To the Point
The Afghan Election: Democracy in Wartime
The polls are closed and the vote count is under way in Afghanistan, where a national election has been held in the midst of bloody fighting. We look at the turnout, the possible outcomes and the potential consequences for US diplomacy and military commitments. Also, the Lockerbie bomber is released, and Whole Foods and healthcare reform.
By Warren Olney • • 50m ListenThe polls are closed and the vote count is under way in Afghanistan, where a national election has been held in the midst of bloody fighting. We look at the turnout, the possible outcomes and the potential consequences for US diplomacy and military commitments. Also, the Lockerbie bomber gets a "humanitarian" release from prison, and Whole Foods founder John Mackey learns it’s not nice to fool with your most loyal customers.
Banner image: An Afghan policeman checks a man as women wait in line at a security checkpoint today at the entrance of a polling centre in Kabul. Photo: Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images
In this episode
3 storiesLockerbie Bomber Released Early
The bombing of a jetliner over Lockerbie, Scotland killed 270 people in 1988. The only person convicted was Libyan Abdelbaset Ali Al-Megrahi. He's been serving a life sentence on 270 counts, but now has terminal prostate cancer. He was released today on humanitarian grounds.
Read the story8 minThe Afghan Election: Democracy in Wartime
Ballots boxes are on their way to Kabul in cars, helicopters and on the backs of 3000 donkeys. The count won't be final until early next month. Voter turnout is called "uneven," with attacks near some polling places. Some fraud and corruption are guaranteed, and two people with indelible ink on their fingers reportedly were hanged.
Read the story36 minUproad over Whole Foods and Healthcare
Millions of Whole Foods customers pay premium prices to make sure what they buy is organic. But company founder John Mackey's views on healthcare reform, voiced in a Wall Street Journal op-ed last week, have some loyalists talking boycott , with one contributor saying the food is scrumptious but it's producing "indigestion of the soul."
Read the story7 min
