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Taliban Seizes and Burns PCs, Cell Phones To Stop Obscenity

retroworks writes "As translated from Central Asia Online, Cellular News reports that militants from South Waziristan set ablaze about 300 cellular phones and a number of computers in Wana because the devices were allegedly used to spread obscene materials. Prior to taking the action, they gave everyone fair warning with 'leaflets.' 300 cell phones down, 5 or 6 billion to go.

14 of 294 comments (clear)

  1. Objective Hide their actual Activities by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    First objective is to hide what they are doing. This is accomplished by no one able to photograph their brutal actions and so the Leaders will not be photographed for later intervention by NATO.

    Second is to control the media and what the people are told. Hopefully create more little zealots to continue the cause.

    1. Re:Objective Hide their actual Activities by 517714 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Doesn't that pretty much sum up our government's policies too?

      --
      The US government have made it clear that we have no inalienable rights; any we do not defend vigorously will be taken.
  2. Lesser of many evils by dpilot · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Forget about this...

    Compared to throwing acid on a young girl's face because she wants what we consider an elementary education - now that's worth some outrage.

    Children are to be cherished and encouraged to reach for their full potential. Any society that fails to do this is failing, period - USA included.

    --
    The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
    1. Re:Lesser of many evils by kanto · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Forget about this...

      Compared to throwing acid on a young girl's face because she wants what we consider an elementary education - now that's worth some outrage.

      Children are to be cherished and encouraged to reach for their full potential. Any society that fails to do this is failing, period - USA included.

      I think this is a perfect thing to get outraged at since it's just a different side of the same problem, "where you burn books, you will ultimately burn people also".

  3. Re:Extingush the Taliban by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm with you with the following proviso:

    You must GUARANTEE, BEYOND ANY DOUBT WHATSOEVER that EVERY SINGLE LIVING BEING within the AoE is a willing follower, enabler, adherent, and/or card-carrying member thereof.

    Once you've done that, Bombs Away!

    -AC

  4. Re:Oh noes by jd2112 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If they were smart they would burn the internet ...

    We' ll take care of that with SOPA.

    --
    Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
  5. Re:Jokes on them... by houstonbofh · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The toxic chemicals released from burning all that hardware gave them all cancer.

    "Why are you worried about something that will kill you in 7 years when there are so many things that can kill you tomorrow?" -- Lord of War

    Hard to preach long term thinking when most people in the community die in their thirties...

  6. Is this about blocking porn or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    About the militia maintaining a monopoly on electronic communication to prevent a rebellion or infiltration by the government or other tribal leaders?

    Remember, these villagers are mostly Muslim, and they pray five times a day. And somehow I doubt the people in the militia will be burning their own phones and computers.

  7. Re:Okay, let's examine that decision by flaming+error · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Or how about a third option:

    c) do nothing

    The Taliban didn't need our help. Our psychopathic drive to jump into every conflict on earth (ok, maybe we largely ignore Africa) is a big part of why America is bankrupt and widely despised.

  8. Re:Extingush the Taliban by JohnnyComeLately · · Score: 5, Insightful
    That's the huge problem: They don't think for themselves and there are literally centuries of distrust you're working against. Iliteracy is in the high 90-percentile in Afghanistan, and no one trusts anyone outside their villiage. For example, when that whacked out minister from Florida said he was going to burn the Koran, not actually do it but said he would, there were huge protests here. NATO and UN cars trying to enter/leave base were attacked, windshields cracked from large rocks thrown at them, etc. Those were just WORDS at that point, as I don't think he ever actually did it. Then, the TB incited people by saying the US Government endorsed the guy and was part of the Koran burning. You and I know that's ludicrous, but when you're literally a goat herder in the middle of nowhere, can't read or write, what else would you believe? Religion is just the ends to justify the means. TB are murderers who use the veil of Islam to justify their evil. Think through the logic on this parent thread: It's ok to put out a video of a man having his head severed with an old rusty machette, or hang a 7 yr old child in the middle of a public soccer game, because you THINK he might be helping the US, but... it's NOT ok to take a picture of a naked lady.

    How do you logic with that? The answer is you can't. I don't really expect you to understand because you're in a Westernized, modern, industrial world. You follow laws, understand technology and very likely had an education. None of these are done here, in Afghanistan where I write these words, nor have they been done in thousands of years. You know, you can drive a donkey down the middle of the road here, put a family of 4 (no eye, head or other protection) on a motorized scooter, or drive the wrong way down the road here in their capital (Kabul), right past a cop, and he won't do a thing? Mind blowing but that's how it is. After we leave, that's how it'll still be...

  9. Re:Close... by thegarbz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why contrast between two unrelated things?

    The USA arrested and jailed a man for directing obscene pornography between consenting parties.
    Now I'm sure some would argue what he did was manipulative and destroyed the lives of several people and liken his abuse to rape. Well the USA also arrested and jailed a man for possessing obscene comics, where no adults or children were harmed in the making.

    Let's discuss related facts shall we?

  10. Re:Okay, let's examine that decision by Baloroth · · Score: 4, Insightful

    To be fair, OP referred to a) the holocaust (which was specifically the 6 million figure you cited) and b) the Soviets, not Stalin in particular. The Soviets killed plenty of people that Stalin was not personally responsible for. 10 times is probably a pretty decent ballpark figure. I'm not an expert on it by any means, of course. And that isn't a completely fair comparison, either, the Nazi's killed far more than just the Jews.

    --
    "None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license." --John Milton
  11. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  12. Re:Okay, let's examine that decision by Ihmhi · · Score: 4, Insightful

    To be fair, OP referred to a) the holocaust (which was specifically the 6 million figure you cited)

    The holocaust was one of the worst times in human history.

    But for whatever reason, people seem to often neglect mentioning the other half. Yes, 6,000,000 jews were killed. But the 5,000,000 mentally handicapped, physically handicapped, Poles, Russians, Roma, intellectuals, actors, thinkers, teachers, etc. who were just as "undesirable" nearly always fall by the wayside.

    I'm in no way trying to diminish the suffering of the Jewish people, but I think that it's not only absurd but outright insulting and revolting that everyone else who was killed in the holocaust is so often ignored and forgotten.