The Evacuation of Afghanistan

11 Saturday Sep 2021

Posted by michelinewalker in peace, Terrorism, The Middle East

Tags

9/11, Afghanistan, Domino Effect, Evacuation of Afghanistan, Four Freedoms, terrorism

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I published my last post watching the evacuation of Afghanistan. I have since written a short article on the evacuation of Afghanistan but I will not post it in full. My central theme was and remains that the Iraq War, renamed the War on Terror, in an effort to legitimize hostilities, was an intrusive armed conflict that took a life of its own. It had a domino effect.

Strictly speaking, the attacks of 9/11 were carried out by al-Qaeda, a terrorist organisation then led by Osama bin Laden, its founder. Planes flew into the World Trade Centre, in New York, hit the Pentagon, and could have flown into the Capitol, had it not been for the brave passengers of Flight 93. The death toll was about 3,000 innocent Americans. (See Casualities of the September 11 Attacks, Wikipedia.)

As for the Iraq War, which seems a continuation of the Gulf War, “[a]n estimated 151,000 to 1,033,000 Iraqis died in the first three to five years of conflict.” (See Iraq War, Wikipedia.) It also took the life of journalist Daniel Pearl who was beheaded in 2002.

On 2 May 2011, United States’ Navy SEALS, an élite corps, assisted by a dog named Cairo, found and killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Osama bin Laden, a Saudi, was the leader of al-Qaeda until his death. The Iraq War ended in 2011, but hostilities in the Middle East continued beyond 2011.

The Iraq War and the War in Iraq

The Iraq War (2003-2011) was followed by the War in Iraq (2013-2017). The War in Iraq opposed Iraq and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS or IS). The United States re-entered the Middle East.

In 2014, the Beatles terrorist cell tortured and beheaded James Foley and Steven Sotloff, innocent Americans, as well as British aid worker David Haines. The Beatles terrorists made their victims blame the United States and its allies for their death. Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh and are in custody. Kotey has admitted involvement in the torture and death of James Foley. Between 2013 and 2017, retaliation led to terrorism, in and out of the Middle East.

Between the period of August 2014 to January 2015, Jihadi John beheaded or participated in the beheadings of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, as well as British humanitarian aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, American aid worker Peter Kassig, Japanese private military contractor Haruna Yukawa, Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, and 22 members of the Syrian armed forces. (See Beatles terrorist cell, Wikipedia.)

Full interview with Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh (cnn.com)

Afghanistan

As for the war in Afghanistan, the coalition led by the United States was defeated by the Taliban. Two suicide bombers, members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province (Isis K), struck at the Kabul airport, killing and wounding servicemen and civilians. US troops had been deployed on a humanitarian mission. Yet, Isis K attempted to thwart the evacuation of Afghanistan. It was nevertheless as successful as could be. Hostilities had lasted twenty years. The war had to end. Afghans must now shape their own future prudently and without recourse to punitive measures that would be an infringement of the United Nations Human Rights Declaration of 10 December 1948.

Conclusion

Let us remember the Four Freedoms, as defined by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his State of the Union address of 6 January 1941. These are:

the freedom of speech,
the freedom of worship,
the freedom from want,
and, most importantly,
the freedom from fear.

“Sorry, Chancellor Merkel”

30 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by michelinewalker in United States

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

9/11, Chancellor Merkel, George W Bush, John L. O'Sullivan, President Obama, Sally Hemings, spying, The Manifest Destiny, Thomas Jefferson, trust

Angela Merkel and Barack Obama

The Manifest Destiny

John L. O’Sullivan, (15 November 1813 – 24 March 1895) sketched in 1874, was an influential columnist as a young man, but he is now generally remembered only for his use of the phrase “manifest destiny” to advocate the annexation of Texas and Oregon. (See Manifest Destiny, Wikipedia.)

Micheline is sad, says Belaud the cat. She is sad because she does not think President Obama knew to what extent practices, proponents of the “Manifest Destiny” would have allowed, were used by United States President George W. Bush.

She also thinks that, in all likelihood, abusive surveillance continued after Barack Obama was elected President of the United States because he did not know the US was listening in on the entire world, including its friends. We need to trust at least a few persons and nations, which fully explains Chancellor Merkel’s reaction. President Obama knew he had to protect his people, but may not have been aware that the NSA (National Security Agency) was monitoring Chancellor Merkel’s mobile telephone.

“Now Micheline” I said, “you know very well that people hear what they want or wish to hear and that the manner in which a message is understood depends largely on the way it is formulated. He may not have known.”

“Manifest Destiny”

The term “Manifest Destiny” was coined by John O’Sullivan in the July-August 1845 issue of his United States Magazine and Democratic Review and, according to William Earl Weeks,[i] quoted in Wikipedia, its three themes were the following:

The special virtues of the American people and their institutions;
America’s mission to redeem and remake the world in the image of America;
A divine destiny under God’s direction to accomplish this wonderful task.

Thomas Jefferson

Founding father Thomas Jefferson (13 April 1743 – 4 July 1826) was a proponent of the “Manifest Destiny.” Yet, he owned hundreds of slaves and fathered six children with slave Sally Hemings (c. 1773 – 1835). Four survived to adulthood, at which point they were freed. Sally Hemings was of mixed ancestry and the children were “seven-eighths European in ancestry” and white in appearance. (See Sally Hemings, Wikipedia.) But he did not free Sally Hemings. She would have been auctioned off, had Jefferson’s daughter, Martha Washington Jefferson Randolph, not freed her.

George W. Bush

I also told Micheline that, although former US President George W. Bush (born July 6, 1946) adhered, knowingly or unknowingly, to the concept of the “Manifest Destiny” (see Manifest Destiny, Wikipedia), after the events of 9/11, former President G. W. Bush may have felt very distraught which could have led him to enter Iraq, a sovereign country. He was the President of the United States, its Commander-in-Chief, the US had been attacked by terrorists, and he had been influenced by the “Manifest Destiny.”

And now we have learned that former President G. W. Bush did not know how far he could go too far. He let the NSA (National Security Agency) monitor the telephones of allies of the United States. If an individual adheres to the notions set forth in the “Manifest Destiny,” there is a risk that individual will not know that his or her rights end where the rights of others begin.

President George W. Bush may not have been as great a president as Thomas Jefferson, but I’m quite certain he will never be made to answer for his actions. All is right under the mantle of the “Manifest Destiny,” which is why Micheline fears the notion of exceptionalism.

Conclusion

“Don’t worry, Micheline, President Obama will do all that is needed to regain the confidence of his allies. Yes, some people will use this opportunity to fault him, but it will not work. Too large a number of United States citizens will see the truth. What is really sad, Micheline, is that we have extremists right here who threaten Canadian unity.”

Remember McCarthyism

“The term McCarthyism, coined in 1950 in reference to Joseph McCarthy‘s practices, was soon applied to similar anti-communist activities. Today the term is used more generally in reference to demagogic, reckless, and unsubstantiated accusations, as well as public attacks on the character or patriotism of political opponents.” (See Joseph McCarthy, Wikipedia.)

The bottom line, Belaud said, is that one can fully expect citizens who insist on carrying firearms also to monitor their friend’s telephone conversations.