Corrupt government!

United States of America supported the CORRUPT Government of the Philippines President of Ferdinand Marcos and Imelda for 25 years and now Politicians telling us that a POOR COUNTRY OF Afghanistan can BE haven for a corrupt government. There is NOTHING TO STEAL beside poppy seeds and an old T-40 tank by the russians.

Khurazai should NOT HANDLE THE MONEY but should be handle by the US Government to When and Where to spend the money.

Don’t give him a blank check anymore but American troops.

That’s how you solve a corrupt government. LEAVE NOW WE LOST THE WAR. MAKE A AFGHANISTAN A SAFER PLACE WITHOUT TRAINING CAMPS FOR TERRORIST

That’s how you solve a corrupt government. LEAVE NOW WE LOST THE WAR. MAKE A AFGHANISTAN A SAFER PLACE WITHOUT TRAINING CAMPS FOR TERRORIST

This comment makes no sense, in context to what you said on other forums supporting Obama’s Afghanistan plan.
Once the US and NATO leave the Taliban will gain a foot hold in Afghanistan again, the question is how much and how is it controlled. This only means troops on the ground.

It will not take a decade to have an Afghan army

The Afghan People are Battle harden, they can even operate a Stinger missle, russian tanks and artillary

They need our moral support. if we can change Afghanistan THE WORLD RESPECT FOR AMERICANS WILL BE BACK

do you get that fellow Americans

It really doesn’t matter what the American people think about the U.S. war in Afghanistan because it is the American elite national security Establishment that is making decisions for us. Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and John Kerry are all part of the elite American Establishment. It makes no difference if members of this club are Republicans or Democrats. They represent the interests of American supremacist militarists and the business-of-war lobby. Perhaps the invasion of U.S. Afghanistan in Oct 2001 was necessary to apprehend those responsible for 9/11 and to destroy Al Qaeda trainings camps (if that could not be done through police actions) but United States has no right whatsoever to remain in Afghanistan for 8 years waging a war for American hegemony. The only guaranteed “success” of a U.S. surge in Afghanistan will be the destabilization of Pakistan. The long war in Afghanistan is counterproductive and a self-fulfilling nightmare.

It’s time to cut and run. Senator Reid (D-NV) called it right years ago on Iraq and now this war. It’s a lost cause.

America can not be big brother to the world. I loved reading Three Cups of Tea and would like to believe the idealism, but I have my doubts. We are not the infrastructure providers of other countries. Just last month the government of Austria announced the results of an independent study of the integration of the Islamic background immigrants to the country and the majority are not assimilating. And this is under ideal surroundings with peace and prosperity around them. Sure there are the few that will profit from this but the gain comes at far too high of a cost. I am an Obama supporter, but do not want America in Afghanistan.

sad,

I guess the military industrial complex wins out this time. What i found odd is that we were told over and over again that the amount of troops Gen M. requested were between 15 to 40k yet it was found out he actually wanted 80k only a few days span.

So troops switch from iraq to afgan in the months to come, more deaths, more civilians killed creating more Taliban, while pushing the tally to the boarder area further de-stabilizing Pakistan leading to what the fear-Mongol are saying.

By next year there be another request for more troops, the right and fox will bombard the news circuits on how its so important, obama will talk to his right leaning Gen and add more.

While we try rebuilding and destroying huts and roads and afgan our road will decline. and if obama losses in 2012 which i still doubt a republican will probably place us in iran by than.

good times to come, instead of the health of our nation we’re spending it on bombs for another.

Does anyone have the count of contract/merc forces in afgan?

Fred Kaplan from Slate wouldve been a better choice for the roundtable.

“They need our moral support. if we can change Afghanistan THE WORLD RESPECT FOR AMERICANS WILL BE BACK

do you get that fellow Americans”

therefore by killing even more civilians to get 100 al’quada or the Taliban (which btw are the people who actually live there) Moral support for a corrupt government always goes well.

yea we’ll be much safer(how assured )

John Randolph Hardison Cain

totally agree Hawks exist of both sides, and each think tank center left, center, and right all toe the hawk line of war good, war great, fear if no war and on and on and will spin and use anything they can to push that view. npr gives them alot of air time to do so as well.

Yes it does it make sense the US Government has been supporting corrupt government like Pakistan, etc etc etc

If you know about military action in the Philippines against Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Yes the MILF STOP THE WAR to have peace talk with the Philippine government. a war almost 4 decades.

AGAIN I EXPLAIN BUSH SHOULD HAVE FIXED AFGHANISTAN LONG LONG TIME AGO. HE INVITED AFGHANISTAN FIRST AND LEFT IT TO INVADE IRAQ. THE WAR IN TERROR IS IN AFGHANISTAN MY FELLOW AMERICANS NOT IRAQ.

WE FAULT IS IT NOW. YES OBAMA PROBLEMS NOW. BUT WHO IS THE IDIOT THAT MADE THESE PROBLEMS- BUSH.

WAKE UP AMERICANS ESPECIALLY PEOPLE WHO ALWAYS COMPLAINT ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT. HOW EASY IT IS TO BE A PRESIDENT OF AMERICA? TELL ME

In a sense, Afghanistan is a distraction from the more dangerously volatile Pakistan. Shhhh…Quiet… Open discussion of our relationship with Pakistan and whether we’re doing the right thing in response to international terrorist threats is not encouraged. Open discussion of the real threats from terrorism has never taken place… avoided for eight or nine years. Obama won’t apparently deal with it. In his speech last night, he adopted great chunks of Bush rhetoric.

Andrew Sullivan has written: “We cannot have the adult conversation about how much terrorist damage the US should tolerate compared with the costs of trying to control this phenomenon at its source. We are not mature enough as a country to have that conversation. And Obama has decided it isn’t worth confronting that question now.”

One of his readers commented: “We no longer are in a state where we can guarantee 100% that we can’t get hit by a terrorist. That world doesn’t exist anymore. The sooner we wrap our tiny little heads and hearts around that notion the better off we’ll all be.”

Amen.

Excuse me THERE ARE MORE BOMBINGS IN IRAQ COMPARED TO AFGHANISTAN SO DONT BE SO HYPROCRITE ABOUT BOMBING.

More civilians are killed in Afghanistan that’s true
WATCH THE NEWS BY AL JAZEERA COUNT HOW MANY IRAQIS were killed by road side bombing and conventional bombing.

8 years in IRAQ FOR NOTHING just to kill the butcher of Baghdad. that’s about it.

Afghanistan was forgotten for 8 years.

hahah MILF or MILF’s i seen some at the bars ill make peace with them.

your example is nothing close to or relates to afgans, iran had a puppet government by the U.S. you remember what happen there?

yea look how great Pakistan is going. look at the opinion of the Pakistani about the U.S.

uh wait we must kill unending to have peace (yea that work)

haha some people

BBCobamaWAR

I support Mr. Obama and his decision to continue to use military force in Afghanistan for a limited time period, but I am disappointed by the fact that he is unable to articulate a real goal for this engagement. Goals are only as good as the criteria by which their achievement s measured, and the criteria for assessing when the Taliban have been “defeated” are absent in his plan.

This failing is evidence that he does not understand that we are engaged in a police action, and not in a war. There is a big difference, and calling the use of military force against any enemy that is not a sovereign entity a war indicates either ignorance or deception. If the goal is not to achieve capitulation and an enforceable treaty, there is no criterion to measure “victory”, and success is a matter of losing more slowly than the enemy. This simple truth cannot be revealed to the American public and still maintain political support for the “war”.

Excuse me THERE ARE MORE BOMBINGS IN IRAQ COMPARED TO AFGHANISTAN SO DONT BE SO HYPROCRITE ABOUT BOMBING.

Wait so we need to catch up in afgan on the killing afgans than? we better hurry we got 8 years to make up for.

Funny how we all criticize, whether it be Bush, Obama, or how the media report, but really the only way we can comment is with a vote that comes once every four years. There are many so-called “experts,” but who really gets to make the decisions?

This is going to be one of those weird circumstances when the left and the right have the same criticsm. That is, that you commit for the long term or your pull back immediatley. There is no compromise, I agree with McCain, and I am on the left.

haha some people never have a muslim friend things knows everything

some people think like MICHAEL that listening to radio and getting facts FROM OTHER HUMAN BEING think he knows already about the world.

Michael was Marcos a puppet government
please you never been to a Muslim country I DID AND WORKDED IN Saudi Arabia

you know what the muslim hate so much. White ARROGANT American.

no One Has Ever One A War There! We Will End Up Losing We Should Leave Now !

1) NO army has ever “won”, or subdued a fighting force in Afghanistan.

2) The idea of creating a democracy is impossible unless you accept the tactic of colonialism. Its a country based on tribal rule. They have no concept of government rule! People who join “their” army are only doing so for employment, nothing else. There is no change of mind or values.

This costs lives; US lives, and the unsung thousands of Non-US lives.

Lastly, this is an Islamic problem and the Islamic countries are scared to death to deal with it. But, its their problem. They can declare such actions anathema and make it work. The only reason we’re trying to “democratize” is to keep a fist on the petroleum.

I think the political reality for President Obama is that he had to, under his leadership, give General McCrystal the troops requested this one time…though I would imagine he and his team all know that this will not have the impact necessary.

My hope is that, at least behind the scenes if not announced publicly, they’re admitting to themselves that occupation in quagmire like Afghanistan will not work so we need to develop now a plan for how we try to safeguard the US from secure bases in the region as well as at home. Those are truly the only efforts we can control.

If dealing successfully with terrorists, terrorism, the war on terror – if addressing this issue is so terribly important to United States national security, then would you not think it would be terribly important to nations that immediately surround this central asian area such as Russia, China, India? Where are their resources, their troops in this fight?

Sending more troops is a mistake. Afghanistan is not Iraq. In Iraq, the main problem was local sectarian violence. Each side had incentive to figure out a solution that included curbing violence. There is no such incentive in Afghanistan. The Taliban will simply outlast the foreign armies.

That said, I trust Obama’s decision-making skills. Certainly more than Bush’s.

First, why do we care what John McCain says? He LOST! Get him off the radio and TV.

Second, although I do not agree with this move to add troops, the concept that it “emboldens our enemies” is ridiculous. The idea is that we are building up the Afghan government, military, and country so that they can fend off the Taliban threat themselves. We cannot win this engagement (we are not at war – there was no declaration, the country that we attacked is gone, we are involved in an Afghan civil war). Since we cannot win, Obama wants to help as much as possible but is only willing to help for a little while.

I think it’s wrong. I favor ending the American empire and withdrawing from everywhere but continuing to listen to the militarists who lost the last three elections is ridiculous.

Everybody knows it, but won’t admit it: We will be there FOREVER. We will be in Iraq FOREVER. Get used to it.

Addressing Afghanistan without addressing Pakistan is a lost cause. Deploying more troops in Afghanistan and then withdrawing in 2011 may not solve the underlying issue, i.e Islamic fundamentalism in Pakistan. Solution should be a two-prong approach.

Obama can say this is nothing like Viet Nam, but I had a very “we must destroy the village to save it” déjà vu moment when he talked about escalating the war in order to end it. That way lies madness, particularly in Afghanistan, which has outlasted every conquering army that ever tried tromping through the place. The door is left wide open to an escalation of war into Pakistan (is this what he meant by ending the war in Afghanistan?) because of his deliberately imprecise language about that border region and who might – or might not – be in it. Too much depends, I think, on the regimes (no matter how “democratically” elected they were) in both countries getting things right – finally. Not to mention the police and military of Afghanistan standing up as we stand down (although we were spared that particular phrase, but the meaning was implicit).

The only way to defeat the Taliban is to root out their very cause of existence. It is the current corrupt warlords and government officials. People join the Taliban for two main reasons: either they have been humiliated/abused by the people in power or have lost hope of living a decent life.

If we decide to stay in Afganistan for 18+ months, remove the corrupt warlords (the very reason why Taliban was formed), get the masses more educated about Islam as this is deep rooted in their culture, (currently the Taliban use their narrow conservative perspective of the “religion and culture”, similar to what the neo-convervatives have here in the US) and thirdly help in the edcational, econiomical and cultural development.

Frankly speaking, this cannot be done in 18 months. For those who are familiar with the Afghan culture, the irony is that if we go after the warlords, they will support the Taliban and, once we are out of that country, warlords will be back in power and the Taliban will surface again.

Why oh why oh why oh why is/are the US/UK/NATO NOT spending the relatively measly $4 to 5 billion (USD) annually to purchase the entire opium poppy production of Afghanistan’s farmers? We’d then have 90% of the world’s opium production under our direct control, plus we’d be contributing directly to the Afghan economy and undercutting (one of) the Taliban’s chief means of economic support.
Why is this option not now being considered ethically tenable–given the other moral permutations that accompany our conflict with the Taliban, al Qaeda, et al.?

Sending our money to local warlords is like sending our money to the eqivalent of Tammeny Hall

“Pre 1973 coup conditions”… I heard it all now. This is proof that they want to be there forever. Keep the USA borrowing money from China and International bankers so that the rich corporate barons stay rich and the poor go off to die in war. Shame on Americans and Tom Ashcroft for not asking the right questions. WHO PROFITS FROM THIS ENDLESS WAR?

See folks it is more CIVILIZED if NO ONE ridicule someone elses comments it is more PEACEFUL.

probably that’s why the world is in chaos because we DON’T AGREE ALL THE TIME. if we have one goal one solution in very problems in this world.

I think it will a better place to live for all of us.

But Humans intent to destroy other humans.

That is the problem and there is no solution.

GOD HELP US ALL

I am for more troops I saw the General McChrystal on several news report

He goes around towns and villages without a gun and no escorts. he has been talking to the people of Afghanistan

AND Again they said we need more Police or soldiers in our towns and cities to protect us from the Taliban and to stop them from influencing young people to join the Taliban. A very simple request

Bombing like some people CLAIM TO FAME it is going to be worst if we send more troops.
the American forces in Afghanistan as lesser civilian casualties compared to Iraq. American forces are more accurate in bombings compared 8 years ago.

Pakistani is a volcano ready to erupt if we stop the war now we will be in trouble in the future. Nuclear weapons on the hands of the Taliban in Pakistan. THAT WOULD BE OUR GREATEST TREAT.

yes we are too far away but REMEMBER INDIA IS the enemy of Pakistan. The Pakistani Taliban will attack India.

Yap they will kill each other and that killing will lead to WW3. Yap who cares let them kill each other? we are too far away

And about Afghanistan and Mindanao they have a lot in common. My last comment

Can we approach this problem purely from the perspective of cost to achieve a stated goal. The stated goal is/was the security of the US. If we’re going to spend a trillion dollars over the next several years on security, then what is the best way to invest this money? Is it by waging war in Afghanistan or Iraq? Is it by strenghtening our borders? Is it by buying influence in other countries? I suspect that a war is not the most efficient path to the stated goal.

Unfortunately, (or possibly fortunately depending upon one’s world view) there is another agenda afoot. We seek world justice and the freedom of the oppressed. This world view requires that we police the world. It isn’t that this is a bad objective, but rather that it’s not just the place of the US. We cannot afford it, and we cannot accomplish it. If it’s really our goal, then it’s required, as was accomplished in Iraq war I, that an international assemblage of counties be formed who contribute both lives and money to accomplish this goal.

In the end, it’s all about what we can afford to do, not only what we want to do.

Let’s see, if we go green PRONTO, then the need for the “fist on petroleum” will be alleviated and we could back out. Let’s see, if the problem is al-Kaeda ideology, which the Arab nations are queezy about confronting, and which arms cannot force to capitulate or sign a treaty, then we need mediators/diplomats with super grasp of the ideologies in play to be the Major Actors in this matter.
So far, the military is not at issue. But there is a “war” on drugs, and a “war” on terrorism. Futile efforts there to mobilize support and taxes. Or not so futile.
Obama said to Afghanistan last night that this country wants to be “a partner, not a patron.” Take that. If Karzai is a puppet and corrupt, I’d say “corrupt” and “puppet” go hand in hand. Any government who takes instructions from abroad, whether legally elected or not, is a little corrupt. America has played this game of manipulating the world for so long.
Why does Obama persist? He said the threats emanating from al-kaida are “real” “every day,” something like that. Maybe like FDR with Pearl Harbor hovering, and Roosevelt was more or lest goading the Japanese, Obama should unleash one of these terrorist schemes and prove to us what it is he is protecting us from. That is apparently how World War I was joined by us too, by floating a sitting duck in front of the Germans, which they sank (the Lusitania, was it?), and voila, the Americans were out for blood.
Anyway, you can listen to NPR’s Tell Me More from this morning with Michel Martin; she had Afghans, and she had soldiers. What I heard is that the “hearts and minds” mission is ruining their morale; they live in fear of being Article 15′d, I think it is, court-martialed for abusing their use of force.
Someone cited the lack of integration of Muslims in Austria. I forget why. But I’ve been to Austria, and it is or was a lot less of a melting pot than the United States. We do a lot better absorbing otherness.

Michael, I use the ratio 1/1 (one-to-one) when thinking of military/contractors or mercenaries. I forget where I got that figure. You asked if anyone knew. It seems to me in Pakistan, it’s mostly contractors/mercenaries, aka special forces in some instances, which they say totally ruins the stance of the nonprofits trying to help Pakistanis since they are not noncombatants and “innnocent” if they include plainclothes special agents, or what have you.

“Shame on Americans and Tom Ashcroft for not asking the right questions. WHO PROFITS FROM THIS ENDLESS WAR?”
Posted by T. Winter Gibson

Exactly! Just follow the money to discover the real motive for America being in Afghanistan.

The current Afghan puppet-government is corrupt to the core, rigs its elections, and operates on bribery. As such, if this war is truly about establishing a democratic western-style government in Afghanistan, then America can declare “mission accomplished” now and leave.

Listen to the October 13 OnPoint Show : Realities on the Ground particularly guest Pam Constable

We ought to try our anti-terrorism/anti-Al Qaeda policies to combat obesity here in the US. Mississippi has been the fattest state for several years. We should first rid the state of its fast food franchises then set up troops around high-vending-machine-density areas to prevent impulsive binging. We’ll need to invest in fruit and vegetable stands and higher quality school lunches. At this point we would be well on our way to undoing Mississippi as a safe haven for the fat and can begin touting ourselves as a country well on its way to defeating the scourge of obesity.

The other interesting aspect of all this is how do we pay for all of this. In the past when we went to war the government raised taxes, sold bonds and so on.

Now we have this atmosphere in which the same voices that want to go “all in”, such as the neocons or conservative hawks like John McCain will be the first to say no to new taxes to pay for this debacle.

This mind set of using credit to go off on these huge expensive wars is a fools errand.

I don’t have any answers for the Afghanistan problem, it’s mess and it will be a mess in 18 months or 5 years from now. John Mearsheimer’s take on this situation is to my view pretty reality based.

“MILF’s to end the war!” Classic.

Someone from Congress was saying on TV last night that we pay for this $30 billion upsurge (did I hear that right? — anyway 30,00 troops) with a tax on everyone earning $30,000 a year and above. A war tax (not bonds, which are voluntary, and a statement of support, which would probably be better, except do we really support this…)
It sounded realistic FOR ONCE. I’ll believe it when I see it. When a lot of us have skin in the game we’ll find out political voices fast, and not wait for the next election.

Caspe and Swope (sounds like a musical group) had a good perspective on this. Is this escalation the best way to spend the billions (or is it trillions) that it will cost? And if the price of this was felt by the people who pay taxes now, would they still be for it?

I think that government is a massive money pit that should never be given more of our tax money. Well, in this case, I’m wrong. Deferring the cost of this by not creating a war tax has made it too intangible. If we said that every taxpayer had to send a check to the government once a month to pay for this, how many would still be on board? And if we instituted a draft, how soon would there be rioting in the streets?

Is someone suggesting that porn via internet will soften up the extremist ideologies? Has anyone unpacked a suicide bomber’s hard drive? Dare I suggest hypocrisy? I think this all started with a typo, but Wikipedia exists with acronyms listed as well. OMG.

I have not heard anyone mention the Afghan police, yet

I have not heard anyone mention the Afghan police, yet YESTERDEY I HEARD AN NPR REPORTER TALK ABOUT THE TOTALLY UNRELIABLE POLICE FORCE.

HE/SHE HAD BEEN TALKING TO A US OFFICER IN CHARGE OF POLICE TRAINING AND HE SAID THAT THEY WERE TOTALLY UNRELIABLE AND ABOUT 40% OF THEM ARE ON DRUGS!

Yedterday I sent an article to Larry Korb (I was on the DCI’s staff from 1978-1982, then Reagan brought in Casey who abolished my group of 17 analysts because we “made waves”) by an MIT professor who had, over a long period,interviewed 50! warlords. Most of them are opportunists who can be “flipped”; only perhaps 20% are hard core Taliban. I believe that a similar artice has been in Foreign Affairs. We must work smart!

Why is it a seen by the MILF to end the war in Mindanao
You don’t even know what is going in Southern Philippines miss.

yes it is classic murder like the 57 innocent people that were butchered by Amptuan family because they tried to kill Vice Mayor Mangadadatu and to stop him from running for Governor in that province. if you didn’t get my comment that the MILF are trying to have peace with the Philippine government not to end the war in Afghanistan.

loud and clear.

Mindanao and Afghanistan have one thing in common
The 2 region are rule my War Lords or Family clan.

How do we pay for the War? Is that the most hypocrite question I ever heard. Of course it’s from Medicare funds and the taxes WE paid.

Again Obama inherited these problems especially the economy and the war in terror. Trying to bombard Obama with negativity will not help the first black President of the United States and especially the future of our children. Yes we are safe now but New Yorkers who were victims of the 9/11 attack will never ever sleep well at night, My friends still have nightmares from the 9/11 attack even they live across the river from Manhattan.

Yes they saw people falling from the buildings. People crying on the streets. people on fire while falling from WTC. Yes we should stop the war

BECAUSE MONEY IS SO IMPORTANT TO ALL OF US.

money is more important than peace.

Money is everyones teddy bear
Money is makes the world go around us.
Money is why we are in Great Recession
Money is why some people signed a the sub prime mortgage because they have no money to make a down payment even though the mortgage will $4,000 a month

Money is very important because WE WORSHIP MONEY

Don’t send troops let safe our money. if the Terrorist attack again in a major city We will just have to live with it eating our hot sandwhiches and wait for Akiles comment to appear on WBUR and try to ridicule him

Akilez, the Philippines — I don’t know much about it, except what you sometimes post, though the violence around elections was covered on network TV recently. Is that another clan-ruled country that festers, fosters terrorism that gets exported? I hope not.
If you google MILF you will see why some of us are laughing. It has nothing to do with the Philippines.

Where do you think Abu Sayaff or Malaysian terrorist were trained? AFGHANISTAN. Where do you think 20 9/11 terrorist ALL come from Afghanistan.

You know laughable matters are sometimes TRUE.

if watched the news should know what is going on in Mindanao. Clan warfare in Maguindanao is also happening in Afghanistan.

Muslim tradition? Well. I don’t know

Akilez, do you think the USA should make war against clan warfare? On the grounds that warring clans sometimes spin off terrorists? This is a serious question in that most of us understand something of the social mechanics of scapegoating. A group that feels threatened displaces their frustration onto outsiders. Here is the apparently rich and arrogant US of A, mostly “apparent” because of flash Hollywood pictures and rich American tourists. But anyway.
In a global world, one can scapegoat people oceans away. It is dangerous. But one can’t really make war on people’s capacity to blame others. One can’t make war on scapegoating itself.
What is laughable about MILF is that the google shows it as a class of porn involving Mothers I’d Like to -Four-letter-word, and I didn’t need to look any further. Maybe it’s not the porn but just the class of women. Maybe women could post on Craig’s list as MILF looking for FILF, something like that.
So — that was a laugh for sure. And it does resonate, in that extremists are probably dead set against porn. They are probably opposed to romantic comedies. Probably opposed to violence on film too.

Come to think of it the 9/11 attackers, The Mumbai seige, Abu Sayaff, The London bombing, the Bali bombing,massacre,
the shoe bomber and list goes were influenced by Bin Laden in Afghanistan.

There is no such thing as a scape goat in Terrorism. The scape goat will be the victims of terror. like you and me

Do you want to travel all over the world without the fear of getting kidnap by Terrorist?
Where ever an American travel in this world he/she/child will be a target of terrorist. Americans no longer safe to travel if we lose the war in terror.

That’s why sending troops to Afghanistan to destroy the heart land of the terrorist, is very important for the American people.

Money is no longer important compared to Human Lives.

MILF? FUNNY. You have a dirty mind Agent Mulder

Akilez, I was afraid of terrorists in the 1980s. I think people outside of their own culture always have to be daredevils, yet we do it. For that matter, we have to be wary even in our own culture.
I don’t think we can eradicate threats ideological or shall we say piratical (those aimed at plundering value, monetary value).
Akilez, what do you say to the fact that terrorist attacks take place all over the world, London, Spain, Tanzania…? What do you say that Taliban are extremifying, that nexi (nexuses?) are developing all over the place? Do you think an ideology is at the root? Do you think jihad (as an Islamic tradition) can be mobilized by Muslims to get a grip on their own radicals and be more of a partner in bringing the world into the future?
If so, how?

Ah yes, fear and terrorism. Ellen your going to die.
So am I. It’s written in our DNA. The thing is I’m more likely to die in a car accident than a terrorist attack or from a heart attack.

I am also more likely to be injured or die from being struck by lightning or drowning or even a airplane crash than a terrorist attack.

To harp on about this as a motive to go to war is absurd.
Were going to put our young men and women in harms way to stop such an attack. Well there has to be a better way.

http://reason.com/archives/2006/08/11/dont-be-terrorized

It is easy for you to say becausse you live America how about the people in London, City of Mumbai or Maguindanao. extreme Selfishness is beyond for a normal human being. How do you know the statistics?

Count how many terrorist attack since 1993. including journalist that died including soldiers that were kidnapped all over the world.

I rather die by lighting than be killed by terrorist.
Yap I rather die by a car accident than being beheaded by Bin Laden.

“To go to war is absurd” I bet you didn’t say that on 9/11 and If you were against the war in terror you should have complaint to Bush 8 years ago about the war or marched on the streets with the 5 millions Americans on the day George Bush declared war on Saddam.

Ellen,

is that 1:1 ratio in terms of troops? so if say 65k troops there are 65k mercs?

I didn’t quite understand. I’m well aware there alot of blackwater mercs there along with 3 other major groups but never see any of there numbers there.

thanks,

Good question simultanous attacks all over are likely to happen in the future. Terrorist already experimented that theory in Mumbai and other countries like London bombings.

Well if the Filipino marched on 1986 The People Power revolution overthrew a corrupt government and had a DOMINOE EFFECT ALL OVER THE WORLD LIKE the South Korean revolt, The Tiananmen uprising and the fall of the Berlin wall. It can happen. the question is

Who will lead the Muslim people from these Extremist or Jihadist? Another Cory Aquino or Ghandi or a Afghani boy who fly a kite in Kabul. The muslim should find a person who will lead them to peace.

The Iranian Green Party almost had a People Power Revolution and hundreds of Iranian got killed but America or Obama snob that opportunity.

Terror can be stop by throwing bread at those terrorist
Democracy in the 21st Century is no longer coming from the barrel of a gun it is the Power Of the People.

I’m very nervous about what is next after Afghanistan… Will we find a reason to invade and occupy someone else? Iran, maybe?

Cory

iran is coming just watch. They are building up any reason and scare/fear tatics to do so.

since of course we can’t have nukes in the middle-east,except for we already do(which is never addressed).

akilez, i got buddies in NY who are in the coast guard one a really good friend, he sleeps great since he does not let fear run his life.

should we invade and bomb the IRA they started back up with terrorist attacks?

Is it possible that U.S. put troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to surround and monitor Iran’s move, left and right? If Iran ever do anything offensive with nuclear weapon someday, U.S. troops and shot it down.

Also, don’t forget there’s another hidden agenda here, China borders Afghanistan, any thoughts on that? China’s border ethnic conflicts rise recent years, makes me wonder who’s the instigator behind those violent deadly riots and attacks??

Michael, the 1:1 ratio troops to mercenaries/contractors — I mainly wanted to make sure your question stayed “in play.” I got that number from TV, probably PBS. But the way my brain works it could be off; anyway if that were a reasonable figure for Afghanistan, isn’t that still way off because the significant thing is the balance in Pakistan?
Can there be a Velvet Revolution where the mostly religious-type tyrants of the 21st century are overthrown by their own people? Remember the Berlin Wall? Remember Tienanmen? Remember 1989? Well, there was 1848 in the 19th century. I heard Mazari Bahari (Iranian journalist and filmmaker) talking on Charlie Rose (worth finding and listening to on the net) about how the Revolutionary Guards are now ruling everything in Iran, and the clerics have lost their religious credibility, and the Guards own the nukes, and they have now bought control over Twitter (as I recall), and this bodes well for Iran in that all the quicker will they rise and then fall (OMG), because the vast majority of the people are strenuously in opposition.
As to whether we have nukes in the Middle East, it’s sort of the way the Iranians have nukes in the Middle East. The Iranians are no more likely to be up front about it than the Israelis are, and it seems so obvious who’s the teacher’s pet here. Apparently the nukes of our pet do no good for the pet, because there would be no second strike capability; the country would be destroyed in one fell swoop. So what is the point? I’m glad I’m not trying to argue that in the UN.
Putney, I don’t act much like a chicken, having traveled behind the Iron Curtain when it was Communist, just for example. I consider myself more able to take risks because I am old and unconnected, have been long enough to see the advantage. Those of us who would not be radically mourned should be out there on the front lines if there’s a way to be useful.
I don’t see how individual Muslims would be safe doing the kind of leadership needed. Maybe, maybe not. I have taken to listening to a local Islamic sermon that comes over the radio Sunday mornings. It is pretty much the same as Christian sermons, Protestant ones, with heavy emphasis on rewards in the hereafter, the ridiculousness of get-rich-quick goals. I think both Christians and Muslims should switch from “rewards in the hereafter” to “goals that transcend the individual, the present, goals that we have in common, that we sacrifice for,” something like that.

akilez you have a bad habit of putting words in peoples mouths and jumping to conclusions based on your anger.
I was against the war in Iraq from day one for your information. The war in Afghanistan was different but Bush blew that. So now we have this mess.

As for other the other countries you mention, well I am sorry but I don’t think the USA is responsible for the security of India or Great Britain and I’m sure they would rather we stayed out of their business.

I was in Northern Ireland, Belfast in fact, for a some work in the mid 80’s. The day before our group arrived there was a bombing at one of the hotels in Belfast.
There were troops all over the place and our van was searched twice on the way from the airport to the hotel (we had Scottish tags) and I mean searched.

The Brits lived with terrorism for over 30 years and they just got on with it. Of course it’s easier to occupy a country a few hundred miles away that speaks the same language, but still they got on with life.

I’m tired of this country being the worlds police.
In case you haven’t noticed by the way we have plenty of home grown terrorism from gang violence in cities such as LA, Baltimore, and so on. I think we should be taking care of the home front, contain the terrorist abroad to the best of our ability and stop sending tens of thousands of our troops into countries that really don’t want us there in the first place.

Good question about China, I have been wondering about them for years. They are having problems with all of the ethnic Muslims in that region and beyond.

This is a waste of blood and treasure. No strategy, no concept of victory, just more of the same military-industrial complex buildup.

Why did Obama not establish any benchmarks on which we could judge this unholy enterprise? No benchmarks suggests no plan. What he really is trying to do is postpone the criticism and create enough fog that the elections will go his way. I am behind a common cause if it is right, but this is bogus and unwinnable.

excuse me you are the one who is putting anger in your own mouth. Did you know that you have bad habit of intimidating people like me. Anger. I never started this intimidating comments towards me and I have nothing against your comment You and Michael leave me alone/ email me instead so we canbad mouth each other in private. RESPECT OTHER OPINION.

Irish terrorism is totally different. The IRA ARE fighting in their own land from ther British. to free Belfast. The IRA or the Irish people never flew a plane inside a building. they were fighting for their land.

What is GANG violence got to do with Terrorism. It is a social issue. Tired of this a country has world Police

When did America police the world. that’s an old school mentality be politically correct with your comments gees IRA and Gangs are totally different world.

Against the war please you didn’t mention that you marched on street and arrested for anti-war demonstrator.

Mr. Michael your friend sleep so good because he/she does not care. My friend were there when they saw the bldg collapsed. comparing Coast guard to civllian is like comparing a police office with a gang member.

Ellen Diblbe make sense that all religion are the same the but one who teaches religion make this world a bitter place to live.

Pacify with cellphones and internet and videogames and schools.

Pacifying through force is impossible in Afghanistan.

Look at China Telecom building cellphone towers all over Africa… the villagers help with construction and fight to protect them. Communication and networks unite people, not bombing the heck out of them and storm-trooper tactics.

AKILE,

girl you have issues, within the U.S. people are raped, tortured, limbs cut off in our streets by gang members,cartels.(watch locked-up on msnbc or gangland on the history channel and see what kind of terrorist we have at home)Not to mention the Irish,Italian,and other mobs that still exist today. The police,FBI is used to catch these people so too should a police not military should be used to catch terrorist or people to do use harm like the above.

Plus the fact you have no problem disrespecting others views. be it health care,the troops, and killing Muslims,

“you know what the muslim hate so much. White ARROGANT American.”

this from the person who promoting killing them,i would think they hate people trying to kill them, but hey whatever and on top i’m not white. I’m biracial.

Simple if you don’t want or can’t take someone calling you on something don’t post it. I know full well and most people do that someone may reply positive or negative to a comment i make or anyone else makes.

So i get it IRA is fighting for there country so murder, terrorism is fine but afgans fighting for there country be it pro or against the U.S. there all terrorist and we must kill them all.

The Philippine and the MILF’s you keep refering to? did all the muslims die and get killed? or did they find some type of agreement?

“Mr. Michael your friend sleep so good because he/she does not care. ” Oh so the guy defending our coast-line doesn’t care because he not in a constant state of fear? Wow that tells a lot about you. So if our troops come home after along deployment they must in your words be fearful of attacks and can’t sleep or they don’t care RIGHT?

I was in the military and served my time did you?

Terrorism only wins when it forces a society to be fearful,hateful of everything and people are willing to give up there freedoms for a little safety. Maybe that’s what you want a someone constantly telling you its okay we’re going to kill all the bad people in the world, but sadly that not the true nor reality.

What I’m fearful of some 80+ old lady or old man hitting me with there car or someone on there cell phone.

Akilez, I think a nation of several hundred million can keep in perspective even an attack right at our core. As Putney Swope pointed out, England kept a certain decorum even with Ireland doing terrorist things in London. I did notice that bin Laden warned the USA of an impending internal attack, which I read about in the papers in August, and thought to myself, this is not the time to be taking plane trips. It was an easy observation. I wasn’t going anywhere. But I was almost as shocked at the FBI/CIA as I was at the attackers themselves. I believe it was the guy Mr. Clark who had been all over warning us. In short, I thought America was really hurt and was overreacting, but I can’t get over the idea we should have been prepared. I don’t mean we should have already invaded Afghanistan. But the number of Muslims, is it hundreds of thousands, collateral damage — innocent Muslims — who have lost their lives in the wake of what al kaida did that day 9/11/01 is huge in my mind. We are liberators?
By the way, Putney Swope can sometimes call himself Prickly Swipes, as far as I’m concerned. Or Fist Bumps.

WE ARE GOING TO GET OUT AND LEAVE IT BETTER THAN IT WAS OVER THE LONG HALL. WE HAVE THE NUMBERS THE POWER AND THE WILL. WE WILL GET OUT AND RETURN WHEN WE HAVE TO.WE HAVE TO DO IT. GET OVER WHAT YOU THOUGHT LAST NIGHT. CALL IT A MISTAKE AND YOU WOULD BE WRONG. NO EXTREMIST TERRORIST WILL EVER BE SAFE ANYWHERE. PEOPLE WHO ARE CIVILIANS DONT GET IT. PROTECTING THE PEOPLE FROM TERROR.TAKE THE FIGHT TO THEM YOU CANT SIT ON THE SIDE LINES.NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW WHATS UP BUT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE MAKING THE CALL. THIS ISNT ABOUT OBAMA ITS ABOUT PROTECTING THE PEOLPLE FROM LETTING A COUNTRY BEING TURNED INTO A FAILED UNSTABLE STATE THAT WELCOME TERRORIST. SPREAD HUMAN RIGHTS FOR FREEDOM WE WIN!!!

Girl I have issues? tsk tsk funny I’m not the one who’s bitching about sociaties problems.

Gangs or Organize crimes is societies problem. it has nothing to do with terrorism. terrorist can kill a gang member while raping a 75 yr old woman. that is terror

disrespecting other views? I never name or intentionally ridiculed someone else’s comment and I never intentionally mentioned their names like you do.

In Grade school they call it Respect to other commentors. will you yell LIAR while the President speaks? We are civilized people.

Oh yes just like the Filipino soldiers who fought in every major war that American government got involved with. Do you think they sleep good at night?

IRA is their business not an American problem. We are talking about Afghanistan. A country who indeed needed of help from the ruling Taliban, War Clan and Bin Laden.

So you were in the Military and served.

I experienced 25 years of dictatorship, 1 martial law, 6 bloody coup attempted to overthrew Cory Aquino’s government, saw my friend stabbed 100 times while eating but all of that violence I experienced in 41 years of my life time I GREW UP normal and have respect for human lives.

Terror always win and will always be in our minds but helping the poor country of Afghanistan will make terror disappear from our minds.

It seems that there is some kind of trend over the last century that all presidents are involved in wars. Give or take those we did not start,it must be some kind of ego trip for presidents to put on their list of achievements,”I was president during a war or conflict.”
Obama inherited this mess but he has now claimed this one as his to finish. So, he can now put on his resume,”I was president during a war.” I can remember during the campaigns he said something to the affect that he would end all this within the first year. I am for telling these foreign nations to get their own act together with their own people. They are beginning to look like a worthless cause. Wars need to be so horrible that no one ever desires to engage in them. When the stink in these nations becomes so unbearable to the people, maybe they will throw out the trash. Quit relying on us to do it!

We succeed in Iraq a more stable country and happier Iraqis.

Can We also please help Afghanistan so the little boy in Kabul can fly his kite again in free a nation without the Taliban and Terrorist.

Again I am not even born in America but my respect for the American soldier who is dying while I write these comments can be supported and all the victims of terror can cry justice.

LEAVE NOW AND MAY GOD HELP OUR WORLD.
The people of Pakistan are already fighting back against terrorism are we going to leave the people of Pakistan again so we can sleep so quietly at night without guilt.

John Quincy after the La Amisted trial in Boston once said “if we cannot free the slaves only war will set them free. correct me if I am wrong.

If you think this country is doing the wrong thing all the time there are alot of other countries that you can go and live in. Blame everyone but yourself for your problems even this great nation. Go live some place eles.

Should I tell that to 10,000 American living in THE PHILIPPINES.

I was kidding.

AKILEZ you do seem to have some issues. On the one hand you go on about the Philippines and the internal struggles that your people endured, be it oppressive regimes or civil strife and yet for some reason this is different than what the people of Northern Ireland have endured for about 500 years. I can see you have an emotional attachment which is understanding, but to degrade one persons suffering over another to make talking points is not a very good rational way of putting forth a moral argument.

Quite frankly the things that go down in parts of Baltimore, or Rio for that matter are pretty awful.
The very ideas your putting forth seem based on just anger and some kind of diatribes. Your not making any sense other than personalizing your own experience into the dialog without any editing. For example you keep accusing me of supporting Bush even though I already responded that I did not. Also you then go on to say Bush is bad, but what was done in Iraq is good and that the people of Afghanistan should have the same results so some kid can fly a kite in downtown Kabul.

May I remind that possibly over a 100 thousand Iraq’s have been killed or wounded since the invasion in 2003.
It’s still going on by the way. The verdict is still out on the stability of the country. If you ask me that’s a pretty high price to pay to be able to fly kites.

While our government is off spending billions in Iraq and Afghanistan this is happening right in your neighborhood:

Today, one in five Americans is unemployed, underemployed or just plain out of work. One in nine families can’t make the minimum payment on their credit cards. One in eight mortgages is in default or foreclosure. One in eight Americans is on food stamps. More than 120,000 families are filing for bankruptcy every month. The economic crisis has wiped more than $5 trillion from pensions and savings, has left family balance sheets upside down, and threatens to put ten million homeowners out on the street.

From an article by Elizabeth Warren.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elizabeth-warren/america-without-a-middle_b_377829.html

Good call Putney,

Let me follow up with our balance sheet:

US National debt: 12 Trillion
US Private debt: 16.7 Trillion
Mortgage debt: 14.4 Trillion
Personal debt: 2.4 Trillion
Credit card debt: 870 Billion

Social security liability: 14 Trillion
Prescription drug liability: 18.5 Trillion
Medicare liability: 73.7 Trillion
Total unfunded liability: 106.3 Trillion

We can’t afford this! This is nuts.

Realcourage,

Sorry pal, it’s a democracy and I get to disagree with you without being forced to live in another country. We have different views about how things should be, and your OPINION is no more valid than mine. Are you afraid that your opinion might not pass muster if exposed to the light of day? Why don’t YOU go live in a country that better reflects your beliefs?

BY THE WAY, IF YOUR ENTIRE COMMENT IS WRITTEN IN UPPER CASE, YOU LOSE THE EMPHASIS YOU WERE PROBABLY LOOKING FOR.

“Terror always win and will always be in our minds but helping the poor country of Afghanistan will make terror disappear from our minds.”

Terror always wins? Than by your own admission the terrorist have won than and it futile to try.

Maybe you should live in America a bit longer, to find terrorist do get caught,and do eventally get brought to justice(most the time depending on whose the terrorist of course)

So

“Terror always win and will always be in our minds but helping the poor country of Afghanistan will make terror disappear from our minds.”

So if terrorist always wins and will always be in our minds than helping the poor country of afghanistan will not make terrorist disappear than

Your comment does not commute, one hand your saying there is no way to stop terrorist than in the same line your saying if we just go to Afghanistan terrorist will disappear.

Which is it? does terrorism always wins or not?

Than what next after afghanistan? Iran, Lebanon,germany(added germany since 9/11 planing took place there as well),saudi arabia,Sudan, maybe china muslim part of its country, pakistan, why don’t we build camps for all muslims until the war on terror is over i’m sure there love that?

iraqi body count 90k to 102k
iraqi displace internally over 2 million

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/iraq
/2003996200_iraq06.html?syndication=rss

not to mention the 3million outside of iraq,

So if we followed the iraq plan and say 100k afgans are lossed i’m sure ther family members will understand the U.S. is doing whats best for them dam there kids and family members who were killed.RIght?

What U.S. media hides unlike the BBC is the interview with other afgans who arent pro U.S. the majority of that country, on why people join the Taliban. Maybe the afgans are equally or more fearful of the U.S. and Nato presences? drone attacks, U.S. military contractors? Getting your head cut off and getting a bomb dropped on you both have the same results you die, as well as see ones love one murdered by another person brings angry at-least yet the U.S. media never reports actually reason why one would join the Taliban, maybe u.s. troops killed there wife, daughter,sister, brother,father? maybe a foreign force is occupying there land and forcing a belief system on them?

Don’t believe me just listen to Gen M. speech today on how it was going to be hard to explain to the majority of afgan the troop surge is good, and we(U.S.) are not trying to occupy them forever.

But What our propaganda U.S. news would like you to believe is all the afgans hate,fear the tailban and no-one works with them and what the U.S. troops there for the long-run to protect them. yet we hear in sparse reporting that the villages, towns don’t trust, like, and hate the u.s. and it’s troops once away from kabul, the same guy forced to help the u.s. later that night planting IED’s on the run, we also hear the villages know where there at and avoid them so the U.S. troops often times follow the afgans to avoid them.

As for iraq we bribed the sunni’s and shia to stop fighting, and tention arising when the u.s. stops paying the sunni’s to stop fighting and the shia lead government is now supposed to pay.

http://www.iraqbodycount.org/

along with there supposedly only 100 al quada left there,10 to30k Taliban requiring 100k+ troops to stop them does not sound very efficient. 30k plus more troops seem a little futile.

But it does give the U.S. a base to attack iran and install a new puppet government(the people’s mujahideen )may be getting off the list of terorist maybe someone from there?

Admiral Mullen was on Charlie Rose for an hour Wednesday night. Charlie Rose doesn’t get in tangles but he goes after things. He did ask about nonmilitary personnel, and I was half asleep but what I caught was that in January there had been none, or maybe one, and now it’s up to 1200. Now, IF I HEARD right, it was about USAID people ONLY. And Mullen said that ONE such person who “REALLY knows what’s going on” is “invaluable,” something like that. My guess is that Rose “knew” enough not to press any further about contractors and mercenaries.
As to Pakistan, Mullen got across to me that Pakistan cannot deal with the Taliban/al Kaeda on their side of the border if those can keep slipping back into Afghanistan. So the American action is primarily to back-stop Pakistan.
Mullen spoke at some length about the various Taliban and their growing interdependence, where there had been animus. And he spoke of the importance of India in the conflict (as a major distraction to Pakistan, I assume).
So on account of 100 al Kaida (Mullen reiterated that they are indeed planning ways to kill Americans right now), we are bankrupting our natioanl future, our kids (my take on it). He asserted several times that in the last few months he has learned definitely that the nexus (as well as the head) of terrorism is where bin Laden resides.

There was a chart in the local newspaper yesterday showing the number of troops in Afghanistan month by month this year, I think about 1000 in January, then up around March bit by bit to around 40,000; then bouncing up in the last month to 70,000.
To me, that’s a 30,000 boost WHILE Obama decided to send 30,000. It happens I threw out that newspaper.
But if anyone can explain? I suppose the 30,000 in November were all troops relocated from Iraq and so don’t count.
Mullen spoke about the critical importance of getting a surge in extremely quickly, which to look at that chart I saw would seem feasible. Mullen says the best logistics people in the world make this possible.
He was asked how many more NATA troops are expected. Answer: probably 5,000 to 7,000, which he says, preserves the ratio that has been there all along of US to NATO, which he says is about one-third NATO, if I recall correctly (sort of meaningless if the US presence is changing so rapidly but anyway).
Feel free to correct me.

Set the wayback machine Sherman.

Which of the last two administrations committed these abuses: separation of power declaration to keep WH personnel from having to testify before Congress, extraordinary rendition, use of states secret privilege, bailouts for Wall Street, troop surge for a pointless war, rising deficits and debt, uncontrolled spending, misplaced legislative priorities, squandered reform opportunities, special interest-driven legislative agenda, fatcats come first policy, broken campaign promises, PR over substance, dithering decision making, politics over science …

Guess?

Change you can’t believe in!

One thing about you Michael is how can you be so unsupportive sending troops to Aghanistan when you are or was an American Soldier how can you be so anti-Afghanistan when your fellow soldiers are dying over there. How can you do that to the America Soldier. you reminded of a back stabber.
Putney Swope why do you think you are always right and again I didn’t start character assasination you did.

I only commented on Corrupt Government? and you wrote
Non Sense. do you think your Comments make sense about IRA,Baltimore and Rio. I think you carrying your own chair and I hope it’s heavy

akilez,

simple i’m not brain dead to think that sending more troops to a place and people wishing to kill, maim use is a good idea. More troops, more troop deaths.. is that to hard for you to understand. and since i have friends who may be going i prefer them not to be fighting a civil war and dieing.

backstabing would be sending more troops over there to die for a corrupt government. of course you will pay more taxes, donate your extra money, and fly over there to help right? maybe you could go over there and tell the afgans there wrong and should be killed and how muslims are wrong? also where is your skin in the game for the soilder who will die there?

Have fun (so people)

polls in recent years have consistently shown that Americans are more concerned about the domestic economy than foreign wars. A Gallup poll in October found that 41 percent of Americans believed Obama’s top priority should be the economy, while just 18 percent said it should be the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
A survey released Thursday by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press suggests that a historic isolationist mood has gripped the country. That, coupled with broad skepticism about Obama’s handling of Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, could complicate his efforts to sell an expanded war and perhaps other international initiatives as well.
Sentiments of isolation and unilateralism have reached four-decade highs, the Pew survey found, with 49 percent of Americans polled saying that the U.S. should “mind its own business internationally.”

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121035958

ellen,

the 30k troops before hand was added before this 30k is correct they first add 4.5k from iraq to afgan than another 22 to 24.5.

this is the second 30k troops added. so your # are right

Obama’s exit strategy: In December 2010, 12 months from now, review whether Afghanistan has a achieved a stable democracy, and if so we’ll leave. If not, well, “we’re not just gonna throw them in the pool” – which is Obama Administration-talk for “we’ll stay”. But don’t worry – of course we can take a place that has had no experience with democracy in 1000 years, and with a culture based on loyalty to tribes, ethnic groups and warlords, and turn it into a stable functioning democracy in 12 months. We’ve turned corrupt quagmires into democracies LOTS of times. Undoubtedly. Didn’t you see Harry Potter? He has a wand, a magic hat, and a flying broomstick – Obama has all that, I’m sure. And he can get John Williams to write him a musical score anytime he wants, because he’s the President.

So in the words of Mary Poppins – “a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down – and with a little LSD, penguins will serve lunch to you and Dick Van Dyke”. Obama saw that movie a hundred times and he believes in flying nannies, magic dancing penguins and an exit strategy from Afghanistan.

this is what our rightly believe will happen in iraq and Afghanistan.

Democracy Kicks In
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlIm-riMN6Q

No matter how they try to sell this war, they just don’t make whole lot of sense. According to the reasons our government tries to sell, they have to straighten out lots of other countries in the world, but why choose Afghanistan and Iraq. There has to be some kind of hidden agenda that they are not and they “can not” say.

All the reasons don’t justify going to wars of Iraq and Afghanistan.

No matter how they try to sell this war, they just don’t make whole lot of sense.

So what’s your point?

There has to be some kind of hidden agenda that they are not and they “can not” say.

No, even a secret conspiracy involving the Illuminati, the Trilateral Commission, the Freemasons, “international bankers”®, the Knights Templar, Prester John, aliens on ice in Area 51, and the Church of the SubGenius, would be more rational and represent better thinking and planning than anything we’ve seen in Afghanistan and Iraq. Instead, remember the words of Napoleon Bonaparte, who said . . .

“Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.”

Peter,

Don’t you think Middle East and Central Asia are the great locations to put military force closer to China’s west border? Just a casual speculation.

The bankers had “the talk” with our president. The troops always go where the bankers say so. End of story.

Look at all of the opium to be harvested. You think the global banking industry wants to try to exist without all that drug cash? Follow the $$$.