January 29, 2010 by Ronald Hicks.

The new decade started with a marginal historical thump. January 27, 2010 President Barack Obama delivered his first State of the Union address in the midst of an economy in tatters, burgeoning budget deficits, and wars on two fronts. On the same day Apple Computers introduced their latest regurgitation of the iPhone. It seems that Apple Computer was trying to ride the coat tails of a short lived gasp of optimism.

Steve Jobs waved about his latest amalgamation of hardware telling us it was revolutionary. It is wonderful and it is reasonably priced. Later in the day the Commander in Chief spouted euphemisms and a clever mix of phrases and buzz words proclaiming things would be wonderful and revolutionary. President Obama rehashed his ‘Yes We Can’ into high speed trains, tax cuts, and clean energy. No new spending and spending freezes clashing with another round of stimulus money as if the two could co-exist.

The President’s State of the Union mentioned change, change that we can believe in. If the federal government continues raising it’s debt ceiling and continues to print money then we will have change we can believe in, that is dimes and nickels that you will have to stack to the ceilings of y0ur foreclosed home to purchase groceries.

I guess if the iPhone can magically change into the iPad then our budget deficits can change into bigger, better deficits. It’s revolutionary and reasonably priced.

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January 24, 2010 by Ronald Hicks.

 The decade of naught has whipped past us leaving behind promiscuous golfers and  terrorists that put explosives in the underwear. No longer will be able to buy golf balls with the once illustrious name of Tiger Woods embellished upon them. It is only par for the course that we see a new era of marketing that goes to the extremes of sanity to buoy us through economic hard times. Perhaps we will need a sturdier pair of underwear as we plod the streets in search of employment.

You will be spending less time on the golf course swatting golf balls with attire and clubs that bear the name of yet to be named golfer other than Tiger Woods. When you do have enough money left over from your dwindling unemployment checks and can strut upon the golf course. You will be adorned with thrift store golf attire and have a dowdy part time caddy that has a green card handing you used golf clubs to swat at scruffy golf balls.

Just imagine 2011 with the news that underwear bomber has copped a plea and been handed a reduced sentence doing community service at your local golf course emptying the trash and preening the greens. Remember he is being tried in a civil court and will suffer a lesser fate than O.J.

So while Abdul bides his time preening the greens and you are swatting scruffy golf balls with used clubs Abdul is working on his new book about how he was brainwashed by the meanies in Yemen and really didn’t know what he was doing setting his crotch on fire in an airplane. Abdul has cleaned up his act and is rising to the cause of capitalism by peddling a book.

He has cleaned up his act and is now paying his dues to society. He has an agent and Fruit-of-the-Loom wants to promote their latest brand of men’s bikini briefs called Armorware. These sturdy underwear will withstand the rugged strides of you tramping the streets looking for work long after you have filed an extension for unemployment. Don’t worry be happy. Your shiny new all embracing Federal government will take care of you. Meanwhile the tide will turn for the better as you laugh and flip the channels on your TV so you don’t have to see that goofy terrorist guy dancing around in a grape costume trying to sell you some more underwear.

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January 8, 2010 by Ronald Hicks.

Throughout history many conquerers have marched their armies into Afghanistan in hopes of conquest and expanding their dreams for new kingdoms. Genghis Khan was one of the few that conquered Afghanistan, but at a bloody price. The rugged and hostile mountainous terrain of  Afghanistan have posed a challenge to conquering armies unfamiliar with fighting in the rugged mountains.

At one point in 330 B.C. Alexander The Great thought he could conquer the rugged mountains and tribes of Afghanistan.  He moved and estimated 30,000 troops through the Khyber Pass and split the forces at Jalalabad.  A small mobile team accompanied him into Nuristan and they were gradually worn down by the fierce battles in the mountainous terrain.  The wearied battle-fatigued soldiers were on the point of mutiny when they begged Alexander The Great to return to his home in Macedonia.

During the 1800’s on two occasions the British Empire tried its hand at conquering Afghanistan to ensure its rule over India. Their first intrusion in 1838 turned to folly after several years of British imposed rule. To maintain power the British had to bribe the unruly tribes they were trying to govern. When the money ran dry chaos ensued and then British were ran out of Afghanistan. In 1843 a local Afghan Prince gained some control in Kabul. The British became interested in resuming relations realizing this might be important step in keeping Russian and Iran out of Afghanistan. Gradually Britain’s influence waned. The Iranians attacked Herat and when Britain sent a garrison into the Khyber Pass they were denied passage by the ruling tribes.

The Soviet Union was yet another nation that tried to subdue Afghanistan into submission. After a frustrating parlay in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989 the Soviets finally withdrew after suffering irrecoverable losses of equipment and manpower. Many soldiers were either captured or deserted. The Soviets left a wide wake of destruction to  Afghanistan’s  scarce resources such as farming land, infrastructure, and delicate environmental resources. Due to this wide swath of destruction by Soviet forces many Afghani’s fled to neighboring countries as refugees. Those that remained resorted to cultivating opium. What fragile governmental organization that existed previous to the Soviet’s invasion was sent into chaos leaving vicious criminal organizations such as the Taliban in charge.

There are a host of other problems that will ensue with Obama’s restructuring of the terror war in Afghanistan. The United States and NATO forces will have to rely on the Pashtun Tribes for a safe passage of heavy military equipment through the Khyber Pass. NATO troops and equipment will have to pass through Northern Pakistan, also known as FATA( Federally Administered Tribal Areas ). Despite the long official name for this area of Northern Pakistan is unruly and chaotic despite Pakistani forces trying to battle the constant threat of Al-Qaeda insurgency. There is open air dealing of opium and hashish along with guns. There will be many temptations as U.S. and NATO forces are passing through these areas.

One of the many sub tribes of the Pashtuns, known as the Afridi, control a small region called the Khyber Agency that pretty much runs the entire length of the Khyber Pass. Within the area controlled by the Khyber Agency the dealing of drugs and weapons is even more open. When the NATO and U.S. forces move within the pass they will subject to even more bribery to move safely through the pass.

Even the man on the street with armed with this bit of knowledge and some common sense accounting of the cost of the war will see this as nothing more than a waste of resources and U.S. manpower. The American public will be subject to paying for a grisly expensive meat grinder that the young men and women of our military will be passed through only to return to us as flag covered coffins and drug addicts.

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