I’m delighted you’re having Greg Mortenson on this show Tom. What he’s done in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan is a great model of what one person with the right motivation can make happen.

Greg picked up where the (depressing) end in Charlie Wilson’s War left off: with our idiot politicians pulling the plug on non-military support for this region allowing it to be taken over by the Taliban.

More power to you Greg and I’m sorry and not so sorry you didn’t summit on K2. Had you made it your history might have taken a different turn.

Whoops, it seems you did summit on K2 Greg. My bad. I somehow thought you hadn’t. Well, either way, you’ve done a lot of good in the world.

Congratulations, Tom, for putting Greg Mortenson on your show this morning. I heard him speak Saturday at the Boston Public Library on his latest book. He is a great human being doing great work amid the poverty of Pakistan and Afghanistan. His main work is building schools that educate girls and young women. As he says:”educate a woman and you educate a whole community.” HIs is the path forward for these high poverty areas, instead of the US crazy reliance on more and more military. I urge everyone to listen at 10 this morning, to buy his books, and to support action for education for all, justice for women, and this path towards peace.

Richard,

Before Afghanistan was taken over by the Taliban it was ruled by Northern Alliance (our allies now), who are/were not saints either. Both sides in Afghan civil war were evil, it happened one was evil was evil & didn’t like us either.

Greg Mortenson,

How does the Taliban react to you opening schools in their territory.

“Dr. Greg” is certainly a voice that should be heard by the decision makers. How can we, as citizens, urge the president and congress to seek more counsel from Greg and any others like him (if they exist)? I trust Mortensen’s assessment more than the state dept.

MIT’s BLOSSOMS Learning initiative – a joint USA/Pakistan/Jordan initiative

I would like to tell you about a collaborative initiative who’s goal is increasing access to quality education for a larger percentage of the population:
MIT’s Richard Larson, Dan Frey, Elizabeth Murray, (USA)
and Rana Abu Zeid Qubain of Jordan, Naveed Malik of Pakistan

- the main activists in the BLOSSOMS – Blended Learning Science or Math Studies – collaborative initiative sponsored by MIT’s LINC – Learning International Networks Consortium.
The vision of BLOSSOMS is to begin to develop a large, free repository of video modules created by gifted volunteer teachers from around the world, seeded initially by MIT faculty members and by partnering educators in Jordan and Pakistan.
http://blossoms.mit.edu/default.htm

Greg Mortenson,
I am in awe of what you have accomplished with your faith and perserverance. I heard you speak at UNI in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Do you believe you can work with the US military to create a plan of postive nation-builidng without putting the schools and the local communities at risk?

Thanks for having Dr. Greg on.. I have been waiting to hear from his ever since reading his book and since we elected Obama. My question is – Has Dr. Greg had an “audience” with Obama or anyone close to him to discuss his expertise in Afghanistan? His knowledge and experience is what is sorely needed to help make sense of our role there!! Thanks

Thank you for putting Mr. Mortenson on the show! I am a huge fan after reading his book. You are our hero and thank you for the hard work you have put into this cause. I remember many years go listening to then President Bush’s speech during the State of the Union right after starting the Afghanistan war and how the US would help educate women. I said to myself that this was only empty talks versus the concrete works you were already doing in Afghanistan at a much lower cost (both monetary and human) to our country. Thank you and please stay safe. Please comment how we can contribute.

Hi there Greg and Tom,
Thank you so much for this program. As I listened to the President talkg about the troop increase and since then, I’ve been wondering where the voice of education has been.
I’ve visited Nicaragua, lived in South Africa and now work with youth in a public housing development in Boston and when I read 3 Cups of Tea I felt a resounding “yes”!
I agree with the importance of education to combat social/societal ills both in Pakistan/Afghanistan as well as in Boston and throughout our world. Greg, thank you for your inspiration which encourages all of us to continue to advocate for education for youth world-wide. Tom, Thank you for making it possible for access to such wonderful programming.

Tom,
How great it is to hear a real saint is working in our world. Greg, you and Geoffrey Canada, and Doctors Without Borders have the Way to make this world better for all. You are doing the work that really makes a difference. If only we could collect more of you in a core or sorts every American would contribute and support this kind of good works.

I wish we’d had these discussions prior to Obama’s decision to send more troops. Greg Mortenson has excellent advice based on experience and I believe we should be following it.

Is the curriculum in Pashtu, Urdu or English? Does anyone know?

The Afghan surge will cost $30 billion a year. What could you do with $30 billion? Or what about the $70 billion we’re already spending if each American soldier costs $1 billion a year. That’s about $3000 for every Afghan. Maybe we could just give them the money as aid.

Thank you Greg, you are a hero for many and I am thrilled that my class collected pennies for you this fall. 4 and 5 year olds who understood one penny buys a pencil for kids who can’t go to school like us. I am reading your new book! Keep working for these kids and we will keep collecting our pennies!

I am reading “3 Cups of Tea” now. This is truly inspiring, not just for our interaction with Pakistan and Afghanistan, but generally, how we could interact through-out the world, and even in this country.

It sounds like Mr. Mortenson has really learned from his oath to Haji Alli to go to the Elders of the village to be invited in to their home to see what they need.

Greg has it exactly right. You don’t give up on peaceful transformation through education and resort to guns just because the education method appears not to be working or working quickly enough. It is a long slow process but given time I believe that it will succeed. Indeed it may well be the only way to succeed.

While I praise Mr. Mortenson’s efforts and success, I would like him to note that Dr. Reinhard Eroes, founder of Kinderhilfe-Afghanistan, a German foundation, has been engaged in similar efforts since 1987, beginning with building schools in Pakistan for Afghani refugees. He and wife Annette are also extending Afghanistan efforts to advancing education of young men. Isn’t changing the world and economic perspectives of male youth as important as that of the long-neglected girls and women??

Hi, this message is for Dr. Greg! Have you thought about illustrating your story “Three Cups of Tea” into a children’s book? I am an artist and would love to do this for you. I can see parents reading it to their children before bed. It has such a powerful message that not even children are too young to learn, or listen to. If we can get children to hear your message, not only will it give them positive answers to difficult questions, but it will inspire a better, safer future for our countries.

I met Greg at a book signing and discussion in Mansfield MA and bought 4 copies of “3 Cups of Tea” as Christmas presents. Greg handed me a fifth book, free, and said, “Find this book a home”. I gave it to a friend who is a teacher for use in her school. I am now on my way out to buy copies of the new book for this Christmas. Of the people who we gave the book to last year, the ones most in support of military action in Afganistan and Iraq were the ones least likely to have finished reading the book. Go figure.

Grag is a true American Hero.

Whether it’s through reconstruction or war, it’s still hubris to think we can bring about broad, societal changes in a place like Afghanistan. Sure, Dr Greg can help out a remote village, just as an infantry company can secure one village against Taliban attacks. But there is no logical reason to think that this will scale. Other aid groups, as Gary Schmidt points out, have been there for decades.

Today a synchronized terrorist attack in Baghdad killed 118 people. The A.P. reports that this was the worst terrorist attack there in . . . wait for it . . . A MONTH! In most places a terrorist attack that killed 118 would be the worst attack in years, if not in history! But not Iraq. We’ve been there for six years and we’ve spent how many billions on reconstructions costs? And the place is still a corrupt, violent, hellish shambles. We’ve been in Afghanistan even longer and it’s an even WORSE corrupt, violent, hellish shambles.

Dr Greg is a private citizen and can do whatever he wants for whatever altruistic motive appeals to him. But by raising this to the level of national policy discussion we are feeding our own already inflated nationalistic egos that the US has some kind of effective role in Afghanistan. We don’t. We cannot change Afghanistan, hellish, violent, and brutal-against-women though its future may be. The only effective thing we can try to do is attempt to protect ourselves from the exports of that region: heroin and terrorism.

Greg’s Pennies for Peace program has mobilized American children to learn about Afghanistan and take simple steps to improving the lives of others in that country.It is one thing to listen to Greg, read his books and donate funds but what will get Americans to become active participants in shaping the dialogue on Afghanistan? Greg’s point about the role of elders in Afghan life may be one place to start, i.e., with our own elders who are also poets, business leaders, teachers, etc. I’d like to be in contact with anyone interested in strategizing a framework for engaging Americans in some kind of model for on-going participation. I have funding to work on public art projects that incorporate social justice themes and because I was in the Peace Corps in Iran and spent much time in Afghanistan, issues of war and peace in this part of the world concern me greatly. I can be Googled or reached at lifeworkscareers@verizon.net

My daughter’s third grade teacher read Three Cups of Tea to the class this fall and started a Pennies for Peace campaign. The kids were very excited to learn about Afghani children. The donation program was a great success.

We then decided our Brownie Troop will study and present Afghanistan for Thinking Day in February. Thinking Day is a Girl Scout event with activities designed to increase cultural awareness and positive connections with other girls around the world. Supporting girl’s education fits well with the Girl Scout mission. We’ll be encouraging other girls to check out Pennies for Peace and read Three Cups of Tea.

Peter Nelson,

Good Stuff.

It’s great if concerned individuals or organizations want to help individuals or organizations in Afghanistan. The United States is broke (in more ways than one) and in this case, charity ought to begin at home. Heal thyself, nation.

Wish I’d been able to ask if Mr. Mortensen thinks that his work could be applied here in the US Mexico or Latin America help prevent and curb gang violence…

Tom,

I wish this kind of interview was conducted by the corporate media. I just Googled “Afghanistan Facts On the Ground” and found an interview on Fox that shed absolutely not light on what are the facts on the ground as described by Greg. I agree with other listners: Greg should be the one consulted by the State Dept and the military to shape a strategy for peace in this sadly war-torn land. It’s about people, not guns. Thanks Tom for a great show.

Last Thursday on NPR’s Fresh Air, Terry Gross interviewed Paul Bergen about Afghanistan. Bergen is a supporter of remaining in Afghanistan and when Terry Gross asked him how realistic it was to expect enough improvement by Dec 2010 that Odama could honor a 2011 withdrawal date, Bergen replied that the Obama administration only issued the 2011 withdrawal date for “domestic consumption”. I interpreted this to mean that he feels that Obama has no intention of honoring it, and to Bergen that’s just fine.

Anyone who wants to hear that show and give their own interpretation can hear it here . . .

http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13&prgDate=12-03-2009

Thank you Marlene Meyer for being so considerate. We need more people like you in this world not like other people on this forum.

I always remind my 6 yr old daughter to finish her food because there are a lot of hungry people in Africa.

I wish a lot people will have the same ATTITUDE towards
other nations or poor countries. Not just complain about Money and America is broke. take care

Once again help the people of Afghanistan so the kids will fly their kites again without being shot at by the Taliban and women can now go to school to be educated

Selfishness is not the answer for a better world.

Akilez,

You certainly can think of a dozen nations right off the top of your head that are as bad as Afghanistan on human rights, education, women’s rights, etc.

Should we conquer and occupy all of them and make them act as we believe is right?

By the way, there are hungry people in America… Do we have to feed the “hungry Africans” first?

I always remind my 6 yr old daughter to finish her food because there are a lot of hungry people in Africa.

How is finishing her food going to feed people in Africa? This is exactly the sort of la-dee-da logic that was used to justify the war in Vietnam and the invasion of Iraq.

Once again help the people of Afghanistan so the kids will fly their kites again without being shot at by the Taliban and women can now go to school to be educated

Women can only go to school in a few places in Afghanistan controlled by the “government”. The rest of Afghanistan is still a violent backwards, and corrupt shambles. And if Obama really thinks that Afghanistan will be stable and functioning in a year then he can go fly a kite!

We’ve been there for eight years. The Taliban are a guerrilla organization and guerrilla armies can only exist with the support of the local population, so it’s reasonable to assume that a significant portion of the population want the Taliban there. And when it’s not the Taliban, its farmers and criminal organizations who are opposed to the US because they think we might shut down the poppy growing operations.

No one has produced any convincing data to show that we can succeed there. Give us something other than children’s platitudes.

Would that USA put 30,000 Greg Mortensens in Afghanistan!

Greg,

Thank you for doing such dedicated work in the god-forsaken lands of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

While at Accenture I wrote a proposal and had Bill Green (CEO of Accenture) and other senior executives review it. I wanted them to provide some seed funding for schools, internet kiosks and health clinics for 5000 units. I know their children are hungry of education and we can levearage this to bring them to the 21st century.

I was born in Pakistan but have lived most of my life in the West and I feel equally comfortable in both places. I have been managing engineering teams for projects for DoD, NASA and other big and small companies.

Would it be possible for me to discuss my proposal with you. If so, please contact me via my email provided here.

I heard this on Tuesday evening. Question: Mr. M said the elders said they would deal with problem behavior and problem people, and the US should not bring in firepower. Yet, the school destruction and other types of destruction continue. How would the elders deal with the problem people and behavior – it does not sound like the problems are currently being dealt with.
Perhaps I missed something during the course of the program. Thank you for an interesting proam.

Hi,
What a wonderful show! I’m teaching Greg’s book in four composition classes at Chaffey College, and your show will help students see not only the value of education but how they can help promote peace now in Afghanistan.
Thank you!!
Cathy Decker

I wonder if Ms. Meyer’s daughter’s third grade teacher read the young reader’s edition of “Three Cups of Tea” or the picture book version, “Listen to the Wind.” (I have ordered both for my school library collection.)
I hope so — the intensity of some of the situations in TCOT can be a lot for some 9 year olds to comprehend or handle, even if they say they understand what is going on. I do think children of this age can understand war and the difficult situations that children in some areas of the world bear every day, but the tales of kidnapping, etc. may be unnecessary for children to grasp the needs. (And I assume this is why a young readers’ and picture book editions exist.) I commend their Brownie troop for taking this on as a project — It is good for our children to recognize their blessings, and not take for granted a free, public and democratic education and all the creature comforts they have.
I helped convince my book club to read Greg’s book and look forward to reading the follow-up. Greg is doing great things, and I’m thrilled the administration is bringing him in to consult. I could tell that there is much more to President Obama’s plan for the region than many of the pundits give him credit for. Dr. Greg — you’ve appeared at the right place and the right time. Be careful, please. We need you and more like you to bring us closer to a peaceful world.

I was listening to the pod cast when I heard this woman whose husband was killed on 9/11 who asked Mr. Mortensen if he was willing to take her late husband’s books and make sure they went to Afghanistan. Would it be possible for other widows or retired doctors to do the same thing. After all, while those books may be considered old and out of date in this country, in Afghanistan, they would probably be very welcome..

Greg, Your books have received a lot of publicity in the U.S. – how well known is your mission in Afghanistan? You mentioned on this program that the U.S. military is better than the State Department and the Obama administration at relationship building. I’m sure this is largely because our soldiers are reading Three Cups of Tea and because you are advising General McChrystal. Have our troops been, and will they be, working as much as engineers as security guards? Are they, and will they be, building bridges and schools as well?

“I interpreted this to mean that he feels that Obama has no intention of honoring it, and to Bergen that’s just fine. ”
==

Exactly. Besides, Obama mentioned that troop withdrawal will begin in 2011 – he didn’t say when it will end, and how many soldiers will be withdrawn in 2011 and how many will remain in Afghanistan. Smart politician – he knows he has to throw a bone to the anti-war liberals/progressives since he’ll be up for re-election in 2011.

cory, if your reference was to the film/book (‘The Kite Runner’), then please keep in mind that the film ended with the child flying a kite in the US – not with him staying back in Afghanistan and flying kites there.

===

“Greg picked up where the (depressing) end in Charlie Wilson’s War left off: with our idiot politicians pulling the plug on non-military support for this region allowing it to be taken over by the Taliban.”

===

Richard, I’ve read comments to this effect numerous times, but the logic and connection between the two events that you think is causal, is not really backed by any facts. And who elects our “idiot” politicians?

thank you tom and thank you greg. This man should hold a position in washington advising obama and the fact that he isnt just shows our real, sadistic and imperialist priorities. I will no longer engage in discussion about this war without referencing either greg himself or something i learned from him.

“Richard, I’ve read comments to this effect numerous times, but the logic and connection between the two events that you think is causal, is not really backed by any facts. And who elects our “idiot” politicians?”

Millard-Fillmor, I am curious how you don’t see a connection between the pullout of the US in the 80’s and the eventual rise of the Taliban in the late 90’s. Russia did destroy much of the social infrastructure of Afghanistan, which albeit was minimal to start, but that was never re-built. Afghanistan has one of the largest illiteracy rates in the world and the Taliban has taken advantage of that. They have gained so much support in this country because in the late 90’s and early 2000’s they begun building schools with Saudi money that became the centers of the Taliban’s teachings. They built their “armies” through the construction of these schools. If we had done some nation building, and had tried to help them rebuild their schools don’t you think the people of Afghanistan would have rejected these new schools if they already had their own established in the 15 previous years. Yes, these are only connections, but it seems logic would support these connections. Is there something I’m missing?

————————————————————–

“The only effective thing we can try to do is attempt to protect ourselves from the exports of that region: heroin and terrorism.”

Peter- What do you mean by protect ourselves from terrorism and heroin? These vague terms don’t give real world solutions. Do you believe that we should be fighting there and just be saying f%&K em when it comes to helping to rebuild their social structures? I don’t mean to be crass but all I see are arguments against things and no arguments for directions we should be moving in. I agree that there are countries throughout the world that have just as bad if not worse social structures but those countries did not attack us on 9/11. If we are talking about doing something about the Taliban why must it always be done through war and violence. I don’t see how that will end well as it will breed more hate against us and in the long run be counter-productive.

Thanks,
Gabe