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Oct-04-2009 22:46printcomments

Militants in Afghanistan Are Learning the Vietnam Model

What were our strategic goals in Afghanistan? Now that any goal seems implausible, no benchmarks to be reached, should we negotiate a withdrawal as in Iraq?

Wreckage outside Kabul, Afghanistan by Tim King
Photo of wreckage outside Kabul, Afghanistan by Tim King Salem-News.com

(CINCINATTI, Ohio) - I remember reading about "hearts and minds" and how it was the key to a victory in Vietnam. I also remember walking thru villages in Vietnam on my way out into the hills. Seeing people raising children during a vicious war was a reminder of what war is about. We are always meaning well, we love saying that, but left broken lives, poisoned soil and decades of bitterness behind us.

Afghanistan is now Vietnam. America is fighting a war it got into without 5 minutes of intelligent thought. Our goal of securing a country that has lived with 2000 years of war, a country we have no legitimate interests of any kind in, is insanity. Military leaders, rightly asking for the endless needed resources to accomplish the impossible task they have been assigned are asking for resources that simply don't exist. We are "killing for peace" all over again. We never learn.

We don't have anything in our arsenal of spy satellites and thermonuclear weapons to make people love us. America is in Afghanistan searching for love and are, instead, sending our children to their deaths.

People all over Afghanistan are looking into the faces of our children, some of whom have been soldiers for years. I don't believe, for a minute, that any real number of our troops are still engaged in the Bush era crusade against Islam, the ill conceived attempt to rally political support at home thru radicalizing Islam. Turning a war against a few terrorist camps into a broad conflict to secure oil, gas and, as reports of the FBI investigation become public, drugs, into a decade long fiasco has been the result.

Old British base in Kabul, Afghanistan

For years, the "war on terror" has been a front for the fleecing of the American economy, the enrichment of oil companies and the endless government contractors living on "no bid" contracts, not just "no bid" but also "cost plus." If you want to see money to lobby for war, reward theft and pay even more for incompetent theft.

The deluge of money flowing into Washington to fund war and "nation building" using hundreds of thousands of kitchen workers and "security guards" pushed more important issues to the side.

Our troops were having their parents buy body armor on Ebay. Who, exactly, at the Pentagon, thought canvas doors were bullet and IED proof? Did they learn that while golfing with lobbyists?

A political agenda we were told was going to restore small government, fiscal conservatism, family values and individual rights quickly turned into the largest growth of government in our history with the greatest assault on individual freedoms since American patriots starved to death in rotting hulks, prisoners of our British rulers.

A barrage of "terrorist alerts" and war rhetoric was meant to distract us while the boot came down on our necks. The rhetoric took on a life of its own, creating an expectation of victories in the style of ancient Rome, with captors being led behind chariots thru our streets. In the end, we hanged one deluded sociopath in Iraq while hundreds more, as crazy as that one, ran free through Washington DC.

Old Soviet tank graveyard in Kabul

Our generals and those of our allies are asking for help. We don't train our folks at West Point in magic, perhaps we should start. What help is needed? Only magic will make Afghanistan go away. Only magic will help millions of people, not "radical Islamics" but people very much like us, love America and want the type of life they believe we are willing to kill every last one of them to make sure they have.

What were our strategic goals in Afghanistan? Now that any goal seems implausible, no benchmarks to be reached, should we negotiate a withdrawal as in Iraq? We could load the country with troops for a few months, blow the hell out of everything and then agree to stay inside our bases and leave, letting them figure it all out for themselves as though we were never there.

Sounds like a plan to me.

This is what we had told them for years. Every time Bush or Cheney opened their mouths, especially to audiences of political contributors, this was what came out. Believing that every word was not heard around the world, heard and remembered, is irrational. How do we win over people we have been insulting and threatening for years?

We don't have to worry about that. Our children are going to do it for us, if we don't kill every last one of them in the process.

================================================

Gordon Duff is a Marine combat veteran and a regular contributor to Veterans Today. He specializes in political and social issues. You can see a large collection of Gordon's published articles at this link: VeteransToday.com.

He is an outspoken advocate for veterans and his powerful words have brought about change. Gordon is a lifelong PTSD sufferer from his war experiences and he is empathetic to the plight of today's veterans also suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to feature Gordon's timely and critical reports on Salem-News.com, a news organization staffed by a number of veterans, particularly former U.S. Marines.

You can send Gordon Duff an email at this address: Gpduf@aol.com




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Lyle Hammerquist October 5, 2009 4:39 pm (Pacific time)

The media and the liberals are just sick people. Beck is exposing true criminal acts.
He's not standing there telling true things about Obama’s momma’s nude pictures (on internet, just google), his illegal aunt who lived in a run down area in the U.S., or his brother who lives in a slum shack in Kenya! The media investigates people like Beck and Palin (even going after her children), but ignores government corruption.

So is it Phil Langley or Lyle today?  You should see someone about your multiple personalities, there is medication you can take.  The way you use different names in comments is consistent with your politics.  You sound like another bigot just freaking out over our black President.  It think that is funny.  Why worry anyway?  Anything bad taking place was launched into action by Bush and his team of criminals anyway.  By the way, if that is true about Obama's mom then good for her, more power to her.  Certainly you would bow down from politics if you had a family member who ever stepped out of line, right?  


Mike October 5, 2009 3:33 pm (Pacific time)

You know I use to live in Virginia and it's true that they are making it difficult for overseas miltary to get ballots to vote this November. The military there votes in a high majority for conservatives. I also recall Sen. Durbin comparing our military to nazis and he did apologize on the senate floor, but I don't believe that apology was sincere but more political to get the heat off him. Also doesn't it appear that it was Obama's defeat of not getting his home town Chicago the Olympics in 2016? Maybe that was a good deal because they cost a lot of money to put on and they never make any money to cover costs. So sounds like a win for taxpayers and Obama. Too bad Rhubarb Beef.


Holiness October 5, 2009 12:59 pm (Pacific time)

The reason we went into Afghanistan and Iraq was not about helping the populations in those countries. It was about kicking ass. We Americans love kicking someone's ass. Bush wanted to show the world how powerful and awesome America really is, and that's what he did. Don't mess with America, the almighty. Bush himself said he wanted wars so he could kick someone's ass it didn't matter what country. That's what America is about - kicking ass and taking names. Let the weak peons tremble before our great holy nation. God himself admires America for it's power and God blesses this nation with his protection. God hates the weak wrongful nations like Iraq and Afghanistan. They are inferior and need to be destroyed. Weakness and sympathy need to destroyed.

Editor: You need to quit smoking crack,  I only include your rant for the entertainment of our regular viewers.


Daniel October 5, 2009 12:17 pm (Pacific time)

Tim please turn mr beefs info over to the FBI , he sounds like a danger to the USA and himself .Is he running an anti government cell ? Are they violent ? Is he insane ?


Rhubarb Beef October 5, 2009 11:02 am (Pacific time)

For eight years we have witnessed the left cheer every defeat in war, say “screw them” about America deaths in Iraq, have elected Congressmen declare our soldiers war criminals, have an elected United States Senator compare our soldiers to Nazis (Durbin, Ill.), and now have the Chairman of the Democratic Party encouraging Virginia to deny our soldiers the right to vote (look at the current governor poll numbers. You on the left proud of denying our troops the right to vote?) and the President of the United States begin a systematic effort to undermine our successes in Afghanistan after embarking on a seven month long world tour to apologize for America. That the left would call conservatives unpatriotic and un-American for cheering Obama’s defeat at the IOC means they have a bastardized idea of what patriotism means and does nothing to wash the blood of our nation’s freedoms and soldiers off their hands. I love America, therefore I must cheer this Obama defeat — and it was an Obama defeat. We wiull expose the American hating parasites out there! In fact we are doing it now under the radar so to speak with various small businesses.

Editor: Man, what a load of crap.  You're one anti-American sounding individual.  There are places you could move to where you would probably be a lot more comfortable, don't you think?  Nothing you say makes sense, so it is hard to address.  Obama is another politician, he is not however at fault for this STUPID mess that YOUR politics got us into.  You don't love America, you love hate-based politics and when people are nasty and vehement about it while spinning a series of BS the way you do, it is almost always a case of simple racism and bigotry.  What the hell is patriotism these days anyway?  Your set seems to shift the meaning to fit the occasion.      


G-2/3; October 5, 2009 5:53 am (Pacific time)

rave on Jon Dunne,rave on! President Obama.,it has to end. Bring 'em home now.,stop perpetuating the lie and tell the truth.

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