(names and places are left out of this blog post)
One of the keys to winning in Afghanistan is building local governance. A government that can provide security and services for its people is a stable government. There are some success stories when it comes to local governance. One city in particular has a mayor it can be proud of.
My friend the mayor used to be a warlord. Well, warlord really has a negative connotation, I prefer the term businessman. I mean, he does have a formidable weapons arsenal but who doesn't these days. He looks like Edward Norton's character from Fight Club. Like a guy who could beat you with his cast and then go back and finish eating his bowl of rice... but I'm getting ahead of myself. US politicians should take some notes from this mayor, he went from being on the High Value Target List to mayor in a year. So there is hope still for Rep. Weiner.
This mayor is very progressive. He has a goal to "green" his city by planting 10,000 trees. A noble cause indeed. Well, Mr. Mayor had some of his employees (henchmen) go down the main street and dig holes in front of all the shops. He then went to all the shop keepers and said, "you put a tree in here by tomorrow or I will shut your shop down...oh by the way, my cousin is coming and he'll sell you a tree." Sure enough by the next day the entire street had freshly planted trees. A couple of years and that main street will look great.
One of the dangerous of all the money being poured into Afghanistan by the international community is rising inflation. Mr. Mayor is very conscious of this, and so to protect the everyday people, he instituted fixed prices in all the local restaurants. One day the mayor was eating in one of the local restaurants and was overcharged for some rice. Not a man to take things lightly, Mr. Mayor went to the back of the restaurant and beat the owner with his cast. (Mr. Mayor had previously broken his arm but I wouldn't be surprised if he just keeps the cast on because he likes it.)
I look forward to watching this man's political career. He's a regular Willie Stark. And in this country I think thats what's needed.
One of the keys to winning in Afghanistan is building local governance. A government that can provide security and services for its people is a stable government. There are some success stories when it comes to local governance. One city in particular has a mayor it can be proud of.
My friend the mayor used to be a warlord. Well, warlord really has a negative connotation, I prefer the term businessman. I mean, he does have a formidable weapons arsenal but who doesn't these days. He looks like Edward Norton's character from Fight Club. Like a guy who could beat you with his cast and then go back and finish eating his bowl of rice... but I'm getting ahead of myself. US politicians should take some notes from this mayor, he went from being on the High Value Target List to mayor in a year. So there is hope still for Rep. Weiner.
This mayor is very progressive. He has a goal to "green" his city by planting 10,000 trees. A noble cause indeed. Well, Mr. Mayor had some of his employees (henchmen) go down the main street and dig holes in front of all the shops. He then went to all the shop keepers and said, "you put a tree in here by tomorrow or I will shut your shop down...oh by the way, my cousin is coming and he'll sell you a tree." Sure enough by the next day the entire street had freshly planted trees. A couple of years and that main street will look great.
One of the dangerous of all the money being poured into Afghanistan by the international community is rising inflation. Mr. Mayor is very conscious of this, and so to protect the everyday people, he instituted fixed prices in all the local restaurants. One day the mayor was eating in one of the local restaurants and was overcharged for some rice. Not a man to take things lightly, Mr. Mayor went to the back of the restaurant and beat the owner with his cast. (Mr. Mayor had previously broken his arm but I wouldn't be surprised if he just keeps the cast on because he likes it.)
I look forward to watching this man's political career. He's a regular Willie Stark. And in this country I think thats what's needed.
I love your writing. You should of been allowed in English IV AP
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