Certainly a very good point. I have nothing but praise for the United States' strategy of bringing humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan. Every interview indicates that the so-called "man on the street" (not to mention the women, may God show them mercy!) in that country does NOT support terrorism, does NOT support the Taliban, and in fact feels directly victimized by them. And an extra side benefit of the humanitarian side of this war that even we did not anticipate? Already, thousands of the Taliban have defected. What a powerful new "military strategy" we have stumbled onto!

Mitsukai.....you have done well with this picture and I agree with RealityCheck.......(Hi Ted)......but the quote from the Koran puzzles me...Jesus told us to love our enemies....but the quote states that God doesn't forbid you to show kindness to those who have not persecuted you....that amounts to saying that God permits you to show kindness to people who have been nice to you..........it doesn't make sense........unless the opposite is true by the Koran......God allows you to be mean to the people who HAVE persecuted you. You are serving in the United States armed forces.......you have my sympathy.......I am a British ex-serviceman now living in Australia and I experienced front line service in 1967 in the Suez Canal.....I know what it is like to sight in on a human being and pull the trigger and I know what it feels like to know that somebody on the other side is doing the same to me......it is very fucked of you excuse the vernacular.......Good luck..........

Okay, perhaps I should clarify: By the above quote, the cleric I spoke to meant this: the people of Afghanistan aren't the ones who bombed us. They are not the ones trying to foist Islam onto us (this is, in the end, what it is all about - OBL and the Taliban imposing their "pure" stripe). By the same token, it is not that we should be MEAN to our enemies, but that "God loves just dealers", that he loves those who are merciful to friends and fair and just to enemies. I understand how confusing it was; he told me this on Monday and it wasn't until yesterday that I understood it.

Response to an IM from 3DGod when he asked why I was putting this image up and slamming his: "Gee, it must really gall you to see a member of the military interested in kindness and hope, doesn't it? I guess the fact that we are not all the "baby kilers" and "war mongers" that you'd make us out to be comes as a shock, doesn't it? Case in point: I did my image to support USAF humanitarian drops. You, OTOH, did one suggesting that we're playing games with human lives. The minute you started accusing my fellow servicemembers of slaughter, you lost what little respect for your opinions that I have. Frankly, I don't believe you're interested in peace. I believe that you're interested in appeasement, keeping the status quo if it means you're not harmed. Like I said before, look up information on Chamberlain. He was the one before Churchill who stated his "stop or I shall yell stop once more" policy. Instead of peace, Hitler ran roughshod over him and Europe until Churchill stood up and said "NO MORE!" You're clearly of Chamberlain's stripe, and history will prove you wrong, so damned wrong. You really want to say what you say and put some muscle behind it? Join the military - I leave the service branch to you. Spend some time in there and see how we think. We think in ways of preventing war, not perpetuating it. When we go to war, as now, we try to end it as effectively as possible, so that we do not ever have 6 million people slaughtered and the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Never again. I used to think as you did when I was younger, but I have since learned the fact that you cannot place peace on someone who has no desire to do so. Bin Laden doesn't want peace, he wants obescience to his vision of Islam. That's not peace, that's slavery. And as long as breathe, I will do my utmost to defend everyone from it, even idiots like you who stab me and mine in the back as we do so. I used to believe you were naive; you just couldn't understand. Now, I believe that you don't want to understand; you'd rather live in your rose-colored world while everything goes to hell."

Nice pic, and use of the Koran scripture. But as far as 3Ddog goes, you are wasting your breath. It has been pointed out repeatedly by us vets and current servicemembers alike that those who serve do so so that there can be peace. BUT...Your response IS VERY WELL said.

The United States was the largest provider of humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan prior to the attack on September 11. It's a pity that the Taliban is confiscating much of what we are dropping for the people of Afghanistan now and leaving their women and children to starve. But, we will send more... and more... and more. Thanks for the image, well said.

Well said Mitsukai, and the quote from the Koran...I applaud your social acumen. I've always said that if you want to know, all you have to do is research the facts. Your willingness to approach and talk to what "some people" would say is our enemy proves there is hope for all. I'll say it one more time, we are at war with terrorists not muslims. Thank you for giving us a small window into their world.

Excellent image and insightful comments. God bless everyone in the military for putting themselves on the line for their and our beliefs.

no words

No, 3D, you didn't comment about this picture. The one I am referring to is the one where you did a similar concept with us shooting at innocents from a C-130. Reality check time. The C-130 is a cargo unit and is not armed. Secondly, USAF pilots are not murderers and your claims that they are (in addition to your slams on Bush's Children's Fund idea) on that same picture provided me to make my comments above. Thirdly, you're the one who claims that the military is filled with murderous loser thugs (your words) yet you also claim later on that you've never disparaged the military? I do not believe you whatsoever. You are a deluded idiot.

no God would ever bless anyone that goes to kill, you must mean the devil.

Ever heard of a Just War? That is a term in Christianity to specify when there is no other alternative but war, but the cause is just that - just. WWII was declared a just war, for an example. Holy War, when used in the correct use, also means the same thing. All religions have that justification. Clearly you don't study religions enough, or anything about them. And if you want to talk about deviltry, need I remind you of the old adage, "For evil to succeed, all good men must merely do nothing." We will not stand by and do nothing, despite all your mindless demands that we do.

Anybody who ever thought about humanitarian aid realised that one of the biggest problem to bring help, medecin or food to people will be to avoid it to be stolen by the elite, the governement or the army. This is true even when the country is not at war, even when it is not a dictatorship. It being a poor country is enough for this phenomenon to happen. Now, the States are dropping food randomly in the middle of Afghanistan. I say randomly because even their so-called smart bombs are repeativly missing their targets, so I can't see how a box of food would land precisely where aimed at. They drop food, without any control on the ground, and they want us to beleive that this will go to solve the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. At this point, I prefere to laugh, because I don't want to decide if the American politicians who pretend that are really cynical or if the American people who beleive it are really dum. Then they are going to act surprised and say that the if the humanitarian crisis worsen so badly in Afghanistan, it is not their fault, because they have sent food their, and not only bombs. It is a bit like putting a BandAid on a wooden leg, kick the guy in the other leg and then complain that he is still limping because he didn't stay in bed as you told him to. Not to mention that this war might result in the death of Bin Laden, but will never end terrorism, (I can't see neither how or why) and is certainly helping fundamentalism and anti-american feelings to raise. Thanks for image anyway, it is very funny.

Good point and nice touch with quote from Koran. Lets hope once the Taliban have been removed that some sort of democracy will flourish in Afghanistan. Our best hope for peace in the world is to water the roots of democracy through out it.

SurfAce got the point. Did you ever see one of those socalled Aid packs?Did you see what they drop?They drop things like cookies and dehydrated food.Nothing that really helps.No rice or grain or flour to bake bread.I think they took what fell of their couches and packed it for their good feelings.So they can say that they surly help...

Stalin once said "let me oervert just one generation and i will take your country" If we as a nation and the world show just one generation of these people acts of kindness they will never forget it, they wont be swayed to terror, suicide bombings and the like, and would never believe in the causes put forth by these radicals . Think out it, Who would you trust more... the man who feed you when you were hungry or the man asking you to tie a bomb to yourself..I am former marine and i have seen war and there is NOTHING just about it. people die period.. great work here, i guess for some the truth is harder to swallow than the propaganda of the american press