The Taliban fears Puff the Magic Dragon? Well, they have something in common with Christian Fundies.

Elvis_Bogart: Nah, I don't like MSNBC.

Ladies and gentlemen, a flaming douchebag. You may be more familiar with it's common name, the Republican.

"We are not afraid of the Americans... but we are afraid of their helicopters."

ragekage: "We are not afraid of the Americans... but we are afraid of their helicopters."

You know, I think that's the only quote I've ever heard about the Soviet-Afghan war. There must be others, but I think that's got to be the most well known.

I did see any complaints about lack of armor on their humvees or about their right to be openly gay.

you'd think Stan Lee could get better gigs than this.

And why the hell did that set look like it was part of Sesame Street or SNL in the 70s.

a Special Forces A-Team

So they were sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit? They promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Kandahar underground? I don't believe it.

ongbok: unyon: ongbok: I'll be the first to say it, Fake.

There are a few things that irk me about this video but the main one is this. How can this guy make it to these "Taliban" fighters and then back to Kabul in an area crawling with US Special Forces and not be stopped by the Army, with a camera no less?

Have you looked at Afghanistan relative to the number of troops there? By 'crawling with' you must mean 'interspersed with.

I said an area, not the whole country. And you don't think it was convenient that right after he leaves the head guy gets his house bombed and the second in charge gets his house raided and he gets captured. But this guy somehow manages to get to the insurgents and out of the area without encountering any American troops?

I think he took some accounts from Taliban fighters and made a short movie about it.

Or he is both a journalist and a ninja!

That was very interesting.

But yeah, still, fark the farking Taliban.

Only if it's full of despair and hopelessness.

I'm starting to wonder if we can win this one.

Came for "No."

Leaving partially satisfied.

Devo: I'm starting to wonder if we can win this one.

Depends on what the victory conditions are. What were they again?

CatJumpJohn: But yeah, still, fark the farking Taliban.

THIS

Many young people today don't realize that when the Taliban were in charge of Afghanistan the country produced practically no heroin at all. Today, it's 95 percent of total global production.

The simple fact of the matter is if the troops were not over there then the junkies all over the world might not be able to get their fix.

/If you want to recognize me, I'll be the guy outside your kid's high school giving out free first samples of heroin
//sweet sweet smack for your children
///freedom heroin

Devo: I'm starting to wonder if we can win this one.

probably no.

Devo: I'm starting to wonder if we can win this one.

I'm pretty sure if you got back to October 2001, you'll find me making similar comments.

Now I just find the whole thing to be a very sad charade.

ongbok: I'll be the first to say it, Fake.

There are a few things that irk me about this video but the main one is this. How can this guy make it to these "Taliban" fighters and then back to Kabul in an area crawling with US Special Forces and not be stopped by the Army, with a camera no less?

he must be Bin Laden in disguise

Devo: I'm starting to wonder if we can win this one.

We already did.

We're just losing the peace. We're also falling right back into the same pit trap the Western world's enjoyed for the last century or so, the one where we draw arbitrary borders around a lawless area filled with warring tribal groups and say, "Okay, now you're one unified nation. Play nice, and preferably play 'Westernized Democracy'."

ongbok: unyon: ongbok: I'll be the first to say it, Fake.

There are a few things that irk me about this video but the main one is this. How can this guy make it to these "Taliban" fighters and then back to Kabul in an area crawling with US Special Forces and not be stopped by the Army, with a camera no less?

Have you looked at Afghanistan relative to the number of troops there? By 'crawling with' you must mean 'interspersed with.

I said an area, not the whole country. And you don't think it was convenient that right after he leaves the head guy gets his house bombed and the second in charge gets his house raided and he gets captured. But this guy somehow manages to get to the insurgents and out of the area without encountering any American troops?

I think he took some accounts from Taliban fighters and made a short movie about it.

First of all your idea of the reality of US presence in the country or even "an area" is hilarious.

Also durrr do you read? He leaves because they booted him. They booted him because the heat was closing in on their group.

haddie: Devo: I'm starting to wonder if we can win this one.

I'm pretty sure if you got back to October 2001, you'll find me making similar comments.

Now I just find the whole thing to be a very sad charade.

Wars aren't won or lost anymore. That kind of dichotomous thinking is what got us into trouble in the first place.

Tender Splender: Wars aren't won or lost anymore. That kind of dichotomous thinking is what got us into trouble in the first place.

Wars are still won and lost. We just have a very hard time delineating between war and not-war, as made obvious by the continued discussion on whether or not we'll win wars that were over years ago.

Tender Splender: Wars aren't won or lost anymore. That kind of dichotomous thinking is what got us into trouble in the first place.

THIS

wars just fade out and there is another war somewhere else.

Remember, it's not the winning that counts, it's the taking part.

Occam's Chainsaw: We already did.

You make teh lols. Funny man.

The Repeated Meme: Tender Splender: Wars aren't won or lost anymore. That kind of dichotomous thinking is what got us into trouble in the first place.

THIS

wars just fade out and there is another war somewhere else.

Remember, it's not the winning that counts, it's the taking part stuff.

FTFY

If you get a chance, watch: Frontline: Behind Taliban Lines. It's on Netflix Instant Watch.

From watching that, I can tell you that there is no way we are "winning" this one. In terms of government philosophy, our cultures are too different. They really aren't that enthused about democracy. They do, however, want us to get the hell out of their country so things will stop blowing up so frequently.

Interesting but not that surprising. They're a religiously motivated force, they're not much different from the fundies. And I guess I'm not shocked by the image of the Taliban being humans. I never had any notion that they were evil, they're not.

What they stand for is disgusting but America IS occupying their land and I see no reason why they'd stop fighting for it. Especially since they are motivated by religion and that kind of thing makes people delusional.

Tender Splender: Wars aren't won or lost anymore. That kind of dichotomous thinking is what got us into trouble in the first place.

I guess so, but it seems like that's due to the fact that we've replaced fighting wars against standing armies to fighting wars against guerilla populations.

GAT_00: Elvis_Bogart: Nah, I don't like MSNBC.

Ladies and gentlemen, a flaming douchebag. You may be more familiar with it's common name, the Republican.

Really? I thought it was pretty funny, myself. One of us has a broken deadpan meter.

The thing is, just like with all wars, the enemy soldiers aren't really the enemy. I mean, you blindly hate them so you can stomach killing them because that's your job as a soldier, but most of the human beings on the other side never did anything to you that you didn't do to them. We're just not wired to accept that the wholesale killing of war is a tool nations use to get what they want. I don't really have any sort of point that I wanted to make; I just wanted to make the observation.

My cousin-in-law got hold of some really crazy stuff out in Iraq and Afghanistan when he was fighting. He was a geek, so he ended up with a lot of circulated videos, and he brought over a captured video of American tanks and troops being blown to bits or sniped over a soundtrack of Islamic chanting. Jihad promotion, I guess. I don't know if it's online, I have no idea if I tossed them for extra space. Can't read arabic. I'll post a screenshot if I find it.

He's dead now. Sucks to survive a war just to die a year later at home. =\

See it?

Heck, whenever I do Call of Duty: Afghanistan online, I always play the Taliban side.

Devo: I'm starting to wonder if we can win this one.

Of course we can, it's just going to take a long, long time and Americans are impatient. There is no "enemy" in the traditional sense that we can eliminate. Our enemies are poverty, fundamentalism and corruption. As long as those three are present, the Taliban will find new recruits or be replaced with other insurgents. Those three take awhile to quash, but it can be done. Afghanistan is a shiatty place that's going to remain shiatty for a long time... but in five years, I think most of the fighting will be over, in ten years there will be peace and stability, in twenty years they might even have a good democracy and a vibrant economy.

GAT_00: Elvis_Bogart: Nah, I don't like MSNBC.

Ladies and gentlemen, a flaming douchebag. You may be more familiar with it's common name, the Republican.

Yes. Because when someone simply states they don't prefer a certain news program, and you insult them, that makes them a flaming douchebag.

Ladies and gentleman, a narcissist.

I hate campers.