Afghanistan is of no value to the United States
Ah, say the critics, the Taliban and al-Qaeda would take over. So what? They already dominate the region, and what exactly would they be taking over? It’s essentially a wasteland that exports nothing but opium.
Maybe Afghanistan would attack Pakistan, or vice-versa. So let ’em. Who’d be gaining what? I spent a lot of time in Pakistan during the war, and it was the pits. I’m told it’s better now, but I’ll never know. Does anyone trust the leadership in those places? We should get out of the way and let them foul their own nests.
Critics warn that if the U.S. left Afghanistan we’d lose our chance to catch Osama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind of 9/11. Again, so what? He’s been loose for some 10 years, and we’re unaffected. Whether he’s in a cave or a luxury hotel in India, who cares? If we did capture and kill him, someone worse would likely replace him.
I’m amused by the decision to send a few thousand more American soldiers to train Afghan fighters. Whom are we training to do what? I’m curious: How enthusiastic are these Afghan kids going to be about going into the mountains to take on seasoned combat veterans? Having been both a trainer and a trainee in two wars, I know that completing an obstacle course does not necessarily prepare a soldier for combat.
Television pundits caution that our leaving Afghanistan would result in chaos for the entire area, including India and perhaps reaching as far as Tibet and China. The opposite might just as well be true; Pakistan, Afghanistan and India just might work out their differences short of war.
And where are our allies? They’re telling us, “Hey, let’s you and him fight.” A few nations have made token gestures, but it’s still America’s ball game. Our best contribution might to be to spray Afghanistan’s poppy fields with Roundup, much as we defoliated and napalmed half the jungles of Vietnam.
If we pulled our troops out of Afghanistan, we could send them to the Mexican border, where drug lords could kill one another.
Walt Shotwell
Des Moines
New Web site looks great
I’m glad to see that Cityview has finally stepped its Web site game up. Your new site looks and feels great. Your old site was plain and stale. The stories are more easily accessible, and I enjoy the scrolling photos. I also like how the special sections access. On your last site they were lost at the bottom and I (and assumingly others) never would scroll down that far. And although there are only a small number of videos up, I look forward to seeing what you guys have up your sleeve. I’d hope when the April Fool’s issue comes out, some videos would follow!
Jason Johnson
Des Moines
Sexual predators belong behind bars
After reading the piece about sexual predators (“Our View,” Sept. 3), I had only one response… Duh! Sexual predators are the most despicable people on the planet. I would be scared to have small children growing up today because all of the worries that come with it. I hope they find these criminals and lock them up for life. The Jaycee Lee Dugard story is heartbreaking, but the threat of child abduction is way too close to home. Hopefully, local law enforcement will make trips to elementary and middle schools to reiterate the danger of child abduction. It’s a problem that has continued to rise, and hopefully younger children will become more aware of their surroundings.
Carol Wilson
Des Moines
[Correction: We mistakenly misspelled Eric Sardinas name in last week’s “Front Row” concert photo section.]
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