If it's not the US in Vietnam, it's the Soviets in Russia
I was minding my lonely reading this article about yesterday's helicopeter crash in Afghanistan, when I came upon this nugget, smack in the middle of the article:
The U.S.-backed mujahedeen war against Soviet occupiers in Afghanistan in the 1980s finally turned when the Afghan fighters figured out how to shoot down Soviet aircraft.
So what exactly are you trying to say? Hopefully you aren't trying to say that the US is weak, and can't stomach set-backs? Hopefully you aren't saying that at the first sign of resistance the US backs down? Okay...I give up...what are you trying to say?
(Thanks for being my research assistant, Jen...it was driving me nuts not being able to find that article again!)
The U.S.-backed mujahedeen war against Soviet occupiers in Afghanistan in the 1980s finally turned when the Afghan fighters figured out how to shoot down Soviet aircraft.
So what exactly are you trying to say? Hopefully you aren't trying to say that the US is weak, and can't stomach set-backs? Hopefully you aren't saying that at the first sign of resistance the US backs down? Okay...I give up...what are you trying to say?
(Thanks for being my research assistant, Jen...it was driving me nuts not being able to find that article again!)
posted by CaliValleyGirl at 4:00 PM
5 Comments:
CBS is not as anti-patriotic as you think. This passage gives the background for what is mentioned in the paragraph before. Or better: It shall prove the thesis given in the previous paragraph. The thesis is that if the Taliban brought the heli down it would be the first time ever they did with an American heli. And it might be due to a new weapon. That could be a turning point like when the Afghans got RPGs from the US to fight the Soviets.
The reason you find this thesis in the article is that the Taliban announced they had a new weapon with which they could bring more helis down. It is simply psychological warfare. The US-army will try to deny as long as they can that the enemy has the means to shoot down American planes and helis. And the Talibans will pretend to be responsible for every dead foreign soldier in Afghanistan to appear more powerful than they are. That is why it is important that journalists mentione their sources.
Bluesman,
I understand the "reasoning" however, for me it's like seeing a a tulip push thru snow and then talking of spring. Maybe it was just one bulb that bloomed early. Just like shooting down a helicopter, even with a missile, doesn't spell the imprending downfall of America. Even if the Taliban suddenly had a whole aresenal, I don't like to hear comparisons of the US' task, which is supposed to be freeing Afhanistan from the yoke of opression, to that of the Russians. Whatever CBS' reasoning was, this is what the result is.
What is compared are the two wars and perhaps the kind of warfare. There is no comparism of the US and the SU. The topografical aspects did not change, the enemy uses guerilla tactics. The quoted article says nothing about the downfall of the US of A.
I believe that most people in Afghanistan support the presence of foreign military as they get protection. And they hope that peace will finally come. They know that it is not occupation and that the foreigners are not going to stay forever.
What is compared are the two wars and perhaps the kind of warfare. There is no comparison of the US and the SU. The topografical aspects did not change, the enemy uses guerilla tactics. The quoted article says nothing about the downfall of the US of A.
I believe that most people in Afghanistan support the presence of foreign military as they get protection. And they hope that peace will finally come. They know that it is not occupation and that the foreigners are not going to stay forever.
Until we have a definitive cause of the crash - there is no point in indulging in speculation. News people do that because they try to fill a 24/7 maw - and what generally is produced is garbage.
There were people calling and saying that the last crash (which was weather related) was caused by a rocket. It's easy to say all kinds of things and wonder aloud all over the internet and the television news. But wondering or guessing doesn't make it true. Nor does it mean that our troops are failing or even faltering in their mission.
So, let's wait for the facts before declaring a Taliban victory all around and putting the women of Afghanistan back in their burkhas.
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