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The Causes of the Protests in Afghanistan
Most American media accounts and commentary about the ongoing violent anti-American protests in Afghanistan depict their principal cause as anger over the burning of Korans (it’s just a book: why would people get violent over it?) — except that Afghans themselves keep saying things like this:
Afghan protesters shout anti-U.S. slogans during a demonstration in Kunduz province February 25, 2012.Protesters in Kabul interviewed on the road and in front of Parliament said that this was not the first time that Americans had violated Afghan cultural and religious traditions and that an apology was not enough.
“This is not just about dishonoring the Koran, it is about disrespecting our dead and killing our children,” said Maruf Hotak, 60, a man who joined the crowd on the outskirts of Kabul, referring to an episode in Helmand Province when American Marines urinated on the dead bodies of men they described as insurgents and to a recent erroneous airstrike on civilians in Kapisa Province that killed eight young Afghans.
“They always admit their mistakes,” he said. “They burn our Koran and then they apologize. You can’t just disrespect our holy book and kill our innocent children and make a small apology.”
And:
Members of Parliament called on Afghans to take up arms against the American military, and Western officials said they feared that conservative mullahs might incite more violence at the weekly Friday Prayer, when a large number of people worship at mosques.
“Americans are invaders, and jihad against Americans is an obligation,” said Abdul Sattar Khawasi, a member of Parliament from the Ghorband district in Parwan Province, where at least four demonstrators were killed in confrontations with the police on Wednesday.
The U.S. has violently occupied their country for more than a decade. It has, as Gen. Stanley McChrystal himself explained, killed what he called an “amazing number” of innocent Afghans in checkpoint shootings. It has repeatedly — as in, over and over — killed young Afghan children in air strikes. It continues to imprison their citizens for years at Bagram and other American bases without charges of any kind and with credible reports of torture and other serious abuses. Soldiers deliberately shot Afghan civilians for fun and urinated on their corpses and displayed them as trophies.
Read the full article at Salon...
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32 Comments so far
Show AllWho could have seen this coming?
Not our worthless, bloodthirsty, grasping, ungracious, god fearing christian leaders!
Beg to differ. Our leaders know damn well that for every person we kill, we make more terrorists determined to get revenge. They count on it.
Even if 9/11 was done by terrorist, how would that be different then the many innocent civilians we kill with our drones. Or our Shock and Awe?
Or the way we wiped out the whole town of Fallujah, carpet bombed Vietnam, Agent Orange, ect?
Blowback.
Deserved.
The USG conducts the war on "terrorism" in order to create more terrorists. This feeds the funding increases for the Pentagon,USG Security apparatus which are funded by the FORCED CONTRIBUTIONS, withholding taxes,by taxing labor to fund the CommuFascist Capitalist Corporate WELFARE KINGS. Curious to note that the bulk of this spending is used to murder, steal abroad. This signals that the USG knows that any domestic opposition to its criminal conduct, should it occur, would be easily stopped, especially since the domestic infrastructure to repress, suppress domestic disturbances is in place.
Thank you, Mr. Greenwald for keeping the record up-to-date. Kathy Kelly has brought these tragedies to our awareness in a very personal way. By spending time among young citizens, she not only extends her amazing Grace, but also reminds readers of the fundamental humanity of those designated as "enemy" by an empire that is desirous of the resources of their land.
There will be retaliation, that's a virtual certainty. No nation, nor person, can continue on indefinitely in abject wrong-doing and expect no counter-force to develop to oppose it, and eventually bring it to its knees. Perhaps Afghanistan will live up to its fabled reputation as The Graveyard of Empires. Perhaps in this mountainous land so far away, the U.S. ship of empire will crash on the rocks of hubris. As Linh Dinh expresses, in his customary eloquence, woe unto a people that has for decades feasted on the fruits of empire, many of these gotten by illicit means.
Siouxrose: X 2
I wish this wasn't true:
"And all the news just repeats itself
Like some forgotten dream that we've both seen."
This is not the complete poem but enough to draw
parallels with what's happening today unfortunately.
I've noticed that you have posted some very warm ivory thoughts
of your own on CD. Thank You.
Lament for the Dorset ...Al Purdy
Did they realize at all
what was happening to them?
Some old hunter with one lame leg
a bear had chewed
Sitting in a caribou skin tent– the last Dorset?
Let’s say his name was Kudluk
carving 2-inch ivory swans
for a dead grand-daughter
taking them out of his mind
the places in his mind
where pictures are
He selects a sharp stone tool
to gouge a parallel pattern of lines
on both sides of the swan
holding it with his left hand
bearing down and transmitting
his body’s weight
from brain to arm and right hand
and one of his thoughts turns to ivory
The carving is laid aside
in beginning darkness
at the end of hunger
after a while wind
blows down the tent and snow
begins to cover him
After 600 years
the ivory thought
is still warm
We all need to repeat these truths with our friends, families, co-workers. Rebuild the truth from the ground up, to build a solid foundation for real change. It's not fun, and it's not easy, and in many cases can have real consequences when our friends and families and co-workers decide we are threatening them, and act accordingly. But we must simply speak the truth.
no matter how hard we try - they just tell us to get that unfound job at slave wages to pay for this shit in taxes otherwise be labelled a "crazy" person who wastes time reading "conspiracy theory" news so we can be depressed, ie, they don't want to know!!! what bs
And I think a good place to start seeking truth, are the events of 9/11.
That's all I'll say, and if someone comes along, and flags this for being off topic, then you are being intellectually dishonest. It is a very pertinent topic, directly related to comments on this thread.
It is tragic, that 9/11 Orthodoxy seeks to completely disavow such questions, considering what ugly events have transpired since, and all supposedly justified by a narrative promoted by those that have taken us to war, eroded our Constitutional protections, turned our police depts into mini militaries, turned our country into a torture state that is openly accepted by most Americans. All of this, based on a narrative that is as solid as swiss cheese.
Not looking forward to the hate, but I don't care. It needs to be said.
The only people that will send you hate mail are: Trolls, the politically brainwashed 911 official conspiracy nuts and myth acolytes; and right wing evangelicals. Do not pay any attention to it.
I've experienced it a lot, right here on CD, including getting posts flagged and removed, for being "off topic". That's what I was alluding to. Of the progressive, or even leftist community, us truthers, are a small minority. Thus, the effectiveness of the shock and awe that was 9/11, is part and parcel to that prevailing orthodoxy of unquestioning belief in a story. A bloody story.
==“This is not just about dishonoring the Koran, it is about disrespecting our dead and killing our children,” said Maruf Hotak, referring to an episode in Helmand Province when American Marines urinated on the dead bodies of men they described as insurgents.==
With any luck, the last US military base at which these troops hung their helmets had a week-long visit from The Billy Graham Crusade team, and listened to music about God with a heavy rock beat. I'm tempted to create some bogus lyrics, but I'm ready for some breakfast.
Trylon
" You can't just disrespect our holy book and kill our innocent children and make a small apology". That says it all.
Unjustly kill a Pashtun and you have an enemy forever.
There are 40 million Pashtuns in Afghanistan and Pakistan (the British Durand Line border is irrelevant, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durand_Line) that live by an ancient code of honor and morality called Pahtunwalli. America has illegally (war of aggression) killed many Pashtuns in an attempt to control the resources of Afghanistan and Central Asia for private corporate profit. What the cowardly occupiers using predator drones to kill innocent people (including women, children and elders) who may be so poor they cannot afford shoes do not understand (in their infinite ignorance) is that for every Pashtun person murdered by the American Corporate Imperial Empire there will be generations of Pashtun warriors who will engage in militant acts of justice. No matter how long it takes, the score will be settled.> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pashtunwali "The native Pashtun tribes, who are often described as fiercely independent people[7], have inhabited the Pashtunistan region (Afghanistan) since at least the 1st millennium BC.[8][9][10] Much of their mountainous territory has always remained without government rule or control. This is perhaps the main reason why the indigenous Pashtuns still follow Pashtunwali codes, which is a basic common law of the land or "code of life.> Pashtuns embrace an ancient traditional, spiritual, and communal identity tied to a set of moral codes and rules of behavior, as well as to a linear record of history one thousand and seven hundred years.> Pashtunwali promotes self-respect, independence, justice, hospitality, love, forgiveness, revenge and tolerance toward all (especially to strangers or guests).[5] It is considered a personal responsibility of every Pashtun to discover and rediscover Pashtunwali's essence and meaning."> "Badal (justice) - To seek justice or take revenge against the wrongdoer. This applies to injustices committed yesterday or 1000 years ago if the wrongdoer still exists."
And time is on their side.
p.s. the spell check on my computer does not recognize the word Pashtun or Pashtunwalli.
I would suggest that your description of the Pashtun tells us that they are human beings, like human beings everywhere.
If you are saying that the Pashtun are different, strange, alien, other - then I do not agree. If you are saying that the Pashtun have traditions, community, loyalty, a yearning for justice and self-determination, and object to being dominated, exploited and killed - just as all peoples everywhere do - then I agree.
Why don't we try Iran? Maybe they will appreciate a nice military occupation. Can you imagine the nerve of these people? Don't they see it's in their best interest to live in terror?
Yeah, it seems the do not appreciate it that we are bringing them freedom and democracy!
The truth is, anyone who is unjustly violated, be it an individual person or an entire nation, will harbor resentment and rage. And, it takes just one more small provocation to turn humans to mindless destruction and killing.
The news media try to trivialize the grievances of the Afghan people in order to justify the continuing presence of our Imperial troops. These are a people who've been invaded and violated so many times in the past couple centuries, it's no wonder they 'rage against the machine" - US/us...their most recent tormentors.
It's long past time for American soldiers to be withdrawn from a country that should have never been invaded in the first place. What we need to do is investigate and understand why our 'government' has become the biggest warmonger nation on the planet....spreading fear, death and terror to many nations...the very things we say we most despise.
~The truth is, anyone who is unjustly violated, be it an individual person or an entire nation, will harbor resentment and rage.~
um-hum, amitola, this incident may be that proverbial straw which broke the camels back.
~What we need to do is investigate and understand why our 'government' has become the biggest warmonger nation on the plane~
"continuously maximizing profits" a killer philosophy to sustain the corporate entity at the expense of the living.
Love of money root of all evil and today we have global incorporated lovers of money. All life sacrificed on the altar of materialism. Exactly why all opposession may be considered defensive reaction to the aggressive violence of global oligarchy.
People don't love money, they love power over others - some do, that is. Money gives people power. It is how we decide who will be in power, and how much power they will have over others. It is an irrational and insane way to decide who will be in power, especially since the most cutthroat and anti-social behavior is the behavior that gets rewarded with wealth. If money did not give people power they would not care about it.
We are not up against greed. We are up against something far more sinister.
Most people most of the time will let you make a mistake. A few people some of the time will let you get away with the same mistake twice. If you make the same msitake a third and fourth time and still expect to get away with it you make fools of the same people. The Afghans are no fools and won't be fooled ...they know these aren't mistakes they are symptoms of the same disrespect that allow soldiers to call them rag heads and camel jockeys. The same cavalier fool hardy attitude that permits urinating o the dead, urinating on the Koran (Guantanimo) and of course in the prisons of Iraq. Its all the same and abolutely nobody should be surprised at reprisals. Just get the hell out of there its 10 years too late already.
There was also an Incident like this in Iraq where the USA claimed the backwash from a helicopter blade had caused a holy banner on some Mosque to be blown away. This led to rioting where many hundreds were killed by the Occupation forces.
There was a video released that showed the helicopter approaching the banner, US soldiers reaching out to tear it down so as to deliberately provoke the crowd. The US troops were taunting them.
The USA then issues one of its "apologies".
These are NOT mistakes and they are not accidents. It is deliberate.
I'm not disputing your conclusion, GwNorth. But just for the sake of discussion, a related point occurs to me:
Whether it's an individual, an institution, or a nation, it's just a matter of common sense that anyone who persistently demonstrates bad will and bad faith loses the right and expectation to be given the benefit of the doubt in ambiguous circumstances.
If a generally agreeable, benevolent, and trustworthy person (or institution, or nation) does something untoward-- seemingly wrong, wicked, etc.-- the normal response is to deem such conduct "out of character", give the person, etc. the "benefit of the doubt", and suspend judgement.
And if a generally agreeable, benevolent, and trustworthy person, etc. offers a reasonable ameliorative explanation or apology, the normal response is to accept the innocuous explanation.
On the other hand, when a person, etc. with a well-deserved reputation for acting maliciously and perfidiously commits a questionable action, it beggars common sense to argue that one should keep an open mind and assume the best.
Always assuming the best may be an inspiring, high-minded ideal, especially congenial to Panglosses and Polyannas. But it's irrationally optimistic.
I make this point to note that it is idle or vain for a known bad actor to protest after the fact that it has been unjustly accused of deliberate wrongdoing or malice. Even if the facts bear them out, that doesn't mean that they were "right" after all, and that those who drew a negative inference were "wrong" and abusive for doing so.
Cultivating a bad reputation with indifference or impunity, as the Amerikan Imperium does, has consequences.
No amount of phony apologies or self-righteous protests explaining away perceived misconduct as "accidents", "mistakes", or unintentional Merry Mixups can overcome a justifiable prejudice built up by a history of bad behavior.
Nor can offenders who, like the boy who cried "Wolf!", have frittered away their probity and credibility, take recourse in sniveling or blustering that they are sadly put upon and outrageously misunderstood when immersed in a fresh outrage.
Insane as this seems, it is all about $$$$$$.
There's a certain disconnectedness about the comments in this thread that I find disconcerting. It's them, not us. We are passive bystanders complaining. There are many peace groups around thc country resisting our occupations--they are not wars. We are a military empire with 800 to 1000 bases in 150 countries and costing nearly $1 trillion a year to maintain, not counting the $2 billion a week that we re spending in Afghanistan alone. Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stieglitz opines that the occupation of Iraq alone, when we have paid for the 30-40,000 amputees and traumatic brain injury cases in our warrior hospitals--called the VA-- will be $3.5 trillion This is OUR country, and this is beeing done in OUR name; yours and mine. We are not paying for it, we are borrowing the $$ from China and leaving it to our children and grandchildren to pick up the tab. And then there is the Occupy movement. The mainstream media would have you believe that we are a bunch of unwashed hippies. We are not. We represent the 99.9 per cent who are not rich and are not profitting from investments in the military industrial complex that President Eisenhower warned us about.
I happen to believe that if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. So get out of your houses and DO something. We have the power to stop it collectively. And things will not change untill WE force the needed changes. Register next week in the Green Party in your state and let the scoundrels in the Republican and Democratic Parties know that you are not buying their BS! Join a peace group. And if you do Not have time or ability to do so, put some bucks into the RESISTANCE.
We US citizens are way too ignorant of our history. This same story was first played out in our very first attack on a foreign land for personal gain: in the Philippines in 1900 as part of the Spanish American War. William Jennings Bryan had a wonderful quote from Lincoln to explain the resistance we were met with. He said, "was God himself who placed in every human heart the love of liberty."
Of course, we responded to their resistance with the "water treatment"....now known as enhanced interrogation techniques.
Unfortunately, thanks to the Texas School Board, these history lessons are not to be found in our text books.
We should not forget the wars fought before that for land and resource grabbing from the indigenous peoples here. The Europeans were foreigners, fighting to conquer and exploit land and resources for personal gain. We should not forget the war against Mexico. We should not forget the wars against the British and French for the purpose of land grabbing. The "founding fathers" were heavily into real estate speculation, and promoted and directed wars that would protect and defend their real estate ambitions.
I know the "founding fathers" mouthed a lot of nice-sounding platitudes about "freedom" and "all men are created equal" and such. But it is the peculiar derangement of people in the US that espoused ideals and actions are entirely estranged from one another and mutually contradictory. To this day, in discussions here, when anyone points out what people are actually doing, the response is often that we should look at "their good intentions," or their professed "beliefs," or their "positions," and they then demand that we see people who are acting directly in opposition to us, and to their professed "beliefs," as "potential allies" or "on our side" solely based on the pretty words they throw around.
All of the talk about "ideals" in this country has always meant "pay attention to what I say and not to what I do," and that has always been for the purpose of deceiving and exploiting people.
In other words, people in the US, those with any power or social status, "speak with forked tongue." They always have and they still do.
In a conversation today with friends on this very subject, a poll of the group showed a 4-0 reult for:
"If a big crowd of angy people was shouting at me to get the eff out, my first thought would be: 'Maybe I should get the eff out?'"
Uh, maybe we should get the eff out of Afghanistan?
There are also the drones flying out from bases in Afghanistan. I'm sure they love seeing those sci-fi monsters in their sky--flying from their land. What a horrific nightmare. I've seen a map graphically showing US bases dotted all over the middle east-- especially numerous around Iran and the Persian Gulf..... John Mclaughlin (PBS) made a statement about the hatred we are (still) inciting all over the world with these invasive drones--the bad PR?--He asked his usual guests to comment--and they had either wishy-washy justification for the use of drones or nothing to say. Drone warfare must be somehow acceptable to many Americans?
Insulting the Koran is an inevitable by-product of the standard operating procedure of night raid "kill/capture" operations by Special Ops units in occupied Afghanistan. Assume the official rules of engagement are followed, everything is done oh-so professionally and by the book Petraeus and McChrystal co-authored. Repetition of the most recent type of "mistake" by American forces, and backlash of popular cultural outrage, is virtually certain to recur.
The reason for this is that part of the standard protocol when a residential compound is targeted and taken in the nighttime by US kill/capture teams is that after the civilian occupants have been detained (usually with the military aged males taken away in hoods and shackles for interrogation somewhere), the team gathers up all the suspicious-looking paperwork, cell phones, computer paraphernalia, etc. to take the potential evidence of "terrorist" affiliation back to the base for scrutiny by DIA intelligence. There, people who can actually read the language separate out the wheat from the chaff.
So what gets swept up and confiscated by the occupation forces and noted in the after-action report includes Korans, sermons quoting passages of the Koran, discussions about the Koran, family photographs, personal correspondence between the residents and other family members or associates, anything maybe related to the Taliban, anything maybe related to anti-American, anti-infidel animus - you know, precisely the sort of stuff that an intelligence analyst might translate and piece together after the fact to discern a possible jihadist conspiracy cell rather than just a normal Muslim household carrying out their normal, perhaps religiously-infused lives.
If the evidence-sifting analysts can piece together a possible pattern from these documentary fragments, it is declared to be a treasure trove of valuable intelligence data, confirming the righteousness of the raid. If however the seized documents turn out to be ambiguous, innocuous, worthless, or even wholly exculpatory, then that seized evidence goes out to the incinerator for burning with the rest of the trash.
It is my understanding this is essentially what the US military acknowledges took place in this most recent spike in anti-American outrage over Koran desecration in the Pashtun community. And I believe we should believe the brass on this one.
So from now on in, Uncle Sam promises - by God, we swear on a stack of bibles - to burn our trash more carefully and thoroughly in the future. Just don't expect the standard operating procedures for our kill/capture night raid black-ops boys to change their protocols, any more than you should expect us to ground our drones.
How else can we fight a religious-based war on religious-based terror?
Bill from Saginaw