Major loss to nation: CW of "Charlie Wilson's War" passes away

[Liberty Star]

A man who was ahead of his time and started supporting Afghan Mujahideens of the original great Afghan Jihad to bankrupt USSR way before it was fashionable to do so. He was the link for Israel supplying weapons to senior generation of Talibans. Following Russian defeat in Afghanistan at the hands of Mujahideens in late 80s, one of the biggest waves of immigration of Russian Jews to Israel followed and continued till tragic Sep 2001 attacks.


Charlie Wilson, Texas Congressman Linked to Foreign Intrigue, Dies at 76

By DOUGLAS MARTIN
Published: February 10, 2010

Charlie Wilson, a 12-term Texas congressman who was best known for his playboy ways until he masterminded a covert effort to funnel billions of dollars in arms to Afghan rebels fighting the Soviets in the 1980s, died Wednesday in Lufkin, Tex. He was 76.

After he visited a refugee camp in Pakistan at the urging of Ms. Herring and saw wounded and maimed Afghan guerrilla fighters, Mr. Wilson vowed to help them and became a key figure in Congress for doing so, overtly pushing for humanitarian aid and covertly obtaining military help, a risky endeavor against a rival superpower. He often gathered his colleagues’ support by voting for military contracts that would serve their districts.

From a few million dollars in the early 1980s, support for the resistance grew to $750 million a year by the end of the decade. The financing was funneled to Afghanistan in secret by Mr. Wilson and other lawmakers.

The help went beyond money. When the Soviets deliberately killed camels and mules to cripple the Afghan fighters’ supply lines, he flew in Tennessee mules. When the Central Intelligence Agency refused to provide the guerrillas with field radios for fear that mujahedeen transmissions would be picked up by the Soviets, he sent an aide to Virginia to buy $12,000 worth of walkie-talkies from a Radio Shack outlet.

Particularly helpful were Stinger missiles from the United States, which were used to shoot down Russian helicopters and became what many consider a decisive factor in wearing down the Soviets. By February 1989, the Soviets had withdrawn and the United States ended its support.

In later years Mr. Wilson insisted that the United States had not made a mistake by supporting the Afghan rebels, among them Osama bin Laden and the Islamists who would form the Taliban regime. He said if the United States had helped rebuild Afghanistan, it would have remained stable and not become a safe haven for Al Qaeda.

Charlie was 13 when his dog strayed and a neighbor apparently fed it something that contained crushed glass. The boy first doused the man’s garden with gasoline and set it on fire. He then realized that the neighbor was a City Council member and used his learner’s permit to drive black voters to the polls to vote against him. The neighbor lost his seat by 16 votes.

Full article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/us/politics/11wilson.html

[demolama]

gag! Intervention and the consequences of blowback that Charlie Wilson brought us by engaging in his secret activities should never be celebrated. He was just another corrupt womanizing politician that engaged in illegal activities.

[winston_blade]

Edit.

[jmdrake]

The covert program to fund the mujahadeen led directly to the creation of Al Qaeda. Even Condi Rice tacitly admitted this.

[fedup100]

gag! Intervention and the consequences of blowback that Charlie Wilson brought us by engaging in his secret activities should never be celebrated. He was just another corrupt womanizing politician that engaged in illegal activities.

So let me see, you DO believe the governments story about those muslims flying planes into those tall buildings and the "war on Tur"?

First you knew nothing of the man, if you had you would be ashamed of this statement.

Charlie Wilson was a womanizer, he loved beautiful women, so what? Charlie Wilson was so soft hearted, he could not bare to watch any living thing suffer and that included the Afgan people. No one knew Osama Bin Laden better than Charlie Wilson and Osama was not our problem.

What illegal activity did he engage in, please be more specific?

I am grieving the loss of a man I knew well and loved much.

This man through his brilliant defeat and financial destruction of Russia was a friend of and loved America with all his heart.

The communist fascist left took notice of how he defeated Russia and are now applying that same formula to the United States. The plan is working beautifully and we are now bankrupt. This is the real reason we are still in Afghanistan.

There are many heartless lying bastard traitors in the amerikan government, and I am the first to be critical of them. Charlie Wilson was not one of those. I had the unique experience of actually knowing the soul and spirit in the man. I am honored to have known him.

[Austrian Econ Disciple]

So let me see, you DO believe the governments story about those muslims flying planes into those tall buildings and the "war on Tur"?

First you knew nothing of the man, if you had you would be ashamed of this statement.

Charlie Wilson was a womanizer, he loved beautiful women, so what? Charlie Wilson was so soft hearted, he could not bare to watch any living thing suffer and that included the Afgan people. No one knew Osama Bin Laden better than Charlie Wilson and Osama was not our problem.

What illegal activity did he engage in, please be more specific?

I am grieving the loss of a man I knew well and loved much.

This man through his brilliant defeat and financial destruction of Russia was a friend of and loved America with all his heart.

The communist fascist left took notice of how he defeated Russia and are now applying that same formula to the United States. The plan is working beautifully and we are now bankrupt. This is the real reason we are still in Afghanistan.

There are many heartless lying bastard traitors in the amerikan government, and I am the first to be critical of them. Charlie Wilson was not one of those. I had the unique experience of actually knowing the soul and spirit in the man. I am honored to have known him.

I'm sorry I'm just so tired of this peddled propaganda. The USSR fell because of Communism and the lack of economic calculation coupled with an iron fist of tyranny. PERIOD. Stop peddling this crap non-sense.

[fedup100]

I'm sorry I'm just so tired of this peddled propaganda. The USSR fell because of Communism and the lack of economic calculation coupled with an iron fist of tyranny. PERIOD. Stop peddling this crap non-sense.

You are rude and ill informed.

[demolama]

So let me see, you DO believe the governments story about those muslims flying planes into those tall buildings and the "war on Tur"?

Doesn't matter if I believe 9/11 truth or not... the point is the CIA funded and trained this organization using black op means. Unaccountability of the CIA's actions is one of the major problems in the United States today... we went in and engaged in a proxy war with the Soviet Union much like they did with us in Vietnam... it was less about these Afghan people than it was about trying to fight the soviets. The mujahadeen lead to Al-Queda which means either they attacked us on 9/11 or they are CIA stooges to take the blame for the attack. Either way you look at it the underlining theme is the CIA created these men. Nothing good has come from the CIA creating them.




First you knew nothing of the man, if you had you would be ashamed of this statement.

nope not ashamed... he was part of the problem not the solution... the road to hell is always paved with good intentions. We are not better off because of his actions. His interference in Afghanistan proved to be just as worthless as many other CIA operations around the globe.

[Austrian Econ Disciple]

You are rude and ill informed.

Apparently Ludwig von Mises, FA Hayek, and Murray Rothbard are ill informed.

[jmdrake]

So let me see, you DO believe the governments story about those muslims flying planes into those tall buildings and the "war on Tur"?

First you knew nothing of the man, if you had you would be ashamed of this statement.

.....

The communist fascist left took notice of how he defeated Russia and are now applying that same formula to the United States. The plan is working beautifully and we are now bankrupt. This is the real reason we are still in Afghanistan.

There are many heartless lying bastard traitors in the amerikan government, and I am the first to be critical of them. Charlie Wilson was not one of those. I had the unique experience of actually knowing the soul and spirit in the man. I am honored to have known him.

I'm not sure what you think belief in the official story has to do with any of this. If you follow the Ron Paul "blowback" line, then Charlie Wilson was instrumental in creating the blowback.

If you follow the "Al Qaeda is a controlled asset that attacked us" line, the Charlie Wilson was instrumental in creating the asset.

The "It's all controlled from Moscow" line is laughable.

[fedup100]

demolama:

Doesn't matter if I believe 9/11 truth or not... the point is the CIA funded and trained this organization using black op means. Unaccountability of the CIA's actions is one of the major problems in the United States today... we went in and engaged in a proxy war with the Soviet Union much like they did with us in Vietnam... it was less about these Afghan people than it was about trying to fight the soviets. The mujahadeen lead to Al-Queda which means either they attacked us on 9/11 or they are CIA stooges to take the blame for the attack. Either way you look at it the underlining theme is the CIA created these men. Nothing good has come from the CIA creating them.



While I agree with you regarding the CIA, I disagree with your assumption that no good came from Charlie Wilson's War".

Captain Shays has it straight:


Al Qaeda didn't get it's start fighting the Soviets. Al Qaeda got it's start after the Gulf War when the United States set up military bases in Saudi Arabia and violated holy Islamic soil. The JBS is spot on factually and historically.
The Muhajadine got it's start fighting the Soviets and our CIA trained and funded bin Laden in those efforts but it was initially the Gulf War that caused him to transition from being our trained and funded ally to being our mortal enemy and forming Al Qaeda.


Charlie's motive's were to destroy our arch enemy Russia and he did so. You can take the rest of the argument up with those that took it into another direction after Charlie retired.

[demolama]

Charlie's motive's were to destroy our arch enemy Russia and he did so. You can take the rest of the argument up with those that took it into another direction after Charlie retired.

and we became friends with Saddam because of Iran... and he came back to bite us in the ass as well.

a big long chain of Middle eastern problems is all tied together by one factor... the United States

[jmdrake]

demolama:



While I agree with you regarding the CIA, I disagree with your assumption that no good came from Charlie Wilson's War".

Captain Shays has it straight:




Charlie's motive's were to destroy our arch enemy Russia and he did so. You can take the rest of the argument up with those that took it into another direction after Charlie retired.

Captain Shays doesn't know what he's talking about. I explained that somewhere else. There is no evidence of Osama Bin Laden flipping from being a CIA asset to a KGB asset. That's just JBS wishful thinking. Senate testimony shows the CIA was working with Al Qaeda during the Balkans war which was long after the Gulf War. And the Pakistani ISI funneled "Charlie Wilson's money" to anti Western mujahadeen for their own purposes (fighting India). Lastly Charlie Wilson's motives don't matter. The road to hell is paved with good intention.

[Liberty Star]

I really shouldn't start a thread when I'm not going to be able to respond quickly.

This part was just a joke, and in bad taste on second and third thoughts:


Major loss to nation


CW loved all sorts of women, aipac, evangalicals and Pakistani military establishment. He was an unusual character, not easy to judge him but it is no doubt that seeds of 9/11 were sowed when he played an instrument to fund and arm Jihadis in Afghanistan by giving them Russian weapons from Israel (among them those confiscated from PLO), Egypt and others.