Koran burnings

[takoma]

The fundamental import of the First Amendment is that we are a country that respects different approaches to religion.It may not be unconstitutional to burn a Quran, but it is not in keeping with our values.

And for this burning to be done by US troops in a Muslim country, is way out of line with our national interest. Obama's apology was not only justified, but a no-brainer. For Gingrich to criticize it is, IMO, not only outrageous (to use his own word) but, because it undercuts our conduct of a war, bordering on treason.

[Anonymous]

the extent of rioting and violence is not about a burnt book anymore. its about a bored people, whose poppy fields are being destroyed, and who have no other income. And a people who 11 years later are not much better off and now tired of a presence of 18-25 year olds who think they can do whatever they want in their country and shoot guns all over the place.

[Anonymous]

I don't think that the situation in Afghanistan is analagous to someone invading the US and killing our leaders, because we aren't living in the unhappy condition that many people there were before the invasion. That's certainly not to say that the people there should be grateful for all of the wonderful things that the US has done for them, but it isn't a comparable situation.
For years before the US invaded, Afghanistan was one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world due to previous decades of war, both internally and with the USSR. It had and still has an incredibly high rate of infant mortality, limited electricity, dismal health conditions, limited opportunities and rights for women. The problem is that part of the justification for the invasion was humanitarian, but other than a marginal improvement to the Afghan economy as the result of international aid (which doesn't necessarily trickle down to the average Afghan person), things have not significantly changed for the better. As for the premise that the all Afghans wants US forces to leave, a recent BBC poll indicates that 62 percent of Afghans support the presence of US forces in Afghanistan. However, only 32 percent have positive feelings about the work that the US has done in Afghanistan, and only 43 percent have favorable views of the US. That would lead to one possible conclusion that although people may not feel that the invasion was the best thing for them, many rightly so, given that it has occurred, many would prefer for the US to stay for the time being because they don't perceive a better option right now.