Follow-up (almost)

Wasn't that a Time? ~ Peter, Paul & Mary

WASN'T THAT A TIME

Our fathers bled at Valley Forge, the snow was red with blood

Their faith was worn at Valley Forge,
Their faith was brotherhood.

Wasn't that a time, wasn't that a time?
A time to try the soul of men,
Wasn't that a terrible time?

Brave men who fought at Gettysburg now lie in soldier's graves
But there they stemmed the rebel tide
And there their faith was saved

Wasn't that a time, wasn't that a time?
A time to try the soul of men,
wasn't that a terrible time?

The wars are long, the peace is frail, the madmen come again.
There is no freedom in a land where fear and hate prevail.

Isn't this a time, isn't this a time?
A time to try the soul of men,
Isn't this a terrible time?

Our fathers bled at Valley Forge, the snow was red with blood
Their faith was worn at Valley Forge,
Their faith was brotherhood.

Wasn't that a time, wasn't that a time?
A time to try the soul of men,
Wasn't that a terrible time?

 

 

I have been attempting to write a follow-up post to Thursday’s post all day. I have written almost three pages—much too long for a blog post—and still have not said what I want to say. At the moment I am exhausted and feel myself spiraling down into melancholia or worse. So I’m not going to try write or edit any more. Below is what I have written—much too long, lacking cohesion, and with no real conclusion. I give that to you with my blessing. Now I am going to back off from the computer until at least Sunday. Then perhaps I’ll share with you all of the good things that have happened in my life today.

 

I sincerely appreciate and respect the comments made to my post on Afghanistan. Below are some additional thoughts I have on the subject, including at least some of my rationale for the world to intervene and continue to protect the all of the people of Afghanistan from the fundamentalist Taliban.

Years before the September 11^th Al-Qaeda attacks on the United States I was appalled with horror and repulsion by the way that the Taliban were oppressing the peoples of Afghanistan. I was especially concerned because it was us—the United States—that armed and financially supported the Taliban. We used them to fight a surrogate war against the U.S.S.R.

Once the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan and the Taliban used the weapons purchased/provided by the U.S. (and, of course, the wealthy Osama bin Laden—but that’s another story) to gain power over most of Afghanistan, they began a reign of terror that makes the one instigated by Robespierre appear to be a children’s game

I’ll not go into the details of the horrors committed by these misguided fanatics in the name of fundamentalist Islam. They shocked the entire world. In case you have forgotten, you may read about them on the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) website or, if you prefer, HERE.

The more that I read and saw of these atrocities the more I asked, Why doesn’t someone stop them? After all, the world has matured to a point where we do not looked the other way and allow oppression and injustice take place just because it is outside of our own nation. At least, I believed that we have reached that level of civilization.

Therefore, I saw the world coalition in collaboration with the non-Taliban Afghans as an almost divine act of liberation: I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Afghanistan, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters; I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Taliban.

We are not talking about “human rights” abuses in Afghanistan. The Taliban are religious zealot fundamentalists who have little respect for human life. For them, war means employment; peace results in unemployment. Domination of women is an affirmation of manhood. Rigid fundamentalism is a matter not purely of principle, but of political survival of the Taliban.

When the United States abandoned the coalition and Afghans for the ill-advised invasion of Iraq, I felt physically ill. The Taliban were not defeated, and they continued their oppression in the areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan that they controlled.

When, in October of 2006, when the U.S.-led coalition relinquished responsibility the security to NATO, I had mixed emotions. NATO has not had the resources to protect the Afghans from the Taliban, nor to fully engage the Taliban since they, like Hamas, place civilians between themselves and NATO forces.

 

NATIONS with TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN:

NATO NATIONS

Belgium

Bulgaria

Canada

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

France

Germany 

Greece

Hungary

Iceland

Italy

Latvia

Lithuania

Luxemburg

Netherlands

Norway

Poland 

Portugal

Romania

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Turkey

United Kingdom

United States of America

NATO PARTNER NATIONS

Albania

Austria

Azerbaijan

Croatia

Finland

former Yugoslov/Republic of Macedonia

Ireland

Sweden

Switzerland

NON-NATO NATIONS

New Zealand

Australia