Peshawar: Printers in this city near the Afghan border say they have produced thousands of fake voter registration cards at the request of Afghan politicians for use in that country’s parliamentary elections on Saturday.
The cards, some shown to The Associated Press, add to evidence that fraud could undermine the elections and further destabilize the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai…
Three printers in a dimly lit section of Peshawar’s Storytellers’ Bazaar told the AP that Afghan election candidates had traveled to the walled heart of the ancient city about an hour from the border and provided them with samples of Afghan voter registration cards.
The printers said they had produced thousands of cards, along with plastic sheaths to laminate them, for roughly 23 cents apiece…
Does it ever matter who’s in the White House when it comes to political delusions like nation-building?
Does it ever matter who’s in the White House when it comes to political delusions like nation-building?
WTF? The White House isn’t even mentioned in the article. And Pakistan is certainly not much of an American supporter. They’ve got their heads up other folks butts. Sounds like Eideard is trying to create a story.
This isn’t news, it is standard operating procedure for the region.
Ah, the voice of the True Believer. We must not criticize Obama’s acceptance of Bush’s premises – for that would be a venial sin.
Do you think the elections our government is overseeing in Afghanistan are meaningful to the citizens of that benighted land?
Are you still applauding the billions of taxpayer dollars poured into the political and economic rathole of the Middle East? To accomplish what, exactly? Who has actually profited from 9 years of war? Who’s better off?
We’re keeping hundreds of excess Pentagon brasshats employed, dollars flowing into the coffers of creeps ranging from slimy contractors to corporate behemoths – while grunts on the ground and civilian collateral deaths continue to add up to what accomplishments?
I guess, providing a stipend for Pakistan printers who aid and profit their brethren in Afghanistan. Keeping the delusion alive. Americans need only arrive in town with dollars and democracy and the whole world will see the light.
Test run for Obama’s team in November.
Democracy good – more democracy must be better.
“Vote early, vote often”
None of you lot remember where you came from or how long you’ve been parroting the party line:
“Afghanistan’s first-ever presidential vote puts this nation of mud-brick houses and tribal fiefdoms on the edge of an improbable experiment with democracy.
Osama bin Laden’s training bases have been uprooted, and Afghanistan is no longer a haven for international terrorists.”
AP release 2004
http://tinyurl.com/2exe3wt
What part of Florida is Peshawar in? I didn’t know Florida shared a border with Afghanistan.
>> MikeN said, on September 16th, 2010 at 7:26 am
>> Test run for Obama’s team in November.
Did you see how Mike did that there? Turning documented GOP election fraud on the Dems. Zing!!
Corruption will likely erase any development efforts we do in Afghanistan.
It seems like the Obama administration is toning-down the corruption talk about Karzai but I think this is a huge strategic mistake.
Corruption is as much our enemy as the Taliban are. The two aren’t even really separate.
For example, corrupt Afghani soldiers at checkpoints tell the Taliban when to expect a US convoy.
Corruption will likely erase any development efforts we do in …..
A. New Orleans
B. Chicago
C. Detroit
D. LA
E. All of the above
Well, at least they don’t have to worry about any hanging chads or Disappearing electronic votes!
Wow… just like in the US. Maybe this democracy thing is catching on after all.
>> NobodySpecial said, on September 16th, 2010 at 8:24 am
>> Corruption will likely erase any development efforts we do in …..
I agree, actually, buts it’s deceptive of you to only mention “blue” cities and not mention the massive corrupt “contractor” system that the Bush Administration put in place to the cheers of conservatives.
In any regard, all foreign or domestic, military or civilian government projects need strict oversight with strict punishments for offenders.
(I suggest a total ban on any contractor who gets caught stealing tax dollars or giving bribes. I’m talking about YOU Halliburton!)
The conservatives will howl that oversight is “fascism” but it’s the only way to not have the taxpayers robbed blind.
ahh….yup.. looks like they have embraced the West’s new “modern” version of “democracy” perfectly. and smartly too.. they’ve done away with the hassle of being beholden to lobbyist $$. (this is really no different than how votes are “bought” in our system)
-yep, another fine illusion of democracy has grown roots. we should be proud. [sic]
Hell, meet Handbasket.
-s
doh!
-would the Op please close the blockquote after “1500 cards”
thank you.
-s
Does this mean they won’t be printing the 50s and 100s for the next stimulus round?
The whole region is a shit hole. There people there are about 500 years behind the rest of the world. There is nothing we can do to change them.
Sorry. This smells like week old carp. First, why would the printers volunteer the info? Secondly, I have some extensive experience with printers in Kabul and I promise you they wouldn’t have to go to Peshawar (OR Florida) to get the job done. And 23 cents per? Gimme a break.
Admitted, it’s been a couple of years since I was last there but I’m betting I could get a quote for half that price within half an hour.
But the big question is, why bother? They aren’t completely in the stone age. People register to vote, they get entered into a database. They show up at their polling place and their name gets checked. So, thousands of “registered” voters show up and their names aren’t on the list. They aren’t allowed to vote. What are they gonna do – go to court?
By the way, just buying the cards isn’t enough, anyway. Then you have to hire people to try to vote. Trust me, they would just use the money to bribe the voters in the first place.
Nope. This smells WORSE than week old carp. More like Dallas’ diapers.
P.S. Those are ballots in the photo not registrations. Since many people cannot read, each candidate will select an avatar or icon. Voters will then select that icon in the voting booth. I found that to be a very interesting way to do it. Vote for Baheer (that’s the 3 apples) or Vote for Anous (the man with 2 camels) etc.
#19 – that’s how it’s done in the worlds largest democracy with 720M voters.
#13 – sorry not meant to be party political, those were just the most screwed up cities I could spell.
And again… all of it COULD have been prevented.
But America loves its pound of cure over the ounce of prevention.
Cursor_
Time to bring our troops home.
Once Bush missed OBL, the Taliban and Al Qeda have had every reason to disrupt things. And it ain’t gunna stop anytime soon.
>> # 17 gquaglia said, on September 16th, 2010 at 9:25 am
>> The whole region is a shit hole. There people there are about 500 years behind the rest of the world. There is nothing we can do to change them.
I lived in that region for for a number of years and found it very interesting. Sort of like their food — fascinating but potentially lethal.
But I agree with your sentiment — we can’t change them. I’m not sure why we want to.
The best “solution” to that region is also the cheapest – just leave them alone.
It’s what they want! Our meddling was what made them hate us in the first place.
As far as that goes – America needs to start minding our own business and stop being the world’s policeman. Close our foreign bases. Reduce our navy fleets to one in the Pacific and one in the Atlantic. Reduce our nukes to a few really good ones.
Then we could spend the TRILLIONS in savings on paying off our debts and rebuilding America.
And, ironically, we’d probably be safer for it.
These people are hopeless amateurs when it comes to rigging elections. We have electronic balloting.
#23 Mr Allen : “…like their food — fascinating but potentially lethal.”
Agreed. But I do miss me a big plateful of mantou.
As for the US being World Cops? Isn’t that what we pay the UN for?
The American Way.
>Did you see how Mike did that there? Turning documented GOP election fraud on the Dems. Zing!!
How many states has ACORN been prosecuted for vote fraud, particularly voting registration fraud? Which President has a history with ACORN in the most recent election and the decades before that?