Read this: Plus our dumb Prime Minister Satan from Hell gave away another $15 billion to the military (but not the ice-breaker - we only have one for the entire Artic) -
[link]. html Toronto Sun July 2, 2006 (Sorry link is already broken.)
No place for Canada in Afghanistan
Foreign invaders will never control the fierce Pashtun tribesmen of Afghanistan
By Eric Margolis
The war in Afghanistan that was supposedly won has resumed -- with a vengeance. Fighting is reportedly intensifying and spreading across southern Afghanistan as resistance to foreign occupation grows. In 2001, unable to withstand high-tech U.S. forces, the Taliban leader Mullah Omar ordered his men to disband and blend into the civilian population. At the time, this column warned war would resume in about four years, just as it did after the 1979 Soviet invasion. Now, Taliban forces have taken the offensive against U.S. and NATO troops, often employing deadly new tactics like roadside and suicide bombs, learned from Iraq's resistance. Significantly, the Taliban have been joined by many other political and tribal groups. Prominent among them: Hisbi Islami, led by former CIA protege Gulbadin Hekmatyar -- the most effective guerilla leader in the 1980s anti-Soviet jihad -- and renowned mujahadin leader, Jallaludin Haqqi.
Small numbers of foreign jihadis have also come to fight. Most important, growing numbers of "khels," or clans of the Pashtun (Pathan) tribe -- the world's largest tribal group, numbering 40 million -- have joined the resistance. Pashtuns comprise half of Afghanistan's population of 30 million; 28 million more live across the border in Pakistan. The U.S./NATO campaign is increasingly directed against warlike Pashtun tribes like the Afridi and Orokzai, and their civilians, rather than against so-called "Taliban terrorists." Only fools pick fights with Pashtuns. Until recently, millions of dollars in monthly cash bribes from the CIA to Afghan warlords kept key areas under the nominal authority of the U.S.-installed Hamid Karzai regime. But that authority barely extends beyond the capital, Kabul.
Bodyguards 24/7
Karzai's popularity among Afghans is best judged by the fact that he is surrounded 24/7 by 100-200 U.S. bodyguards kept just out of range of western TV cameras. The Soviets built schools, clinics, and roads in Afghanistan, held "democratic" elections and branded the resistance "Islamic terrorists." The U.S./NATO occupation follows an identical pattern, complete with candy for kids, platitudes about women's rights and nation-building, and rigged elections.
But the westerners won't be any more successful in winning hearts and minds of Afghans than the Russians -- particularly once Washington begins to cut back on the mission. The biggest difference between the Soviet and U.S. occupation is that since 1989, Afghanistan has become a total narco-state. Close to 80% of national income comes from export of opium and morphine/heroin. Washington's allies (the Karzai regime and Afghan communists) are believed to be up to their turbans in the drug trade. Sending troops to Afghanistan was marketed to Americans -- and Canadians -- as a crusade against terrorism, with nation-building as a sub-theme. Blaming "terrorists" for the current upsurge in fighting obscures the natural and inevitable growth of resistance to foreign occupation.
Unbelievable claims
Claims by Washington and its allies that political progress is being made in Afghanistan are unbelievable. Many Afghans working for the foreign occupation are secretly in touch with the resistance. Of course. Afghans know one day the Americans, Canadians, and other foreigners will go home, just as did the Russians, British and Alexander's Greeks. What Canada hopes to gain by waging a 19th-century style colonial campaign of "pacification" straight out of the pages of Rudyard Kipling, against wild Pashtun tribesmen in the mountains of the Hindu Kush, remains to be satisfactorily explained.
margolis@foreigncorrespondent.com
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Plus read this comment on Conflict by Fractalstein
"That is a good representation of how our minds (human minds) are suppose to work:
1) things are not just Black and White - there are as many views on things in this world as there are colours, from this we learn tolerance, compassion and forgiveness
2) some things are clear and others are blurred - this tells us we must think deeply on things and not act in haste; nor act out of fear; nor act based on dogmatic principles
3) sometimes what we think or feel is an overlapping combination of many things, not just one thing - diversity complicates our lives, BUT it also enriches our lives and expands our minds
4) some parts are filled and other parts look like holes - this shows how we should always have room in our minds for something new"
under his image
Confliction. Thanks Fractalstein!
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Thanks!
Clubs:
The Faery Godmother Project [link] :thumb34193518:







I'm just reading John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meanie" and apparently Canada had over 30,000 troops in Vietnam! Who knew!??!?! Sicko! What a terrible bunch of idiots running the place. Wonder how happy they'd be if they had to actually fight - the oft asked question. If only the generals knew!!!
Thanks again for your support!
And other wars like you mentioned Vietnam war. 30,000 troops?
Wow, I didn't realize it was so that many?
I still preper Canadian military troops helping other kind of crisis,
giving medical help, giving relief, assisting rescue mission rather than going to war.
What a croc! He went [Harper, obviously for photo ops, propaganda that really suck] in Lebanon to meet the first batch of evacuated Canadians? If went so wrong, he didn't appear? He stayed on the presidential Canadian plane the whole fucking day... I guess his people [control damage] knew first what's wrong with the plan, total failure!
The promise of a nine hour trip from the port of Lebanon to Cyprus was hell, turned into 15 hour trip...
Israeli ships stop the rescue ships twice at different check points,detained the ship for two hours and another two hours? There was no co-ordination and communication There was short of food, water,
the washrooms/toilets on the rescue ships was really stunk and dirty. But some was really gracious they just thankful they still alive and rescued inspite of others suffering during the rescue.
So it was a mix of bad and good!
Just reading the news.
He's going to get such a vote of non-confidence if anyone with brains has the nerve to get up in Parliament and say it!!!! GET THE DICKHEAD OUT OF THE HOUSE!!! He should be at the beach now anyway!
Then again, so should I. Instead, I'm here at dA, in my my way too hot apartment!
they sent SEVEN ships! Lo and behold journalists found out, they had only ONE ship
for the evacuation! They were still trying to hire ships in the region to ferry evacuaees
from Lebanon to Turkey or Cyrus. Hello!, where are those military MS ships! or those
cruise ships perhaps? I was laughing so hard...oh dear! Why not come clean and tell
the truth for once!
You're right "he's such a Stockwell Day!"
Thanks for being the faithful one who reads my political posts. One of these days I should join the Canadian clubs. Have you?
It's incredible that Stockwell is STILL in politics!
It's nice to read someone's opinion...whether you agree to disagree, there's always some truth in it.
I found out. After all WE humans aren't perfect. There's lots of flaws and idiosycrancies going on.
No, I haven't joined the Canadian clubs. I will just browse and read.
"It's incredible that Stockwell is STILL in politics!" You can say that again!
I thought he's been long gone.