Most Americans do not understand the concept of "winning" in Afghanistan. This is because they see Afghanistan as some modern civilized county like ours, when in fact it is closer to the wild west days of Doc Holiday's. Most of the country has no electricity, people can't read, and it consists largely of tribes scattered about and, has very little centralized government. That is why it was so easy for the Taliban to establish itself there and would be once again if we weren't there.

Winning there is not a matter of killing in most cases, although some killing is essential. Winning, means that we guide the modern day need for a centralized government to a democracy that is not radically inclined instead of letting the radical Muslims establish their model of government there. Once it is established as a democracy, and centralized, we need not control it but at least we will have a governing body to relate to, communicate with, align with, or war with. Hopefully, the people there will want peace as most folks do and this tribal nation will transition into the modern world with acceptance.

Oddly enough, Pakistan is also in this process. This is a nuclear armed nation that only now is in the act of centralizing its control over the wild mountains in its country that are identical to Afghanistan's and in the process of weeding out the radical Muslim strongholds there that have recently threatened their core government and its civilized people. They must win by killing these radicals and we must win by killing the radicals in Afghanistan. Most of these radicals in both countries are not even native to these countries. They have been planting their vile seeds in these remote back countries and preaching their biased hate to these illiterate Muslims turning them as radical as they can influence them to be, and have built a base in that culture that must now be dismantled by us and the Pakistanis.

What the hell are they thinking about? Do they think we Americans, no matter what religion, race, or political affiliation want something other than peace--- except for the millions of radical islamists and the few thousand white supremists who mostly reside in prison?

How about going over to Osama Bin Ladin's stretch of the woods in the lawless hills of Afghanistan and Pakistan and hold up your sign? We want peace --- their religion preaches violence, without exemption, unless you accept their god as your own. Are you idiots suggesting that to obtain peace we should all convert to Islam and start genitally mutilating our daughters and stoning to death gays and adulterers? Is that what you want us to do to have peace? After all, that is all these zealots will accept for us to have peace.

Go hold your signs up in Saudi Arabia and see how long your neck stays attached to your shoulders. Take your Bible or athiest views afforded you here in America to Malasia, even after our massive aid in the tsunami, and see when you get out of prison or how long you live.

You sign bearing folks are absolute spoiled, ignorant, insulting, disrespectful to us Americans, idiots making asses out of yourselves.

Why preach to the choir? No balls to preach to the violent radical muslims? Hiding behind the protection of the United States Marines, Army, Air Force, and Navy and using your freedoms that they protect to be the idiots that you are?

Get some balls or get a life!

Coop

I find it particularly interesting that in the midst of our recession, that will probably manifest into a depression like few could imagine, that our Saudi and other oil “friends” are tightening the screws of the vice that our heads are in. It is obviously an intentional attack upon our society.

Surely with our economy drastically slowed, most Americans are using less fuel. With current prices all of us have cut back and our airlines will pretty much collapse. What is interesting is that this “crisis” didn’t rear its ugly head until our economy was on the path of devistation. How could this not be orchestrated?

Granted, China is fueling demand for oil. But as our demand has decreased due to the economy, that demand is pretty much offset. I cannot see one justification for the current squeeze play that is being put upon us except that it weakens our ability to fight the terrorism that stems from the bowels of the Saudi and Mid-east anti- American society.

The good in the mix is that Americans are fluid and innovative. We can evolve from oil dependency more quickly than any nation in the world. But we need and deserve time. We may suffer, and we may demand fairness at any cost from our oil producing “friends” including the threat of leveling the decadent Dubai in the worst case. The Arabs and the rest of the oil extortionists need to heed to America’s need to economically stabilize or realize that they are committing a virtual act of war against us

If this same scenario happened 5 years ago when our economy was booming, I could have possibly stomached it, but not now.

In closing, let the oil rich, self proclaimed good guy Arabs step up to help with the world’s disasters instead of the proven good ol’ US of A as they are in the position to do so and we no longer are. If they don’t step up to bat, we can exploit their selfishness by simply exposing the truth to the world in the media (but remember that our government has let these Arab folks buy one third of this media). If they step up and show compassion to non-Muslim nations and assume the United State’s roll of rescuing nations after typhoons, tidal waves, and earthquakes we will have some good thoughts. If they don’t, and continue to build another indoor snow skiing resort or building skyscraper luxury buildings 3 times the height of the empire state building, as they are now, and let our economy collapse, we will see a real selfish side of our “friends” who’s countrymen bombed our world trade center.

Simply put, I am tired of this crap. I love America and I want us all to see the world as it really is.

coop

The oil producing nations are capitalizing on the downturn in the U.S. economy to further weaken it and there is some doubt in my mind as to whether this is a prelude to some major move by the Arab communities to entirely cripple our nation. Surely any imbecile could see that now is not the time to land crippling blows to any nation that one might care about at all. I am certain that this economic squeeze play is well planned and on purpose.

I can say that I think this is a valid strategy to employ if one is inclined to harm a nation already on its knees from a major economic down turn. This also might be a way to damage or curtail our military actions in the mid-east, especially if the Arab nations who now hold much of our debt refuse to lend further or refinance our debts as is done regularly. That is the major move that I am concerned about.

If we were to be economically crippled and forced to take a road in the Mid East that is not prudent , such as being forced to allow Iran to develop nukes or over run Iraq, our nation and the entire west will be in a very dangerous situation. If our economy collapses, as it very well may if our creditors betray us, we would change to a different standing in the world almost overnight.

One might view such acts as those as acts one nation at war might take upon their enemy. This is definitely something we might want to think about and plan for.

My friend, I do not wish death upon every Muslim as you claim. Only the millions and millions of them that would wish death upon me, my family, and my fellow non-muslims for not converting to their ways. It is my opinion from all I have seen and read that there are numbers that i speak of in the hundreds of millions neighborhood. Maybe not but surely in the tens of millions.

I agree there are many good Iranians, especially the younger generations. But having said that, I feel that it is incumbant upon those fine folks to either change the course of their country or suffer the consequences of their countries policies and actions. Perhaps if we were to unilaterally express our grave concerns and threaten their destruction if they didn't change their ways they might understand the importance of such immediate change and take action. I certainly do not believe that we should sit on our hands for 20 or 30 years and hope.

Ahmadinejad's statements declaring that Israel is a dispicable stain on the map of the middle east and should be destroyed has been well reported. I suggest you do your homework on that. and what do you think all of the centrifuges that he is rushing to build at lightening pace is for===a new carnival ride?

How much time to we give Iran my friend and what do we do in your opinion if Iran is found to have or nearly have nukes? Perhaps send Obama, Jimmy Carter, and Reverend Jackson over there to work it out with those ever-so-reasonable and cooperative folks? What then my friend?

Dean ol buddy, you sure read a lot into what you read that isn't there. You also fail to deny or accept the premise of my argument and only express your dislike for using nukes in any case. It is that kind of reactionary thinking that poses a danger to our country.

Iran is working vigorously to obtain nukes. Their president has stated that this is their right and he has stated that he wants to wipe Israel off of the map.

Are you saying that we should allow declared enemy nations such as Iran to develop and use nukes on us because it is not right to use them on them??? What??

Look my friend, I have 2 kids and I hate the thought of using nukes. But I hate the thought of my daughters living forcibly under Islam or any other religion and I certainly hate the idea of some rogue 5th century-thinking nation using nukes on my kids and my country.

As for us taking the resources of other countries, we don't do that other than by negotiation unlike all the illegals that invade our country and rape our schools, medical system, and rob our tax dollars with reckless abandon, which I imagine you are in support of. If so, this woulod mean that you believe that the world should share resources which must mean that you would support a policy where we rightfully go take our share of the worlds oil --right?

Thanks for the clarification my Friend. I am not a science major type -- more economics and politics but it is good that you get my point. Most people would. I don't care about the details of the manufacturing process of Iran's weapons of mass destruction, but only about their intentions to use them agains the west. You might argue the process my friend but you can't argue my point which was the focus of the article---that Iran is seeking weapons to destroy Israel and the U.S. and will use them.

I mean, the president of Iran has verbally stated as much. Are you refusing to accept his statements as you don't want your beliefs undermined with facts?

I meant what i wrote my friend. All liberals can't be idiots---I'm sure many just mis-informed or ignorant.

My idea of a liberal in most cases is those folks who are politically inclined to put our country's people and/or its financial future in harm due to their blind kindness to fellow man and his plight no matter how self inflicted the man's problems are or how selfish that man may be.

If you think we owe every illegal border jumper something other than a jail cell at that person's country's expense or that every kid who's mother enters the U.S. illegally and plops her kid on our soil deserves something other than deportation, you are a liberal idiot, and idiotic liberal, and all liberals of this ilk are idiots.

If you think that our United States children deserve to suffer from poor education so we can spend our precious education dollars on illegal alien children, you need your head examined.

If you can't seem to take the time to look at the reality that Islam is at the heart of every major conflict around the world with others for no other reason than to force their religion upon others and that their religion is obviously religiously imperialistic and unaccepting of the rest of the world's beliefs, you are ignorant of reality.

If you believe Iran has anything but ill intentions towards the west and is pursueing peaceful nuclear paths, then you owe America the time to think without your blinders on for the sake of our survival.

How can anyone with a brain who cares about our country argue with this and have the nerve to purport that they care about America and its future?

Iran is asking for a Nuke from either us or Israel and I would love to hear some of you liberals’ ideas on how to stop this next world war.

Iran is without a doubt seeking nuclear weapons, is clearly behind the violence in Lebanon, Israel, and Iraq, and has its hand in the affairs of Pakistan. Iran’s leader has openly stated that he wants to wipe Israel of the map.

Every day Iran completes more of its needed centrifuges to enhance nuclear energy waste into weapons grade plutonium. I cannot fathom our country just sitting here or Israel just sitting by while Iran develops the means to wreak nuclear havoc upon the west in the name of Islam.

We are pressing the U.N. to take meaningful actions to curtail Iran’s activities but nothing is stopping. I can only see one answer coming to stop them--- massive military intervention.

We need to once and for all state a clear and firm policy and plans to the entire world that we mean business. We need to lay the law down to the U.N. and nations like Russia who supplies Iran with technology just how grave this situation is to us and demand unilaterally that everyone involved back off or we will risk full out war right now while we have military advantage rather than waiting for our enemies to gain any more strength.

We certainly need to kill the leader of Iran and his ilk immediately. Listen up liberal idiots-- these people hate you and your perverted values much, much more than they do mine and the conservatives. They want to rid the world of vermin like you and I and put your daughters in burkas after they sexually mutilate them. They want to abolish your rights to run your anti-government mouths without repercussions. They want force a religion upon you and I and there not one chance that anything you, I, the America-hating Obama or anyone can say that will change that.

At this point my friends, it is pretty much a submit and become Muslim or fight world and I for one prefer to fight. And before you take of on some ignorant tangent about them just hating America’s policies, remember that there are about 15 to 20 major conflicts globally right now and it is all Muslims unwilling to accept other’s ways of life. Plug the holes in your unwarranted bleeding hearts, take your heads out of the sand, and look around you before you begin to think for your country’s future and for the future of our kids and grand kids.

Coop

Russia invaded and occupied Afghanistan for selfish and imperialistic reasons. they wanted to own and control it.

We invaded it to quash the mostly foreign financed and foreign led fake government there established for the purpose of training and promoting terrorism against the western world. The Taliban simply stepped in and captured a mostly tribal nation to use it for their evil purposes and imposed their violent, perverted, fifth century brand of Islam upon those people for nothing more than control purposes. Russia did not have a 9-11----we did.

Marc, and Heather too, you and I and us Americans are not evil. We are good folks with good hearts, aren't we? You and I are not facist, are we? Will we become one? No, not over my dead body. Do we know war is not good and recognize all people as valuable and dear? Of course-- We are civilized, intellegent, and very decent Americans.

But, we must be prudent in our actions in self preservation. Are you folks suggesting we should sit back and do nothing? If not, please share with us your plans and fixes. I am dying to hear some good ideas other than sitting around a camp fire hugging a radical facist islamist that wishes death to all infidels singing cumbya, and hoping they will "feel the love" and drop their millenium old quest to dominate the world.(AND FOLKS, EXCUSE MY SPELLING)

Answer me this too--- should we sit back and let Iran have Nuclear Weapons??? If the nuclear armed Pakistan falls to the radical islamists, now that Mushareff was voted out a couple weeks ago, should we lay ground rules for our co-existance or sit back and hope? I throw these questions in to complicate the discussion. This is a complicated world.

Share with us your ideas on our future actons Marc and Heather and everyone. A plan. A good idea. that is what this is all about my friends. But, it has to be practical, realistic, and an improvement over what is happening right now.

It is complicated, and other than the changes that I have laid out before, I am stumped.

Coop