Yes, I am ranting on, again. Or should that be still ranting? Either way I am disgusted, still, yet, again, take your pick.
Numerous articles recently tell me that Gobomber is "upset" with his "base" there is an "enthusiasm gap". Say what? Shades of the old cold war crap about the supposed "missile gap" or any other fake "gaps" that were created out of thin air back in the cold war days.
Well, I have a question for Gobomber and his crew. Just what the bloody damn hell are "we" supposed to be so enthusiastic about? The economy? Sure thing pal, as soon as the people get decent paying jobs. The wars we are still bogged down in? Don't think so, they are not going so very well. When even "king" David tells the media that the Afghan war is one that our children will be fighting, well, that makes it damn hard to be "enthusiastic" about that war. Iraq? Well, no, sorry, the fake pulling out of "combat" troops was just a ploy. Any human with a functioning brain was able to see that the relabeling of the troops in Iraq as "advisors" or "trainers" from being "combat" troops is a scam. Hey, they got away with that sort of thing during the Vietnam war, so they tried it again. Well, it failed this time. Too many people DO have a sense of history after all.
So, again, I ask Gobomber and his crew, just what are we Americans supposed to be so enthusiastic about? Maybe he thinks we should all be so very happy that his administration is NOT going to slow down the home foreclosures. Maybe he thinks we should be "thankful" for the horse manure called "health care reform"? Yeah, sure thing.
When the only folks who are making out like bandits ARE bandits, the "too big to fail" types, well, there sure doesn't seem like much to get all "enthused" about.
Maybe if I were to sit back and knock down a few beers, I might see something to be "enthused" about. Probably not. Mixing alcohol with my pain meds would just get me an over priced trip to the emergency room. I'll pass on that one.
Another "pet peeve" has surfaced. Well, not so much surfaced, more like it is grating on me. Just as the term "homeland" when used to describe America is bothersome, the term Af-Pak is beginning to really grate on me. Af-Pak? OK, it is shorthand for Afghanistan-Pakistan. The thing is, when shortened to "Af-Pak" it seems to me to be a degrading term. Shorten the names of the countries involved and you sort of cheapen them both. Maybe it is just me, but I am starting to detest the term "Af-Pak" no matter who uses it. It all fits right in there with calling the Afghans names like "sand nigger" or "rag heads". It belittles the country and the people. Yep, just like Vietnam where the "bad guys" were "gooks". "dinks", "rice burners" or other derogatory names.
Well, no wonder we are losing the wars. When you fail to show any respect to the "enemy" you have lost. Not that "we" could ever "win" this war in Afghanistan any way. We are the invaders, and history has shown that invaders go home at some point. The Afghans have a very long history of waiting out the invaders, they will be there long after we leave also.
Yeah, I know, there I go again, telling folks that history does matter. Explaining that by reading and learning from history we could avoid a great many mistakes that we are still making today. Yes, reading and learning. Oh joy, didn't you just "know" that old charlie would be hauling out that crap again. Well, I did, so either read and learn or continue to fail when you go off on the next fools errand.
No doubt some will take my criticism of the term "Af-Pak" as a minor revolt against the "new" information age, things like "Twitter" or "Facebook" where everything is abbreviated. Well, maybe that is the case. Maybe I am a reactionary in some respects. I still think that by shortening the country names, calling the other people by derogatory names is not the way to succeed. Maybe just call me old fashioned. I still think that people have the right to be respected and treated as fellow human beings.
Well, enough of me for now. I need to find something to get "enthused" about.
semper fi
7 comments:
I apologize. I use Af/Pak a lot.
Pakistan is The Big O's Cambodia.
It might take center stage in the very near future.
Pakistan may even over take Iran as the new boogey man.
When they talk about Pakistan they should be talking about us. The ISI/CIA go waaaaaay back.
RZ,
IS OK, use any terms that are easy to use or you are comfortable with. I was just ranting and not having a very good day. It is just a very minor thing and I see it all over the net. Just one thing I would change if I could. All I can do is not use the term myself.
very good article.
I wonder if you have been following the developments on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border where 150 US fuel transports were torched in a matter of days disrupting supplies to Kabul?
Pakistan showed Washington that it can stop the war in short-order if it chooses. Obama and co. ended up apologizing for drone deaths.
Mike,
Yes, I have seen that news. I try to keep up with the idiot wars.
That Pakistan can shut down the US lead war is something the war planners never even considered. I think we call that hubris. "We" think we are so damn powerful, yet there IS a limit to that power. This is what you get when fighting in a land locked country. You are very dependent on others for things beyond your control.
One has to wonder when that last helicopter will take off from the roof of our Afghan embassy.
The Pakistanis or the Russians... the alternative supply route is through Iran. Think the Iranians will let their 'buddies' in Washington use their country to supply the war in Afghanistan?
Starting a war you can't supply... I'm no authority on warfare, but it sounds like these guys are no better at aggression than they are at defence.
Your attention to the terms used to frame this whole debacle is very good Charlie. The 'homeland' aspect is certainly something I had been feeling since the first time I'd heard it, yet never explicitly brought it up for conscious review. Same thing here with Af-Pak. You've got a very good ear, Charlie. Keep listening and mentioning what 'bothers' you.
Another great rant, Charlie. I look forward to reading them.
John,
Not sure about my "good ear". When I was younger, my Dad and I would play word games. Hard to explain just how the games worked. He'd sometimes mispronounce names on purpose, mostly to see if I knew the correct way or to make a joke of something. Any way, it taught me that language is very important.
Well, think about it, the way we communicate is with words. So, words matter, really matter. That is most likely why I get worked up over terms/words being misused or made up when just saying what you mean would be better. Using words to confuse is wrong, my opinion. Well, not always. When you set out to BS a friend and the friend knows that you do that at times, it is OK. When you use words to confuse and profit from the confusion, well, that is wrong.
As to keep ranting, well, if I am alive and can use the computer, that will continue.
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