I don't usually put a lot of political stuff on here, but I do post stuff that relates to peace and how to live lives of shalom.  Here is a quote at the first Republican debate from the "crazy" Ron Paul about the war in Afghanistan.

"[Bin Laden] wasn't caught in Afghanistan. Nation-building in Afghanistan and telling those people how to live and getting involved in running their country hardly had anything to do with finding the information where he was being held in a country that we give billions of dollars of foreign aid to, at the same time we are bombing that country."

"So it's the policy that is at fault. Not having the troops in Afghanistan wouldn't have hurt. We went to Afghanistan to get him, and he hasn't been there. Now that he's killed, boy, it is a wonderful time for this country now to reassess it, get the troops out of Afghanistan and end that war that hasn't helped us and hasn't helped anybody in the Middle East."

If you ask me, we need more "crazy" like this.

What do you think?  Do you think a protracted U.S. effort in Afghanistan has helped or hindered peace.  Now that Bin Laden is dead, is there warrant for the U.S. to stay?  Do you agree with Paul in his assertions that the U.S. is too preoccupied with "Nation Building?"

Matthew 5:9 (The Message) "You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.