POLITICS - Afghani War

Now that the military has said that there is no "military reason" to be in Afghanistan, why are we there? Probably something Eisenhower warned us about: the military-industrial-congressional complex (the "congressional" part of the quote is usually left out). From very large to small, there are estimated to be about 60,000 private contractors in the country. They get paid only as long as the war goes on. Or is there an alternative for them?

Now, I know President Obama favors the war and told us so during the campaign. From his point of view, it seems paramount to disrupt the terrorist network and hopefully keep the Taliban out of power. He also seems genuinely interested in providing some sort of governmental/societal infrastructure that leaves out the Taliban. Mostly, for their backward stance on women and girls, which goes hand in hand with their backward stance on men and boys. However, the Taliban have moved into Pakistan, as well as, holding their territory in the south of Afghanistan.

Then, of course, there is the "natural resources" reason. Until recently, we thought it was so that an oil pipe line could be built across the country. Now, we know that a booming mining industry awaits Afghanistan and with it all the environmental degradation of acids and poisons. Though it has been known awhile, it was just recently publicized that all those minerals reside in the mountains of Afghanistan. "The previously unknown deposits — including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium — are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe."1 Over a trillion dollars worth of minerals in them thar hills.

No one seems to be using the "stop heroin" argument these days. So, why don't we buy Afghanistan's opium for use in medical painkillers and research. We currently purchase the opium our medical community uses from New Zealand. And we should help the Afghanistan farming community to switch to profitable crops. Saffron, an incredibly expensive spice, used to be the number one cash crop of Afghanistan.

If there is no military reason for being in the country then let us bring the military home. Let the contractors stay if they want, but let them get their pay from the Afghanistan government. Let them build the roads, tear up the mountains and destroy the country in the process, if that's the devil's deal Karzai wants with Blackwater and Haliburton. But let us spend our money on our roads. There are places in this country where rather than repairing roads, states and counties are just filling in with gravel; whole roads are turning to gravel for miles long stretches. A recent study by the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the following grades to the areas that make up our infrastructure:

Aviation	D
Bridges	C
Dams	D
Drinking Water	D-
Energy	D+
Hazardous Waste	D
Inland Waterways	D-
Levees	D-
Public Parks & Recreation	C-
Rail	C-
Roads	D-
School	D
Solid Waste	C+
Transit	D
Wastewater	D-

Notice the highest grade is a C+ for "Solid Waste." The best we can do is get rid of our shit in a mediocre manner. There is more detailed information at their website, www.asce.org/reportcard/2009/grades.cfm. No matter the reason for wanting to stay in Afghanistan it seems that we can bring the military home and let the Afghanistan people decide what they want and who they want to deal with. The money saved would be incredible. The amount of lives saved priceless.

1. New York Times, June 13, 2010. www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html