Could Afghanistan become Obama's Vietnam

President Obama had not even taken office before supporters were etching his likeness onto Mount Rushmore as another Abraham Lincoln or the second coming of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Yet what if they got the wrong predecessor? What if Mr. Obama is fated to be another Lyndon B. Johnson instead?
To be sure, such historical analogies are overly simplistic and fatally flawed, if only because each presidency is distinct in its own way. But the L.B.J. model — a president who aspired to reshape America at home while fighting a losing war abroad — is one that haunts Mr. Obama’s White House as it seeks to salvage Afghanistan while enacting an expansive domestic program.
@ 'NY Times'

We have said it before, the British couldn't win in Afghanistan. The Russians couldn't win in in Afghanistan and neither will the US.

Spank # 9

Secretary

Vincent Gallo - Honey Bunny

For all at dddd. Have you heard 'When'?

Us shifts policy, giving names of detainees to the Red Cross

In a reversal of Pentagon policy, the military for the first time is notifying the International Committee of the Red Cross of the identities of militants who were being held in secret at a camp in Iraq and another in Afghanistan run by United States Special Operations forces, according to three military officials.
@ 'NY Times'

Coming soon...

The resurrection of (Son of).
Sorry I have been neglecting it, been wasting my time elsewhere.

Kevin Ayers & The Whole Wide World - May I?

Yes, that is Lol Coxhill on sax and Mike Oldfield on bass!

Mexico decriminalizes small-scale drug possession

Mexico decriminalized small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, LSD and heroin on Friday — a move that prosecutors say makes sense even in the midst of the government's grueling battle against drug traffickers.
@ 'Raw Story'

A sensible move, even if the amounts are ridiculously small.
The only problem is now they will have to put up with even more idiotic young Americans heading down there at the holidays.

Scout Niblett - The Kiss (featuring Bonnie 'Prince' Billy)

Normal service ASAP

Smoking # 32

Artwork by Hazel Dooney

Judee Sill - The Kiss

Lots of unreleased Judee Sill recordings here.

Judee Sill - Jesus Was A Crossmaker

The Life & Times of Judee Sill

Black Cab continue to make concept albums cool again!

Bought Black Cab's 'Call Signs' today.

Any album that opens with sounds from 'The Conet Project' is A OK with me.
Why this band aren't bigger is beyond me.
Oh, and do read Anna Funder's 'Stasiland', the book that the album is 'loosely' based on.

Video appears in paper magazines

The first-ever video advertisement will be published in a traditional paper magazine in September.

The video-in-print ads will appear in select copies of the US show business title Entertainment Weekly.

@ 'BBC'

The land of the free

After being named president of Freedonia in Duck Soup Rufus T. Firefly

(Groucho Marx) sings:

"You're not allowed to smoke
or tell a dirty joke
And whistling is prohibited
If chewing gum is used the chewer is pursued
And in the hoosegow hidden
Whatever form of pleasure are exhibited
Report to me and they will be prohibited
It's as I say, so shall it be
This is the land of the free."

(Thanx Kathie)