Surprised me too. He’s not a man of principle, he’s a man of money, so there’s got to be an angle here we’re not seeing.
1 Like
Mission Creep is how we get into this shit. And now we have this talk of a Bi Partisan group reinvolving us with this mess and we haven’t even left yet.
Getting them out is problematic. I back the sentiment. I think it’s the only moral thing to do in the circumstances. But look at the crowds trying to get out on flights from Kabul airport: they are predominantly male. Women take a big risk just leaving home, much less trying to get to Kabul airport to leave the country.
6 Likes
As if those over 12 can get the vaccination without a parents consent.
Earlier today was listening to this weeks Pod Save America. They had on Jane Costin from the New York Times. She mentioned that in the end credits of Rocky III it’s dedicated to the Mujahideen. We seem to forget how popular and ingrained into America’s psyche they were because it was the Cold War and they were a proxy for fighting the Soviet Union.
11 Likes
The rest of the f###ing cowards don’t have pens and a voice?
That includes my own f###ing coward, Rob Portman.
1 Like
It’s not all due to US threats, it appears. They’re doing a “charm offensive” according to this BBC report linked below. I wouldn’t believe a word they’re saying about women returning to work, but they’re smart enough to know that this makes them look good for now.
Aware of concerns about the rights of women and girls, the Taliban tweeted an image on 16 August showing girls “on their way to school”, saying education for girls continues. That day they also posted a clip claiming to show a Taliban official assuring a group of female doctors and nurses that they’re OK to continue work. The women were shown wearing the normal veil rather than the all-covering burka.
5 Likes
And I’m surprised it took almost a day!
5 Likes
Oh look! They got themselves some Blackhawks.
Joke’s on them, with the maintenance requirements, they’ll be bankrupt in a month.
6 Likes
But I also just read over in the Hive that Biden’s frozen the Afghan government reserves here as well. Let’s never forget the fluency with which money talks.
12 Likes
There was a whole season of McGyver about this. We armed and trained - essentially created - the “Freedom Fighters” to fight the occupiers at the time, the Russians. Those forces have been rebranded as the Taliban but they are exactly the same entities.
3 Likes
1 Like
Yeah, saw that. Mixed thoughts. We’ll see what the coming days bring on the evacuation, but this is a step that could also backfire if the taliban feel (and rightly so) that their best leverage to free up dollars is while they can hold people hostage away from the airport, not once we’re gone.
2 Likes
Biden did this on Sunday so we’re already seeing the effects and so far they don’t look half bad.
3 Likes
In a non-public move made only public today through anonymous sourcing. Which means the taliban is reading about it also today.
2 Likes
Non-public doesn’t mean the interested parties didn’t know. At this point, I wouldn’t number the Taliban in with Taegan Goddard’s readers.
But maybe you’re right.
3 Likes
I could be wrong, but I get the impression that the Taliban don’t care that much about money. Yes, corruption is everywhere including the Taliban, but unlike the previous government they’re in this for a religious purpose, not a primarily monetary one.
They may eventually get around to seeing if they can free up some of those funds blocked by the US, but I don’t think they’re going to damage their current “charm offensive” by taking hostages for cash.
6 Likes
That’s my take as well.
3 Likes
Mixed feelings about this because refusing treatments to e.g. transgender is a thing too. That said, refusing to see unvaccinated patients in the office and making them use teleservices instead makes a lot of sense.
My elderly mom has the opposite problem. Her doctor’s receptionist is an anti-vaxxer, although she says she will don a mask whenever people with masks come in. !!! He’s a fucking gerontologist, there is no patient they see who isn’t already high risk. I’m furious, but options are quite limited for primary care. For the record I know of patients they lost to Covid pre-vaccine. My hometown was hit really hard in the first wave, and might as well be in Florida when you look at the numbers right now.
5 Likes
But what about their preserves? If we’ve also frozen those then they’re really in a jam!
7 Likes