Rep. Kucinich: Are we in Afghanistan to Fight or to Fund the Taliban?

[bigtree]

WASHINGTON - December 8 - Following a speech on the Floor of the House of Representative, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today made the following statement:

“U.S. contractors are paying U.S. tax dollars to the Taliban in order to protect the delivery of U.S. shipments of U.S. goods to U.S. soldiers so that our soldiers can fight the Taliban.

In an investigative expose, The Nation magazine reveals “how the U.S. funds the Taliban” and “with pentagon cash, contractors bribe the insurgents not to attack supply for U.S. troops.”

“Another quote: “The real secret to trucking in Afghanistan is ensuring security on the perilous roads patrolled by warlords, insurgents, tribal militias and Taliban commandeers. The American executive I spoke to was fairly specific about it. The army is basically paying the Taliban not to shoot at them,” and then the Taliban uses that money to shoot at our troops. What a racket.

“Are we in Afghanistan to fight or to fund the Taliban? Or both?”


http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/12/08-10

[polichick]

1. Just shows how convoluted this thing is - and how many people are making money...

...on the backs of U.S. taxpayers.

imo Obama has lost his mind signing on to more of it!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. FUBAR is the short version of "finishing the job in Afghanistan."

[Kolesar]

3. I think it's all a misdirection play for the US military and CIA to go into Pakistan

I would be happy to know that, because a program to control Afghanistan is daff. I even wrote such to President Obama. I didn't say "daff", though.

[polichick]

5. Isn't there already a second (CIA) war in Pakistan? nt

[EFerrari]

4. There is no way to stay in Afghanistan without funding the Taliban.

We essentially have to offer them a better deal than the other guy(s).

[waterscalm]

6. The poppy seed trade is the other guy.

[EFerrari]

13. Only one of them. Pakistan, India, China, Russia.

And it's even money who controls the poppy, the Taliban or CIA.

[valerief]

7. All we really know is it's money and young lives going out for no understandable reason. nt

[leftstreet]

8. K&R

Interesting article

Thanks for posting

[Arctic Dave]

9. Sounds like a lost chapter of Catch-22.

[rudy23]

10. It's asking questions like this that prompt the DLC to sick their attack dogs on him.

Wouldn't want to let someone go around reminding people that the Democratic platform was once said to have stood for something.

[debbierlus]

11. Tell it, Dennis. NOT A PENNY MORE FOR THESE WARS!

Enough.

[phantom power]

12. The only way to 'win' is not to play.

[corpseratemedia]

14. +1

[bigtree]

15. .

[flyarm]

16. the whole damn thing is a scam..as is Iraq! ..disgusted and damn sick of the criminals in our

government and their war and corporate lords!

[bigtree]

17. kick

[xiamiam]

18. thank you Dennis..it boggles my mind that so many refuse to acknowledge

that this escalation is a major fuck up..doesn't matter who is doing it..