In My Humble Opinion – Federal government debacles: Leaving Afghanistan
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In My Humble Opinion
Jodi McDade
Federal government debacles: Leaving Afghanistan
I had several topics of a local nature I wanted to cover today, but I just HAVE to turn my attention to the debacles running rampant in our federal government. The disaster on the border and the renewed mask mandates have now been replaced by the absolute indescribable mess in Afghanistan. The skeptic in me has to ask if this was planned to change the headlines and repetitive news stories. There are so many of you who did not live through the fall of Saigon, but those of us who did are seeing a remarkable resemblance to that defeat.
Admittedly, I do not know what the planned pull out would have looked like under a Trump administration, but I can say with great faith that it WOULD NOT look like what we are seeing now. I don’t think we would have loaded our troops and vacated a major base in the cover of night without telling ANYONE what was happening. While I know we tend to leave behind vehicles and equipment, I don’t think we would have left some of the sophisticated equipment that is now in the hands of the Taliban. I don’t think we would have left behind more than 10,000 American citizens, plus who knows how many Afghans and their families who worked beside us for 20 years. I do not think we would have seen helicopters coming in to evacuate our embassy and lower the American flag.
It was definitely time to leave Afghanistan – the cultures there have been fighting against each other since time began and will still be fighting each other when time ends. The improvements that we brought to the area will now be returned to the culture they had before we got there. Women and children are the most at risk since they had no rights prior to our intervention. I heard President Biden say that all contingencies and scenarios had been planned for – obviously there were no intelligent people involved in this planning. Most of us who follow politics and history could have seen this coming if we had known what the plans were.
President Biden also claimed his hands were tied by an agreement President Trump had made with the Taliban. On day one of his administration Biden started canceling agreements and commitments the Trump administration had put in place in many other areas, so what was the problem doing so here? Also, President Trump had been working on the withdrawal from Afghanistan most of his term, and it was following plans that military leaders had great input with. He listened to his joint chiefs and other military leaders on how an organized and safe withdrawal should work. There had been no American deaths in that country since our troop numbers had started being reduced because President Trump had ensured the Taliban that even just scaring an American citizen would bring the wrath of God on them. And, the Trump plans included the withdrawal of all Americans and allies, plus the equipment, BEFORE the last of our military was brought out.
Several other moments of history are playing into this. At least one of the five Gitmo detainees who were released in return for the traitor Bowe Bergdahl in 2014 by President Obama is now in command within the Taliban fighters. Also, the weakening of our military by the Biden administration was another reminder of the lack of strength shown under previous Democratic administrations. The Taliban knew they no longer had to show restraint and patience they were following while President Trump and a strong military were in charge. We had the history of the withdrawal from Vietnam to also help us understand the logistics that were needed for a successful and safe exit.
Our veterans of this conflict have nothing to be ashamed of. They served our country and military with great courage and at the direction of their superiors. We lost too many American lives in this, but they did NOT die in vain. They contributed to what short period of time many of the Afghans were able to experience the freedoms and rights that so much of the rest of the world take for granted. In the same way our Vietnam veterans were sent to fight with no exit strategy and no real way to win, our military members who have fought on all the foreign soils since September 11, 2001, faced unknown odds and no sight of winning. We should be forever grateful to all of our military men and women who volunteered (even though many in ‘Nam were drafted) to put on the uniform of the United States of America and go into harms way to protect our country and try to provide a better way of life to others.
As a patriotic American I am both devastated and embarrassed by the way our military, our embassy personnel and support people, the other Americans in country, and our allies who were not included in any notice of this operation have been treated. What must the citizens of the world think of us now?Will we ever be trusted again?
God, please hear our prayers for protection and intervention.
I had several topics of a local nature I wanted to cover today, but I just HAVE to turn my attention to the debacles running rampant in our federal government. The disaster on the border and the renewed mask mandates have now been replaced by the absolute indescribable mess in Afghanistan. The skeptic in me has to ask if this was planned to change the headlines and repetitive news stories. There are so many of you who did not live through the fall of Saigon, but those of us who did are seeing a remarkable resemblance to that defeat.
Admittedly, I do not know what the planned pull out would have looked like under a Trump administration, but I can say with great faith that it WOULD NOT look like what we are seeing now. I don’t think we would have loaded our troops and vacated a major base in the cover of night without telling ANYONE what was happening. While I know we tend to leave behind vehicles and equipment, I don’t think we would have left some of the sophisticated equipment that is now in the hands of the Taliban. I don’t think we would have left behind more than 10,000 American citizens, plus who knows how many Afghans and their families who worked beside us for 20 years. I do not think we would have seen helicopters coming in to evacuate our embassy and lower the American flag.
It was definitely time to leave Afghanistan – the cultures there have been fighting against each other since time began and will still be fighting each other when time ends. The improvements that we brought to the area will now be returned to the culture they had before we got there. Women and children are the most at risk since they had no rights prior to our intervention. I heard President Biden say that all contingencies and scenarios had been planned for – obviously there were no intelligent people involved in this planning. Most of us who follow politics and history could have seen this coming if we had known what the plans were.
President Biden also claimed his hands were tied by an agreement President Trump had made with the Taliban. On day one of his administration Biden started canceling agreements and commitments the Trump administration had put in place in many other areas, so what was the problem doing so here? Also, President Trump had been working on the withdrawal from Afghanistan most of his term, and it was following plans that military leaders had great input with. He listened to his joint chiefs and other military leaders on how an organized and safe withdrawal should work. There had been no American deaths in that country since our troop numbers had started being reduced because President Trump had ensured the Taliban that even just scaring an American citizen would bring the wrath of God on them. And, the Trump plans included the withdrawal of all Americans and allies, plus the equipment, BEFORE the last of our military was brought out.
Several other moments of history are playing into this. At least one of the five Gitmo detainees who were released in return for the traitor Bowe Bergdahl in 2014 by President Obama is now in command within the Taliban fighters. Also, the weakening of our military by the Biden administration was another reminder of the lack of strength shown under previous Democratic administrations. The Taliban knew they no longer had to show restraint and patience they were following while President Trump and a strong military were in charge. We had the history of the withdrawal from Vietnam to also help us understand the logistics that were needed for a successful and safe exit.
Our veterans of this conflict have nothing to be ashamed of. They served our country and military with great courage and at the direction of their superiors. We lost too many American lives in this, but they did NOT die in vain. They contributed to what short period of time many of the Afghans were able to experience the freedoms and rights that so much of the rest of the world take for granted. In the same way our Vietnam veterans were sent to fight with no exit strategy and no real way to win, our military members who have fought on all the foreign soils since September 11, 2001, faced unknown odds and no sight of winning. We should be forever grateful to all of our military men and women who volunteered (even though many in ‘Nam were drafted) to put on the uniform of the United States of America and go into harms way to protect our country and try to provide a better way of life to others.
As a patriotic American I am both devastated and embarrassed by the way our military, our embassy personnel and support people, the other Americans in country, and our allies who were not included in any notice of this operation have been treated. What must the citizens of the world think of us now?Will we ever be trusted again?
God, please hear our prayers for protection and intervention.