. . .
J “They should have done it ten years ago. They should not have done it twenty years ago.”
K “Whatever it is they do and whenever they do it, they do it incompetently and ineptly. Every time. Without fail, they fail. It just never changes. The image of the helicopter on the roof of the Saigon Embassy is branded on my conscious and my conscience.”
. . .
K “Biden said ‘the buck stops here’ and then said the ‘buck stops over there’ with others. He says that we expected a waltz not a blitzkrieg into Kabul and thus we did not prepare. But it is not our fault, he says.”
J “Divert their attention. Avert their eyes. Subvert their trust.”
. . .
K “Vets are seeking counseling and comfort for their very real loss, guilt, shame, despair, defeat, failure, retreat, betrayal and surrender.”
J “Those in the two War Departments – the Department of State and Department of Offense – are too busy planning the next failed invasion to deal with this failed invasion.”
. . .
J “Every grammar school child knows there are three steps to a purposeful departure. Evacuate the non-military personal and local supporters. Evacuate the military equipment. Evacuate the military personnel. They stumbled to step three and now want to send in the Marines and charge back to step one. Too late.”
K “The failure to remove the civilian personal and local supporters is beyond grossly incompetent. The failure to remove the military equipment is treasonous. If an American citizen had transferred the plans to the design of a cup holder in an American tank to the Taliban, he or she would spend a lifetime in Florence, Colorado at government expense. The American Kleptocracy transferred the plans in actual working models to almost every military vehicle and aircraft to the Taliban and ultimately to the Chinese without consideration or consequence.”
J “From the President on down, they should be retired. When they retire, the Kleptocrats will be rewarded with a sinecure with Northrup or Boeing or General Dynamics.”
. . .
[The e-commentary at “Afghanistan: The Usual Lies And Liars. Oh, And Happy I.F. Stone’s Birthday! (December 16, 2019)” says it all and more.]
Bumper stickers of the week:
There are no experts; there is no elite.
Impeach Biden . . . for high crimes and misdemeanors and gross incompetence
When you are in a hole, quit digging
“The Taliban is not the North Vietnamese Army, they’re not. They’re not remotely comparable in terms of capability. There’s going to be no circumstance for you to see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy of the United States from Afghanistan.” Joe Biden, July 8, 2021
To American Citizens,
Thank you for registering your request to be evacuated from Afghanistan. The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan has confirmed that an undefined number of U.S. government-provided flights will begin soon. Please make your way to Hamid Karzai International Airport at this time.
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT CANNOT GUARANTEE YOUR SECURITY AS YOU MAKE THIS TRIP.
See also a more recent statement: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/AfghanistanEvacuation.html
Paying the freight:
U.S. lawful permanent residents may submit a repatriation assistance request, and their request will be considered depending on availability.
2. Flight Costs: Repatriation flights are not free, and passengers will be required to sign a promissory loan agreement and may not be eligible to renew their U.S. passports until the loan is repaid. The cost may be $2,000USD or more per person.
3. Travel Documents: All passengers should have valid travel documents required for entry into the United States (e.g. U.S. passports or visas)
Assigned seats? A bag limit? Free peanuts?
e-commentary 