A New Way to Fight a New Type of War

To the citizens of Silverton, Oregon and of the United States:
U.S. Military methods in Afghanistan are not solving the problem. Something else must be tried. This is one of the “something elses.”

The American military cannot stay and solve the problem nor can they leave and solve the problem. The only incentive which this country has offered the Afghan people is democracy. People in poverty do not care about democracy. They want jobs, an income and the ability to live like people in more advanced countries. Together, the U.S. military and American civilians can help to give them a chance to improve their situation.

“Project NEWorld” can help to do this. Simply put, Project NEWorld is an idea for the people of an American town to offer the people of an Afghan town whatever the local Afghan people need to raise their standard of living. It could be something as small as an electric generator, a deep well and pump to obtain safe water or as large as a factory in which they can provide jobs and make products to sell on the world market. China and India are in the process of raising their standard of living: the Afghan people can also do it, given a chance and help. It depends upon the willingness of the Afghan and U.S. people to cooperate in solving the Afghan problem. Afghans themselves must want to eliminate Al Queda, the remnants of the Taliban, foreign fighters, etc. Afghan people will always remain in poverty as long as the Talaban and Al Queda exist there and keep the people in a tribal society. Tribal societies cannot compete in beneficial production with national societies such as China and India.

If a U.S. manufacturer has to move his production overseas, they should consider, instead of moving it to China (our competitor), move it to Afghanistan instead (with NEWorld assistance?) which will possibly help to bring our soldiers home. Silverton can be the spark in the effort to energize the American people to produce a model experiment and help “fight” the “war” in a way in which it has never before been tried. The American people, if they are the people which they think they are, will not let the American soldier to do all the fighting. Each Silvertonian can become a “warrior” to help reduce poverty in the world. Poverty is a main cause of insurgency and violence: rarely have insurgencies been initiated in prosperous countries. Reduce poverty and you help to reduce violence and wars.

It can be done if there is enough desire to get it done. If you want a better world, you are going to have to pay for it in one way or another. The smart way would be to follow the easiest and most sensible route.
The steps in Project NEWorld follow here in a broad outline.
1. Identify the amount of American interest in an effort to undertake this project to bring American soldiers home. Have the U.S. Army identify the amount of Afghan interest in assisting project success.
2. Investigate the possibility of the Afghan people preventing opposition from the radical elements in Afghan. Stress the need. Secure approval from necessary authorities. Organize an agency to manage overall efforts.
3. Identify how much funding which the people of Silverton are willing and able to raise to fund their project. (Ways in which spare time and skill can be converted to more transferable resources are available.)
4. Have a U.S. military unit “adopt” an Afghan village or town which is willing to cooperate in the experiment to end poverty and the war. Identify at least three projects of varying amounts of funding required for projects which the elders of the Afghan village or town would suggest to have accomplished. Match the project to the funds which can be raised.
5. If all of the above have been accomplished, start raising funds. Solicit cooperation and contributions from anyone or any organization which is willing to make the experiment a success. (Use imagination to do that.)
6. Advertise what is being done so that, hopefully, other American and foreign people can join in the effort and start their own projects.
7. Obtain the necessary equipment (U.S. or Afghanistan manufacture, if possible) and ship to a neutral country for storage. Advise the Afghan people that the project will not be started there until all violence in Afghan has ceased and the insurgents have been neutralized. Set a time limit deadline. If the violence and opposition to the experiment has not ceased by the time of the deadline that this project (and others) will not be undertaken, and the project will be transferred to another country which
needs help.
8.Follow up to ensure that the project will be successful.

Are we able to show the world what we can do that the U.S. Army couldn’t do? Citizens of Silverton, can you do it?
Americans: If you want to try to bring your soldiers home ASAP, stop your bitching: get off your butt and try something. If it doesn’t work, we try something else.