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-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

Answers

We actually opened up our preps forum to visitors because we heard other forums were overloaded. We generally hang out at our passworded forum, where it says on the blurb somewhere we have a somewhat conservative bent. I think I'm pretty middle-of-the-road in most things, even liberal on others, but on the Taliban and bin Laden, I'm an extremist.

We have an Afghan restaurant in the neighborhood and have long enjoyed their food. We were in there the other day, commenting on the new addition--a TV tuned to CNN. The owner's wife bubbled over: "Oh, we are SO happy the Americans are going to get rid of the Taliban and bin Laden!" She told us the Taliban are not from Afghanistan, that before they came people were happy--Afghanis are very happy people, she said over and over, but the Taliban--and here she would fling up her arms and roll her eyes. The family still has some relatives in Kabul, although their parents and children were able to get out a few years ago.

The woman was definitely not being politic! Her face lit and her smile spoke volumes when she talked about the possibility of the Americans helping her country--that's how she put it, HELPING. Although her mother (who makes the bread) wears a headscarf, the owner's wife doesn't and we talked about the burqa and the terrible plight of Afghanistan's women.

So you're disappointed. The restaurant family isn't and, frankly, that's more important to me.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

OG, someone was saying on the radio last night how the Northern Alliance group is just as extremist in their put down of women as the Taliban, that as far as women were concerned, there wouldn't be much difference. Have the folks in the restaurant indicated how they feel about the Northern Alliance or what they think the country could do if the Taliban were expelled

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

Actually, the owner's wife was talking about the influence of the exiled king who, apparently, is a "liberal" where women are concerned. We didn't talk about the Northern Alliance's stance on women. News of the king's interest in taking a role had been reported within a day or two of our meal and the woman was very excited about it.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

Brooks,

I have heard countless times on TV about the northern alliance being so under armed. Fluffy and I talked about it last night and the whys we haven't armed them as of yet. His thoughts were that they are just as extreme all the way around, not just with women that you noted above. His thoughts are if we arm them now, we'll be fighting them later. Kinda makes sense.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

Fluffy? Does he know Sweetie? Did he mention that the NA don't even have helmets (they're wearing those sort of pie-crust hats) and they set off their mortars by touching two wires together or something.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2001

if they kill someone....do they wrap their head up and use it to play polo?

; )

-- Anonymous, October 10, 2001