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Monday, February 20, 2012

Quote of the day--on our Afghan War

"As someone who lived and worked in rural Afghanistan (Sistan) in the years before either the Soviet or the American invasions, I can say with absolute certainty that the American government and Pentagon generals are being disingenuous when they say that what is in fact a foreign occupying army is going to establish any enduring political or social structures in Afghanistan. What we are engaged in there now is an act of utter futility that enhances the careers of Pentagon officers and demagogic politicians, and bloats the bottom line for the military-industrial complex. Lesson one is that social change is not imposed by foreign bayonets. Societies evolve and change slowly in response to their own dynamic. No amount of flag waving in this country, no amount of patriotic chest beating on the part of Americans is going to change this simple truth. When will the American people gain some historical perspective? After all, Vietnam was a teachable moment. Too bad it was squandered. One feels only compassion and pity for the lives sacrificed, both American and Afghan, for the bodies maimed, for the futures warped and stunted." --Howard, Columbus, OH (A commenter on an article online at The New York Times) Link here: http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/11/the-whistleblowers-report/?ref=afghanistan

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