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As to Afghanistan, this Thanksgiving it was âThanks, but No Thanks.'
By Ed Tubbs (about the author)
Become a Fan (11 fans) -- Page 2 of 3 page(s)
"Hi! Mrs. Jones, I'm Dr. Neil Kahn." (Hint: Need to run the names together quickly.) "We've got good news. Every test we run, the results all show there is no trace of your cancer."
"Oh, thank you so much doctor. That's so wonderful to hear."
"One thing, however: We're going to continue the chemo and radiation. In fact, we're going to step it up quite a bit."
"But you just said . . .. Why? I mean if the cancer is all gone."
"Well, let's just say, "In case it wants to return.'"
"But . . . the chemo and the radiation . . . my hair falls out and it just makes me feel sick as can be, as if I want to die."
"You could do that, of course. But I promise you Mrs. Jones, we're going to target the treatments so that whatever sickness and organ loss you experience will be kept to an acceptable minimum."
Please . . . let's see a show of hands, how many would accept that line of reasoning, if the issue was one's own health.
However al Qaeda isn't present in Afghanistan, it is virulent in Pakistan, and in Indonesia, and in the Philippines, and in Somalia. It also has a presence in Paris and in Morocco and in London and in Mexico, and in several other cities and countries. How many should we attack?
Yet, if the concern is to terrorist organizations that pose dire perils to our society, the countrywide influence of the several highly organized US gangs and of the Mexican drug cartels every year cost more American lives and more US dollars than al Qaeda ever has, or ever will.
Perception is reality.
Not al Qaeda, the Taliban? The very same folks the US, especially under President Reagan, armed when the Soviet Union invaded the so-called country? Let there be no misunderstanding, the Taliban are a ruthless gang of thugs that many, if not most, of the tribes in Afghanistan would probably like to see defeated and gone, which they were in 2002. That stipulated to, it's essential to keep foremost in mind that their membership consist primarily of Pashtuns, the overwhelmingly dominant ethnic group, and that whatever the level of partnership was between them and al Qaeda was built on the shifting sands of the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Short of stripping ourselves all the way to naked in order to fully clothe Afghanistan, no matter what the US does is bound to fail. Then, were we to actually build in that far foreign land Kubla Kahn's Pleasure Dome, they'd likely still despise and reject us. We'd still be the invading, meddling westerner and their culture would still be 80 percent illiterate and 100% Moslem in South Central Asia.
That the ability of folks who can neither read nor write to explore for alternative explanations is zero is a tough enough environment in which to try to implement social change -- not that we, or any others, have any moral authority to make the effort, the bottom line is that it's an almost overwhelmingly insurmountable task -- add to that challenge the fact that others with interests that are, or that seem to be, at odds with ours control the information milieu and it becomes a fool's errand.
Collateral damage has one meaning for folks in Bazaar, and something much more intimately personal to the Afghan family that has suffered the tragic loss of its members. Al Jazeera can quite objectively flash images of the carnage, and of course the conclusion drawn by the locals is that the United States is waging war on Muslims. Consider as example of the cultural challenge the fact that a wide swath of Americans, with every opportunity to form a more valid opinion, are absolutely convinced the Left is waging war on Christianity simply as a consequence of the prevalence of the phrase "happy holidays." Now, in the stead of a rather innocent phrase, replace that with broadcasted images of the havoc produced by American bombs and mortar rounds and small arms fire . . ..
US vital interests.
Become a Fan (11 fans) -- Page 2 of 3 page(s)
"Oh, thank you so much doctor. That's so wonderful to hear."
"One thing, however: We're going to continue the chemo and radiation. In fact, we're going to step it up quite a bit."
"But you just said . . .. Why? I mean if the cancer is all gone."
"Well, let's just say, "In case it wants to return.'"
"But . . . the chemo and the radiation . . . my hair falls out and it just makes me feel sick as can be, as if I want to die."
"You could do that, of course. But I promise you Mrs. Jones, we're going to target the treatments so that whatever sickness and organ loss you experience will be kept to an acceptable minimum."
Please . . . let's see a show of hands, how many would accept that line of reasoning, if the issue was one's own health.
However al Qaeda isn't present in Afghanistan, it is virulent in Pakistan, and in Indonesia, and in the Philippines, and in Somalia. It also has a presence in Paris and in Morocco and in London and in Mexico, and in several other cities and countries. How many should we attack?
Yet, if the concern is to terrorist organizations that pose dire perils to our society, the countrywide influence of the several highly organized US gangs and of the Mexican drug cartels every year cost more American lives and more US dollars than al Qaeda ever has, or ever will.
Perception is reality.
Not al Qaeda, the Taliban? The very same folks the US, especially under President Reagan, armed when the Soviet Union invaded the so-called country? Let there be no misunderstanding, the Taliban are a ruthless gang of thugs that many, if not most, of the tribes in Afghanistan would probably like to see defeated and gone, which they were in 2002. That stipulated to, it's essential to keep foremost in mind that their membership consist primarily of Pashtuns, the overwhelmingly dominant ethnic group, and that whatever the level of partnership was between them and al Qaeda was built on the shifting sands of the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Short of stripping ourselves all the way to naked in order to fully clothe Afghanistan, no matter what the US does is bound to fail. Then, were we to actually build in that far foreign land Kubla Kahn's Pleasure Dome, they'd likely still despise and reject us. We'd still be the invading, meddling westerner and their culture would still be 80 percent illiterate and 100% Moslem in South Central Asia.
That the ability of folks who can neither read nor write to explore for alternative explanations is zero is a tough enough environment in which to try to implement social change -- not that we, or any others, have any moral authority to make the effort, the bottom line is that it's an almost overwhelmingly insurmountable task -- add to that challenge the fact that others with interests that are, or that seem to be, at odds with ours control the information milieu and it becomes a fool's errand.
Collateral damage has one meaning for folks in Bazaar, and something much more intimately personal to the Afghan family that has suffered the tragic loss of its members. Al Jazeera can quite objectively flash images of the carnage, and of course the conclusion drawn by the locals is that the United States is waging war on Muslims. Consider as example of the cultural challenge the fact that a wide swath of Americans, with every opportunity to form a more valid opinion, are absolutely convinced the Left is waging war on Christianity simply as a consequence of the prevalence of the phrase "happy holidays." Now, in the stead of a rather innocent phrase, replace that with broadcasted images of the havoc produced by American bombs and mortar rounds and small arms fire . . ..
US vital interests.
An "Old Army Vet" and liberal, qua liberal, with a passion for open inquiry in a neverending quest for truth unpoisoned by religious superstitions. Per Voltaire: "He who can lead you to believe an absurdity can lead you to commit an atrocity."
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If I had a choice...
by Scott Baker on Tuesday, Dec 1, 2009 at 10:42:22 AM
TL Winslow - Thoroughly stupid, and a yellow-bellied coward
by Ed Tubbs on Tuesday, Dec 1, 2009 at 12:49:14 PM