That’s true. There was a time when America was capable of respecting its enemies. I don’t get it - an enemy can be brave and honorable and still be your enemy; in fact, it makes defeating him more of an achievement, because where’s the challenge in fighting cowards?
I just don’t see why everything has to be viewed through an ideological lens.
How does a country (and barely a country, at that) manage to harass the world when they don’t even have a pot to piss in?
-Joe
The idea that the war just happened by accident was a post-war invention. After the fiasco the war became, nobody wanted to admit they had entered it willingly. Austria, Germany, and France were seeking a war in 1914 for what they saw as rational and obtainable goals.
You must read different history books than the rest of us! Afghanistan has been minding its own business for literally thousands of years, while being attacked by Alexander the Great, the Soviet Union and various powers in between. When the Soviets went to war there, the U.S.A. decided to play the “Great Game” and armed the Taliban! Great fun!!
After the Soviets withdrew, British experts informed U.S.A. that their job wasn’t finished, but a leading American official famously replied “We don’t do windows”; went looking for a Great Game to play elsewhere; Afghanistan sank into ruin.
Yes, Taliban is despicable. Less so than certain hypocrites in Washington, D.C.
Silly person, human brains are not Halal.
That’s okay. Ask me what I think about your opinions some day.
That’s because I’m pissed off.
Now that I know you see the torture of your allies as a minor diplomatic problem instead of a gross violation of human rights I’m even more pissed off.
What does the end look like? We can not occupy the country forever or for that matter at all. We have to leave eventually. What remains?, A country controlled by warlords and drug cartels? They will have a government of our choosing. A corrupt one that will demand American taxpayer money to survive. It is an old story played out on another stage. It does not work. They get resentful . The people will throw out the government sooner or later. Then what?
Actually, the Afghans invaded India and Persia several times, even going so far as to briefly conquer the latter country (1722-1729).
No country has ever just “minded its own business”
Oh, please. We inflict plenty of hell on the people we attack. And such tough guy phrases aren’t an excuse for genocide; it sounds a lot less dramatic and admirable to say “let’s massacre an entire country that can’t fight back!”
So, you want to kill millions of people, the vast majority of whom aren’t even involved?
So, your Dad killed off an entire country, like you want us to? I must have missed when we did that recently.
The genocidal version of America you want deserves to be destroyed, not blessed.
You sound like you’d have loved working for Stalin; you have his attitude on how to deal with problems. “No people, no problems.”
So I presume you would support an Iraqi invasion of the US, if they refused to hand over George Bush or Dick Cheney?
And if Canada had not handed over Marc Emery, I presume you would support a US invasion of Canada?
I’m not going to dignify this with a comment.
“Dignify”?! You, not I are the one calling for nuclear genocide.
That is what I’m wondering. This war is going no where. These people love to fight. They will fight until the end of time and if we think we are going to change that we are sadly underestimating our enemy. They consider us infidels, not friends.
Why can’t we just let the Middle East do what they love so much. They love to fight so let them fight each other.
So we have two choices. We can withdraw or up the anti. In the first part of the century the object of war was to win. If we couldn’t win then we would withdraw or surrender.
These long drawn out occupations are a waste of time, money, lives and a diversion from our real problems.
I’m sure “the civilised world” would love to let them knock the shit out of each other, if they could guarantee it wouldn’t affect any of our interests.
Very Astute observation. I forgot about “Our Interests”.
So true about these people, hmm? Just an all out animalistic lot, aren’t they? Savages, even. Always fighting, never giving us a moment’s peace at home. Oh, what a … Burden it is to try and civilize them, wouldn’t you say?
Afghanistan isn’t in the Middle East, no matter what the Bush government thought.
FYI. Tonight (at least in the Chicagoland area) Frontline is going to report on the Taliban. Somehow they recently got to spend some time with them.
One preview scene I saw last night, was a group of Taliban guarding what looked to me to be bails of poppy, the currency they use to fund their war effort.
You obviously didn’t read the poll I linked to on the last page about the actual views of these violent barbarians.
It’s much easier to make cartoonish stereotypes seem real if you are unwilling to read anything about the views of the people you’re talking about.
Look the truth is the truth. I’m not good at putting spin on the Afghans like our media is. Today I read they want to take back control of the elections so how much progress have we made? Zilch.
Sorry, I will check out your link.
Are you referring the the “Butterfly Mines”? The whole thing about them deliberately being made to look like toys is just old propaganda that people still believe. There have been many cases where children picked up the mines because they thought it was a toy, but it’s shape is actual for aerodynamics for when you drop them out of the aircraft. I’m really sick of seeing that myth repeated.