Afghanistan--a waste of lives and money
From: "Leo Kurtenbach" <leokurt@sasktel.net>
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 10:17 PM
Subject: Afghanistan--a waste of lives and money.
To the Editor,
Congratulations to Larry Birkbeck of Regina for his letter regarding the
"Never-Ending war in Afghanistan." He has good reason for coming to
that conclusion. A well known American author, Bob Woodward, in his
book, Obama's Wars, quotes General David Petraeus, the senior U.S.
commander in Afghanistan: "I don't think you win this war. I think you
keep fighting. This is the kind of a fight we're in for the rest of our
lives, and probably our kids' lives."!
We [Canadians] know why our military forces are in Afghanistan. We are
there to support U.S. efforts to establish the U.S.A. as the dominant
political and military power in the Middle East. This whole bloody mess
got underway because American and British politicians wanted to secure
access to the bountiful reserves of oil in that part of the world. The
arms manufacturers on this continent and the global oil barons apparently smiled in appreciation of a plan that would mean big profits for them.
The Bush Middle East wars caused the death, injury, both physically and
mentally, of about a million human beings. The costs involving both
antagonists already amount to between one and two trillion dollars. That
monumental sum and the horrific suffering of so many people was totally
useless and unnecessary.
But now we're told that NATO forces are there to bring freedom and peace to the Afghan people, to build roads and schools, etc, etc, but it appears that first we have to kill off the Taliban.
I beg the indulgence of your readers to tell the story of how the wars
in the Middle East could have been avoided.
This is about a young American, a mountain climber Greg Mortenson. He saw the grandeur and the majestic peaks -- and the challenge of the mountain named K2 in Pakistan. He just about died in his attempt to climb K2. He made it back to the village at the base of the mountain and was nursed back to health by the people living there. It was then that he became aware of the abysmal poverty of the people, particularly of the children who had no schools. He promised he would build them a school.
Going back home to the U.S.A., Mortenson appealed to hundreds of people for funds to build that school. Eventually, a wealthy man, with a good heart, Dr. Jean Hoerni from Seattle, wrote him a check [cheque] for
$12,000 -- estimated cost of the materials. Dealing with the culture of
the people, their religious practices and the overwhelming hardships
to move all that material to that mountainous region, took a man, Greg
Mortenson - one who was endowed with a true spirit of altruism. He became highly respected in the region. Over the years, he was instrumental in building more than 50 schools in Pakistan and some in Afghanistan. His only requirement of the people there was that both boys and girls have access to education.
Actions that work more humanly than weapons are expressed in this
well known cliche, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto
you." It can be found in almost every religious or spiritual belief.
Leo Kurtenbach,
Box 268, Cudworth, Sask., S0K 1B0
Phone: (306) 256 3638.