Wednesday October 7, 2009, 7:23 pm
October 07, 2009 "Truthdig"...

Every once in a while, a statistic just jumps out at you in a way that makes everything else you hear on a subject seem beside the point, if not downright absurd. That was my reaction to the recent statement of the president’s national security adviser, former Marine Gen. James Jones, concerning the size of the terrorist threat from Afghanistan:

“The al-Qaida presence is very diminished. The maximum estimate is less than 100 operating in the country, no bases, no ability to launch attacks on either us or our allies.”

Less than 100! And he is basing his conservative estimate on the best intelligence data available to our government. That means that al-Qaida, for all practical purposes, does not exist in Afghanistan—so why are we having a big debate about sending even more troops to fight an enemy that has relocated elsewhere? Because of the blind belief, in the minds of those like John McCain, determined to “win” in Afghanistan, that if we don’t escalate, al-Qaida will inevitably come back.

Why? It’s not like al-Qaida is an evil weed indigenous to Afghanistan and dependent on its climate and soil for survival. Its members were foreign imports in the first place, recruited by our CIA to fight the Soviets because there were evidently not enough locals to do the job. After all, U.S. officials first forged the alliance between the foreign fighters and the Afghan mujahedeen, who morphed into the Taliban, and we should not be surprised that that tenuous alliance ended. The Taliban and other insurgents are preoccupied with the future of Afghanistan, while the Arab fighters couldn’t care less and have moved on to more hospitable climes.

There is no indication that any of the contending forces in Afghanistan, including the Taliban, are interested in bringing al-Qaida back. On the contrary, all the available evidence indicates that the Arab fighters are unwelcome and that it is their isolation from their former patrons that has led to their demise.

As such, while one wishes that the Afghan people would put their houses in order, these are not, even after eight long years of occupation, our houses. Sure, there are all sorts of angry people in Afghanistan, eager to pick fights with each other and most of all any foreigners who seem to be threatening their way of life, but why should that any longer have anything to do with us?

WHY are we there?...BRING HOME THE TROOPS NOW!

Wednesday October 7, 2009, 9:18 pm
The problem that I keep hearing in the media, liberal or free media, is Iraq. We blew it in Afghanistan when we left and went to Iraq. Now after 8 years, we think we can fix the tens of thousands of dead, homeless, and starvation level poverty. We sure helped. I don't know who, but their fake government is great theater and does nothing to improve things for the people. Legalize heroin and opiates so they can get about what a good cotton crop would yield and the drug war lords would have to put their kids in school to survive like the rest of us.

Education, health care-especially stop killing people, and infrastructure in the LAST 8 YEARS would have helped, but now the people say, " to hell with that, Get The 'F' OUT of MY Country!" And rightfully so.

No nation building for military corporations, they just want to sell bullets and planes, rockets and bombs. Death dealing, death spewing, death profiteers, death wholesale, death, death...

The U.N. should be the instrument of intervention, if any, and people need to change in their own time with nobody forcing them to. We should only move with the U.N. and the country in question when it comes to world affairs and especially war or occupation.

The Military Industrial Complex is real, alive, and a threat to the well being of the entire planet.

One World

Peace

Wednesday October 7, 2009, 10:10 pm
BRING THE TROOPS HOME...NOW!

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE OIL IN THE REGION! DON'T FORGET IT WAS ALL ABOUT OIL IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Thursday October 8, 2009, 5:06 am
"BUT WHAT ABOUT THE OIL IN THE REGION! DON'T FORGET IT WAS ALL ABOUT OIL IN THE FIRST PLACE"...

Not a problem Matloob, the troops can bring it home with them?. :) Might be difficult having to stumble over so many dead bodies but nothing is impossible...To hell with the oil, BRING HOME THE TROOPS!

Thursday October 8, 2009, 8:19 pm
Everyone wants our Military to come home but until that happens then send more troops if needed. We can rant all we want but in the meantime they need help & they should get it.Proud Mom of a Vet

Thursday October 8, 2009, 8:40 pm
"Everyone wants our Military to come home but until that happens then send more troops"...

For what Proud Mom?...To kill or be killed?...

How many other Proud Mom's now have dead children?

Time for sense to prevail and time to get real!...

BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!...Before they too are killed and come home in coffins?

Thursday October 8, 2009, 11:21 pm
Wow..... no arguments for anyone here, GET US OUT!!! I read an article on yahoo today that Obama was after Al Qaida not the taliban???? Isn't that kind of like being after the yakuza not the Japanese in WWII? Afghanistan is not a major player in oil anyway, our president, I think is a few cards short of a full deck. He has offered Pakistan 1.5 Billion in aid, which they refused, now he is talking about launching a missle attack against them?????
David has said it all:
"BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!...Before they too are killed and come home in coffins? "

Friday October 9, 2009, 12:01 am
"they need help". The "Military"? The US Military and the troops need help?

It sounds like an oxymoron when we are talking about the most powerful and most invasive military forces in the world.

But yes they need help. Help to be brought back home safely, to their loved ones.

Friday October 9, 2009, 12:10 am
What does the White House think, think they are out of the college of knowledge.. thinking that they could win a worthles war...

Friday October 9, 2009, 6:47 am
MORE LIES FROM BUCHAN, THE BIGGEST LIAR ON THIS SITE. WHAT A DUMB FUKK

Friday October 9, 2009, 3:39 pm
I was against ending the war until I heard that there are only 100 Al Queda operatives in Afghanistan, just like David says above. Why send 40,000 troops to kill 100 men? Why can't we find them if we know how many there are? I think it's time to come home. I have changed my mind and now I think it's time to come home and then launch a cold espianage war on Al Queda.

Friday October 9, 2009, 6:20 pm
Please! end this war. Bring all the Soldiers home, and rebuild our Army. They all have suffer enough. I was against the war when it started. I toll some peoples this war is wrong; i felt something was'nt right starting this war, and i was right. At the beginning of war; our Solders was killing each other before they reached thier destination. I feel this should be investigated, and looked at; too really find out who caused those Airplanes to crash that day, and killed all those peoples.

Friday October 9, 2009, 6:27 pm
End this war. No more killing. End this war. No more Solders dieing. End this war. No more killing. End this war. No more people dieing.

Friday October 9, 2009, 6:33 pm
I pray God forgive us all.