The American Taliban

It is striking how the gentlemen competing to secure the republican nomination are so like the Taliban in their medieval longing for an intolerant, religious society in which any infraction should be met with the harshest possible punishment.

As far as I can judge, the only thing that separate Romney, Gingrich and Perry from the afghan tribesmen under the odious label "Taliban" is that their brand of corruption is more refined and profitable. Romney, Gingrich and Perry are rich beyond most people's dreams.

It is with some astonishment the world looks on while the american voter yearns to put into a position of power a figure that will complete the United States' transition to a authoritarian theocracy. It is with amazement the world looks on as half the population simply can't wait to turn the US into Afghanistan or Iran.

The republican party is the Taliban. They stand for precisely the same values as those held in other areas where bronze age myth is held in higher regard than reason, dignity and restraint - though their worship may differ in practice.

(With apologies to Mitt Romney - strictly speaking the religious piece of fan-fiction he believes in first saw the light of day roughly around the time of the industrial revolution and not the bronze age.)