Isn’t it obvious?Cleaning up the mess Bush made of the mess the CIA made of the mess the USSR made of the mess the British made of the mess..etc. etc…of the mess the Muslims made of…etc. etc….probably right back to Alexander the Great.
Obama’s greatest mistake: He should have withdrawn all our troops immediately after he had Bin Ladenkilled. That was the reason we invaded and it would have been totally acceptable to everyone except those that Mitch M. recruited to sabotage Obama’s reelection.
I agree that it’s Bush’s mess we’re cleaning up and that we can’t get out of there fast enough, but can’t go with the idea that Afghanistan is worthless. It’s a beautiful country in many ways and has it’s internal truth and value, maybe not to us, but, all the same, it has great truth and beauty to it and the people are wonderful when you’re not there to kill them or take something from them. It’s a common mistake for invading countries to see their victim as ugly and worthless. Just saying.
Masterskrain: Nor did the British, nor the Moguls, nor the Persians, Alexander, nor … how far back does this go, anyway?.Michaelwme: The Amin government that the Soviets invaded was communist, just like those in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, etc. The standing joke at the time was the best defense against Soviet invasion is to have any government except communist.
People I work with had sons do tours of duty in Afghanistan. They say there’s a big difference between city people and those away from the city. They despised the city people as being corrupt and degenerate (their words). .They feared and fought some of the tribal people, but also respected them in a begrudging way, as the true inhabitants; whereas many of the city people seemed to be opportunists ready to work with the “enemy” as well. .They said it was hard to tell who the true Afghans were, anymore, as so many outsiders had arrived. They all had the same question: What are we doing there, and when the hell are we getting out?.Do any of you others find this, as well? Why do empires spend their blood and treasure in this way? It seems a glorified form of potlatch..This has been going on a long time. Look at the faces of the people, especially the children, and you can see the mix of many different nationalities. It’s the same with any area in the path of conquerors and conflicts – Korea, Vietnam, Eastern Europe, to name a few..It would be ironic if in the end, after the former conquerors with their fabulous, fragile societies had destroyed themselves, the tough hybrid humanity they left as despised would rule the world.
I raced early Corvairs, and one day showed a Captain what could be done with an M-151 with those “infamous” swing axles. He pretty much freaked, but was then amazed when shown how safe they were IF you knew how to drive them!
Another aside. My son commented on how he liked the bulletproof glass in their rigs in Iraq, his mom didn’t care for his examples of why, and I pointed out that in “our day”, the only “armor” was bad aim on the part of “Charlie”. Yep, “death trap” is a relative term!!
Dtroutma over 11 years ago
Uh-huh. Interesting that Jeff draws something that looks more like an M-151.
cjr53 over 11 years ago
I really like the idea that the troops would pack up and come home.
Linda Solomon over 11 years ago
Colonel Hawkins…wasnt he in some t.v. show?
Sandy Shore over 11 years ago
M.A.S.H.
Richard Howland-Bolton Premium Member over 11 years ago
Isn’t it obvious?Cleaning up the mess Bush made of the mess the CIA made of the mess the USSR made of the mess the British made of the mess..etc. etc…of the mess the Muslims made of…etc. etc….probably right back to Alexander the Great.
babka Premium Member over 11 years ago
right-on. rip van winkle wakens and asks, “wtf are we doing here?”
eepatt over 11 years ago
Obama’s greatest mistake: He should have withdrawn all our troops immediately after he had Bin Ladenkilled. That was the reason we invaded and it would have been totally acceptable to everyone except those that Mitch M. recruited to sabotage Obama’s reelection.
tcolkett over 11 years ago
Certainly not tonight since it’s going to be solely domestic issues tonight.
tcolkett over 11 years ago
I agree that it’s Bush’s mess we’re cleaning up and that we can’t get out of there fast enough, but can’t go with the idea that Afghanistan is worthless. It’s a beautiful country in many ways and has it’s internal truth and value, maybe not to us, but, all the same, it has great truth and beauty to it and the people are wonderful when you’re not there to kill them or take something from them. It’s a common mistake for invading countries to see their victim as ugly and worthless. Just saying.
hippogriff over 11 years ago
Masterskrain: Nor did the British, nor the Moguls, nor the Persians, Alexander, nor … how far back does this go, anyway?.Michaelwme: The Amin government that the Soviets invaded was communist, just like those in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, etc. The standing joke at the time was the best defense against Soviet invasion is to have any government except communist.
emptc12 over 11 years ago
People I work with had sons do tours of duty in Afghanistan. They say there’s a big difference between city people and those away from the city. They despised the city people as being corrupt and degenerate (their words). .They feared and fought some of the tribal people, but also respected them in a begrudging way, as the true inhabitants; whereas many of the city people seemed to be opportunists ready to work with the “enemy” as well. .They said it was hard to tell who the true Afghans were, anymore, as so many outsiders had arrived. They all had the same question: What are we doing there, and when the hell are we getting out?.Do any of you others find this, as well? Why do empires spend their blood and treasure in this way? It seems a glorified form of potlatch..This has been going on a long time. Look at the faces of the people, especially the children, and you can see the mix of many different nationalities. It’s the same with any area in the path of conquerors and conflicts – Korea, Vietnam, Eastern Europe, to name a few..It would be ironic if in the end, after the former conquerors with their fabulous, fragile societies had destroyed themselves, the tough hybrid humanity they left as despised would rule the world.
Dtroutma over 11 years ago
Morty:
I raced early Corvairs, and one day showed a Captain what could be done with an M-151 with those “infamous” swing axles. He pretty much freaked, but was then amazed when shown how safe they were IF you knew how to drive them!
Another aside. My son commented on how he liked the bulletproof glass in their rigs in Iraq, his mom didn’t care for his examples of why, and I pointed out that in “our day”, the only “armor” was bad aim on the part of “Charlie”. Yep, “death trap” is a relative term!!
walruscarver2000 over 11 years ago
I strongly recommend a basic military maneuver…HAUL ASS!!!