Sand Into Glass...

A friend asked yesterday what my feelings are, as both an American and an ex-soldier, regarding the fiasco unfolding in Afghanistan.  

I thought for a minute, choosing my words carefully.  Especially carefully because I would dearly like to fly apart like a Woolworth watch, taking out everybody and everything within a full city block in in the process.  So what I said to my friend was, "Did you know you can turn sand into glass?"  No, he said, he didn't.  I said, "All you have to do is add enough heat, I said.  "Lots and lots and lots of heat.  About 3,000 degrees of heat..."

That's the same amount of heat that might be delivered via your average modern-day "suitcase" nuke.  Not your Big Boys like might be strapped to the nosecone of an ICBM.  No, no, just a little guy.  One that might be an international expression of "Get off my lawn!"  Like totally eradicating a couple of zip codes.  Sort of like a "going away present."  Yeah, something like that would be in order...

You might know that I, The Chuckmeister, have worn the uniform of the United States.  I'm therefore more than a little sensitive to the needs of the military.  And had, and still have, a warrior mentality.  They beat it into me, and I've yet to lose it.  And today I can tell you your military is in the worst shape of my entire life.  I would not be surprised to see several thousand vets commit suicide over the coming days.  That serious.  As serious as a heart attack.  Pay attention, America, things could come unraveled very quickly from here...

The reason Russia hasn't been more bellicose toward us or our allies, most particularly Ukraine, is they've feared what we might do in response.  Let me emphasize "feared."  The reason China hasn't forcefully taken Taiwan (Nationalist China) is because we've promised to defend them.  What do you think that promise is worth today, in the aftermath of our indelible surrender in Afghanistan?  And most especially following our failure to assist Hong Kong in its hour of need?

America has almost a million living veterans.  Those who have fought and in some cases been wounded in the service of their country.  Us.  I would bet that they are uniformly angry and depressed and pissed off today.  I know I am.  We were keeping an "easy peace" using a tiny footprint of just over 2,500 American soldiers and marines.  It had been that way for more than a year and a half, and it had been over a year and a half since we'd lost a soldier or Marine.  In other words, we kept it off the front pages of your local newspaper using only half a brigade of fighting men and women.  Less than the number of soldiers we have stationed in Spain.  And they're all career people, so we'll be paying them whether they're there or not.  Yet, the ranting Progressive harpies amongst us just couldn't leave well enough alone.  They had to try and pry them loose and "bring them home," whether they would come home or not.  Most all would be reassigned to one of our hundreds of other bases.  So, I'm reminded of a snippet from "The Charge of the Light Brigade:"

     "For want of a shoe, a horse was lost.  For the want of a horse, the rider was lost.  For the want of a rider, the battle was lost..."   

What we're witnessing unfold in Afghanistan could well be the beginning of the end of America.  Let's see if our enemies choose to now exploit our perceived weaknesses.  Perceived, Hell!  Obvious!  And if they do, we'll surely have to defend against those aggressions.  And at a cost far higher than just leaving well enough alone in Afghanistan...

But at least we don't have to put up with any more of those late-night ugly Tweets, right?