Another Battle
The big man does what he wants, the little man does what he can. This is a Haitian proverb according to Ethan Casey. In the context of the latest atrocity in Afghanistan where an American soldier killed 16 people in Afghanistan this is a moment to stand down. Who are we? What are we doing there?
Legally, the insanity defense and apologies from the President are probably not going to matter in this case. Abusers forget, the abused don't. This doesn't mean defense argument and the apologies aren't real. It means that we are becoming the people we are fighting. Going forward, this is where we need to realize the limits of our power and the implication of the use of power.
Going to war without declaring war is a policy that should be avoided. The all volunteer army seems like a good idea but does it contribute to many unintended consequences of war. Is there a point where our defense spending that exceeds the defense spending of the rest of the world combined makes no sense and resources should be spent in other ways.
Should the presence of the American Flag overseas mean somebodys gonna die.
I lived through the Viet Nam War and like Mi Lai this is something that cannot be ignored, minimized, or forgotten.
Legally, the insanity defense and apologies from the President are probably not going to matter in this case. Abusers forget, the abused don't. This doesn't mean defense argument and the apologies aren't real. It means that we are becoming the people we are fighting. Going forward, this is where we need to realize the limits of our power and the implication of the use of power.
Going to war without declaring war is a policy that should be avoided. The all volunteer army seems like a good idea but does it contribute to many unintended consequences of war. Is there a point where our defense spending that exceeds the defense spending of the rest of the world combined makes no sense and resources should be spent in other ways.
Should the presence of the American Flag overseas mean somebodys gonna die.
I lived through the Viet Nam War and like Mi Lai this is something that cannot be ignored, minimized, or forgotten.
Maybe we should wait and see how this actually plays out. Afghan forces have also been killing American soldiers. Did you hear about that? I wonder what that "context" is. By the way, I'm all for leaving Afghanistan. My bet is Bales is court martialed and the Afghan soldiers are not prosecuted. Wanna bet?
ReplyDelete"Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales will be charged with 17 counts of murder, assault and a string of other offenses in the massacre of Afghan villagers as they slept, a U.S. official said."
Associated Press
"Two U.S. soldiers were shot and killed on Thursday in an attack involving at least one Afghan believed to be a soldier and a civilian, Western and Afghan officials said, the second such incident in a week and one likely to deepen doubts about Afghanistan's security forces."
Reuters
I'm not sure exactly how long we need to wait to see how this plays out. If the actual policy is: as long as the body count doesn't exceed x+? I guess we will continue the along with the peace with honor path. This is just a cost of doing business. Sad but true.
DeleteHope the catcha thing has been fixed. Thanks
It is playing right now, just follow along. Bales - will be put on trial for 17 counts of murder. Payments will be made to the victims of $50,000 per death and $10,000 per injury. Hasan - remember him from Fort Hood?, no news yet, no trial yet, no payments yet. Afghan killers - didn't hear about that?, no news, no trials yet, no payments.
DeleteMoral relativism at it best!
I believe warfare is a messy business. One of my first thoughts after 9/11 was could this start WWIII or a nuclear exchange. My mother had died the night before so I might not have been thinking straightly but I remember the moment. While I don't remember the details payment have been made in Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan. Where this war has been fought does not seem to follow any of the rules of war and as such the choices faced by the U.S. are poor. Thankfully the U.S. involvement in Iraq is winding down and we will get out of Afghanistan sooner rather than later. Bales may be tried but his American Lawyer will provide a better defense than would have been possible overseas.
DeleteThe captcha is gone! Thanks. On your comment. I guess when the 100th civilian died in World War II we should have stopped right there? Can't do war that way. My problem is that Afghanistan is the shortest war and the longest peace of any conflict the US has engaged in. Our solidiers are in a very bad position. Didn't Obama promise 4 years ago to bring the soldiers home? One of the few things I agreed him about. I wish he would follow through and declare it over.
ReplyDelete"Peace with honor? A quick quiz, which president first got us involved in Vietnam?
The first significant number of troop arrived in 1961. I guess Kennedy and Eisenhower share some responsibilty because we were working with the French in Viet Nam since 1954. The Cold War back then and the "peace" after WWII wasn't very peaceful.
ReplyDeleteMaybe rethink Eisenhower, from Wikipedia
ReplyDelete"Eisenhower decided against the intervention.[75] As an experienced five-star general, Eisenhower was very wary of getting the United States involved in a land war in Asia." And yes we did work with the French, so what? We also worked with the Viet Minh and Ho Ci Minh against Japan.
One of the largest groups most emphatic about the undesirability of war were war-veterans. And war-veterans are also both overwhelmingly conservative and in favour of military strength and preparedness - my father's words. So while you despise war, understand that it is the only way to deal with enemies bent on killing as many of us as possible. No more September 11th's. No more needless deaths. No more confusing the principles of a just war with a sense of bloodlust. I understand the difference between the two.
I wondered about including Eisenhower. I guess it depends on where you look in Wikipedia. My Wikipedia source indicated we had advisers there beginning in 1954 but the major increases did occur during the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations. I think Gary Wills had it right in "Bomb Power". Congress has abdicated most of its powers related to the use of force and the actual declaration of war as a control over the executive. This can be rationalized because of the need to respond quickly, secretly or both but that doesn't make the executive policy correct or without problems. McCain is someone I would listen to regarding the use of the military, but as per usual there are experts on both sides of most issues these days. Caution and a well thought out exit plan makes sense but is easier said than done.
DeleteIt doesn't depend on where you look in Wiki. It depends on your filter. You were referring in the post to the actual war not "advisors".
ReplyDelete"The South Vietnamese government awarded campaign medals to Americans who served in the Vietnam war. Each decoration had affixed to the ribbon a metal scroll inscribed "1960 - " The closing date was never filled in."
A Better War - The Unexamined Victories and Final Tragedy of Americas Last Years in Vietnam - Lewis Sorely
Which presidential election occured in 1960? Is it that hard to admit it was the Democratic president John Kennedy? The actual declaration was the Gulf Of Tonkin Resolution in 1964.
Gary Wills is just flat wrong. Congress has NEVER abdicated it's power to declare war. "After Congress repealed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in January 1971 and President Richard Nixon continued to wage war in Vietnam, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution (Pub.L. 93-148) over the veto of Nixon in an attempt to rein in some of the president's claimed powers. Today, Congress recognizes no claimed power of the president to wage war outside of the War Powers Resolution." Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_war_by_the_United_States
American Foreign Policy usually overlaps presidential terms and mission creep is a possibility. The United State was not Switzerland in its dealings with Viet Nam and I agree the major actors in Viet Nam were democrats until Nixon was elected. I won't quibble about the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution but it was short of a declaration of war by congress and the War Powers Resolution has done nothing to stop presidential wars of various stripes and magnitudes since its passage. Congress just defers to the president.
DeleteAbdication is a formal concept and in my opinion a closer look at the actions of the government regarding national security issues in the sixty plus years of my life, congress has informally ceded its authority in the area.
Point taken.
ReplyDelete