I saw Charlie Wilson's war last night - how depressing

[HEyHEY]

At the end, they treated Afghanistan like the flavour of the month and it bit us all in the ass at the end. Can anyone give some insight into the accuracy of the film?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. Put "The Hunting Party" on your rental list.

I can't comment on Charlie Wilson's War. The important stuff is true, from what I've read.

[blm]

8. The real story is classified and will not see the light of day till an open government Democrat

gets into the oval office.

If you really want to wrap your mind around the facts that are known about that entire region, you need to spend a few months reading the BCCI report. It will open your eyes to the last 40 years and the official governments involved in growing the the global terror networks - from Poppy Bush and his American cronies like Jackson Stephens and Marc Rich, to Dubai and Saudi royals, Bin Ladens and AQ Khan.

[AZBlue]

11. That's a GREAT film.

[pretzel4gore]

2. back in the 70's, Afghanistran was a hippie haven

that was while it was under the USSR domination. I read once that twenty thousand westerners lived in Afghanistan- everything was dirt cheap, the dope was great and ....john d mcdonald even had a book about a rich guy's daughter who was missing there and his hero had to go find her. Then the CIA began arming and funding the rightwing Islamic crazies, through Pakistan. and that's when it all started, re the taliban etc. The Russians 'invaded' after the crazies killed the Afghanistan president and tried to seize power - needless to say the 'hippies' had long fled...i will not see cw's war....just the reviews are insulting enough

[HEyHEY]

4. But, you must admit the russians were brutal to the people.

[David Zephyr]

5. Brutal indeed. Ask anyone from Afghanistan who lived during their "reign".

Or read "The Kite Runner" or "A Thousand Splendid Suns".

The Soviet Union brutalized that nation and its people.

The bigger crime was not stepping in after the Russians left. Nature abhors a vacuum.

Saudi Arabia ran that nation by proxy after the Russians did.

[pretzel4gore]

16. i don't care. believe what you will

a look at a world map shows that Afghanistan was on the border of USSR. The USSR has existed since 1917. Thus Afghanistan was within the USSR sphere of influence throughout the most awful period of Soviet history. So how was it that huge numbers of international backpackers spent time in Afghanistan, which was up there along with Casablanca, Marrakesh and Goa, India etc? Surely you can remember that period, when 'seekers' after truth and god and karma etc went to live there, commit crimes there, disappear there and so on? Where do anyone get the idea the USSR brutalized the country? Is propaganda now considered a valid source for bald allegations, when actual history remembered disproves it?

[SergeyDovlatov]

17. What prompted Russians to go in, in the first place? n/t

[RoyGBiv]

3. Somewhat ...

It gives you a generally good accounting of the basic story of what was happening.

Don't mine it for individual details though.

OnEdit: And a good many of the "details" are still classified.

[catgirl]

6. Just saw a documentary with the real Charlie Wilson

and life was just a big game for him. He was laughing off some real serious shit, including a hit and run.
He loved doing photo-ops in war zones. He recalled how some granades accidentally went off at one PO,
so they turned it into a "media-op" and called it a terrorist attack. MSM went for the bait, of course.

This episode in american history produced the KKKarl Roves, Chimps, Libby's, etc.

[carlyhippy]

7. it was a strange movie, had to laugh at Mr. Wilson calling that man "Mr. Avocados"

that was about the funniest part of the movie, they rest was meh...

[intheozone]

9. Love the photo! I think its one of the best you have used.

Have you been away, I haven't noticed you posting lately (or have I just overlooked you in all the fuss lately?) Anyway, I've missed all your great photos so I really glad to see a new from you.

[dysfunctional press]

10. i refuse to watch either it or "recount"...living through each once was more than enough.

but- from what i understand, they left osama bin laden out of charlie wilson's war.

which wouldn't be right, if they did.

[eridani]

12. They pretended that the US was giving most of its support to Massoud

In reality, the vicious fundie Hekmatyar was getting most of it.

[Midwestern Democrat]

13. I found it highly disappointing - a below average entry in the topical/

political film genre. Its chief failure is that the filmmakers make very little effort at trying to inform its audience - it is a personality driven film, with the subject matter decidedly secondary.

[tuckessee]

14. Pure bunk. Just a lot of disinfo. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Very, when my hubby and I left the theater

we went.. how many of the people watching this today with us realize this is the actual history of the mess? Yes, even the older folk, who were mostly our theater companions

That is why when Byrd asked if 9.11 was Blowback there was absolute silence

You want another movie that is 90% accurate? Watch traffic, the secret and other war that will byte all of us in the ass as well