Afghanistan

[TechTalk]

All great mind need a divine push every now and then, especially those mired down the minutiae of being in the world's most hated profession.

I'll look forward to seeing that translated sometime.

[JoeKitchen]

I'll look forward to seeing that translated sometime.

There is a weighty scene in Crime and Punishment where Luzhin, Avdotya's fiancee and a lawyer, sends a letter to Pulcheria about Raskolnikov's encounter with Sofia the day before.  Razumikhin's keen observation on the nature of the letter fits there, and here. 

[Manoli]

YouTube hosted front line report from SKY News.
Skip the ads, 4 minutes duration.
Recommended.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=SL57lh3tpVk&feature=share

[William Walker]

Everyone is a smartass after the event.

The only person with a different take on this subject (that I have heard).

Lawrence O’Donnell explains that no army has ever evacuated from a lost war without leaving anyone behind.

https://youtu.be/cy19tcEc7Zs

https://youtu.be/SfRkuGZo4-M

A simple history lesson.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

I don't mean to stick my nose into other people's sub-threads, but in the past I'd say that Tech Talk's contributions have been among the most erudite and polite on these pages.

Perhaps... yet utterly wrong.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Given that it is an ongoing situation which hasn't fully played out, I'm not eager to jump to conclusions or give knee-jerk reactions. I generally prefer to wait until the dust has begun to settle and rumors, conjecture, and social media "facts" can be separated from what is actually knowable before forming some initial thoughts on a matter.

I realize that isn't an enjoyable or entertaining approach for those that are eager put their wit and talent for insults on display for the purpose of scoring ideological points. Then again, I think all ideologies corrupt reason. Some do a great deal more harm to it than others and it usually depends on how tightly and rigidly people cling hold of whatever ideology brings them mental and emotional comfort in a reality that is always quite complex and unpredictable.

While current events continue to evolve, my general thoughts are of history. Wars are filled with chaos, confusion, and tragedy—and this is especially true of civil wars. Any nation caught in the middle of the civil war of another nation will likely have to deal with a great deal of chaos, confusion, and tragedy—and that applies equally to withdrawing from it. Perhaps more so.

The Fall of Saigon is not that distant of a memory. The images of helicopters lifting lines of people from a rooftop are still easy to conjure in many peoples minds—along with refugees escaping by boat and being rescued from the water.

It wasn't pretty then and neither is it now... but anytime you're making a strategic withdrawal (a retreat) from the middle of a civil war, no matter how civil and organized you may hope it will be—it isn't like you're just checking out of a hotel. In the meantime, I'm in no hurry to make judgements. I can wait until the last inning has been played.

No plan survives first contact with the enemy.

 

Apparently, when today’s Chinese were asked for their assessment of the French Revolution, the answer was “Too early to tell.”

I will be eagerly awaiting your assessments in a couple of hundred years.

P.S. as I predicted in the beginning, we will be soon inundated with a flood of bloviated, pseudo intellectual, seemingly eloquent attempts to relativize, conceptualize, or simply spin what is going on for the whole world to see into various forms of “Move on, nothing to see here, it’s just Monday morning in Afghanistan” or “Oh, every war is a tragedy” or “Too early to judge” or “no army has ever evacuated from a lost war without leaving anyone behind” or  blah, blah, blah.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

I got to say that the “defense” of Biden here so far has been equally imbecilic as the former British prime minister Blair said for Biden.

[Robert Roaldi]

I got to say that the “defense” of Biden here so far has been equally imbecilic as the former British prime minister Blair said for Biden.

You might be over-reaching, I didn't interpret anything anyone wrote here as a "defense" of Biden. You're in danger of constructing a straw man.

[Robert Roaldi]

...
P.S. as I predicted in the beginning, we will be soon inundated with a flood of bloviated, pseudo intellectual, simingly eloquent attempts to relativize, conceptualize, or simply spin what is going on for the whole world to see into various forms of “Move on, nothing to see here, it’s just Monday morning in Afghanistan” or “Oh, every war is a tragedy” or “Too early to judge” or “no army has ever evacuated from a lost war without leaving anyone behind” or  blah, blah, blah.

Thanks, that was helpful.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

On a positive note, it seems that the US has managed to get 80,000+ people out of Afghanistan in the last ten days or so.

[JoeKitchen]

After seeing Biden's remarks today and the fact we are doing nothing in response (other then just saying words), if a terrorist act was performed on our soil, even then I can not trust Biden would actually do anything about it. 

Hey, but at least it was good that he was "instructed" this time to take questions.  Unfortunately Peter Doocy got on that list somehow and, when asked if he takes responsibility for the 13 military members dying today, Biden still managed to blame Trump while clutching his paper and lowing his head in anger over the question.  (See below)

Impeach and remove.  And no this is not about politics; it is about protecting the country.  After today's feckless response we can expect ISIS K is planning an attack here in our country.  I thought that Biden was still a better option then Harris up until now; I was wrong.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

But hey... at least he is going to get brownie points for sticking to the withdrawal timetable!

At this point, I almost feel sorry for him. It is a sheer elder abuse.

With apologies to my “rational and well reasoned” friends, but memes often can say things better that a 1000-word treatise.

[Robert Roaldi]

... After today's feckless response we can expect ISIS K is planning an attack here in our country. ...

About a year ago, I remember you accusing people of crying "chicken little" when they expressed concerned about the spread of Covid. Assigning blame to Biden of a future imagined attack by ISIS on US soil is what then? I get it, you're concerned about how the exit is going, but get a grip. The more likely scenario after the US leaves is that they won't care one bit about the US. They'll have plenty of local targets to choose from.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... get a grip. The more likely scenario after the US leaves is that they won't care one bit about the US. They'll have plenty of local targets to choose from.

I like your sense of humor.

[TechTalk]

Impeach and remove.  And no this is not about politics;

You seem to have a sense of humor too.

[TechTalk]

we can expect ISIS K is planning an attack here in our country.

Frankly, at the present time, It's considerably more likely that we will see continued right-wing conspira-tive (conspiracy nut-conservative) attacks and violence like we saw in their attack on the Capitol. Fortunately, the pipe bombs placed by the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican National Committees near the Capitol were discovered and disarmed before they went off on January 6th.

Another nut just shut things down in and round the Capitol a little over a week ago, after he drove his pickup onto the sidewalk outside of the Library of Congress (which borders the Capitol and Supreme Court) and threatened to set off a bomb. Stay tuned for more incidents, as we've seen how easily large numbers of gullible conspira-tive RepubliQans are fooled into believing anything, no matter how foolish, and reacting.

[TechTalk]

P.S. as I predicted in the beginning

Oh! I've seen you on TV! You're funny.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Oh! I've seen you on TV! You're funny.

Your attempts to be funny are just as funny as Biden’s attempts to be President. Luckily, your failures are not lethal.

P.S. but I do appreciate your switching to one-liners, instead of bloviated sophisms.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Frankly, at the present time, It's considerably more likely that we will see continued right-wing conspira-tive (conspiracy nut-conservative) attacks and violence like we saw in their attack on the Capitol. Fortunately, the pipe bombs placed by the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican National Committees near the Capitol were discovered and disarmed before they went off on January 6th.

Another nut just shut things down in and round the Capitol a little over a week ago, after he drove his pickup onto the sidewalk outside of the Library of Congress (which borders the Capitol and Supreme Court) and threatened to set off a bomb. Stay tuned for more incidents, as we've seen how easily large numbers of gullible conspira-tive RepubliQans are fooled into believing anything, no matter how foolish, and reacting.

How timely and appropriate!

Yes, let’s compare two past non-events with two real explosions that just killed 200 people, 13 Americans among them.

[Alan Klein]

Frankly, at the present time, It's considerably more likely that we will see continued right-wing conspira-tive (conspiracy nut-conservative) attacks and violence like we saw in their attack on the Capitol. Fortunately, the pipe bombs placed by the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican National Committees near the Capitol were discovered and disarmed before they went off on January 6th.

Another nut just shut things down in and round the Capitol a little over a week ago, after he drove his pickup onto the sidewalk outside of the Library of Congress (which borders the Capitol and Supreme Court) and threatened to set off a bomb. Stay tuned for more incidents, as we've seen how easily large numbers of gullible conspira-tive RepubliQans are fooled into believing anything, no matter how foolish, and reacting.

If you lost a family member on 9-11 like I did, you wouldn't be so sanguine about it not happening again.  We spent twenty years in Afghanistan to keep the terrorist's from doing it again.  So now, even before we pull out, that country is back with Taliban, and other terrorist groups like ISIS and Al Khaida, stronger and more well-armed then ever before with modern weapons we left.  Let's hope they'll be so busy killing each other, they don't have time to export their violence and 7th century concepts again to our country or others.  Frankly, I'm not too hopeful. 

I can't imagine what the speeches here are going to be like next month on the twentieth anniversary of 9-11 when it will be as nothing has changed.  What will the speakers have to say about that?  How will the listeners react? It's going to be very disheartening.