Does it not irk anyone when you see something reported, in a newspaper, official government “release”, or anything like that were they make a statement – then a few years later they go completely 180 degrees and say just the opposite? How are we supposed to trust them, if they just admitted lying, or at least proselytized a false point of view?
Years ago I remember seeing news reports about the Taliban, and although yes, they were bad, brutal, the one point in their favour was that they kept the opium crops to a minimum. Apparently strict Islam disagrees with drugs as strongly as our governments do. We have that in common at least, along with being human (although that’s debatable from some of their behaviour with captives, which the Koran strictly regulates treatment of).
Yet now – forward to 2007 – and I see this article in the NY Times: Taliban Raise Poppy Production to a Record Again. If they -are- a radical Islamic movement, wouldn’t they be following the Koran to the letter? Which means, no drugs, right? Nor any support of them.
If we were to also believe the governments that lead us, aren’t these radical Islamic groups getting their money from grass-roots Islam and muslims? So, why this article? Doesn’t the NY Times do their homework, or are they a mouthpiece for the US Government trying to get us to believe something that might not necessarily be true?
In fact, shame on us, the British ‘govern’ Helmland, where this vast majority of opium is grown. Is my own government doing such a piss poor job that they have let this happen?