- Afghanistan is very confusing. Here's a quick guide
to help keep track of all the players in the crusade against terrorism.
-
- The Taliban - VERY BAD
Afghans.
These dour 11th-century rustics wear turbans, don't shave and cover up
their womenfolk. They have defied the U.S. by refusing to hand over guest
Osama bin Laden, a national hero of the war against the Soviets. Nations
that defy Uncle Sam get carpet bombed.
-
- These wicked Talibs run a state based on Islamic law,
an outrage in our modern age - except, of course, in the case of Israel,
whose people say they were given their state by God, and that's GOOD,
except
for troublemaking local inhabitants, called Palestinians, who are
terrorists
and BAD. U.S. President George Bush says he draws instruction from the
Bible, and this is GOOD, but when the Taliban's Mullah Omar follows the
Koran, that's EVIL.
-
- The Northern Alliance - GOOD
Afghans, even though they run the opium trade and are led by war criminals.
They make nice parades and vow to crush the Taliban - provided the U.S.
does all the fighting. Their arms come from Russia, their money from the
CIA. You can easily spot them because they wear baggy Iranian uniforms
and caps, not turbans. They cover up their women, just like those
insensitive
Taliban brutes.
-
- Pakistan - on Sept. 10 it
was a borderline terrorist state run by a BAD military dictator, Gen.
Pervez
Musharraf, who backed the Taliban and had lots of EVIL Islamic friends.
By Sept. 15, however, Pakistan had become a heroic ally in the crusade
against terrorism. Pakistan shamelessly ditched its old ally, the Taliban,
and handed over the country for use by the U.S. military. Musharraf, now
GOOD, is hailed in the West for courage and vision, though 88% of his
voiceless
people heartily disagree. Before getting somewhat elected, President Bush
couldn't even name Pakistan's leader when asked by a reporter. Now, Bush
and Musharraf are new best friends.
-
- The USA - GOOD,
minding-its-own-business,
totally innocent victim of evil Islamic-Nazi forces, according to the
well-read
Bush, a former business partner of the bin Laden family. Just because the
U.S. has gone to war against Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Libya, Iran, Sudan,
Somalia and Afghanistan is no reason to believe it has anything against
Muslims. Some of America's best friends - like the shah of Iran, Saddam
Hussein, and the enlightened royal families of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and
the Gulf - have been Muslims.
-
- And just because the Israelis use U.S.-made tanks and
helicopters to crush the Palestinian uprising and assassinate its leaders
- a GOOD act of counter-terrorism - that's no reason for anyone to get
mad at the United States. Washington has even thoughtfully got the media
to censor itself so Americans won't be upset by TV footage of dead Afghani
children.
-
- Russia - the big winner in
this unfolding mess. Clever leader Vlad Putin hornswoggles Bush into
backing
Russia's barbaric repression of Chechens as "anti-terrorism."
American cash flows to the Kremlin. The Russkis are pressing the U.S. to
crush the Taliban, saving them the nasty, expensive job. Ditto for Israel,
trying hard to get U.S. crusaders to B-52 Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Yemen,
Syria and Iran.
-
- Saudi Arabia - main financier
of extremist Islamic groups - provided they stay far away from the oil
kingdom. Backed the Taliban and extremist Wahhabis in Afghanistan in a
covert war against hated foe Iran. U.S. troops based in Saudi Arabia
prevent
its people from overthrowing their beloved royal family. The Saudis -
a.k.a.
"our Arabs" - used to be GOOD, but now, because of their
reluctance
to help kill large numbers of fellow Muslims, they are being rebranded
by the U.S. media as BAD.
-
- Iran - VERY BAD
ultra-terrorists
until Sept. 11. Iran has been stirring the Afghan pot for 20 years.
Tehran's
mullahs hate the Taliban's mullahs, and Pakistan. Being much cleverer than
Arabs, whom Iranians also hate, Iran's slippery mullahs are playing footsie
with the U.S., and jointly backed the GOOD Northern Alliance against the
BAD Taliban. Previous U.S. claims Iran was a "rogue state," and
guilty of the bombing of U.S. military bases in Saudi Arabia, have been
quietly dropped. Iran is now PRETTY GOOD.
-
- Terrorists - Last week, Tamil
"terrorists" staged bloody suicide attacks in Sri Lanka; Basque
"terrorists" murdered a Spanish judge and exploded a powerful
car bomb in Madrid; the IRA detonated a car bomb in Britain. Not a peep
came from Washington. Terrorism, in the American definition, boils down
to acts of violence only against American interests.
-
- Osama bin Laden - ULTRA BAD
and still alive and frothing after a month of being a bull's eye for
America's
vast military might. Calls Muslims to launch a jihad against the West,
when what Muslims really need is a jihad against their own rotten societies
that make them a helpless prey to western political and economic
exploitation.
Brother Osama is increasingly seen in the Third World as a saintly figure,
thanks to his demonization by the U.S. media. Many Osama wannabes are
waiting
in the wings.
-
- U.S. strategy - Carpet bomb
'em back to the 4th century, waste bin Laden, and get the hell out before
the BAD GUYS in turbans win.
-
___
-
- Eric can be reached by e-mail a:
margolis@foreigncorrespondent.com
-
Letters to the editor should be sent to:
editor@sunpub.com.
-
-
- Link
-
- _______________
-
- Comment
-
- From GregLauver@aol.com
- 11-13-1
-
- Dear Eric,
-
- Your "guide" is excellent in both thoroughness
and brevity, although you miss one important point. You do not seem to
be fully aware of how truly you have represented real people, real states,
and real events.
-
- By contrast, the U.S. president has to ACTUALLY DEAL
with all these turkeys, while you earn your paycheck wasting people's
already
overtaxed time with condescending mental masturbations.
-
- If you can come up for air from journalistic fantasyland,
write to the prez and tell him how YOU would handle the entire mess, based
on your own assessments. Got gonads?
-
- Hugs & Kisses,
-
- GregLauver@aol.com
-
-
-
- MainPage
http://www.rense.com
-
-
-
- This
Site Served by TheHostPros
|