I have to wonder, what is the matter with you people. First of all how can some guy in Afghanistan behaving this way be news? Second why it is every evil in the world is rolled up on our door step and instantly George Bush or whoever the American president at time's fault.
I question the intellectual capacity of those whose thinking leads them to this irrational type of comments. If you had world history classes (and you did if you went to school in America) you would know that this culture has been doing this type of stuff for thousands of years. This is nothing new, not even the commodity that created the debt is new.

If there is blame it is rightly placed upon the father who gambled with the life of his children and lost. He alone will pay the price for this on judgment day!
I applaud the crackdown, if they can prevent even a small portion of this poison from reaching the streets to kill and destroy lives I am all for it!!!

Hey Bill Fitzpatrick!! If your fellow Americans did not purchase the stuff!! No reason to grow!

CASE CLOSED!

And what makes you so high and mighty? Hey, lets send the troops to Kentucky and "eradicate" all the pot growers there! What a brilliant idea!

I am amazed at the ignorance displayed in some of these responces. It is apparent that many of those who think that they understand the situation in Afganistan and Pakistan do not even no the difference between a Peshwur and a Pashtun, or a Tajek and a Uzbek, or even why knowing this would help them gain a clue so they would not sound so stupid. The Bush haters seem to be the dumbest of all. The extent of their intellect cannot see beyond their hatred for Bush.If you can put your political blindness aside and study the history of this region you will see the trouble started about 60-70 years before Bush came along, it started when borders were drawn up with little thought concerning the tribal areas. Still Afganistan and Pakistan showed great potential for themselves and the rest of the world. Before the Soviet invasion of Afganistan in 1978 it was very progressive. It is relevant to note that this occurred during the Presidency of the "Great" Jimmy Carter. It seems that the Soviets didn't think that the U.S. was much of a concern at the time. This is because they were not, because Jimmy Carter was a weak uneffective idealistic president that all of the United State's enemies loved. Kind of what can be expected from Barrack Obama should the U.S. suffer another lapse in judgement come November. The Soviets did not count on the resolve of local tribes and them getting assistance from the United States under President Reagan. The tragedy is that the United States did not remember the lesson that world learned after World War One. Where if you leave a region in shambles and poverty after a conflict there is the probability that a group of bad guys are more than likely going to take control of the area and that is never good and will eventually bite you in the ass. In this case Bill Clinton was President, the economy was booming, the Republicans were enjoying their new power in Congress and were busy being corrupted by all the money and power that the Democrats had enjoyed for the prior 40 years. Nobody cared that the Taliban had taken over what we did not want the Soviets to control. The U.S. still did not view radical Islam as a serious problem. The United States missed a incredable opportunity to be a friend to this region after the Soviets were driven out. The old adage " An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" could not be more appropriate. The question yet to be answered is: Have we learned that ignoring threats and problems will only hurt us more severely later? Do we have the resolve to do what needs to be done? Are we smart enough not to make the same mistakes that the Soviets did? (Obama has said " If President Bush won't go into Pakistan after Osama Bin Laden I will". Another clueless Democrat President???) The Pashtuns,Peshwars,Tajeks and Uzbeks are not our enemies and we need them to be our allies. This will not happen overnight. We will have to demonstrate much better judgement and resolve than we showed during the 90's when the Taliban rose to power. A large kick-ass war did not work for the Soviets and it would be worse for the United States, But so would doing nothing. So if your brain can't see past your political party, take a good look in the mirror and see how stupid you are before you sound off. Please do it for the good of humanity if nothing else.

Dear Steve of Louisville,

We attacked a sovereign nation.  In my book that makes US the terrorists.

Wow Maloney...lets not get all high and mighty about having an education when you cant even spell. I have a hard time believing you can even decipher those statistics judging from your obvious lack of intellect. Additionally, it is my experience that men with your mindset do everything they can to prevent women from getting jobs. Even when its spouting this kind of discriminatory drivel which in the end only makes you look like the idiot. Remember, asking for equality does not equal radicalism

All of the persons writing in this blog that put down the United States of America and what this Nation has always stood for does not deserve to live in this country and these kind of people are the ones that are going to destroy this great Country. Shame on you, everyone of you.

Opium wouldn't be such a lucrative crop if it's price were not artificially inflated by prohibition.

It's our stupid laws that create the famers' incentive to grow opium.

Today a heroin addict breaks into your car and steals your stereo system that you bought for $1000.  He sells it on the streets for $100.  He takes the money and buys a quantity of heroin that a British pharmacy could buy for $1.  Insanity!

Legalize it all! Do it now!

You tee-totalers are a big part of the problem.

''decriminalize drugs, and then penalize anyone who commits crimes while under the influence.''
Cinder, Monroe, WA
...
brilliant Cinder... you do realize that the drugged out desperate inexperienced newly created mass of criminals will be costing you untold increases in basic SHOPPING fees(to offset all their theft), raping you and your children, carjacking and murdering your husband, and - because it's the right thing to do - whenever anyone of them ARE CAUGHT, you and I will have to work extra hours and forfeit measurable freedoms to provide legal counsel and housing, and treatment because, after all, the poor kids're all suffering from ADD and well... their addictions are all to the newly LEGALIZED drugs..
Think before you suggest idiocies...

The drug game. The inside looking out. The out side looking in. How ever it is presented to you. Either you in it or you are not . Any way you look at it;its a big business that no  doubt generate that money that needed to do or live how you want to. So manufacturing , selling, disributing on a major scale or minor scale depends on who you know. But sense we are putting the light on heroin. Meaning cocoa is about to lose it shine. Anew administation comes anew habit. anew money sceme. So either you're smoken that weed or you will be smacken veins and or snorten heroin. You will have your dedicated cocain lovers. America is d-country. What makes you think that , that gone stop. Every body gets money. This is how the country gets back on its feet.You all ready know who the fall guy and girls is ? Its the youth ! All of the old people are to scared to relinquished power and money. Not because they think the young people are going to do any bader than them. But that envy will set in. Its what i would like to say. taking away that shine. or taking away that crown. Thats what we call selfishiness and greed. Dont none of these people really want to see altimate peace. or every body having the same thing : food, clothing, housing, money. every thing ive seen in my life has come by way of making sure i keep the next man down inorder to get up and stay up. Some people want to helped and some like their situation. It shows or they will let you know in some kind of way. The way this whole world thing is playing out. I dont really see any thing good coming out of it. Except dealth and deception for (material) idols which is. who ever god of choice. It not mine at all. Why do i say that is,because, The god i serve is the one that says money is root of all evil and that he's not a respector of men. He's that god that says : A third of the world is going to die, famine, deceases, earth quakes in diverse places, It will become hard to tell seasons etc. All yeah ! people will take upon them selves false teachers, They will also elect kings that should not be kings. All true princes and kings will be assinated and abused badly. Alot of people are bound for that fire. So , continue to nuke prep.

IF you don't want to do shoot up heroin or smoke opium then don't buy it.  Don't Try to control others. Have some self control. Leave the afghans alone..... maybe if the pharmaceutical companies didn't make synthetic opiates the afghans would have someplace to sell it to legally. But thats too easy.

Eric Maloney, your post is Baloney.  

First of all, the term "feminazis" is pretty offensive, and lets us all know what an ignoramus you are.  The Nazis killed at least 30 million people, many through the most horrific torture.  How many people have been killed by feminism?  Do you, sir, have no sense of decency?  (You certainly have no sense of proportion).

As to your statistics- why don't you admit that you made them up?  They're bull.  They're not even close.  How many men are killed by their wives, as compared to how many wives are killed by their husbands or boyfriends?  It's not even close, you moron.

You should also learn to spell.  Are you in fourth grade?  You obviously haven't mastered the apostrophe.  And another thing, it's "lesbians", not "lesbiens".  And what is "donent"? And it's not "layed", it's "laid".  Go back to school.

Mike Kaplan
Philadelphia

The ignorance on display in this blog is just breathtaking.  I don't think most Americans are this foolish, so it must be that this sort of bulletin board really brings out the knuckle-dragging morons. MSNBC, maybe you should stop running these bulletin boards.  They do not produce a useful exchange of ideas- mainly stupid people saying stupid things to each other.  

I look forward to an intelligent administration (that is, the Obama administration) that will put you morons where you belong- on the fringes, instead of running the government (like Dumbya).

It's just sad that most of the commentors assume after they have read one article they have the expertise to judge or solve the problem faced by these people.
Please educate yourselves on real history from different view points. Hegemony, racism and emperism depends on your ignorance. I am embarrassed for you.

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