During the VietNam War, General Curtis LeMay remarked that, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy had sufficient power and capability to return North VietNam to the Stone Age. LeMay Was responsible for building the moribund remnants of a WWII B-29 group into the Strategic Air Command, SAC, which flew nuclear-armed flights – around the clock at one time – as the Air Force’s manned aircraft component in the MAD triad of the cold war. Land based ICBM’s and the Navy’s Polaris and Trident missile subs were the other two components.
Half a century and two major wars later we are using our aircraft, manned and un-manned to attempt to bomb a nation out of a cultural stone age. We are engaged in an attempt to defeat an extremist Islamic cult that controlled Afghanistan at the time bin Laden used it as a sanctuary to plan and execute attacks upon U.S. ships, embassies, and upon our shores.
The Taliban came to power after a long invasion by the USSR which resulted in U.S. funding of any force which would attempt to defeat the Soviets. We propped up war lords, religious fanatics, and then let them prevent the establishment of a modern and secular nation in Afghanistan. The Taliban made every effort to drag the parts of Afghanistan that had made an attempt at joining the industrial world back to the 8th century. They banned music, banned education for girls, and instituted an extreme version of Sharia law that essentially reduced women to the status of property. They went so far in declaring their religious fanaticism as to announce that they would destroy the very ancient statues known as the Bamyan Valley Buddhas. They announced their intent to destroy these works of historical significance to the world.
Then they did the unthinkable. They spent several days attempting to remove what they considered idols but what the rest of the world considered historic treasures using anti-aircraft and field artillery guns. Anti-tank mines were placed at the bases of the statues to further the damage. Having no great success they used dynamite to destroy them.
According to Wikipedia:
“The Taliban government decreed that the statues, which had survived for over 1,500 years, were idolatrous and un-Islamic. During the destruction, Taliban Information Minister Qudratullah Jamal lamented that, "this work of destruction is not as simple as people might think. You can't knock down the statues by shelling as both are carved into a cliff; they are firmly attached to the mountain."[15] The two largest Buddhas faced dynamite and tank barrages and were demolished after almost a month of intensive bombardment.”
Then-President G.W. Bush made the decision to invade Afghanistan after the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, 11 September 2001. Most of the nation’s population and many of the world’s nations supported the incursion. I did. The stated aim was to either capture and bring to trial, or kill Osama bin Laden. The Taliban could have avoided the invasion by surrendering bin Laden to the U.S. They refused and the U.S. invaded. According to CBS News “60 Minutes”, there was an excellent opportunity to capture or kill bin Laden during the battle of Tora Bora. A U.S. special ops unit was in position to carry out the mission. They were held back by extremely high command authority, the task was assigned to an Afghan army unit also on site, which refused to make the assault and held the U.S. unit at gun point for several hours to prevent it moving up to carry out the mission. According to an officer assigned to that U.S. unit it is believed that bin Laden escaped into Pakistan that night.
The war in Afghanistan was back-burnered when Bush and buddies decided to invade Iraq in 2003. We’ve been losing men and equipment there slowly but steadily. We’re fighting a war against tribal members who are commanded by religious fanatics and are essentially a pre-industrialized society with modern weaponry.
The official reason for our continued presence has changed as the Bush administration found reason to change it. From a quick in and out capture or kill mission it has now become a nation-building occupancy. We ostensibly wish to leave the Afghanis with a democratic government, with modern infrastructure, with schools for all children and equal rights for Afghani women. Noble thoughts, all.
We can’t repair and maintain our own infrastructure and schools. If the Afghanis want schools, infrastructure, and a modern industrialized nation, they will have to build it. We can show them pictures but we can’t make them value women and girls. We can’t import a U.S. style government to Afghanistan. And truth be why should we? They already understand about corruption and religious intolerance. They will never agree to a secular state. The Taliban would destroy the population one person at a time before allowing a secular and functional government. Our men and women continue to die as they are cycled back through multiple combat tours. We drop ordnance on Taliban fighters who make it a point to hide among the civilian population, insuring that we also harm non-combatants.
It is time to let the Afghanis stand or fall on their own. Our original mission, to kill or capture bin Laden has long become incapable of execution. The Afghanis literally helped him escape. So will the Pakistani Taliban. . No U.S. presence can protect women from the tribal and religious traditions that exist in that part of the world. No U.S. presence can found a stable secular democratic government when the populace is willing to allow a cult like the Taliban to murder and destroy a society to bring about the return of a religious legal system that is essentially Stone Age in character.
Starting tomorrow we should begin withdrawing all troops and equipment. Our only task in that region should be preventing access by any Islamic nation or organization to Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.
Of course, the GOP and the tea party mob will try to crucify Obama for bringing an end to our involvement in Afghanistan. But until the GOP and the tea baggers are willing to bring back the draft, with no exemptions, and raise taxes to pay for the wars their team started, they have absolutely no moral authority to attack anyone for ending those wars.
Remains of the Bamyan Buddhas. 2001
We can’t bomb them into the industrialized world.
We can’t bomb them back to the Stone Age if they’re already living there.
But when it comes to the Taliban ,even the part of me that carried an aid-bag can’t help feeling we should have dropped a few more when it would have mattered.
Dinner tonight will be venison medallions in a chocolate, chili, red wine reduction served with sautéed Brussel's sprouts, leeks, apple, and smoked bacon.
At some time during the evening, waltzes will be played.
MB, welcome to the circus.
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