Alabama Governor's Campaign Official Used To Be In The Taliban

[Syrinx]

Well, kind of.

After finishing at Spring Hill, Johnson dropped out of medical school before traveling the world for several years, which included stints as a volunteer medic for the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan and Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

As for his role in the 2006 Riley campaign, Johnson will effectively serve as the boss in the Montgomery office, which is the headquarters of the grass-roots operation, Blades said.

http://www.al.com/politics/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/1153905913247120.xml&coll=3

Johnson, the Libertarian candidate for Missouri Senator in 1994, didn't seem to object much about the Taliban's treatment of women. I can't find this article on their website, but the Birmingham News on Friday attributed the following quote to Johnson.

The Taliban... stepped in to restore normalcy to civil government. To a war-torn country, civil order surpassed the need for civil liberty. The forbidance of music and equal rights for women seemed a fair price to pay for order and security.

Truthfully, I don't think Riley has been that bad of a governor, even though he is a Republican. But I do find it disturbing that he has this guy on his staff. A former volunteer for the freaking Mujahedeen, Osama bin Laden's army, for God's sake!

[lapfog_1]

1. a fair price

well, there you have it... Mussolini made the trains run on time and restored civil order... and was
the worst kind of fascist. This guy would have been in the brown shirts for sure.

[Syrinx]

2. thanks for the response

I thought this would be a popular post. DU can be unpredictable. ;)

Let's have the DU roar the factor that obliterates Riley's campaign. You know they would do it to us.

[lapfog_1]

4. Well, it is 1:30 in the am on the left coast

DU can get pretty quiet at this hour.

[davidinalameda]

3. you need to remember that Reagan funded the mujahedeen

it's not surprising that this guy was in both places

wonder if he was CIA or some equally "spooky" government agency

[bobbieinok]

5. I remember TV reporters spending time with the mujahedeen

There was a feeling conveyed that if you were male, young, unmarried, you should come and join up and 'free Afghanistan from the Soviets.'

There was some talk of repression of women, but oh the glory of fighting the Soviets in a sort of Clint Eastwood/good guys win the West from the bank robbers, etc.

So I can imagine some fell for it.

And then of course all good republican boys like Ollie North wanted to support Reagan and the contras against those nasty Sandanistas who dared to think they had the right to determine the future of their own country.