Left Justified: How to win the war in Afghanistan
By Stanley Campbell
You can’t win the war in Afghanistan.
Now, before you turn away, please hear me out.
I thought it was extraordinary how our CIA and Defense Department allied themselves with various warlords and quickly rolled over the Taliban government. Too bad they couldn’t catch Osama bin Laden, but our leaders were already too busy eyeing Iraq.
We should have, and could have, followed former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s suggestion of taking a different, non-military tack. Our country, so wounded, yet never stronger in the eyes of the world, might have hammered together a plan to end terrorism once and for all, use economic (not military) means, setting up an international force to police the world.
Fat chance. Too bad.
Our new young black president, instead of staying in Afghanistan, should have announced we’ll capture bin Laden, then leave. Hell, the Taliban might have served Osama up to us.
And we might have been able to finally bring the troops home. But our leaders have a different idea—more war.
When in Vietnam, I heard of a plan for winning that foolish war: Round up all the natives who support the U.S., and put them on boats. Then, flatten the country, even using nuclear weapons. Then, sink the boats. A sick joke, but that was a sick war. Unfortunately, the same could be said of Afghanistan.
Yes, we could try to build up the government, or build schools all over the countryside, or have three cups of tea with every village elder. But the military can’t do that.
Our warriors can kick anybody’s butt, but they should not be expected to occupy another’s country, unless we teach our troops Pashtun (and every other language in that region), convert them all to Islam, and move their families there as well.
You want to occupy Afghanistan, Iraq and even Iran? Fine, you move there. Happy Holy Daze.
Stanley Campbell is executive director of Rockford Urban Ministries and spokesman for Rockford Peace & Justice.
From the Dec. 22-28, 2010 issue
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3 Comments
If the Taliban would just convert to Judaism, we’d have no objections to anything that they are doing!
Likewise, if the Iranians want to avoid getting sanctioned for their nuclear program, they need only convert to Judaism!
The last war we had that was legal was WWII!
Until we have a formal declaration of war we need out troops HOME!
We will not win the war in Afghanistan because we are there without the foundation of law. Our law, the constitution, states that we must declare war in order to wage war. We have not, and everything we do there is against what we say we believe in. How can we win when we have no objective or no real backing?
We cannot win what is not ours to win.
Declare war and bring in the mining machines to level the mountains so it is all flat. The nuke the center so that we make a giant lake. Without the mountains the enemy will give up like the Republican guard!
Unless we declare war and have our congress authorize vote for it, we are the infidels their religion says they must defeat, and they will!
King George had laws and he broke them when it suited him to do so. The main reason for the organization against King George was because he did not obey his own laws.
A band of rebels got together and organized against the largest and best armed military in the world and brought it to it’s knees. Be sure we know our history so that we do not repeat it. This president was supposed to bring our people home.
We need leaders that will read, understand, and follow the constitution before it’s too late!
From the Dec. 22-28, 2010 issue
By Stanley Campbell
You can’t win the war in Afghanistan.
AND WHY NOT MR. CAMPBELL?
If it wasn’t for liberal Demon-crats like you and all the other do gooders in DC we could win a war sometimes. If the Libs didn’t tie our troops hand behind their backs & let us win most wars wouldn’t take so long.
How can you be so naïve as to think economic means would ever win a war with these people? These people don’t have anything and never will have anything other than their beliefs to kill the infidels’. Money has appeal to these people.
Do you remember how THE UNITED STATES won WW1 & WW2 we broke things and killed people? That is the only way to win wars.
When the enemy hides behind women and kids and the lib’s say its wrong to kill women and kids but it ok to have our Brave Men & Women killed there is something wrong with this picture.
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell is the proven point of the Peter Principle; A person is always promoted to one level above what he can handle.
How can an international force be set up when the world cannot even agree there is no global warming, which I suspect you do.
And for your little Happy Holy Daze, I thought you was a Minister, doesn’t sound to Christian to me.