http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Rebellion_of_1857
http://www.garenewing.co.uk/angloafghanwar/ It's nowhere near that simple, Larry. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_(novel) On Fri, May 25, 2012 at 10:08 AM, Larry C. Lyons <larrycly...@gmail.com>wrote: > > That was the Elphinstone expedition. While a lot is made out of that > defeat, very frew note that the British came back a year later and > torched all of Kabul and half of the country in revenge. They also got > the right to dictate all of Afghanistan's foreign relations. That > lasted until just before WW1. The Afghani's were really stupid > afterwards, they decided to invade the Raj in 1918. The British > inflicted a series of decisive defeats from the Khyber pass through > Kandahar. At the time fanaticism just could not compete with chemical > warfare and heavy machine guns. > > On Fri, May 25, 2012 at 12:35 PM, Dana <dana.tier...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > um. Seems to me it was actually the East India Company and the British > Army > > was repeated defeated defending it. They may have been nominally in > control > > of the place but they soon wished they weren't. Did you ever read > Kipling? > > Here's a link on some of the early history behind the name: > > > > http://www.britishbattles.com/first-afghan-war/kabul-1842.htm > > > > On Fri, May 25, 2012 at 6:46 AM, Larry C. Lyons <larrycly...@gmail.com > >wrote: > > > >> > >> The graveyard of empires is really a myth. Afghanistan through most of > >> its history was a part of larger empires - the Persian, Mongol, > >> British etc. It wasn't until the 1700's that it became effectively > >> independent. The British actually controlled Afghanistan from the > >> 1880's through 1930 or so. > >> > >> On Fri, May 25, 2012 at 1:50 AM, Eric Roberts > >> <ow...@threeravensconsulting.com> wrote: > >> > > >> > There is a good reason Afghanistan is called the graveyard of > Empires. I > >> > don't think the Bush administration was operating in any known > >> reality...so > >> > this "fantasy" was probably a part of it. The rest is greed and > giving > >> tax > >> > dollars to his buddies based on no bid contracts for civilians to take > >> over > >> > many of the military functions...like cooks, mechanics, laundry, > >> > construction, etc....also throw in the "protection" role of > Blackwater or > >> > whatever they call themselves these days...Xe I think...or did they > >> change > >> > that too? You have a pretty sweet deal for defense contractors. > >> Military > >> > industrial complex is swimming in cash...at least until the treasury > is > >> > drained. He certainly didn't try to bolster the treasury with the tax > >> cuts > >> > to the rich. The ones to the middle class and lower class were a > >> pittance > >> > and in reality didn't do squat. Welcome to the fascist police state > my > >> > friends... > >> > > >> > -----Original Message----- > >> > From: Judah McAuley [mailto:ju...@wiredotter.com] > >> > Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2012 10:17 PM > >> > To: cf-community > >> > Subject: Re: Pics from the NATO Protest > >> > > >> > > >> > Afghanistan also has significant deposits of minerals used in high > tech > >> > manufacturing. > >> > > >> > However, I really don't think that was the reason we invaded. It's > >> possible > >> > that some far right delusional folks thought we might take over > >> Afghanistan > >> > and suppress the Taliban and do a good job extracting resources and > >> helping > >> > guard against an alliance over oil between Russia and the Middle East. > >> But, > >> > given history, I think that most people in their right minds would > have > >> > regarded that as a rather extreme fantasy. We can bomb a country > back to > >> > the dark ages, but when it's already in the dark ages? Really, what > are > >> your > >> > odds of success? > >> > > >> > No, we've got the good old fashioned military industrial complex at > >> work. I > >> > know, seems trite, doesn't it? Eisenhower warned us against it, after > >> all. > >> > That makes it pretty long in the tooth. Obviously just hippy shit > these > >> days > >> > that people tell each other as they fit aluminum foil hats. > >> > > >> > There is a huge amount of money to be made and a huge amount of power > to > >> be > >> > had by simply being at war. Doesn't matter so much with who. > >> > There are advantages one way or another with different enemies. Sure, > if > >> we > >> > did manage to triumph in Afghanistan, it would have some nice > benefits. > >> Same > >> > thing for Iraq. Or Iran. But that's all secondary. A nice bonus, if > you > >> > will. Keeping people afraid allows you to pass further draconian laws > >> that > >> > blow away privacy. Being at war allows you to funnel massive amounts > of > >> > money to a tiny number of big companies and agencies with secret > budgets > >> and > >> > no bids. Spending trillions on wars allows you to look at the > increasing > >> > deficits and say, "oh no! We need to cut everywhere other than > defense!" > >> and > >> > put people further into poverty and even more into subjugation. > >> > > >> > The brilliant part of the "war on terror" is that it isn't a war with > >> > anyone. It's a war with an idea. No one ever gets to easily claim > "we've > >> > won" and be able to show it. There is no white flag from the enemy. > >> Anyone > >> > who ever says "we're done" will have a well trained group of media > attack > >> > dogs jumping them and saying "you gave up and are a coward" and > "you've > >> > placed everyone's children at risk". Hell, that's happened to Obama > and > >> he > >> > doubled down in Afghanistan. > >> > > >> > Nope. The legacy of 9/11 is that we have a country where we funnel > almost > >> > unlimited (and totally untracked) amounts of money into an endless war > >> > against unknown and constantly changing enemies while sacrificing an > >> untold > >> > number of civil liberties for no appreciable end game. There are > plenty > >> of > >> > other games within a game (like the millenarian folks that think that > >> Israel > >> > has to have some sort of weird war stuff to happen for the rapture to > >> come) > >> > but when you have hugely profitable companies making large amounts of > >> money > >> > and government power brokers gaining greater control over the > populace, > >> > they'll be pretty happy with a continued state of rolling unrest. > >> > > >> > Authoritarianism suits large industry and large government. And war is > >> the > >> > best way to ensure that authoritarianism keeps a strong grip on our > >> country. > >> > > >> > Judah > >> > > >> > On Wed, May 23, 2012 at 12:18 PM, Larry C. Lyons < > larrycly...@gmail.com> > >> > wrote: > >> >> > >> >> exactly the only greed factor I can see is with KBR, but during that > >> >> time period they didn't have the same presence as they did in Iraq. I > >> >> think Tim can enlighten us on that - he was there. > >> >> > >> >> But the only real money to be made in Afghanistan are with opium and > >> weed. > >> >> > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > >> > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Order the Adobe Coldfusion Anthology now! http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Coldfusion-Anthology/dp/1430272155/?tag=houseoffusion Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:351419 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/unsubscribe.cfm
