My Statement Regarding Our Exit From Afghanistan.

 We, the United States of America, are currently in the progress of leaving Afghanistan after some two decades of being the country's police force and army. 

We initially went in there in 2001 after the origin of the 9/11 terrorist attacks was traced back to Al Qaeda, and the origin of the attackers was traced to Al Qaeda bases in Afghanistan. In this cause we were right to go in. Let that be known. We were attacked, and we responded, as a nation must so respond. 

It is now some twenty years later, and the USA is now removing itself from Afghanistan. As I knew we would do. We've cut and run, as we did before in Vietnam. People whom we promised to stand by have and are as we speak being left to the not-so tender mercies of the Taliban. My Statement : This is a black day for America. But I don't blame Joe Biden. The mechanics that led up to this day were born by "W" Bush, carried on by Barack Obama (who did try to fix things, but it really wasn't going to happen.) and the last knives were driven in by TFG. He set things up so this would happen on Biden's watch. He hosted the Taliban leaders here at Camp David, and basically gave them everything they asked for. The people at the top of the Afghani government were (and are) crooks and liars who own the lion's share of the blame for this. Had they been honest, and dealt fairly with their troops, and seen to it they got paid, supplied and occasional leave to see their families, perhaps then the ASG wouldn't have collapsed under the Taliban attacks. I also want to mention the Taliban, and the situation there in the region. The Taliban were never, ever going to deal honestly with the USA. They are religious zealots with a power addiction who need to be lording it over someone else, and nothing short of a total control of the country was ever going to satisfy them. There is no bargaining with people who believe that it is okay to break their word when that word is given to a nonbeliever or infidel. We should have expected this, and taken steps to protect those whom we need to help leave the country. Now, dozens of them have died, and thousands are in immediate peril of their lives. We are not doing enough to help them. We will wear the blood stains of this for a long time, and we should. My final comment: We MUST never make war unless we are willing to go the full distance, fight to the last, kill the enemy until he surrenders unconditionally or we wipe them off the face of the earth. No safe spaces. No havens. Even if it means pissing off the Russians, Chinese or whoever. IF WE DO NOT HAVE THE STONES FOR IT WE SHOULD NOT BE DOING IT. No half measures. No more wars of containment. No more Police Actions. We're either ALL IN or we STAY HOME.

The Ghost of January 6th 2021

 Some dates to remember: November 3 2020. Election Day. a Red-Letter Day if ever there was. It began early, with voting in person being mostly stronger than anticipated, but with a lot of mail-in ballots. In Arizona, if you are registered to vote and made a request for it, you got a mail-in ballot automatically. You fill your ballot out, marking the candidates and issues you want with a black or blue pen. Felt tips are permitted. It's thick paper and won't bleed through. Live in-person voting carried on all day, but slowly. Around 10 pm  Eastern time, it looked to be very close, at least in the Electoral College. (in the national popular vote, it wasn't even close, with Biden eventually pulling a 7 million vote lead. ) By midnight, Trump started declaring himself the winner in states he clearly hadn't won. By 2 AM it was clear that, if Arizona and Georgia did not go for Trump, that he would not in fact be re-elected.

 The American Ideal was never about owning human beings. It was never about mass murdering of native groups. Yes, these things happened, and anyone with any common decency in them wishes they had not. I can and do celebrate the things that the best of our thinkers of the day wanted for our country, without forgetting the bad things that were done by those who did not want the Ideal, just the gold. I can cheer for the Red White and Blue without forgetting the black and red people who suffered. I can be glad I live in a land which is still at least nominally free while many others do not. My nation is not perfect, but it is moving in a direction toward better, toward being "a more perfect union." With any luck it will continue to do so, long after I'm gone. So, unlike too many on this day, I still say "Three Cheers for the Red White and Blue." You mean more than just explosives, charred meat and beer. You mean Equality under the Law, Liberty and Justice for ALL. Maybe dumb old ideas. I'm dumb and old, and frankly, my time is coming to a close. I hope whoever replaces me remembers to keep the good things while not forgetting the bad ones.

 

 

Some notes about the Epidemic and our response to it.

Okay gang. quick note: Back in 2015, there was a disease scare. (Zika Virus) At that time, I tried hard to warn people that we are woefully unprepared for a large scale outbreak. My words went largely unheeded. Mostly because I have the "Reach" of a man whispering down a well at midnight. In other words, none. Not my fault -- I'm not popular. I'm not wealthy, I'm not a famous person. But I felt I had to make the effort, and so I did. Well, 5 years on, we had changed little (although Obama made a start ) and now we desperately need to change, and due to the ineptitude of our national leadership, we are not. But this isn't about the President. I've ranted quite a lot about the President, not just because he is politically opposite to me. But now it's time to talk about the elephant in the room, and I do not mean the political party.  What I am referring to here is this: We largely owe this shit-poor response to the desire long-inculcated in a large segment of our population to see "The Administrative State" dismantled. To increase chaos. Most recently you've seen this in the character of one Steve Bannon.

St Patrick's Day special.

 

Today was St Patrick's Day. A day on which my fellow Americans make up silly names for themselves and put on a green shirt and get blotto. We won't talk about how this country perpetuates negative Irish stereotypes. The Fightin' Irishman, "A couple of stout Irish girls to do the heavy work around the house." and Trooper Thorn Sean Thornton. We have heavier lifting to do. Heavier lifting like "The Kung-Flu" and the fact that Asian-Americans get treated like punching bags and nobody tries to stop it. So go on and poke fun at me and my ancestors, drink beer with green food color in it. Just stop shooting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Mmmk ?

The Good Ole Days, more dream than real.

 (Cross posted from my Facebook account) 

Do you long for the Good Old Days ? 

        Feeling Nostalgic for the "good old days" of the 50s and early 60s? Yeah, that's probably because our higher taxes and stronger union protections made it possible for you to get a good paying job right out of high school and be able to support a family on it. But then you tossed all that in the garbage by voting for a string of men who cut taxes on the richest Americans and then told you it was your fault you weren't making enough money. Of course, you got tired of hearing it was your fault for not making enough money, so then they started telling you it was "The Illegals" who were taking your jobs. And the Foreigners. They tried to train you to hate those people, and many of you did. When all the while, it was you who voted for Reagan, GHW Bush, W Bush and now Trump, who sold you down the river. You bought into the conservative mumbo-jumbo , the hate-mongering and fear-mongering, and now you're seeing your progeny get hammered by the tool you thought would make YOUR life better. Well, has it ? Your children, the so-called Millenials, have an average of 37000 in student loan debt -- debt they accrued because successive waves of conservatives have all but wiped out grants, and seen to it that college tuition has skyrocketed. Your children, those self-same Millenials everyone loves to complain about, are stuck in jobs with few benefits and all too often are "full time availability with part time hours" or trick hours where they work 39 hours a week so their employer doesn't have to pay their insurance or retirement benefits. Oh sure, they might get a 401k . . . for company stock, which could collapse at any moment. Further, said millenials have had their retirement age pushed from 62 to 65 to 67 and it'll be 69 or 70 soon. Oh, but their social security will be means-tested so that the conservatives can call it "Welfare" and then cut it. But don't worry, YOUR Medicaid won't be cut. and YOUR SSRI won't be cut. But what about the rest of us ?

It was not Ronald Reagan, GHW Bush or GW Bush, it wasn't the 230-odd republican/Tea-Party/Libertarian-Conservatives in the House of Representatives or the 52 in the Senate who killed The American Dream, it was you who voted for all those men. You bought into their line of bullshit, and now you have to own it. The good news is, you do not have to let things lie. You don't have to stay in the bed you made, you can get up and re-make it. But you won't get there by voting for more of the same. You won't get there by putting more conservatives in office. You will only continue to revoke the generations of social progress that led up to your being able to have the jobs you had, and that your children and grandchildren need.

Harry, Megan and Oprah.

 I've been seeing a lot of weirdly supportive photo memes being passed around regarding HRH the Duke of Sussex in the wake of this recent interview with Oprah Winfrey. 

I hold no brief regarding Mr & Mrs Windsor. I don't hate them, don't love them. I'm sure they're fine people. At the same time, I don't much care if Harry's Grandmother feels put upon by all this. The news media in The United States are saying that there is a war between Megan & Harry and the rest of the Royal family. Well, I have to say: No. there will be no war. Or well, such war as there is will be allegations in the tabloids that the Royals are this and that kind of evil and the Royals for their part will simply sit back and take it, because they have to. It's part of their responsibility, to be the target of the public's japes and jeers as well as their applause and adulation. It is, to them, merely the price of doing business. There's been a lot of Jibber-Jabber going back and forth about how Young Harry was "Forced" to join the British military (the Royal Marine Commandos.). He was not "Forced" any more than his brother was forced to join the Navy or their father. Because, serving in the military is for them part of their obligation. Maybe not officially or by legality, but it is so.  I append here my reaction post from Facebook.
 

Someone posted this photo meme in which the creator listed a bunch of things young Henry has either done or had foisted on him by the Royal family. This is my reply.

Except his family have said he is still family, Oprah interview or no. No one is calling him a traitor except fucking Piers Morgan and who gives a rat's ass what that dickhead thinks. I don't know anyone who has ignored injured war veterans, except maybe the American VA hospital system. I'm sure Duke Harry is a great fellow, probably could have played center half for his rugger team, and probably likes a beer with the lads. By the way, until this year,(and who knows, perhaps he still will.) he received a sinecure from his family. Part of the responsibility of being a member of the royal family is serving in the military, which Harry and William have both done, and done well. But don't deceive yourself. HRH The Duke of Sussex grew up in luxury that would make your head spin. You cannot tell me that The Duchess of Sussex didn't know what she was getting into by marrying the Duke. She went into it with both eyes open and if she never thought there might be rough spots then she had her eyes closed and her fingers in her ears. Understand please : I do not hold any special brief against Mr and Mrs Windsor, and I wish them every happiness in whatever life they elect to have. But that election is theirs, and it is a thing very, very few other people are permitted to make. Most of us are born poor and remain poor throughout our lives. We get through our lives as best we can. I do not bear any ill will toward Mr Windsor, but I also don't owe him anything. 

I included a particular note, because the meme creator included a photo of then 12 year old Harry in his mourning suit, ready to walk behind his mother's hearse to the gravesite : 

Oh, and walking behind the Princess' hearse at the funeral was their duty as Royals. But it is also considered a privilege to be permitted to do so. I was so privileged as to be one of my Grandmother's Pall Bearers, and as hard as it was I wouldn't have traded places with anyone else for any sum of money. Some things are awful to do, but must be done, and done with quiet pride. The young Princes were in fact commanded to walk behind their mother's hearse, but did so because their grandfather offered to walk with them. The party consisted of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince William, Earl Spencer (Diana's Brother), Prince Harry and Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales. https://honey.nine.com.au/.../772a033d-7f9e-4b4c-a5d1...