Comments on: Afghanistan Progress ‘Slower’ Than Anticipated

By: Tunnel-vision

Tunnel-vision — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:18:16 +0000

We must accept that what we are up against is only in part Taliban, which is corrupted reactionary movement that has only recently been adopted by the Afghan ppl. What we are truly up against is a rugged, war-hardened, and stubbornly independent Pusthun people that have throughout history violently rebuked foreign invaders, even if the cost is their own lives. We arent fighting a load of bedouins or dumb camel herders, were fighting a people who’ve been at war constantly for millenia. They are experienced fighters with a long history of waging guerrilla warfare against invaders.
They are one of the few remaining people on this earth that follow a highly principled code of life (look up “Paktunwali”). These are the same Mujahideen, freedom fighters, than Rambo fought alongside in Rambo III against the Russians. Included in the many civilizations they have fought are Alexander the Great, who in a letter to his mother, described the inhabitants of what is now Afghanistan as lion-like brave people: ” I am involved in the land of a ‘Leonine’ (lion-like) and brave people, where every foot of the ground is like a well of steel, confronting my soldier. You have brought only one son into the world, but Everyone in this land can be called an Alexander.
More recently, they defated the British Empire (twice), and then the Russians. Now they are fighting Us.
If we want to follow the plight of the USSR, we can embrace the Kill ‘em All attitude that the more ignorant members of our citizenry espouse. Like USSR, our civilization, namely the economy, is already showing unhealthy signs of strain. If we want to actually win the war, we must essentially “convert” them. This can only be done by showing them humanity….ie humanitarian aid, schools for boys AND girls, hospitals, and infrastructure….without an imperialist agenda. The only greater vulnerability than its inability to provide these basic needs, is the Taliban’s dependency to villainize the west to survive.

By: Tunnel-vision

Tunnel-vision — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:18:04 +0000

John, I hate to be the bearer of bad news. While I agree with you that these are a backward ppl, these “neanderthal cavemen” that our brave soldiers are up against are a far more more ominous opponent than any army we have ever faced.

By: Barb Gantt

Barb Gantt — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:06:10 +0000

The US has been prosecuting numerous imperialistic wars behind the guise of “fighting insurgent-terrorists”. You could venture to guess 60 TRILLION has been spent these last 9 years. Because ?14%…?12 million Americans are long term unemployed for 1 and 2 years? Because how many businesses and companies are bankrupt or out of business? These financial political decisions are insane…psychotic…non-sustainable. So what happens if the American people do not stop these decisions by Washington? Does Middle America collapse? Does homelessness expand exponentially? Does violence explode? Do Mexican illegals take over the SW United States? Will there be a large die off of population due to malnutrition; starvation and disease? There are almost no jobs. Many of the middle class (blue-pink-white collar) have not worked for 1 and 2 years. Many businesses and companies are barely keeping their doors open or their lights on for business. A toxic oil spill is killing the Gulf waters in columns and zones for decades-generations and A toxic oil spill is killing the Atlantic waters for decades-generations. NOW is the time to create an economy around Global-sustainable-environmental ENERGY management. NOW is the time to create jobs in ELECTRIC: pantograph-trains, Nuclear, Wind, Solar, Hydro, and alternate fuels. The US is more than 30 years behind the oil peak schedule for a survivable transition away from crude. The US has to take care of itself.
The internal economic meltdown and no jobs….
This is the perfect time to move jobs to a new energy grid,
to garner momentum from the deepwater oil tragedy
that is killing the Gulf and the Atlantic oceans.
Anyone that still wants deepwater drilling is in psychotic denial
of the dead zone that used to be the Gulf and the Atlantic oceans.

By: LDC

LDC — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:25:48 +0000

Obama’s Vietnam. Now maybe he gets why Bush didn’t rush in there. (Probably not.)

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:48:19 +0000

It’s not “harder and slower” than **anyone** anticipated – it’s harder and slower than the current administration had a clue about when they show-boating about getting out by 2011. (At least it sounded good on the campaign trail!!)

By: David

David — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:39:27 +0000

So… what they are saying is that all that crap obamalamadingdong was spewing during the campaign about how he could fix all this was really just that…crap?

By: John

John — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:36:11 +0000

lol,
Our glorious mercenaries fighting against neanderthal cavemen and going nowhere with all the so called progressive and high technology we have…gawd save us if those jokers ever have to fight against a real army not sand fleas and Bedouin in Iraq and neanderthals in Afghanistan

By: Fight or come home

Fight or come home — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:38:24 +0000

Fight this war or bring them home.
We are not going to win hearts and minds. Unleash the military, kill the enemy and come home. We loose more men waiting to get the ok to return fire from some bozzo in a suit behind a desk. Turn them loose, do the job and bring them home. Do not bother rebuilding. Let them do it.

By: Timothy L. Pennell

Timothy L. Pennell — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 10:55:34 +0000

You people have to have patience. These Wars take time. And when you’re not allowed to fire your weapon at the enemy, it takes longer still.

By: IraqVet

IraqVet — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 04:06:53 +0000

Follow the money…We,the people, taxpayer, are being used up…we have failed the litmus test of history…some were just too stupid to learn from the failures of Stalin or Hitler or perhaps they think THEY can do it better.