Written by Richard Kane   

The media dwells on US victims of the Afghan War. Others can seem like numbers without names.
 
Samad Khan is a farmer who owns his farm, or maybe was a farmer now that his life was turned upside down. In Philadelphia we can think of harsh police officers and realize that in Afghanistan the US and local Afghan patrols are 100 times worse. Until Sunday March 11, 2012 the people of Balandi Village Afghanistan thought as long as they quickly did what they were told, unless they seemed to have something to hide, they were somewhat safe. Samad may or may not be shortened to Sam. My second to best friend Samuel certainly is shortened. My once elderly landlords name was Khan. Some conspirators went through a lot hoops to make sure my landlord, who I was informally taking care of, died in a hurry, that the police refuse to define as murder. In Afghanistan Khan and his eleven family members struggled though a very harsh winter and a very bad flood. Not offending the Taliban and at the same time not offending the Karzai Government forces and the Americans was something they thought they mastered until one American made such a balancing act impossible.
 
Rafiullah,15 years old, saw a break-in where his family was awoken then shot at. Anar in the picture in the following link gestures at the body of her grandchild,

www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/nation_world/20120311_ap_usarmysergeantkills16inafghanvillages.html?viewAll=y

 
 
It didn't start with holy books being incinerated but with hateful cartoons of a Muslim leader
depicted as a terrorist, that was as painful too believers, as if Christ was depicted as a child
molester. Then came urinating on the dead. Something is called the Armenian genocide even though children under five were spared. It's time to stop the race to see how low we can  go.
This article isn't a clever call for US to get out now. I want to see a year's autonomy in Kabul
with Turkish peacekeepers and the US paying a stiff rent instead of the money spent on a huge rent for the US use of a Kyrgystan airbase for US use to supply Afghanistan. A revolution happened there demanding the US troops leave but instead the US increased the rent payment. The second year in Kabul,the international woman's movement would try to pay an even higher rent. And Kabul might end up another Hong Kong. Appreciated, for business reasons, as much as Hong Kong is to China. The Chinese Government tip toes when it slowly brings Chinese mainland procedures to Hong Kong. If many people around the world pushed for compromise like many do between Israel and Palestine, panic in the end might be avoided.

www.phillyimc.org/en/daddy-came-home-find-his-family-dead

By Richard Kane