Do you remember why we are fighting in Afghanistan?

[Kablooie]

The only reason we are there was because of Bush's claim that either you are with us or against us.

The Taliban government was harboring Bin Laden and America ordered that they extradite him to the U.S.
The government considered this and ended up asking Muslim clerics whether to turn him over or not.
The clerics decided not to.
Bush declared that if they didn't turn him over they were to become an enemy state aligned with Al Qaeda
They still refused.
So Bush attacked and we've been at war ever since.

The U.S. had been destroying Al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan up to then and the government didn't object.
There was no explicit threat to the U.S. other than defying an order to turn over Bin Laden.

The Taliban are despicable but the war is not about them being a threat to the U.S.
It was waged only to avenge the crime of causing America, and George Bush, to lose face.

We are still trying to save face for George Bush by continuing this nonsensical war.

[Horse with no Name]

1. Oil?

Drug trade?

[Kablooie]

2. Those are justifications made after the fact.

[pacalo]

26. New pipeline?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. Bush wanted to look "decisive". Obama wants to look "tough". Both failed.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. Failed "state" on many levels, yes?

[rug]

4. Why, yes. The President reminded us just the other day.

It’s important to remember why we remain in Afghanistan. It was Afghanistan where al Qaeda plotted the 9/11 attacks that murdered 3,000 innocent people. It is the tribal regions along the Afghan-Pakistan border from which terrorists have launched more attacks against our homeland and our allies. And if an even wider insurgency were to engulf Afghanistan, that would give al Qaeda even more space to plan these attacks.

http://www.enewspf.com/latest-news/latest-national/20565-statement-by-president-obama-on-the-afghanistan-pakistan-annual-review.html

The only difference between nine year old bullshit and fresh bullshhit is the texture.

[Kablooie]

9. In spite of the fact the most terrorists are now well educated urban students.

[WiffenPoof]

6. Of Course...

...you heard the results of a resent poll taken in Afghanistan. A full 93% of all Afghans have no idea why we are there. Some think that we are just an extension of the Soviet occupation.

-PLA

[TheKentuckian]

7. A big chunk of the truth there. I believe they were after resources the whole way

though and used bin Laden as cover.

You don't have two modern empires go somewhere and spend themselves into oblivion over moral issues or even revenge.

[johnnie]

8. Two words

Cha Ching.

[elocs]

10. Yes, to save America from the Mongol hordes or something like that.

Let's face it, how often do you get a chance to bring "Mongol hordes" into a post?

[WillyT]

11. To Feed The Military-Industrial Complex ???

What do I win?

:shrug:

[stuntcat]

14. yup.

yes I think we have a winner!

[HopeHoops]

12. There was like this dude and some junk man and like, ya know, there's opium and some junk.

[krabigirl]

13. Resources and empire-building. And slaughtering brown people.

[justinsb]

15. Short Memories

It appears that there are even things that you are forgetting.

For example - shortly before the invasion the Taliban did offer to hand over Bin Laden

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/oct/14/afghanistan.terrorism5

Also, does anyone remember why Bin Laden said he provoked the U.S.?

http://articles.cnn.com/2004-11-01/world/binladen.tape_1_al-jazeera-qaeda-bin?_s=PM:WORLD

so far it would appear that Bin Laden is winning.

[Kablooie]

17. You're right. I don't remember hearing about them wanting to turn over B.L.

Maybe it wasn't reported much in the U.S.
I just remember they weren't belligerent about the camps being bombed.

[justinsb]

18. If...

If person A says they want something
and person B, who has that something offers to give it to them
and person A rejects that offer
the only reasonable conclusion is that person A didn't really want it.

[aikoaiko]

33. I remember the Taliban being ready to talk about it, but not actually hand BL over to the US....

....unconditionally.

[kenny blankenship]

16. Because we've always been at war with the Mujahedin ?

[Rex]

19. It is the same reason why we won't bring charges against the GWB era perps.

'Carpet of gold or a carpet of bombs'...and seems we still agree with that original thought. :eyes:

Sad.

[RegieRocker]

20. Elitist plan to take over the world.

[Golden Raisin]

21. We now have an imperial

province (Iraq) immediately to the west of Iran. Afghanistan is immediately to the east. If we ever need to clobber the shit out of Iran it is sandwiched inbetween 2 warzones where we now have vast and quick-response military presence and resources. Likewise, if we ever need to defend the Trans-Caucasus Pipeline, or even launch missles from southwest Asia against China, Pakistan, Saudi or fill-in-the-blank. We consider that region's Oil to be "ours" and will stop at nothing to protect it. Also, non-stop imperial war keeps the Military/Industrial complex at home humming and raking in big bucks. It's all about strategic location and economic benefit. Not at all unlike Rome where certain provinces were defended to the death (Egypt, Carthage) because they were considered vital economically and strategically to the continuing economic wellbeing of the powers at home in Rome.

[Melissa G]

34. DING DING DING!!!

Oil. Pipelines. Strategic locations... and the chance to feed the war machine. Beyond the Trifecta!
Plus Cheney told them we would bomb them if they didn't let us build the pipeline. The French paper reported this the summer before. I don't remember seeing it in our papers though. :shrug:

[2Design]

22. to support military contractors and top ceos - the rich - what else?

[Quantess]

23. There's that, and also the heroin trade...

Afghanistan is the opium capital of the world. It's certainly a cash crop.

[Hawkowl]

24. Why do you hate Obama?

Obama is the best president ever! What are you, some kind of republican?

[pacalo]

25. Why, yes. We're looking for Osama Bin Forgotten.

We're gonna smoke him out & bring him in dead or alive, as I remember it.

[jberryhill]

27. To Keep Pakistan British!

[Odin2005]

28. Gas pipeline.

[salinen]

29. fake enemies

Taliban, Palistians, gays, environmentalists, professors, feminists, you know, just ask any fucktard conservative.

[Cleita]

30. Because we wanted to do better than the Russians?

Damned if I know. Looking for bin Laden seemed like a lame excuse to me since they let him escape at Tora Bora. I really don't know why we went there.

[daleo]

31. Because it had been 10 years since Iraq War I

And every decade needs at least one big war.

[pscot]

32. To keep Pakistan's nukes

from falling into the hands of Alqaida. That's what Biden said today on press teh meat. I don't remember that as being mentioned when we first went in, but it's been so long ago that the original reason is lost in the mists of time.

[madinmaryland]

35. To provide welfare support to the Military Industrial Complex. nt

[Kablooie]

36. The reasons cited here were invented to justify the war after we were in it.

The only reason we are at war is to save face because the Taliban defied Bush in handing over B.L.

(Even though they offered him to the U.S. earlier but Bush refused. )

Diplomatic punishments might have been appropriate but actual war was not.