Tag Archives: Afghanistan

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As We Break…

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In a blink of an eye,  Kabul has fallen… failed decisions by our President and no clear plan.   Yes, it matters not which president we had because 70% of Americans wanted us out.   A tragedy for so many caused by our elected officials becoming populists instead of pragmatist, followers of their base instead of leaders.  Modern American politics is broken by parties that care more about their own power and position than people or principle.  Yesterday I was depressed, today I’m mad.  But the world will go on.

As We Break

We’ve outgrown our clothes,
big and muscle bound,
tied together by a coat we wear.
This overcoat of populism
a coat ignorant of history.
Threadbare stretched across
broad backs no longer working.

We are big, but weak.
Taken down by “leaders”
who become followers
for the sake of power.
In the process they became powerless
and we leaderless.
Weakening us
as we forsake history.
And the flexibility of pragmatism
is a distant memory
given over to brittleness of populism.

And we break.

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Abandonment

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I get it… we cannot change a country that has been steeped in tribal and religious warfare for centuries.  We cannot save everyone.  But we committed to a democratic and safe Afghanistan, and we had achieve a modicum of success.   Women were able to get an education, run a business, and express themselves as never before under Taliban rule.  ISIS and Al Qaeda training camps were destroyed and they were scattered.   We were no longer losing young men and women to violence.  With our help, Afghan security forces were keeping the peace in free parts of the country.   A people were given room to breathe, room to  grow, to expect something more and better from life.  Call it hope if you will, but it was something.  Our mission to destroy Al Qaeda for their attack on us, was largely successful… but we did more. We took away the haven of Afghanistan, and we gave hope to a population that wanted a way out of the 13th century.    Yes it cost us something, be we gained something more, Security, and reputation.
Now we are abandoning those that put their faith in us, those that said yes, to the question of building a better world.  Yes, to the rights of women.  Yes to the value of democracy.   They will be destroyed in a Taliban Afghanistan.
Many argue, we cannot stay forever… yet we have bases still in Germany, we have bases in South Korea… we have stayed before, why not here?   We should always give time for peace… time is inexpensive compared to war.

I know my view is not popular.  Most Americans don’t care about the Afghani’s … it was a populist that said we are pulling out, now a democrat president has carried it forward.  Pulling out… no it is abandonment and retreat to where we think we cannot be impacted.   Pulling out is what you do when the mission is complete. There will  be consequences to our security, to our safety, to our reputation.  Who should believe us in the future?

Watch the news, this is what losing looks like.

Additional words:

Joe Biden said “endless war is not supportable“…my thoughts is that for 5000 troops in country… “endless peace was possible”