Some ally

[kallend 2,230]

Karzai issues secret pardon to Taliban commander.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8606492.stm

A Taliban commander who was jailed for kidnapping foreigners in Kabul was released early, the BBC has learnt.

Akbar Agha was sentenced to 16 years in prison for kidnapping three UN workers in the Afghan capital in 2004. He was released from prison late last year.

His friends told the BBC he had been pardoned by President Hamid Karzai. But a spokesman said the president "could not recall the matter".

...

Afghan Human Rights Commissioner Nader Naderi said that he had been shocked - but not surprised by the pardon.

"So many are now being given," he said. "If it's used without the public knowledge and not transparent, it can undermine justice... most of those people who are powerful have access to the president and can buy their way out."

Other controversial pardons which have come to light have been given to major drug traffickers and rapists.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[Amazon 7]

Hey I think pardoning ALL of them that are in jail is a good thing.

It is not politically expedient to execute them in captivity, but if they return to the battlefield you have full justification to send them to Allah as martyrs.

[Andy9o8 3]

At what point do we decide not to be on their battlefield any more? I'd rather have US tax dollars go to US infrastructure, education, small businesses, body armor for cops, resources for firefighters, the space program, and - heaven forbid! - health care, than to win the hearts and minds of the Pashtuns.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

The problem lies next door in Pakistan. If we don't care about the Taliban gaining control of Pakistan's nukes, then by all means pull out now and pretend we are all Ostriches.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[Andy9o8 3]

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The problem lies next door in Pakistan. If we don't care about the Taliban gaining control of Pakistan's nukes, then by all means pull out now and pretend we are all Ostriches.

Is that really going to be this generation's "domino theory"? Because that's a slippery slope that has no end in sight.

[billvon 3,176]

>If we don't care about the Taliban gaining control of Pakistan's nukes,
>then by all means pull out now and pretend we are all Ostriches.

Yep. Remember back when everyone was saying that if North Korea got nukes it would be the end of the world? I guess the ostriches are some pretty hardy birds to survive World War Three like that.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

So you think Pakistan is nothing to be concerned with?
Must be nice to live in such a blissful world.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[billvon 3,176]

>So you think Pakistan is nothing to be concerned with?

So you are terrified by Kim Jong-Il's successful nuclear weapons tests? Must suck to live in constant fear.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Please show me one post where I have ever said anything about North Korea.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[billvon 3,176]

>Please show me one post where I have ever said anything about North Korea.

So you think North Korea is nothing to be worried about?

[CanuckInUSA 0]

South Korea and Japan may have some worries, but personally no I am not overly concerned about North Korea. But the thought of radical Islam getting their hands on Pakistan's or Russia's nukes should be a concern.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[Andy9o8 3]

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South Korea and Japan may have some worries, but personally no I am not overly concerned about North Korea. But the thought of radical Islam getting their hands on Pakistan's or Russia's nukes should be a concern.

Fine then; I hope the Canadians step up to the plate and commit a huge part of their national budget on this. I for one am tired of US military protecting the pale, white butts of Canadians so that Canadians can spend their tax revenues on universal health care, while Americans, having blown their wad on said military, do not.

[billvon 3,176]

>But the thought of radical Islam getting their hands on Pakistan's
>or Russia's nukes should be a concern.

I'm not really all that worried about that. Nuclear weapons really aren't like the things portrayed in movies; they don't have a button that begins a ten minute countdown displayed in large red digits. They're actually fairly hard to maintain, arm and detonate. (Google PAL for more info)

I think a bigger danger is a terrorist organization that gets their hands on either high level nuclear waste or a nuclear-bomb core. Just detonating the explosives surrounding a nuclear weapon (or using a large external explosive device) will not cause a nuclear detonation, but will spray a lot of dangerous material into the air. And given the clueless nature of the world media, a large enough conventional explosive (say ANFO) combined with material that gives a nuclear signature will be reported as a nuclear bomb.

At that point the panic will do far more than the actual bomb does. Set off an Oklahoma City sized device in Manhattan, destroy a few buildings, let the media play up the threat, and you'd have tens of thousands of people killed in the ensuing panic.

So if the choice is to let a terrorist get his hands on a modern Pakistani nuclear weapon or a truck full of ANFO and, say, one of the nuclear cores the US lost over the years, I'd much rather let them have the nuke. They'll waste their time trying to arm and detonate it, and the weapon's radiation signature (and hubbub caused by its theft) will make it that much easier to find them.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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Fine then; I hope the Canadians step up to the plate and commit a huge part of their national budget on this. I for one am tired of US military protecting the pale, white butts of Canadians so that Canadians can spend their tax revenues on universal health care, while Americans, having blown their wad on said military, do not.

Well you better take that issue up with the Leftist LIEberal Party of Canada or the Marxist NDP because those are the political parties who refuse to take responsibility for spending money on the nation's defense. Of course the NDP will never form the Federal government, they cause enough problems on the provincial end of things for people to trust them with the national governance.

If the USA ever wanted to end it's horrible streak of occupying countries all you would need to do is roll your military into Canada and suck our resources dry. Despite it's size Canada would be a rather easy country to occupy. Just make sure you bring extra weapons to the native reserves. They are armed better than our police. Of course our police are not really armed all that well here, so I am sure some tanks and maybe some Apache helicopters will do the job nicely (as seen in the recently posted video).

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[shropshire 0]

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I for one am tired of US military protecting the pale, ......... bla.... bla..... bla....

Then stop... no one asked y' to

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[mnealtx 0]

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I for one am tired of US military protecting the pale, ......... bla.... bla..... bla....

Then stop... no one asked y' to

Yeah, all that Lend-Lease stuff was just on a lark, Tone...

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[shropshire 0]

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I for one am tired of US military protecting the pale, ......... bla.... bla..... bla....

Then stop... no one asked y' to

Yeah, all that Lend-Lease stuff was just on a lark, Tone...

Hi Mike - hey that cost us a LOT of money mate - someone got rich from that there war -not us. We finally finished payiong for that last year (I think). I wonder how many other countries ever coughed up

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[mnealtx 0]

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I wonder how many other countries ever coughed up

So far as I recall, y'all were the only ones.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[shropshire 0]

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I wonder how many other countries ever coughed up

So far as I recall, y'all were the only ones.

That'd be right .. small little U.K carrying the can


Doesn't seem to pay to win wars

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome