news and events, popular topics, current events

There has been a good deal of dispute surrounding the young presidency of Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai. Now he informs – however doesn’t shock – the collective world media that he has been receiving “bags of cash” from Iran and also the United States for years. This raises the question much of the world wants answered: whether the players getting the best Karzai money can purchase. Source for this article – President Hamid Karzai says he takes bags of cash from Iran by Personal Money Store.

Money taken by Hamid Karzai for ‘official presidential expenses’

Once or twice a year, “donation” are given to Hamid Karzai from Iran. These gifts are generally $700,000 to $975,000. Karzai said that the U.S. government has known about this Iranian assistance for years and that Washington also sends the Afghan palace “bags of cash.”. Some speculate Karzai came forward with this details to take the heat off his chief of staff, Umar Daudzai, whom the New York Times lately reported as also taking money from Iran. The cash has allegedly been used to pay down Afghan lawmakers, tribal elders and high-ranking Taliban officials.

Cash goes to Karzai from ’several nations’ because his income is lacking

Before the Taliban regime in 2001 fell, Afghanistan’s economy had been really bad, reports the CIA World Factbook. The country is “highly dependent on foreign aid, agriculture and trade with neighboring nations.” This is despite all the international assistance being given as aid. This is supposedly true even though opium and hashish product comes from Afghanistan more than anywhere else within the world. A lot of cash comes from the opium and other illegal drug trade which is why Karzai wouldn’t be that interested in stopping it. This has the Obama administration frustrated with the country. Afghan polls cited by Today’s Views indicate that Karzai’s public views him as an ineffective ruler. This is not because of the common beliefs that numerous would think, Wikipedia states. The economy in Afghanistan is agriculture based upon. Since poppies sell the most in Afghanistan, poor farmers end up within the drug business whether or not that is what they’d hope to be doing. The cash does not all go to them either. It’s divided up. Since other countries are feeding Karzai so much cash, this makes sense. Hamid Karzai probably is just taking it.

Citations

Associated Press

newser.com/article/d9j2lc780/afghan-president-says-iran-and-us-give-bags-of-money-to-help-its-office.html

The Odora

theodora.com/wfbcurrent/afghanistan/afghanistan_economy.html

Today’s Views

todaysviews.com/?p=781

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_production_in_Afghanistan

The U.S. “double game”

youtube.com/watch?v=ir6IEOQ_4Go

melkay Current Events Afghanistan, hamid karzai, illicit drug trade, Iran

I just read that one of Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks cables show the extent of corruption in Afghanistan.It extends to all levels of government and society, according to the cable.  This is something I’ve suspected for a long time.

Why are we spending billions and possibly trillions of US taxpayer dollars there?With all this money, they have still been unable to get rid of the Taliban and Al Quaida.

Now, it is time to ask the hard questions.  Why are we supporting a top to bottom and inside out system of corruption?  It is ridiculous.  We need a new solution. 

The problem in some countries IS the corruption.  If it did not exist, if they followed some stronger moral values, I firmly believe they could have a better future.  It is the countries that do not have a firm hold on morals and ethics that end up in the most trouble.  It may take a few decades or even a century to show up, but eventually, the results show! 

Instilling a strong work ethic is not as easy as using therabreath or oramd   to defeat bad breath.  It also is not as good as using the hydrofloss, to promote healthier gums and teeth. It takes work so fix a problem that is deeply routed in the character of individuals.  They need something to provide them with guidance! 

Thanks to WikiLeaks, I hope we are now entering a new age of transparency, where the government can no longer decide for us what is best without us having an opportunity to see the true picture.   We want everything out in the open so that the world’s people  can see what is going on.

In this way, behind the scenes deals, negotiations, promises of money and weapons will have to be out in the open. This could change the way the entire world operates. 

It is similar to people, it is much easier for a person to do a wrong deed when he thinks no one will find out.  The same principle applies to governments too! 

It seems that if we can have the greatest level of transparency, the way things work will change too!

melkay Current Events Afghanistan, assange, wikileaks

The voice on the radio suddenly forced its way into my conscious awareness. Absolutely staggering, I felt it deep in my gut with no uncertainty.

Forty Percent of the Afghan economy is from illegal drug production and trafficking. More disturbing is the fact that the United States has nothing that can replace the drug trade for Afghan entrepreneurs.

As I contemplated these hard hitting statements, I found myself imagining how different our world could be if we just stuck to some basic tenants of common decency.

Yet, what does this say about our world, where such an obscene industry can thrive?  It’s not just the growers and traffickers that are contributing to the problems, but the users of the end product. Those users ultimately feed the entire industry’s cash flow.

Recovery from this influx of drugs, because they are much stronger, is not the same as your average teenage experiencing marijuana withdrawal symptoms. These drugs can cause serious problems for the addict, sometimes resulting in death!

Considering the Afghan drug problems alongside illicit drug trade around the world, there has to be an incredible amount of drug users to support the global market for drugs. Why? Is it really about the high, or is it about escaping the sober realities and pain of human life? It seems that we never hear anyone talking about this aspect. Life is often painful. Whether you are poor or rich, there are all kinds of problems and challenges that we human beings face.

How appealing a drug addiction and the escape it provides must be to the user. In some ways, it may even be understandable. There are so many problems and concerns to escape from. It is not like an American who’s biggest problem is to figure out what works best for home teeth whitening.  Those ads are hilarious, aren’t they! 

Facing life and its challenges head on is NOT for the timid. Problems can range from the simple, such as trying to get rid of gingivitis, to the more complex – as in trying to feed a family of 10 on wages that are very small. It is easy to see how someone would be tempted to turn to the drug trade!

But, we are all faced with life nonetheless and there is no escaping that for the rational and sober minded person. Sure there are moments of pleasure that provide temporary relief but how long do those moments last?  How long before the next problem rears up to block our path arrives?

For some, the moments of pleasure and happiness last longer and not so long for others.  That may be related to a whole host of factors including socio-economic ones. 

So what can we do? Not much as it turns out, for a simple reason. It is a fact of our very existence that free will exists. Each person makes his own choices. More laws won’t change what people do when they think that they can’t be seen.

Perhaps a greater degree of personal happiness and contentment would prove to be more attractive than the lure of drug use. As you may have heard, “history tends to repeat itself”. And why is that? Maybe the human condition doesn’t really change that much, only the scenery and technology change, while the basic conditions of human life stay about the same throughout the ages. 

If that is true, and similar conditions existed in the past, how were they dealt with back then? One of the western world’s most revered philosophers was Socrates.

Socrates talked about virtue. He discussed things like Truth, Beauty and Goodness with his students. Today, Master Li Hongzhi expounds on Truthfulness, Compassion and Endurance. Perhaps contemplation of these things can bring greater contentment and personal happiness?  With happiness and contentment, there may no longer be as strong a catalyst for feeding a drug addiction.

One thing is fairly certain. Due to the existence of free will, only each individual can choose for himself the path he wishes to tread.

melkay Current Events Afghanistan, Afghanistan news

Current Events Afghanistan, Afp, Important News, Iraq, Magnitude, News Event, News Yahoo, Od, Rest Of My Life, Sarcasm, Story X, Yahoo, Ylt