Afghanistan - an example of democracy

The war in Iraq isn't over yet, and the US is already longer engaged there than in World War II. The 'new strategy' the of US, trying harder to do the same things that caused this disaster, has just been confirmed. Condi Rice uses all her Unspeak skills to redefine the increase of invasion troops as 'augmentation'.

Obviously, an augmented sense of reality is needed to support the American efforts for world domination. War always yields incredible suffering among innocents, and depending on the weapons the suffering might never stop.

The quagmire in Iraq distracts attention from Afghanistan, but how does Afghanistan after democracy look like? The average life expectancy is 44 years for females, 45 years for males.

Outside Kabul warlords rule the country, rape women and children, abduct children to harvest and sell their organs, and the opium trade (which was stopped by the Taliban in areas they controlled) is at an all time high, supported and organized by American military.

But besides the lack of government, which creates anomy (not anarchy) and poses the daily threat of sudden death for most Afghan people, another legacy of the 'liberation' produces a creeping genocide.

Mohammed Daud Miraki, a social scientist engaged in helping people in Afghanistan, travelled during March and April 2006 through this country and collected photographic evidence of the long-term consequences of the use of DU ammunition. Following the link to his photos is nothing for faint-hearted persons, and I wish I hadn't done this myself.

But images of such 'alien babies' will probably appear in most areas where DU ammunition was used, though not everywhere will be people caring enough to publicise them. The half life of DU is about 5 million years, and it has been used abundantly in former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia, and the US forces considered using it in their Australian bases as well.

Nobody would seriously call Saddam Hussein or the Taliban just rulers of their countries. However, it is embarrassing for the Western World that it managed to worsen the life of millions of innocent people by attempting to liberate them. And whereas people from Iraq and Afghanistan could look for asylum before their countries were invaded, they will now by send back to a fast death due to chaos, lawlessness and unexploded bomblets, or a creeping death by the intoxication by DU ammunition.

Let's just continue to close our eyes and support the biggest mass murderers of the 21st century, George Bush and Tony Blair. Let us not blame John Howard and Alexander Downer for going arm in arm with them, 100 victims of the superior Australian race in Bali easily justify such horrible retribution. Or not?

PS: You can see an interview with Mohammed Daud Miraki in Alex Ansary's Outside The Box public access TV show. In case the link doesn't show up, just search for 'Outside the box #84' on Google video, unless you're afraid of alternative media.