On 18 mar, 20:14, Dave Smith > wrote:
>
> > Except that no one will ever "finish the job" in Afghanistan. History
> > is generally a harsh mistress but in this case it should have been
> > given a large club to castigate the buffoons who think they can control
> > Afghanistan.
>
> Meanwhile, we fight to bring them a democracy that they do not appreciate
> and an infrastructure they try to destroy faster than we can build it for
> them.

White man's burden and all that? How your shoulders must be bowed by
the
weight of that responsibility. Oh wait...

> AFAIAK they aren't worth the effort. What we should be doing is
> setting up a barrier to quarantine them and let them fester in their own
> filth.

Why of course, the "cast not pearls before swine" gambit. I guess
that lets
you off the responsibility hook.

I personally favour letting people in dire circumstances make their
own decisions.
As much as I may personally disagree with their choice, I believe that
they will
only ever be satisfied when we learn to respect the choice they made.
After all,
how can you convince them of your good will if you have a visible
undercurrent of
resentment?