difference between an ‘Afghan’ and a ‘Pessimist Afghan’

Meant to write lately but whatever I tell lately is about how things are not fun. sooo done telling pessimist stories; so I thought maybe I should tell you this. Here is a joke.
Can you tell the difference between an ‘Afghan’ and a ‘Pessimist Afghan’?
The later would respond to a joke by ‘damn it, so unfair. Can you believe that?’ The later would say; ‘that is funny. Tell me another one’.
I met a man earlier who is about to marry a relative of mine. The so called bride is usually nervous and wants to make a good impression on relatives of his future wife. Nervous I hate; mmm, Hate is rather strong but more like don’t keep on speed-dial. It put me at unease; I just can’t stand the view of somebody who is ruining his moment and not enjoying the company. i went to an easy mood and attempted to be not only funny but acrobatic funny. Something I had learned from a good friend; ‘people would like and feel at ease if you act as a clown’ she said. i suppose she is particularly right about nervous wankers and pessimists. Whatever I said he was damning it.
I said ‘man, sure is many dogs in this neighbourhood’.
Looking at the floor or out the window he responded ‘damn right. They are certainly a nuisance’.
That didn’t go well. I recognised if we talk about something he felt positive about then he would be less nervous. Searching among the limited topics you could talk about with a stranger.
‘the weather is certainly rainy these days’ I said.
‘can you believe that. Things are just not right’. He said.
I was getting desperate. I thought of jokes. So I told him one.
‘A man had two goldfish, he named one of them "One" and the other "Two". he did this because… if one died, he'd still have two’.
His mouth started to spread toward his ears but he held his grin ‘damn it, so unfair. Can you believe that’.
Later the relative asked me what I thought of him. I said:
‘he is a perpetual pessimist who will only tire you out.’
She asked ‘what do you mean?’
I said ‘well, he is a pessimist. He doesn’t see the bright side of things. Life is gloomy and doomy for him.’
She looked rather confused and shoke her head ‘but who doesn’t’. she is right because she is surrounded by pessimists.
‘Most of the people on the planet’. I said.
She didn’t seem sure. ‘Like who?’.
In an attempt to show my confidence ‘all the good writers’.
She exclaimed ‘really’.
I took her to my books and I showed her my favourites. She picked, the brothers Karamazov, dostoyevsky’s master piece. ‘But it’s brutal murder and violent love. Its gloomy; it portrays a potential of criminality in all of us.’ She said.
‘ok, maybe not this one’. I said. then I give her ‘The sound and the Fury’ by William Faulkner.
‘a story of self destruction seeded in love . how crap is that? …’ she said.
I soon give up. ‘This is not what I thought it should be. But there is a lot of good stuff within’ I said.
A bit disappointed ‘really’ she said.
‘How about a joke?’ I said.
‘go on’ she said. …….. ‘that is funny. Tell me another one’ she said.

Afghan reconstruction or Darwinian experiment

The spirit of Charles Darwin has been an inspiration for me; I hold maximum respect for his scientific achievements and social courage. How many people are going to come out today in any society and who could say something so radical as Darwin did; many, that is right. Many people would do that; because we as the human species, in Darwin words, have become so negative and pessimistic that we would challenge anything and everything. But here is the thing, who would stick to their word and fight for what they stand for. Very few people and they will back down when pressured.
Darwin was about experimenting and evolving and I think we need to learn from him at this critical point in Afghan history. I was just reading an audit on the over US$ 8 billion USAID has spent in Afghanistan and there is so much; this came to my attention after I tried to figure out what the fuss was about. Some were so angry as though the whole amount had come from their pocket. Even if they are taxpayers they put the trust in to a system and shouldn’t lose faith so quickly. For the sake of keeping ourselves and the society sane and in maintaining the Darwinian spirit of experimentalism. Afghanistan is an experiment. Six audits of the U.S. Agency for International Development's multibillion-dollar Afghanistan reconstruction effort found only one program working largely as it was supposed to. Nobody knew if it was going to work, it is mere chance. Afghanistan is uncertain and mysterious as human nature was during Darwin period; the only way to find out is through experiment. A US$ 219 contract to improve government institutions produced a lack of evidence of results after the agency and the contractor spend an inordinate amount of time attempting to define the program’s activities and priorities.
Another $102 million contract to promote agriculture led to defective buildings, the spraying of pesticides without studying their impact and the failure to implement a major commercial farm program. Isn’t that experiment?
i asked three different people what they thought about the outcomes of USAID audits; an Afghan, an American and a USAID employee. It might sound like a job but it is not. The Afghan said ‘USAID is just a front for the CIA and has been for 30 years in Afghanistan. So all that money went nowhere except in to the hands of people that don't have to account for it like Dick Cheney. The warlords, Taliban and other criminal allies of Americans.’
The American who lives in America said ‘Contractors get millions trying to convert a bunch of 12th century, poppy growing, mysoginists who don't want to have anything to do with Western culture except the money derived from its taste for Heroin addiction.’
And the aid worker was not certain and hesitantly said ‘money spent in Afghanistan since 2002 has produced "remarkably powerful impacts," in health, education, agriculture and other sectors.’
I am not worried at all about the money but rather the attitude it produces among peoples, ghettoising minds and communities.
I think people need to calm down and get on with their lives. So we can take all the suspicion, stubbornness and anger away from Afghan issues; which is the key for the evolution of Afghanistan in to a stable place.

bringing taliban onboard

Obama declared in an interview that the United States was not winning the war in Afghanistan and opened the door to a reconciliation process in which the American military would reach out to moderate elements of the Taliban, much as it did with Sunni militias in Iraq. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/us/politics/08obama.html?scp=5&sq=taliban&st=cse

The Afghan government has not gained the confidence of the Afghan people. corruption, lack of administrative capacity and bad leadership has resulted in fading away whatever trust existed in the first place. the government and US is losing because they don't have the public on their side, not because there is a strong pro taliban Pakistan infiltrating into Afghanistan, or local taliban are gaining momentum in the south. for policy makers it is very important to know that afghans don't like taliban and don't want to see them return, the majority. Afghans don't want Taliban. what about under current circumstances; do Afghans want the Taliban to return because the government is failing and it is the only way to stop bloodshed. i don't know the answer to that but if Obama says 'YES' then there are two points to ponder about. first, it is admitting that Taliban can do a better job than americans and Afghan government. second, a shameful set back to democracy. Iraq is what it is but Afghanistan is winnable and it shouldn't be lost. this war is no longer fought to make the western world safe from terrorism, it is a war for realising democratic values. democracy set back in afghanistan would hinder any future intervention in any sort of tyranny because the west will lose moral grounds.

Plight of an Afghan Christian

Many people in Afghanistan have turned to the faith of Jesus Christ in recent years. A few of them have done so openly, though most have kept their conversion secret. The new converts have either been influenced by travelling and settling in Christian countries of the west or by the audacity of Christian missionaries who have travelled to Afghanistan.
The converts number in thousands and congregate in secret churches in Afghanistan or in the blossoming Afghan church which has been set up in England. They all decided to turn away from the faith of their ancestors – some in search of food; others in search of a better world and yet others in pursuit of a better faith. Accepting never-ending fear of rejection and animosity as a consequence of conversion, they have been born again in the Christian faith.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2009/mar/05/afghanistan-christianity?commentpage=2&commentposted=1

shamsi made a choice which has put him in danger if he return to afghanistan. thousands other had fled from fighting in southern and eastern afghanistan, something they didn't choose to have nor they had any control over. hundreds if not thousands of afghans are inside afghanistan trying to fight and improve corrupt state and impaired cultural values. they are being persecuted for their political beleives on daily basis. the choice they make are for greater good than the choice shamsi had made yet many have been refused asylum in the UK. it is hard to distinguish between genuin refugees and economic immigrant at this age. UK can't accomodate everyone fleeing their country under different names. UNDP human development index shows that some over 85% of young afghans want to immigrate to the west because they see a better life for themselves there. but they need to stay and fix thier own country.as for shamsi he opted out of his ancestor religion because he found a better one. if he really likes the new one then he better move on and enjoy christianity.there is enough problem in afghanistan, and UK too, created by religion we don't need another one added by Shamsi. religion has no answer to the problem of humanity. there is a similarity between shamsi and a suicide bomber and a difference too. they both get themselves killed, that is if shamsi was in afghanistan. there is one difference too. a suicide bomber deceives himself into 72 virgins and heaven; Shamsi deceives others with his asylum claims.
as for Mr. Reza who is allegedly a journalist. please improve your journalistic skills.'Many people in Afghanistan have turned to the faith of Jesus Christ in recent years. A few of them have done so openly, though most have kept their conversion secret.'
how do you know that. there is a lot of information packed in the first sentence without any proof. what is your source. perhaps you should consider adding i think....to the begining of each sentence but that again is bad journalism.
'The new converts .... or by the audacity of Christian missionaries who have travelled to Afghanistan.'a less loaded sentence would be ' or by what they see as audacity of chritian missionaries who have travelled to Afghanistan'. but there is a problem wtih that sentence too. it is not true. what audacity are you talking about. i was investigating the missionaries and i was recommended to several misssionary organisation but all refused that they have any christian motives.