[BartSimpson]

desertdude desertdude:

Not that the Taliban are a great bunch to hang out with, but why. What have the Taliban done to you ?

Nothing that I didn't give back to them in spades.

[Gunnair]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

desertdude desertdude:

Not that the Taliban are a great bunch to hang out with, but why. What have the Taliban done to you ?

Nothing that I didn't give back to them in spades.

You were in Afghanistan? I thought you were an Iraq vet.

[desertdude]

So I guess you guys are even and just as evil, right ?

[ShepherdsDog]

The taliban are harmless... for the most part they're only interested in brutalizing women, girls and little boys....those who can't fight back.

[desertdude]

And ?

[ShepherdsDog]

The fact that you think they are harmless means there is no point in continuing.

[EyeBrock]

desertdude desertdude:

Not that the Taliban are a great bunch to hang out with, but why. What have the Taliban done to you ?

Wow.

The Jihadi media guy appears on cue.

"We have always been at war with eurasia."

[BartSimpson]

Gunnair Gunnair:

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

desertdude desertdude:

Not that the Taliban are a great bunch to hang out with, but why. What have the Taliban done to you ?

Nothing that I didn't give back to them in spades.

You were in Afghanistan? I thought you were an Iraq vet.

I did Iraq in 1991-92, three months in 2003, again for six weeks in 2007, and was back for Afgh. from March 18, 2009 to June 30, 2009. Been to Kenya/Somalia, too, doing the advisor thing. In between some of those dates are knee surgeries and rehab. The latest knee is pretty good. No pain at all, even when I run.

I don't really think of myself as an 'Afgh. vet' for the simple reason that I wasn't there long enough. I had a minor retinal detachment and got sent home early and that was that. Arguably the detachment could have been from firing a weapon but to me it is just a fact of life is all and is not anything remarkable. My eyesight is okay now but my left eye is not as good as the right. After I did Lasik they got me to 20/20 in the left and 20/15 on the right and I used to be 20/10 in both with my glasses on.

[ShepherdsDog]

and the destruction of a world heritage site continues under the Wahabi barbarians, a fine product conjured into the world and bank rolled by the Saudis

[bootlegga]

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

One has to wonder how safe Egyptian antiquities are with the Muslim Brotherhood in power. the Taliban destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan, and in other areas of religious strife, the uneducated and unevolved desecrate sites not related to their own twisted interpretation of their faith.....The vandalism of the icons and frescos in the Hagia Sofia is another example, of how little they have changed over the centuries.

I don't think Egypt will let anything happen to the Pyramids et al simply because they rely on tourism dollars far too much.

What they won't stop is terrorists attacking tour groups filled with Westerners - even Mubarak had little luck in preventing that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism_in_Egypt

It's too bad - I'd love to see the Pyramids and Karnak Temple, but the danger is simply way too high in my opinion.

[2Cdo]

bootlegga bootlegga:

It's too bad - I'd love to see the Pyramids and Karnak Temple, but the danger is simply way too high in my opinion.

Went there in 1987 and had a great time, would love to take the wife there but agree that it is far to dangerous now.

[ShepherdsDog]

$1:

I don't think Egypt will let anything happen to the Pyramids et al simply because they rely on tourism dollars far too much.

As I pointed out earlier....the Taliban said the same thing about the Buddhas, but a year later 'BOOM' The tourist dollars in the end meant nothing to the religious extremists.

[bootlegga]

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

$1:

I don't think Egypt will let anything happen to the Pyramids et al simply because they rely on tourism dollars far too much.

As I pointed out earlier....the Taliban said the same thing about the Buddhas, but a year later 'BOOM' The tourist dollars in the end meant nothing to the religious extremists.

Sure, but how many tourists (and much real dollars) did the Buddhas generate for Afghanistan? A few thousand tourists? $50,000? I'd bet it was pretty insignificant in the whole scheme of things for Afghanistan.

Conversely, the Pyramids et al are a major global tourist site and attract millions of people (and tens, maybe even hundreds of millions of tourist dollars) every year - and thus represent far higher stakes than the Buddhas ever did for Afghanistan. After the Luxor massacre, rank and file Egyptians were pissed at the Islamists and the Islamists lost a lot of support because of the drop in tourism.

[ShepherdsDog]

....and the Egyptian people essentially voted for the same guys

[BartSimpson]

Here's a question: If the Muslim Brotherhood starts destroying Egypt's antiquities would anyone support sending in troops to protect these sites or will we just sit back and let the ignorant vermin destroy the mutual history of Western Civilization?