Dear Friends of Summer,
Sure, you ave to worry about the economy and Swine Flu and HINI and Kuzu...But, has anyone been watching the rocks up on the mountaintops of Afghanistan? Well Walter Pincus of the Washington Post wrote a story in the Sunday Washington Post that put me right back in the summer of 1965 when this country slid into the longest and most ruinous war until Iraq and now Afghanistan.
As Americans frolic in the water parks about the fairest of lands on the crowded planet, eating themselves into insensibility, the generals over in hell...Afghanistan are saying what nobody wants to hear: we will be there for a decade or more and spend at least 80 Billion a year on military and development aid. If you are a mercenary or KPR, this is music to your ears; if you are an Afghan arms dealer or tribal leader, there is money to be made selling your loyalty to the strongest party of the moment. The Grate Game is once again in motion and another empire is about to pay the price.
Obama is leading this country into a quagmire as deep and disastrous as Vietnam. The military is talking counterinsurgency while building up ground forces of it own....our troops are leading the fight...why, because, the national army is incapable of doing....there is no nation-state in Afghanistan. It is a fraud and the Old Testament world that prevails there (except for weapons and drug trafficking) gives no indication of changing. We need to dis engage and let the Taliban and everyone else know that we will contain the crazies that operate out of their territories. Pull back and let the regional powers deal with the mess.
Later this month, Mc Crystal will give his assessment of what is needed...it will not be his assessment because, the White House will shape it to their own interests...we all know that. So, as you slather on the BBQ sauce for the ribs, think of the kids from Detroit and Rapid City who will be on the Pakistani boarder...why?
http://washingtonpost.com
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Hi Frank,
ReplyDeleteI have been reading and enjoying your blog for a few weeks now. I too am a recovering Catholic, although not of the Sicilian persuasion. But I was married to a Sicilian for 21 years so I understand them a little. I saw this today and thought it was funny:
The AMA Weighs In on National Health Care
The American Medical Association has weighed in on National Health Insurance. The Allergists voted to scratch it, but the Dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves. The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, but the Neurologists thought the Administration had a lot of nerve. The Obstetricians felt they were all laboring under a misconception. Ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted. Pathologists yelled, "Over my dead body!" while the Pediatricians said, 'Oh, Grow up!' The Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness, while the Radiologists could see right through it. Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing. The Internists thought it was a bitter pill to swallow, and the Plastic Surgeons said, "This puts a whole new face on the matter." The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the Urologists were pissed off at the whole idea. The Anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas, and the Cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no. In the end, the Proctologists won out, leaving the entire decision up to the assholes in Washington.
Dear Juliette,
ReplyDeleteIn the NY times 8/11, Eric Etherridge did a piece that added to Walter Pincus comments in the Post. I am really worried we are heading into another quagmire in South Asia.
Glad you are reading the blog. You really married to a Sicilian...well, you go straight to heaven.
Frank