The focus of the U.S. Military in Afghanistan has apparently shifted towards Kandahar. General McChrystal recently declared that the operation has already begun. But what about Marjah? Only recently it was the primary theater for U.S. forces, and, as written here, the real struggle began after kinetic operations ended. So now, at the most important juncture, why are resources and attention being pulled elsewhere? There are numerous outstanding issues in Marjah, and neglecting them now will undermine any progress made in the past.

One of the most vexing issues in Marjah is the opium crop, which is due to be harvested soon. In a drastic change of policy, U.S. and ISAF forces will not be eradicating the crop. The reason is simple - Afghans who planted the crop are relying on the profits from the harvest to make ends meet and feed their families. Destroying the crop would only serve to impoverish the farmers and further erode the legitimacy of the Karzai government. General McChrystal is right to eschew eradication, but that alone doesn't solve the opium problem.

It's important to understand that farmers do not become wealthy by growing opium. They do it because it is a hardy crop and in times of insecurity is a reliable producer of enough cash to survive. The illicit wealth goes to a myriad of middlemen, from local drug runners and Taliban enforcers to international smugglers and distributors. These middlemen often coerce farmers into growing poppy. In areas where the Afghan government's writ is circumscribed, local Taliban sometimes require local farmers to plant opium, and threaten punishment if they do not deliver a satisfactory output after the harvest.

When viewed through this prism of desperation and coercion, it becomes clear that benign neglect from coalition forces is not sufficient to address the problem.

I mentally wrote several blogs today waiting in the security line at the airport:

1. The problem with airport security is that it is reactive instead of proactive. Case in point being that Richard Reid tries to blow up his shoes, so the result is that we all have to take off our shoes at airport security. What do the terrorists do, they move the bomb six inches up the leg. Unfortunately for TSA, American Puritan values wont allow them to request that we all take our pants off in the airport. Don't get me wrong, personally I would have no problem with this. I have a great butt, and quite honestly, I'd enjoy the view. But in all seriousness am I to assume that we are fucked now that the terrorist's have discovered the crotch bomb?
2. Why don't people dress up to fly anymore? Gone are the days of people actually giving a shit about what other people think of them. Judging from most of the people I saw today I would have guessed that half of them were headed to the gym and the other half were in the process of moving from their bedrooms to the couch based on their choice of head to toe juicy couture jumpsuits. Since when did the word airplane become synonymous with living room?
3. If you have traveled on an actual airplane anytime in the past 8 years why do you think that you are the one person who is going to be able to get your giant bottle of hairspray through security? There should be a separate security line for people who have been previously caught with banned items in their carry on luggage. The line will be just as long as the others but the exception will be that over half of the people in this line will miss their flights on account of the time it takes to unpack and then repack all of their collective belongings. This will undoubtedly lead to quit a few people going postal and not to mention more than a few people screaming "don't tase me bro,"but lets be honest...its the only way they'll learn!

Just a few thoughts from the mind of an enlightened man....Happy Travels