In a stark assessment of shootings of locals by US troops at checkpoints in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal said in little-noticed comments last month that during his time as commander there,
"We've shot an amazing number of people and killed a number and, to my knowledge, none has proven to have been a real threat to the force."
The comments came during a virtual town hall with troops in Afghanistan after one asked McChrystal to comment on the "escalation of force" problem. The general responded that, in the nine months he had been in charge, none of the cases in which "we have engaged in an escalation of force incident and hurt someone has it turned out that the vehicle had a suicide bomb or weapons in it."
In many cases, he added, families were in the vehicles that were fired on.
I love my President, but I hate this war.
Isn't about time to walk away from Bush's ill conceived war and to stop killing innocent Afghans?
in a word - yes.
ReplyDeleteCan't we declare war on something close to home. I dunno maybe Canada or something. I mean hell if we are intent on waring against somebody how about tea baggers! These are no more absurd than what were doing now
ReplyDeleteit is. we've spent more money killing people than really helping them. but people for some reason get all upset and aggravated when money gets taken away from killing. i really don't understand...
ReplyDeleteI agree with others, there always seems to be money to "kill" but not enough for health care.
ReplyDeleteI HATE HATE war, but I think you are all being naive and simplistic. I have total confidence that President Obama would have pulled out if he could of. Why wouldn't he?? He voted against the war but maybe leaving would leave us in a worse situation. I don't believe in war but unfortunately the Taliban and Terrorist groups are still a huge problem there. Just my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI am basically a pacifist, but I do think that we need to find Bin Laden. We have no excuse for being in Iraq.
ReplyDeleteThey are afraid the economy will collapse if the war machine folds. We have been using war to keep this country afloat for a very long time. Morality has nothing to do with their decisons about killing people, that includes Obama.
ReplyDelete" HATE HATE war, but I think you are all being naive and simplistic. I have total confidence that President Obama would have pulled out if he could of. Why wouldn't he?? He voted against the war but maybe leaving would leave us in a worse situation. I don't believe in war but unfortunately the Taliban and Terrorist groups are still a huge problem there. Just my opinion."
ReplyDeleteAnd you claim Gryph is simplistic? What is your solution?
"I am basically a pacifist, but I do think that we need to find Bin Laden"
ReplyDeleteCan you provide any credible evidence since early 2002 that Bin Laden is actually alive? I could create better Bin Laden tapes in my home studio than we generally get. Wanna come over and help me make the next one?
If he actually were alive, by now there would be a video of him with a newspaper showing a fucking date on it. That's called "proof of life." When's the last "proof of life," friend?
I am not sure whether bin Laden is alive or dead, but we invaded Afghanistan because they would not surrender him unless we promised we would not execute him, and Bush wouldn't agree to that. (Plus, he wanted the opportunity to attack Iraq and started diverting funds from Afghanistan to Iraq right after we invaded.) Since bin Laden,alive or dead, is not in Afghanistan, we might as well leave. Nobody has ever conquered Afghanistan, and I'm not sure what we'd do with it if we did win, which I consider increasingly unlikely. Two Bush wars; two Bush losses, and Obama has to pick up the mess.
ReplyDeleteAfghanistan is the greatest narco-state. Why quit a good thing?
ReplyDeleteIf only we knew more about economics. This could never be similar to Vietnam or Iran Contra.
Yes, it is time to walk away - and to bring our troops home from all war zones, followed by troops stationed in other countries, ie: Japan, Korea, Germany, etc.
ReplyDeleteI realize that this will change our country's economics, but maybe we could change from a military-based economy and move into a new technology-based system where we are once again innovators.
We can't kill our way to victory over an enemy that embraces death as a heroic means to enter an imaginary afterlife filled with inexpensive desserts and mustachioed virgins. Taking Bin Laden's miserable life isn't worth the loss of a single American or allied soldier. Support our brave and selfless troops by bringing them home.
ReplyDeleteYou can't make your own country more secure by invading, occupying and assassinating the citizens of other foreign nations. (That just creates more enemies).
ReplyDeleteIn fact, you can't defend your country where it ISN'T - you can only make it more secure where it IS!
And that doesn't mean turning it into a Police State. It would help to set a good example for the rest of the world to follow, and I'm not referring to to the production and peddling of trinkets but rather, enhancing the quality of life by protecting the environment and producing plenty of accessible and uncontaminated food, as well as being a good neighbor (i.e. welcoming those that come to harvest the crops you eat).
What is so brave and selfless about volunteering to go kill civilians, where the death toll of the two sides is at least one hundred to one, if not one thousand to one?
ReplyDelete