We do. The entire population of the United States pays the price for those who are unvaccinated. The payment occurs in several ways. Those who are unvaccinated and become infected with Covid 19 can be hosts in which the virus can mutate, producing more variants which can be more deadly and more contagious. This is what happened with the delta variant which fortunately appears … [Read more...] about Who Pays For the Unvaccinated?
The Afghan people’s incessant calamities
The true calamity of the Taliban’s lightening victory in Afghanistan is the inevitable suffering of its helpless people. After lurching for decades from one cruel warlord to another, the Soviet jackboot and the American eagle’s claws they have fallen into the hellfire of Sunni Islamic zealotry. They have suddenly fallen through a time warp to an epoch 1,400 years ago. The … [Read more...] about The Afghan people’s incessant calamities
Afghanistan is not America’s responsibility.
Some people are wringing their hands in response to the U.S. military being pulled out of Afghanistan. According to them, the U.S. military must remain in Afghanistan until that place is turned into Sesame Street. Such people are living in a fantasy world, one in which it is possible for Americans to tame Afghanistan. Meanwhile, back in the real world, the American … [Read more...] about Afghanistan is not America’s responsibility.
Organic food has become mainstream but still has room to grow
Organic vegetables at the Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens, Goleta, Calif. Citizen of the Planet/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Kathleen Merrigan, Arizona State University CC BY-ND Organic food once was viewed as a niche … [Read more...] about Organic food has become mainstream but still has room to grow
Could we have done more? Veterans share mixed feelings about US withdrawal from Afghanistan
Published by The Philadelphia InquirerAs she watched events unfold in Afghanistan this week with staggering speed, Kristin Leone began questioning her 2015 deployment with the U.S. Naval Reserve Nurse Corps, tending to wounded American and NATO soldiers. “Did I do enough?” the Berlin Borough nurse wondered. “Did we do all of this in vain?” Like many veterans of the conflict in … [Read more...] about Could we have done more? Veterans share mixed feelings about US withdrawal from Afghanistan
Biden defends Afghanistan decision, blames Afghan army’s unwillingness to fight
Published by ReutersBy Steve Holland and Nandita Bose WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden said on Monday he stood "squarely behind" his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan despite searing images of chaos in Kabul that exposed the limits of U.S. power and plunged him into the worst crisis of his presidency. Breaking his silence on the U.S. pullout after … [Read more...] about Biden defends Afghanistan decision, blames Afghan army’s unwillingness to fight
Afghanistan: Taliban victory inevitable despite the trillions the US poured in
Nawid Tanha/EPA-EFE Natasha Lindstaedt, University of Essex In less than a week, the Taliban has captured nearly a dozen key cities in Afghanistan. With the departure of US forces, it is poised to take over the country from the embattled Afghan government. Over the past 20 years, the US has poured trillions of dollars into Afghanistan to oust the Taliban, … [Read more...] about Afghanistan: Taliban victory inevitable despite the trillions the US poured in
If, When, As Afghanistan Collapses
I started working on this piece a couple of days ago. I have had to change the starting paragraph twice. Two days ago, it was “If Afghanistan falls….” Yesterday it became, “When Afghanistan falls…” Today, tragically it is “As Afghanistan falls…” I’ll pick it up from there. As Afghanistan falls there is already the endless finger pointing and blame shifting, … [Read more...] about If, When, As Afghanistan Collapses
Afghanistan War Consquences (Cartoon)
Taliban enters Kabul, Afghan president flees: 4 essential reads
U.S. personnel were evacuated from the U.S. embassy in Kabul, the Afghan capital, as Taliban insurgents broke through the city’s defensive line, Aug. 15, 2021. AP Photo/Rahmat Gul Catesby Holmes, The Conversation Under siege, President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan has departed the country as Taliban insurgents, who had seized most major Afghan cities … [Read more...] about Taliban enters Kabul, Afghan president flees: 4 essential reads
Taliban want full power after return to Afghanistan capital
Published by ReutersKABUL (Reuters) -Afghanistan's Taliban entered the capital Kabul on Sunday and Western-backed President Ashraf Ghani left the country, with the insurgents saying they were seeking complete power. Two officials from the militant Islamist group https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taliban-key-facts-islamic-militant-group-2021-08-15 told Reuters there … [Read more...] about Taliban want full power after return to Afghanistan capital
Who’s to blame for Afghanistan exit disaster? Biden, Trump, Obama, Bush or all of them?
Afghanistan's President has fled the country as the Tailban quickly move into Kabul. Whether it's totally applicable or not, the images and stories now coming out of Aghanistan do seem like the chaotic images and stories from Vietnam when the United States had to flee the capitol in defeat. A firestorm of comment online and in news stories is trying to answer: who is to blame … [Read more...] about Who’s to blame for Afghanistan exit disaster? Biden, Trump, Obama, Bush or all of them?
Taliban on outskirts of Afghan capital, poised to take power
Published by Al-ArabyThe Taliban was on the brink of total victory in Afghanistan on Sunday, with its fighters ordered to wait on the outskirts of the capital and the government conceding it was preparing for a "transfer of power". The Taliban's militants surrounded Kabul following an astonishing rout of government forces and warlord militias achieved in just 10 days. The fall … [Read more...] about Taliban on outskirts of Afghan capital, poised to take power
Death By Willful Ignorance
Madness is in the news again: One person stabbed as COVID anti-vaxxers and counterdemonstrators clash in front of L.A. City Hall Los Angeles Times An anti-vaccine rally at Los Angeles City Hall turned violent on Saturday, with one person stabbed and a reporter claiming he was assaulted, according to police and protesters on the scene... War of the Worlds 1953 lobby card - … [Read more...] about Death By Willful Ignorance
New research indicates Trump contributed to Americans embracing beliefs that neutralized social distancing norms
Published by PsyPostPeople who endorsed President Donald Trump’s denials of the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic were more likely to adopt justifications for deviant behavior related to social distancing, according to new research conducted during the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak. The study has been published in the scientific journal Deviant Behavior. “There were … [Read more...] about New research indicates Trump contributed to Americans embracing beliefs that neutralized social distancing norms
Biden adds forces for Afghan evacuation, defends withdrawal decision
Published by ReutersBy Idrees Ali and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden said on Saturday that he had approved additional military forces to go to Kabul to help safely draw down the American embassy and remove personnel from Afghanistan. In a lengthy statement, Biden defended his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, arguing that Afghan … [Read more...] about Biden adds forces for Afghan evacuation, defends withdrawal decision
Over 300 killed in magnitude 7.2 quake in Haiti
Published by ReutersBy Andre Paultre and Sarah Marsh PORT-AU-PRINCE/HAVANA (Reuters) -At least 304 people died and hundreds were injured or missing after a major earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday, authorities said, reducing churches, hotels and homes to rubble in the latest tragedy … [Read more...] about Over 300 killed in magnitude 7.2 quake in Haiti
In Afghanistan, the US again gets to choose how it stops fighting
The U.S. military is handing the keys over to Afghan forces. Joe Marek/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Thomas Alan Schwartz, Vanderbilt University As headlines proclaim the “end” of “America’s longest war,” President Joe Biden’s withdrawal of the remaining U.S. military personnel from Afghanistan is being covered by some in the news media as though it … [Read more...] about In Afghanistan, the US again gets to choose how it stops fighting
Afghanistan: A Grim Update (Updated)
UPDATE: From Defense One: U.S. Air Force cargo planes and contracted aircraft are headed to Afghanistan to evacuate potentially thousands of Americans and Afghans per day as the Taliban advances on Kabul, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Friday. On Thursday the Taliban took Afghanistan’s second largest city, Kandahar, and advances by Taliban fighters have put … [Read more...] about Afghanistan: A Grim Update (Updated)
Kabul evacuations — echoes of US exit from Saigon?
Published by AFPWashington (AFP) - Thousands of American soldiers being sent to Afghanistan to evacuate embassy staff from Kabul as the Taliban push towards the city has revived painful US memories of the fall of Saigon. A photo that immortalized America's defeat in Vietnam, showing evacuees boarding a helicopter on the roof of a building, spread fast on social networks after … [Read more...] about Kabul evacuations — echoes of US exit from Saigon?