Monthly Archives: April 2010

Afghanistan: Pentagon says Karzai has little support

Posted on April 29, 2010 by michaelhastings

According to a new Pentagon report, only 1 in 4 Afghans support President Hamid Karzai in the districts considered strategically important. From McClatchy: Opinion surveys, the report said, found only 24 percent of the people in those 121 districts sympathize … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Volcano has left me stranded

Posted on April 20, 2010 by michaelhastings

Wanted to post a note: I’ve been on assignment in Europe, and thus have been caught in the great volcano catastrophe. While in the midst of rearranging my travel plans, blogging will be nonexistent to light for the next couple … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Afghanistan: Fighting a war without context

Posted on April 14, 2010 by michaelhastings

From Alissa Rubin’s story in the NYT this morning, ”U.S. Closes Outpost in The Valley of Death”: The near daily battles [in the Korengal Valley]were won, but almost always at the cost of wounded or dead. There were never enough … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Afghanistan: The Birther Who Won't Go To War

Posted on April 14, 2010 by michaelhastings

I’m usually pretty sympathetic to conscientious  objectors, but this is just obscenely stupid. An Army flight surgeon, Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin, won’t deploy to Afghanistan until President Obama proves he’s “a natural born citizen.” From Military.com: Lakin’s failure to report … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

What do journalists and starving artists have in common?

Posted on April 13, 2010 by michaelhastings

I’ve picked up on a journalists-as-starving-artist meme lately. (Okay, two columns mention it, both on Truthdig.org.) As Alan Mutter said of young journalists in his Reflections of a Newsosaur blog, “The starving-artist lifestyle may be colorful and appealing for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Disturbingly Personal | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Afghanistan: Roadside bombs double in past year

Posted on April 8, 2010 by michaelhastings

This caught my eye. The number of crude roadside bombs in Afghanistan has doubled in the past year, prompting U.S. officials to rush billions of dollars of new protective gear to troops and double the number of road-clearing teams. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Iraq: On the brink of civil war again?

Posted on April 5, 2010 by michaelhastings

I don’t think so, although the bombings of the German, Eygptian, and Iranian embassies yesterday that killed over 40 people are not good signs. Either was the massacre of 24 Sunnis over the weekend by men in “Iraqi army uniforms” … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraqness | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments