[Leica] Agricultural Program, Helmand, Afghanistan

[rgacpa at yahoo.com (Bob Adler)]

Even if the US bought up the entire crop for 3X what the current price is, 
it would be less than the cost of the defense budget for Afghanistan with 
plenty left over (I'm guessing here, but I don't think it's a bad guess). 
The Afghan farmers would love it!
Then burn it.
My guess is the Taliban purchase the opium and therefore have the farmers 
ingratiated to them. Then the Taliban sell it for profits that fund their 
efforts. A business model that works for them very well.
So we take away the market...
Hit em where it hurts; in their pocket book!
Seriously,
Bob
PS - Wendy, these photos are wonderful. Keep them coming along with your at 
hand experiences. Truly broadening to have you as part of the group.
Bob Adler
Palo Alto, CA
http://www.rgaphoto.com




________________________________
From: Philip Leeson <pjleeson at mchsi.com>
To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
Sent: Sun, February 7, 2010 7:46:02 PM
Subject: Re: [Leica] Agricultural Program, Helmand, Afghanistan

Narcotic pain medications are synthetically produced nowadays.
Heroin is the "natural" product.

Sometimes I wonder if the world would be better off if we just treated it 
like alcohol, controlled and taxed.
The USA's war on drugs has certainly been a dismal failure.

Phil

On Feb 7, 2010, at 5:09 PM, Greg Lorenzo wrote:

> 
> Wendy Thurman wrote:
> 
> 
>> It's been a while since I have posted any images. I've spent some time in
>> Lashkar Gah where we operate a teaching farm for local farmers. The area 
>> is
>> extremely volatile; in the second image the person on the hill is a 
>> Taliban
>> spotter. This area is as spooky as any I experienced in Iraq; the province
>> is home to most of the insurgent violence and produces the lion's share of
>> the world's opium:
>> 
>> http://wendythurman.com/page2/page3/files/page3-1001-full.html
>> 
>> http://wendythurman.com/page2/page3/files/page3-1003-full.html
>> 
>> Thanks for looking,
> 
> 
> An interesting place to photograph and some very nice shots! The 
> countryside looks not unlike Iraq to me.
> 
> 
> 
> Too bad the West doesn't just purchase the entire Afghan poppy crop lock, 
> stock and barrel and either process it into necessary medicines or destroy 
> it. Shortages of pain killers was an significant issue recently in Haiti. 
> 
> 
> 
> Greg Lorenzo
> 
> Calgary, Canada
>                           
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