STOP BLOODY WAR IN AFGHANISTAN NOW!

Reports from Afghanistan say that in a four-day gun battle, the U.S. has killed more than 100 "militants." Jason Staziuso of the AP writes in today's web site of The Washington Post:

"The large death toll comes about one week after the U.S. said it killed 25 militants and five civilians during an operation in the Shindand district of Herat province. Afghan officials, however, say between 76 and 90 Afghan civilians were killed in that operation last Friday. The U.S. is investigating and plans to make its findings public."

The whole scene in Afghanistan is horrific. The United States should not be going around the country engaged in fire fights with local Afghan "militants" and killing civilians by mistake. This is not how I want the U.S. to pursue foreign policy. I call upon the U.S. military and Defense Secretary Gates to end this bloody useless war and pull all American soldiers out of Afghanistan.

There is no need for the U.S. in the year 2008 to have any "enemies." No other country or people should be on an "American enemies list." That includes Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, Venezuela or whomever.

Nothing is ever solved by killing an "enemy." Just like the U.S. has done nothing of benefit when it kills insurgents or militants. If you were an Afghani farmer, would you like American soldiers busting into your house or patrolling your village? Or how would you feel about U.S. war planes buzzing overhead and dropping bombs on your house and home? Don't say that you would not be pissed off enough to start making home made bombs or to take up arms against the foreign invaders.

The war in Afghanistan is and was a catastrophic mistake, as bad as the war in Iraq. We must end it now.