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Subscribe to RSSThe world's reaction to a powerful Taliban commander in northern Pakistan banning the vaccination of 161,000 children against polio, in retaliation against frequent drone attacks by the United States, has been more or less "no comment." That is unacceptable.
Hafiz Gul Bahadur says unless the U.S. stops its frequent drone attacks against the Taliban, he won’t let doctors and public health officials give out free oral polio vaccine to children any longer in North Waziristan, a tribal area on the Afghanistan border. This threat comes at a time of huge progress in eradicating polio worldwide.
By deciding to hide behind babies as a way to fight drones, Bahadur has chosen a strategy that is cruel, immoral and highly unlikely to have any effect on the use of drones. His action ought to bring loud moral condemnation upon him from all quarters of the globe. So, where are world’s major religious and political voices united in loud condemnation of the crass act of targeting the helpless children of Pakistan and Afghanistan with polio?
In reaching his decision to sacrifice the children of his region, Bahadur noted that the CIA had run a phony vaccination campaign in Pakistan to try to obtain DNA from some of Osama bin Laden’s children. The doctor who was allegedly involved, Dr. Shakil Afridi, was recently sentenced by a tribal court in Peshawar to 33 years in prison. Embarrassment over putting a humanitarian vaccine program to use in the effort to find and kill bin Laden may partly account for the relative silence that has greeted Bahadur’s ban on vaccination.
But the notion that letting polio run amok in Pakistan and Afghanistan will teach the world about the horror of drone attacks is manifest lunacy. There are plenty of legal, diplomatic and political forums to debate the morality of drone warfare. The ban on the polio vaccine is not needed to appeal to them.
The success to date in getting rid of this horrific plague stands as a mountain of evidence against those who argue that vaccines don’t work, are not safe, or are nothing but a way for pharmaceutical companies to make a buck. In 1988, the World Health Organization passed a unanimous resolution to eradicate polio from the earth by vaccinating every child. The United Nations, Rotary International, and, later, the Gates Foundation joined the effort. Untold numbers of health care workers from around the globe have dedicated their lives to eradicating the virus.
In 2012, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 73 cases of polio reported from four countries. Almost all of the cases were in three countries where the disease is endemic -- Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. Globally, polio cases are at an all-time low, after the virus was eradicated in India last year.
That positive momentum shouldn’t be hindered by a ban on polio vaccination, whatever the motivation or excuse. The silence over this ban sends a very loud message that killing and disabling kids is an acceptable strategy in war. It isn’t.
The world must make it very clear to Bahadur, and any other leaders tempted to follow his lead, that it will not accept turning back the campaign to eradicate polio, with the certain result of killing and disabling children.
Arthur Caplan is the Sidney D. Caplan Professor of Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania. After July 1, he will head the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center.
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Taliban bans Pakistan polio vaccinations over drone strikes
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Leave a Comment:
Those poor children!
What a stupid ______! (Hafiz Gul Bahadur) I do NOT want innocent children or families to be murdered by drones nor do I wish to see children or adults contract Polio.
* That is Not to say I completely want Drones to be stopped, but their oversight needs to bring their rate of innocent deaths to a level where they are 99.9% foolproof!
Hang with terrorists and die with terrorists.
How are innocent children "hanging with terrorists"? I am referring to the one's in need of the vaccine. I however, think that drones ultimately kill less than boots on the ground.
I think the Muslim community needs to come at this with all the will and force they can muster. This is their future. They need to be the one's to fight for it.
Thats just not possible. In the past however it took dozens of bombs to hit a target and targeting a specific person with a bomb was a total mess,with dozens of attempts over years. Now,if the CIA gets information your in a cab driving along a road in afganistan,and they want you dead,its game over.
The thing is,there is a driver of that cab,whose just a cab driver,and you might have your children with you. In fact,if your a terrorist,you probably keep your family close by so they will be martered by an American missile. Make no mistake,they WANT civilian casualites,they use them for recruiting. They hide in crowds. In Iraq,a favorite tactic used to be to hide in a crowd,then start shooting at American troops from the middle of a crowd of women and children in a crowded market. Of course,many stupid Americans shouted "We need to take the gloves off,we need to kill those terrorists and who cares who get caught in the crossfire". As such,many civilians were killed until we wised and realized what was really going on. What was really happening was,the terrorists wanted to kill dozens of civilians in a market. However,they realized its not a good recruiting tactic to walk into a market and kill children. Instead,they shot at Americans and WE killed children for us,they they pointed at us and said "Look at that,the Americans are killing children!!" and people flocked to their cause. We wised up and told the soldiers,if you get shot at and there are too many civilians around,just withdraw,becuase its not worth it to give them that victory,to kill one stupid terrorists,you create a dozen more.
Its the same thing everywhere,they surround themselves with innocents. It means that you cant target the lowlife AK47 toting foot soldier in a city. It sucks,but thats how it is. However,if a high ranking leader tries to use human sheilds,you have to do the math. If your a cab driver,you better know,dont drive the Osama BinLadens of the world around,its dangerous to be within a 100 yards of them. If your a terrorist,you should know that someone at Langley is going to crunch the numbers and decide how valuble you are,and if your more valuble to the US dead,than the number of terrorists we think you will recruit from the collateral damage,theres a Hellfire missile on a drone somewhere up there with your name up there.
There was a time in warfare, let's say 1944, when it was assumed it took a man's weight in munitions to kill him. Violence and war have always been exactly that. We can wish for more but that is all it is.
After a point we have to accept the fact that many people in the world do not want our help. We should lend a hand to those seeking our help and only those seeking our help. Personally I find it disgusting that this Taliban leader is using children to make a point, obviously this guy is a poor excuse for a human being but lets face it, what can we really do about this barbarians edict, except say; fine it's your world you deal with the consequences of your actions...... we're out of here. We can't fix all the problems of the world, nor should we try.......
Poof.
This has nothing to do with drones. For years the Middle East has been suspicious of our medical treatments. It wasn't long ago a story came out about experiments on Indians and now this surfaces again. They don't want our help and we really shouldn't be forcing your new medical technologies on illiterate, backward people. They seem to think they will be fine without us, let them alone to suffer. It's not worth getting doctors killed trying to administer a vaccine.
"Hafiz Gul Bahadur says unless the U.S. stops its frequent drone attacks against the Taliban, he won't let doctors and public health officials give out free oral polio vaccine to children..."
It's buried in the third sentence. Now that he's identified himself as an enemy, let him disappear.
Confussed-1578043
The polio drops are not "new". (late 1950's)
Eradication of this plague on man is worth the effort, and perhaps a few DR, in the larger picture. Many were against the efforts to eliminate Small Pox claiming it could never happen. This is one of those things where some small group may feel they will be fine without us but unfortunately if even one small group is left unprotected the disease cannot be removed from the world.
The answer to the question the article poses is both simple and depressing: too many people in the world care only about their own concerns and don't seem to care at all about anyone else. This selfishness pervades American politics. People get boiling mad at the prospect of their own taxes going up but don't seem to care in the slightest if someone else's children get polio (or starve, or can't get health care).
If you personally injected your child with the same stuff as what is in those vaccines, you would be accused of child endangerment, but a doctor can do it without charge? Vaccines have been proven to cause more damage than they prevent, and can actually make people sicker. Don't believe me? Look at history, back in the days of 0 vaccines, to 1-5 vaccines, and now there are what, 30+? There has been a lot of evidence, research, and proof that has been trying to get out about this stuff, but mainstream media won't report it. Wanna stop disease and famine? Give them food. A body getting the right nutrients, and plenty of it, has proven to fight off all kinds of disease including cancer. BTW, think they are terrorists? Some yeah probably are, but whose the bigger terrorist, someone fighting those who unjustly (via our previous presidents own admission), invaded their country, our the invaders who use drones to blow up weddings, and CIA agents to spark wars in other countries, like Syria? You think terrorists are evil and have towel rapped around their heads? Open your eyes, do some research on your own, and quit letting people give you an opinion, make your own and at the same time, you will make yourself smarter.
@ Andrea-----Bahadur and anyone who hides behind children is a coward. YOu obviously care more about Afghan children than he does. Is he even an Afghan? Probably not, it seems that an inordinate number of Taliban are not citizens of the countries they profess to speak for but rather invaders themselves who have bullied and terrorized their way into power.
Personally, I would not want any part of a God (Allah=God like Dei=God) who advocates deliberately placing children's lives at risk. TALIBAN = COWARD is it simple.
back in the good old days before the polio vaccine, thousands of kids were killed or paralyzed by the disease. No amount of nutrition can do anything about that. Vaccines save lives.
Send so of our sneaky illigitmate types in and an find this semi spherical anal sphincter and shove a hellfire where the sun don't shine. Bet his kids get vaccine.
Please don't be fooled America! When you read stuff like this start searchin the web and you will find that a lot of what is going on is not what it appears.
The real deal is that since the World Health Organization (WHO) and Bill Gates (PATH) are giving each other high-fives for supposedly eliminating polio in India. Meanwhile they are leaving behind a massive epidemic of vaccine-damaged children. They declare that the 47,500 kids paralyzed by their polio vaccine program in 2011 are all coincidences.
Cases of non-polio acute flaccid paralysis, better known as AFP, has sharply increased with the increase in the administration of oral polio vaccination (OPV) in the country under the much-acclaimed polio eradication programme.
According to a report by Dr. Neetu Vashisht and Dr. Jacob Puliyel, appearing in the April-June issue of the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, the incidence of non-polio AFP had gone up by 12 times over and above the normal rates with the onset of the administration OPV 10 years ago.
If the Taliban don't want their kids to be treated - fine.... and save your fake outrage, because there are parents in the US that don't want their kids to receive any vaccinations.
Junicon
What you have stated can just about describe every conflict, trouble spot or politico party since the beginning of time.
This is just another incident demonstrating the character and intent of militant muslims. Human life and value mean nothing to them...they want world domination and will stop at nothing to get it. But don't be fooled, all of this is just a smokescreen as their real program is overwhelming the world with population growth. Check the demographics of child birth: the west's child birth rate is about 1 1/2 while the muslim's is 8. Figure it out, baby!!!!!
Everyone agrees that this is awful. I think the administration is simply calling the Taliban's bluff.
I'm sure the Taliban leaders will continue to vaccinate their own children. Perhaps when they realize this, the people will turn against them. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend"
This is a matter that our former presidents Carter, Clinton and the Bush's should join forces together and work with the UN and the WHO and any other organizations willing to join and make a difference in vaccinating the children. They should decry the actions and rhetoric of this current Taliban fool and ask for the support of any and all nations in getting the polio vaccine to the children of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The people and the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan will never publicly denounce the Taliban or their actions even for the cause of saving the lives of children from polio.
It's only muslim kids. If that sounds a bit crass, just remember; if they don't give a crap about their own kids, why should I? Perhaps they'll relent and for once think of their children instead of their Islamic fervor, but i'm not counting on it.
The world must make it very clear to Bahadur, and any other leaders tempted to follow his lead, that it will not accept turning back the campaign to eradicate polio, with the certain result of killing and disabling children.
I can see where you're coming from, but you can bet the US is already trying to kill him. Publicly "condemning" seems kinda irrelevant in comparison. The topic itself is already redundant, who'd honestly support the banning of vaccines?
You all are incorrect. We (as an American policy) should urge Pakistan to stop all vaccinations. Making this country sick and crippled is very much in our best interests. A sick and crippled populace will struggle to make war on us. In fact - we should dust off the old 'Jackson indian policy' and send them millions of blankets infested with smallpox.
Lest all you think that this is horrible - remember that the majority of people in Pakistan support the views of fundamentalist Islam. This means that they see us as infidels and REALLY want all of us to die as a sacrifice to their evil god. We should treat this country as very hostile, and take every action that will reduce the risk of another attack from them. These actions minimize the loss of American lives. I really have no interest in allowing them to attack us again in their pitiful attempt to maintain an 8th century lifestyle.
anything that kills or injures Pakis is good, guns and bombs are better, but lousy health care systems dont endanger US
Dr Caplan,
The liberal Left internalize their biases to the point of reflexively dismissing anything that radical Muslims do, on the grounds that condemning them only serves the cause of "evil right-wing war-mongers and their military-industrial complex. So if Taliban block children from getting polio vaccinations, then the Left automatically gives them a free pass - because Taliban actions, no matter how egregious, are always magically the fault of the West, you see.
This is the hypocritical world we live in. Left-wing zealots regard any self-criticism or introspection as a kind of blasphemy or heresy that poses the threat of weakening their faith. Therefore, ridiculous and unconscionable actions by the Taliban "victims" cannot be considered, much less acknowledged.
Well that is a load of BS.
No one gives them a free pass but even we moderates (you call left wing liberals) do get tired of these idiots using thier own people to manipulate us.
We on your left (the real middle) do condem the Islamic extremist but what is stupid is the right wing broad brush that has no problem punishing the innocent to get at the bad guys.
Yeah it's a no win situation.
No one wants to see children die, but I agree that we cannot back down because the Taliban is willing to offer up other people's children as human shields. I would like to think that the parents will get fed up and over come their fear of the Taliban and erase them from history to protect their children. I can always hope.
The left? Sir, you have made a foolish statement.
San,your a lunatic. No one,most of all liberals and progressives want to see children sick,injured or dead. (Remember,its not the liberals who are throwing around racial slurs and saying that they children that get hit in drone attacks are a good thing becuase they cant grow up to be terrorists) Its also the case that most liberals actually understand that we cant let terrorists hide behind human sheilds. We ARE mindfull that its BAD idea to actually play into the terrorists hands and gun down a single terrorists shooting at American troops in a crowded market if they also gun down 100 innocent women and children,becuase honestly,one AK47 toting bearded fanatic actually has little value to their cause,but the dozens of people they will recruit by citing our "attrocity" is what keeps their movement going. We understand that if you choose your targets carefully keeping in mind how valuble the target is compared to the colateral damage.
The thing is however,we know that decision seriously sucks to have to make. Its one of those things you feel bad about,even though you know it had to be done. You call that "Being a pathetic,cowardly,morally uncertain bleeding heart liberal wuss". We call that "Not being an F&*^ing sociopath"
Why arnt we more outraged by the Taliban condemning children to a horrible disease for their own crazy purposes? Because they keep doing it. To little girls,to women,and to everyone else they have any sort of power over. After a while,you just get desensitized to it. You just look at it,shake your head and say "there the go again" and wish there was someway to change it but know that really,the people there have to step up and do it for themselves or it will be the same there 100 or even 1000 years from now.
Bill Gates! Yes, he cares so much about the health of children that he uses his fortunes to reduce the population through vaccines and abortion. The children of Pakistan are far better of without his help for sure.
Wow the cuckoo clock has stuck midnight.
You forget what the world was like before vaccine.... Polio, Small Pox, Reubella.. high infant mortality. I hope you don't have kids.
yes during those time there was horrible living conditions, of course disease would spread fast and mortality be high. You should read some history if you get a chance and maybe you will learn a thing or two on how those disease came into decline...not to mention the many diseases that "went away" without vaccines...You do know that people live healthy full lives without a single vaccine right?
Patricia
By the same logic maybe they should close Carnegie Mellon University, Carnegie Institute of Technology, Carnegie Hall, Rockefeller University, all the Carnegie funded libraries, etc., etc., etc.. And of course you will never use any Microsoft related products and probably shouldn't use any PC products at all since even Steve Jobs admitted the major impact of Bill Gates in their development. And what have you done with your life to benefit humanity? I think there should be no argument that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has done more by several factors of 10. Warren Buffet's opinion of them is so high he is giving most of his billions to them to use for philanthropic purposes.
The Taliban are extremist fanatics and the people who make the blanket, condemning, antiabortion statements like you seem to be making are also extremist fanatics. This puts you in the same pot with them. And another point for you to ponder is that, if it weren't for vaccinations and Public Health Department/CDC measures, you probably wouldn't be alive.
I guess Patricia and Babs are soooo much smarter than all of us ... they figured out the huge plot to turn us all into drones by injecting tiny computers into our bloodstreams and just programming us to believe that the death rate from disease drops in countries with comprehensive vaccine programs ... all those people who "live healthy lives without vaccines" don't benefit AT ALL from the FACT that they aren't exposed to carriers ... because VACCINATED PEOPLE AREN"T CARRIERS. No, it's just the improved hygiene that's responsible. Never mind that we've eliminated Polio from India while most Indian children still live in the same conditions they did when the program began. Never mind that we can ACTUALLY WITNESS immunoresponses in the laboratory; that's just more of that diabolical programming from that tiny computer...
PLEASE DO NOT REPRODUCE!!! You and your conspiracy crap are a very real threat to the rest of humanity ...
Babs09
Check out your history of infectious disease again - what history book are you reading?
"many diseases that 'went away' without vaccines... You do know that people live healthy full lives without a single vaccine right?"
Yes, the millions of people who were susceptible died off so the infectious agent didn't have anyone left to kill or maim and the disease became endemic ("went away") until the next generation of susceptible victims appeared. Some people can now live "healthy full lives' without vaccination either because (1) the whole population was vaccinated until there were no more cases of the disease (the disease was wiped out as happened with smallpox) or the rest of the population is vaccinated and immune so the unvaccinated who lack immunity never are exposed to the disease. However, bioethicists consider it unethical for individuals to avoid standard vaccinations that they have no medical reasons to eschew, since they can become reservoirs of disease that can spread to and infect other susceptible members of their society and potentially cause an epidemic.
Patricia-2368614 without the polio virus paralyzes and kills children. Only 3 countries still has the virus not vaccinating the children is cruel. Bill Gates and Rotarians all over the world is working and giving so we can eradicate the polio virus. One person should not e using children as a political pawn.
how do you combat disease? help the human body fight it, in its natural way. how do you do that, feed and nourish the citizens? Ask yourselves why they vaccinate instead of feeding healthy food to them? Have you seen the photos of the kids over there, THEY ARE STARVING. think that might have something to do with catching a disease?
Ssimmons117 --- Of course! All other things being equal, a healthy person will fight off an infection better than an unhealthy person. (In general, not necessarily in single individual cases) Therefore, your contention that an adequate diet will give protection even without vaccination has some SMALL validity. But, the major defense against infection is vaccination. Why do you think bubonic plague is so seldom found in the United States? I don't even know if there IS a vaccine against bubonic plague, but if there is such a vaccine, it is not routinely used here in this country. Are we protected because because our diet, in general, is better than the diet of the majority of people in Europe in the middle ages? Of course not! It's because the current number of carriers in our country---as well as the European countries which in the middle ages were so heavily hit by the plague---is now virtually nil.
I think back to Apocalypse Now when the colonel described how Americans gave vaccination shots to a village. When the Viet Cong came and saw this they looked for the telltale needle stick and if the person had it, they chopped off that arm.
The taliban has proven itself a brutal force. I fear they will carry out similar acts to children who relieve these vaccines.
It's pretty difficult to tell if a child got a dose of oral vaccine. I guess if a child gets polio then he's OK, if he doesn't get it, kill him for being immunized. Kind of like how they tested witches in the 17th century.
The Taliban has done so much damage to its own people over the years, that people have gotten hoarse condemning them. They won't listen to what anyone says; it's like when the Muslim leaders in Africa told their people to refuse polio vaccines, and see how well they responded when others pointed out what harm they were doing to their children?
I think the author answered the question with the term "manifest lunacy." How do we reason with that kind of a thought process? I understand how they could be angry about the use of the vaccination ruse, but exposing their own children to the risk of a disease easily eradicated is not a logic most people can fathom. Stop using drones or we'll harm our own children...really?!!
To fanatics like the Taliban lives are not important, even their own children's. The idea of others dying for Islam is of paramount importance; of course, they, themselves are much too important to risk death. It seems to me that the next target of the drone force should be this jerk Bahadur.
It's like protesting by starving yourself.
Considering it is Pakistan, I would be surprised if anyone cares.
The outrage should be coming from the Pakistani people.
Meh. They dont want us there, and even while we are there they continues to torture innocent women and children to death for absolutely no justifiable reason. As far as i can see that country is completely bereft of both reason and ethics. Stupid article, it is not for us to try and fix their idiocy. They are the ones making this decision not us, so the responsibility for the outcome of this decisions is one thousand percent on them, not us. I am baffled as to why some people think that one's own decisions do not= the one who makes a given decision bears that responsibility, but rather expects someone else to bear the responsibility.
I know someone that got polio as a child. Sleeps in an iron lung at night and has to use a breathing machine most of the time. He is amazing in that he hasn't let it stop him. He writes and has had several books published. He has to do everything with his foot.
Please Pakistan, no child deserves this.
Look, they don't believe anything the civilized world tells them. They do not read medical science studies - and if they do, they probably think it is faked. To them, they probably view vaccines as poison. The children's parents believe whatever one nut tells them. I'm speaking of course of all the parents today in our country that do not get vaccines for their children.....
Here, here ... I'm not a violent person, but every time I hear someone spouting off their "knowledge" about the inefficacy of vaccines, I so just want to slap them to see if they're actually a real human being with a brain or a stuffed sock puppet. What really gets under my skin is the way these people try to sound as though they are just so much smarter than everyone else because they figured out some huge plot... yeesh, some people can't tell water from piss when it hits them in the face...
And then again, there are those who never read the manufacturer's package inserts that clearly state vaccines are not to be given to everyone, that there are conditions when they should NOT be given no matter how nasty, uninformed and bribed researchers, talking heads and trolls become.
What will be interesting is the comparison of this unvaccinated population to the vaccinated children in nearby India who are becoming paralyzed after having the vaccines. The Taliban may be giving these children a gift.
GrammaKnows,
Apparently what grandma really knows is what falsehoods to say to scare people into not being vaccinated with the standard recommmended vaccines. Building up a pool of unvaccinated individuals in the population creates a reservoir for the disease and risks propagation of an epidemic outbreak of disease. This affects the health of the general population. It's equivalent to shouting "fire" in a crowded theater. There are laws against that. But since you state that you support the tactics of the Taliban, an extremist, terrorist organization, I guess that doesn't matter to you.
They're willing to use women and children as shields. They are willing to slaughter and mutilate the innocent. They declare war then react in anger when the war comes to them. They won't abide by any civilized conventions but protest any slight against them. They are fanatics. Do you really think they will respond to outrage over cutting off medicine to children? Don't act so surprised that the world's reaction is "so what else is new?"
....this is genius...increase the drones by 10 fold...it will take this type of an outbreak to cripple/kill off the next generation of terrorists they are currently breeding....2 thumbs up Mr Hafiz Gul Bahadur.....
What kind of religion hides behind children? Islam is looking more like a barbaric cult of inhuman existence. Do Muslims really approve of Islam? Maybe they aren't human.
It's odd because a Jew, Dr Jonas Salk, developed the Polio vaccine, and now they are trying to give it to tribal Muslim children.
Its not "islam" thats trying to deny children polio vaccine. Its the Taliban. Remember those Christians nutcases who live on compounds and hoard weapons and for the "race war" to start signaling the second coming of Christ and the ascendancy of gods chosen people,the "Ayrian Race", to claim their rightfull place. (never mind that "gods chosen children" live in Isreal and wouldnt qualify for membership in their "millitia" because Jews are on the hate list,the just ignore that part of the bible) These are the same sort of people as the Taliban. Everyone,and I mean everyone interprets their religion to mean they can live their lives as they choose and to support their own beleifs. Most muslims interpret it similarly to most christians interpretations of their religion. Dont kill,dont steal,be good to other people and treat them as you would like to be treated. The Taliban and other similar groups interpret it as "Kill anyone one that does not agree with what you think is moral or immoral"
There are Christians like that too. They bomb abortion clinics. They try to prevent teenage girls from getting the HPV vaccine becuase they are more worried about their daughters having sex than they are of them dieing of cervical cancer. (its "honor killing" on the installment plan) They are no different than the Taliban,or more to the point,the Taliban is no different than they are.
The rest of the people no go along with it becuase if they dont,the nut jobs start randomly killing them. Its to dangerous to resist the violent minority. Of course that minority came to power becuase the people were sold the whole "If only our society had more religion we would all be so much better off" We get sold the same line here in the US. There is one difference. WE have a constitution that makes it very difficult to break down that wall between the government and religion. Still,they try,and so many sheeple follow blindly along.
Look at Egypt. They had a chance to have a good life,and live in a free country. However,they were sold the story. They were told the problem was not with a ruthless dictator,but that the dictator was not religious enough. They bought it. Now they are going to end up like Iran.(who bought it too and now regrets it,but is stuck)
Make no mistake,we would do the same thing. If the government were to collapse tommorow and we had a general election to elect new leaders,who would write their own constitution,the religious nuts would be out in force. We would be told that the real problem with the former government was that there was not enough religion. A lot of people would fall for it. Just look at how well a republican candidate can do by thumping the bible and apealing to the religious right? It would so good ot people. A nation based on the bible. By the time people realized that Biblical law was pretty much indistinguisable from Sharia law,right down to stoning women for talking back to their husbands,it would be too late.
Michael -*-*- There has been ONE (that I know of) case of a person who claims to be prolife who bombed an abortion clinic. He is now in prison and the mainstream prolifers do not/did not support him. There have been several other cases of bombing, but there is no proof that any of them were done by prolifers. In at least two of these cases, there was evidence, circumstantial, but not proof, that the bombing was done by the abortion staff itself, bent, I suppose, on pinning the blame on prolifers. There have been six (that I have counted---I might have missed one or two) men who have shot abortionists. Two of these, I believe, have not yet gone to trial, two are now dead---one executed, the other killed by fellow inmates, probably because he didn't understand proper prison protocol, rather than because they objected to his crime. The rest are now in prison. None of these men were supported by mainline prolifers. That's six/or seven or eight, men. Meanwhile there have been at least fifty million abortions of preborn babies, nearly always by agonizingly painfull means. ALL were utterly innocent of any crime against man or woman and they were also utterly unable to defend themselves. There is STRONG evidence that, some of the mothers of these murdered babies were forced into abortions they did not want.
Please correct me if I am wrong, but don't the Geneva Accords speak to the issue of using (innocent) people as human shields? I remember something a while back where our "good" public was getting very worked up over somebody in the Middle East doing this same thing. I forget who it was, but somebody was using children and women as shields to protect themselves from being shot. Anybody remember either point, the Geneva Accords on human shields, or the use of human shields in the Middle East?
That only applies to civilized people. We shouldnt be trying to attribute morality to animals.
The Taliban leaders are men of proud ignorance. They relish keeping all people under their sway in the Dark Age. If they want to keep all poor children in Pakistan and Afghanistan from the polio vaccine they're only shooting themselves in the foot. Afterall, that is their own recruiting ground.
Where is the moral outrage and indignation from the people this man rules through terror? Most are parents, aren't they? When disease runs rampant through his people, will he realize what a cruel idiot he's been? Or just blame it on the West?
As much as I want to see terrorists out of the picture, i think this taliban commander has a point. According. to WHO, 63 cases of polio were confirmed in Pakistan last year accounting for 1/3 of the cases worldwide.
How many innocent bystanders were killed by these drone strikes?
I don't condone stopping the polio vaccines, but spare me your talk of moral outrage. Any time you resort to counting and trading lives you are losing the moral highground.
How many innocent bystanders were killed by these drone strikes?
None. If you consider hiding among non-combatants a standard operating procedure, then they, by your action, are no longer innocent. They are afraid of you but they don't respect you. They become martyrs against you, not for you.
Many people seem to think drones strikes are bad. Let's see how they like pure anarchy by moving them to Somalia or Pakistan for a while. It is easy to hold the high moral ground from a safe location.
Fine by me. That helps solve a problem over the next generation and this story is fundamentally the problem with the Middle East, especially Afghanistan. Does he really think we care if we don't vaccinate their children? Let him hurt his own country to the point of no return and we can send the Doctors Without Borders to more deserving places on earth. Sorry kids, your parents want you to die and we can force them to let us help you. Problem solved, time to leave Afghanistan and let that backwards country stay in the Middle Ages.
AGREED
Although, It's pakistan...but same same
Is anger really going to solve anything? Has it ever solved anything? The fact is that we need to find alternative ways to live in this world with those we don't agree with. And sometimes, we need to just let it go and concern ourselves with taking care of our own problems at home.
OK so where is the frikkin weak a*s pakistani govt and military when this punk a*sed terrorist can dictate policy?!!
The Taliban love to mingle with the people they oppress. There is no way that killing some innocent people can be avoided. On the other hand, the Taliban reign by terror, maiming and killing innocent people every day, where is the anger about that?
Stopping the polio vaccine program is just another way for the Taliban to try to stop the drone killing of their leaders. Sad when terrorists hide behind women and children but it happens all the time in this day and age.
"But the notion that letting polio run amok in Pakistan and Afghanistan will teach the world about the horror of drone attacks is manifest lunacy".
It pays to remember that you are dealing with lunatics.
And although it is sad for the children, the lack of response is because the people there need to learn the lesson.
If they see they are letting their own children die from a preventable disease because of politics, perhaps they will revolt.
They are the ones with the adherence to barbarism.
We should let them learn from their mistakes.
God bless the children, but the loonies are in charge, not us.
Let me ask you a question: Would you allow Al Qaeda to finance a vaccination campaign in your town? I thought not. Yes yes, I know it is the White Man's Burden to cure the poor backwards folks of the third world of their ills, and maybe enslave them while we're at it, but you're being a twat about this. Drone assassinations have killed far more people than there have been polio cases, and the blame for this lies squarely on the US for hiding like cowards behind drones and vaccination missions.