Expensively dispatched. But endlessly replenishable. The British could not hold Afghanistan, and intelligently left. The Russians, with a ruthlessness (and a geogrphical proximity) that the Western powers could never hope to approach, could not hold Afghanistan, and intelligently left (having self-inflicted great damage on their own economy, and on their own military morale).

Why are we in Afghanistan? Why do we wish to build roads, and other infrastructure, when we have every reason to believe that the poorer, more illiterate and isolated the Muslim villagers are, the less able they are to receive the Jihad-war-whooops and propaganda that greater prosperity would naturally bring -- for that is what audiocassettes, and videocassettes, and access to satellite television, and Internet service, means for Muslims who are pulled out of living (and fighting among themselves) at a subsistence level. The misapplication of naive Western ideas -- that greater "prosperity" will perforce lessen the hold of Islam in Afghanistan -- has to be held up for public inspection.

J. B. Kelly and many others with some sense of what Afghanistan's history has been, suggest it will "all end in tears" for the West, which is exactly the phrase Kelly used, several years ago, about Iraq, at the very beginning of the conflict, when there was such enormous oorah-excitement and pleasure, all over official Washington, at the magnificent achievement, at the certain great victory, at the impending "transformation" of the whole Muslim Middle East.

A little reading, a little thought, a little knowledge about Islam and Iraq, or for that matter Islam and Afghanistan, would help. It would help save lives, save a trillion dollars, save NATO from internecine wrangling, save soldiers from going to war wearing karakul kid gloves, and never taking those gloves off, lest Afghani hearts, lest Afghani minds, lest oily Karzai himself, be too much offended to be won, won, won.

Posted by: Hugh at May 14, 2007 10:36 AM

..."Meanwhile, I hope David Cameron will dispatch a team to Kandahar forthwith to compel Omar to stop associating Islam with terrorism."...

Good one. Sometimes you have to gotta laugh to combat the frustration.

Posted by: Jan Sobieski at May 14, 2007 10:41 AM

Hugh said…….Expensively dispatched. But endlessly replenishable.
How very true.
2007: one down 1.3 billion to go
Fast forward>>>>>>>>>
20?? : one down 4.5 billion to go
NOT GOOD

Posted by: Freedom at May 14, 2007 10:53 AM

Catherine,

I will not have you besmirching the good name of my little blue friend!!!

Cheers,

http://doctorbulldog.wordpress.com

Posted by: Doctor Bulldog at May 14, 2007 11:35 AM

Today is election today. We are voting on whether to elect a new people. Senate offices are taking phone calls as fast as they can on amnesty. A family member just called in and had the same experience I had this morning, they took their position for or against amnesty as fast as possible and the call was over.

They are recording votes not having discussion. We are having an election today, and its about us. Call in and be counted. This is voting day.

Its easier and faster than voting. Its over in less than a minute. You get to do it from home.

This is the unannounced election day. The polls are at home or the office or your cell phone. You have to call in to be counted. Lunch time is a good time to call, there was no wait.

Call Your Senator No Amnesty: Talking Points HUTCHISON-PENCE PLAN

Posted by: Old Atlantic at May 14, 2007 12:04 PM

The way one stops a large fire is by stamping out the brush fires.

Like killing jihadis.

Kill enough and there are a few more hundred of years of peace.

Some of you are defeatests or recoil from violence, which unfortunately is part of the human condition, a condition of life.

You believe that all can be resolved in an ivory tower.

Well, the barbarians are at the gates.

Bless our fighting men and women.

Posted by: dgene at May 14, 2007 12:47 PM

what cost do you place on maintaining your freedoms? What are you willing to do, before you throw in the towel and reply; "Take me, I am your slave."

Posted by: exsgtbrown at May 14, 2007 2:09 PM

Well, the barbarians are at the gates.

Bless our fighting men and women.
Posted by: dgene

I totally agree. i grew up right after all the hippies and it took me a long time to realize that we will have to FIGHT this evil. And that in order to fight it we have to fight it a la World War 2.

That means NO HOLD BARRED!

Kill as many of them as it takes until they no longer have the will to fight either collectively or as individuals.

Logical, ain't it?

Posted by: Allahfanculo at May 14, 2007 2:40 PM

@Hugh..

I do like that we went into Afghanistan and smoked out the Taliban.

But we should have build a few bvases from which to roust any rebuilding of terrorist training facilities and from which to launch our search for OBL and other miscreants.

That would cost us a whole lot less. Building roads and hospitals and libraries is a really dumb idea I agree.

If these people want deomocracy they will fight for it themselves.

We should only do what is in our interest.

Iraq was a complete waste. We had no need to go in there. We had flyover control as it was and a secular dictator in place who was ruthless enough to keep the peace.

If we were as ruthless as Saddam Hussein then we could occupy these places. But we have no need to anyway.

All we need is control of some heavily fortified bases in Afghanistan for raids and for detention and interrogation of terrorists.

Which should be affordable.

Then we'd have loads of money to spend on our infrastructure at home - including border security.

Posted by: Allahfanculo at May 14, 2007 2:46 PM

So what's his point?

They are running scared since Muslims are finally catching on that none of the Elders never seem to love Allah or have faith in Muhammed's martydome for paradise to become the actual Suicide bomber , it's too easy to fool the young by brainwashing them in Madrassas and now resorting to females for Jihad.

The Edlders are dying off and even if they females out-breed us they are not keeping up with the old standards like Osama had , especially now the Muslims Men can't legally set up a Harem to have many Baby Machines and career Welfare-wives
with always having a child to keep them at home.
The youth population is shrinking and the American Muslims are too smart to buy into CAIR's tripe or Hooper's victimhood tirades about Islamophobia or "Backlash" that Hooper never seems to have proof of , much like Hooper's Vandalism to Mosques and Qurans which the Police and FBI can never get Security Videos or witnesses to ID the Islamophobe or prove it wasn't a Shi'it-Sunnah revenge attack as the Quran allows for.

This is the typical hollow threat by a bully that really doesn't want to actually fight you , and now Al-Qaeda and the Taliban are being exposed in this Global news highway where a video phone or satellite Internet link can show the suicide bomber what waits for them like the limbs and heads we see strewn around, or the failed VBIED where the driver is burnt to a crisp and seen half way out the door trying to escape while on fire.

Plus, at the rate Muslims are slaughtering each other in Iraq this will thin out the gene-pool for the really savage animals that have no God at all and CAIR likes to claim here in the West .

As much as I should be insulted for the label of a soft westerner that wants his Coffee and jelly donut on Saturday Morinings ,both my Parents served in WW2 so I could have that Coffee and Jelly donut and the Jihadist will have to pry the Donut from my cold dead hand before I bow to Allah or Shariah law.

Posted by: ala-sux at May 14, 2007 3:22 PM

Well-said, ala-sux!

Puck Fislam!

Posted by: Allahfanculo at May 14, 2007 4:59 PM

I agree that killing one jihadi leader will not end the war. When Rommel topped himself the war didn’t end. But it did take one slight step closer to conclusion because he was a great leader of his men and great leaders don’t grow on trees.

Now I don’t really know what makes a great leader in the world of Islamic jihad. but I do know that Omar wanted Dadullah has his top field commander and that we used Special Forces to get the scumbag.

So just maybe the guy was a good or even a great leader, and just maybe his replacement won’t be quite as good. Possibly we have took a very small step closer to a conclusion, and hopefully one NATO soldier will go home who wouldn’t have if Dadullah had been in charge.

I just believe it’s wrong to underestimate these people who lead the jihad, many of them have fought for years and they are respected for their tenacity by NATO, if not for their ability to drop a mortar on target.

Posted by: Mert at May 14, 2007 6:35 PM

I just believe it’s wrong to underestimate these people who lead the jihad, many of them have fought for years and they are respected for their tenacity by NATO, if not for their ability to drop a mortar on target.
Posted by: Mert

I agree. All the more reason to fight this like a REAL war and not with all sorts of R.O.E. and velvet gloves.

Let us use our superior firepower to bomb the enmy into utter submission.

Why waste ONE of our own to save *them*?

Their constitution has the death penalty for anyone who leaves the "religion" of islam.

Is that the kind of state we have to defend?

Posted by: Allahfanculo at May 14, 2007 7:03 PM

Spot On,as usual Hugh.
U.S & NATO are simply squandering money,expensive equipment & Infidel blood which will be desperately needed for defending our home
ground. However-'THOSE WHO DON'T LEARN THE LESSONS OF HISTORY ARE FATED TO REPEAT THEM...'

Posted by: Morgane at May 14, 2007 7:19 PM

If the US started to use the word jihad to rationalise its actions I would break out into a cold sweat

How about FUBAR? That’s a cool acronym.

“We have moved past ‘Search and Destroy’ and are now using ‘FUBAR’ operations against Mullah Omar and his jihadist scum”.

Posted by: Mert at May 14, 2007 7:21 PM

Morgane,

Don’t forget that at this point in time back to the latest opening of hostilities in New York we are still using our expeditionary forces.

The defence of our homes will fall to the people and not the professional soldiers, as it as done since the First World War in Britain with Kitchener's Army.

I keep looking around for 4 billion Muslims massed for frontal attacks and all I see is mega slow burn jihad using democracy and a flow of young male cannon fodder into every place where a Mullah or Imam decides is worthy.

I was sat in this house unmolested by jihad when the Muslims blew up the Twin Towers, I still am. The only difference is that my family are contractors instead of self employed.

Posted by: Mert at May 14, 2007 7:45 PM

Mullah Omar can be next to go to hell. killing islmaists especially leaders will slow up the pace.
you win wars by letting your enemy die for his country (islam) than letting yourself get killd, as one famous General Patton once said! so let Omar bleat out, we send them all to allah land, way down deep into hell.

Posted by: ZenaWarriorPrincess at May 14, 2007 11:58 PM

"...and europe will never be russian!"
(Goebbels, 1945)

Of course, he's going to say that...he'd say it no matter how good or bad his mob is doing.
No surprise here either.

Posted by: jcom972 at May 15, 2007 1:24 AM