Uncle Jack starts almost every morning by reading the New York Times on line. This is probably not a good thing to do because it almost always guarantees that he will be plunged into gloom even before he has had his bran flakes. No other publication in the world does a better job of gathering the worst news from every corner of the world and presenting it to him in eminently readable form before breakfast.
For many years the most distressing stories have come out of Iraq where we appear to be in the final stages (maybe) of our most colossal military fiasco since the Viet Nam war. Now the spotlight has moved to Afghanistan where we are floundering around like the blind giant of myth, trying to swat pesky flies with a club more suited to breaking skulls. The historical record shows that Afghanistan for centuries has defeated every effort by outside powers to impose their various conceptions of proper government on this wild and crazy part of the world. But there we are (with the reluctant assistance of a few NATO "allies") trying to do the impossible, again at great cost in lives and treasure.
Uncle Jack has probably read a million words about what we should or should not do in Afghanistan at this point but an op-ed piece in the Times this morning has helped to focus his thinking more than anything else he has read recently. Read it and weep, and if you find it illuminating forward it to your congressman and senator and the president. They will need all the good advice they can get on this one.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/opinion/29sebestyen.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
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Just to let ya all know, if you put the link into Google's reader, you will see the full entry every time UJ posts...I just thought I'd let y'all know in case if you haven't discovered the beauty of Google reader.
The agony of watching the fallen soldier arrive at
Dover Air Force Base Thursday evening should make one question the merits and chances of success in this war.
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