OBAMA SHOULD FOCUS ON 2 AFGHAN FACTORS

The president is re-evaluating our Afghan strategy. If he would
combine the ideas from your recent editorial and the Ted Rall column
of last Friday, he may devise a whole new plan that would keep our
boys from getting killed and help the Afghan people too.

According to Rall, roads, electricity and telephones are most needed.
These improvements could all be done at the same time and probably, if
we concentrated our efforts, be finished in a couple of years. The
only troops needed would be to protect the workers. As you suggest, it
is not our obligation to decide the future of the Afghan people or
choose their government, but these improvements would increase the
chances of success.

Another factor that affects the United States is poppies. Ninety-three
percent of the world's heroin comes from Afghan poppies. Why don't we
buy all the poppies from the farmers? It would be a lot cheaper than
fighting a drug war in the U.S. and a hot war in Afghanistan. This
would give us a monopoly on the heroin supply. This would endear us
with the people and give the farmers an income.

We could probably get a pretty good deal from the farmers and maybe
find some benefits from the poppies. Hopefully, al-Qaida would die
from lack of drug money and we could help them along by using the Joe
Biden plan.

We must believe that the president will weigh all the options and make
the wisest decision for everyone, including the Afghans.

Henry Piper

Springfield