Thread: It's over in Afghanistan!

It is now officially time for the USA to leave Afghanistan with our tail between our legs. An act of incredible stupidity has irretrievably damaged our reputation with the ordinary Afghan and allowed their natural xenophobia to kick in.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...81K09T20120222

Apparently, the clothes and personal possessions of dead insurgents were dumped in a skip and burned at the Bagram military base, WITHOUT BOTHERING TO SEPARATE OUT THE KORANS that some insurgents were carrying. The U.S. military can say this was an "inadvertent mistake" but if American personnel had found bibles on dead insurgents in some third world nation they would have taken them out of the "to burn" pile. The subsequent rioting has already seen foreigners beaten (almost all non-American) and at least six Afghan civilians killed.

Given that the Arabic Koran is seen as the literal "word of God", burning a Koran is actually worse than burning a bible (more like burning a bible in church) and your average Afghan is a pretty backward guy to begin with. As of now, the name "American" is now synonymous with "Christian s - - t" in Afghanistan and we will NEVER be able to change it back. Let's get out now, before the Taliban recruitment drive that's probably already started is finished and we find ourselves with greatly increased casualty rates.

Does anyone care about the Afghan Barbarians???

Originally Posted by skeptic-f

It is now officially time for the USA to leave Afghanistan with our tail between our legs. An act of incredible stupidity has irretrievably damaged our reputation with the ordinary Afghan and allowed their natural xenophobia to kick in.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...81K09T20120222

Apparently, the clothes and personal possessions of dead insurgents were dumped in a skip and burned at the Bagram military base, WITHOUT BOTHERING TO SEPARATE OUT THE KORANS that some insurgents were carrying. The U.S. military can say this was an "inadvertent mistake" but if American personnel had found bibles on dead insurgents in some third world nation they would have taken them out of the "to burn" pile. The subsequent rioting has already seen foreigners beaten (almost all non-American) and at least six Afghan civilians killed.

Given that the Arabic Koran is seen as the literal "word of God", burning a Koran is actually worse than burning a bible (more like burning a bible in church) and your average Afghan is a pretty backward guy to begin with. As of now, the name "American" is now synonymous with "Christian s - - t" in Afghanistan and we will NEVER be able to change it back. Let's get out now, before the Taliban recruitment drive that's probably already started is finished and we find ourselves with greatly increased casualty rates.

I'd like us to get out of there, but not for this reason.

Honestly, the more we coddle Muslims over this ridiculous amount of sensitivity over the Koran, the more it encourages them to be anal about things.

Seriously, we were able to calm Christians down over the years by making them used to getting offended. Evangelicals still occasionally freak out over things, but for the most part, they don't take things as seriously as many Muslims do.

And, to be fair, the same can be applied to any group, including atheists, blacks, and gays.

I'm not saying people should be overly offensive to any particular group, but a certain amount of offensiveness in every direction is necessary to give everyone a little thicker skin.

It's like all of the coddling after the Mohammed cartoons. Instead of the apologizing, it would have been better if these societies had just said, "get the (*)(*)(*)(*) over it, you whiny pricks."

We should say that to a lot of groups -- whether they're left wing or right wing.

Originally Posted by skeptic-f

It is now officially time for the USA to leave Afghanistan with our tail between our legs. An act of incredible stupidity has irretrievably damaged our reputation with the ordinary Afghan and allowed their natural xenophobia to kick in.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...81K09T20120222

Apparently, the clothes and personal possessions of dead insurgents were dumped in a skip and burned at the Bagram military base, WITHOUT BOTHERING TO SEPARATE OUT THE KORANS that some insurgents were carrying. The U.S. military can say this was an "inadvertent mistake" but if American personnel had found bibles on dead insurgents in some third world nation they would have taken them out of the "to burn" pile. The subsequent rioting has already seen foreigners beaten (almost all non-American) and at least six Afghan civilians killed.

Given that the Arabic Koran is seen as the literal "word of God", burning a Koran is actually worse than burning a bible (more like burning a bible in church) and your average Afghan is a pretty backward guy to begin with. As of now, the name "American" is now synonymous with "Christian s - - t" in Afghanistan and we will NEVER be able to change it back. Let's get out now, before the Taliban recruitment drive that's probably already started is finished and we find ourselves with greatly increased casualty rates.

Americans in Afghanistan NEVER have to leave with their tail between their legs. We are a good people. Get a clue. And get some self-esteem while you're at it.

A simple "I'm sorry about burning your books" is all that's necessary. Any more to this issue than that just underscores the delusion of Muslims who worry about a book being destroyed. The word of God has nothing to do with ANY book. The word of God is mental. That was Jesus' entire point. Maybe Mohammed's too, if he was smart enough.

Originally Posted by Serfin' USA

I'd like us to get out of there, but not for this reason.

Honestly, the more we coddle Muslims over this ridiculous amount of sensitivity over the Koran, the more it encourages them to be anal about things.

Seriously, we were able to calm Christians down over the years by making them used to getting offended. Evangelicals still occasionally freak out over things, but for the most part, they don't take things as seriously as many Muslims do.

And, to be fair, the same can be applied to any group, including atheists, blacks, and gays.

I'm not saying people should be overly offensive to any particular group, but a certain amount of offensiveness in every direction is necessary to give everyone a little thicker skin.

It's like all of the coddling after the Mohammed cartoons. Instead of the apologizing, it would have been better if these societies had just said, "get the (*)(*)(*)(*) over it, you whiny pricks."

We should say that to a lot of groups -- whether they're left wing or right wing.

Yup. Yup. Yup.

So a foreign military which is mostly Muslim comes to your state, and is fighting fundamentalist totalitarian Christians (cultist Baptists?) and occasionally generating civilian casualties. You may approve of the fight against the cultists, but would you approve of the possessions of the insurgents (including a number of bibles) being burned in a trash incinerator? Now, adding in the fact that such an act is MORE offensive to a Muslim, imagine the stuff being placed in an old church and then burning everything. That's why the Afghans are upset.

So let me guess... The idiot radical Muslims are offended about something, so in order to prove that they are the Religion of Peace, the literally go on a bloodthirsty rampage.

Brilliant.

Originally Posted by Big George

So let me guess... The idiot radical Muslims are offended about something, so in order to prove that they are the Religion of Peace, the literally go on a bloodthirsty rampage.

Brilliant.

hey whatif someone threw the american constitution on a fire something different label,

Are you honestly concerned with what a bunch of sheep herders think of you?

Originally Posted by Serfin' USA

I'd like us to get out of there, but not for this reason.

Honestly, the more we coddle Muslims over this ridiculous amount of sensitivity over the Koran, the more it encourages them to be anal about things.

Seriously, we were able to calm Christians down over the years by making them used to getting offended. Evangelicals still occasionally freak out over things, but for the most part, they don't take things as seriously as many Muslims do.

And, to be fair, the same can be applied to any group, including atheists, blacks, and gays.

I'm not saying people should be overly offensive to any particular group, but a certain amount of offensiveness in every direction is necessary to give everyone a little thicker skin.

It's like all of the coddling after the Mohammed cartoons. Instead of the apologizing, it would have been better if these societies had just said, "get the (*)(*)(*)(*) over it, you whiny pricks."

We should say that to a lot of groups -- whether they're left wing or right wing.

I might agree with you if it was an isolated incident, but it isn't.

These problems, in various guises reappear on a regular basis and if the US wants to convince the world that America is not like that, the troops should not be like that. But they are.

The US military is spread more than halfway round the world. Incidents don't occur in 99% of those countries, so why should they happen in the other 1%. It seems to me that troops are advised of the do's and don'ts yet (*)(*)(*)(*) continues to happen.

Why?