AFGHANISTAN: WHY?

I watched the two political talk shows today that are on every Sunday morning, on NBC and ABC. They were talking about Afghanistan as if it has some strategic importance to the USA. But I don't see why.

I never agreed with George W. Bush's idea of going in there to get Osama bin Laden and the people who planned the attacks of 9/11. Those attacks were also planned in Germany and Southeast Asia and Florida, and I never saw us invade them.

I did some research on the Web--a Google search for "USA strategic interest in Afghanistan" and every variation I could think of. I got nothing that made any sense.

I looked through the New York Times and various other news websites and found nothing that explains what we have to gain by being there. Or what the Afghan people have to gain.

I called a buddy of mine and asked his opinion. Help me, I said, to justify the USA staying there. But he couldn't help. And he is a very smart guy.

We have spent billions of dollars and about 1,700 American lives. For what? I don't see that we have helped ourselves or the Afghan people. I think it has all been a waste.

The only reason to be there, it seems to me, is to clean up George W. Bush's mess. And we seem to be doing a lousy job of that. I think we should stay if we could do any good in the long run, but I don't see how.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't see the point in staying there. I think we should do whatever it takes to not waste anymore blood and money. We should stop killing innocent people, ours and theirs.

-- Roger

Copyright © 2012, Roger R. Angle