Forum Post: War and Presidents
Posted 12 years ago on April 24, 2012, 1:47 p.m. EST by TrevorMnemonic
(5827)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
The war in Afghanistan is the longest war this country has ever been in.
Osama bin Laden is dead and he was in Pakistan.
Going on almost 11 years now. Most likely 15 years total after this next presidency in 2012. At least drone striking some country or another.
Anyone else here want the president to end the wars?
There has to be another reason we are in Afghanistan beside the so called war on terror.
One is the opium crop that was slashed 90% by the Taliban mid 2001, cutting world supply by almost 70%, sending prices soaring. Six months later the U.S. attacks Afghanistan in late 2001. By 2007 opium production doubled compared to pre invasion levels. All under the watchful eye of the U.S. military. Why would the U.S. let that happen? Unless that was their goal.
Another is the TAPI natural gas pipeline between Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. A $7.6 billion project due for completion in 2016. Again the Taliban are a roadblock.
Competing with the TAPI pipeline is the IPI natural gas pipeline from Iran through Pakistan to India. It is already built to the border of Pakistan but is on hold in Pakistan due to U.S. pressure to continue the TAPI pipeline which would compete with Iran's energy revenues that the U.S is eager to halt. IPI is due for completion in 2014, two years sooner than TAPI and both India and Pakistan are desperate for the energy these pipelines transport. So are we fighting terror or are we fighting for control of energy?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Afghanistan_Pipeline
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Pakistan%E2%80%93India_gas_pipeline
http://www.economist.com/node/16432922
Oh, isn't that what President Obama promised? I must have misunderstood. Somehow stopping war became more and more war. I can't think of a time in my life that the United States has not had troops stationed in foreign lands to fight some type of perceived menace.
Osama bin Laden served a purpose. A fictional spook purpose.
The war on terror "TM" was supposed to ensure the presidency of the last corrupt admin. You can't hold an election while the country is "at war".
The itchy scratchy situation at the present time is, the agenda of the point oh oh one percent has been exposed, so they don't give a flying phukk who knows what they are up to.
Syria is next to tumble.
Afghan mineral deposits worth up to $3 trillion
Last Updated: Thu, Jun 17, 2010 18:20 hrs
Initial discoveries of untapped mineral deposits in poverty-stricken Afghanistan are 'worth up to three trillion dollars', the country's mines minister said Thursday.
The government tally came three days after US officials put their estimate of the value of the country's reserves of iron, copper, cobalt and gold at at least one trillion dollars.
Mines Minister Wahidullah Shahrani said the US value of the Afghan resource wealth was a 'very conservative estimate' and the Afghan evaluation was substantially more than that.
'Although it has not been confirmed yet and is subject to more exploration and drilling, the idea is that it could be up to three trillion (dollars),' Shahrani said.
'The scientists always use a very conservative approach to make sure that information will not be biased,' he said.
Shahrani said it had been known for decades that the country has vast mineral wealth but the details of the deposits were only revealed in a survey recently conducted by the US Geological Survey.
'Our key mineral deposits are huge,' he said, adding that there are vast reserves of the metal lithium, used to make batteries for electronics and produce medicines.
Some of the minerals are located in areas where the Taliban have a strong presence, a factor that could make the mines less attractive to foreign investors.
The mineral discoveries are also seen as potentially stoking the insurgency rather than bringing peace because the Taliban could fight more fiercely to regain control of the country and its newfound wealth.
The minister admitted that 'still there are some challenges in terms of security in certain parts of the country' but expressed confidence that it was a short-term threat.
More than 120,000 foreign troops have been deployed in Afghanistan to battle an insurgency waged by the Taliban, which was ousted in a US-led invasion in late 2001.
Economic analysts said that with the country's current poor infrastructure, it would need years to develop its mining industry while also worrying that the newfound wealth could be lost to graft as Afghanistan is ranked among the two most corrupt states in the world.
'Our focus will be mainly to enhance our capacities to make sure that we will get the maximum economic benefit from this opportunity in the most efficient and transparent manner,' Shahrani insisted.
He said he hoped his country would attract foreign investment at a road show that his ministry would organise June 25 in London, to which more than 200 global organisations were invited. http://www.sify.com/news/afghan-mineral-deposits-worth-up-to-3-trillion-news-international-kgrsundgcbe.html
yes
I heard 2114 for afghan with drawl
apparently, we need to drop a few more bombs to sell our freedom
Defense spending is as much as the total budget was in 1984, (closing in on a trillion) maybe we could cut back a bit.
sure
but under the current paradigm, people need work to survive
True one option is to take 25% of the 60 trillion we're sitting on, pay off the debt, that would pump trillions into the economy.
what 60 trillion ?
net worth of Americans roughly, most of it is held by the top 10% or so
I ain't for handing over 25% of US property over due to some stranger's budget books
we already have, the only question is how long we gona pay the interest
property tax could reverse that interest
property tax on bonds?
I do think we should fund the government on property tax, all forms of property. However better to pay off the bonds and be done with it, like pulling out a splintter
right
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If you tie yourself to OWS but only talk about ending war, isn’t that co-opting?
Isn’t OWS at it’s core about wealth inequality?
Not that ending war isn’t important, it’s just that it’s not really about Wall Street is it?
Calm down
The 1% loves war
It's all about the 99% and that includes soldiers risking their lives for the war profiteers.
You don't think Wall Street has investments that profit from war?
I don't really think there is anything more important than the wars. Afghanistan is the longest war this country has ever seen. And for what?
Also I talk about many things, not just wars. We've even argued about those other things many times.
The time of perpetual war is here.
And so is the time where the majority of the people have no idea who we are currently bombing.
Disgusting.
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YES
The war machine has a mind and ruler(s) of it's own.
Obama's working on it.
OK?
Really? R U OK???
Oh, sweetie... no, we're never getting out of Afghanistan. Not ever.
http://occupywallst.org/forum/defending-health-care-education-and-freedom-of-spe/
Or at least, our current government at every level will not let us get out of Afghanistan. If we want to end these wars, we're going to have to start one here.