Recently there have been pundits in the media and Congress questioning President Obama’s strategy in regards to the war in Afghanistan; especially since the Rolling Stone article about General Stanley McChrystal. President Obama has stated July, 2011 we will begin a gradual withdrawal from Afghanistan. But yet we have pundits from every spectrum with their own agenda. I’m talking about Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, and now, yes we have the Tea-Party.
From my perspective, I think the President will make a drastic mistake if he tries to appease all of these people. I know the President is a sharp guy, but sometimes the sharpest of people allow themselves to be overwhelmed by trying to win the crowd, instead of staying the course and paying attention to priorities.
Here’s something for all of you who want the President to pull all of the combat troops out of Afghanistan immediately, and those of you who want the President to stay in Afghanistan until victory is declared.
Let’s start with those of you who want the President to get out now. Say for instance we just up and leave Afghanistan today, or gradually draw down. Once we leave, what will keep the Taliban and Al-Qaeda from regenerating and doing a do-over of 9/11? I don’t know the answer to that, and I’m sure neither does you; so until you come up with a viable answer, shut the fuck up.
To those of you who want to just fight on until we achieve victory, I’ve heard all of the talking heads talk about what victory will look like. Forget about what you think victory will look like, think about this. I wrote an article approximately two years ago about how the same troops are going on three and four tours back and forth to war zones. As a Vietnam Veteran (9th Marines, 3rd Marines Division) I feel I’ve earned the right to speak this way. If you honestly believe we should fight until we in somebody eye perceive we can get to victory; then I say bring back the draft. There is no way one half of one percent of the population of this country should be sacrificing their life and neglecting their family for the rest of us. Those of you who campaign to fight on until victory, but don’t campaign for the draft; you’re bull-shitting yourself, and others who listen to the bull-shit you’re advocating.
1 comment:
My question to you is, what the fuck is your point ? Yes, I salute you for your service and all the sacrifices our troops are making today. However you can't have it both ways ! I would agree the President can't please everyone, but to continue this obviously failed policy in Afghanistan & Iraq is insane ! This is precisely why so many of us have given up on our government. I very seriously doubt that Liberals and or Progressives went to the poles in droves to elect Mr.Obama and did so with the expectation of him continuing this failed policy. Not another soldier, not another son or daughter needs to die in either of those shit holes. If you want a force to search all four corners of the earth to find bush's family friend bin laden, I'm all for that, but I am strongly against this undeclared war. You mention "priorities" in your column and I ask..what the hell is the priority in afghanistan? Do you really believe the only reason there hasn't been another 911 is because we are there? Good grief Charlie Brown. Hell most of the highjackers were from Saudi arabia, and the few hundred or so of al qaeda are in Pakistan. Our troops are dying in Iraq & Afghanistan for what? You're a fool if you want them to stay there ! I certainly don't know and can't imagine what victory would look like. I doubt it was ever a realistic objective. War is just a racket. Read these passages from Maj. General Smedley Butler " War is a Racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses.
I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we'll fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.
I wouldn't go to war again as I have done to protect some lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket. It may seem odd for me, a military man to adopt such a comparison. Truthfulness compels me to. I spent thirty- three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle- man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.
I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am sure of it. I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.
During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. Looking back on it, I feel that I could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents. War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives." This from 1935. Change you can believe in ? GHETTO BLASTER
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