Biden's Botched Bail-Out of Afghanistan

(Image by Henry Payne)

When I started junior high school, I remember the news media making a big hoopla over the Vietnam War being over when the Paris Peace Accords signed (27 January 1973).

Two years later I watched the same news media, shocked and dismayed over the Fall of Saigon two years later.

Then there was Dubya's infamous Mission Accomplished banner declaration. 

(Image by Michael Ramirez)

So with a staggering amount of military equipment abandoned, and the White House clueless--or lying--about the number of Americans stranded in Mordorstan, I'd say the Afghanistan war is not over.

(Image by Gary Varvel)

But the non-FOX News networks are praising the withdrawal, while Circleback Psaki claims no Americans are stranded.

So which is it?  Don't know--or don't exist?

My writer friend, Piper Bayard, calls-out the fuzzy math employed by Biden apparatchiks to conjure-up the "5400" figure and asks: Where do we go from here? 

Where, indeed?

Unfortunately, we're on the horns of a dilemma:  Pressure the Harris-Biden Administration to un-strand our stranded countrymen, while simultaneously demand accountability for for which no responsibility has thus far been taken. 

As un-vetted Afghanis and their child "brides" begin arriving on American soil, and most of them are not Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders, it's become apparent that Biden's Berlin Airlift 2.0 was based merely on bodies.  

Get Afghans out of Afghanistan, any old Afghan (and his "child bride") will do.  It was all a big Bait & Switch, along with the other lies that are coming to light.

Lies that got people murdered, and are unravelling fast--like BS Biden's own Telephonegate with Grabthemoney Ghani.  Or that it was "bad intelligence" that caused a chain-reaction of faulty decisions made by our Swamp Dwellers in DC. 

(To be fair, the Afghan War was a lie for years.)

Nor is Sleepy Joe alone in this.  Our top military leaders act like second-rate political hacks.

(Image by Al Goodwyn)

In addition to lies, and "extraordinary success" gaslighting, the Harris-Biden Regime quickly began Memory Holing inconvenient facts.  

Like erasing the data on the shit-ton of military material abandoned in Afghanistan (or what I now call "Mordorstan") on Federal websites, even when it's the greatest loss of military equipment in warfare history. 

Even if the terrorists don't turn our weapons on ourselves, or our allies, they could sell them to their supporters.  Especially since the Taliban considers China a "trustworthy friend."

Sleepy Joe's handlers won't abide by anyone bringing up arming the "Tollyban" while they're Hell-bent on disarming law-abiding American citizens. 

As we all know, once a citizenry is disarmed, there'll be nothing stopping those in power, like the disturbing reports of the Taliban conducting door-to-door mass executions of Afghans who helped the US.  

Any guess on how the "Tollyban" obtained such information?

(Image by Gary Varvel)

And what do our allies think of Biden's "extraordinary success" in yanking us out of Afghanistan?

Well, the folks Down Under consider Our Hair-Sniffer-in-Chief an international embarrassment, the "whole" US withdrawal from Afghanistan was "botched," and the US has "proved itself completely incompetent" through its Afghanistan withdrawal. 

Our allies perception of our incompetence is, to some degree or another, due to our great complacency.

(Image by A.F. Branco)

A complacency that will see America's influence in the world continue to erode unless we're able to correct our current political-social trajectory. 

 

The Fall of Saigon 2.0

(Image by A.F. Branco)

 Saigon Kabul fell to the North Vietnamese Taliban this past weekend with total mayhem at the Kabul Airport.

Yes, I’m making the same Fall of Saigon comparison every news agency and current events commentator has made this past week.  But when you have similar images like this…

(Image from Historic Photographs)

…it’s impossible not to make such differentiation. 

Unlike our withdrawal from Vietnam (which I remember) where American citizens were evacuated, our current Department of State (DOS) abandoned American citizens and told them to go hide, while the Pentagon says there’s no plan to help Americans trapped in Afghanistan get to the airport.

Seriously?  What the f*ck!  

As several commentators have stated throughout the links I provided:  It’s not a matter of whether or not to leave Afghanistan, it’s a question of how.  Abandoning billions of dollars-worth of functioning military hardware, and thousands of Americans is not the way to “pick up our toys and go home.”

The exact number of Americans behind enemy lines is unknown, but is estimated to be between 5,000 and 10,000. 

Instead of ginning-up a plan to rescue a legion’s worth of Americans, our political and military leaders are doing what they have done best for the past 20 years—playing The Blame, Spin and Virtue Signal Game.

Zhou Bei Den is blaming Trump and the Afghan Army, the Pentagon claims the Kabul Chaos is “not a failure,” while Nancy Pelosi expresses “deep concern” for Afghan women and girls, and the DOS called on the Taliban to form an “inclusive and representative government.”

Oh, Sleepy Joe did wake up on Monday and gave a disgraceful speech, didn’t take any questions, then shuffled back to Camp David, after which his handlers posted a 

photo leaving Americans puzzled.

Despite any assurances Basement Biden may have mumbled about a few weeks ago…

(Image by Gary Varvel)

…they were all lies, as a recent DoD IG report revealed.

Biden truly owns the Taliban victory in Afghanistan and Harris-Biden Administration is shaping-up as an absolute disaster, while the world just got more dangerous thanks to their incompetence.

(Image by Michael Ramirez)

Ben Shapiro explained why Afghanistan fell so quickly and what’s currently happening there now.  (Hint:  None of it is good). 

Meanwhile, Lame Stream Media outlets, like CNN, are having a tough time covering up for Biden.

As American citizens here in America are dealing with an invisible president…

(Image by Tom Stiglich)

…the impact this scale of humiliation will have on future world affairs will be dire.

The Nuke Nutcase of North Korea

(Image by Robert Ariail)

Mid last week, Our Grand Nagus hosted a classified briefing warning senators that the North Korean threat is "urgent." In the aftermath of the meeting, the White House is considering putting North Korea on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list.

By the end of the week, Trump said during a Reuters interview that a major, major conflict with North Korea is possible.  Meanwhile, Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, urged the UN to act "before North Korea does." 

But even if we avoid a major, major conflict--or even just a major conflict--with Kim Jong-Un's gang, there's a few more failed states we may have to contend with.

Mark Steyn calls this the Age of the Nuclear Basket Case.

(Image by Gary Varvel)

The New Deterrence Deputy in Town

(Image by Gary Varvel)

VDH wrote a thoughtful article on Our Grand Nagus's attempt to restore deterrence--one bomb at a time.

Trump's salvos certainly aren't "Mission Accomplished" moments--they're merely signals to our adversaries that the Era of Hope & Change is over.

As VDH wrote, we're just now starting to restore some semblance of deterrence.  We have a long way to go, with potential hazards along the way.

But still, it's a good start...

(Image by Glenn McCoy)

Palm Sunday Weekend Terror Attacks

(Image by Steve Breen in The Federalist Papers)

Our jihadist enemies weren't idle over the weekend.

While chattering class debated the effectiveness and legalities of the missile strike against Syria, a Uzbek carjacked a beer truck, plowed it into a crowd killing four and injuring 15 in Stockholm, Sweden.

And as usual, he turned out to be another Known Wolf who evaded deportation.

Then on Palm Sunday, two bombs killed 44 church-goers and injured 100 during Palm Sunday services in Egypt.

A tidbit of good news emerged from Iraq:  Iraqi Christians celebrated their first Palm Sunday Mass in three years.  Let's hope this trend continues.

But back in San Bernadino, a mass shooting occurred in an elementary school.

This story was just breaking yesterday as I was composing this post.  This turned out to be a murder-suicide involving a husband (suicide shooter) and his wife.  While there's probably no connection with global jihad, incidents like this still make me say "WTF?"

Trump Backslaps Syria

(Image by Henry Payne)

Late last week while my wife an I enjoyed a couple of rare days off--together--Grand Nagus Donolf Trumpler met with China's president, Xi Jinping.

Oh, and launched a Tomahawk missile strike against the Syrian airbase that conducted a chemical weapons attack.

Apparently, the Grand Nagus didn't get Barry O's memo about establishing multiple red lines for murderous dictators to cross.

Reactions--on both sides of the political divide--have been mixed.  Russia certainly isn't happy.

Speaking of the Russians:  The Pentagon is conducting an investigation to determine if Russia actually helped Syria conduct the chemical attack.

While I share the concern about us getting into a "Syrian quagmire"--or worse--going head-to-head with Russia, like The Diplomad and Dystopic are--and for good reasons--I'm all for putting the Usual Suspects "on notice." 

Even if the Syrian airbase is back in business:  Mark Steyn pointed out Trump hit a reset button for the world, while Greg Gutfeld cheered Trump reminded everyone who's boss.

Whether one thinks the Grand Nagus made the right decision or the wrong one, at this point it's better than making no decisions at all...

(Image by Lisa Benson)

China's Classical Confrontational Style

(Image by Paresh Nath)

Russia isn't the only nation conducting cyber attacks against us.

It's widely believed China also has a legion of hacker on PRC politburo.  But China doesn't limit its shenanigans to cyberspace.  A few days ago they committed an act of grand theft submersible by stealing an underwater drone--right in front of the American crew.

We may see more confrontations like this, despite any tough-talk from Trump.

James Holmes warns us about why we should fear China flexing its Thucydidean Muscles in the near future.

Honoring the 75th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor

(Image by Steve Breen)

Early in my military career I had the honor of visiting the USS Arizona Memorial.

Near the end of my active duty days, I had the opportunity to go to Japan for an exercise.  Afterwards, I was fortunate enough to take a tour of Nagasaki, and stood at ground zero.

In a sense, I could say my military career took me to the places where America entered World War II--and where we ended it.

The Obama Doctrine's Roots in Antiquity

(Image by Nate Beeler)

Now that the last Presidential Debate of 2016 is behind us, let's take a look at both the ancient past and beyond our borders.

Apparently, "leading from behind" isn't a new concept, and goes back as far as the Peloponnesian War.

Probably even further.

Kori Schake makes an interesting comparison of our situation in Syria with the spark(s) that ignited the Spartan-Athenian Smackdown in her article:  Thucydides All Over Again.

No matter who wins the Presidential Election, most of us like-minded folks feel tensions beyond the Ramparts of Civilization will continue to rise until we're at--or passed--the brink of war.

(Image by Robert Ariail)

Dire Warning About Declining Deterrence

(Image by Lisa Benson)

For the past several weeks, we've been focusing on the antics of Our Corrupt Queen (Hillary Clinton), and The Boorish Billionaire (Donald Trump), interspersed with the nothing-to-do-with-Islam terrorist attacks at home and abroad.

Recently, police-involved shootings occurred in Tulsa, OK, and Charlotte, NC.  The Tulsa police officer has been charged with manslaughter, while Charlotte has been the scene of
four nights (so far) of protests.

And this shooting, closer to home, erupted last night:  4 dead at Cascade Mall, Burlington, WA.

So we don't need ISIS's help in destroying ourselves.

But the Islamic State is just one member of the rogues gallery operating outside the Ramparts of Civilization.

VDH issued a dire warning that A Hard Rain is Going to Fall unless America re-asserts itself and resumes deterring the world's rogues.

Keeping Denizens in the Dark About Islamo-Terrorism

(Image from:  Hope n' Change Cartoons)

A few days ago, Hillary's successor in the State Department gave a speech in Bangladesh.  In one segment, Kerry recommended the media would "...do us all a service if they didn't cover it [terrorist activity] quite as much. People wouldn't know what's going on."

Now, Snopes, (recently revealed to be the left-leaning blogger most of us suspected it to be), says while the statement is true, it "...doesn't tell the entire story."

No it doesn't.

True, no one wants to encourage copy-cat killers, which is the excuse being made for the highlighted comments.

However, given the Obama Administration's continued track record of downplaying the Islamo-terrorist threat, Kerry's creepy comments seem more of a "Freudian Slip" than merely a poor choice of words.

Greg Gutfeld called-out Kerry's attempt at promoting ignorance is bliss.

Terrorists Weaponizing Everyday Life

The situation in Turkey remains unclear, at least at the time I'm writing this.

But then again, so are the details of lone wolf attack in Nice, France.

If you only watch CNN and read the New York Times, you'd think that a self-aware truck was responsible for the terrorist attack.  This is yet another attempt to avoid implicating, let alone outright declaring, that the perpetrator may have been influenced by the violent aspects of Islam.

For us infidels, this latest attack demonstrates how easy it is to commit an atrocity, and how hard it is to stop one.  While it's been reported that the driver had at least one gun and an unknown number of hand grenades, the majority of casualties were inflicted by driving his truck through the crowd.

What we're faced with now is that the "weaponization of everyday life" is making traditional counterterrorism tactics obsolete.  I don't know about you, but I've felt every day life has been weaponized since the Boston Marathon Bombers used pressure cookers for their bombs.

Meanwhile, our political ruling class, and the media (the same media attempting to memory-hole Islam out of any terrorist incident involving a Muslim), are encouraging us to meekly attend candle-light vigils and sign up for various hashtags.

Katie Hopkins declares we should stop waiting to be slaughtered and demand our leaders do something.

And by "slaughtered," more often than we're told, doesn't mean being quietly euthanized.  It's now coming to light that several victims in last November's Bataclan attack were tortured.

The Neglected Navy of the Great White North

(Image found on Yorkton This Week)

Despite all the problems plaguing the U.S. military, from budget cuts to leftist social engineering attempts within, to increasing belligerence from adversaries, America's armed forces are still cruising at #1--for the time being.

How long we can coast along and maintain our readiness is anybody's guess, and has been the subject of e-mail exchanges between my friends and I, along with subsequent blogposts.

What I haven't been aware of is how bad things were with our ally of The Great White North, (the country not the comedy sketch).

One of my friends called our attention to the sinking of the Canadian Navy, (which appeared last August).

In short, The RCN has been scuttled, leaving only--

--12 x  Halifax-class frigates
--12 x Kingston-class coastal defence vessels
--4 x ex-U.K. submarines, and
--13 x icebreakers, with only 6 deemed capable of operating in the true polar region.

With trouble brewing all over the world, I'd love to see Canada reverse this calamitous course.

(Image found on Raeside Cartoon)

DoD's Kinder-Gentler "Strategic Interaction"

(Image by Bob Gorrell)

The other day Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter, announced U.S. policy of "strategic interaction" means no intimidating.

While our SecDef is pushing for a kinder-gentler way of conducting military operations, who coined the phrase "Islamophobia" is having a change of heart.

Sort of.

As Mark Steyn points out, despite "The Trevor Phillips' Late Late Show," the idea of closing and barring the gates to the Islamo-barbarians is still a taboo subject.

While Mr. Carter believe intimidating our nation's enemies is outdated, and U2 frontman Bono thinks all we have to do is ridicule them; said enemies, especially the Islamo-barbarians, certainly feel otherwise.

Lights Snuffed Out in the West

(Image by Nate Beeler)

It's been a few days now since the Brussels Bombing.

While I certainly sympathize with the nearly 300 victims, I haven't conducted any sentimental response.

Not even so much as changed my profile picture on Facebook to the Belgian flag.

The reason for my apparent callous indifference is because I'm not into the one-stop shop for all your terror-sentimentalizing needs.

Instead, I like The Diplomad's ideas for dealing with the Islamic threat.

In short: Keep Muslims outside the Ramparts of Civilization until the Ummah reigns-in the terrorists among them.

Unfortunately, western leaders, bureaucrats and most of the media, continue to think importing people from failed states is a great idea--even if there are cadres of wolves in the fold.

This is one of--if not the main reason--why Trump is so popular with rank-and-file conservatives.

Oh, I certainly don't believe Trump will save civilization as we know it.

But unless we turn off the flow of fifth columnists, then Chamberlain-ization of our society will continue to see "acceptable levels of violence."

(Image by Lisa Benson)

Of Memes and Muslim Terrorists

(Image found on Facebook)

In the wake of the Brussels Bombings, Belgian police conducted nation-wide raids and found more explosives.  The only shred of decent news is third suspect was reportedly caught.

The Diplomad wrote a quick commentary on the Muslim Murder Machine rolling through Brussels, and the common denominator most of our politicians and media ignore:

Islam.

I'm certainly not the only one "...sick of this shit."  Mark Steyn who was "Islamed out" after last year's attack on Paris, criticizes the preemptive apologies in his Tomorrow's Civilizational Cringe Today article.

 Here's another meme that captures my feelings of solidarity with our allies and attitude towards our Islamic enemies:

(Another image found on Facebook)

ISIS Following Islamic Conquest Template

(Image by Michael Ramirez)

Ever since the Islamic State's atrocities gained the media spotlight, apologists for the "JV Team" like to lecture us about their "un-Islamic" barbarity.

Raymond Ibrahim explains why the Islamic State's ancient jihadi tactics shock the West, and follows a similar, if not the same pattern as the Muslim Conquests.

When my friend posted this article on his Facebook page, I responded:

The Islamic State's tactics only shock those who haven't read history. Which, now that I think of it, means a lot of people.

As long as our collective ignorance of the past continues, the future will become grimmer and darker...

(Image found on: Ubiquitous8Thoughts--The Four Jihads)

POWs on Parade in Persia

(Image by Jerry Holbert)

It's been over a month since 10 American sailors were captured by Iranian forces.

Last week, while Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire Primary held everyone's attention (myself included), few noticed events occurring outside the Ramparts of Civilization.

First, Iran released footage of one of the captured sailors crying.

Then, during a parade celebrating the 37th year of Iran's Islamic Revolution, a float depicting the captured American sailors was the star attraction.

US Navy officials aren't happy about Iran's actions.

But, hey!  According to Our Dear Leader Obama, Iran is a new found friend in this Era of Hope and Change.

My friends and I have been wondering why so little is being said by Team Obama explaining how this whole incident transpired.

We've asked ourselves a lot of questions but have come up with no answers.  We suspect there's a lot more behind this incident than we're being told.

But the one common denominator is:  Our Dear Leader doesn't want to, as one of my friends put it,  "...impugn the honor of our Persian Partner."

Os Prisoners for Nukes Deal

(Image by Lisa Benson)

Last week, just hours before Our Dear Leader's last State of the Union Address (SOTU), 10 American sailors were captured by elements of the Iranian navy.

Fortunately, they were released and have apparently suffered no physical harm.  However, the humiliating treatment of our sailors has been a hot-button topic, especially upon hearing things like their captors told them to "act happy."

While on the subject of Americans held by Iran, yesterday it was announced that four prisoners, including a long-held pastor, will be released.

Of course the Obama Administration is ecstatic over how, by concluding the Nuke Deal, they avoided some 21st Century version of the War of Jenkins' Ear.

Yesterday, sanctions were, or are in the process of being lifted against Iran. 

Yeah, "...and there was much rejoicing."

Despite all this on-the-surface good news, us like-minded folks, especially Bibi, aren't happy about giving-in to Iran.

To put it bluntly:  We haven't trusted the Iranian government since Iran Hostage Crisis.

Since then, Iran has a history of humiliating others when given the opportunity--or more likely, seeking the opportunity--to do so.

Once the mullahs are flush with cash, we won't be surprised by more such non-nuclear actions--or worse--in the future...

(Image by Chip Bok)

Looking Back on 2015

(Image by Bob Gorrell)

I thought I'd attempt to open the New Year's blogging activity on a humorous note about the previous year, thanks to Dave Barry's 2015 Year in Review.

For the more serious-minded, there's Derek Hunter's The Best, Worst And The Rest of 2015, along with John Hawkins' The 20 Best Quotes of the Year, Todd Starnes' 10 Stories That Fired Up America, and of course, Mark Steyn's Three-Hundred-Sixty-Se'nnight.

But to optimists like John Stossel and Jeff Jacoby, 2015 was a "year half-full."

Here's Stossel's 2015 and Jacoby's Look Again at some of this year's positives.

No matter how bad we think 2015 was, let's hope 2016 is a better year for all of us.

(Image by Lisa Benson)