I might or might not be going against the liberal grain here. You can let me know.
I’ve been musing over the war in Afghanistan. Call me right-wing but I think the U.S. should be there. This Taliban bullshit has to end. If the generals and folks on the ground say they need more troops, give them more troops. I saw a report last night on NBC that said violence is up in Afghanistan and is at an even higher rate than in 2001. I find this statement/report misleading. Afghanistan was the focus on the War on Terror for about two seconds before the distraction of Iraq’s “nuclear arsenal” became priority. Violence is up because although we have transitioned troops there for a while in that country, the Taliban have been allowed to strengthen as U.S. efforts focused on Iraq. It was going to be a long fight anyway—I don’t think we went to Iraq for the right reasons and it took forever for troops to get out of there—as a result, the American public’s patience for waiting has been (understandably) reduced. These folks (Taliban) have been entrenched in war for forever; I think it’s a matter of adaptation and governmental/military evolution.
Ramblings of a Medicated Lady: Words of Woe by Loria Taylor 
16 comments
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October 8, 2009 at 10:43 am
PoeticGrin
I’m not informed enough to make this comment but what about a change in our technique? Rather than waging war from within the country and having ghosts of Vietnam haunt us, what about strategic special forces operations to take out the Taliban? In and out missions?
October 8, 2009 at 10:52 am
medicatedlady
Technique is where’s it at. Don’t know about specifically special forces. There are tens of thousands of Taliban members. Special Forces, in my limited understanding, are the elite of the elite but doesn’t that automatically make their numbers much smaller?
The Geneva Conventions were set up as rules for war after countless atrocities in WW II. With the Taliban, they do not fight in agreement with such conventions. What if America renounced the Geneva Conventions in this case to scare the piss out of the Taliban? I’m not saying the U.S. should actually violate the conventions but just have the appearance of being resolute in solving this conflict. Maybe the U.S. could simply give the impression (publicize the unfortunate fate of war criminals) that the conventions aren’t being followed. I have no idea how that could possibly fly in reality but it’s just an idea.
October 8, 2009 at 11:44 am
PoeticGrin
What – are you buying your pills from MedicatedLimbaugh now? I can’t endorse renouncing the Geneva Conventions, you right wing wacko. I don’t even know you. You disgust me. You’re dead to me.
See you Saturday at the picnic!
October 8, 2009 at 2:03 pm
valbrussell
Four Thoughts:
1. Atomic Bomb
2. Russia, South America and China talking
3. Empire State Building celebrating communist China’s 60th anniversary
4. Why swat at some mosquitos (taliban) when there is a swarm of hornets
(China) coming at you from behind?
HUGS
October 8, 2009 at 3:14 pm
medicatedlady
But Vaaal, mosquitos kill millions and billions of people each year and go unnoticed because they are so seemingly unimportant. Me no likey nuclear bombs so I agree there’s other shit to be done. There’s too much shit to be done. Maybe I should move to Canada where I’d feel less guilty about my government SUPPORTING the Taliban (given it wasn’t anit-West at the time) in the 80s and allowing them to gain such power in Afghanistan–I feel as though we have majorly contributed to the violence over that and that we have a responsibility to do something about it.
October 8, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Val
🙂 Me loves you medicatedlady always will hugs
October 8, 2009 at 3:42 pm
poeticgrin
Dead to me. Also, do you want to hang out tomorrow?
October 8, 2009 at 3:57 pm
medicatedlady
Okay, if I support the cause, it will immediately be squashed. This was on yahoo:
Official: Obama focusing on al-Qaida, not Taliban (AP)
AP – President Barack Obama is prepared to accept some Taliban involvement in Afghanistan’s political future and will determine how many more U.S. troops to send to the war based only on keeping al-Qaida at bay, a senior administration official said Thursday.
WHAT???????????????????????????????????? The Taliban as it is today wants to smother/destroy everyone who isn’t a part of the Taliban! alQaida seems at the very least to be a fraternal twin of the Taliban, if not a nearly identical one. Shit.
October 8, 2009 at 6:21 pm
poeticgrin
OOOH girl are you creating a bunker/war room in your home? Do you have camouflage facepaint on? Are you smoking a cigar? Are you letting your armpit hair grow? Do you own or do you anticipate owning a bazooka? If you were attacked by an intruder, which gifts that I have given to you would you most enjoy using as weapons?
October 8, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Paul Squires
What about America stops pretending to be the World’s Policeman, fixes up the fundamental problem’s in your society, stops spending so much on the military and starts spending it on humans, stops pretending to be the ‘land of the free’ while imprisoning a higher proportion of the population than any other country on earth, has a real good hard look at the fact everywhere it has tried to interfere in another countries politics it has fucked up and so on and so on and so on. Jump on the right wing bandwagon just as it’s wheels are falling off? Unwise.
October 8, 2009 at 6:54 pm
medicatedlady
Bryan–please no bazooka for me. But I have a lovely phalic vase and several books to thwart my enemies.
Paul–Clearly, America has no fundamental problems in our society. I am not prone to conservative leanings, but I happen to think that the Afghan people shouldn’t be left to rot, especially in light of the destruction America has admittedly caused. Maybe Afghanistan was already a dying nation and the U.S. helped sped up the dying for its own purposes. I am saying I am looking around, thinking, “what have we done to these people??” and making a last-ditch effort to somehow keep it alive.
October 9, 2009 at 8:08 am
bindo
Not sure if I agree about that right wing stuff though, but den dis is amereeca, we don’t have to agree…Isn’t that cool!!! Is it worth fighting for? dying for?
I know, lets all be Canadians!!! They don’t fuck with anybody and nobody fucks with them..
Can ya say….Eh?
October 9, 2009 at 8:14 am
bindo
Ya know ML…Squires has a point…
I know! Lets all be Aussies, its not cold there!
Can ya say…G’day
October 9, 2009 at 8:22 am
medicatedlady
I’d like to be Canadian because they seem like nice folks (Val, Paul R. and so on) and all…and besides, I’m in love with the accent.
October 9, 2009 at 9:46 am
Val
Aw shucks medicatedlady hugs You are always welcome in the land of the moose, beaver, polar bear and snow.
You are right bindo, we Canadians don’t fuck with anyone, we don’t have to because we have a secret weapon, we just force them to stick their tongues on a cold shovel in the middle of January and that more or less takes care of the whole situation. We don’t need poisonous snake and spiders like they do in Oz. CehDehNeh 😉
October 9, 2009 at 11:37 am
jessiecarty
my husband argues for a move to canada about once a week, but then we’d have like no jobs or anything..oh wait..i don’t have one but he has 2 ..
but i digress…i’m still not sure where i fall on this issue either ML and everyone else but if we stay in afghan there really has to be a fundamental change in the way they handle the “war” if we can even call it that.
i people wonder why i’m not a fan of religion..