Kabul Marketplace

If you look closely at the above photograph of a marketplace in Kabul, Afghanistan (July 2003), you may notice something missing (not WHAT but WHO is missing from the image). Before reading any further, please take a quick moment to look at the photograph itself. If it helps, you can enlarge the picture into a new window (i.e. just click on the image). When I first developed the negative, I viewed it as just another photograph of a typical 3rd world marketplace. People just going about the daily business of business. Then it dawned on me...

Go to any shopping district in Seoul, Tokyo, New York or Paris...
Visit a marketplace in Bangkok, Mexico City or Sarajevo...
Walk through a Shopping Mall in Beijing, Dallas or London and a you can't help but notice the sounds and faces of women & small children.
Sometimes, what is missing from a photograph actually reveals more than what it seems to contain.

Konduz, Afghanistan (June 2004)

Grand Obstructionist Party?

"The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president."
~ Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), in an interview with the National Journal, describing his goal in retaking the Senate.

One of the main political talking points of Republicans is that President Obama got everything he wanted his first two years in office:


"A lie told often enough becomes the truth"?

If one individual uses a specific grouping of words to express an idea at a particular time and place, and it's then cited by others (for example the Wall Street Journal), it's called a quote. If one or more individuals employ the same phraseology over and over again to support a specific political agenda, it's called a message. To put it another way, a slogan is a slogan is a slogan. It's how ideological soap is bought and sold in the political marketplace (see Echo Chamber).

Clearly, any video which includes Rachel Maddow must be pure liberal propaganda. So, what is the truth? Instead of accepting this politically partisan video at face value, this blogger went directly to the source: The U.S. Senate. Read More...

Mr. Smith Rewrites the Constitution?
“All provisions which require more than a majority of any body to its resolutions have a direct tendency to embarrass the operations of the government and an indirect one to subject the sense of the majority to that of the minority.” ~ Alexander Hamilton

The public record is the public record. Numbers don't lie. Can you say Grand Obstructionist Party? This blogger has a theory. The partisan goal is simple: stop and/or delay every action of government in order to create a climate of economic uncertainty.


GOP Senator won’t seek re-election, cites Washington’s increasing polarization?
Read More...

Suggested Reading List:
Glass-Steagall Act
Cost of Wars

Class Warfare against the Ruling Class?

On Faux News Sunday (September 18, 2011), Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) spoke with Chris Wallace about President Obama's plan to reduce the budget deficit and fund the proposed American Jobs Act.

"Class warfare Chris may make for good politics but it makes for rotten economics. We don't need a system that divides people."
~ Rep. Paul Ryan

Considering the GOP has been waging a non-stop war against the right of workers to engage in collective bargaining, for this blogger, this Wisconsin Representative's comments framing the latest tax battle as class warfare sounded a bit like Rick Santorum lecturing Senator John McCain about the benefits of water boarding.

Who is Paul Ryan?
Representative Ryan is the quintessential, professional Beltway Baby.

How much money has he earned working in the public sector? Based on the Congressional Pay Table, since being elected to Congress in 1998 (at the age of 28), he has earned $2,078,100 (base salary). This figure does not include yearly travel expenses or the random $50 special interest group luncheon.

Prior to earning his own Congressional Franking Privileges, Ryan worked for Wisconsin Sen. Bob Kasten and Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback. 

From battling paper cuts as a Congressional mail room intern, to joining the staffs of two Senators, to eventually being elected to Congress himself, Representative Ryan has spent the majority of his adult life walking the corridors of Capital Hill (as well as collecting a government paycheck). So, when this Beltway Baby gives a supply side economics tax lecture about the Millionaire Club, please forgive this blogger for laughing.

Considering he's already banked over $2,000,000 as a public servant, taken advantage of 12 years of government sponsored health care, did not serve in Afghanistan or Iraq and has already qualified for the Congressional retirement package (not including Social Security), how on earth did this Washington Insider become the so-called Poster Child for the Tea Party Movement? 

All politicians sell SOAP. In the case of Representative Ryan, he is the SOAP. He is an actual product created by and for the Washington Beltway.

It's easy for a member of the GOP to go on Faux News. It's quite another to give an extended interview with someone like Rachael Maddox. As I've already written, there is no silver bullet for fixing this economy. Should the tax code be simplified? Yes. But with more than 12,000 lobbyists knocking on Congressional doors, I seriously doubt any reform package (which tackles tax loopholes and exemptions) will survive the Tsunami of special interest money.

Class Warfare? Please. The Koch Brothers have already spent more than $100,000,000 selling their Libertarian brand of corporate soap. Power is crack. Money buys crack. Tax reform without serious political reform still leaves a majority of Americans sitting on the sidelines. Confused? What political reforms? Read More...

REPOST: Can you name the first time in American history that the government cut taxes and decreased revenue as it marched off to war?

How many millionaires and billionaires served in Afghanistan or Iraq? How many of these same folks made money off these wars? Anyhow, the term Job Creators has a nicer ring to it than Campaign Contributors.



IF Ryan wants to talk about Class Warfare, bringing back compulsory military service (with a public service option for conscientious objectors) would be a great place to start the conversation.

During this latest debt ceiling debate, President Obama made a serious linguistic blunder. Instead of calling the expiration of Bush-era tax cuts - for the wealthiest Americans - the Buffett Rule, he should have named it the Two War Rule. In 2003, the Bush Administration projected the cost of military operations for Iraq between $50 billion to $60 billion dollars. Where was Ryan when the Congressional Budget Office was crunching those numbers for funding Dick's Halliburton War? Ryan voted for both wars and the Bush-era Tax cuts. 10 years & $1.3 trillion dollars later, this Congressman (now supported by the Tea Party) still refuses to pay the bills for Afghanistan & Iraq. Read Here & Here...

Sadly, even if the President had chosen a different package of words to sell his latest proposal, at the end of the day, Congressman Ryan would still have called it Class Warfare. And you know something...maybe he's right. Being born and raised inside the Washington Beltway gives a person a special interest perspective of this world. Read More...

Photos by Peter Rimar
Total Lobbying: What Lobbyists Want (and How They Try to Get It) 
(See all Political Lobbying Books)

Super Bowl XLVI?

During the pre-game show, NBC Sports ran a graphic on the political connection between the eventual winner of the Superbowl and the outcome of the last two Presidential Elections.

In 2004, the New England Patriots (AFC) defeated the Carolina Panthers (NFC) and President George W. Bush won reelection. In 2008, the New York Giants (NFC) defeated the New England Patriots (AFC) and then Senator Barrack Obama won the White House. Now that the Giants have defeated the Patriots in Superbowl XLVI, if Obama wins reelection, in four more years, this blogger predicts NBC Sports will dust off this rather absurd political connection. But then again, Rush Limbaugh did attend the big game as a special guest of Patriot's owner Robert Kraft.

Here's another prediction: It will be tough for Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York City to host a ticker-tape parade for the Giants and delay a parade for Iraq Veterans. Indeed, if the country could find the money and the resources to fight two different wars, why not two different parades?

Waiting until military operations end in Afghanistan to salute the conclusion of America's involvement in Iraq is a mistake. First, by not acknowledging the differences between Afghanistan and Iraq, it sends the wrong message, at the wrong time, to the Iranian leadership. For the last ten years, Tehran has perceived itself as being encircled by U.S. Forces. Since 1979, no Administration (Republican or Democrat) has had the political will or courage to diplomatically engage the Iranians. Even during the Cold War, American leaders knew this country needed to interact with the Soviet Union. The global consequences for doing anything less were too high. Unlike North Korea, which Beijing keeps on a short leash, there is no economic, political or military counterbalance to the regime in Tehran. Libya is not Egypt, Syria is not Libya, Afghanistan is not Iraq, and Iran continues to be Iran.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, it delays the healing process for a nation that's been at war for over ten years. Once again, to hold a parade for the winners of a football game, and not the troops who served this country in the game of life is just plan wrong. It just doesn't pass the common sense test.

American Soldier, Konduz, Afghanistan (July 2003).

A Simple Conversation?

When I landed at Kabul International Airport in early July 2003, I witnessed a conversation between two NATO officers. Speaking to one another in English, a German officer & a French officer were discussing a security issue regarding the airfield. After this brief interaction was over, the French officer walked away.

The German officer (still speaking in English) then turned to a Dutch soldier and said quite clearly, "the French never listen."

OBSERVATION: There may be those who believe this blogger wrote this post because I harbor some negative feelings towards the French. Granted, political relations between our two nations have seen much better days. However, while I am an American, the story goes much deeper than it first appears.

You see, my father was born in France (now an American citizen).

Think about it...
How do fathers & sons talk to one another?
I've spent the last 40-plus years trying to figure out my dad.
Need I say more?

...perspective...

Photos taken by Peter Rimar in Kabul, Afghanistan (July 2003).

This week in American History?

Poor Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann. Who actually remembers the Presidential Election of 1936? Alf Landon? Or his running mate Frank Knox? The latter of which went on to serve under FDR as Secretary of the Navy during World War II, but I'll leave this feel good political story for another bipartisanship kind of day.

So, what else happened THIS WEEK? The approval rating for the U.S. Congress, the bedrock of this country's democratic principals and ideals, is now in single digits. According to the latest CBS News/New York Times poll, only 9% of the American people think our representatives are actually doing a decent j-o-b. While GOP voters are still searching for a Presidential candidate to support, Congressional incumbents from both parties are wondering if they'll still have a j-o-b after the next election. Read More...

Beyond Lindsay Lohan posing nude for Playboy, the #Occupy Wall Street Movement and the ongoing trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, one story got this Blogger's attention. While it's a story which will never appear as some future newspaper sidebar highlighting this week in American History, it's a story which reminds us all, that during this specific week, the United States is still a country at war:

CBS News
Soldier in Afghanistan killed during
14th deployment
October 25, 2011
Read More...

...reflections...

IUC Nurse at the bedside of Medal of Honor Recipient 
Marine Corporal Jason Dunham 

Ibn Sina Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq

April 2004

Photos by Peter Rimar.

analogy [uh-nal-uh-jee]?

War is like smoking. It may feel good when you start but eventually your body pays the price. ~ Peter Rimar

Geiger counter with a pack of Marlboro Cigarettes at

the Manhattan Project's original Ground Zero

Trinity Site, White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico (October 2009)

#Occupy Wall Street ~ Day 18:

"I'd rather be a comma then a full stop."
~ Coldplay (from Every Teardrop is a Waterfall)
V for Vendetta Mask

Another Milestone ~ 10 Years at War

"We're here so that Afghanistan does not once again become a sanctuary for transnational extremists the way it was when al-Qaeda planned the 9/11 attacks in the Kandahar area, conducted the initial training for the attackers in training camps in Afghanistan before they moved on to Germany and then to U.S. flight schools." ~ David Petraeus

Pew Research Center 
War and Sacrifice in the Post-9/11 Era
The Military-Civilian Gap (Released: October 5, 2011)
Read More...

United in Remembrance, Divided over Policies
Ten Years after 9/11 (Released: September 1, 2011)
Read More...

Afghan Boy in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan (June 2003). Photo by Peter Rimar.
Afghanistan 101 (Hardcover) (See all Early Civilization History Books)

Election Update: Buddy Roemer, the only GOP candidate who has made corruption in Washington the centerpiece of his presidential campaign, has been locked out of yet another televised debate:
Read More...

Welcome to the Redundant Department of Redundancy

Can you name the first time in American history that the government cut taxes as it marched off to war?

What was the original mission in Afghanistan? To find, capture and/or killed Elvis Bin Laden. What was the original mission in Iraq? WMD? Oil? Tourism? I am NOT an isolationist.

After spending over $1,300,000,000,000s for two wars (with follow up military occupations of 7 & 10 years respectively), perhaps it's time to seriously reevaluate the economic, geopolitical & military wisdom of maintaining the rhetorical status quo. At least during World War II, the federal government sold WAR BONDS to build the factories required to support America's "arsenal of democracy". This time around, beyond those who serve in uniform (along with their families), what real sacrifices were the American people asked to make?

Have you seen the bumper sticker "Freedom is NOT Free"? It's true. Freedom has an actual price tag. Funding the Department of Defense requires real pennies, nickles, dimes and quarters.

The money for Iraq & Afghanistan has already been spent. So, how will this BILL get paid? Wishful thinking? Prayer? The Free Market? More Corporate Tax Breaks? The next generation? I guess asking folks to do the right thing for the right reasons is asking too much.



Photos of Afghan Soldiers & Burger King Sign by Peter Rimar.
The Iraq War (History Channel DVD)

What is important?

If you're a Ron Paul supporter, stop reading this post. Once again, if you plan to vote for Texas Congressman Ron Paul for President in 2012, stop reading this post. Why? Well, no matter what I write regarding his position on FEMA, I understand there's little chance I'll change a single Libertarian mind.

Ron Paul is NOT a Republican. Ron Paul is a repackaged Libertarian. On the issue of FEMA, Ron Paul is an idiot. Period. No one can control the power of Mother Nature. Not even the so-called Free Market. READ MORE...
Since 9-11, this country has spent over $1,300,000,000 to fund two wars of occupation in Afghanistan and Iraq. This dollar amount does not include the yearly budgets of the Department of Defense or Homeland Security.

Yes, I realize that Ron Paul has been a vocal advocate against these specific military operations. But the fact remains, at some point, this country needs to pay the bill for these wars.




If a husband goes on a $10,000 shopping spree with the family credit card, the wife is equally responsible for paying off the bill. The credit card companies don't care which spouse spent the money, as long as the bill gets paid.

Once again, no one can control Mother Nature. Drought and wild fires hit Texas and New Mexico. Tornadoes strike Missouri and Oklahoma. Hurricanes come ashore in Florida and Louisiana. Earthquakes shake California. This year, flooding washed away communities in Vermont and North Dakota. It's not complicated. IF it's important, people find the time, energy and money to do IT (i.e. whatever IT is). Helping fellow Americans during times of need will ALWAYS be important to this blogger. IF that means paying higher taxes to fund FEMA, so be it. If that means paying higher taxes to FINALLY pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, so be it.  

In terms of helping Americans impacted by natural disasters, Vermont Senator Bernard Sanders put it best, "to say that the only way you can come up with funding to rebuild devastated communities is to cut back on other desperately needed programs is totally absurd. Historically in this country we have understood that when communities and states experience disasters, we as a nation come together to address those. That is what being a nation is about."

Sadly, people will believe want they want to believe about anyone or anything. Over the years, I've learned to display a lot more patience with individuals who are ignorant rather than stupid. Ignorance can be fixed. The roots of stupidity are deeply embedded in 'Pride and Prejudice'. The latter of which is nearly impossible to overcome or change.

Ron Paul would NOT have ordered the Bin Laden Raid?

While the use of military force to achieve a political objective opens the door to other unforeseen consequences, in the case of ordering the raid into Pakistan, President Obama made the right decision. If President Obama had choosen a different course of action and Osama Bin Laden had escaped, the GOP would have had a non-stop media driven field day attacking this President. The following radio interview with the candidate was recorded on May 10, 2011: 



Photo of Door Gunner somewhere over Iraq (April 2005).
YMCA photo of Peter's Grandmother (Back Row, 3rd from Right), Concord State Teachers College, Athens, West Virginia (Circa 1934).
How Americans Can Buy American: 
The Power of Consumer Patriotism - Third Edition

Donald Trump does not believe Osama Bin Laden is DEAD?

Does he really need to see the death certificate?

Some of the theories being echoed by Pakistani politicians, mullahs and journalists: Bin Laden died of natural causes years ago in Afghanistan? He had his hands & feet bound by plastic straps, carried into the house on a helicopter & executed in a US operation to embarrass Pakistan? His bodyguard shot him in the heart, but he survived with "supernatural strength", until he requested his loyal follower shoot him in the head? 



In case you missed it, the following story is the best written account of the special operations' mission to get Bin Laden published to date:

The New Yorker
Getting Bin Laden
What happened that night in Abbottabad.
by Nicholas Schmidle
READ MORE...

Honestly, I have no secret, morbid desire to see the photos of Bin Laden's dead corpse. I agreed with President Obama's decision. Given the nature of our open & progressive society, at some point in the future, perhaps as a result of the Freedom of Information Act, the images of Bin Laden will be released. IF it's 50 years from today, so be it.

This was the most expensive manhunt in U.S. history. The original mission in Afghanistan was to find, kill and/or capture Osama Bin Laden. Perhaps his death will open the political door so our troops can return home.

American Heroes in Special Operations (Hardcover)

...perspective...

Kandahar International Airport, Afghanistan (October 2005)

Photo by Peter Rimar.