are engaged in every day. If you are naïve enough to think that the drug trade is in the hands of nefarious drug dealers and not the governments of the world you are brain washed. Since the British East India Trading Company in the 1600's the India Afghanistan area has always been the largest suppliers of Opium which has carried on today and is a multi-billion dollar business. Britain has historically controlled the opium business and now the U.S. is smack dab in the middle of it. In 2000 the Taliban had taken over and created a law that stopped the growing of poppies all the while storing vast quantities of Opium in warehouses to increase the price. Well that didn't sit well with the powers who previously controlled the opium trade. In 2001 we went to war with Afghanistan and we will be hard pressed to give back these enormous profits back to the control of the Taliban. If America was anti-drug we would have destroyed the poppy fields, we haven't! You can easily find the videos on YouTube where American soldiers are carrying bags of fertilizer for the poppy fields and guarding them.

Here is a short snippet of an article on the” war on drugs”:

The “War On Drugs” Is A $2.5 Trillion Racket: How Big Banks, Private Military Companies And The Prison Industry Cash In

News // Jul 11 2011

By David DeGraw – AmpedStatus Report

For a further understanding of how the War on Drugs is deeply intertwined with the War on Terror, the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan has led to an explosive increase in drug trade profits:

Afghanistan as a Drug War

“From a modest 185 tons at the start of American intervention in 2001, Afghanistan now produced 8,200 tons of opium, a remarkable 53 percent of the country’s GDP and 93 percent of global heroin supply.

In this way, Afghanistan became the world’s first true ‘narco-state.’ If a cocaine traffic that provided just 3 percent of Colombia’s GDP could bring in its wake endless violence and powerful cartels capable of corrupting that country’s government, then we can only imagine the consequences of Afghanistan’s dependence on opium for more than 50 percent of its entire economy.

At a drug conference in Kabul this month, the head of Russia’s Federal Narcotics Service estimated the value of Afghanistan’s current opium crop at $65 billion. Only $500 million of that vast sum goes to Afghanistan’s farmers, $300 million to the Taliban guerrillas, and the $64 billion balance ‘to the drug mafia,’ leaving ample funds to corrupt the Karzai government in a nation whose total GDP is only $10 billion.”

Why are there no stories of the great things that our soldiers do? The media always finds 1 or 2 morons and paint the picture that it is on some huge scale. Our soldiers protect civilians over there while they build schools, and medical facilities. But the media only wants you to hear the negative. I appreciate all military families and soldiers and thank you all who help protect my country.

I want to see all the US Politicians, US Citizens that demand that, giving up of Rights, to live under the Four Legal Authorities Over the US Military. example: US Citizen in Debt, slam dunked under Article 134. Sex with other than their married Spouse, bam, Article 134.

David - I salute your long years of military service. But your above suggestion, while perhaps emotionally pleasing, is neither practical, nor necessary. The U.S. has no manifest interest in the private affairs of private citizens. But an enlisted soldier, or commissioned officer is a direct employee of the U.S. government, upon whose ability to perform and function in a dedicated manner is dependent both the lives of his comrades and the success of military endeavors.

Perhaps some articles of the U.S. Military code need to be adjusted. But they certainly do not need to be applied to all U.S. Citizens, just so military personnel do not feel singled out. They are singled out; there is no avoiding that fact.

A better solution would be the re-institution of the draft. Whatever military actions proposed and executed by the U.S.A., they should be the collective responsibility of all citizens, not just those without an easy career path in civilian life. Universal eligibility for conscription is also the best possible protection of our democratic government. A citizen army is unlikely to support a military coup. A professional military can come to view itself as something separate and apart from civilian society, and as something more entitled to political power. This has happened on numerous occasions in human history, and human nature in modern day America is no different than in Rome when Caesar crossed the Rubicon.

Britain has historically controlled the opium business and now the U.S. is smack dab in the middle of it. In 2000 the Taliban had taken over and created a law that stopped the growing of poppies all the while storing vast quantities of Opium in warehouses to increase the price. Well that didn't sit well with the powers who previously controlled the opium trade. In 2001 we went to war with Afghanistan and we will be hard pressed to give back these enormous profits back to the control of the Taliban

Sorry, Trust Verify, I do not buy your theory, that the Afghanistan War was motivated by the desire to free up the Opium trade. To accept that, you would have demonstrate that the destruction of the World Trade Towers in 2011 was either a disconnected, random event, or, worse yet, an intentional act by the U.S. Government.

I do not buy it. Nor do I accept that prior to 2000, the British were in control of the Afghanistan opium trade. The heyday of British power and influence in this region ended in 1947, and they have not had a strong presence in the region since. I've no doubt that British [and American] individuals have been, and will be involved in the Opium Trade. But that is a far cry from controlling it.

Will the U.S. maintain a continued, limited presence in Afghanistan? Yes, if we are smart. But we will be unable to control the production of opium in this very poor country, where a farmer can earn 10 times as much money growing poppies, than he can from growing wheat.

10 years into a no win war; we have already announced we are pulling out; soldiers risking their life every day, for what, and our leaders are surprised that they are using drugs to cope; GET THE HELL OUT NOW.

Trust Verify - I did attempt to find videos of U.S. Troops helping to fertilize crops of poppies. Couldn't find it. I did find several news reports detailing how the U.S. Military tolerates the growing of poppies out of a desire not to alienate the local farmers.

Show me the link to this video, please.

This is why we are in Afghanistan and why we will be there until 2014.

www.rense.com/general15/game.htm

On December 11, a preliminary agreement was signed in Turkmenistan’s capital, Ashgabat, by
representatives of the four countries to proceed with plans for the American
and Israeli-backed pipeline. Here are the basic points about the TAPI pipeline:

Construction of pipeline will be completed by 2014

1,680 kilometer gas pipeline will supply 3.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day (much of
this gas will come from Israeli/Mossad-owned gas fields in Turkmenistan,
meaning immense profits for the Mossadniks who pulled of 9/11)............►The Obama
administration, elected on the promise to withdraw U.S. troops by July 2011,
now says the U.S. will maintain combat troops in Afghanistan until December
2014. On December 17, the House passed a defense authorization bill (by a
341-48 vote) that authorizes the Pentagon to spend more than $160 billion on
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2011 without major restrictions on the
conduct of operations. Why are U.S. (and NATO) troops being kept in Afghanistan
for another 4 years? What's really going on there? What is the cost and who is
involved in this game??

The real reason for the U.S. invasion and occupation of Afghanistan is to build and
secure a 1,080-mile long gas pipeline designed to carry trillions of dollars of
Israeli-owned gas from Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India. You could ask how
come Turkmenistans gas could be Israeli-owned, here is the answer:

Following the break-up of the Soviet Union, Israeli agents sought to gain control of the
strategic assets of the newly independent Soviet republics. In mineral-rich
Turkmenistan, a Mossad agent named Yosef A. Maiman was very successful in
gaining control of the republic's immense resources of natural gas. Yosef
Maiman, born in Germany in 1946, grew up in Peru and studied in the United
States before becoming an Israeli citizen in 1971. As an agent of Israeli
intelligence, Maiman heads a network of Mossad-controlled companies that serve
Israeli interests. As the chief executive of the Merhav Group, Maiman has
controlled the development of Turmenistan's gas resources. Maiman's key
colleagues at Merhav are the former head of the Mossad, Shabtai Shavit, and
Nimrod Novik, chief adviser to Shimon Peres, the current president of Israel.

Maiman was described as "a leading miner" of Central Asian gas fields by the Jerusalem
Post in 2004. Given their control of the immense gas resources of Turkmenistan,
Maiman, Merhav, and the "Mossad" would all profit if and when the
U.S.-led coalition were able to "pacify" and control Afghanistan so
that the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline could be
built allowing the gas of Turkmenistan to be sold to energy-hungry India . The TAPI pipeline
project would bring billions of dollars into "Mossad" coffers every
year. This is the real reason for the war in Afghanistan and why the
Zionist-controlled Obama administration has increased the war effort in Central
Asia. It has nothing to do with terrorism or 9-11.

Now you can easily understand why there was need for the "justification" of
this war, which was planned before the 9/11
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1550366.stm). The false-flag terror
attacks of 9/11 were part of a strategic Israeli operation to bring the U.S.
military into Afghanistan on a long-term mission on behalf of Israel’s Turkmen
gas enterprise. The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline is
the real reason that U.S. soldiers are killing and dying in the southwestern
Afghan provinces of Helmand and Kandahar. 9/11 was just the cover story for
this pre-planned war of aggression - and it is nothing but a complete hoax.

http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/04/04/the-real-nuclear-outlaws/

The Obama administration, elected on the promise to withdraw U.S. troops by July 2011,
now says the U.S. will maintain combat troops in Afghanistan until December
2014.

Ralph, I dd not trouble to go through all your post, which seemed highly speculative.

But I do have one question, when did Candidate Obama promise to remove all troops from Afghanistan by 2012?

I recall his promises to reemphasize this war. I do not recall him ever issuing a time table for our withdrawal.

Source?

Reading some of the posts and had been in the military for 8 years. Must mention few things. The downsize in the military started under George Bush senior. At the time if you have a bad NCOER you were not able to enlist and their were offering bonuses so you could get out of service before your time. Couldnt get the bonus was to close to get out opps.

Drugs and alcohol issues in the military is nothing new. In Panama where I spent 15 months cocaine was so cheap and more pure than in the US a gram was about 20 bucks, we were drug tested every month and believe it or not in my company soldiers were busted each time. So is not surprise that in Afganistan that drugs can be easy available soldiers are using it. Can be worse because probably is not drug test at there.

After 911 the quality of recruits were indeed out of the window. You can see it in those cases of pictures of people dead etc. In my experiences just the smell of death from a human being make me reflect that someone die at there. Some of this so call soldiers their think is funny and proud to pose with their trophies. No sense of humanity. If we act like our enemies doesnt make us any different.

I know exactly how soldiers can feel in a battlefield and is not pretty because the nasty feelings can come out specially when you see or know that fellow soldiers have lost their lifes on battle. How you handle that is the different.

Hello dman, you are such a thread troll, I normally don't sink to such comments but you constantly spout disinformation for what purposes, I don't know. For those of you who even take anything dman says as truthful if you want to see information regarding U.S. soldiers and their role in the heroin industry you can Google videos of soldiers guarding poppy fields in Afghanistan. You will find many articles and videos on this topic.

If you want to know why we are involved in invading other countries all you have to do is read the first paragraph of the Act of 1871! Love it or hate it, we are just protecting our corporate interests. In GOD (Gold, Oil, Drugs) we trust, right?

The $1trillion jackpot: U.S. discovers vast natural deposits of gold, iron, copper and lithium in Afghanistan

By David Gardner

OH MY people in the miltary useing drugs!!!! what a shock!!! I mean I never would have imagianed that!!! WHAT they just now figuerd that little fact out!!! Hell we had drugs on Diego Garcia back in the middle 70's!!!Peolpe in the military are not godlike and beyond reprouce, they are just ordinary folks like the rest of us...they include drunks, addicts, rapists, thieves and even murderers!!!!!!!!!!!!!! have very little to do with the stress of being over there!!!!!!!!!!!!!! just sayin

Why does the Media focus on the alleged bad behavior of some US Soldiers?

Did it happen or not? We'll never know. We read views from the Media, which seem to be anti- US Military.

It is always the American Soldiers recently that have been "picked" out, making them look worse than the Taliban.

Enough. They are there sacrificing their lives for the US Government, their families, and citizens here, in a long, unpopular ugly War. It is Karzai, the drug addict, along with his buddies, the Taliban who are destroying our lives here in the US. Focus on the amount of money to continue this 12 year War--it could be put to better use, here in the USA.

"Don't believe everything one reads". All US Military are doing the job no one wants.

Sure Marchant, blame the press. Its their fault. Blame the actors too. This story was clearly brought to the press by the U.S. military in an effort to be open and honest. That is their job. In America, Merchant, it is the duty of government to deal openly with both the good and the bad, and indeed, it is the presses duty to report it. Toughen up boy. Welcome to America Marchant. Love it or leave it.

dman-353357 - But your above suggestion, while perhaps emotionally pleasing, is neither practical, nor necessary. The U.S. has no manifest interest in the private affairs of private citizens. But an enlisted soldier, or commissioned officer is a direct employee of the U.S. government

We serve at the discrection of the "Will of the People" thru their Representatives of US Congress of the US Government. Therefore, the US Congress determines the Laws that the US Military must adhere to as the UCMJ. So that means that the US Congress and US Citizens must also adhere to those US Laws required of their Servants. The old Legal saying "What is good for the goose is good for the gander".

dman-353357 - A citizen army is unlikely to support a military coup.

In principle yes, in reality no; I can name a couple of Nations that we (my Teams and I) pushed a little for their conscript (mandatory compulsory) Military to Overthrow their Established Government. Usually, it is a Nation with a Conscript or Mandatory Compulsory Military Service that is actually easier to cause events to have them Overthrow their Government.

dman-353357 - A professional military can come to view itself as something separate and apart from civilian society, and as something more entitled to political power.

When a Nation's Military is treated like Red Head B*astard Stepchildren as a distinct separate entity and the Nation's Politicians refuse to listen to the requested changes to real or perceived injustices that is one of the ways that we created a situation for a Nation's Military to Overthrow an Established Government.

had-enough-470242 - platoons or companies are scattered all over the mountainous Afghanistan without the sample getting bad in 100+ degree heat. Most times you need helos to to get where we was at.

The US Military Conventional Warfare Platoons or Companies are at the FOBs and COBs. It is my Teams that are scattered all over the Mountains to conduct year round US Military Asymmetric Mountain Warfare (including technical mountain climbing) including in the current 4 degree F weather. We cannot use any of our supporting MH-60s, MH -47s, MH-6s or we will get swarmed plus the extreme high altitude and high speed wind vortexes creates situations for ambushes (flying in the lower altitude valleys), being sucked or blown into the side of a mountain.

TrustVerify,

STOP SPAMMING (Spam a Pork By Product is Illegal at Islamic Nations).

Most of the Opium of Afghanistan becomes the Chinese Drug Trade via the Oil Silk Road. A very small percentage is used by the US after being processed into Medicines. The majority of the Illegal Opium at the US comes from South and Central Americas.

Kristian113 - Why are there no stories of the great things that our soldiers do?

Because the US News Media are not allowed to even be with us or see us. Photograph us and we cannot work anymore.

Kristian113 - The media always finds 1 or 2 morons and paint the picture that it is on some huge scale.

Just like Vietnam, the News Reporters would sit in their secure Hotel Rooms writing their articles based on information that they paid for from others that were not participants.

And think about this, a woman at an Islamic Nation:

Associated Press writer Pauline Jelinek contributed to this report.

Kristian113 - Our soldiers protect civilians over there while they build schools, and medical facilities.

That is us living with the Locals for years of consecutive tours (you must gain their trust and you cannot obtain that by abandoning them every year by rotating out); not the US Military Conventional Warfare Forces that are basically stuck on the FOBs, COBs, USAF Airbases, etc. since they do not speak the language(s) nor know the details of the Culture. We buy the local materials, have the materials transported, roll up our sleeves, stand side by side with the Afghan Villagers building their school and medical clinic, we do not build these for them, building these themselves gives them a sense of ownership that they will protect with their lives. We also do not tell them how to build as what they build from experience lasts Centuries, stays cool during the over 100 degree F summers and requires minimal heating during the near Arctic Winters (6 degrees F), high insulation factor of over a foot thick walls made of Clay Bricks (Adobe). The crap that the US Contractors build to western standards for about a Million USDs each (School or Medical Clinic) controlled by President Obama's Political Appointees (US Embassy, US Department of State) usually collapses during the first winter.

This whole story is just a cheap ploy by the army to disguise the fact that they are growing the opium, bringing it to the US, and selling it to dealers that put it in the hands of OUR TEENS.

So 75 junkies in the army got caught. Here's the double standard again, because thousands of military personel knowingly use drugs and are slid through the system as long as they don't cause trouble and show up for work. But oh boy, if you the citizen want to smoke reefer, watch out. You'll get prison!

So yeah, I have no respect for the army or the writers of this article or for my government for that matter because they are the dealers and growers and commanders of the prisons.

Quite frankly I'm done with the lies. Here's my middle finger for you all.

Tom T:

The reports coming out of a War Zone, and past Wars never let their enemy know the weaknesses of our US Military. This would be Iran, China, Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, and all UAE Emirates, North Korea.

It is not proper to blast thru the Media, to tell all enemy countries, that our Military has weaknesses. Disastrous.

Problems with certain Soliders is privately discussed with The President in Office, and Top Leaders in the US Armed Forces.

Protocol. Have you heard of this?

@trust verify

I have trouble taking your sources seriously when this:

Afghanistan now produced 8,200 tons of opium, a remarkable 53 percent of the country’s GDP

From your quote, stands in direct conflict with this:

revenue from opium production in Afghanistan soared by 133 percent in 2011, to about $1.4 billion, or about one-tenth of the country's GDP.

From the article.

Sorry, but 53% ≠ 1/10 -- one of you is lying, and I doubt its MSNBC.

Trust Verify and Ralph have naIled it to the wall. Are they the only ones who get it here???

We're there for the drugs, gas and mineral reserves. Or, at least; that's the intention of those running this sham. Only problem is, China will get all the gas and mineral goods, and we'll be stuck with a bunch of opiate-derivative junkies and a three trillion dollar tab and MORE dead troops!

WHADDA DEAL, eh folks????????

Protection against terrorism? CIvilian liberation? My a$$.

(Keep fighting the GOOD FIGHT, Trust Verify)

Hibbage:

disagree! How about stop drug testing people in general! The land of the free doesn't or shouldn't say give me your blood for analysis.

That's fine, you don't have to take a drug test, as long as I don't have to hire you if you refuse.

After all, as you said, this is the land of the free, right?

If I don't have the freedom to not hire you because I set a certain standard that is legally recognized and accepted, and if everyone must meet that standard, then if you refuse to accept that standard, you have denied my freedom: My freedom to make sure that I have a safe and drug free place of employment which I have risked my sweat and treasure to provide.

You are not entitled to my paycheck unless you meet the standards that I set. Seems pretty simple. But by all means, enjoy your freedom. As long as your freedom doesn't encroach on my freedom, then we'll both get along just fine.

TrustVerify - The $1trillion jackpot: U.S. discovers vast natural deposits of gold, iron, copper and lithium in Afghanistan

STOP TROLLING AND SPAMMING.

I already told you before it was my Teams that discovered the High Tech Mineral Resources of Afghanistan while hunting down the Al Quada, Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban, Hamas Foreign Fighters, etc. by spelunking into some of the thousands of miles of mining tunnels, mines, mineshafts, etc.. Later on to verify this CIA Scientific Teams were attached to us with us providing our mountain climbing (and spelunking) expertise and security.

The High Tech Mineral Rights of Afghanistan were LOST to the Chinese due to President Obama's March 2009 Improved Relations with Iran Policy, with the Fundamentalist Islamic Republic of Iran negotiating with the Islamic People of Afghanistan for the Chinese to get the contracts NOT THE US. In 2011, the Chinese placed Sanctions, Embargoes, Chinese Laws against the shipments of High Tech Minerals out of China, so that any High Tech requiring these High Tech Minerals must be Made In China and NOT the US.

Dman - Exactly what is it about my post on the TAPI gas pipeline that is speculative? A pipleline is being built, which will benefit Israel. 9/11 was committed by Israelis, Zionists in America and willing dupes from Yemen and saudi Arabia, who would have been caught, if not for inside help.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec02/intelligence_12-11.html

GWEN IFILL:
Senator Graham, are there elements in this report, which are classified that
Americans should know about but can't?

SEN. BOB
GRAHAM: Yes, going back to your question about what was the greatest surprise.
I agree with what Senator Shelby said the degree to which agencies were not
communicating was certainly a surprise but also I was surprised at the evidence
that there were foreign governments involved in facilitating the activities of
at least some of the terrorists in the United States.

I am stunned
that we have not done a better job of pursuing that to determine if other
terrorists received similar support and, even more important, if the
infrastructure of a foreign government assisting terrorists still exists for
the current generation of terrorists who are here planning the next plots.

To me that is
an extremely significant issue and most of that information is classified, I
think overly-classified. I believe the American people should know the extent
of the challenge that we face in terms of foreign government involvement. That
would motivate the government to take action.

GWEN IFILL:
Are you suggesting that you are convinced that there was a state sponsor behind
9/11?

SEN. BOB
GRAHAM: I think there is very compelling evidence that at least some of the
terrorists were assisted not just in financing -- although that was part of it
-- by a sovereign foreign government and that we have been derelict in our duty
to track that down, make the further case, or find the evidence that would
indicate that that is not true and we can look for other reasons why the
terrorists were able to function so effectively in the United States.

GWEN IFILL:
Do you think that will ever become public, which countries you're talking
about?

SEN. BOB GRAHAM: It will become public at some point when it's turned over to the
archives, but that's 20 or 30 years from now. And, we need to have this
information now because it's relevant to the threat that the people of the
United States are facing today.

GWEN IFILL:
Senator Shelby let's talk about accountability. You have been quoted on more
than one occasion and again today talking about the CIA, George Tenet, the
director of Central Intelligence - saying that more massive failures occurred
on his watch than any CIA director in history.

Do you think
he should resign?

SEN. RICHARD
SHELBY: Well, I have spoken on that before. I would like him to resign. Whether
he stays there is up to President Bush. He works with the president; he was not
appointed by this president. I personally like George Tenet. I think he has a
lot of good attributes and in some areas he's done a good job, but he has not
even tried to manage the community.

But there are
a lot of other people that ought to be held accountable. Look at the former
director of the CIA -- John Deutch -- on his watch a lot things did happen that
shouldn't have happened. Former FBI Director Louis Freeh; he has got some
accountability there. We can go on and on and I believe people should be
accountable for their actions or inactions.

GWEN IFILL:
You call Louis Freeh's tenure at the FBI catastrophic I think is the word you
used.

SEN. RICHARD
SHELBY: If you look back and you examine it, despite all of us liking Louis
Freeh, it was not the best -- finest hour of FBI

HOTTICKET-2304234 - Trust Verify and Ralph have naIled it to the wall. Are they the only ones who get it here???

The only thing they nailed was your arse hole.

Afghanistan: High Tech Mineral Wealth to Chinese NOT US.

Majority of Opium from Afghanistan to Chinese Drug Trade via the Old Silk Road.

Iraq: Iraqis Oil to Fundamentalist Islamic Republic of Iran's Allies the Chinese and Russian Federation.

Hello dman, you are such a thread troll, I normally don't sink to such comments but you constantly spout disinformation for what purposes, I don't know.

I agree, you don't know.

As I have said to others before, the last refuge of the poor debater, the person incapable of logically and factually advancing his arguments is to resort to ad hominem attacks, such as referring to somebody as "such a thread troll".

You can easily find the videos on YouTube where American soldiers are carrying bags of fertilizer for the poppy fields and guarding them.

Sorry if adherence to fact, and being held to account for your own words puts you into such a frothing fury that your respond with insults. If actually referring to fact, not fancy, makes me a troll, so be it.

I did look for the video evidence you claim is so commonplace. At the top of the search list for "U.S. Soldiers Guarding Opium", I came across a this highly politicized collage of video images (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChIF6yvTL6k) which shows still images of U.S. soldiers walking through or standing in fields of poppies, but offers nothing to prove their purpose is to protect the poppies. The second link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_54LJMwG4E) is to an actual Fox News video, in which interviewed U.S. Military officers clearly state that the U.S. policy is to tolerate, not engage in, the growing of opium.

So where are your links of U.S soldiers [your words] "carrying bags of fertilizer for poppy fields"?

A second tactic to of the incompetent debater is to shift the subject focus. In your latest post, you now allude to the Act of 1871, with assurances that the first paragraph is indisputable proof of your theories. It may surprise you, but even in 1871, Congress frequently passed more than one law in a given session. Two appear to be of note from that year, the Civil Rights Act of 1871, and the Act to provide a Government for the District of Columbia. Since there seemed to be more controversy swirling about the latter, I examined it's first paragraph, which I'm providing below:

http://www.teamlaw.org/DCOA-1871.pdf

Chap. LXII - An Act to provide a Government for the District of Columbia.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That all that part of the territory of the United States included within the limits of the District of Columbia be, and the same is hereby, created into a government by the name of the District of Columbia, by which name it is hereby constituted a body corporate for municipal purposes, and may contract and be contracted with, sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded, have a seal and exercise all other powers of a municipal corporation not inconsistent with the Constitution and laws of the United States and the provisions of this act.

Have I got the correct "Act of 1871"?

If so, please instruct, what dire meaning your read into this paragraph, which relates only to the municipal government of the 68.1 square miles constituting Washington D.C.?

As to the vast resources of gold, iron, copper, etc, having been discovered in this country: this is true. How this advances your theory that we are in Afghanistan to protect and profit from the drug trade, I doubt could be answered by anybody not wearing a tin foil hat.

I'm still waiting for your "evidence" that the entire Afghanistan War, and the 9/11 attacks which preceded it were part of some conspiracy by, how did you put it, "the powers who previously controlled the opium trade.". But why offer evidence when you just respond to anybody who questions you by calling them a troll?

Lots of luck with your half-baked "theories" and fanciful facts. They seem based upon rumor, suppositions, and outright falsehoods. You may fool some of people. You certainly do not fool me.

Dman - Exactly what is it about my post on the TAPI gas pipeline that is speculative?

I find your interpretations of motives speculative. I've no doubt that a gas pipeline may be under construction in that region. Why that should be so important to the U.S., a nation with a surplus of natural gas reserves, you'll have to explain to me.

With fading hope, I'm yet waiting for an answer as to just when and where, then candidate Barack Obama promised we would be out of Afghanistan by 2012.

...so that any High Tech requiring these High Tech Minerals must be Made In China and NOT the US.

David, you do realize that minerals cannot be "made" anywhere, even in China? They can only be extracted from the Earth, and then refined.

I'm not convinced that U.S. commercial interests will be totally excluded from efforts to develop these resources. China, however, does have an clear advantage due to its closer proximity. This was true before Obama ever became president, and there is little he can do to change this fact.

David still doesn't get it.

David, you have a problem with READING COMPREHENSION, bro. Go back and REREAD my posts. And Trust's posts. And Ralph's posts. And dman's posts......and.......oh well...........NEVER MIND, ok????????

*shakes head while patting YOU on the head*

Moving on. It's been fun!

RalphH - Dman - Exactly what is it about my post on the TAPI gas pipeline that is speculative? A pipleline is being built, which will benefit Israel. 9/11 was committed by Israelis, Zionists in America and willing dupes from Yemen and saudi Arabia, who would have been caught, if not for inside help.

YOUR PBS COPY AND PASTE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR RANT QUOTED ABOVE, AS TYPICAL ISLAMIC TAQIYA (lies to Advance Islam) and very typical Islamic Brainwashing with Islamic Nations Mandatory School Curriculum of Hitler's Mein Kampf taught as a Success Story and the Blame the Jews for everything, "Protocols of the Wise Elders of Zion" in accordance with the Islamic World's 1933 Forever Alliance With Hitler as signed by the Representative of the Islamic World Amin Al Husseini (Co founder of the Fundamentalist Islamic Arab League of Nations, Muslim Brotherhood, etc.).

The State (Nation) that they are talking about Sponsoring the 9/11 2001 Attacks is the USSR Backed Fundamentalist Islamic Republic of Iran that Fully Supported the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban Government of Afghanistan that was providing Osama Bin Laden and Al Quada with Islamic Sanctuary as well as Fully Supporting the Fundamentalist Islamic Jihadists Training Camps at Afghanistan.

The person responsible for the US Intelligence being Blind Worldwide and suffering Intelligence Blackouts of Entire Regions especially the "Middle East" was President Clinton with his Gutting of the US Intelligence Agencies. US Congressional 9/11 Committee Investigations, Findings and Recommendations.

Afghanistan: High Tech Mineral Wealth to Chinese NOT US.

Majority of Opium from Afghanistan to Chinese Drug Trade via the Old Silk Road.

Iraq: Iraqis Oil to Fundamentalist Islamic Republic of Iran's Allies the Chinese and Russian Federation.

Hence China's eagerness to bankroll our 'follies'?

"In the two years before the Sept. 11 attacks, the North American Aerospace Defense Command conducted exercises simulating what the White House says was unimaginable at the time: hijacked airliners used as weapons to crash into targets and cause mass casualties. One of the imagined targets was the World Trade Center.... [there were] early drills, including one operation, planned in July 2001 and conducted later, that involved planes from airports in Utah and Washington state that were 'hijacked.' Those planes were escorted by U.S. and Canadian aircraft to airfields in British Columbia and Alaska. NORAD officials have acknowledged that 'scriptwriters' for the drills included the idea of hijacked aircraft being used as weapons.... Until Sept. 11, 2001, NORAD conducted four major exercises a year. Most included a hijack scenario.'"
NORAD had drills of jets as weapons
USA Today, 18 April 2004

The US Air Defence Response On 911
'Fight Smart', 19 September 2004

"The defense of U.S. airspace on 9/11 was not conducted in accord with preexisting training and protocols....."
THE 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT, JULY 2004 (p 31)

Drugs are just a small chip in a much bigger game. And we are just the willingly ignorant masses.

Cheney '94: Invading Baghdad Would Create Quagmire- YouTubeshows that Condi, Rumsfeld, W, Wolfowitz, et al had full knowledge of the complexity and dangers and risk of both 911 and the Iraq Invasion despite the across the board denials by each and every one of them, as well as the profits derived by playing along and lying to the very United States Citizens they were sworn to serve.

[PDF] The Big Lie

Organised Crime & International Terrorist Networks

911 Anomalies

We need not stay ignorant. Despite the burying/removal of much factual information and whitewashing by the Feds, plenty of information still abounds, for now. Being a willing participant in no way extricates one from following orders which are illegal in basis of being committed during invasion of sovereign Nations.

For those that do not think Americans could be so gullible, please refer to any point in our recent history of wars, sanctioned assassinations, Nation Building, use of dangerous chemicals such as Agent Orange (and the further enrichment & control given these very manufacturers in the US/World's crops) on our own troops, as well as the Gulf of Tonkin incident to bring about desired conflicts, installation of Shahs, Presidents, and other Leaders of foreign Countries, just as a few examples.

Keep on believing that Our Government has not morphed/developed into exactly what President Dwight D Eisenhower warned this Nation against on his exit speech.

Eisenhower warns us of the military industrial complex « Truth11

Eisenhower warns us of the military industrial complex. - YouTube

I am sure even this clear and present danger sill find the same shill detractors opining against it.

Peace

I am sure even this clear and present danger will find the same shill detractors opining against it.

Ran out of edit time. Sorry for this!

But in the face of all of these very chilling realities, the intricacies of which are difficult if not impossible to prove by outsiders to the Game, we must NEVER stop questioning with due diligence.

The World We May Save Depends On It.

Real world or drill?

Here is another perspective on Opium Growing and Eradication Efforts in Afghanistan, particularly the Helmand Province, though it pertains to other crops and history as well. Note that USAID ultimately concludes that we seem to fail miserably despite the veiled attempts to eradicate and that the crops continue to grow/produce at record rates.

ps - little fertilizing is necessary for opium, so the fertilizer trust verify may be referring to might just have been for this exchange crop program, even if later its use was diverted to poppies.

OPIUM POPPY CULTIVATION IN CENTRAL HELMAND ...

A good complimentary piece, below:

The opium poppy is an undemanding plant | RegionPlus.az

Hello folks, I'm pretty sure David475776 and dman are one in the same. If there was an article that read the "Sun warms the earth", you would get a rebuttal from David/dman. The ruse is up. Why don't you contribute to the intellectual growth of humanity instead of obfuscating it?

Somethings don't change. When I entered the service in 1970 I had never used drugs. In A School and aboard ship drugs were plentiful and on a ship of 220+ over half at leased smoked pot and hash. The civilian world keeps a much closer watch that the military does.

Hello folks, I'm pretty sure David475776 and dman are one in the same. I

Hello Folks, Above we have another news-flash from that oracle of truth, TrustVerify, a person who only requires half the facts to determine his own special brand of reality.

TrustVerify, if your reading comprehension even came close to matching the intensity of your delusional beliefs, you'd have noticed that David-475776 and I agree on practically nothing, except that you have absolutely no clue what is happening in the world around you.

Afghanistan is a lost cause and always has been. While I support punitive action against Al Qaeda this nation building BS that is currently going on is BS. Please bring these warriors back to America and stop policing the damn world.

@ The Devil

You have hit it right on the head when you say "stop policing the damn world"!!

That has been my thought on what our position should be for some time now!!! We as a nation have somehow gotten the notion that it is our job to police other countries and that has gotten us even deeper into a sh*thole with other country's due to them despising us for this exact reason as well as the US using our military to PROTECT the interests of big business in other country's/continents! We need to worry about US as a country, take care of our people and business HERE on THIS LAND!!!!

@dman

TrustVerify, if your reading comprehension even came close to matching the intensity of your delusional beliefs, you'd have noticed that David-475776 and I agree on practically nothing, except that you have absolutely no clue what is happening in the world around you.

Not only that, but the two of you have absolutely no similarity in grammar and sentence composition. That is readily obvious to even a casual reader.

WMG - - thanks.

The only reason why this is an issue to the military is that if more soldiers abuse heroin, the less they can sell in the US or Europe at $300/oz.

Sounds great. Another thing the taxpayers can pay for.

When I was in the Army my unit was drug tested monthly, not 100% tested, it would randomly test 40% or so of the company and twice annually a full company UA. We weren't tested while deployed but I wasn't aware of anyone using anything other than OTC sleep aids. My unit was at nearly 120% strength and they were looking for reasons to get rid of low performing soldiers.

Speaking of a huge waste of tax payers money, on the 19th I got to witness Homeland Security and the DEA in action. 35 people, some in riot gear, others in hazmat suits surrounded my home, dragged me out, and tore the place to shreds all to find 10 pot plants that came up to my knee. They blocked off the entire block and went door to door telling people to stay in their homes because there would be "deadly spores" floating around. The used forced air from a fire truck to vent my immaculately clean home out for an hour before entering in hazmat suits.

Next to the pot plants were Beef Steak Tomato plants, Zukes, cantaloupe, peppers, squash and lettuce, all of which were growing in the same 100% organic, pesticide free aquaponics set up.

The operation cost the county over $100,000 dollars, I bonded out the next morning for $300 dollars on a misdemeanor cultivation charge.

Kind of makes you proud to be an American when you see this kind of OVERKILL and govermental waste. No wonder this country is going broke, the war on drugs is costing us trillions and going nowhere. I offered to let them in and show them where everything was but they would have none of that, Homeland Security had to justify their existence in a state where Americans dont even want to move to, let alone international terrorists.

$100,000 to arrest one old man who has IBS and smokes weed so he doesn't have to live next to a toilet 24/7, and yes pot works better than anything any doctor has ever prescribed for it. I contracted Ecoli from tainted beef in 2005, the "hospital" here nearly killed me, by the time I was life-flighted to University of Utah I was going into convulsions and something they did had caused my testicles to swell to the size of grapefruit and I had a blood clot in my arm where a nurse had shot something she wasnt supposed to. The doctors in utah told me my stomach would never be the same after what the doctors in Wyoming did to me. From that moment on I had diarrhea 24/7 and constant extreme nausea, I had to be on a IV constantly to keep me hydrated. NOTHING they prescribed alleviated the problems. While visiting my wifes family in California in 2006, her uncle who has Glaucoma told me to try pot, I declined at first due to my job but when our vacation began to be constant hunt for a public restroom I gave in. After just two hits the nausea was gone, and by the end of the day I was "regular" for the first time in a year. Unfortunately with in hours of them raiding my home I was right back to where I was while laying in a hospital bed in 2005.

Yes I am sure weed has longterm side effects just as any pharmecuticals would, but I am not worried about that what I am concerned about is the QUALITY OF MY LIFE NOW, and pot made my life actually tolerable.

Thanks for the info Ajax, it's refreshing to hear the facts without a bunch of hateful mumbo jumbo. Thank you for your service.

Maybe, we should "upgrade" the testing to include CONGRESS. They are the numbskulls that continue to finance these no win wars--well, someone wins--the politicos and the contractors come out pretty well.

Agree with your comments..........But Congress doing something? and pronto?...Our Congressmen/women act like they are on drugs with the power trips they are on that result in ignoring everything other than their own agendas.

So maybe the military brass can do something and a heck of a lot faster.

Speaking of the "US Congress," could we get them drug tested too!!!!!!

mimi jacques,

The situation here.

Afghanistan was NEVER a Conventional War (Conventional named after the 1907 Hague Convention, later when Military ran from trenches into machinegun fires; after the 1949 Geneva Convention later when Military ran up hills to hold ground during the Korean War; Conventional War the attempt to make War "Civilized" (Civilianized)).

97% of the US Military is Conventional Warfare Forces as demanded by the US Civilians due to the US Politicians that they hired. As the US Military Conventional Warfare Forces require the large quantities of US Military Equipment manufactured in their States (US Civilian Jobs, States Economies). US Military Conventional Warfare Forces do not have high Retention incentives, they are minimally Trained, average ages after training from 18-30.

3% of the US Military are Asymmetric Warfare Forces (aka Special Warfare). Usually selected to be further trained from the mature experience surviving US Military Servicemembers of the US Military Conventional Warfare Forces, average age after training starting out at age 18-19 is age 35 not including the required College level language(s) and College level Culture(s) based on Area(s) of Operation(s). US Military Asymmetric Warfare Forces are trained to operate without support as a LAST resort, and normally require the support of US Military Conventional Warfare Forces. US Military Asymmetric Warfare Forces are considered a Strategic Asset with Mission of Strategic Asymmetric Warfare Goals and it is common to be attached to the President's own Executive Intelligence Agency, CIA SAD/SOG or be assigned to a US Embassy with Diplomatic Immunity. Usually, the US Military Asymmetric Warfare Forces are the first in, and the last out; and many times live with the Locals for years of consecutive tours (reason for the College level Language(s) and Culture(s) Degrees). example (watch the video): http://dougstanton.net/

Afghanistan is an Islamic Nation, Alcoholic Beverages are usually Illegal at Islamic Nations. One of the Four Legal Authorities Over the US Military are the Local Laws (Afghan, Islamic Laws, Status Of Forces Agreement (SOFA)). Many of the younger Military tend to do things like buying Afghan 90% Ethanol, or do the really dangerous making their own "moonshine". It is not like you can go to the nearest 7 Eleven and buy a bottle of booze. And unlike the US Military the US Civilians at the US Embassy can have Alcoholic Beverages (and they taunt and flaunt this privilage).

As far as the Repeated Tours. Currently only 1% of US Citizens are Serving the US Military. 92% of US Citizens refuse to do their Civic Duty by Serving the US Military (Candidate Obama during the Presidential Debates, "US Military Service is a Civic Duty").

To make matters worse, with more tours, and longer tours, President Obama as Commander In Chief has directed the Reduction In Forces (RIF) of the US Military of: 80,000 US Military Personnel + 27,000 US Military Personnel returning from the Wars + 10,000 US Military Personnel returning from the Closed US Military Installations at Germany + 5 more Brigades. specific numbers by US Military Branch: US Army: www.armytimes.com; USAF: www.airforcetimes.com; USMC: www.marinecorpstimes.com; USN: www.navytimes.com. As stated by Secretary of Defense Gates during his last visit here, just before tendering his Letter of Resignation to President Obama (coincidence that he did not agree with President Obama's RIF, and President Obama not listening to his or his Flag Officers Expert Experienced Advice) eventhough President Obama requested he remain as Secretary of Defense.

OBXRon - So maybe the military brass can do something and a heck of a lot faster.

Civilian Control Over The US Military. How many more Generals do you want President Obama to demand their Letters of Resignation: General McKiernan, General McChrystal, General Petraeus (you did not know that did you or why).

The Only Flag Officer (General or Admiral) that President Obama ever listened to was Admiral Mullen that did not have any training nor experience in Ground Combat (experience you cannot obtain from advisers or books), and only had training and experience in USN Surface Warfare (when was the last USN Naval Battle). And do not even mention the Rescue of Captain Phillips or the Termination of Osama Bin Laden, as President Obama had to be pressured by the US Military and US Intelligence Agencies to authorize either Mission because he believed that a Failure would destroy his Political Career.

Agreed! I lived through the Vietnam "era", and what is going on in Afghanistan is very similar to what went on in Vietnam in every way.

I live in an area where heroin was brought back with the soliders from Korea and Vietnam and it's devasted the community and three generations later the toll on the young and the community has been heavy and every family can tell you a story. Heroin abuse doesn't discrimate by race, age, sex, economic status. It's a grim reaper I know so many grandparents who are raising their grandchildren due to the problem and what an addict will due to support their habit is bad. They steal, cheat, and lie. While HIV and AIDS seem to be contained Hep C is killing a lot of not only the users but the one's who have cleaned up. We also have a lot of returning Iraqi and Afghanistan soliders and PTSD is also causing a lot of problems for these disabled soliders. The toll of Iraq and Afghanistan on the US hasn't even begun. God Bless all these soliders and I pray that we don't forget them like we did to the Vietnam Vets. Many of them are sick and homeless with mental and addiction issues.

well keep those blinders on as we continue to kill and murder. go america!

as you sit there and hide behind the wall of freedom they provide !!!!!!!

as you sit there and hide behind the wall of freedom they provide !!!!!!!

Pray, tell - what freedoms are you talking about? The freedom to be groped and humiliated when flying or now, it seems, even when riding a bus?

The freedom to be arrested on even minor charges and be strip searched at will?

The freedom to be declared an enemy of the state, and murdered without trial at the whim of the President?

The freedom to be forced to p*ss in a bottle to get a job?

The freedom to pay taxes so our government can pay off their cronies in the banking industry?

The freedom of seeing runaway inflation eat away at the meager savings we manage to keep after paying those taxes?

The freedom to obtain a permit for most anything you wish to do in public, like handing out bottles of water to the thirsty, or food to the homeless, or even setting up a lousy lemonade stand?

The freedom to protest in wired cages called 'Free Speech Zones" while no one cares or even hears your protests?

The freedom to walk through metal detectors and endure pat downs in almost every federal building?

The freedom of trying to obey more than 55,000(!) federal laws on the books, any one of which can set you up for a felony you never knew existed?

The freedom of having to register with the government to buy a package of cold medicine?

The freedom of having armed commandos break through your front door because... gasp! You smoked some medicinal weed known to mankind since the days of the Egyptians?

The freedom to be randomly stopped while driving and produce your papers?

And this is just a taste, a tip of the iceberg of the many "freedoms" we enjoy.

My... the list of freedoms we enjoy are almost endless!

(For the educationally challenged, those last 2 lines were sarcasm.)

absolutely right....most people just sing that bull@!$%# of how our military is protecting our "freedom"

the only threat to our freedom comes from the government...the al-quada (spelling) didnt take our freedom, the government did

I was prescribed narcotics by the military while deployed to help me with sleep and pain after attacks. As I process through the deployment processing they say I can not have them any more.

thrill, jay and jaques,

You've never served, obviously. You drivle on about something you don't have a single clue.

GFY!

thrill, jay and jaques,

You've never served, obviously. You drivle on about something you don't have a single clue.

GFY

Yes, I did. I was given the freedom of seeing my bud's brains partially blown out, and him gurgling his last words in a gush of blood. I couldn't see his eyes - or rather the one that was left intact. It was too full of blood. Do you know what stands out? Actually 2 things. That freshly splattered brains look like raspberry chiffon - with bubbles. And that even though all hell is exploding around you - somehow looking at a man die - everything goes silent. You still hear the noise - but it doesn't matter anymore.

Oh - and by the way, they usually don't die quickly - even from wounds that would make a sadist puke. It takes a while before the soul gives up and flies off into eternity. That rasping death rattle will burn a hole in your memory every time - I assure you.

GFY? Sure, guess I'll just nip along now and perform some dubious carnal knowledge upon myself.

I'm a JTAC in the Air Force. Just as any close organization, for everything except the 100% personnel tests, I get chosen every time for the "random" tests. WHy? Im 100% clean and they've figured that out.

I'm a vet also, these guys ARE stressed.

Is this a "Blame the Messenger" post?

Would you also be the one criticizing MSNBC posts stories about Congress doing nothing because that iis again another Leftist example of bashing our finest representatives for being so conservative that nothing gets done?

I agree we should all treasure and honor the service of our veterans. But when they come back with mental problems and drug habits as a result of their service we forget about them it seems in many examples of homeless or mentally challenged people in our major cities who are ex-servicemen. Put actions where mouths are and HELP our returning servicemen. Give them mental care follow ups, job preferences and housing assistance for those lost years "protecting us"

OBX...I understand your point of view and agree to a point....but, it is strange that the video in the article states that drug use has doubled....yet the statistics presented in the article do not support that contention at all. It says that it is about the same as for any war. I can't explain that.

I'd LOVE to see some Troop stories on "Troops helping the hungry", "Troops raising money for charity"

"Troops helping flood victims"..

Gee, where are those stories ?

You don't see them (the "Good Things") because youare not looking for them. I see them nearly everyday - no, they are not in the headlines, nor are their headlines when someone turns in a wallet found on the floor at Wal*Mart. That is expected. You don't get points for feeding your children, paying your bills on time, checking on the elderly neighbor next door if you don't see them for a few days or calling your parents ... just because.

If you are only seeing the negatives - maybe that has more to say about what you are looking for, paying attention to ... than it does about all the good which happens in the world everyday.

Bad things are Bad - because good people don't do bad things. Bad People do bad things - Our newspapers point them out as a lesson for what not to do, not as an example of what it takes to get your name in the paper or bring shame on your family.

In some ways - its people like you Reactionaries, who do a disservice when they rail against news stories which offer life lessons which warn against us settling into a lackadaisical cocoon - assuming that things are great, because no one tells of the bad things that are happening.

In the absence of Bad news - most of use assume things are going great... Its the flaw of non-parents. Parents know - when the kids are quiet - you need to check to see what they are up to?

Positive news doesn't sell.

I bet if the article was titled "Marine saves a puppy", most likely it wouldn't be read as much as this one.

That's an interesting thought Lance. The Taliban had actually forbidden the growing of poppies in Afghanistan for 2 years before we came in and put a stop to that. Now they actually produce more then they ever did before. What's really interesting is that almost none of the final product comes to America (ours is still supplied by South America mostly). The lion's share of that heroin has gone to Russia and Iran, How interesting! Since then Russia has become (by far) the highest country of heroin consumption in the world followed by........wait for it....Iran. What does that tell you? Sounds like a strategy to me.

Drugs are but a side game which allows the many other facets to continue unimpeded. It gets many different factions a piece of the pie, so a blind eye is cast and truth muted.

Silk Road - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Images for the silk trail

Get the tinfoil off your head, the AP distributes their stories in a bottom line up front style specifically for newspapers and sites to edit the stories.

Agreed Dennis. Spent better than 20 years not fabricating news for a number of newspapers. The majority of journalists I know would quit the job rather than have someone with an obvious bias dictate the content and tone of their reports.

DefendAmerica: perhaps your unyielding love for our country and its fighting men/women would be better manifested by lobbying for better veterans assistance than by patrolling online media outlets for articles unflattering to the troops.

You're just an @!$%#. I see you in here all the time talking the same line of bull@!$%#. The only exception was when you were talking about how cool the cops were for letting you and your buddies get away with driving while intoxicated.

Did you ever go to war? Seems like you're Vietnam era judging by the picture of your crusty old ass. If you were and have no sympathy for those who looked for an escape from the horrors of war, than you are a sick son of a bitch who likes killing people.

Lol, Tumble is a very rigid and uncompromising man. Empathy is not in his lexicon at all.

I agree Tumble. Weak is weak.

You're right Leroy.

I've seen the damage. I can't find any good excuse for druggies or drunks. I have friends that do one or both, and I don't give them a break.

That just isn't true, most of us that used in war time never used once home.

Yeah, Tumbleweed is a douche who hides behind his gun collection

You might be tired of the US gov't mafia meddling in other countries' affairs- even invadiing and killing over 100,000 breaking int'l laws as in Iraq- but those you vote for are just getting on a roll.

but its not another "vietnam" right?...i mean to say that all the people who dug us into this hole are still making money with war profiteering, why would they ever want it to stop?...someday the history books will show how corrupt king george's rule actually was and the war crimes he committed us to

defacto= like the vietnam guerrilla war

dejure= this is nothing like vietnam

this isnt "war", it is simple capitalism gone wild....

when has the united states declared "war" like the founding fathers wrote?....not since ww2....the military industrial complex has simply bought off the united states government and is working their industry to make money

Your second sentence can be answered by asking: why join an undermanned corporate-gov't controlled military? If you had a draft, you would have the 1 million ground soldiers necessary to take Afghanistan- but you don't even have 130,000. Fail.

Americans and their uniformed thugs are heroes bs.

That is fact! Soldiers will tolerate the reality that every once in a while - we all need some down time. But once it gets over a certian limit - become too frequent... no one will trust him any more. He needs to straighten up or get transfered to some place which will accept that kind of behavior.

Sad truth. We, as a speciies look for ways to get high - but as any study of nature (human or animal) the pack will not tolerate a member who doesn't pull his own weight.

Most backwards tribal societies allow drugs, drunkness, celebrations only in controlled situations. If/when a member of the tribe does that to excess he is banned, shunned or killed. Only religious leaders, shaman, priests, oracles are allowed to bend the rules.... but then - they are not depended on to do any real work every day.

Just what is a llegal war?

Hello RRR, you are absolutely correct, there are also you tube videos showing soldiers carrying fertilizer for the poppy fields. Heroin is a billion dollar business and anyone who doesn't think that the U.S. and Britain don't control the drug trade are uninformed or in denial.

texasbob

Illegal wars in regards to America are wars created by the CIA, aka pretty much every war since WWII...

Google False Flag Operation

Google Military Knows Mossad Did 9/11

Google Bush Family Nazi Ties

Watch these documentaries and do your research and become more aware of what's happening in the real world...

TrustVerify Thank you, and keep spreading the Truth..!

On FaceBook, find occupyMARINES as well as Law Enforcement is the 99% and follow their posts...

Many other great groups on FaceBook as well...search their friends...research the facts...

It's more than just drugs...OUR problems are multi-faceted...follow the money trail...

Wake up America..!

The conspiracies were lies made by the enemies of America to control the weak minded.

Which ones are those, then?

Have you even watched any of the videos?

Explain why these two Secret Servant Agents were called off their Duty Station just prior to JFK's limo turning the corner on to his fate...on YouTube: JFK Secret Service Called Off - Proof of ConsPiracy

~Secret Service~

Ever 'participated' in combat? If not, you're entitled to opinion. Again, unqualified to sit in judgement.

Holy @!$%#, RRR.

I had never seen that before.

Holy @!$%#.