William Jennings Bryan was an American orator and politician, one of the top democratic leaders and candidates for President of the United States (1896, 1900 and 1908 found here). He was known for demanding “Free Silver” because it reduced power attributed to money, placing more money in the hands of the people. He gave a very nice speech which was known as, “the Wizard of Oz.” When he stated, ‘You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns; you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold,” he was accusing banks and railroad companies of oppressing farmers and industrial workers by using gold. Silver was accessible to all people, and it was much easier to help the distribution of health than gold.
While I was reading on the internet, I found Afghan’s common hobby of kite flying, known in their language as Gudiparan bazi (found here), quite interesting, particularly how the designs and sizes of the kites demonstrated honor on their owner. I was wondering what happens to these people today. Why today Afghanistan known today as country of terrorists, misogynists and all types of “ist’s”!!!
Children in Afghanistan preparing for kits fly
With my previews boss, I had had a discussion on how to be a professional expat in conflict zone area; he spent many years of his life working for Oxfam America, traveling between Afghanistan and Pakistan: people who have been heavily armed and trained under the Ronald Reagan administration with the blessing of the Saudi government to enter into a holy war against the Soviet Union who had invaded their countries. After the end of the war soldiers weren’t given the prize of war, instead they were no longer welcome in their homes. They found themselves in a situation of no home, no family, no chance to go back or have a normal life.
Front row, from left: Major Gen. Hamid Gul, director general of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI), Director of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Willian Webster; Deputy Director for Operations Clair George; an ISI colonel; and senior CIA official, Milt Bearden at a Mujahideen training camp in North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan in 1987. (source RAWA)
New stories of these people arose after 9/11 there in the Afghanistan hills, regarding the Taliban Emirate vs. the Northern Alliance. According to the WATSON INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS in 2009, the Afghan Ministry of Public Health reported that fully two-thirds of Afghans suffer from mental health problems. Conflict in the country has made Afghan society extremely vulnerable with about 92,000 people killed in the Afghanistan war since 2001. More than 26,000 of those killed were civilians. Nearly 100,000 people have been injured since 2001 (found here). According to UNHCR there are currently 172,000 refugees in Pakistan and 765,000 internally displaced persons in need of basic living infrastructure, such as clean drinking water, shelters, schools and health facilities (found here). Human beings living on this planet have based their lives on hope, and as I always say, we can repent and correct our mistakes: kites should fly again in the skies of Afghanistan instead of the North Alliance air force. These Afghani people from a different part of the Muslim world, particularly the former soldiers, should be given a second chance to live with dignity, their families, and with charity. We need to understand that poor people crucified by banks are like the Afghani people crucified by war and their own search for gold.
afghan-civilians-killed-wounded
I would like to end with a quote from ALIVE LIKE ME LYRICS:
So I’ll relapse replay the mistakes I have made, over and over I wish that I could have changed, What happened next, What happened next you won’t believe.
I wish for next Afghani generation better live.
God bless all of us…. not just America