Plans To Memorialize a War Without End
On August 8, The New York Times Magazine‘s C.J. Chivers published a lengthy pre-mortem of the failures of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, noting how“Aside from displacing tyrants and leading to the eventual killing of Osama bin Laden, none of this turned out as pitched. Prominent successes were short-lived.” This faint praise of the War on Terror comes as the Afghanistan War approaches its 17th birthday.
In June, it was announced that a monument for soldiers who fought in the first Gulf War was approved for construction on the National Mall near the Lincoln Memorial, by the US Commission of Fine Arts. Elizabeth K. Meyer, a professor at the University of Virginia and member of the commission, expressed concern over “the proliferation of war memorials on the National Mall,” according to the Washington Post. “The Mall is a public space that symbolizes our collective national identity, and we’re more than wars. We’re more than commemorating the dead…”
Her worry is due to plans for four other war memorials on or around the Mall in the near future: dedications to World War I, Native American Veterans, African-American Veterans in the Revolution, and the most off-putting, yet inevitable of all, a Global War on Terror Memorial, scheduled for construction in 2024.
A Global War on Terror Memorial is objectionable for many reasons, but the most obvious is that the war is not over – and in fact, by the letter of the law, can never be over. Given the war’s unending nature, a War on Terror Memorial prematurely closes the debate and will prevent a full reckoning of whether or not it has been worth it – and the evidence suggests it hasn’t. No one will want to point to the memorial and say this war is unjust and unwise, for fear of disrespecting those still fighting it.
September 11 was the catalyst for the War on Terror. However, it was the September 18 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) that confirmed its open-endedness, giving the president wide latitude to “use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons” he determined were responsible for 9/11.
Little thought was given to how finely stretched that single page would become to include a never-ending ground war in Afghanistan, multiple, unaccountable drone wars, extrajudicial killing of American citizens, omnipresent surveillance, and military deployment in some 37 countries. In half a dozen of these places, such as Somalia and Yemen, the US military and its drones and planes are involved in violent clashes. By definition these are undeclared, open-ended wars in countries nobody in Congress voted to start.
Afghanistan is the mother and permanent child of the War on Terror. The conflict is almost 17 years old, the longest in American history, now in its third presidential administration. Last summer, President Trump announced a new “conditions-based” strategy that maintains the US presence until the Afghan government is able to provide for its own security.
The problem with that is, even after 17 years of American investment, the Afghan government is losing territory to the Taliban. Reconstruction projects fail to deliver even lukewarm results. Rampant corruption and an invigorated opium trade undermine both security and economic development.
The policies “that sent [American soldiers] abroad, with their emphasis on military action and their visions of reordering nations and cultures, have not succeeded.” Yet American troops are expected to labor on forever in hopes the Afghan government will eventually stand on its own.
Any realism is largely absent from public discourse and totally absent at the Pentagon. In fact, we receive the exact opposite, as a May statement on the war’s “progress” from General John Nicholson, Jr. highlights: “violence and progress can coexist, and that’s what we’re seeing.”
The 2003 Iraq War had its own AUMF, but those arguing in favor of the invasion relied on two accusations – both untrue – 1) Iraqi possession of WMDs and 2) an overt tie between Saddam Hussein and the al-Qaeda. Although it’s now politically safe to say that war was a mistake, as most otherwise stalwart hawks do, it destabilized the entire region and fed other conflicts, such as the Syrian Civil War (where there are 2,000 American troops).
Intervention has created a situation where the Middle East is now “more complex and conflict-ridden than it has been at any time since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire,” according to the Cato Institute’s Emma Ashford. The current fight in Iraq and Syria is focused on combating ISIS, who emerged from the power vacuum left after toppling Hussein, and who in many cases evolved out of the most extreme elements of al-Qaeda.
The War on Terror is more than just a bundle of bad policy decisions, though. The project writ large is an assault on liberal values. NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden confirmed the long-suspected totalitarian surveillance apparatus carried by the surveillance state. President Obama compiled a “kill list” of those he could eliminate without due process, including American citizens (a power that Trump still possesses). Three successive administrations have imprisoned terror suspects indefinitely without a trial, and some were tortured during the Bush years. President Trump is dropping a record number of bombs and killing record numbers of civilians. Perpetual war is inherently illiberal, and it’s what we have.
The War on Terror has been long, devoid of substantive victories, served no long-term strategic purpose, and has made us less safe. We should abolish the AUMF, bring the troops home, and then we can talk about whether this epoch deserve memorializing. Before we erect any permanent monuments to the War on Terror, it should first end.
Lucy Steigerwald is a journalist and editor in Pittsburgh. Follower her on Twitter @LucyStag. Jerrod A. Laber is a DC-based writer and journalist. Follow him on Twitter @JerrodALaber.
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Real Christianity Must Arise Over satanic Disease
We know u're just another fool when u say, "JUST QUIT. Because if no one signs up there will be no more war."
For humans are SINNERS, subject to HUBRIS; always have been; always will be, and they'll always find something to fight about and over.
Another of ur problems is to observing and then naming the aggravating factors of (a) HUBRIS, (b) satanism, and (c) Jews (see Talmudical.blogspot.com, RevisionistReview.blogspot.com, and Come-and-hear.com for expo).
For though it's true Jews don't CAUSE the initial HUBRIS, then satanism, Jews are satanists themselves (see citations given), most sublime practitioners, and they consolidate, dominate, and manipulate that satanism in the final stage of it in CYCLIC "Decline of the West," by Oswald Spengler.
For satanism is extreme subjectivism, idea reality is "created" by consciousness/mentality, making subject God, the creator.
Jews then are most consummate, sublime COLLECTIVISTIC subjectivists (specifically "midrash"), most effective at "group-think," making themselves as whole, quite literally, according to their filthy Talmud, to be co-equal w. God, the purpose of God's existence, God now merely their slave who mass-murders for them, this mass-murder celebrated on Passover and Purim. Just observe treatment given to Palestinians, who are made into "Amalek," but which "Amalek" is really ALL GENTILES, never doubt.
Hubris begins w. idea of MORALIST "good" (and "evil") which doesn't and can't exist, and this obsession for moralism and "good" becomes satanism, as moralism is SUBJECTIVE, as is "good," but which "good and evil" doesn't and couldn't exist in reality.
Thus the impossible quest for "good" becomes psychotic obsession w. subjectivism, and as the "successful," "prosperous," and "victorious" empire/civilization ages and matures, the hubristic corruption and decadence festers and inevitably reaches a satanic "critical mass," always succumbing to Jews, most practical, most organized, cohesive, and SUCCESSFUL satanists, who now consolidate the cultural disease, as we plainly see, Jews the masters of central banking–see Mises.org for expo on central-banking, literally legalized counterfeiting.
Thus the culture becomes THOROUGHLY, totally corrupt in blatant, outright satanism, all led by Jews, as we see, the Israeli terror-state lead instigators and perpetrators as we see fm EVERY disaster, terror-incident (like 9/11–see Bollyn.com), and war.
Thus the "Judeo-Christian" (JC–see Whtt.org and TruthTellers.org for expo) heretics among false "Christians" arise, and Christian establishment is satanified–observe present "Vatican," so fanatically now involved in wide-spread child-molestation, etc., so closely allied w. Israel and Jews, pushing "globalism," and "migrant"-invasions, etc.
Thus the only effective counter-CYCLIC antidote MUST be anti-satanic, hence anti-semitic–the REAL Christianity, featuring worship of TRUTH TRUTH TRUTH TRUTH (= Christ, see Gosp. JOHN 14:6) against lies (JOHN 8:44), real Christianity featuring OBJECTIVE reality against satanism and Jews, objectivity necessary basis of any real, practical TRUTH.
The authors of this article are absolutely right that we must cease glorifying war, including honoring veterans at every turn to the exclusion of anything else.
What I have started doing when I see people in military garb is to ask them to please QUIT THE MILITARY. JUST QUIT. Because if no one signs up there will be no more war.
Unfortunately, the way the government has set it up, you can't even get a job anymore without military service in your past.
I attended a festival on Labor Day in Cincinnati, on the Ohio River, where idiot radio announcers on loudspeakers kept urging us to salute our veterans. Didn't understand that the holiday is about honoring the working man and woman. They extended no invitations to applaud those who were supposed to be the focus of this holiday!
I, too, want to see NO MORE MEMORIALS TO WAR at any time, in any place.
"Deep State" Is satanic: People Need To Getting Clue
This article is well-taken, and well-stated, so far as it goes for facts regarding moronic "war on terror" since the false-flag and inside job of 9/11, but obviously there's still quite a bit left-out for fullest expo.
For what is the real "long-term strategic purpose"?–it's to serve Israeli terror-state, isn't it?–OBVIOUSLY. For Israel is the "tail" wagging proverbial Jew S A "dog," isn't it? And who/what is Donald Trump but Israel's puppet, servant, flunky, and henchman?–same as Obola and Bush, previously, they also serving the "deep-state" and "globalists" of the "left."
So what then is the CRUX of this filthy, Jewwy, satanic "deep-state"?–it's the central-bank–see Mises.org for expo; use their site search engine for specific topics.
For u need wars, like against "terror," so conveniently manufactured by Israel terror-state, MOSSAD, CIA, FBI, et al., as excuse/pretext to keep spending money–really CURRENCY, as we don't have real money anymore, and this is the problem–the CRUX to it all, the central-bank continuing satanic creation of evermore infinite waves of this currency.
Thus this satanic, (nearly) infinite currency steadily devaluates the currency already in circulation–known as "inflation"–impoverishing, enslaving, and destroying the people, culture, and economy.
CONCLUSION: So the people have to simply face-up to the basic fact of the overall satanic nature of our culture presently, such as it is, unfortunately, given by this satanic instrument, the criminal enterprise of central-banking, literally legalized counterfeiting, which is behind the "perpetual war for perpetual peace," like the idiot "war on terror." And the satanic nature and character of everything, cultural, political, economic, and psychologic would be lost for explanation without the Jew element and factor (see Talmudical.blogspot.com, RevisionistReview.blogspot.com, and Come-and-hear.com for expo).
Thus the people must re-discover, resurrect, and REVIVE the original basic Christian inspiration, anti-satanic (extreme subjectivism, whence it's held consciousness/mentality creates reality, making subject to be God), hence anti-semitic, Christianity featuring worship of TRUTH, hence the basic OBJECTIVE reality.