I just finished reading another news item about Hamid Karzai (president of Afghanistan) and his brothers. These guys apparently have a stranglehold on commerce in Kandahar and environs. They operate like a gang of Mafioso, strangling and squeezing out all competitors. Several of their competitors have fled the country for fear of losing their lives, never mind the fact they have lost $millions because of actions by the Karzai gang. Why am I writing about this seemingly old news? I attended a repatriation ceremony at 8Wing Trenton, where all of our dead Afghan heroes land in their pine boxes. It was a very moving ceremony, to witness and be part of the return of a fallen soldier. Seeing the flag draped casket being lifted down the loading ramp of a huge C17 cargo jet, carefully loaded into a sparkling black hearse by white gloved soldiers, as hundreds of people lined the street and watched in silent reverence, it makes me question why these guys died? What exactly are we defending over there? Are we sending our professional soldiers to protect a malignant government? Did these sons and daughters die so that Karzai and his thug brothers could pad their Swiss bank accounts? So our 2011 departure as an active fighting group makes eminent sense to me. Get the hell out of there and let the country implode. Like we don’t have enough domestic problems here that require urgent attention and infusion of money? Crazy world!
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