The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
    jollyroger's picture

    Paks to prez: get yourself a new bitch, you terrorist scumbag.

    By jollyroger on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 7:18pm |

    Fed up with drone attacks that (per our government statements) kill only "suspected militants" regardless of the age or sex of those incinerated, the hitherto complaisant guardians of our supply routes across the Durand Line finally declare that they have had enough.

    Personally, I applaud them for doing only what we would if random missile strikes were periodically raining down hellfire (not just a metaphor) on guilty and innocent alike with no discrimination.

    Plus, if the Khyber Pass is closed, it is only a matter of time before our excellent Afghan adventure becomes unsupportable.

    Hasten the day.

     

    Comments

    Er but:

    The former US official said the Pakistani protests of the past week were the "public face" of the deal. "We knew they would deny this stuff."

    ...The agreement is consistent with Pakistan's unspoken policy towards CIA drone strikes in the tribal belt, which was revealed by the WikiLeaks US embassy cables last November. In August 2008, Gilani reportedly told a US official: "I don't care if they do it, as long as they get the right people. We'll protest in the National Assembly and then ignore it."....

    from Osama bin Laden mission agreed in secret 10 years ago by US and Pakistan by Declan Walsh, Guardian.co.uk, May 9.

    Also too a "bitch" scenario here would be complicated by the fact that the "bitch" part is played by a golddigger; from Lawrience Wright's excellent piece for The New Yorker

    Pakistan’s economy is now almost entirely dependent on American taxpayers. In a country of a hundred and eighty million people, fewer than two million citizens pay taxes, and Pakistan’s leaders are doing little to change the situation.

    and I don't think there are many other sugar daddies waiting around willing to support the "bitch" in the style she to which she has become accustomed.

     


    by artappraiser on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 7:43pm

    P.S. I have just put on my Pakistan thread a report by Pakistani reporter on what went on in the 'top secret' ISI meeting with Parliament today; might be of interest.


    by artappraiser on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 7:47pm

    May we not profitably distinguish the arguably "surgical" Osama Op from the crudity of "death from above" via unmanned drone?

    Albeit both raise sovereignty issues, only drones kill in square yardage quanta.


    by jollyroger on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 7:52pm

    I am convinced that the yellin' about drones is the same as the yellin' about the Osama op. Much kabuki theatre for the people and their representatives, sturm and drang signifying not much.

    Here from Pakistan's 'The News' it's oh ok, whatever you say, sahib, note the qualifier provided the government orders it to do so. The CAS is basically just sayin' there--oh I see what you want me to say--we are your great military, we can do anything to protect the country's sovereignity (sotte voce: not that we can do it or are going to do it or want to do it.)

    They can and have used the U.S. drones to get people they want  to see gone via their intel input to us. It's convenient for them sometimes, having the evil imperialist do it. (Cost saving too!)

    I used to be open minded about my suspicions of duplicity. Ain't no more after the reading available since the Osama op, am now convinced. You can't trust a single thing anyone in power in Pakistan says for public consumption. They like having us, our money, and our drones there when we do what they want done and don't like it when they haven't managed to manipulate us into doing what they want done. When the latter happens, it's never bad enough for them to want to see us go, they're like "oh well, they hit one of the guys we wanted to protect this week, we'll figure out something else."  Ask any Talib or Lashkar-e-Taiba member, they can't trust em  from one day to the other, either.

     


    by artappraiser on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 9:15pm

     theatre for the people

    To be sure.  But is  the patience and the credulity of the people without limit?


    by jollyroger on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 10:39pm

    the "bitch" part is played by a golddigger;

     

    Mais oui-comme toujours, n'est-ce pas?


    by jollyroger on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 7:49pm

    Dream on. Pak will never end our 'excellent Afghan adventure', it is the gift that keeps on giving. The US has to end it, on our own.

    The Pak Army and ISI are just jousting to get more $$$, or no cut$ and less strings attached (demands like: 'don't arm and support the Haqquani Taliban who cross into Afghanistan and kill people').

    The billions in aid and the billions spent every month on the war by the US are too big a bonanza to end. Plus, if the US leaves the  mountain tribes will be looking for new targets, in Pak. Anyway a few score dead in the tribal regions is no reason to stop the $$ gravy train.


    by NCD on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 9:13pm

     billions in aid and the billions

    pace, Carl  Sagan....

    I fear you have correctly identified the operative verb  ("you may say that I'm a dreamer..".)

    Still, the  squeeze from the top may raise the pressure in the cooker (there's a mangled metaphor for you), and sooner or later the acronym that is Pakistan will blow up.

    Leaving the Pashtuns to unite, erasing the Durand Line once and for all.


    by jollyroger on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 10:34pm

    Its my belief that India has a better handle on the continent they live than we do. We can leave and let them mind them store. Also, Pak nukes may most likely be a danger to Pak, as the myriad of nuts there, if they got hold of one, seem to have short tempers, lots of local grudges and itchy trigger fingers.


    by NCD on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 1:36am

    WikiLeaks: Pakistan Asked for More, Not Fewer Drones

    http://dagblog.com/link/wikileaks-pakistan-asked-more-not-fewer-drones-1...


    by artappraiser on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 2:43pm

    Pakistan does not, it would appear, speak with one voice...


    by jollyroger on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 5:52pm