Nations where the US made a commitment of staying for many decades after wars have generally been doing well.
Nations with a stable government do well, however, Afghanistan does not have a stable government. There are too many cooks (war lords) in the kitchen, so to speak. This leads to a variegated national policy open to interpretation depending on region and temperament of people involved.
I don't think $1T in minerals is enough to justify an invasion and war alone, especially one that cost a significant fraction of that value, particularly if you look at the true cost of the conflict.
Of course it is. You see, you are assuming the same people profiting from the enterprise are the same ones footing the bill. The one's profiting will buddies of Bush and Cheney. Execs of Haliburton, etc, etc. The one's left holding the bill are the American citizens.
...and the Afghani people who will have to remain there while everyone else goes home. Sucks to be them.
Don't forget China shares a border with Afghanistan
Fortunately / unfortunately depending how you want to look at it, not much of one. Every conquering army since Alexander the Great has marched into Afghanistan and in time, marched right back out. The British know this, the Russians know this, and by the way, have more of a border than China. The US will find this out too. This will become Vietnam 2.0. They will be forced out the same way they forced out the Russians, only now, it will be China's turn.
This may not be quite as good, but it still beats the Taliban and... well, whatever economic basis Afghanistan had before.
Or....the Taliban get their hands on a piece of the action and become the #1 customer of Nukes'r'Us...
The economic basis in Afghanistan is the war lord. He controls the local people, takes a portion of the revenue, provides pseudo protection. Just like the MOB does in the US and elsewhere. Do they look to the peoples interest? Only if it's in their interest to do so. This is pretty much how southern Asia works, as well as Africa. Those that aid the war lord are benefited and all others are suppressed. Where there is money for the taking, there will be conflict, damn the people, damn the environment, damn any outside interference, unless it's profitable.
I am not a Microsoft fan, but I believe the weak link has much more to do with the meat sitting in front of the computer than the software on the computer.
Then why am I constantly being inundated with upgrades? It's like M$ is writing the operating system as I use it.
You can't really call it a competitive price when the competition is free. It's good enough for a premium, at best.
Prof. Lester C. Thurow said in his book "Head To Head" that it isn't about price or quality, but market share. Once you achieve the greatest share, you can control the market. Whether the product improves or not, only time will tell. Anyone who tries to enter the market has to have a better product at a lower cost than the holder of the market share. Although this is no guarantee of acceptance. This is how the Japanese got a foothold in the American auto industry, (but not in Europe) with cheap, crap automobiles. Over time, they improved in quality and the price went up. But then again, look at all the recalls. Market share can control the price. The product, quality, price don't really matter.
Tough luck for the seafood industry. The price of seafood will go through the roof, where it is available. This is also incentive for Japan to increase whale and dolphin hunting quotas. Since America doesn't give a damn about the oceans, why should they.
So you should look at who is downplaying it. And then remember next time they tell you something how seriously low their credibility is. That they cannot be trusted. Their usual lying isn't usually as obvious as it is here.
Let's start with all the D.C. politicians who conveniently remain quiet. Why? I hear more clamoring from the governors of the states being affected than from the voter elected senators and representatives. Why? How many of the voter elected politicians are on the oil industry payroll? Why? What happened to safety administrator who abruptly "retired" when this whole fiasco blew up (no pun intended). How many oil executives and oil lobby politicians switch roles when things get dicey? If there ever was a call to separate Business and State, this is it.
It ain't rocket science, but why bother when you can just write tickets whenever you feel like it with no proof?
To all the minorities in Ohio, let me offer my condolences.
I find time after time that if you live by the sword/ lie/ imaginary timepiece/ etc, you will die by the sword/ lie/ imaginary timepiece/ etc. Karma has a way with rearing its ugly head at inopportune times. Questionable speed analysis for minor infractions will one day blow up into a major legal battle, where people's lives, reputations will be ruined. A day will come when a police officer's credibility will be contradicted by means not heretofore noticed, Ala Rodney King. Then and only then will proper measures be taken. I would imagine a scenario such that an accused speeder will be cited for speeding by visual means in a speed trap camera zone which may or may not corroborate the officer's citation. People with GPS may be able to contest the speed if it is calibrated.
You seriously trust a website run by a guy who looks like this? He looks like he'd be more at home peddling CD's of his pan flute music at the local farmers market than spouting new age mumbo-jumbo and conspiracy theories on the interwebs.
The politicians are giving away our rights before we as a voting populace take away their freedom to give our rights away. Securing public networks gives these politicians an "ear to the ground" to keep tabs on the enemy, us. The true abusers of the constitution are our employees, the politicians. Why do you think that there is little clamor from the "puppet ministry" about the oil spill in the gulf? The answer lies in the fact that the tail (oil industry) wags the bought dogs. When government can sleep secure in knowing that we as a nation of voters have lost our will to take back this government at the ballot box, they will then remove the right to take back this government by the ammo box.
Slashdot Mirror
Nations where the US made a commitment of staying for many decades after wars have generally been doing well.
Nations with a stable government do well, however, Afghanistan does not have a stable government. There are too many cooks (war lords) in the kitchen, so to speak. This leads to a variegated national policy open to interpretation depending on region and temperament of people involved.
I don't think $1T in minerals is enough to justify an invasion and war alone, especially one that cost a significant fraction of that value, particularly if you look at the true cost of the conflict.
Of course it is. You see, you are assuming the same people profiting from the enterprise are the same ones footing the bill. The one's profiting will buddies of Bush and Cheney. Execs of Haliburton, etc, etc. The one's left holding the bill are the American citizens.
...and the Afghani people who will have to remain there while everyone else goes home. Sucks to be them.
Indeed - my spidy sense tells me there's prior knowledge hidden under all those 250,000 yet-to-be-leaked state department documents!
Thus the pretense, TERRORISM. As for leaked info, "the mole is in the bag", I repeat, "the mole is in the bag".
Their best hope was that all the dopes would get bored and get out.
Best hope for what? Be governed by fundamentalist, corrupt, mysogynist tribal madmen? Live under a communist regime?
It's called losing the war by attrition. It worked in the past and it will work in the future.
Democracy is not the only way to produce a functioning state. It is the way that works best here in The West due to our cultural background.
Exactly! Afghanistan existed long before the US and probably will exist long after the US is nothing but a footnote on some dusty bookshelf.
Don't forget China shares a border with Afghanistan
And owns the mortgage on the USA.
Good luck on foreclosure.
Don't forget China shares a border with Afghanistan
Fortunately / unfortunately depending how you want to look at it, not much of one. Every conquering army since Alexander the Great has marched into Afghanistan and in time, marched right back out. The British know this, the Russians know this, and by the way, have more of a border than China. The US will find this out too. This will become Vietnam 2.0. They will be forced out the same way they forced out the Russians, only now, it will be China's turn.
This may not be quite as good, but it still beats the Taliban and ... well, whatever economic basis Afghanistan had before.
Or....the Taliban get their hands on a piece of the action and become the #1 customer of Nukes'r'Us...
The economic basis in Afghanistan is the war lord. He controls the local people, takes a portion of the revenue, provides pseudo protection. Just like the MOB does in the US and elsewhere.
Do they look to the peoples interest? Only if it's in their interest to do so. This is pretty much how southern Asia works, as well as Africa. Those that aid the war lord are benefited and all others are suppressed. Where there is money for the taking, there will be conflict, damn the people, damn the environment, damn any outside interference, unless it's profitable.
America will do what it does best, bring democracy and freedom to the world.
You mean like in Vietnam and Iraq?
The majority reason why Chinese gov. doing this is just want to make sure those websites won't contain any bad things.
If you do have bad things on your website........then gov. gotcha
Define...bad things. Bad for whom? If corruption is bad, then exposing corruption is worse or better?
What bout Walmart?
I am not a Microsoft fan, but I believe the weak link has much more to do with the meat sitting in front of the computer than the software on the computer.
Then why am I constantly being inundated with upgrades? It's like M$ is writing the operating system as I use it.
You can't really call it a competitive price when the competition is free. It's good enough for a premium, at best.
Prof. Lester C. Thurow said in his book "Head To Head" that it isn't about price or quality, but market share. Once you achieve the greatest share, you can control the market. Whether the product improves or not, only time will tell. Anyone who tries to enter the market has to have a better product at a lower cost than the holder of the market share. Although this is no guarantee of acceptance. This is how the Japanese got a foothold in the American auto industry, (but not in Europe) with cheap, crap automobiles. Over time, they improved in quality and the price went up. But then again, look at all the recalls. Market share can control the price. The product, quality, price don't really matter.
Tough luck for the folks in the Gulf . . .
And tough shit for any stockholders in BP . . .
Tough luck for the seafood industry. The price of seafood will go through the roof, where it is available.
This is also incentive for Japan to increase whale and dolphin hunting quotas. Since America doesn't give a damn about the oceans, why should they.
Try a century or more.
So you should look at who is downplaying it. And then remember next time they tell you something how seriously low their credibility is. That they cannot be trusted. Their usual lying isn't usually as obvious as it is here.
Let's start with all the D.C. politicians who conveniently remain quiet. Why? I hear more clamoring from the governors of the states being affected than from the voter elected senators and representatives. Why?
How many of the voter elected politicians are on the oil industry payroll? Why? What happened to safety administrator who abruptly "retired" when this whole fiasco blew up (no pun intended). How many oil executives and oil lobby politicians switch roles when things get dicey?
If there ever was a call to separate Business and State, this is it.
It ain't rocket science, but why bother when you can just write tickets whenever you feel like it with no proof?
To all the minorities in Ohio, let me offer my condolences.
I find time after time that if you live by the sword/ lie/ imaginary timepiece/ etc, you will die by the sword/ lie/ imaginary timepiece/ etc.
Karma has a way with rearing its ugly head at inopportune times. Questionable speed analysis for minor infractions will one day blow up into a major legal battle, where people's lives, reputations will be ruined. A day will come when a police officer's credibility will be contradicted by means not heretofore noticed, Ala Rodney King. Then and only then will proper measures be taken.
I would imagine a scenario such that an accused speeder will be cited for speeding by visual means in a speed trap camera zone which may or may not corroborate the officer's citation. People with GPS may be able to contest the speed if it is calibrated.
What about Adam Baldwin? Is he allowed?
For someone who played a part in "Full Metal Jacket", sure.
Yeah, she would own all their salaries at the end of the experiment.
First rule of new bio-dome: No Pauly Shore.
True, and no Steven Baldwin. However, the oxygen enhancement program is a GO!
You seriously trust a website run by a guy who looks like this? He looks like he'd be more at home peddling CD's of his pan flute music at the local farmers market than spouting new age mumbo-jumbo and conspiracy theories on the interwebs.
Seriously! It's much safer to only trust people with a more orthodox appearance...
The first one doesn't matter because Disco's dead. the second one is what nightmares are made of.
Try, Du pont, Monsanto.
Bechtel is more into infrastructure like roads and oil refineries. This seems more like a job for Halliburton.
The politicians are giving away our rights before we as a voting populace take away their freedom to give our rights away. Securing public networks gives these politicians an "ear to the ground" to keep tabs on the enemy, us.
The true abusers of the constitution are our employees, the politicians. Why do you think that there is little clamor from the "puppet ministry" about the oil spill in the gulf? The answer lies in the fact that the tail (oil industry) wags the bought dogs.
When government can sleep secure in knowing that we as a nation of voters have lost our will to take back this government at the ballot box, they will then remove the right to take back this government by the ammo box.
However, it may be really upsetting to Zaphod Beeblebrox!
Not to mention Ford Prefect.
So long...and Thanks for all the fish.
How many surfers does it take jump start SKYNET?