The Kite Runner, based in the international bestseller by Khaled Hosseini,  tells the story of an Afghan refugee turned writer, many years removed from his struggles to arrive in the United States,  who is overcome by an eruption of memory from his days as a child in Afghanistan. At it’s core, the story is about an upper-class 12 year-old Afghan boy named Amir, who horribly betrays his childhood friend Hassan, the son of his father’s house servant. Years later, Amir takes the opportunity to atone for his actions with a tremendous act of courage. Powerful, haunting, and unforgettable, the film takes the audience  inside both a country’s history and culture, placing a very human face on the tragic tale of Afghanistan; a country that most only know from caustic headlines and brief nightly news installments. Even the the most stoic of viewers will have a hard time not being moved by RELATIVITY OnLine’s latest DVD recommendation. Skip the latest formulaic retread the next time you’re looking for a movie to watch and try something a little different. You won’t regret it.   

Reuters Photo

The Taliban’s recent assault on downtown Kabul, carried out by a timed series of explosives and suicide bombers, is yet another sign there is no use for The United States, Canada, the UK, Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, Australia and more to keep their troops in the country. It doesn’t matter if they leave tomorrow or of they leave in 3 years, the end result will be the same; the Taliban will remain and then fight it out with local forces.

In the worst attacks in more than a year, the insurgents did not succeed in seizing  government buildings, but showed they can still cause death, destruction and mayhem.  More than anything, they showed absolutely no fear of or respect for the occupying forces or the Afghan army.  All this at a time when President Obama is desperately trying  to rally support for his short term, but expanded military campaign.

To make matters worse, several of the Taliban were disguised as Afghan security force members, a sure sign that even the Afghan army is working with the Taliban, for fear of what will happen once the the international coalition leaves.

“As we were conducting the ceremony of swearing in, a terrorist attack in a part of Kabul close to the presidential palace is going on. This is just one of the dangers. The danger that could harm Afghanistan is sowing national discord among Afghans,” said corrupt puppet and double agent Afghan President Karzai.

Iraq stands a better chance at stability than Afghanistan, as the Taliban are all about denial. They deny their own government, they deny their own religion, and they even deny the very lives of Afghani men, women and children. Like filthy, shit-smelling cockroaches in the sewers, they will always survive. It’s time to get out, let things happen on their own, and react accordingly. Afterwards, isolation policies like that of what are applied to North Korea and the former Iraqi regime is the only remedy.

What no one seems to understand is that although the Taliban can easily be defeated, wiping them out altogether is like trying get rid of a bad case of herpes – it just ain’t gonna happen.  The best you can hope for is to get it under control, so the occasional flare up can be properly handled.

From David Anthony Hohol…