14 More Americans Dead In Afghanistan

[Jesus_lol]

[quote name='kamiller42' date='27 October 2009 - 08:33 PM' timestamp='1256697220' post='1992504']
That was a question to the general audience, not to any particular one person. But, yes, the question could be expanded to international range. What has happened to the education systems where people think the worst of America?
[/quote]

i am assuming you are referring to the american system? in a phrase, it began to smell of elderberries harder than a black hole.

[Lounge Daddy]

[quote name='Jesus_lol' date='27 October 2009 - 04:07 PM' timestamp='1256674068' post='1992260']
... his platform was to put Iraq on a timetable and start focusing on afghanistan, which sounds like its happening.
[/quote]

Oh that's right. McCain was the "stay focused in Iraq indefinitely" Republicrat. Obama was the "go back to full-blown fighting in Afghanistan and bomb Pakistan" Republicrat. I guess moving from one ring of hell to another is change.

[MithLuin]

Obama campaigned on pulling out of Iraq and intensifying the war in Afghanistan. He has made modest changes on both counts, but anyone who was expecting instant miracles is sadly disillusioned at this point, obviously.

As you probably know, Afghanistan supplies over 90% of the world's heroin. The opium poppies in much of the southern regions fuel an extensive international drug trade supplying over 15 million users. Fighting [i]that[/i] isn't easy; it's like taking on the Columbian drug lords.

The cultivation of poppies and production of opium [i]skyrocketed[/i] in the time after the US invasion. In the past few years, it has finally started to decrease again, due in part to an extended drought in the region (price of wheat doubled, price of poppies fell). But also due to the efforts of our soldiers there. [url=http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2009/September/afghan-opium-production-in-significant--decline.html]Recent UN Report[/url] Still, it's higher than it was in 2005, which was [i]much[/i] higher than it was in the 90's, so there's a long way to go to fight this. Note the presence of DEA agents on that helicopter....

Also, for anyone who's been watching the news, you'll know there was an election in Afghanistan. The favorite (ie, the guy backed by the US) cheated, though, so he's just agreed to a runoff election to legitimize the govt. This political upheaval certainly calls into question US policies and what we are doing there - if Afghanistan lacks a democratically elected leader, we'd be supporting local warlords (never a good thing....)

[Jesus_lol]

[quote name='MithLuin' date='28 October 2009 - 06:50 AM' timestamp='1256734212' post='1992659']The favorite (ie, the guy backed by the US) cheated, though, so he's just agreed to a runoff election to legitimize the govt. This political upheaval certainly calls into question US policies and what we are doing there - if Afghanistan lacks a democratically elected leader, we'd be supporting local warlords (never a good thing....)
[/quote]

... and history repeats itself.

[kamiller42]

[quote name='Jesus_lol' date='28 October 2009 - 04:10 AM' timestamp='1256717424' post='1992621']
i am assuming you are referring to the american system? in a phrase, it began to smell of elderberries harder than a black hole.
[/quote]
No, America the country and its intentions.

[CatherineM]

We lost a soldier from here in Edmonton today in Afghanistan.

[jeffpugh]

Aww, that's sad.