Afghan opium corp up 40 percent from 2005

[Geggy]

Can't get any better than this!

Aug 16

Afghan opium cultivation hits a record

By FISNIK ABRASHI
Associated Press Writer

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Opium cultivation in Afghanistan has hit record levels - up by more than 40 percent from 2005 - despite hundreds of millions in counternarcotics money, Western officials told The Associated Press.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AFGHAN_OPIUM_BOOM?SITE=CODER&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[KevinTheOmnivore]

OMG, WE NEVER SHOULD'VE INVADED THE COUNTRY THAT HARBORED AL QAEDA! LORD FORGIVE US!

The best part about you, Geggy,is that you fail to even hit the most damaging point regarding Afghanistan. Afghanistan has become the forgotten war, and we haven't held up our end ofrebuilding there.

This of course has nothing to do with the merit behind invading,which was absolutely justified.

[AChimp]

Fear the mighty Afghani Opium Corps! :chatter

[Geggy]

http://blogs.mediavillage.com/culture_drift/archives/200px-Borat.jpg

WAR ON TERROR HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT GREAT SUCCESS!!

[Geggy]

Does Noriega, Iran Contra and Panama ring any bell? The heroin boom in Russia during the Cold War? What about the cocaine boom in the 80's? Like father, like son? EVer heard of the quote "Those who have never studied history are condemned to repeat it"?

[El Blanco]

Is it anything like "It is better to remain quiet and let people think you are a fool than to speak and make them know you are"?

[KevinTheOmnivore]

I think it's more like "don't believe everything you read and hear."

[kahljorn]

how about THOSE WHO KNOW DONT TALK AND THOSE WHO TALK DON'T KNOW ?

YOU GUYS LIKE THAT ONE I GOT IT FROM A WITTY EXCHANGE BETWEEN CRACKHEAD AND SISTER, WHEREIN EVERYTIME HE'D TALK "PHILOSOpHICALLY" SHED SAY THAT IT HAPPENED A FEW TIMES AND THEY LAUGHED EVERY TIME BUT I DIDNT I THOUGHT I JUST DIDNT GET THE JOKE SO WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK IS IT HILARIOUS OR WHAT?

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Not getting jokes is the worstest.

[Geggy]

Let's see who is the fool now should we?

From March 2005...

The report says that the October 2004 national elections gave the government greater legitimacy to deal with the problems. But it says that while the national government has condemned the drug trade, "[it] does not have sufficient power throughout the national territory to suppress it."

The report says that the United States, in cooperation with the United Kingdom, has developed a program to assist the government of Afghanistan in its counternarcotics efforts.

The program includes: building popular support for the counternarcotics effort through public awareness campaigns; creating alternative income sources in rural areas; building the capacity of the law enforcement and judicial systems; destroying drug labs; dismantling the trafficking networks; and eradicating crops.

The report says that sustained international assistance for economic diversification, drug education and law enforcement can reduce Afghanistan's opium production over time but adds, "drug processing and trafficking can be expected to continue until security is established and drug law enforcement capabilities can be increased." (http://usinfo.state.gov/gi/Archive/2005/Mar/05-369889.html)

:lol

[El Blanco]

I don't get it. You would prefer napalm drops on the areas that the opium is being grown? Maybe you don't think the US and UK should interfere. Say something coherent.

Give me your opinion on the matter. Don't cut'n'paste some article and then give a criptic one liner "Gee, this is great" or "I told you so". Thats bullshit. Its done by people who really have nothing to say but want to look smart.

[Geggy]

Blah blah blah. These reports speak for itself.

[KevinTheOmnivore]

I love when they speak for itself.

[Ant10708]

Geggy what should be done about the opium trade. And is it being enhanced on purpose by the US government?

[EVILCAKE]

There farmers that need to work...better they are busy doing that then joining al-Qaida...

[kahljorn]

Yea I mean really even if drugs were banned it's just a plant that people can grow in their own backyards.
On top of that people who are downtrodden and emotionally unstable enough to be drug addicts are going to either find something else or go crazy. I don't know why there's a war on drugs at all, it's the greatest social pacifizer, AS REPRESENTED BY PSYCH MEDICINES. Granted the illegal drug trade provides crime.

[Geggy]

Arent you worried one bit that the the profits made from opium trade will support warlords, the taliban and terrorist network such as al Qaeda? I'm only speaking from the perspective from those who believe that al Qaeda and taliban were responsible for the sept 11 attacks.

Seriously...where did you people go to school?

[kahljorn]

None of the articles mentioned anything about the money going to warlords and terrorists :O I DIDNT THINK OF THAT! Does it go to terorrists? Is that how terrorists make all of their money? With drugs?

Generally other countries can't enforce laws on other countries.

[El Blanco]

Well, technically, we are helping the Afghans enforce their laws. Seeing as to how we are responsible for their infastructure, we kind of have to step in here.

But still, we are working on it. We obviously underestimated the warlords' productivity in that area. Geggy, you even linked and summarized to an article about a joint US-UK plan to deal with the problem.

Seriously, you aren't even reading what you write.

[kahljorn]

Wow I didn't know we were responsible for their infrastructure :O NOW I SEE WHAT GEGGYS SAYING.