Posted on 09/14/2001 8:38:51 AM PDT by Leonf
Edited on 09/03/2002 4:49:19 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Enslave your girls and women, harbor anti-U.S. terrorists, destroy every vestige of civilization in your homeland, and the Bush administration will embrace you. All that matters is that you line up as an ally in the drug war, the only international cause that this nation still takes seriously.
That's the message sent with the recent gift of $43 million to the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan, the most virulent anti-American violators of human rights in the world today. The gift, announced last Thursday by Secretary of State Colin Powell, in addition to other recent aid, makes the U.S. the main sponsor of the Taliban and rewards that "rogue regime" for declaring that opium growing is against the will of God. So, too, by the Taliban's estimation, are most human activities, but it's the ban on drugs that catches this administration's attention.
(Excerpt) Read more at robertscheer.com ...
For over two hours, Scheer talked and talked about the paradise he had seen during a recent visit to North Korea, about the greatness of Kim Il Sung, about the correct nature of his so-called juche ideology - evidently a word embodying Kim's redefinition of Marxism-Leninism in building Communism against all obstacles and with the entire world in opposition… At one point, I asked him incredulously: "Bob, do you really believe this crap?" Scheer responded with complete earnestness that he did - that Kim had charted out a path that other nations could and should take as an example of the art of the possible….[Finally], the interminable interview ended, leaving me recalling Woody Allen's famous words to Annie Hall's demented brother: "I have to go now. I'm due back on planet earth."
And until you are ready to lay YOUR life on the line, your inane and insane and insipid comments are out of line, so SHUT THE F$*K UP!
David Wright
Valid Link:
http://www.afghansnet.com/news/allnews/article_2001_06_17_0356.html
One request: If you are going to go with this, arrange your submission of information so that this is correctly seen as part of an ongoing policy of funneling aid to Afghanistan. President Bush did not arrange this policy, it has been an Internationalist baby since well before he took office. Put it this way: given that both Dems and the GOP have plenty of blame to share for their continued support of US empire-building, I believe that Congressman Ron Paul would approve if the Dems sustained more damage from this kind of expose' than did the GOP. Paul does wear a GOP lapel pin for elections, after all, which is as clear a declaration of his opinion as to the "lesser evil" as I can think of.
More:
Secretary of State Colin Powell told reporters that nearly four million lives are at risk and he warned that a widespread famine could be in prospect. "If the international community does not take immediate action, countless deaths and terrible tragedy are certain to follow," he said. Mr Powell said that the crisis stems from three years of drought coupled with a devastating civil war that has lasted more than 20 years. The new commitment raised the US assistance total for the year to $124 million, compared to $114 million for all of last year.....
The assistance is donated through international agencies of the United Nations and non-governmental organisations. Leonard Rogers, a top official of the Agency for International Development, citing estimates by UN agencies, said the crop shortfall for Afghanistan is estimated at two million tons this year, about twice the figure for last year. Rogers said precise information about the depth of the problem is hard to obtain because war-related security problems inhibit in depth assessments by US and UN officials and by non-governmental organisations. "We have imperfect understanding of what's going on there," he said. (oh, just great) -- http://www.itn.co.uk/news/20010518/world/04afghanistan.shtml
WASHINGTON, May 2 (AFP) - Thirteen US senators are calling on Secretary of State Colin Powell to provide 30 million dollars worth in emergency aid for Afghanistan, warning failure to act could spark a humanitarian crisis of "massive proportions." Tens of thousands of Afghans are facing a miserable future as a serious drought tightens its grip on a population badly weakened by years of civil war.
The letter, signed by Senator Dianne Feinstein of California and 12 Senate collegues asked Powell to offer 15 million dollars in emergency relief and migration aid and 15 million dollars from the US Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance.....
...The United States is already the biggest aid donor to Afghanistan, despite its animosity toward the ruling Taliban Islamic militia, which it blames for backing terrorism, drug trafficking and gross human rights abuses.... The militia is accused of harbouring international terrorists, including Saudi millionaire Osama bin Laden....
The letter to Powell was also signed by senators Joseph Biden, Barbara Boxer, Hillary Clinton, Russell Feingold, Edward Kennedy, Mary Landrieu, Patrick Leahy, Barbara Mikulski, Patty Murray, Harry Reid, Debbie Stabenow and Paul Wellstone. -- http://www.afghanradio.com/news/2001/may/may3e2001.html
Look at those signatories...
Feinstein, Boxer, Clinton, Kennedy, Stabenow, Wellstone... a veritable Murderer's Row of War Party (left-wing-division) Internationalist Statists.
I don't trust the LA Times. The statists on the Left should burn much hotter for pushing this idea on Powell in the first place. Their bastard, Powell just ran with it. IMHO.
Different government. In the early 90's the government was run by a female prime minister whose husband was so corrupt, they called him "Mister 10%" -- he seemed to get 10% of everything. They were overthrown by a military coup, which I believe is still in place.
Seems to me we have several treaties with this monarchy whose crazy king declared war on us twice and burned the president's house!
At the time [circa 1969], my friend Louis Menashe and I had a regular radio program on the Pacifica Network, a weekly political discussion show in which we interviewed Movement figures and engaged in political and theoretic discussion. Since Scheer was still considered an important figure on the Left…I got out my trusty, top-of-the-line SONY that WBAI had recommended we purchase, and began the interview. Scheer, however, said that he would talk on the record about only one topic - the only topic that mattered - the realization of the socialist utopia in Kim Il Sung's North Korea.
For over two hours, Scheer talked and talked about the paradise he had seen during a recent visit to North Korea, about the greatness of Kim Il Sung, about the correct nature of his so-called juche ideology - evidently a word embodying Kim's redefinition of Marxism-Leninism in building Communism against all obstacles and with the entire world in opposition… At one point, I asked him incredulously: "Bob, do you really believe this crap?" Scheer responded with complete earnestness that he did - that Kim had charted out a path that other nations could and should take as an example of the art of the possible….[Finally], the interminable interview ended, leaving me recalling Woody Allen's famous words to Annie Hall's demented brother: "I have to go now. I'm due back on planet earth."
New bombs would only stir the rubble of earlier bombs. Would they at least get the Taliban? Not likely. In today's Afghanistan, only the Taliban eat, only they have the means to move around.
US foreign aid is systematically diverted by those in power. This is the record of US foreign aid in just about every country we ever subsidize. Those with power, take the financial aid from those who are weak.
I'm sorry that the Afghans are starving -- yet another victim of Communist imperialism (this is not a flippant statement on my part, I really bear the average crippled Afghan orphan or destitute widow no ill will) -- but it cannot help to put financial assistance into a kettle from which the Jihadists of the Taliban skims the proceeds for their own benefit. Especially when the "kettle" in question is already so dry that even the Taliban are desperate to steal any financial aid they can get their hands on.
We created a monster. Now we have to kill it.
On the one hand, they can not be allowed to get away with this. Never mind that misguided Interventionist policies helped to install them in power, they have shown their willingness to commit mass-murder and must now be removed from power.
But on the other hand, I fear that the author of your piece may well be right in his observation that this will be no simple matter.
It's like I've said: I wholeheartedly approve of military action to annihilate those responsible. I believe that it is morally justified (and then some) and strategically necessary. But -- as I said above -- it seems to me that the complete elimination of the Taliban State as a political entity is the only operation which will burn out this cancer once and for all. And personally, I would like to hear some militarily realistic scenarios of just how we are going to do that.
David Wright
And I have you know that our military leaders and consultants must be insane, because they have said on NATIONAL TV that they have not ruled that option out.
Sounds cheap to me for access to Afghanistan. Is it the money that bothers you or the lifting of sanctions.
It was Pakistan's ISI that acted as the go-between for the U.S. and Osama bin Laden in the 80's.
Who gives a crap what happened in the mid 80's. Different time, different circumstance. This is 9/14/01 and three days ago bin Laden killed ten or twenty thousand Americans. If we have to make deals with devils to kill the bastards, thats the way it is.
Yes. They must be insane. And if you think that it is a good idea to send our sons and daughters into an area that has just been Nuked, you are even more insane. They'll likely all be killed by radiation poisoning. That's Darwin award material.
Please enlist now.
Do you read. What was it that you think my next post said? UNTIL we HAVE captured Bin Laden. Until and HAVE are past tense. Know what that means? That would mean that our soldiers would have already come and gone.
By stating that 1985-era material was not-relevant, you are ignoring the subject to which the modifier "not-relevant" applied. Namely, the debate over food aid and this event.
Our training of Afghans to rebel against the USSR was widely supported. If you suggest that we should have allowed the Soviets to control that region, we must disagree.
Furthermore, the Soviet debacle in Afghanistan was an important ingredient in their collapse.
But alas, as I see this thread is devolving into a virutal tribute to Michael Rivero and John Bircher drivel, I'll leave you to your ranting.
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