Like one of my favorite sayings goes "Bombing for peace makes as much sense as fvcking for virginity..."
I was watching TV this morning on my way out the door, and there was an ad about the returning vets of this war with Tom Hanks narrating it. I don't think that with the level of "self importance" and "singular myopic desire" we have risen to that most people my age or younger are going to be able to deal with the reprocussions of this entire cluster.
The thing that most American's don't get about the whole terrorist thing is that these people, in particular the Afgans, have been at this for decades now. The Mujahadeen (sp) are consumate pros, have been doing this for longer then I have been alive. A bunch of what amount to redneck hillbillys were able to stop the Russian war machine, which in its prime makes our current military look like the Boy Scouts, dead in its tracks. You think you can beat someone who is dedicated, balls to bones, in a war they have to win?
Its a lot like Martin Sheen said in Apocalypse Now (quoting Brando) In a war there are many moments for compassion and tender action. There are many moments for ruthless action - what is often called ruthless - what may in many circumstances be only clarity, seeing clearly what there is to be done and doing it, directly, quickly, awake, looking at it.
We don't have the stones for that sort of work anymore as a people. Some of us, maybe, but the majority of Americans just want $1.02/gal gasoline, a fairly white neighborhood, and their daughters not to have sex until marriage. This is not the hallmark of a warlike people, this is a sign of how soft we've gotten while "Sitting in Siagon, waiting for Charlie..."
I was watching TV this morning on my way out the door, and there was an ad about the returning vets of this war with Tom Hanks narrating it. I don't think that with the level of "self importance" and "singular myopic desire" we have risen to that most people my age or younger are going to be able to deal with the reprocussions of this entire cluster.
The thing that most American's don't get about the whole terrorist thing is that these people, in particular the Afgans, have been at this for decades now. The Mujahadeen (sp) are consumate pros, have been doing this for longer then I have been alive. A bunch of what amount to redneck hillbillys were able to stop the Russian war machine, which in its prime makes our current military look like the Boy Scouts, dead in its tracks. You think you can beat someone who is dedicated, balls to bones, in a war they have to win?
Its a lot like Martin Sheen said in Apocalypse Now (quoting Brando) In a war there are many moments for compassion and tender action. There are many moments for ruthless action - what is often called ruthless - what may in many circumstances be only clarity, seeing clearly what there is to be done and doing it, directly, quickly, awake, looking at it.
We don't have the stones for that sort of work anymore as a people. Some of us, maybe, but the majority of Americans just want $1.02/gal gasoline, a fairly white neighborhood, and their daughters not to have sex until marriage. This is not the hallmark of a warlike people, this is a sign of how soft we've gotten while "Sitting in Siagon, waiting for Charlie..."