Off the Cuff – 8/1/10

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Afghanistan

As some commentators have been mentioning, the release of the Afghan War memos is reminiscent of the Pentagon Papers leak. All along I’ve been praying that the Afghan War doesn’t turn into Obama’s Vietnam which brought down LBJ. The Iraq War, short-sightedness and other ineptitude during the Bush years set us back in Afghanistan by many years. The Pakistanis can’t be trusted. The government in Afghanistan is a corrupt joke. I don’t know what victory looks like in Afghanistan. I mean last time we wiped out the Taliban they just fled into Pakistan. And now we’re back to maybe square 2 with the Taliban in Afghanistan. The nature of Afghan society is such that they will always be nearly immune from formal, lasting conquest. It will always be the tribal leaders that run the country under some, if any, guise. Then there’s that troublesome border mountain area in Pakistan supposedly hiding Bin-Laden which no one will touch. I’d guess that’s where the Taliban went after being pushed out of Afghanistan the first time.

At some point NATO has to get out. Obama has set summer 2011 for some sort of an initial withdrawal. Once we’re out of there the country will revert to where it’s always been. Maybe the Taliban will gain control; maybe another group equally as nuts. It’s Al-Qaeda we’re after and they move around at will. If this is to be a global war on terror then civilized nations must agree to attack Al-Qaeda wherever they have strongholds. Invading a country is pointless as once eradicated there, they will move elsewhere. The only quick solution is to grab all their money. That’s what it comes down to – money & power.

Self-Help Books

Radio, TV – everywhere – you hear commercials for self-help books to conquer drug addiction and depression/anxiety. Well, how ridiculous is that?!

You’re a longtime drug addict? Read a book. Depressed & anxious? Read a book. Lemme tell ya’ – I’ve been both places and reading a book is about the last thing I wanted or even could do. Neither condition is conducive to curling up with a book. Trust me – it’s not.

The people getting better with books are their authors and publishers. Those who buy them are left holding their dicks with a book.

Blame Obama

We want everything now. I mean everything! It didn’t take 2 years to create the economic situation we’re dealing with in this country and around the world. It won’t take just 2 years to fix it. Sure people are angry – being unemployed for years will do that. President Obama is a convenient target for anger. While he’s been far from perfect, he is not the one who is responsible for the mess he took on January 20, 2009. The economic collapse is a unique problem, obviously without a clear answer. The best economic minds in the world don’t agree on "THE" solution. The president is responsible for fixing it but he’s not prescient. Patience, folks – that’s what it takes. Sadly, the citizenry is short on patience. Makes me wonder how FDR would have been viewed in today’s age of instant information and communication.

BP

Why is everyone so surprised by BP having cut so many corners in safety? It’s not profitable to put safety as a #1 (or 2, or 3) priority. End of discussion.

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