Afghanistan Discrimination Against Women

If you had any hope that Afghanistan would emerge as a prosperous, diverse and law-abiding country, forget about it.

As an example of the despicable authoritarian regime, a New York Times article indicates that the Taliban has closed all public universities to women. They can no longer be teachers or students. This form of discriminatory sexual abuse is a small part of numerous religious and cultural practices that demean woman and their role in Afghan society.

How can a country operate effectively in today’s world when it has laws that denigrate half of its population? How can men be so unkind, unempathetic and misogynistic to their mothers, wives and daughters? What are the women thinking every time they are abused by male relatives and strangers on the street for improperly covering their faces or leaving their home without a male escort? Are Afghan men concerned that other males will covet their wives? If their wives are so important and dear to them, why do they treat them with such scorn?

An emergence of Afghanistan would be more likely if women could respond to the tyranny of men in their lives with a high level of animosity. The citizens of the godforsaken place known as Afghanistan would benefit greatly by a new menu of rules that pertain to females in the country, and them receiving some level of equality. Why don’t women around the world support Afghan women with money and outspoken abject disgust of Afghan men?

Woman in the US have many issues that are unresolved, but they are on their way to equality. Females who are treated like second class citizens in other countries should call upon their sisters around the world for help and good wishes.

Another place to accelerate this effort is the UN. All nations should work together in an effort to bring men under control in countries like Afghanistan. The UN has frequently expressed its concern for human right violations against woman globally, but I believe this needs more focus on places like Afghanistan.

Some men have been abusing women in the name of religion and culture for centuries. It’s time these abuses were made public and governments proactively respond to end them.

Biden’s Downfall: Afghanistan, Immigration and Entitlements

Let’s face it, Joe Biden is having a really difficult time performing the role of chief executive and commander-in-chief. His leadership skills are shaky at best, and his aides and fellow Democrats are leading him down some dangerous paths.

There are a few issues that stand out, that could very well foretell the future of the Biden presidency, even at this early stage.

The Biden administration has been saying it is doing a great job disengaging in Afghanistan, dealing with its leadership and extricating Americans trapped in the country. These comments are laughable.

Afghanistan is a dangerous place that is home to the Taliban, a misogynistic group of men who place little value on women and anyone who is not Islamic. The group is so warped that it believes fostering terrorist organizations such as al Qaeda and violent militia groups are legitimate undertakings.

The Taliban hates America for a variety of reasons, the most important is that they believe we are heathens. We invaded their country 20 something years ago and have not been able to deflate the spirit and determination of Taliban rebels. Many in history have had the same result.

The time for America to evacuate Afghanistan arrived, and Joe Biden ordered the troops home. For some reason, he decided to abandon Americans who would who were distributed throughout the country and Afghans who worked with America over the years. Moreover, equipment, armaments and intelligence were left behind in the haste to leave the country rapidly. Now the Taliban is killing its people with US rifles and tanks.

It was a plan from hell. Who told Biden that the Taliban would allow Americans to leave without any repercussions? Who told Biden that the government transfer would be bloodless and orderly? Who told Biden that the Taliban would allow anyone to leave the country, including people who were loyal to the US? Either the generals told the president everything would be hunky dory, or he made a decision to that effect.

Individuals who we’re locked up for terrorist crimes at Gitmo now hold senior positions in the government. The deadliest Taliban leaders are controlling the country. And, terrorist groups are mustering on Afghan soil preparing to wreak havoc on peaceful neighbors and the US.

Biden’s grade for his Afghanistan strategy is an “F”, even if a couple hundred thousand people have been air lifted from the country to this point.

We haven’t heard much about the southern border for the past few weeks, but the situation is dreadful. Biden inadvertently invited individuals from below the border to come to America as part of his open border immigration policy. Who arrived? Dirt poor people, people with no hope, sick people, uneducated people and a bunch of violent people. The sad part is that the number of unaccompanied minors grows every day.

It’s already been speculated why Biden and Democrats would welcome so many into the US. Some say it is because these people will ultimately support liberal causes in our country when they become citizens? It’s hard to imagine a person wading across the Rio Grande today pulling a lever to vote for AOC or Nancy Pelosi in the next 10 years.

As with Afghanistan, the president had no plan to deal with the mass of humanity that is now parked at our borders.

And finally, I want to discuss the $3.5 trillion entitlement giveaway that Democrats or at least most of them believe is so important.

The question is not who wants the legislation. Democrats support numerous social programs, climate change, etc. Rather what are the implications of the legislation?

They are horrendous. It will end the economic growth we are now experiencing. When this aid is monetized it will create inflation and drive us into a recession. But we’ve already rehashed all this. The question is will it come to fruition?

Democrats are trying to use parliamentary procedures in Congress to avoid an expected filibuster by Republicans. I’m not quite sure of the possibility. But assuming it is doable, Democrats probably won’t have the votes to pass the legislation in the Senate and in the House.

Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, is not going to vote for the legislation. He changes the vote in the Senate from 50-50, which does not include the vice president who votes in a tie, to 51-49 for Republicans. The senator said he was not going to support a massive entitlement without concurrence of both political parties.

In the House, speaker Pelosi can only lose three or four votes given the magnitude of the legislation. It is likely that a few Democrats will resist.

The writing is on the wall. All of Biden’s pet projects are turning to garbage. He is going to see that his tenure is limited by the results of the 2022 midterm elections.

Biden Is A Puppet For Radical Liberals

From the start of Biden’s campaign to become president, I had doubts that unfortunately have come to fruition. The president was a political hack for years, mostly in the Senate. He concluded his subservient years with an 8-year stint as vice president in the Obama administration.

Most of the time, Biden bounced around like a pinball trying to make his constituencies and his colleagues love him, appreciate his ideology and understand his propensity to flip flop for political expediency. Biden has had a change of heart about too many issues over the years to outline in this post. They include abortion, crime and international relations.

What’s most important is what has Biden morphed into during the first few months of his presidency. For one thing, it is hard to believe that he is the origin of new policies he now espouses. Joe Biden has become a puppet for certain left-wing influences in the Democratic Party. He decided to go far left even though, in in his heart, he knows that the demands of Pelosi, AOC and Schumer are not good for America.

The only semi original idea he has put into action was the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. To follow in the footsteps of four presidents, Biden did not waste time jawboning about the hopeless situation in the country. He recognized that supporting a nation in Asia that is dominated by radical Islamic bullies and misogynists was very bad policy and not endearing to Americans.

Unfortunately, it also appears that Biden, looking for a quick political victory, ended up with egg on his face by ignoring the warnings of his generals about the strength and determination of the Taliban. For some unknown reason, Biden ordered the exit of soldiers before the evacuation of Americans and helpful Afghans. The Taliban jumped on this naive strategy and took control of the country. The result: a promised exit, but with loss of American and Afghan lives. The country is now in turmoil in the hands of violent and uncivilized religious fanatics.

The sh__storm on the southern border of the US was another screwup that materialized in a matter of days. Joe wanted to be supportive of open borders and encourage a gaggle of new and likely Democrat voters to enter the US illegally. These people, thousands of them, had no money, no place to go in the US, no papers, no job opportunities and were in poor health (some with COVID).

In a heartbeat, Biden’s sycophants created a refugee crisis that rivals situations we have seen throughout the Middle East and other places around the world. These people are not going to be able to vote for liberal causes for some extended period of time assuming they can dodge immigration officials and find someplace to live in America.

And lastly, what is going on with the infrastructure deal? Virtually every politician is in favor of a proposal to improve our bridges, roads and other infrastructure across the country. Pelosi refused to move forward unless a follow-up deal for three to $4 trillion was assured. The latter deal is 100% opposed by Republicans. So, all the legislation was held up and funding for new infrastructure and associated jobs are in limbo.

Where is the leadership? Where is the negotiating skill that Joe Biden supposedly has? Does anyone care about the potential damage that a $4 trillion entitlement will have on our national debt and our economy? Liberals don’t care about anything other than giving away money with no quid pro quos other than a promise to vote a certain way.

Someone should give our pols an Economy 101 lesson about the evils of inflation and high interest rates.

The US Is Still A Credible Super Power

In a previous blog post, I described the potential loss of credibility in the US because of the untimely and botched withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Once again, the US disappointed the global community of nations, but that does not mean nations around the world will not work and consult with the US to intervene in future diplomatic, political and financial crises.

An op-ed piece in the New York Times by Dennis Ross claims that the nation’s history since the 70s is proof that, in spite of several disagreements and embarrassments, other nations, the UN and NATO still solicit the help of the US on a regular basis.

Mr. Ross looks back on the “ignominious” 1975 evacuation of the last Americans in Vietnam. At first, credibility was in question “but it did not spell the end of American leadership on the world stage nor did it leave others to believe that they could not depend on the United States.”

In 1979, Jimmy Carter had to deal with a hostage crisis in which Americans were detained for 444 days. It was marked by a failed rescue attempt, while the rest of the world witnessed American impotence.

Ronald Reagan, after losing 241 Americans in the 1983 Beirut Barracks bombing, promised to avenge the death of American soldiers, but instead, withdrew our troops from Lebanon. No lasting harm was done to American credibility.

George W. Bush invaded Iraq, justified by the false belief that Saddam Hussein held weapons of mass destruction. The US effectively destroyed the country and unseeded Saddam. This action contributed to sectarian conflict and the evolution of ISIS. The fallout from these decisions did not relegate the US to a lesser role in global events.

Obama drew a red line on the use of chemical weapons by Syria. The president failed to react when such weapons were used on Syrian civilians. There was no great response to Obama’s hesitancy to react militarily.

Trump made several decisions including a threat to pull out of NATO and to invade Syria, which rolled off the backs of global leaders.

Recent Biden decisions to remove troops have Americans in an uproar along with the rest of the world. Internationally, the response will have a far less impactful than from domestic critics. Ironically, most Americans wanted the US to bring our troops home, but the tactics employed were ineffective and naïve. The blunders in Afghanistan may be a death toll for the Biden administration in the upcoming elections.

Biden’s Afghan Strategy Is A Disaster

The entire Afghanistan affair has been totally predicable. From the moment President Biden announced his intention to withdraw from the country, the only thing protecting innocent civilians and Afghans helpful to the US were the troops stationed in the country and the military aircraft located nearby. These assets were the only lifelines.

Afghanistan grows terrorists. What did the Biden administration expect? Chaos created by maniacal Taliban militia is the perfect environment for regime change, ISIS, al Qaeda and religious fanatics.

Why did the US take away the only protection for Americans and non-combatant Afghans? The Taliban had already taken control of most regions when the initial US forces withdrew.

When the US forces dwindled to a few thousand concentrated in Kabul, the Taliban advanced and created a hellhole for Afghan citizens throughout the whole country. And then, ISIS unleashed suicide bombers that killed 13 US service people and wounded many other soldiers and bystanders, an act that will likely be repeated as time goes by.

The president reacted to the latest atrocity like we all suspected he would. He said the US would “hunt down” the responsible people for the attack. How many times have we heard this empty promise? Who are going to hunt down the attackers? American soldiers? Is Biden going to bring back American GIs to avenge the death of our people? No. Or, is Biden going to bomb Taliban and ISIS strong holes? No. You know what that means, collateral damage, as the terrorist fighters use civilians for cover. Biden is not going to avenge anything.

Biden’s only objective is to get Americans out of Afghanistan, so his opposition, our allies, the media and the general public stop bashing him. He and his people are boasting about how many individuals are being airlifted each day from the country. We don’t even know if terrorists are among this group. In the meantime there are possibly a thousand more Americans in mortal danger.

And what about the evacuation date of August 31? It’s now fashionable to pick dates to withdraw in shame. Why does it have any significance, other than telling the enemy that America is walking away and will leave the country to the Taliban on a date certain?

The Taliban has to be patient and there will be no external resistance for it to deal with in the future. In fact, the Taliban will probably just begin fighting among themselves for power and with the nut cases that are training to be murderers in their country.

Joe Biden, you really dug a deep ditch for yourself. You showed you are not prepared or equipped to be a wartime commander-in-chief. There was no way to exit the country without leaving innocent Afghan people to the animals now controlling the country. But did you have to be so impulsive about evacuating troops before non-military Americans and helpful Afghans could be brought to safety?

The only thing the Taliban understands is brute force. You don’t have any military power at your disposal unless you want to carpet bomb the entire country and kill terrorists and civilian.

The Afghan Hell Hole

Everyone knew what was going to happen in Afghanistan except members of the Biden Administration. At some point, after 20 plus years of lost lives and treasure, an American president was going to end the occupation, and Taliban terrorists would be ready to swoop down and take control just as US troops were sent home.

The Taliban hate all foreigners, women, non-Muslims and believe that violence and human rights violations are not anti-social. All this bodes horribly for the rest of the world, as the Taliban encourages political instability by urging aspiring terrorists to organize, plan and raise money on their land.

Keep in mind, al Qaeda came together on Afghanistan soil and bin Laden orchestrated the 9/11 attacks. This was the reason the US invaded Afghanistan in the first place. An unbridled and authoritarian government led by Taliban maniacs is dangerous to all of its close neighbors and the rest of the world.

Afghanistan is a landlocked country with a population of 30 million located in Asia. It abuts Iran Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan. China and India are a stone’s throw away from Afghanistan territory. Frequently, Afghan rebels and terrorists cross the border and stir up local dissidents. Even China has been subjected to Afghan inspired insurrection.

Every invader of Afghanistan has been unsuccessful. Most recently, the US and Russia were added to the list of invaders that were unable to stabilize the country. The Taliban is resourceful, violence-prone and extremely dangerous. Mountainous territory protects the Taliban from external forces.

Joe Biden was the American president who finally made the move to end the US occupation of Afghanistan as mentioned above. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a clue about the ramifications of doing so and opted for a completely unrealistic strategy. He may or may not have been given these plans by his generals and intelligence officers. There seems to be some disagreement about the evolution of the strategy to pull out. No one is taking responsibility.

Biden evacuated U.S. troops first and then tried to evacuate US citizens and Afghans helpful to the US during the past 20 years. Why he did this process ass-backwards is a mystery, and the international media has been flailing him with questions about such nonsensical tactics. The process should have been US citizens first, and Afghan friends and soldiers next.

A mass and rapid exodus needs a functioning airport to move many people quickly. And the military must protect the airport. There was not enough troop support to watch over the airport and the embassy at the same time, another dumb tactic.

There is general speculation about who will benefit and who will suffer from the events in Afghanistan. Let’s go around the horn. The first country that comes to mind is Afghanistan itself.

The Taliban failed to realize that the US was the country’s sugar daddy for two decades. The US provided $1 trillion during this time, and we would have probably agreed to provide much more to a peaceful Afghanistan regime. The country passed up on billions of dollars of support. It is a loser, and it will be years, if ever, that the country is stabilized.

Many are saying China is going to enter the picture, befriend the Taliban and begin working with Afghanistan. Why would the Chinese agree to get involved on the heels of disasters for Russia and the US? They won’t invest in a society that is not prepared to operate civilly, peacefully and cooperatively.

The rhetoric out of China is what everyone might expect. “The US is imperialistic and not a good ally, blah blah blah.” I am sure that China will not be the next patsy to spend treasure and blood in the godforsaken hellhole known as Afghanistan. China gains little from the recent events and will only be able to propagandize US actions. Having Afghanistan as an ally is an automatic burden.

Other neighbors of Afghanistan are in mortal danger. The Taliban will likely encourage terrorists who train on their turf, for a price. This will result in internal strife and aggravation for countries in the region. Keep in mind Afghanistan is radically Islamic. All neighboring countries will lose.

The US will be in a better position in the long run assuming it can stifle any serious terrorist activity in Afghanistan directed at it. We will probably move to attack any meaningful terrorist activities with bombing campaigns. And, we are going to stop giving Afghanistan costly military and economic support. It is a win for the US in the short term.

However, the reputation of the US from a diplomatic perspective is going to hell in a handbasket. Biden is responsible for walking away from an ally. Terrorism in the region will increase exponentially. Heart-breaking violence against women will increase to unheard of levels. Other kinds of humanitarian crimes will occur throughout the country. All the lives of helpful Afghanistan people that are lost will be on the shoulders of President Biden.

And finally, Biden has undoubtedly proven that he is not a wartime commander. This will hurt him and the Democrats in future elections.

Was Afghanistan Worth It?

The downfall of Afghanistan is more than a remarkable event after 20 years of occupation. The US cut its support of the government, and within days, Taliban forces overwhelmed the whole country.

It’s now obvious that military power was the only thing holding the country together under the previous regime. As US ground forces exited and bombing strikes subsided, theocratic rebels took control of the country.

The US effort to nation build was once again a failure as it has been in so many places around the world in recent decades. Building a democracy with fair elections, a constitution, a court system and a unified army are extremely difficult tasks. This compares to the ragtag rebels who commit acts of terror and make it impossible for elected leaders to be elected and govern.

After 20 years, the Afghanistan project was a bust. Then again, no invaders of Afghanistan, in history, have ever been successful. The country’s rough terrain and religious driven male population has made the Taliban a tough competitor.

Why did the United States invade and occupy Afghanistan in the first place? The most important reason was the growth of terrorist organizations in the region, and 9/11, in which terrorists acted with impunity to undermine the US.

The US retaliated and our politicians decided to stay and nation build in a place where it is a mission impossible. US politicians believe that after you destroy a country with mighty force, you must rebuild it and make it a democracy. Afghans proved that they only respond to perpetual brute force.

After a few years, the country was controlled by puppets supported by the US. This resulted in some gains, but the Taliban never gave up. They resented US occupation and patiently waited in the wings for the US to leave.

The Taliban is driven by religion, a strong nationalistic vein and violent male domination. These characteristics have resulted in outrageous human rights violations against religious nonbelievers and women. The country is a despicable place, as it has been for ages.

What are the ramifications from the downfall of Afghanistan democracy? For one thing, it is a great victory for theocracies and authoritarian government in the region. Religious passion in repelling an enemy is a great asset going all the way back to the Crusades.

Another thing is the question of democratic experimentation. There are a few places in the world that have a stable enough society that can be democratic. Because of demographics, religion, social customs, geography and so much more it may be impossible for some countries to convert into a democracy.

I hate to say it, but the American blood and treasure expended on the Afghanistan experiment was for naught. Twenty years, a trillion dollars and thousands of casualties and injuries make the whole effort seem like a tragic misstep. Keep in mind the original military objective was to find and kill terrorists that attacked the US.

What of Biden’s decision to abandon the country? It was bad but remaining in Afghanistan would have also been a mistake. Maybe we should have left troops in in the country. But the same result was inevitable, it just would have been delayed.

The broader geopolitical implications are that theocratic and authoritarian regimes like Iran have been emboldened along with terrorists in countries that are not aligned with Iran, such as Saudi Arabia and Israel. The region is ripe for more turmoil and government turnovers.

American diplomacy has taken a great hit. No matter what, people around the world will say that US walked away from Afghanistan when the going got tough.

Obama Will Likely Send Ground Troops To Iraq

By Sal Bommarito

President Obama has proven to be one of the most unpredictable leaders in modern times. This characterization is based upon his propensity to adjust earlier policies for a wide assortment of reasons even if new perspectives contradict earlier assurances. Obama seems to have trouble staying any course.

Last week, after indicating on several occasions that granting amnesty to illegal aliens was not a constitutional option available to the president, Obama, in effect, gave amnesty to several million people living illegally in the U.S.

Yesterday, the president decided to step up military operations in Afghanistan as reported by the New York Times. What? I thought the American occupation of Afghanistan was over. But, the president flip-flopped on yet another promise. Why did he implement this reversal? After all, U.S. is back in Iraq after guarantees that the hostilities in that country were over. Why not reengage in Afghanistan as well?

Obama is not shy about surging in any hot spot when it suits him. In Afghanistan, increased aggression by the Taliban, an improved relationship with the new Afghan leader and a full court press by U.S. generals has led to another change in policy. The new policy “ensures American troops will have a direct role in fighting [in Afghanistan] for at least another year.

Obama’s decision “allows American forces to carry out missions against the Taliban and other militant groups threatening American troops or the Afghan government . . .” In May, the president indicated that U.S. troops would have no combat role in Afghanistan in 2015. Supposedly, his change of heart to increase U.S. engagement was influenced by the ISIS situation and the inability of Iraqi forces to repel ISIS fighters.

The new direction in Afghanistan foretells more changes in U.S. military operations in the region. How will Obama resist the urge to deploy ground forces in Iraq? The same generals are telling the president directly and indirectly that the mission to destroy ISIS is in great jeopardy without support on the ground. If Iraqi officials became more amenable, will the president ignore their request for him to surge in the country? Doubtful.

What is disturbing is that the president continues to change his policies in reaction to an assortment of pressures. They may come from the enemy, host countries, U.S. allies, the political environment back home and Obama’s legacy, which has taken a beating in recent weeks. The problem with this apparent indecision is that no one can depend upon what the president says. He just cannot be trusted to set an objective and follow through to its consummation.

In Iraq and Syria, things are going to deteriorate as ISIS troops advance, or at a minimum retain and fortify existing positions. It is highly likely that the generals will win over Obama, and the U.S. will then assume a greater role by sending in ground troops to fight ISIS.