time.com— A former top U.N. official recounts the fraud he witnessed during Afghanistan's presidential vote-- and why he lost his job for speaking up.
Oct 11, 2009View in Crawl 4
I've got a great way for Obama not to have to worry about the rigged elections complicating things - get out. That's right, pack up our men and women, and get out. Now. Don't continue this war. Give a real reason for that Nobel Prize - not the "hopey" and "changey" stuff, but real action. And if you're not paying attention, while Obama appears to be struggling with his decision, I fully expect him to send another 40,000 of our sons and daughters there. To be followed by many more. After all, this is the "good" war, right?My stance on the war aside, we ought to know better than rig elections and leadership in the country we happen to be occupying. But perhaps we learned nothing from Vietnam.
Don't be silly. If yous got out of Afghanistan/Iraq, then it would leave Russia and China access to the regions oil. Those who control your government WANT turmoil in the region, as this is what is most profitable for the long term. And I'm afraid that they care not for your sons and daughters, as more wars equals more $$$ and more powers.
Having a parent working for the U.N. I can say it's always like this. It's always those higher up who screw things over. The thing is, high positions are just past/switched around so you end up with people in charge who don't know half the things needed. You have the people below, who have worked in their positions for many years, wanting things done one way then some new boss is randomly assigned and says "no, we'll do things another way" even though his experience in this new sector is minimal.In some situations, like this one, speaking up gets you punished. But I guess it's like this everywhere whether it's a company or countries with their governments. The people at the top make decisions based on what's best for them instead of everyone and there's nothing you can do due to a lack of true democracy.
So we condemn Iran for having rigged elections, but look the other way when Afghanistan does it. This is why when the idea of putting in a constitutional monarchy was floating around during 2001 we should have taken it. It would have given the Afghan gov. much needed legitimacy.
badqatOct 11, 2009
I've got a great way for Obama not to have to worry about the rigged elections complicating things - get out. That's right, pack up our men and women, and get out. Now. Don't continue this war. Give a real reason for that Nobel Prize - not the "hopey" and "changey" stuff, but real action. And if you're not paying attention, while Obama appears to be struggling with his decision, I fully expect him to send another 40,000 of our sons and daughters there. To be followed by many more. After all, this is the "good" war, right?My stance on the war aside, we ought to know better than rig elections and leadership in the country we happen to be occupying. But perhaps we learned nothing from Vietnam.
uklooneyOct 12, 2009
When you say 'regulated', don't you mean 'rigged' ?
heliumflashOct 12, 2009
No, idiot, I mean that considering how important this election is, we should have made sure everything went smoothly and that there was no rigging.
uklooneyOct 12, 2009
Don't be silly. If yous got out of Afghanistan/Iraq, then it would leave Russia and China access to the regions oil. Those who control your government WANT turmoil in the region, as this is what is most profitable for the long term. And I'm afraid that they care not for your sons and daughters, as more wars equals more $$$ and more powers.
bohicatwentytwoOct 12, 2009
Well we sure have the nobel prize comittee fooled.
schmichOct 12, 2009
Having a parent working for the U.N. I can say it's always like this. It's always those higher up who screw things over. The thing is, high positions are just past/switched around so you end up with people in charge who don't know half the things needed. You have the people below, who have worked in their positions for many years, wanting things done one way then some new boss is randomly assigned and says "no, we'll do things another way" even though his experience in this new sector is minimal.In some situations, like this one, speaking up gets you punished. But I guess it's like this everywhere whether it's a company or countries with their governments. The people at the top make decisions based on what's best for them instead of everyone and there's nothing you can do due to a lack of true democracy.
sexyloserOct 12, 2009
So we condemn Iran for having rigged elections, but look the other way when Afghanistan does it. This is why when the idea of putting in a constitutional monarchy was floating around during 2001 we should have taken it. It would have given the Afghan gov. much needed legitimacy.