America has been lied into too many wars. It’s cost us too much in terms of money, credibility and blood. We must remember the lies. We can’t afford to let this one go down the memory hole, too.
Biden has some responsibility here but it is minimal compared to Trump. Trump started the process. He promised the Taliban would fight against Al-Quida (sp).
But also remember that it was the Afghanistan Army that laid down their arms. THEY surrendered. They simply gave up. They didn't want to fight. Even after 20 years of the US being in country and providing support they simply surrendered.
It wasn't done right, no question. It wasn't done quickly, no question. There were mistakes made, no question. What can be done now is to get everyone out we can get out including those translators and other Afghans that supported us If they were supporting us, I would assume there was already a security check done already (or at least to some extent).
Trump started this. The Republicons supported it. They are complete and utter hypocrites if they argue or state otherwise.
We will "Stop Letting Our Presidents Lie America Into Wars" when the oligarchs can no longer exploit the legal fiction of corporate personhood to control our government.
We have a very gullible American populace and a corrupt media run by corporations and individuals with a disdain for democracy. We also have news organizations that have sister companies that profit enormously from the weapons industry. The US spent over a trillion dollars in Iraq and that money went into the pockets of shareholders at Raytheon, Lockheed, Boeing, Blackwater, Halliburton, Kellog-Root, and from their into the coffers of Pentagon officers and Congress and even a couple of members of the U.S. Supreme Court (Scalia and Thomas in particular).
But when Americans bought in to the domino theory with Vietnam or that Iraq was behind 9-11 and not a former CIA contractor under GH Bush, and that Afghanistan was about capturing bin Laden (whose family was long time friends of the Prescott and the Bush family) and not about protecting the TAPI pipeline along the route of which the U.S. built major military bases, then we have millions who chose to be ignorant and simply drink the Kool-Aid. As soon as the Taliban agreed to support the TAPI pipeline the U.S. and the British headed for the door as their real job was done.
Bush lead us into Afghanistan to capture Bin Laden. When he failed he changed the mission to “bring Democracy to the Middle East”. Then he attacked Iraq and put Afghanistan on the back burner. Most of the media is blaming Biden. I praise him for doing the right thing that others just kept spending lives and money on. We are not the world’s police.
Hi Thom, Lying is used to justify any military action our leadership wants to commit young live to. It also includes use of the atomic bombs on Japan. There were lies to justify WWI:
First we must stop lying to ourselves. Lying about how we treat our women, how the police and court system treats minorities, and how we criminalize the homeless. The 20 years of our recent wars has been long enough to put these issues on the world stage. Our real gift to people everywhere is showing them you have to fight for democracy HERE, just like they need to WHERE THEY LIVE.
Presidents who lie us into war should go to jail not be "rehabilitated" like George W. Bush. Rewriting history is an American specialty, and it seems he will benefit. That just compounds the damage he and Cheney caused.
The Afghanistan withdrawal has really excited President Biden's enemies, but he did not lie to us or them. Joe telling the truth is really going to drive the Republicans nuts. Kabul's airport is already calming down; planes are landing and leaving full quickly. Our troops will get the job done. Sanctuary promises must be kept by all countries involved.
Theft. Of life and livelihoods. Of bodily sovereignty. Of mental and emotional integrity. Of voice, dissent, and expression.
Theft. Of an operable ecosystem. Of food and water. Of physical and mental care. Of civil society's basic necessities. Of education and objective information. Of actual choice.
Theft. Of history. Of fact. Of truth itself.
Theft. The apex crime.
Theft. The singular goal of criminal enterprise, whether cartel or corrupt governing bodies.
(American soldiers, American contractors, Afghan military and police, allied NATO soldiers, Afghan civilians, Taliban and other enemy soldiers, aid workers, journalists)
Piles of money: $10,500,000,000,000
(borrowed for direct war costs: 2T; interest by 2050: 6.5T; health care, disability, burial, etc. for roughly 4 million Afghanistan and Iraq U.S. war veterans peaking past 2048: 2T)
Lives that could have made a difference in a sane world. Money that could have gone for education, healthcare, infrastructure -- all the human endeavors that build society instead of destroying it.
Biden has some responsibility here but it is minimal compared to Trump. Trump started the process. He promised the Taliban would fight against Al-Quida (sp).
But also remember that it was the Afghanistan Army that laid down their arms. THEY surrendered. They simply gave up. They didn't want to fight. Even after 20 years of the US being in country and providing support they simply surrendered.
It wasn't done right, no question. It wasn't done quickly, no question. There were mistakes made, no question. What can be done now is to get everyone out we can get out including those translators and other Afghans that supported us If they were supporting us, I would assume there was already a security check done already (or at least to some extent).
Trump started this. The Republicons supported it. They are complete and utter hypocrites if they argue or state otherwise.
We will "Stop Letting Our Presidents Lie America Into Wars" when the oligarchs can no longer exploit the legal fiction of corporate personhood to control our government.
We have a very gullible American populace and a corrupt media run by corporations and individuals with a disdain for democracy. We also have news organizations that have sister companies that profit enormously from the weapons industry. The US spent over a trillion dollars in Iraq and that money went into the pockets of shareholders at Raytheon, Lockheed, Boeing, Blackwater, Halliburton, Kellog-Root, and from their into the coffers of Pentagon officers and Congress and even a couple of members of the U.S. Supreme Court (Scalia and Thomas in particular).
But when Americans bought in to the domino theory with Vietnam or that Iraq was behind 9-11 and not a former CIA contractor under GH Bush, and that Afghanistan was about capturing bin Laden (whose family was long time friends of the Prescott and the Bush family) and not about protecting the TAPI pipeline along the route of which the U.S. built major military bases, then we have millions who chose to be ignorant and simply drink the Kool-Aid. As soon as the Taliban agreed to support the TAPI pipeline the U.S. and the British headed for the door as their real job was done.
Bush lead us into Afghanistan to capture Bin Laden. When he failed he changed the mission to “bring Democracy to the Middle East”. Then he attacked Iraq and put Afghanistan on the back burner. Most of the media is blaming Biden. I praise him for doing the right thing that others just kept spending lives and money on. We are not the world’s police.
We can't even police our own country. We can't even defeat our own insurgency.
"Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothin' to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Livin' life in peace"
- a little John Lennon Zen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ72bYyEtBg
Hi Thom, Lying is used to justify any military action our leadership wants to commit young live to. It also includes use of the atomic bombs on Japan. There were lies to justify WWI:
https://www.counterfire.org/history/17511-ten-lies-told-about-world-war-i
First we must stop lying to ourselves. Lying about how we treat our women, how the police and court system treats minorities, and how we criminalize the homeless. The 20 years of our recent wars has been long enough to put these issues on the world stage. Our real gift to people everywhere is showing them you have to fight for democracy HERE, just like they need to WHERE THEY LIVE.
Presidents who lie us into war should go to jail not be "rehabilitated" like George W. Bush. Rewriting history is an American specialty, and it seems he will benefit. That just compounds the damage he and Cheney caused.
The Afghanistan withdrawal has really excited President Biden's enemies, but he did not lie to us or them. Joe telling the truth is really going to drive the Republicans nuts. Kabul's airport is already calming down; planes are landing and leaving full quickly. Our troops will get the job done. Sanctuary promises must be kept by all countries involved.
Theft. Of life and livelihoods. Of bodily sovereignty. Of mental and emotional integrity. Of voice, dissent, and expression.
Theft. Of an operable ecosystem. Of food and water. Of physical and mental care. Of civil society's basic necessities. Of education and objective information. Of actual choice.
Theft. Of history. Of fact. Of truth itself.
Theft. The apex crime.
Theft. The singular goal of criminal enterprise, whether cartel or corrupt governing bodies.
20 years
Piles of bodies: 172,390
(American soldiers, American contractors, Afghan military and police, allied NATO soldiers, Afghan civilians, Taliban and other enemy soldiers, aid workers, journalists)
Piles of money: $10,500,000,000,000
(borrowed for direct war costs: 2T; interest by 2050: 6.5T; health care, disability, burial, etc. for roughly 4 million Afghanistan and Iraq U.S. war veterans peaking past 2048: 2T)
By the numbers: https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2021-08-14/costs-of-the-afghanistan-war-in-lives-and-dollars
Lives that could have made a difference in a sane world. Money that could have gone for education, healthcare, infrastructure -- all the human endeavors that build society instead of destroying it.
WASTED