Comments on: Hamid Karzai’s drug smuggler brother has links to CIA

By: amodedoma

amodedoma — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:38:47 +0000

You kids are either very young or poorly informed. The Iran Contra affair was much more disgusting, and thanks to his role in that Oliver North got his job at Fox. There’s nothing, nothing, your government won’t do in the name of national security. Now, don’t you feel much safer?

By: chris

chris — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:02:59 +0000

I wonder if the anti drug campaign in Afghanistan is structured to avoid Hamid’s brother’s operation or even aid them. If you really want to bring down the crime stats in a bad area the best way is to allow an effective and mature gang to control it. They make money and allow the police to avoid getting their hands dirty(let the trash take itself out).

#5 suggests that it is wrong to say that Afghanistan’s future is as a drug state or an extreme religious/terrorist state. What other options would you suggest?

Afghanistan has an extremely militarized and poorly educated population, NO infrastructure, and extremely rugged terrain.

There are tons of very poor places that don’t have Afghanistan’s “special circumstances.” Team Sweatshop will empty the bench before even considering Afghanistan. Hey, I guess they might win the lottery…

By: deowll

deowll — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:39:14 +0000

Sounds like they were buying information not arranging a love match. Get over it.

The only thing that matters is was the information good? If yes they got our money’s worth if not they need a new informant.

By: Angel H. Wong

Angel H. Wong — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:31:34 +0000

#20 Li,

“Tell me, do you work for the CIA, or are you just fully in support of a rogue government on principle?”

The CIA does not do pretty things, good things, nice things or PR campaigns. They do whatever they have to do in order to preserve their country’s interest. Or at least that was they used to do during the Cold War, nowadays they’re just a shadow of what they used to be thanks to Republican Cronysm.

By: jbellies

jbellies — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:44:48 +0000

#2, #4, #5. My understanding is that the theocracy was not really a failed state. Yes it was repugnant, starting with its treatment of women and moving down from there. But it did have law and order, the mythical Mussolini-Italy trains running on time, or as closely as they have in a century. No, the theocracy didn’t fail, it was defeated militarily. In six years, the forces of goodness and light had defeated the strongest military power in the world (I’m talking about Nazi Germany) and started rebuilding. But in Afghanistan, which never was much more than a basket case militarily, they’ve mostly fuddled around for six years, despite the human losses. How long will it be before moderate Afghanis say “Fzck this, I hate the Taliban but let’s bring them back so we can get on with our lives.” ? Goodwill has an expiration date. The date is not printed on the packaging, but it does have one.

By: Li

Li — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:42:52 +0000

So Angel, to summarize, you don’t mind that the biggest drug dealer in the whole frikin world is working for the CIA, you care that the NYT would cover that as a story.

Tell me, do you work for the CIA, or are you just fully in support of a rogue government on principle?

By: Angel H. Wong

Angel H. Wong — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:33:13 +0000

Great idea New York Times, while you’re busy revealing the identities of the ones collaborating for the CIA why don’t you go on an post pictures of undercover CIA, NSA and FBI agents?

By: JimB

JimB — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:03:13 +0000

Not new news. Adam has been saying this on “No Agenda” for quite some time.

Looks like the “Crack Pot” has scored again

By: Micromike

Micromike — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:20:53 +0000

Its a very old story. CIA recruits thugs, trains them to be really evil, uses them for a while then points them out as an evil example. From the Shah of Iran, through Noriega from Panama and right up to Saddam Hussein this has happened over and over and will continue to happen forever. It is the CIA that is evil and needs to be shut down.

By: 888

888 — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:15:06 +0000

Another “great” western idea: upgrading primitive cavemen society into democracy.
lol

By: paddler

paddler — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:59:43 +0000

That could never happen here.

Oh wait…

Sounds like the Bulger brothers.

Billy was the Massachusetts Senate President while his brother Whitey was a paid FBI informant and head of a local Boston crime family.

By: Me

Me — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:29:07 +0000

Good write up that relates to this topic.

By: EastCoast-4-life

EastCoast-4-life — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:25:02 +0000

@ #12

Funny how the Taliban ruined Poppy Bushes Opium Crop. No Problem dad We’ll just blow up 3 buildings and blame it on the Taliban, well have that poppy crop growing again in no time.

By: Named

Named — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:14:14 +0000

Reagan had it right all along…

Didn’t he?

By: EastCoast-4-life

EastCoast-4-life — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:04:50 +0000

I hope the troops are learning how to produce poppies and marijuana. Its time to bring em home and put em to work. We should be the #1 exporter of Marijuana, Hash, Opium, Heroin, etc. Plus we should be growing Hemp for food clothing shelter fuel etc. etc.

The troops can guard the airports, the borders, and our crops. There is a chief of police that has gone boss hog out here and I think the troops would be better off taking him out than messing with war lords in Afghanistan. If there is one chief of police that I know about I am sure there are many others who are also going boss hog and the citizens would enjoy some american help in getting rid of the vermin.