"Taliban Expand into Afghanistan"

There's no real analysis here, just straight news reporting.

O Obama, where art thou?

     One thing oft pointed out about the Taliban though, at least by subcontinental media, was that if you were the average nonwhite bearded male, there was a lot of safety and security present under the Taliban which is now, sadly, lacking under Karzai's ineffective governance.

     Justice was swift, and if harsh, at least was prompt enough to allay any wounded feelings. Travelling also was very easy; the roads were all perceived to be safe and people often had no compunction about taking random travellers into their home.

     Nowadays, all those things are gone. Of course, so are the random beheadings, stonings, beatings and rapes of women, burnt houses in the middle of the night, lynched journalists, etc.

     But, for the average nonwhite bearded male (who makes the decisions in Afghanistan after all?), things must have seemed way better before the U.S. invaded.