Lara Logan looks at "success" in Afghanistan
By Nicole Belle Tuesday Sep 18, 2007 8:35am
Thank the higher being of your choice for journalists like Lara Logan. While Katie Couric stays in the Green Zone and with heavily guarded escorts through a security-cleared market, Logan goes in and slogs through bio-hazardous waste and shows us exactly how much "success" our tax dollars have bought in Afghanistan.
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I have a lot of respect for Lara too, but...
A couple of weeks ago she was side by side with Katie for the week long CBS charade of progress in Iraq, "Undeniable, without question there is progress" were the words of Lara.
Some of these people are decent journalists but they still have their editors speaking out of their mouths.
"Logan goes in and slogs through bio-hazardous waste and shows us exactly how much “success” our tax dollars have bought in Afghanistan."
and still manages to look hot doing it!
Another is a long list of failures in the Mideast; this one being in Afghan.
Depressing, sad and disgusting that WE are not providing better.
A crank-start truck bought for you by your friends in the good ol' USA. Enjoy!!
What! You got a problem with that?
I am speechless. All the things that could have been accomplished if we had had a different president. I am out of rage. Just so sad.
Hagel is right, we are going to reap the whirlwind for our crimes.
Probably money marked for this is rediverted to the blackwater terrorist organization. Bush doesn't ask for money to fund them specifically now does he? Stop funding this war! Impeach the sick bastards who are pulling all the strings to keep us there. Do not re-elect anyone (Republican or Democrat) who does not do everything humanly possible to get us out of this fiasco.
CaptJasHook @ 5:
It boggles the mind to think what a different world this would have been without Bush and Co.
Why should we thank anyone? Coming up on 5 years... all of the bravery of these folks has gone to waste on a public too scared, nonplussed or WEAK to do anything about it.
I'll say it again. 5 Years. And what's changed for the better? Nothing.
Talk talk talk, write write write... some times I think people think it's enough... that the rest will "just take care of itself". All I see is a nation "waiting" while people die in the thousands... waiting for their master to leave power and everyone's just HOPING someone better replaces this cretin.
All the power of the internet and ground roots movements have resulted in jack-diddly-squat. For shame. For shame. But hey - let's see another report about just how bad it is over there. At least we're all doing SOMETHING right?
Sigh.
Gort @ 4:
Well, it is a good back-up system... if the truck had a battery start up as well.
Speaking of crank-starts... did you know that the MiG-29 has a hand crank in case the electrical died on it? Seriously, there's a hole on one of the wings to stick a crank in and start it up. Can you imagine what a pain in the ass it would be to hand crank a fighter jet? :lol:
Gort @ 4:
With friends like us, who needs enemies?
Wow. It looks like an interrupted effort. How can any responsible country walk away from a project like this? What could be possibly distracting the US? Hmmm, might it have something to do with my brother-in-law being redeployed from Afghanistan to the fuckin surge in Iraq? The other hole has oil.
Lara Logan is one of a few people, whom I could count on one hand, who is able to remind me a) that I am not, in fact, living in an alternate reality, and b) that there are people even in the upper tier of mainstream media who remember what their job is.
Jonathan Schwarz often points out that the major networks and "news" corporations are actually incredibly good at doing their job, because their real job - legally, in fact - is to make as much money as possible for their shareholders. Where I don't completely agree with Schwarz is the idea that profitable business and honest journalism are mutually exclusive. That's what they believe, obviously, so for the moment it doesn't matter. But one day, someone will realize that a news source that provides nothing but good, fast, insightful, comprehensive news would stand poised to reap the greatest and longest consumer demand since Dark Side of the Moon.
Pete Bogs @ 2:
what pete said!
the Bush Junta can't walk or chew gum let alone do both at the same time
Blood is literally running in the streets.
Bush's apocalyptic dreams must be coming true.
What next? Cats living with dogs?
Lara Logan is great!
I suppose if Move On placed an ad in the NYT about this it would be a treasonous offense.
God the flood of emotions I had while watching that clip. What a fucking shame! Someone has to pay for this in more ways than one. Anyone who voted for bush, especially the second time, should feel the shame even more.
Love the Lara. Once wrote her a fan letter when her stories were being censored by CBS and she responded from the green zone. She promised to keep fighting to bring us the real picture of what is happening.
I guess the Dems will look into that too. When will it end?
Hagel is right, we are going to reap the whirlwind for our crimes.
Absolutely right. He's retiring because he's ashamed. And we should also be ahamed.
jr @ 14:
Are you kidding? These scumbags are brilliant! Too many make the mistake of thinking this to be incompetence. Their plan is working flawlessly: blackmail congress into allocating billions and divide the money amongst friends, family, and handlers, all the while destabilizing the middle east and America for takeover and transfer to global banking cartel world government.
Show me which step isn't going flawlessly...
rws
How to make a Billion Dollars:
1)Start a war in a dangerous far off place.
2)Make sure it stays dangerous by selling weapons on the black market.
2a) This will keep the "fog of war" in place.
2b) This will keep the journalists hunkered down and out of touch.
3) Give cronies no bid contracts for billions and billions of dollars to deliver new equipment and to build new fascilities.
4) Have your cronies deliver junk and add a coat of paint (preferably water based paint, there is no corner to be left uncut.)
5) Collect kickbacks.
6) Retire to Dubai.
So how many WASTED BILLIONS have they spent in Iraq? Would this have happened under Clinton (the hospital)?
It's great that Lara Logan / CBS did the story, but the *thank-you(s)* should go to Dave Warner.
This particular CBS piece is being picked up on [http://www.afghanistannewscenter.com/news/2007/august/aug172007.html#4]
but really this guy needs to have his own website. It's always nice to be able to directly reference information that comes from somebody with credibility AND hands-on experience.
Going to the government? Waiting for MSM to run a 3.5 minute story? He (or somebody back in San Diego) should be posting this stuff himself if he wants the story out there.
Dave Warner, THANK YOU! :)
-amall
pissed off patricia @ 17:
Do you think that somebody like Hannity or even Tucker feels any shame for anything they have ever done? Hopefully the 30%-50%ers (the people who voted for Bush but are not with him now) feel the shame.
lara is hot!
To answer your question, Capt. Kangaroo, I don't think so. And if it had, I would be just as angry and disgusted with him as I am now with the present administration.
Afghanistan and Iraq are being poisoned with depleted uranium. You can probably watch "Beyond Treason" on google video or you tube. If you want the ugly truth. Donn de Grand-Pre claims Israel nuked Iraq, that some of the the radiation there cannot be considered depleted uranium.
of course it is just as wrong that we are in afghanistan as iraq...
To answer your second question, Capt Kangaroo, I don't know if they feel any shame. If they have a heart and a brain, they should. I doubt if the ones you mentioned bother with stories like this. They are too busy kissing bush's ass to see anything beyond that.
That's my girl right there.
Who wants to bet her life will be made into a movie? With Naomi Watts starring of course, or maybe Maria Bello...
The reality is it is almost impossible to change people in this part of the world. That does not make this right. To give these people a shitty 60 year old truck and call it new. To not give them the basic tools for a hospital is criminal. I wonder though, if there would have been a new truck if it would have been stolen. If the tools (a few oxygen machines, autoclave, and I’m sure the 20 other things that this kind of hospital should have for basic tools) would have been stolen or have been stolen. Who knows? It doesn’t matter though. I still feel sick to my stomach!
Strong, smart, brave, and beautiful.
I love you, Lara Logan!
runningwithscissors @ 21:
Unfortunately your exactly right.
Only the US can take a bad situation, make it worse, and then call it a success.
I wish my head was in the sand!!
Capt Kangaroo, I find myself wishing that too these days. Seems the more I know, the worse I feel. Knowledge is a wonderful thing to have but it's a bitch to care for and look after. It rips at your heart and eats on your brain. The frustration is almost visible. When I think of what, in the name of our country, has been done to so many people, I just about explode inside.
that's the u.s. healthcare system for you.
Obviously bush (lower case int.) never heard the little saying most moms tell their children "Oh what a tangled web we weave ... etc."
I'm sure was just too busy telling him how ultra-privileged he is.
Imagine a world with no GWB , one where we did NOT go to Iraq (for the little spoiled pricks personal reason) One in which we were still respected by the rest of the free world.
Imagine ...
Good news everybody!!! Due to a new $40,000,000 Pentagon contract with Custer Battles, this fine contractor just delivered a freshly painted locomotive steam engine train to Kabul. And just to be nice, they threw in 100 Motorola 'Brick' Phones circa 1984 at cost ($3,000.00 each)
Pissed-American @ 39:
It takes a hell of a lot longer to get out of a mess then it does to get into one.
pissed off patricia @ 37:
I can hardly bear to watch the suffering.
I knew Bush Co was going to get us into this sh*t from the day he took office.
It's very simple folks; Republicans have no souls or conscience.
Why can't the media focus on the successes? *sigh*
Lara Logan is truly a rare journalist. I have been following her for a couple of years. It has not always been easy for her. She has had to battle her network (CBS) and other media jackasses. See: CBS: Let Lara Logan Do Her Job
[Excerpts]:
When CBS chose not to air a hard hitting piece from Iraq:
When confronted with allegations that she and her colleagues in the field were “carrying the terrorist message” by only reporting the bad news:
Responding to chickenhawk priestess Laura Ingram:
Logan also had a remarkable exchange with anchor Bob Shieffer who kept asking leading questions - but she wouldn’t have any of it (at the same link above).
runningwithscissors @ 21:
Well said.
They are very deliberately raping the treasury, right in front of our eyes. "Our" cut is literally "OMFGz TAX CUTS 4 EVERY1!!", and if you still don't shutup about their pillaging, well sir, you're giving succor to the enemy. And hating freedoms or something...
Oh, and those troops we all trip over ourselves to support, they're involved in a critical supporting role themselves; they support the 168K-strong corporate militia that's guarding the revenues-sucking end of the vacuum hose.
Watching those babies get substandard care breaks my heart. A quick peek at my blog will show you why this is a painful subject for me this week. The deaths of all the children in this bush clusterf**k has always been the hardest for me to take. This story should be everywhere while bush asks for more money. Move on should take out an ad asking "Where is the money really going?"
Janet @ 48:
My heart felt sympathy goes out to you Janet in the loss of your greatgrand child.
Yes, I can understand the pain you felt and are feeling for those babies in Afghan.
Bless you.
Why don't they off -load this stuff to the Crawford ranch? Someone's bound to notice.
Kaelri @ 12:
There is another reporter, who I won't name 'cause I'm sure C&lers know who I'm talking about. Worked for Time magazine, now for CNN. (Yeah I'm obsessed) Anyhow, Time sent him on assignment to Afghanistan and the Pakistan border to do a piece on the Taliban (this was right after we invaded Afghanistan) It took him WEEKS to get into the mountains, sometimes by foot, he had to dress like a tribesman, and relied heavily on the locals, I'm not even sure he had security with him, because he wanted to blend in, he got sick at one point with a tummy ailment (not fun and dangerous with no medical facilities around) and managed to meet up with some prominent Taliban leaders. So after weeks of hard work, and harrowing experiences and danger, he comes back with a great story, only to find out that Time has decided to cut his piece and go with a fluff piece on fashion.
i'll bet logan doesn't make one tenth of what couric makes. btw even notre dame will have some success this year.
Doggiebobo,
Thank you.
is anyone really surprised?
both wars have been about greed
and where has the dem congress been on this issue??
why werent they screaming to the rafters?
Pete Bogs @ 2:
So what's your point? Are less attractive journalists are less credible?
Flackman @ 44:
BUT, they have religion!
Well look at it this way, they treat Afghanistan just like they treat our veterans, just like they treat Katrina victims, just like they treat poor children, uninsured children, just like they treat our prison population, just like they treat our national parks, our air, our water, just like they treat...
You get the picture.
Just makes you want to thank God we finally have a Christian President. You only need to watch more Christian TV and you'll see how wonderful this man is. Did you know when asked who his favorite philosopher was he said Jesus Christ. Yes, you'll hear that little story of our anointed leader again today, just like yesterday, and again tomorrow. And just in case some or all of the missing money from these misadventures is not reaching your TV preacher, wink-wink, pick up that phone, get a little vile of healing water for your trouble, and make a donation, for the love of God make a donation.
Laura Logan is definitely a national treasure and one of the best journalists we have. As part of that she is evidently absolutely fearless (though fortunately not totally irresponsible and crazy). I think we all need to write to CBS and give her props to encourage them to hire and enable more like her.
If that hospital was an official "success story", imagine what the other ones are like.
Hot and Brilliant! Thank you Ms Logan for your authentic journalism, hard work, beauty and grace!
Janet @ 48:
Remember, neocons only care about a human being until it is born. Then it's fair game.
Lara Logan has a lot of guts. It's tough holding a job in the media while being not lockstep with the president in his policies towards Iraq [deleted--take the hate speech elsewhere]
Unbelievable that neocons can watch this and then still wonder why some people hate the U.S.
I'm sure that Halliburton made a bundle on this scam. . .
ScrewBush @ 57:
Right on...and in your spare time, be sure to plan a trip to Pittsburg, Tennessee and visit
the Creation Museum where you can learn that man and the dinasours co-existed only
6,000 years ago and thanks to Norah, we all survived in his Ark.
GOPBullshit @ 62:
[deleted--don't feed the hate speech]
Saw this piece on the NBC news last night, very powerful. And pretty great that it was network news.
Thank you L a r a.
Matlin and Malkin and Couric and Coulter and Laura and Laura and Dowd and the female staff
at CNBC, and Fake News probably hate you and admire you. You won't catch them anywhere
near jucky smells. If they ever get a spot of dirt on them you can be sure they put it there themselves.
But even I know that these liars for hire are not who they appear to be on TV and in print except
for Matlin and Dowd who are crazy. Malkin is just ambitious, Coulter is bi polar and the rest could care less.
@17 : pissed off patricia :
Do you honestly think this is just Bush's work?
This has been going on for the last 30+ years.
This hate did not start 5 years ago.
The US supported the Mujahedeen against the Soviets (terrorism = good) and when the Soviets left and the people were hoping the US would help them, the US left.
Then the US gave funds to the Taliban because they suppressed the poppy production and even invited the Taliban and held PR events with them. The friendship was good for the proposed gas pipeline through Afghanistan.
Funny thing was, the Taliban did not even want Osama in their country and were trying to kick him out in a nice way. The US was not interested.
The US was also not interested in Osama after 9/11 and the following invasion.
Or do we think that dropping cluster bombs on children are 'precision strikes at the heart of the enemy'?
The only thing the invasion changed was who is in charge. Karsai, an oil buddy of Bush now controls the 'government' and military. The warlords are still in charge. Karsai lets the warlords do what they want if the get their people to vote for him.
Many of those that survived the Soviets, the taliban, the 'liberation' are happy if they are not being defined as taliban post-mortem after another US airstrike. And if you have survived all that, chance are your and your child might get hauled off to Guantanamo (if you are lucky) or just disappear in a secret camp.
War is all about economics and power.
Jo-Ann @ 50:
Preznit Fucknuts could clear some brush to make room for the toxic waste dump.
Anyone got some Mardi-Gras beads I can lob at her?
65 Doggiebobo
Did Noah ever tap dance in a toilet stall?
It's not fair to compare Lara Logan to Katie Couric. Lara is a journalist, Katie is a "TeeVee personality" who got hired in the first place because of her perkiness.
Joke is, Lara has her beaten hands down in that department as well.
ysbaddaden @ 72:
No, but did fix a leak in the Ark.
raise your hand if you've been to Afghanistan in the last 6 months?
the Afghan people freaking *love* Americans and George W. The Taliban are out of Kabul. Now, it's up to the Afghan people to decide what they want...the UN force isn't staying forever (though they might)..
kiva
Kiva @ 75:
I beg your pardon? The Afghans want to grow poppies and we have DEA agents torching the poppy fields of starving Afghan farmers. Yeah, they LOVE us. We made a lot of promises to the Afghans and reneged on damn near every promise we made. If you were being snarky, then nevermind.
Strawberry @ 79:
The poppy is such a beautiful, red flower...guess that is why Afghan has the largest
abundance of poppy fields in the entire World and why we(US Citizens) love the flower
so much...for it's looks/appearance.
Going out on a limb here but I'm thinking this story is NOT going to get picked up by FAUX News
Blue Buddha @ 9:
You do what ya gotta do. The Soyuz has wood paneling too!
lara logan is one of the few real journalists we still have in America.
afghanistan is the forgotten war, Bushco have completely abandoned it.
Just read on HuffPo (http://www.huffingtonpost.com) that CBS is sending nasty e-mails to people who wrote to them critical of Couric's Iraq coverage. Another case of kill the messenger.
Doggiebobo @ 80: oh damn! I have poppies growing in my backyard, I suppose the DEA will be at my house after reading this. WOE IS ME, or oy vey, take your choice.
America to the rescue! What a gutless bunch of cowards
ruiningrunning the US...Makes a person want to puke because the mentally challenged, uncaring bastard, Dumbya never did or will give a smelly shit either.
Lara also got blown up doing a story - might have been Afganistan. Luckily she didn't end up in a near death condition like Kim Dozer and that guy from ABC. Also the hotel where she was staying in Baghdad during the invasion was shelled - she was badly shaken as it hit hear her room.
She straps on the gear and goes with the troops all over the place - not some controlled PR tour with a thousand troops clearing the way.
One word describes that report: heartwrenching. If Bush saw it and reacted with anything other than anger and an immediate call to make heads roll and set things right, than he is as soulless as they come. Lara Logan should have her own show like Bill Moyers, but she probably prefers to be in the field. Goddess of Journalism.
one word to describe Lara Logan: sexy.
OK now two words: incredibly hot.
Blue Buddha @ 9:
The Russians built some pretty damn good weapons. Their WWII tanks and fighter planes were the best on the ground, the MIGs may not be as fast as ours, but they can tolerate rougher conditions with less maintenance, and then their the AK-47, one of the best assault weapons ever built.
This is really heart-breaking. Get this administration out!
Kiva @ 75:
Lying trolls ftw.
Lara Logan is a great journalist. The only other person who is comparable is Michael Ware who may even be better but he sometimes gets so worked up that I think he might have a seizure.
Also, I can't help myself, I have to say it. Lara is very hot.
Proud American Liberal @ 88: and then their the AK-47, one of the best assault weapons ever built.
The AK-47 is a copy of the German SG44 (Sturmgewehr 44)
more gop haliburton compassion--fuck everyone for their fast buck.
bush and his croynies are a pack of greedy bastards.
She gives me a morally righteous chubber!
Yes she does.
Katie Couric is totally out of her depth, and that was even true on the Today Show. Couric is too unintelligent, lazy, uninterested, and corrupt to even challenge a Repug talking point. A true talking head- but with a hollow brain.
Does anyone (perhaps, besides we few) care? Shoppers, blue-light special, aisle three.
The GOP surely doesn't. Oil? Is their oil? Where's the oil? What about the oil?
Kiva @ 75:
Kiva, raise your hand if you've ever read a book. Comics don't count.
A reporter who actually *gasp* does reporting!
Excellent report !
Isn't the USA the self proclaimed greatest country in the world or in history?
Guess this story answers that question! Uh huh.
Nice to see real journalism and not just transcription a la Ms. Couric.
Way to go cheney/bush!!
Your shit is worth so much more than your souls.
Impeach the bastards!
I watched CBS News for 30 years but I cannot stand Couric. When I changed to NBC (also watch the NEWSHOUR), my only regret was that I was gonna miss LL, the only real war correspondent on broadcast TV. (No cable, but the clips I have seen of Michael Ware [CNN] are impressive.)
It is amazing to me how much blather passes for news these days. Not that our MSM has ever been really great, but if it weren't for the net - even with hundreds (thousands?) of hours of hours of "news"in the MSM, nobody would have the faintest idea of what is really going on.
Thanks C&L for the clip and Mark @ #46 for the link.
Lara and the doctor are correct that a lot of jobs are 80 completed, and that a lot of equipment has been delivered that they can't use. They miss the point though, which is that the real goal is not to provide worthwhile improvements to the Afghans or Iraqis but to provide huge sums of money to the contractors that are delivering these things. I will bet that the real scandal is that we were billed for 100% of all of those jobs that are 80% done. A neat 20% graft tacked on to the 100% markup for this kink of unauditable work.
Yup.
And then, it will turn out that the 80% that WAS done, was done so poorly that it has to be torn up and completely redone.
But none of the original companies will be asked for their money back.
And we'll probably hire them again to build it the second time.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/16076312/the_great_iraq_swindle
brando @ 8:
I'm with you, I mean what possible reason does this administration, or any future one, have to listen to the will of the people ?
In their eyes, the worst that can happen is a protest. But they have the ability to diminish that. I also agree, and even though I know the world would be worse off as a society without it, the internet has not changed a god damned thing !
What do the Afghanis expect? Healthcare along the lines of the US Government?
Wow! You have the news babes who range from Couric to those nameless "sex appeal-only" FOX and CNN news bunnies. And now we have a damned attractive newswoman who does serious work as a journalist.
Will the networks ever recover from this abomination of the formula? ;-)
This really angers me. Someone above asked if the right wing nuts like Hannity have any shame after seeing this video. To answer that question, simply, no, they do not. They probably refuse to look at such video. IF they see it, they'll respond with criticism, asking why doesn't Lara Logan report on good news stories? I hate to say this, but after seeing this video, you have to ask yourself, who cares about the good news stories???? If the U.S. government and/or contractor can certify this stuff; if they can send over a 60 year old truck and say that it is new; if that hospital can't get fuel for their medical waste incinerator; and if the government can say that hospital is a "good news" story; then they don't deserve any credit for any truly "good" news.
Okay guys, enough of this "Laura is so hot" crap. I'm as much a red-blooded, heterosexual male as you but I don't see how anybody can be getting all hot and bothered with dying children in the clip. That just ain't right.
HOLEEEE FUCK!!!
Makes you want to jump up and sing "Proud To Be An American"...doesn't it?
The last year of Taliban rule a million Afghans were going to starve. Not a single lefty anywhere was crying about that. Preemies sharing oxygen beats hell out of dead preemies, the likely outcome under the Taliban.
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