Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for February 18, 2010

He’s in Afghanistan. Taliban, hmm? Get your geopolitics straight

Either one, really. If either country’s main export was, say, broccoli, would NATO or any other country have troops, or any presence there? I suspect not.

Well since Afghanistan’s main imports are terrorist and opium poppies, I would think it is every nations interest to have presence there.

P.S. Have you noticed how a barrel of oil is now down to 50$? (not)

I think you mean exports, not imports.

Actually, Afghanistan’s main IMPORTS are foreign occupiers (Alexander the Great, the British, the Russians, us…), whom they chew up and spit out.

Opium poppies (which, oddly enough, the Taliban kept under control in the old days–in part because the Bush administration gave them something like $40 million in DEA money) and terrorists are EXPORTS.

As for oil–Afghanistan doesn’t have any of its own, but the country is between the oil fields of the Caspian Sea and the Indian Ocean ports. Ask Mr. Karzai what he was doing back in the days when he worked for Unocal…

Kea, that that is a smug and bigoted comment, and you should be ashamed of yourself.

I flagged him as well.

Oil is around 77.98 bbl at the moment that I type this. I don’t think that afghaniland has anything to do with it’s price until a pipeline across it is built. However, the Iranian stalemate probably does have a lot to do with it. AND, I think that the Iranians want us to bomb some fake sites to bring the price back up. Imagine how OPEC’s budgets have been halved by the price loss?

Regarding, the intelligence of the average U.S. soldier, most are average high school grads who let themselves be talked into “volunteering” because there are few jobs for a high school grad, they like the uniform, they believe their college education will be paid for, it is a chance for on the job training, Heavy Equipment Operator= Humvee driver, while those with more money go to college, skip the military and skip paying their taxes to support those who are in the military. There are a few exceptions.

^ Most of us voulenteered because we thought it was important to serve our country.

Soldiers aren’t dumb. Naive? Not taught to think critically so they don’t realize that they will always be pawns of the rich and powerful and kill and (hopefully not) die to serve the interests of the rich and powerful rather than the interests of their own families and communities? For most, definitely and sadly so.

Mr. Williams, What do you think now?

Yes, I agree, many join the military because they think they are serving their country, and I admire their intent. But unfortunately they’re not. Being active in public service in other ways such as teaching kids, helping the poor, healing the sick, healing damaged environments serve this country. And, I would add fighting against those who send kids to faraway places to kill and risk being killed so that the rich and powerful can stay rich and powerful is another important way to serve our country.

Justice22: I have to say 16 years later I am proud of my service and those I have served with. I have served under presidents of both parties. I have agreed and disagreed with the political leadership, and I express those opinions in the voting booth. The military is a diverse population and contrary to popular myth liberals do serve. Critical thinking is taught and encouraged. I, like my fellow soldier, am also active in my local community, church, and state. If you check into the statistics you will find people who have served in the military have a higher involvement in the community than those who did not.

is not a fair fight. is not a fair fight. is not a fair fight. is not about patriotism or willingness to serve. is squandering human lives on false pretenses. is using devoted innocents to fight “evil” it has projected on others. Is War. is good for absolutely nothing.

I’m confused. Who’s KEA ? I don’t see KEA’s comment. Did it get deleted? It must have been extremely bad.

I caught Rambo 3 the other night. Itwas made in 1988, the very last scene, before the credits rolled said.:

“this movie is dedicated to the brave and gallant people of Afghanistan and the Mujahdeen.”

Reagan set them up, (Saddam,Osama bin laden) and we deal with them now.

strange what 20years does.

most of the kids enlisting today have no other options. sadly. the constant cutting of education has bred a generation that can’t find Iraq on a globe. But can shoot a gun so haliburton can charge the US Military $9.50 a gallon of gas.

some of the people enlist out of a sense of duty, but most do because it’s the only choice they have in the ruins of of the neo-con bush economic rape. The Economy is turning the corner.

Hoover’s economic policies didn’t work this time either, mushroom (Nice old Pat’s logo) .

shroom, apparently you didn’t see the “surprising” new unemployment statistics just released. Nor did you see the jump in the wholesale prices index. Both tend to counter your assertion that “the Economy is turning the corner” unless you mean it’s headed straight down instead of sliding down slowly.

“Being active in public service in other ways such as teaching kids, helping the poor, healing the sick, healing damaged environments serve this country”

What is the military donig in Hati? What were they doing when Cubans and Hatians were floating accrocss the sea in tubes and homeade rafts? What was the military doing in Rowanda and Kosovo? What was the military doing in Panama?

The military is supposed to be the arms to call when conversation fails. It is not supposed to feed rice to the oppressed, rebuild homes for the victims of earthquakes, or rescue the people stuck in home made boats. We do, and we still get chastized for it (by the Secretary of State!!!).

It is sad that these comments also address the enlisted side of the military, but they fail to note the officers. THose that attend colleges and univeristies like Harvard, MIT, Carnegie-Mellon, and Yale.

Also, the draft ended in the 70s. The US Military has been voluntary for the last 30+ years. SO why were these “unfortunate people” running to the military before either Bush was in office?

When I graduated from high school I couldn’t afford college so I volunteered (enlisted) in the Army in 1961. I volunteered for duty in SE Asia in 1963 and spent a year there. I separated from active duty, used the GI bill to pay for my college degree (actually received more in benefits than the cost of my education), started my career as an accountant and worked my way up to an executive management position before retiring as a multi-millionaire.

I’m now in my second career as a college professor teaching in an area where a great percentage of the students require financial aide to attend.

Public service is an honorable endeavor be it military service or service to those less fortunate than than we are.

Mr. Williams, I was requested to serve my country by President Eisenhower. I participated in an experiment which pitted my company of draftees against a company of all volunteers to see who made the best soldier. Our unit won every award for training except one out of the training regiment. The unit I served with in Korea was made up of the finest group of men I ever had the pleasure of working with. This included Command on down -with a couple of exceptions. About 60% of that unit was not voluntary. I am still proud of those guys. I was offered OCS, West Point, and NCO’s stripes and turned them all down but I did the best I could while I was in the service.

Wasn’t that guy the governor of Minnesota a while back?

Once again, it’s very windy in Tulsa…

@susan001, Don’t you think it’s better to “talk so much” than to post something so awful that it gets deleted? There are worse things than being boring, as everybody seems to think JAD is, but I don’t think I agree.

Now I’ll never know what kea said - but I think I can stand the frustration. iT’S EASY TO IMAGINE ANY NUMBER OF UNACCEPTABLE THINGS THAT EVEN i WOULD FLAG. (CURSES OF THE CAPS LOCK KEY I’M TOO TIRED TO REDO THIS POST)