Oh, hell. Someone's wrong on the internet!

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I don't give a flying fuck if Al Qaeda has all the oil in the world or not.



See, this has got to be one of the most ignorant comments ever made. Because after Al Qaeda had that much oil, you damn well would care. It's not about the big oil companies who rake in the cash selling that stuff. I could care less what happens to their profit margins. It's about a way of life. Western civilization is entirely dependent on oil. If you didn't have any more access to oil tomorrow, what the hell would you do? How the hell would you get to work? How would your company afford payroll? Most people would end up on the street, destitute. And, if you don't think Al Qaeda would leverage aggressively the power of controlling the oil supply against the West, you are sadly mistaken.

Here's Al Qaeda's stated mission: Click. And, that Caliphate they're talking about? That extends all the way into territories of Spain.

Does it sound far-fetched? Yes. But, if you give Al Qaeda the financial backing so that a billion Arab's foray from poverty into the middle class becomes fighting for Al Qaeda, the mission becomes far more worthwhile in pursuing.


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I'm not claiming anything to be a European ideology. I don't think there's such a thing. What do you mean by "things never would have gotten to the point where they are now."? You mean the lawless state of affairs in both Iraq and Afghanistan?



US combat troops have been pulled out of Iraq because both the US government and the Iraqi believe the Iraqi Army is at the point where they can handle it. Iraqi casualties are now at the lowest point they've been during the entire war and getting better. The situation isn't dire anymore in Iraq. The light at the end of the tunnel has become obvious.

Afghanistan is different. It's horribly unfortunate the US mismanaged the war in Iraq for several years, having to use more resources their for longer periods of time, allowing the Afghanistan insurgents time to rebuild and become more effective. Plus, the rampant curruptuion amongst Afghan leaders makes you wonder if those people are capable of developing a functional country.

But, now that everybody knows there's a trillion dollars worth of minerals under Afghan soil: Click. And, having seen what happened last time Al Qaeda was left to their own devices in that country, you've got to be hard pressed to leave that country now. Especially considering having been able to turn the situation around in Iraq, it bodes well for the chances in Afghanistan.

The thing is, I'm not the least bit anti-Arab. I'd rather see a two-state solution over there. But, if it comes down to needing to choose, I'd have no problem seeing Israel wiped off the planet. But, Al Qaeda is evil and dangerous. If you allow them to become trillionaires, controlling resources we are entirely dependent upon, you've just turned civilization as we know it upside down.

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I'm very much aware of the state of affairs in Afghanistan after the SU 'transitioned out'. I know enough Afghani people, who have told me their stories. It is not a nice picture they paint. But if you believe it's better now, after nine years of illegal occupation and clandestine warfare, you're greatly mistaken.



Of course, no one says, "wow, I'm glad the war's here!". The only question is whether or not the war was necessary. Which is an entirely different question than whether or not when things start to look grim if you pack your gear and run. Because, the situation is entirely different then. Lots of things Bush did didn't work out. But, not running off like a lot of humiliated Europeans and doing The Surge in Iraq at a time when, even in the US, it was horribly unpopular, was one of the greatest decisions an American president has ever made.