$549 million in planes sold as scrap,
melting buildings, a $176 million
road to nowhere and $28 million
on camouflage that ‘looked good’
but didn’t match the terrain:
How the US wasted billions in
Afghanistan with bungled projects
Posted By: Ribicon, 8/19/2021 9:25:45 PM
The rapid collapse of Afghanistan's armed forces may have surprised President Biden but dozens of reports from a federal watchdog revealed how the U.S. bungled efforts to shore up the country. From millions spent on military planes left rotting at Kabul's international airport to the billions of dollars wasted trying and failing to eradicate the country's opium crops, the dispatches from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction Illustrated the fraud and abuse that derailed a $145 billion effort. 'If the goal was to rebuild and leave behind a country that could sustain itself and pose little threat to U.S. national security interests, the overall picture in Afghanistan is bleak,'
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Ribicon"
A landmark study on how to curb cheating has been retracted after nearly a decade and the prominent professor whose team produced the paper is himself accused of cheating and relying on faked data. Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economist at Duke University, rose to prominence with his 2012 study that found people would be less likely to cheat and lie if they signed an honesty declaration at the top of a form before answering questions. The study was used as a springboard by government agencies around the world, including the IRS, who chose to include an honesty declaration at the top of their forms
Twenty years after the 9/11 attacks, U.S. intelligence documents reveal 229 “rehabbed” former Gitmo detainees have returned to terrorism and killing Americans—and an alarming 66% of them have not been recaptured and are still at large. Meanwhile, President Biden is quietly freeing more of these terrorist suspects from the Guantanamo Bay prison, all to fulfill his old boss’ pledge to permanently close the facility in Cuba.(Snip)According to the December 2020 declassified report by the Office of National Intelligence, a total of 229 of the 729 detainees released from Gitmo have reengaged in terrorist activities, including conducting and planning attacks and recruiting and funding terrorists.
This is the shocking moment an Orthodox Jewish man is punched in the face by a passer-by in a 'racist attack' that left him unconscious—just hours after a child was attacked nearby. Footage shows the 64-year-old victim being knocked to the floor while walking in broad daylight down a street in Stamford Hill, London, at 8.30pm on Wednesday. A separate video taken on the same evening is alleged to show a Jewish child being 'viciously punched' in the face less than an hour and a half beforehand. The unidentified attacker appears to be dressed in white, wearing a headdress and a greenish brown coat
The U.S. Embassy issued a stern warning to Americans on Saturday not to go to Kabul airport—which is the only way out of the country—because of 'security threats' outside its gates a day after President Biden vowed to bring citizens and Afghan allies home.
'Because of potential security threats outside the gates at the Kabul airport, we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so,' the Embassy warning says. The warning was issued less than 24 hours after Biden said there was 'no indication'
Drugmaker Moderna said Friday it will require all of its U.S. workers to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by Oct. 1, joining other prominent manufacturers in mandating the shots.
The Massachusetts company said it will offer religious or medical exemptions on an individual basis. “The safety and well-being of the Moderna community continues to be a top priority as we work to help end the COVID-19 pandemic with our mRNA vaccine,” said Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel. “This new requirement reflects our commitment to the health of our team, their families and society, as we know COVID-19 vaccines can help prevent severe disease, hospitalizations and death.”
After a humiliating swift takeover of Afghanistan amid President Biden’s botched troop withdrawal, Taliban leaders and fighters are now rubbing it in America’s face—showing off their new uniforms and gear taken from US special forces stockpiles provided to the Afghan army. Khalil Haqqani, a designated global terrorist subject to a $5 million reward, was even photographed Friday preaching to devotees in a packed mosque while clutching an American assault rifle and surrounded by enforcers in US military gear.
Haqqani—whose nephew, Sirajuddin Haqqani, has been named as a possible president—flaunted an American-made M4 rifle, the weapon of war that is standard issue in the US military.
The cop who fatally shot US Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt as she stormed the building was exonerated after an internal police investigation, according to a report Friday. “No further action will be taken” in the use-of-force probe of the United States Capitol Police officer, whose name has not been released, NBC reported, citing an internal memo from the department. The Capitol Police’s report clearing him concludes the last remaining law enforcement investigation into the shooting, according to the outlet.(Snip)The internal investigation backs up a statement by the Justice Department in April declaring that no charges will be brought against the cop, who is reportedly a “high ranking”
New York is opening its doors to Afghan refugees desperate to escape the Taliban ruling authority that took over after American soldiers began pulling out of the war-torn country, the state’s leading lawmakers said Friday.(Snip)“New York has always been a beacon of refuge for those escaping conflict,” said state Senator Andrew Gounardes (D-Brooklyn). “Many of these asylum-seekers have helped our military members in their country, and we stand ready to help them in ours. It’s time again that we live up to our values and provide a safe haven for Afghanis fleeing the Taliban.” Gounardes was one of dozens of lawmakers who sent a letter
Could’ve been one hell of a jam sesh. Paul McCartney hosted a intimate bash at his Hamptons home on Thursday night, inviting his A-list pals including Chris Martin, Jon Bon Jovi, Jimmy Fallon and Alec Baldwin. The Beatle was snapped leaning up against a car earlier in the day as he set up for his guests. He was wearing joggers, a hoodie and a white shirt as he chatted with staff. The dress code for the night seemed to be casual, as Fallon, 46, wore a sport coat and pants and the Coldplay rocker, 44, wore a sweatshirt and pants.(Snip)Jimmy Buffett and Izak Senbahar, who threw
St. Paul, Minn.—Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is extending a welcome mat for refugees from Afghanistan. In a letter to President Joe Biden on Thursday, Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan offered to to work with the federal government to continue Minnesota's history of welcoming refugees by assisting with the resettlement of people fleeing Afghanistan.(Snip)Minnesota is already home to some of the largest Hmong, Somali and Liberian communities in the U.S., as well as a small Afghan community. The state has also drawn significant numbers of refugees in recent decades from Myanmar, Ethiopia, Bhutan, Iraq, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bosnia and the former Soviet Union.
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett refused Friday to block the construction of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago as demanded by an environmental group. The groundbreaking for former President Barack Obama‘s namesake library and presidential archives center began earlier this week, but Protect Our Parks, an environmental advocacy group, asked the high court to stop the construction. The group lost multiple requests in lower courts to halt the construction of the Obama center because it is located in a public park, Jackson Park on Chicago‘s South Side.(Snip)The activists argued that 800 trees would be destroyed around the park and affect birds.
President Joe Biden ignored British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s attempts to contact him for approximately 36 hours as the Taliban cemented its control over Afghanistan, a report said. Johnson tried to reach Biden on Monday morning, UK time, but wasn’t able to get him on the phone until 10 p.m. Tuesday (5 p.m. Washington time), according to The Daily Telegraph.
The lengthy wait took place as desperate Afghans swarmed Kabul’s international airport in the hope of catching evacuation flights out.
The White House had no immediate comment on the report, but on Tuesday afternoon, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that the president had “not yet spoken with any
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
US general tells British special forces:
Stop rescuing people in Kabul,
you're making us look bad 44 replies
Stop rescuing people in Kabul,
you're making us look bad 44 replies
I understand that the commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division has told the commander of the British special forces at the Kabul airport to cease operations beyond the airport perimeter.
Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue has told his British Army counterpart, a high-ranking field-grade officer of the British army's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, that British operations were embarrassing the United States military in the absence of similar U.S. military operations. I understand that the British officer firmly rejected the request.
Marjorie Taylor Greene Tells Biden in
Video, ‘You’re Not a President,
You’re a Piece of Sh*t’ 39 replies
Video, ‘You’re Not a President,
You’re a Piece of Sh*t’ 39 replies
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) posted a video on social media on Wednesday in which she called President Joe Biden “a piece of sht.”
The video was posted on Gettr, a new social media platform launched by former Donald Trump adviser Jason Miller.
“Joe Biden, you’re not a president,” she said in the 17-second video filmed at a gym. “You’re a piece of sht. Thousands of Americans are stuck over there in Afghanistan and you’re letting the Taliban kick your ass while you’re lecturing governors about masks and vaccines. Do your job. Bring these Americans home.”
The cop who fatally shot US Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt as she stormed the building was exonerated after an internal police investigation, according to a report Friday. “No further action will be taken” in the use-of-force probe of the United States Capitol Police officer, whose name has not been released, NBC reported, citing an internal memo from the department. The Capitol Police’s report clearing him concludes the last remaining law enforcement investigation into the shooting, according to the outlet.(Snip)The internal investigation backs up a statement by the Justice Department in April declaring that no charges will be brought against the cop, who is reportedly a “high ranking”
The Biden administration on Thursday struggled to speed up evacuations of as many as 80,000 Americans and Afghan allies — with the suddenly pressing effort being marred by obstacles ranging from red tape and visa paperwork problems to massive crowds and often violent Taliban checkpoints that barred entry.Even American citizens with valid passports fear making the perilous journey to the airport for fear of the armed Taliban fighters who surround the Kabul airport.David Marshall Fox, an American who moved to Afghanistan in 2013, told The Post on Thursday that he’s abandoned hope of getting onto an evacuation flight, saying the danger of his young son getting shot
Is Biden okay?
31 replies
Jim Geraghty’s written two posts today making the case that something is up. I’m not sold on his first post. His second is more persuasive.
The first post argues that Biden’s chat with George Stephanopoulos was filled with enough contradictions and awkward stammering that, paired with his low visibility lately, we might reasonably conclude that his health has become an issue. Whether you agree comes down to a gut check on how you felt about the interview. I didn’t see it as out of the ordinary for Biden. His answers were emphatically not good but he didn’t seem checked out to me. If anything, he was combative
Incredibly cynical and depressing. And quite possibly correct.
“The public opinion is pretty damn clear that Americans wanted out of the ongoing war and don’t want to get back in. It’s true today and it’s going to be true in six months,” said one Biden ally. “It isn’t about not caring or being empathetic about what’s going on over there, but worrying about what’s happening in America.”…
White House officials believe Americans’ horror over graphic images of the chaos in Kabul and pleas from Afghans who fear they will be killed
The Taliban has seized US weapons left in Afghanistan worth billions — possibly including 600,000 assault rifles, some 2,000 armored vehicles, and 40 aircraft, including Black Hawks, according to reports.
The US gave the Afghan military an estimated $28 billion in weaponry between 2002 and 2017 — including seven brand new helicopters delivered to Kabul just a month ago.
During the presidential campaign, the Biden administration introduced a new word into the lexicon: a “lid.” His campaign has called a lid countless times without explanation, meaning it was cutting off all media appearances for that day.
Joe Biden went on vacation to Camp David just before Afghanistan fell to the Taliban and gave no public remarks on the matter until more than 24 hours after the fall of Kabul. That was a speech Biden delivered from the White House Monday, after which he took no questions from the media.
He went silent again, then delivered another speech on Wednesday, this time on COVID. He took no media questions
As we approach the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks it is interesting to look back and see how American culture has changed in that two-decade time span. Back then mainstream culture (sorta) rallied around God and country against our enemy, the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Today the culture sees those same people that believe in God and country as bad or worse than the Taliban.
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett refused Friday to block the construction of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago as demanded by an environmental group. The groundbreaking for former President Barack Obama‘s namesake library and presidential archives center began earlier this week, but Protect Our Parks, an environmental advocacy group, asked the high court to stop the construction. The group lost multiple requests in lower courts to halt the construction of the Obama center because it is located in a public park, Jackson Park on Chicago‘s South Side.(Snip)The activists argued that 800 trees would be destroyed around the park and affect birds.
In the wake of the Afghanistan debacle, demands have arisen in Congress for President Biden to resign or to be removed via the 25th Amendment. Elements of the formerly pro-Biden media have joined in the condemnation.
Many silent Democrat office holders likely want Biden out, as they fear the systemic incompetence of his administration will bring them down come 2022.
But Joe can not resign or be fired. The Democrat high command will not let either happen (snip) As soon as Kamala Harris takes the presidential oath, the vice-presidency is left vacant. In that case a tie vote means the legislation, resolution, or confirmation under consideration fails.
President Joe Biden will return to Delaware on Friday to resume his vacation, but first, he will deliver a speech about the disaster unfolding in Afghanistan.
The president is scheduled to deliver remarks at 1:00 p.m., specifically about the process of evacuating American citizens, SIV applicants, and “vulnerable Afghans,” the White House announced.
It is unclear whether the president will take questions after his speech, as he has quickly exited the room after delivering speeches this week.
The president struggled to answer basic questions about his failure in Afghanistan in an interview with ABC News, appearing stubborn
Comments:
Nine years of reports and 50 appearances before our Esteemed Congress and nothing was done about the colossal waste of taxpayer money because wasting taxpayer dollars while lining their own pockets is the primary function of our government.