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by Fred C. Wilson III
April 1, 2012
“The violent subjugation of the Palestinians, Iraqis, and Afghans will only ensure that those who oppose us will increasingly speak to us in the language we speak to them—violence.”
-Chris Hedges-
Afghanistan has destroyed many empires. The rugged terrain, its battle-harden tribes peoples, cavernous hills and cragged mountains made that country into an impregnable fortress. This was the land where history’s greatest general Alexander the Great took three years to conquer where previously in Persia (Iran) it took only a few months to get the job done. Historians generally agree that Alexander’s long Afghan campaign ‘maxed out’ (depleted) his army in terms of lives, time, and materiel. The mighty Mongols possessors of the world’s largest land empire got their comeuppance in the Afghan plains. The British Empire in whom the sun never set was clobbered there as was the Soviets (Russia) and now the United States. Famed musician Stevie Wonder’s hit tune “You met your match” appears to apply to the mess the United States currently finds itself in.
The irony in this the latest edition of Afghan empire killing is that the United States initially succeeded where no outsider government since Alexander the Great had. America won its war in that Central Asian country! Arch-terrorist Osama bin Laden architect of September 11th and a myriad of other global terror operations-EXECUTED; the major ‘tentacles’ (leaders) of Al Qaeda those engineers of evil-ERADICATED; the fanatical Taliban government that sent countless innocents to their deaths-ROUTED and RUNNING! Instead of declaring victory America’s first since 1945 and make good its exit, the U.S. stayed on and is still fighting.
With the recent spate of atrocities against the Afghan people by U.S. military personnel, America has worn out its welcome. Our economy is in shambles; for us to remain in that hostile country will only hasten inevitable defeat. It’s as though the biblical injunction “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18 KJV) is taking on a life of its own in the annals of American commerce, military and government.
President Calvin Coolidge said, “The chief business of the American people is business.” Afghanistan and its close neighbors supply over 80% of all heroin sold in Western Europe! Former Afghan drug lords are now cabinet ministers, chiefs of police, and hold various other ministerial posts. Who do you think controls this booming international enterprise? None of my research sources are naming names but we both know who the main culprit country is (Go to: “Afghanistan: Drug, Guns and Money/Watch Free Documentary”).
“Afghanistan has been the greatest illicit opium producer in the entire world ahead of Burma (Myanmar) and the ‘Golden Triangle’ since 1992, excluding the year 2001. Opium production in Afghanistan has been on the rise since the U.S. occupation started in 2001. Based on UNODC data, there has been more opium poppy cultivation in each of the past four growing seasons (2004-2007) than in any one year during the Taliban rule” (November 30th 2011 UNODC 2010 World drug report page 43). As long as there’s a buck ($$$$) to be made big business backed by big government will always be there to ‘rake in the cash.’ These evil twins are clever in playing on the patriotic sentiments of the American people. They manipulate the media and brainwash our people into sacrificing their children on the altars of corporate greed. Our young folk die for avaricious companies who would deny them jobs in the event they survive the carnage of war. Think of the suffering inflicted on the Afghan people who when slaughtered are listed only as ‘collateral damage’ by military statisticians. What about that soldier who had a mental meltdown and went on a recent killing spree after serving one too many tours of duty?
I remember reading somewhere that during World War II after eleven months U.S. soldiers were rotated home. During that same war American aviators (bomber crews) were sent home after 25 missions. During the War in Vietnam our people went ‘back to the world’ after a 10 month tour. Not so in Afghanistan where it’s common for our military personnel to serve four or more complete tours of duty. Its’ inhuman! Reader you can expect more of our beleaguered troops to go on future rampages unless the government orders an immediate troop pullout.
To the rest of the Western world American’s are perceived as lovers of violence a nation of wannabe’ warriors’; a country of natural born killers, misogynists and racists. The late hero of World War II General George Patton once said in a speech that “Americans historically love to fight.” That arrogant attitude was true to a large extent when I was growing up during the late 1940’s and 1950’s. After this country fought North Korea to a standstill and withdrew from Viet Nam only to let its’ ‘allies’ lose to the North Vietnamese communists, that ‘John Wayne’ mentality took a serious ‘nose dive.’ With double debacles in Iraq and Afghanistan and war with Iran over Israel looming in the near future, any sane society would have learnt long ago which wars are worth bleeding for.
I’m not a rocket scientist though I work with a number of them (Adler Planetarium), I’d imagine the average American would prefer peace, an end to domestic strife, economic prosperity with full human rights for all instead of playing cowboy or buying friends (foreign aid). Peace won’t happen unless justice precedes it. The Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) tried to buy off their enemies in exchange for ‘peace.’ Eventually they were gobbled up by the very adversaries they once bribed. The Fall of Constantinople (modern Istanbul) to Muslim forces under Mehmet II in 1453 thirty-nine years before Christopher Columbus was ‘discovered’ by the ‘Indians’ certainly verified that.
Gallant last stands never go over well historically. The 300 Spartans who fought the then mighty Persian Empire to a standstill were wiped out to a man. Egomaniac General George Armstrong Custer refused to budge from his last stand at Little Bighorn. He along with his entire command was annihilated. Field Marshall Friedrich Von Paulus’ ordered last stand at Stalingrad cost Nazi Germany nearly 1,000,000 casualties and eventually the war. Mighty America the lone superpower is rushing head first along the same disastrous routes.
How does the Afghan War affect Fil-Ams? Filipino-American service people, contractors, and their OFW cousins are at it for the ‘long haul’ until 2014 the projected war’s end. According to the Philippine Star over 5,000 Filipinos are employed at some capacity at U.S. military bases throughout Afghanistan. They share the dangers, fears, and privations as do any other American or ally.
What a glorious Resurrection Day it would be to hear the president declare the war over and withdraw all our military personnel from that place of suffering so that America could rebuild. We at Mega Scene’s Philippine Adventures hope you had a good ‘read.’ GOD bless you and Happy Easter!