Good news is better than bad news.

Over the weekend I watched CNN basically give the fuzzy details of "Over 200 killed in renewed Afghan violence"...

I was like damn, that sucks. But CBS gets it right... not 200 anybodies... but 200 Taliban killed. Slight difference in headline makes a huge difference.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/03/terror/main1962990.shtml
Warplanes and artillery pounded Taliban fighters hiding in orchards Sunday during a big Afghan-NATO offensive that the alliance said killed more than 200 militants in its first two days. Four Canadian soldiers also were killed.

If the estimate is confirmed, the battle would be one of the deadliest since U.S.-led forces ousted the Taliban regime five years ago. Thank you Canada.

Then today...

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=194446520&p=y94447zz6
Nato and Afghan forces used artillery and air strikes overnight to keep up pressure on an estimated 700 Taliban trapped by an offensive that the alliance claims has killed at least 200 militants in southern Afghanistan, Nato said today.

Wonder if Bin Laden is in there somewhere.....

not likely, hes more of lead from the rear type. prefers hiding to fighting these days, he is getting kind of old you know. FUOSBL

I remember the good ol' days when the Taliban was no longer "in existence," but nonetheless, this is good news. I wonder if these were mostly new recruits or leftovers from the old regime.

If we were to give the opium farmers a per Taliban bounty, in place of growing their crop (which I doubt they are really seeing much net income from), it might be a more productive farm subsidy than any we are currently funding stateside.

Even more good news from Afganistan (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/d037e072e25983e66f5ef527b1fff7f3.htm)

Actually.. Afganistan is going better than Iraq, not that thats saying much.

And Bad News (http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/09/bin_laden_gets_.html)related to Afganistan....

Additional bad news from Afghan is we killed another Canadian soldier with stray fire from a fighter plane.

Maybe the Afgans will need to do like the what the Chinese did to the opium dens.
Of course, there's that whole Democracy thing that gets in the way.
War on Drugs, anyone?