Hard News: The question of Afghanistan becomes more urgent
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Russell Brown, in reply to
the bunch of Saudis that the US had framed for the job
So you know who really did it, then? Do tell.
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Here’s the episode on-demand.
Yeah informative, great show
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Joe Wylie, in reply to
So you know who really did it, then? Do tell.
Last time I asked that question I was directed to a website which in turn directed me to a series of other websites. Along with a megaload of mind-numbing minor detail, all featured popup ads with messages such as "Are you still killing yourself with vitamins?"
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Steve Barnes, in reply to
My old man who got sucked into fighting for englanders for 6 years would have rolled in his grave,
Garth?
Hmmm, two first names eh, that's "unusual" -
Islander, in reply to
<q>mm, two first names eh, that’s “unusual”
There is a Maori author called James George. I dont know whether this one is him...
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Steve Barnes, in reply to
There is a Maori author called James George.
One of my neighbours up North is John George. So I suppose it's not that unusual. My point was that the more "enthusiastic" opinions here are, more often that not, from people with "two first names" spooky huh? ;-)
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Bart Janssen, in reply to
Rubbish. Go educate yourself
Try reading your own link
From the Middle Ages to around 1750 part of today's Afghanistan was recognized as Khorasan.[32] Two of the four main capitals of Khorasan (Balkh and Herat) are now located in modern Afghanistan. The country of Kandahar, Ghazni and Kabul formed the frontier region between Khorasan and Hindustan.
Multiple "countries", multiple capitals, multiple tribes. And that is in one snapshot in time. The rest of the article describes centuries of conflict and division where parts of the country belong to one empire or another. Anything but unified.
Presenting it as simplistic is simply not helpful.
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Angus Robertson, in reply to
So you know who really did it, then? Do tell.
9/11 short summary - 15 Saudi Arabians (+ 4 other Arabs) from an organisation headed by a Saudi Arabian, that was financed by Gulf State (Saudi) Arabs and dedicated to impostion of a Wahhabist religious cause crashed 4 planes in America.
It is a complete mystery who did what and who was involved. Must have been Afghanistan. Or Iraq.
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My first names are Graeme Kenneth.
Kenneth Grahame wrote The Wind in the Willows.
Coincidence? -
Rich of Observationz, in reply to
I'll have you know the d'Rich's are an ancient and noble family of Norman-English-Icelandic lineage.
Of course, I go by another name for purposes that involve earning money. If I posted stuff that wouldn't offend those who give me said money, my posts would be decidedly dull, sadly.
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Rich of Observationz, in reply to
Unlike (e.g.) Germany, Italy, Spain or France.
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The extended version of the interview with Jon Stephenson is online now.
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Chris Waugh, in reply to
He had some very interesting and quite worrying comments on the security situation.
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Was it ever a realistic proposition that a strong Afghani state be created, and the Afghan Army take over security? Maybe I'm too cynical, but it always looked to me as if eventually the UN/NATO forces would leave, and the Taliban would be back.
That always meant whatever good NZ could do, it would be limited in time. -
Unfortunate PR twist.
One of the three soldiers killed in Afghanistan on Sunday had criticised the Prime Minister for not attending the funerals of two soldiers killed earlier this month.
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Just days before he was killed, Corporal Tamatea voiced his belief that the Prime Minister should have stayed in New Zealand to honour the slain soldiers.
"If I was a leader of a country I would attend the funerals of our fallen soldiers..... I wouldn't be at a f****** baseball game!!" he posted on Facebook on August 9.
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Richard Aston, in reply to
My first names are Graeme Kenneth.
Kenneth Grahame wrote The Wind in the Willows.
Coincidence?There are no coincidences Graeme, but what is the link ?
The main conflict in Wind and the Willows is man verses society, a conflict you as a lawyer must be very familiar with.
Your last name Edgler means Sword Wolf .... great meaning for a name but can't see the link ...' -
Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to
I read on the weekend in some comment section of someit (really don't remember where) that Key could have been at the funerals on Saturday then on to his son's Baseball game by Monday when the game was to be. Seeing as we are around 24 hrs ahead of parts of the U.S., I calculate he could have indeed attended both.
Jus' sayin' -
amerika
Whoa! Retro.
I was disappointed not to see ameriKKKa myself.
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Steve Barnes, in reply to
9/11 short summary – 15 Saudi Arabians (+ 4 other Arabs) from an organisation headed by a Saudi Arabian, that was financed by Gulf State (Saudi) Arabs and dedicated to impostion of a Wahhabist religious cause crashed 4 planes in America.It is a complete mystery who did what and who was involved. Must have been Afghanistan. Or Iraq.
Either that or those damned Commies!!!!
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On the subject of our soldiers' security in Afghanistan, I trust you've all seen this:
The vehicle's fatal flaw, a 2008 Pentagon inspector-general's report found, was that its "flat bottom, low weight, low ground clearance and aluminum body" left it vulnerable to IEDs.
Aluminuim! Jeez!
Didn't the Royal Navy experiment with aluminuim-hulled ships? Y'know, to save weight? And then lose at least one such ship in the Falklands War to an Argentinian exocet that didn't explode? The exocet's engine exhaust set the hull on fire, apparently, which isn't terribly difficult to do if the hull is aluminuim.
Dear Taliban,
If I remember high school chemistry rightly, aluminuim's flashpoint is 600 degrees celsius. You can set it on fire with a candle or cigarette lighter (I have seen this done with my own four eyes). The hotter the explosions of your IEDs, the more Kiwis you'll kill.
Ah, New Zealand, continuing that fine old tradition of leaving our soldiers to beg, borrow or steal if they want any decent equipment, otherwise just leaving them to make do with whatever shit the meagre pittance of a budget our tightwad governments allow them. If we're going to have a military, can we not just fund them enough to do their jobs properly with decent gear?
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Islander, in reply to
<q>Ah, New Zealand, continuing that fine old tradition of leaving our soldiers to beg, borrow or steal if they want any decent equipment, otherwise just leaving them to make do with whatever shit the meagre pittance of a budget our tightwad governments allow them. If we’re going to have a military, can we not just fund them enough to do their jobs properly with decent gear?
O phuque o dear yes - because almost NO politicians have been or are servicepeople - yet another reason to practise kicking pollies in the teeth (mental, physical, electoral-)
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Rich of Observationz, in reply to
The Scorpion light tank is aluminum, also. Did fine in the Falklands, although the ones NZ bought apparently didn't stand up to our drivers.
The problem with a lot of Cold War era weaponry, at least in the UK, was that it was designed around a strategy of "fight like mad for a week, then blow up the world". So durability and casualty minimisation wasn't much of a concern.
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Angus Robertson, in reply to
If we’re going to have a military, can we not just fund them enough to do their jobs properly with decent gear?
The NZ Humvee and LAV vehicles are death traps to mines, with flat bottoms and stuff all armour underneath. But they cost shitloads, it is unfair to criticise politicians for being stingy with the funds. For example one Canadian made LAV costs the same 10 Australian made Bushmasters.
The responsibility for all uneccessary deaths lies with the Ministry of Defence and the then Army commander.
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Chris Waugh, in reply to
But they cost shitloads, it is unfair to criticise politicians for being stingy with the funds.
No it's not. They're involved in the decision-making process, and they decide how much money to give to MoD and the military.
For example one Canadian made LAV costs the same 10 Australian made Bushmasters.
So it's not as simple as inadequate funding. The article I linked to had some quite nice things to say about those Bushmasters and their ability to keep soldiers relatively safe.
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