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Let's learn
  Let's get educated on the politics and military issues of the region we're getting ready to enter. It's already at war, with new nuclear powers and not very stable governments. The Taliban is present in Pakistan too. Pakistan has nuclear weapons, as does India. In the meantime in the Middle East tensions are erupting into new attacks, a Sikh was murdered in Arizona, the Indian news sources are running the story on page one.
  In Central Asia they're not sitting around waiting for us, this region has been at war for decades. The British and Soviets blundered into this region, billions of people live there, and they're living their history -- add ours to the mix, and god knows what's going to happen.
  The last thing I want to see is American soldiers added to the mix, both for the sake of my country (USA) and for peace in the world. We're about to get in a lot deeper. Now is a good time for all of us to learn and think and listen, even as our government gets ready for war.
A new directory
  With the help of Scripting News readers I've created a directory of local Central Asia news sources. I strongly suggest reading these sites, just in the last few hours they've changed my point of view substantially.
  http://www.superopendirectory.com/directory/4/events/warInCentralAsia
  I remember how hard it was for the US to get out of Vietnam, and the dread people of my generation felt fighting a war with ill-defined goals and cultures and histories we didn't understand or respect.
  At least this time we have the means to hear directly from the people and governments of Central Asia, don't miss the opportunity to add their point of view to the mix of ideas you're considering.
  Dave Winer