[stanley]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

Glad they were deleted.
This allows a thread to continue and not allow an individual to kill a thread.

Or soon to be a couple? Maybe?

[Toymeister]

I was in Afghanistan 16 months ago. Since 2010 I have spent 2 1/2 years there I never found it to be beautiful or even remotely charming.

When we entered in 2001 our mission was to prevent Afghanistan from being a launching point for terrorists. Had we kept that in mind there would be no loss of focus or as much of a financial waste.

This may sound brutal but it is not worth the loss of one American life to ensure girls can go to school when their own families don't want that.

There is no history or desire for democracy there, there is no overwhelming commitment for national security or even a national sense of pride of any significant depth. We were chumps for believing it was even possible to extoll American beliefs there.

Afghanistan GNP is ONE TENTH of it's spending. There is no way the country can survive without international welfare.

[Aces4]

Originally Posted by Toymeister

I was in Afghanistan 16 months ago. Since 2010 I have spent 2 1/2 years there I never found it to be beautiful or even remotely charming.

When we entered in 2001 our mission was to prevent Afghanistan from being a launching point for terrorists. Had we kept that in mind there would be no loss of focus or as much of a financial waste.

This may sound brutal but it is not worth the loss of one American life to ensure girls can go to school when their own families don't want that.

There is no history or desire for democracy there, there is no overwhelming commitment for national security or even a national sense of pride of any significant depth. We were chumps for believing it was even possible to extoll American beliefs there.

Afghanistan GNP is ONE TENTH of it's spending. There is no way the country can survive without international welfare.

Might that international welfare come from Russia or China at this point? I’m curious as to what will trend there now.

Originally Posted by dewilson58

Now:

Taliban mulls flooding the West with heroin to shore up Afghan economy

Easy to transport over the southern border along with the meth.

[Blackbird45]

The initial post is correct. Taliban mulls are flooding the West with heroin to shore up Afghan economy. Drugs will continue to hit our street no matter where they come from. We have spent endless amount and years trying to stop it with no avail. This like most things is a supply and demand issue. We have to discover a way to replace the demand. Either a drug, some sort of surgical implants or really go futuristic a VR headset, something to break the dependence on these types of drugs. Because after all this time and money we have to admit whatever we are doing is not working.

[DaleDivine]

Originally Posted by Toymeister

I was in Afghanistan 16 months ago. Since 2010 I have spent 2 1/2 years there I never found it to be beautiful or even remotely charming.

When we entered in 2001 our mission was to prevent Afghanistan from being a launching point for terrorists. Had we kept that in mind there would be no loss of focus or as much of a financial waste.

This may sound brutal but it is not worth the loss of one American life to ensure girls can go to school when their own families don't want that.

There is no history or desire for democracy there, there is no overwhelming commitment for national security or even a national sense of pride of any significant depth. We were chumps for believing it was even possible to extoll American beliefs there.

Afghanistan GNP is ONE TENTH of it's spending. There is no way the country can survive without international welfare.

WELL said...

[kenoc7]

Originally Posted by Chi-Town

Twenty years and two trillion dollars for an inevitable outcome. We didn't learn from the French regarding Vietnam or the Russians regarding Afghanistan.

Agreed up to a point, but it was like a cancer patient going into remission for 20 years and the the cancer came back and they died. Was it worth it? Of course it was.

[WesMan]

Originally Posted by Toymeister

I was in Afghanistan 16 months ago. Since 2010 I have spent 2 1/2 years there I never found it to be beautiful or even remotely charming.

When we entered in 2001 our mission was to prevent Afghanistan from being a launching point for terrorists. Had we kept that in mind there would be no loss of focus or as much of a financial waste.

This may sound brutal but it is not worth the loss of one American life to ensure girls can go to school when their own families don't want that.

There is no history or desire for democracy there, there is no overwhelming commitment for national security or even a national sense of pride of any significant depth. We were chumps for believing it was even possible to extoll American beliefs there.

Afghanistan GNP is ONE TENTH of it's spending. There is no way the country can survive without international welfare.

So true!!!!!

[Luggage]

For doing your job. The Crux itself is not political but some people always insist on making it so

[GRACEALLEMAN]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

Afghan women, girls fear return to ‘dark days’ as Taliban enter Kabul.

As the Islamist insurgents enter the capital, many fear a disintegration of women’s rights, with the Taliban overturning the freedoms gained during the 20 years since US-led forces helped oversee the country’s transition to democracy.

"The Taliban will regress freedom at all levels and that is what we are fighting against," an Afghan government spokesperson told Reuters on August 13.

"Women and children are suffering the most and our forces are trying to save democracy. The world should understand and help us."

Women and children Taliban

[GRACEALLEMAN]

Originally Posted by GRACEALLEMAN

Women and children Taliban

We've been there long enough, too many of our boys have died, too much money, have we spent. We don't need to be there. They are savages. Look at the history of all the nations that have tried to take over this country. Beyond 3rd world.

[Dana1963]

Originally Posted by John41

Easy to transport over the southern border along with the meth.

Don't fool yourself it will be flown or by sea into ports of entry as it always has and is.

[tvbound]

Afghanistan is not a 'country' in the way we think of one. It is actually a bunch of fiefdoms controlled by warlords and their armed followers. Of which, most of the money and weapons we have sent there have went into the pockets of those warlords. Our original intent to go there and stop Al-Qaeda and/or other international terrorist groups from having a safe haven under the Taliban, was a good one, but the failure was in thinking we could change centuries of their warring history. We need to stop trying to nation-build and recognize that at some point, enough is enough. Yes, it is a tragedy regarding what will happen to women and children under Taliban rule, but unless we continue to lose American troops for another 20 years and a few more trillion dollars (which still won't change anything and the money will still pour into the warlords pockets) - it is time to leave. Our biggest mistake was in not starting earlier in getting those who have helped us out of the country first, for their own protection. Our other mistake was not having good enough intelligence to realize how fast and easily the Taliban would fill the void, without the threat of Americans backing the joke of the previous 'government.'

History (British/Russians/Etc.) shows that a country's citizens are willing to fight to the end, against those who have 'invaded' their country. If the USA were invaded - we would be doing the same exact thing.

[Petersweeney]

What happened to free speech? This is what China does……

[Malsua]

Originally Posted by GRACEALLEMAN

We've been there long enough, too many of our boys have died, too much money, have we spent. We don't need to be there. They are savages. Look at the history of all the nations that have tried to take over this country. Beyond 3rd world.

The history and culture of these people goes back to the silk road and the tribal days. The Han dynasty created the northern route specifically because they needed to provide safety for the caravans moving across this region. The northern route was built to avoid dropping into what is now Afghanistan.