NO NO! HELL NO!!

The new president of Afghanistan, the 2^nd elected in rigged elections, is in Washington to see Obama, and urge the US to keep not the 10-20,000 troops we have committed to (for security and training purposes) but to raise the number to 350,000.

His reasons will probably be that his country can not fend off the Taliban without much more help.

We should say NO to this, and quickly…but don’t hold your breath with this Congress.

One, we should never have gone into Afghanistan in the first place. Remember the lies the Bush administration told us about WMD that got us into Iraq?  More lies were told to get us into Afghanistan...that the Taliban were in cahoots with Al-Qaida and also responsible for 9/11. It wasn’t true. The two groups had different religious views and political goals at the time, and the Taliban was NOT involved in 9/11. (Later the two grew closer because of opposition to US troops in Afghanistan.)

Two, we spent billions there...wasted more billions according to our government’s own reports..then “abandoned in place” additional billions of equipment the Afghans could have used…are we to repeat this again? That money could have been spent on roads and schools and better water, etc in this country.

Three, that country is corrupt in a way we will never understand here...not even in Kentucky’s most corrupt counties. Tribal leaders, local warlords control much of the country, each exacting tribute (kickbacks) even as public officials do the same. You pay to get even the slightest matter done. Shall we keep encouraging this?

Four, its relations with its two powerful neighbors, Iran (!) and Pakistan, will almost surely continued to be more important to it than its relations with the US..and more long range, often contrary to our goals..no matter what their President says.

Five, it is the world’s largest source of heroin and that will continue. Indeed, GI's had to look the other way as they passed field after field of poppies, knowing the result might well be that, back in the States, the drugs produced in Afghanistan, would take the lives of members of their own families. What a moral morass! There is no need for the US to continue to support it.

These are but a few of the argument, as I see it, for NOT increasing our troops there. If you are so inclined, let your views be known to Congressman  Andy Barr and our two senators.

I'm just sayin'...