You know, I’d like to see how far back the entire “bag with dollar sign as a shorthand for money” goes. When did we start doing this? No doubt someone out there knows, but I don’t.
Let’s get out now, why should our troops die for this. If the Republicans use our withdrawal to attack Obama we should remind everyone that Cheney/Bush and the Republicans are the ones who put this guy into power, kept looking the other way, and ran the war so badly that there is no way we can win – unless we are willing to stay for 10 - 20 years, lose thousands and thousands of lives, and spend trillions, and even they we may no win.
Since you are a product of the fat multi-national corporate bosses who profit from Bushie’s adventures in war-mongering, it is not your fault when you don’t recognized the fat cats who are trying to run our country into the ground for fun and profit!
Trying to ignore the irony in political cartoons is like trying to pretend your Ben & Jerry’s has no flavor!
Unfortunately, Tom Toles’ view here is standard America is the greatest thinking. Karzai and Afghanistan, where our troops are dying along with many Afghanis, has a history of tribalism. That’s not a bad thing in a country which has been the crossroads for many others, and little to hang onto. Yes, corruption can and does flourish, as a legacy of that tribal society. We know that - we used it in 2001 when we went in there to help some tribes fight the Taliban, right? I wonder if any one reading this cartoon has any suggestions other than pull out. Then who do you blame after the Taliban from Pakistan and the Afghani Taliban get together and cooperate with other to play their terrorist games, against us and others.
Sorry, Charlie, Islam may be many things, but “pagan” it ain’t. The word has a meaning, it’s not just a synonym for “not Christian.”
Unless you’re mis-using “pagan” to mean “secular”, as if only civil institutions such as non-theocratic governments (which would surely not include Afghanistan, and probably not the Dallas Public Schools) are capable of being corrupt. Look up the Roman Catholic Church’s history of simony, or (more recently) the scandals involving the PTL Club and others.
Again, though, there’s been no shortages of bribe-taking hedonists in any era or religious tradition in the history of the world.
In that part of the world there’s a tradition of “baksheesh” which to our Western eyes is indistinguishable from bribery, but over there is considered more or less the price of good service, as tipping your waiter is here… (I’m not trying to justify it, I’m just sayin’…)
The papers have been pointing out that Afganistan is number 2 on the list of the most corrupt countries in the world – they also list the top 10 least corrupt countries.
Maybe it’s just me, but it kind of bothers me that we aren’t on that second list, I mean if you leave out Chicago, and few places in the South, our governments aren’t bad – dumb, stupid, misguided maybe, but not corrupt.
Didn’t we complain last time about pulling out too early and not finishing the job over there before the Clinton era began? Maybe we should finish what we started.
Getting rid of Al Qaeda camps and the Taliban government (though NOT “good guys”) definitely were not the same mission. Getting rid of the Taliban and installing Karzai had a lot more to do with corruption in the U.S., than in Afghanistan. Just like invading Iraq because Saddam was about to launch a nuclear missile strike against Mobile, Alabama.
Ken, nice to see you could write an entire post with the names “Bush/Cheney” in them. It’s a first.
Mamatrout, can’t follow you. Are you referring to Saddam using chemical weapons on his own civilians? Iraq is not in Alabama. I’m not familiar with Mobile, so maybe I’m wrong.
Loco80: Sorry, my hearing is failing as I grow older. Did you say Saddam using chemical weapons on his own civilians with direction and aid from the CIA?
What, sorry, I didn’t hear you say the US knew about this in the ’80s already?
What, the US also supplied germ warfare knowhow to Saddam?
I’m not familiar with hypocrisy so maybe I’m wrong.
toasteroven over 14 years ago
You know, I’d like to see how far back the entire “bag with dollar sign as a shorthand for money” goes. When did we start doing this? No doubt someone out there knows, but I don’t.
kennethcwarren64 over 14 years ago
The small comment at the bottom says it all.
Let’s get out now, why should our troops die for this. If the Republicans use our withdrawal to attack Obama we should remind everyone that Cheney/Bush and the Republicans are the ones who put this guy into power, kept looking the other way, and ran the war so badly that there is no way we can win – unless we are willing to stay for 10 - 20 years, lose thousands and thousands of lives, and spend trillions, and even they we may no win.
alan.gurka over 14 years ago
Karzai: “And don’t pay me in your worthless American dollars. Pay me in euros, or gold, or even better–barrels of oil!”
hastynote Premium Member over 14 years ago
Scott,
Since you are a product of the fat multi-national corporate bosses who profit from Bushie’s adventures in war-mongering, it is not your fault when you don’t recognized the fat cats who are trying to run our country into the ground for fun and profit!
Trying to ignore the irony in political cartoons is like trying to pretend your Ben & Jerry’s has no flavor!
vayankee over 14 years ago
Unfortunately, Tom Toles’ view here is standard America is the greatest thinking. Karzai and Afghanistan, where our troops are dying along with many Afghanis, has a history of tribalism. That’s not a bad thing in a country which has been the crossroads for many others, and little to hang onto. Yes, corruption can and does flourish, as a legacy of that tribal society. We know that - we used it in 2001 when we went in there to help some tribes fight the Taliban, right? I wonder if any one reading this cartoon has any suggestions other than pull out. Then who do you blame after the Taliban from Pakistan and the Afghani Taliban get together and cooperate with other to play their terrorist games, against us and others.
Herbabee over 14 years ago
But he’s OUR puppet leader!
fritzoid Premium Member over 14 years ago
“It’s just life in a pagan world.”
Sorry, Charlie, Islam may be many things, but “pagan” it ain’t. The word has a meaning, it’s not just a synonym for “not Christian.”
Unless you’re mis-using “pagan” to mean “secular”, as if only civil institutions such as non-theocratic governments (which would surely not include Afghanistan, and probably not the Dallas Public Schools) are capable of being corrupt. Look up the Roman Catholic Church’s history of simony, or (more recently) the scandals involving the PTL Club and others.
fritzoid Premium Member over 14 years ago
Again, though, there’s been no shortages of bribe-taking hedonists in any era or religious tradition in the history of the world.
In that part of the world there’s a tradition of “baksheesh” which to our Western eyes is indistinguishable from bribery, but over there is considered more or less the price of good service, as tipping your waiter is here… (I’m not trying to justify it, I’m just sayin’…)
HARVIN over 14 years ago
Buy American!
kennethcwarren64 over 14 years ago
The papers have been pointing out that Afganistan is number 2 on the list of the most corrupt countries in the world – they also list the top 10 least corrupt countries.
Maybe it’s just me, but it kind of bothers me that we aren’t on that second list, I mean if you leave out Chicago, and few places in the South, our governments aren’t bad – dumb, stupid, misguided maybe, but not corrupt.
citynights over 14 years ago
Didn’t we complain last time about pulling out too early and not finishing the job over there before the Clinton era began? Maybe we should finish what we started.
God bless our troops.
Dtroutma over 14 years ago
Getting rid of Al Qaeda camps and the Taliban government (though NOT “good guys”) definitely were not the same mission. Getting rid of the Taliban and installing Karzai had a lot more to do with corruption in the U.S., than in Afghanistan. Just like invading Iraq because Saddam was about to launch a nuclear missile strike against Mobile, Alabama.
Loco80 over 14 years ago
Ken, nice to see you could write an entire post with the names “Bush/Cheney” in them. It’s a first.
Mamatrout, can’t follow you. Are you referring to Saddam using chemical weapons on his own civilians? Iraq is not in Alabama. I’m not familiar with Mobile, so maybe I’m wrong.
OmqR-IV.0 over 14 years ago
Loco80: Sorry, my hearing is failing as I grow older. Did you say Saddam using chemical weapons on his own civilians with direction and aid from the CIA? What, sorry, I didn’t hear you say the US knew about this in the ’80s already?
What, the US also supplied germ warfare knowhow to Saddam?
I’m not familiar with hypocrisy so maybe I’m wrong.