I believe the people held elections....if it not perfect (like ours), then make the changes in new elections.
I believe taking out Al qaeda and Talibans also means freeing the people, sorry if I was not clearer.
If someone like Saddam turns up, I would think the new government along with the people should be able to handle it.
I do wish the people the best....they also need to help themselves and hiding taliban and others is not helping themselves.

__________________
Anyone who thinks freedom comes cheap, please put the blindfold on and stand against the wall.

IT IS TIME for Americans to take back the country and start a new government.

It is not our responsibility to end it in Afghan.....we have enough trouble in THIS country with drugs.

__________________
Anyone who thinks freedom comes cheap, please put the blindfold on and stand against the wall.

IT IS TIME for Americans to take back the country and start a new government.

The American military doesn't give a shit about drugs, they give a shit about the guns they are being shot at with that were bought with drug money.

__________________
Democrats are sexy. Who ever heard of a nice piece of elephant?

Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

yes, i agree....reason we needed to stop the Taliban from raising money from the drugs or freezing the assets.

My comment was towards general population, many farmers took to growing poppy after Al-Qaida was outst.

__________________
Anyone who thinks freedom comes cheap, please put the blindfold on and stand against the wall.

IT IS TIME for Americans to take back the country and start a new government.

They aren't targeting poppy growers, less supply equals more money. They are targetting the big-money sellers and buyers. But as long as there is supply, there will be demand, therefore guns. So I see this war on drugs in Afghanistan turning out about as well as the war on drugs back here at home, even though the objectives of the 2 are completely different.

__________________
Democrats are sexy. Who ever heard of a nice piece of elephant?

Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

Yes, I fully understand what you are saying.
But I also know if we tried to stop the farmers from growing poppy, then we would have been seen as taking control and forcing the general population to do what we want.....we needed the help of those people and their trust, I dont think telling them what they could and could not grow would help our cause.
But that is my opinion, not saying it right.

__________________
Anyone who thinks freedom comes cheap, please put the blindfold on and stand against the wall.

IT IS TIME for Americans to take back the country and start a new government.

If they cut off the supply, the price of heroin currently in stock pile will sky rocket.


Added in: It's nothing like our war on drugs, where the actual drug is being combated. The military doesn't care about people getting high, they care about the money generated from the sale of heroin. The last thing they want to do is cause a spike in price.

__________________
Democrats are sexy. Who ever heard of a nice piece of elephant?

Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

Lets not forget, 90% of world supply of opium comes from Afghanistan according to a UN report I read a while back. So you can bet that most of the drug problems encountered in every country including America, has to have a direct relationship with Afghanistan.

Now, this guy, Ahmed Karzai, controls a large portion of drug trade and traffickin in Afghanistan. Deal with the basterd,... why is he on CIA's payroll. Nobody is addressing the fact that the Americans will look bad for dealing with this guy in the first place. It will reinforce the idea that the Americans have dealings with corrupted individuals under the table.

Secondly, how can you give Afghanis a chance in life when you got people like him in power. And what I mean in power, I mean CIA are paying him to be in his current position to serve them and comply with their demands.

**** the argument that the Afghanis elected this government. You know very well that Karzai and his lot were living in exile and were brought by the Americans and put in power,... then when thats the only face the people can see, you tell them now you can do elections?? And the recent elections were such a **** up that you cant really even mention the world "democratically" .... nobody believes there is any ounce of democracy in Afghanistan.

Anyway the harm that comes from this guy, to Afghanistan and the rest of the world should be a good reason for putting him in the list of most wanted. But, right now, he is an ally... so wtf.!!! How many people are dying around the world from this guys opium trade. So dont tell me we shouldnt give a sht about the drug trade in Afghanistan and just deal with the war.

WS.

__________________
"You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom"- Malcom X

Ahmad Wali is the representative for southern Afghanistan region in Kandahar. He was chosen as a representative of Kandahar province in the 2002 Loya jirga and also the 2004 Constitutional Loya Jirga. He was elected to the Kandahar Provincial Council in 2005.

Okay he's not part of the national government (what a joke, there is no national governmenmt, just his brother acting as the major of Kabul).

Anyway is it just me but wouldn't criminal scum like him, make a perfect candidate for some waterboarding, given all his contacts???

One or two sessions and the military has a long and nice list of targets, bang bang

__________________
"Homo Homini Lupus"
Thomas Hobbes

Why anyone here is defending this is beyond me.

__________________
"Jesus said: I have cast fire upon the world, and behold I guard it until it is ablaze."
Gospel of Thomas

I wasnt defending the asshole, simply saying we were not sent there to stop all the drugs.

I agree with Wisdom_Seeker....waterboard his ass until he shits pure water, then take him out and let the general public have their way with him.

__________________
Anyone who thinks freedom comes cheap, please put the blindfold on and stand against the wall.

IT IS TIME for Americans to take back the country and start a new government.

The problem is, his own brother who is in power, the president, defended him telling reporters to bring proof and evidence that Ahmed is into drugs or is being paid by the CIA. This is a joke!!

The CIA should not go uncriticized by the American people. THEY are paying for their existance through taxes... so why is it jeopordizin the lives of soldiers on the ground (through drug money used for arming the wrong side) and ultimately the American citizen... through drugging him/her to death using Afghani opium most likely supplied by this asshole ahmed karzai.

This is clear evidence to the right wingers that the dealings of your representatives abroad are far from nobel or just. No wonder they are loosing the war.

I dont like to speculate but am pretty sure individuals like him in the same government and in the Iraqi government are on CIA's payroll.

WS.

__________________
"You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom"- Malcom X

A couple of things here; first, the CIA is trying to gather intelligence on the opium trade as it relates to terrorism and the Taliban. It’s kinda hard (impossible) to get information on the opium market from people who have no connection to it. Second, it seems almost as difficult to get away from governmental corruption in Muslim countries. As long as he can generate leads on drug trafficking and/or the forces allied against us, there’s no reason for the CIA to drop him as an informant. This is a bigger problem for Hamid Karzai, so Hamid needs to be the one to address the situation.

__________________
“Nations have no permanent friends or allies, they only have permanent interests.” - Lord Palmerston

Try and find someone thatisn't corrupt, over there. It's impossible. Corruption is their way of life, it's their culture. They simply don't understand how to operate w/o it.

__________________
A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.
- George Bernard Shaw

This is what happens when you don't kill all the existing leaders friendly to your cause when you set up a government in a 3rd world country were the only way to gain any influence is through corruption.

Is that wrong? Should we not have done that?

__________________
January 21, 2013: The End of an ERROR.

"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."
"When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."
"The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself."
---Benjamin Franklin