On 9 Aug 2002 at 20:27, rhinoceros wrote:
>
> [rhinoceros 3]
> I can assume that permanent military presence, establishing a friendly
> government in Kabul accepted by several warlords, and keeping it safe
> from hostile warlords, Islamists and bandits using military means are
> considered ok. So, which actions of the Soviets consisted oppression,
> so that they can be avoided by the USA?
>
> [Joe Dees 4]
> We are not in the business of forbidding Islam in the country and
> replacing it with a godless communist puppet run from afar. The
> eventual government envisioned by the Loya Jirga and Hamid Karzai is
> still Islamic, but it is to be a representative government, with
> popularly elected delegates. And also, just because we do not repeat
> the mistake we made of turning our backs upon Afghanistan after the
> Soviet withdrawal, it does not mean that we intend to establish a
> permanent and controlling military presence there. Once our
> objectives (elimination of the Taliban and Al Quaeda as viable forces
> in Afghanistan) is met, as soon as the government itself tells us that
> we are no longer needed to stabilize and support it, I am quite sure
> we will be more than willing to leave.
>
> [rhinoceros 5]
> I see. So, it was not about Islam after all. And I guess the vision
> for a representative government with popularly elected delegates will
> also respect the tribal traditions.
>
> By the way. Was "godless" used as a synonym to the more usual
> "atheist", or is there some subtle difference.
>
It IS about getting Al Quaeda, and deposing their Taliban shelterers; if
they had been Zoroastrian, and still did what they did to us, our
response would have been the same. SOME tribal traditions will be
respected, but not the kind where village elders can sentence a young
woman convicted of walking down the street next to an 11 year old boy
of a different class to be gang-raped by four selected instruments of
tribal law.
>
Nope; it's just that the Mccarthyite ravings that eventuated in the 1954
insertion of 'under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance were typified by
denouncing the Soviets as 'godless communists", a phrase that
communicated well, during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, to the
Islamafundies, for whom it meant the type of infidel whom the Qu'ran
demands be shot on sight.
> ----
> This message was posted by rhinoceros to the Virus 2002 board on
> Church of Virus BBS.
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