A People's History of Afghanistan--Part 1: 1838 to 1876

The number of U.S. combat troops in Afghanistan has increased from 51,000 to between 70,000 and 100,000 since Barack Obama’s inauguration as U.S. president in January 2009. And there are still between 60,000 and 101,000 armed private contractors--as well as 38,000 combat troops in NATO’s International Security Assistance Force [ISAF] from countries other than the USA-- in Afghanistan in 2010. Yet if you grew up in the USA , your high school social studies teacher was likely to know more about the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict than about the history of Afghanistan .

Although no people of Jewish religious background lived in Afghanistan prior to the 19th century, by the end of the 1840s (after the Anglo-Indian army of UK imperialism which had invaded Afghanistan in 1838 was driven out by the Afghan people in the early 1840s) about the same number of people of Jewish background then lived in Afghanistan as then lived in the United States. As Raphael Patai noted in her book Tents of Jacob, “the number of Jews in Afghanistan in the mid-nineteenth century was estimated at 40,000.”

Yet the aim of the UK government’s military occupation of Kabul between 1839 and 1842, during the First Anglo-Afghan War, was just mainly to prop up an ineffectual and unpopular leader named Shah Shuja, whom the UK government had put in power, in place of Afghan King Dost Mohammad Khan, as Afghanistan ’s ruler.

UK troops in Afghanistan , however, found the Afghan people to be opposed to their presence in Afghanistan ; and, between 1839 and 1842, there were “increasingly effective armed attacks on the British garrison” in Kabul , according to Afghanistan: A Modern History by Angelo Rasanayagam. The UK troops were soon forced to retreat from Kabul to Jalalabad, “through narrow mountain defiles and passes in the harshest wintry conditions, with the long columns of soldiers” and their civilian camp followers “being continuously shot at and ambushed by ferocious Ghilzai tribesmen from the surrounding hills,” according to the same book. As a result, around 9,500 (including 600 English officers and their families) of the primarily Indian troops of UK imperialism and 12,000 Indian civilian camp followers lost their lives when they were defeated militarily by people in Afghanistan during the 1839-1842 Anglo-Afghan War.

In revenge for being defeated in the First Anglo-Afghan War, however, UK troops returned to Kabul in 1843 and sacked Kabul . But because of its defeat in the 1839-1842 war, the UK government agreed to invite Dost Mohammad Khan to return to Kabul and resume his position as Afghan King. Twelve years later, on March 30, 1855, a treaty of friendship was signed between the UK government and Dost Mohammad’s feudalist government.

The UK government then started to pay King Dost Mohammad an annual subsidy of 10,000 British pounds to help protect its strategic interests in that area of the world. Dost Mohammad remained on the Afghan throne until 1863; and between 1863 and 1878, Dost Mohammad’s son, Sher Ali Khan, was Afghanistan ’s ruling monarch.

After the UK army again intervened in Afghanistan in October 1856 to force the Persian/Iranian government troops that had occupied the city of Herat in western Afghanistan to withdraw, the UK government did not openly intervene in Afghanistan ’s internal affairs again until 1876. But as the book Afghanistan: A Modern History noted, “when Disraeli became [ UK ] prime minister, the tacit policy of non-intervention in the internal affairs of Afghanistan ended, and was replaced by the `forward policy’…”

(end of part 1. "A People's History of Afghanistan--Part 2: 1876 to 1901" to soon follow).

15th Anniversary of Oklahoma City Bombing: Remembering McVeigh's U.S. Military Connections

Prior to being accused of involvement in the Oklahoma City bombing [of 15 years ago], former Sgt. McVeigh was in the U.S. Army between either 1988 or 1989 and 1992, fought in the 1991 "Kuwaitigate War" and was stationed at Fort Riley, near Junction City, Kansas. According to the Times (4/28/95) "before the bombing," McVeigh "was reportedly seen on the streets and in the bars, gasoline stations and motels of Junction City," next door to Fort Riley.

At McVeigh's initial hearing, FBI agent Hersley "testified that unnamed witnesses saw" McVeigh "bring a truck rented from a Ryder agency to the Dreamland Motel in Junction City...on April 17 [1995], and then saw him in the truck at 4 a.m. on April 18 [1995], 29 hours before the bomb exploded." But "a Pentagon spokesman...disputed a report that Army explosives might have been used in the bombing" in Oklahoma City. (NY Times 4/28/95)

The Buffalo News (4/23/95) noted that "records of McVeigh's military service with the First Infantry Division have been sealed...but fellow soldiers told the Associated Press that he served in the Gulf War as a Bradley vehicle gunner and a sergeant" and "Sgt. James Ives said McVeigh, eager to join the Army Special Forces, trained on his own time..." Sgt. Ives also told the NY Times (4/23/95) that former Sgt. McVeigh "was a good soldier" and "if he was given a mission and target, `it's gone.'"

At McVeigh's initial hearing, FBI agent Hersley testified "that three witnesses who had claimed to have seen a man lingering outside," the Oklahoma City federal building "minutes before the bombing on April 19 [1995] were unable to identify Mr. McVeigh at a lineup."

(Downtown 5/17/95)

The grand jury that's supposed to be investigating who actually ordered the Oklahoma City bombing in April [1995] apparently met "in private at the heavily secured Tinker Air Force Base outside Oklahoma City" and "witnesses" were "accompanied by FBI agents on flights to Oklahoma" and "escorted 24 hours-a-day by federal agents," according to the Dallas Morning News (6/4/95). Prior to being accused of involvement in this bombing, former Sgt. McVeigh was apparently being considered by admission into the elite U.S. Army Special Forces at Fort Bragg.

According to Inside the Green Berets: The First Thirty Years, by Charles Simpson III, "a certain aura of secrecy surrounded the early days of Special Forces, both based on its mission and the identity of the troops" during the 1950s and "little or no publicity was permitted." The same book also recalled that, within the U.S. Army's Special Forces team, "the demolitionists acquired special techniques of conserving explosives and concocting homemade explosives and detonators from locally procured materials."

In addition, the demolitionists of the U.S. Special Forces "learn to make booby traps and sabotage motors," "visited hydroelectric plants, factories, transofrmer stations, and rail yards to learn to recognize critical points for quick knockout blos" and "learned to derail a trian anda to rig a desk drawer to blow up when opened."

(Downtown 6/14/95)

Black Male Worker "Seasonally Adjusted" Jobless Rate Jumps To 19 Percent Under Obama

The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Black male workers over 20-years-of- age in the United States under the Democratic Obama Administration jumped from 17.8 to 19 percent between February and March 2010; while the “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for all U.S. male workers over 20-years-of-age remained at 10 percent, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics. The “not seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Black male workers over 20-years-of age also jumped from 19.1 to 20.2 percent between February and March 2010.

The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for white female workers over 20 years-of-age remained at 7.3 percent between February and March 2010; while the “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for Black female workers over 20 years-of-age increased from 12.1 to 12.4 percent in March 2010.

The number of unemployed Black male workers over 20-years-of-age increased from 1,424,000 to 1,542,000 workers between February and March 2010, according to the “seasonally adjusted” figures; while the number of unemployed white workers decreased from 10,982,000 to 10,945,000, according to the “seasonally adjusted” figures. Between February and March 2010, the total number of unemployed workers in the United States also increased from 14,871,000 to 15,005,000 workers, according to the “seasonally adjusted” data.

The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for all Hispanic or Latino workers increased from 12.4 to 12.6 percent between February and March 2010; while the official “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for Asian-American workers decreased from 8.4 to 7.5 percent.

The “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Black youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age was still 41.1 percent in March 2010; while the “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for white youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age was 23.7 percent in March 2010. The “not seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Hispanic or Latino youth between 16 and 19 years-of-age was still 30.1 percent in March 2010.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ April 2, 2010 press release:

“Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 162,000 in March, and the unemployment rate held at 9.7 percent…Temporary help services and health care continued to add jobs over the month. Employment in federal government also rose, reflecting the hiring of temporary workers for Census 2010. Employment continued to decline in financial activities and information…

“In March, the number of unemployed persons was little changed at 15.0 million, and the unemployment rate remained at 9.7 percent…

“The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) increased by 414,000 over the month to 6.5 million. In March, 44.1 percent of unemployed persons were jobless for 27 weeks or more…

“The number of persons working part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) increased to 9.1 million in March. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.

“About 2.3 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force in March, compared with 2.1 million a year earlier…These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey…

“Among the marginally attached, there were 1.0 million discouraged workers in March, up by 309,000 from a year earlier…Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them…

“Temporary help services added 40,000 jobs in March…

“Employment in federal government was up over the month, reflecting the hiring of 48,000 temporary workers for the decennial census…

“In March, financial activities shed 21,000 jobs, with the largest losses occurring in insurance carriers and related activities (-9,000). Employment in the information industry decreased by 12,000…”

Physicians for a National Health Program: `Health Care Reform Bill Hype Is False'

The Big Media has been promoting the health care reform bill that was passed recently by the Democratic Congress as some kind of solution to the health care system crisis that still exists in the United States. Yet as the leaders of the Physicians for a National Health Program indicated in a March 22, 2010 statement, the Democratic Obama Administration's health care reform bill apparently only provides "a false promise of reform." Following is the text of their statement:

"As much as we would like to join the celebration of the House's passage of the health bill last night, in good conscience we cannot. We take no comfort in seeing aspirin dispensed for the treatment of cancer.

"Instead of eliminating the root of the problem - the profit-driven, private health insurance industry - this costly new legislation will enrich and further entrench these firms. The bill would require millions of Americans to buy private insurers' defective products, and turn over to them vast amounts of public money.

"The hype surrounding the new health bill is belied by the facts:

"About 23 million people will remain uninsured nine years out. That figure translates into an estimated 23,000 unnecessary deaths annually and an incalculable toll of suffering.

"Millions of middle-income people will be pressured to buy commercial health insurance policies costing up to 9.5 percent of their income but covering an average of only 70 percent of their medical expenses, potentially leaving them vulnerable to financial ruin if they become seriously ill. Many will find such policies too expensive to afford or, if they do buy them, too expensive to use because of the high co-pays and deductibles.

"Insurance firms will be handed at least $447 billion in taxpayer money to subsidize the purchase of their shoddy products. This money will enhance their financial and political power, and with it their ability to block future reform.

"The bill will drain about $40 billion from Medicare payments to safety-net hospitals, threatening the care of the tens of millions who will remain uninsured.

"People with employer-based coverage will be locked into their plan's limited network of providers, face ever-rising costs and erosion of their health benefits. Many, even most, will eventually face steep taxes on their benefits as the cost of insurance grows.

"Health care costs will continue to skyrocket, as the experience with the Massachusetts plan (after which this bill is patterned) amply demonstrates.

"The much-vaunted insurance regulations - e.g. ending denials on the basis of pre-existing conditions - are riddled with loopholes, thanks to the central role that insurers played in crafting the legislation. Older people can be charged up to three times more than their younger counterparts, and large companies with a predominantly female workforce can be charged higher gender-based rates at least until 2017.

"Women's reproductive rights will be further eroded, thanks to the burdensome segregation of insurance funds for abortion and for all other medical services.

"It didn't have to be like this. Whatever salutary measures are contained in this bill, e.g. additional funding for community health centers, could have been enacted on a stand-alone basis.

"Similarly, the expansion of Medicaid - a woefully underfunded program that provides substandard care for the poor - could have been done separately, along with an increase in federal appropriations to upgrade its quality.

"But instead the Congress and the Obama administration have saddled Americans with an expensive package of onerous individual mandates, new taxes on workers' health plans, countless sweetheart deals with the insurers and Big Pharma, and a perpetuation of the fragmented, dysfunctional, and unsustainable system that is taking such a heavy toll on our health and economy today.

"This bill's passage reflects political considerations, not sound health policy. As physicians, we cannot accept this inversion of priorities. We seek evidence-based remedies that will truly help our patients, not placebos.

"A genuine remedy is in plain sight. Sooner rather than later, our nation will have to adopt a single-payer national health insurance program, an improved Medicare for all. Only a single-payer plan can assure truly universal, comprehensive and affordable care to all.

"By replacing the private insurers with a streamlined system of public financing, our nation could save $400 billion annually in unnecessary, wasteful administrative costs. That's enough to cover all the uninsured and to upgrade everyone else's coverage without having to increase overall U.S. health spending by one penny.

"Moreover, only a single-payer system offers effective tools for cost control like bulk purchasing, negotiated fees, global hospital budgeting and capital planning.

"Polls show nearly two-thirds of the public supports such an approach, and a recent survey shows 59 percent of U.S. physicians support government action to establish national health insurance. All that is required to achieve it is the political will.

"The major provisions of the present bill do not go into effect until 2014. Although we will be counseled to "wait and see" how this reform plays out, we cannot wait, nor can our patients. The stakes are too high.

"We pledge to continue our work for the only equitable, financially responsible and humane remedy for our health care mess: single-payer national health insurance, an expanded and improved Medicare for All."

Black Male Worker "Seasonally Adjusted" Jobless Rate Increases To 17.8 Percent

The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for African-American male workers over 20-years-of-age in the United States under the Democratic Obama Administration increased from 17.6 to 17.8 percent between January and February 2010; while the “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for all U.S. male workers over 20-years-of-age remained at 10 percent, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for white female workers over 20- years-of-age also increased from 6.8 to 7.3 percent between January and February 2010; while the “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for African-American female workers over 20-years-of-age was still 12.1 percent in February 2010.

The number of unemployed African-American male workers over 20-years-of-age increased from 1,405,000 to 1,424,000 workers between January and February 2010, according to the “seasonally adjusted” figures; while the number of unemployed white workers increased from 10,782,000 to 10,982,000, according to the “seasonally adjusted” figures. Between January and February 2010, the total number of unemployed workers in the United States also increased from 14,837,000 to 14,871,000 workers, according to the “seasonally adjusted” data.

The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for all Hispanic or Latino workers was still 12.4 percent in February 2010; while the official “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for Asian-American workers in February 2010 remained at 8.4 percent.

The “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for African-American youths between 16 and 19- years-of-age was still 42 percent in February 2010; while the “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for white youths between 16 and 19-years-of-age remained at 23.5 percent in February 2010. The “not seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Hispanic or Latino youth between 16 and 19 years-of-age was still 31.6 percent in February 2010.


According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ March 5, 2010 press release:

“…Employment fell in construction and information…

“The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) was 6.1 million in February…About 4 in 10 unemployed persons have been unemployed for 27 weeks or more…

“The number of persons working part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) increased from 8.3 to 8.8 million in February…These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job…

“About 2.5 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force in February…These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey…

“Among the marginally attached, there were 1.2 million discouraged workers in February…Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them…

“Construction employment fell by 64,000 in February…Job losses were concentrated in nonresidential building (-10,000) and among nonresidential specialty trade contractors (-35,000)…

“Employment in the information industry dropped by 18,000 in February…

“The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for…January was revised from -20,000 to -26,000…”

Lannan Foundation's Tactical Air Defense Services/Nation Magazine Link?

Until a few years ago, Sharron Lannan Korybut sat on the board of directors of the Lannan Foundation next to her father, Patrick Lannan (who was paid an annual salary of $249,000 in 2008 by the Lannan family’s foundation for being the Lannan Foundation’s president, according to foundation's Form 990 financial filing for 2008). And, according to the New York Times (6/22/97), the daughter of the Lannan Foundation’s president married Alexis Korybut-Daszkiewicz in 1997. The Times also noted that the Lannan Foundation was established by “the late J. Patrick Lannan Sr., the Chicago financier who was a longtime director of the ITT Corporation…”

Recently, the apparent son-in-law of the Lannan Foundation president apparently landed himself a job as the president and chief executive office of Tactical Air Defense Services, a Florida-based firm that trains air combat fighter pilots for the U.S. war machine and the military forces of some foreign governments. As a recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission by Tactical Air Defense Services observed:

"...The Board of Directors of Tactical Air Defense Services, Inc. has, as of November 24, 2009, appointed Mr. Alexis Korybut to serve as its President and Chief Executive Officer, in addition to his current position as Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of the Company.

"Mr. Korybut brings to the Company extensive management, administrative, and financial experience, and with his more than two years of tenure with the Company, relevant military contracting and aviation experience…"

Ironically, the Lannan Foundation whose president is the apparent father-in-law of the Tactical Air Defense Services’ president also subsidizes alternative media groups like The Nation/Nation Institute, Democracy Now! Productions and the Foundation for National Progress/Mother Jones magazine in a big way.

In 2008, for example, The Nation Institute was given three grants totaling $545,000, by the Lannan Foundation (according to the Lannan Foundation’s Form 990 financial filing for 2008). That same year Democracy Now! Productions was given three grants, totaling $375,000, by the Lannan Foundation. And in 2008, three grants, totaling $475,000, were given by the Lannan Foundation to Foundation for National Progress/Mother Jones magazine. In 2005, the Lannan Foundation also gave $535,000 in grant money to The Nation/Nation Institute alternative media group.

Not surprisingly, neither The Nation, Democracy Now! nor Mother Jones magazine has apparently provided its readers, listeners or viewers with much information about either the historic or current business activities of Lannan family members or about which transnational corporate stocks are contained in the investment portfolio of the Lannan Foundation. Yet, according to its Form 990 financial filing, on December 31, 2008 the Lannan Foundation owned $942,000 worth of Microsoft stock, $953,683 of Disney Company stock, $1,267,640 worth of Wells Fargo stock, $1,389,789 worth of Coca-Cola Company stock, $1,580,982 worth of Wal-Mart stock and $44,145 worth of Goldman Sachs stock.

Black Male Worker Jobless Rate Under Obama: 19.5 Percent

The official “not seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for African-American male workers over 20-years of age in the United States under the Democratic Obama regime jumped from 16.7 to 19.5 percent between December 2009 and January 2010; while the “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for all African-American workers—youth, male and female--jumped from 15.6 to 17.3 percent between December 2009 and January 2010, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The official “not seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for African-American female workers over 20 years-of-age also jumped from 12.4 to 13.3 percent between December 2009 and January 2010; while the “ not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for African-American youth between 16 and 19 years of age was still 43.5 percent in January 2010.

The number of unemployed African-American workers jumped from 2,775,000 to 3,059,000 between December 2009 and January 2010, according to the “not seasonally adjusted” figures; while the number of unemployed white workers jumped from 10,928,000 to 11,952,000, according to the “not seasonally adjusted” figures. In addition, the number of unemployed Hispanic or Latino workers jumped from 2,890,000 to 3,132,000 between December 2009 and January 2010, according to the “not seasonally adjusted” data.

The official “not seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Hispanic or Latino male workers over 20 years of age also jumped from 12.8 to 13.8 percent between December 2009 and January 2010. For all Hispanic or Latino workers over 16 years of age (which takes into account the 37.3 percent “not seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Latino youth), the official “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate jumped from 12.9 to 13.9 percent between December 2009 and January 2010.

For white male workers in the United States over 20 years of age, the official “not seasonally adjusted” jobless rate increased from 9.6 to 10.7 percent between December 2009 and January 2010, while the “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for white female workers over 20 years of age increased from 6.8 to 7.1 percent between December 2009 and January 2010.

The “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for Asian-American workers was still 8.4 percent in January 2010, while the official “not seasonally adjusted” national jobless rate for all U.S. workers jumped from 9.7 to 10.6 percent between December 2009 and January 2010.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ February 5, 2010 press release:

“…Employment fell in construction and in transportation and warehousing…

“…In January, the unemployment rate of veterans from Gulf War era II (September 2001 to the present) was 12.6 percent, compared with 10.4 percent for nonveterans. Persons with a disability had a higher jobless rate than persons with no disability—15.2 versus 10.4 percent…The unemployment rate for the foreign born was 11.8 percent, and the rate for the native born was 10.3 percent…

“The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) continued to trend up in January, reaching 6.3 million…

“About 2.5 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force in January…These individuals…wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey…

“Among the marginally attached, there were 1.1 million discouraged workers in January…Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them…

“Construction employment declined by 75,000 in January, with nonresidential specialty trade contractors (-48,000) accounting for the majority of the decline…

“In January, transportation and warehousing employment fell by 19,000, due to a large job loss among couriers and messengers (-23,000)…

“…Employment in state and local governments, excluding education, continued to trend down….

“The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for…December was revised from -85,000 to -150,000…”