Marines Ordered to Disarm Before Panetta Speech

[Gusington]

In the few interviews I've seen with Panetta (mostly 60 Minutes) he came across as a pretty decent feller.

[LongBlade]

American troops should pull out of outposts in Afghan villages to their main bases, Afghan President Hamid Karzai told U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Thursday, Karzai's office said, days after an American soldier was accused of leaving his outpost and killing 16 Afghan men, women and children in their villages.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/15/world/asia/afghanistan-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

I wonder if Karzai appreciates how tenuous his situation is. If we leave, he's toast.

[MIGMaster]

He's toast already - he just doesn't know it - or maybe he does .....

[Steelgrave]

I have to agree with Cen and Gus, I doubt that Panetta personally ordered firearms removed from the Marines. I'm guessing it was an aide overstepping his authority or maybe a commander making a bad call. I've always felt that Panetta was one of the "good guys"....for a Dem, anyway. Almost a throwback to the Scoop Jacksons and Sam Nunns who used to be liberal on the social side and conservative on the military side of things. Either way, I'm having a hard time seeing how the 'Stan is not going to fall right back into the 18th century when we leave, and a harder time thinking we need to invest any more of our son's lives there.....

[Gusington]

^18th century? You have an extra 1 in there.

[LongBlade]

<chuckle>

[Centurion40]

He's toast already - he just doesn't know it - or maybe he does .....

I truly believe that he's already made his deal with the Taliban and now he's just waiting for the day that NATO leave.

The only question is: will the Taliban uphold their end of the deal?

[Gusington]

They've been such upstanding citizens for the last 15 years why would they stop now!

[Centurion40]

^18th century? You have an extra 1 in there.

More like 8th century... BC.

The only thing that's changed there is imported technology.

Where's Darius the Great when you need him???

[son_of_montfort]

Actually, Afghanistan was comparatively enlightened in the 8th century as well as the 16-17th century (the Mughal Empire came from there). I set the Taliban firmly in a 12th century mentality. The famous one-eyed leader of the Taliban (whose name escapes me ATM) had hardly even left his home village and had no clue as to what the rest of the world was like.

[Centurion40]

What about the 8th century BC?

[LongBlade]

He's toast already - he just doesn't know it - or maybe he does .....

I truly believe that he's already made his deal with the Taliban and now he's just waiting for the day that NATO leave.

The only question is: will the Taliban uphold their end of the deal?

When camel pr0n is the most popular form of internet entertainment I think we can safely predict what is to follow.

[Staggerwing]

Actually, Afghanistan was comparatively enlightened in the 8th century as well as the 16-17th century (the Mughal Empire came from there). I set the Taliban firmly in a 12th century mentality. The famous one-eyed leader of the Taliban (whose name escapes me ATM) had hardly even left his home village and had no clue as to what the rest of the world was like.

Mullah Omar:

[Centurion40]

He's toast already - he just doesn't know it - or maybe he does .....

I truly believe that he's already made his deal with the Taliban and now he's just waiting for the day that NATO leave.

The only question is: will the Taliban uphold their end of the deal?

When camel pr0n is the most popular form of internet entertainment I think we can safely predict what is to follow.

Can't be internet porn, 'cause first they'd need to have access to the internet!

[son_of_montfort]

Yeah, Mullah Omar! Can you imagine a head of state who literally doesn't know what the next state over IS?

I think all the "stan" areas were pretty civilized in the 8th century BC too. Wasn't it under Persia at the time?