thanks for the link.

Nobody could have predicted...

At this stage, Afghanistan is nothing more than a cover war that allows Democrats the chance to keep up appearances by appearing 'strong' on terrorism/war, and that's really a shame. It is yet another example of allowing the GOP make the calls and for us to have to answer them.

Badshah Khan was a colleague of Gandhi's and formed what some call the first non-violent army in history in 1930. It lasted until it was crushed by the fledgling Pakistani government in 1947. At its height it included 100,000 people - Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, both men and women. Badshah Khan's non-violence was based upon Islamic principles, Pashtun tradition, and Gandhi's teachings. To my knowledge, we have never studied his work nor used his example to promote peace in Afghanistan.

Since before the invasion, US and NATO forces have distributed nearly one million solar/dynamo am/fm/sw radios. Unfortunately, these radios charge only the dedicated internal hardwired batteries. They cannot charge AA or other dry cell batteries which would allow the solar/dynamo to become a reliable source of low voltage DC power day or night, by sunlight or muscle power. This is a minor modification that could power much more than a radio but also LED lights, a cell phone (there are areas of Afghanistan with cell phone coverage), walkie talkies, CD players, and perhaps even computers. I've been writing about this possibility for development for years now and have tried to contact people in the Pentagon, at NATO headquarters, and in Afghanistan. I've talked to the staff of my Congressional rep and have spoken up at public meetings with academic and political experts. Evidently, nobody's heard me yet.

We've missed many chances but the opportunities are right before our eyes.