ELIMINATE TERROR/WAR

It has been announced that the “War on Terror” in Afghanistan will be the focus of a joint “study” between the Afghan government and the United States.
The first step should be the elimination of the words “War on Terror.” It’s a well-worn cliché that “wars” cannot be fought against ideas and “terror” is an idea. “Terror” does not have a universally agreed upon definition but in general “terror” is defined by acts of violence perpetrated against “innocents” -- non-combatants – by non-state actors for a political impact.
One must ask: Is it not “terror” when state-sponsored embargos and wars deprive non-combatants, civilians, babies, mothers, families, of food, health care, shelter, and, oh yes, in the process destroy their homes and kill or imprison them (without due process).
As for the word “war,” maybe this word too should be eliminated. Metaphors aside, haven’t we seen enough of the horror of “war”?
How can the Afghan “government” (remember we’re not really talking a unified country) and the U.S. government approach this issue?
A modest suggestion: switch the focus from “terror” to hunger, education, health care, and human rights.
Instead of “war,” which suggests opposing sides, look for common ground with the people of the mountains and tribal territories, with the poppy growers and the starving people in the cities.
Look at history. Since the first Afghan farmers – we’re talking farming 50,000 years ago -- faced off with the first tribal invaders and more recently (4000 years ago) Persians followed by Alexander the Great, this land of strong people has defeated all comers, most recently the British Empire followed by the Soviet Union.
If the last several thousand years have demonstrated anything it is that Afghanistan cannot be unified by invaders nor tribal wars.
Forget bin Laden. Undercut his power. Talk with the people. Eliminate bin Laden’s base.
Village-by-village, tribe-by-tribe, work with people instead of carpet-bombing them. Learn languages, cultures. Don’t force our values. Don’t demand subservience.
Share life.
Attend weddings; don’t target them because suspects are dancing in celebration.
Share our humanity.
Not easy?
Beats the last several thousand years of war.

Afghanistan and Obama

Finally on Meet the Press , President elect Barack Obama has spoken to the issue of not solving the problems in Afghanistan with military force. It was third on his list of approaches to Afghanistan Let's hope he is giving all the necessary lipservice to military solutions and truly understands the solution lies not in military force and occupation but finally delving into the complexities that comprise the geographic area known as Afghanistan, a country that is not necessarily representative of the hopes of the generations who have found themselves, within those borders,variously under the thumbs of the Brits, Soviets, US and its own warlords.
Finally, a smart guy will be President. What a relief.
Let him not be sucked into the maelstrom of Washington think.
That is all our responsibility. Hold this guy's feet to our fires.

Terrorism

If our foreign policy based on "FIGHTING" al Qaeda we are destined to fight forever.
Our foreign policy needs CHANGE, not the same old tired cliches.
It is time to examine the root causes of terror, look at the festering sores around the world that make it so easy to recruit terrorists for the agendas of the extreme few.
Pakistan and India must resolve their issues, Israel and Palestine must resolve their issues, the Shiites and Sunnis must come to a modus vivendi, the Philippine government must work out a proper settlement with their Moslem population, the governments of Somalia, Uganda, The Congo must be helped to resolve their conflicts and stop genocides.
The United States needs to take a leadership position for peace, not constant war.
All the bombs and guns in the world will never stop terror. More troops in Afghanistan will only inflame the situation unless they are there to bring stability not bomb more civilians, not endlessly hunt in the caves of the Khyber Pass for bin Ladin. We are wasting time and resources and inflaming more terror.
Our current policies have been al Qaeda's best recruiting tools.

It is time for the US to seek creative and intelligent ways to resolve these festering human tragedies.
It is time for a new approach.

US English

If xenophobes only want us to speak US English, why is Bush still President?

tactical nukes

Simply said, Dame Edith Sitwell paraphrased, "A nuke is a nuke is a nuke."

How does a piss poor diminuitive (tactical) somehow lessen the horror of nuclear war?