Because we were not fighting a real war, with the massive casualties that normally accompany such an endeavor, we could pretend we were fighting for a worthy cause but did not have to pay attention or worry about waning public support. But this half-assed approach to combat operations allowed a generation of incompetent officers to earn promotions and advance in rank. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and General Mark Milley are prominent examples of this dysfunction.
While the Austins and Milleys worked on raking in cash, the average frontline soldier and Marine suffered. While the number killed and wounded is low compared to the carnage of Vietnam or Korea or WW II, I wonder if the number of returning veterans who have wrestled with PTSD and committed suicide exceeds the total we lost in “combat” in Afghanistan.
There needs to be an accounting and the leaders, both military and political, responsible for this debacle need to be judged.
Seems to me a long time ago a two time recipient of the CMOH said “War is a racket”
Well that is what the Afghanistan disaster is, a multi-Trillion $ racket.
Local mom and pop grocery store in my childhood town. A pillar in the community for 75 years. Some of the nicest people in the country. Two shot dead this past week. Trying to get my widow mother to check out of there. The financial mismanagement of fiat printing and corporate raiding has destroyed the middle class. It will have to be dismantled or it will continue to dismantle itself.
What a terribly sad story and commentary on the American spirit.
Typically the string of 7-11’s swiftly moves into to take the place of “mom and pop” operations providing a convenient network for EBT card benefits trading.
I avoid any neighborhood shop prominently claiming they accept EBT cards, or whatever euphemism they use today – -Food Fresh or what ever other blatant disguise for free handout money, no restrictions, and providing good as gold bartering opportunities backed by Uncle Sam.
Just attended a Larry Elder fund-raiser for replacement California Governor in our community. Part of his stump speech is to lay out the real statistics about black on black violence and police on black violence. Including exposing the stats on the woefully exaggerated perceptions of police on black violence, over estimated by to be 100 fold.
That can only lead to hateful resentments. And the increasingly brazen crime we are now seeing. We continue to live in a swirl of disconnect between facts and perceptions. This simply cannot hold. Because that is what very readily leads to the tragic consequences of the murder of two very innocent shopkeepers.
Larry Elder was a comfortable speaker, personally engaging, disciplined in his message and made just the right talking points to introduce himself in person to the California political stage.
Biggest surprise was the very large local turnout at $250 each – several hundred more than willingly came out in this local hot bed of progressive politics. His message enthusiastically received. The second point as no surprise – zero coverage of this event in the local media. Yet they splash the antics of the Unitarian “Dangerous Grandmothers” across the front pages for their latest bleeding heart and 100% ineffectual progressive stunt.
Shame Baltimore wasn’t in the graphic. 😉