The Double-edged Sword

We are engaged in "Saigon in slow motion," as Tammy Swofford opined in Pakistan's Daily Times on August 18, 2012, well before the filmifada.

A taste of the essay:

It is pleasant to consider that the Pentagon remembers the lessons of the past, those learned in Vietnam. It is where the US military first put a ‘win hearts and minds’ paradigm into play. Vietnam was the initial military laboratory for a two-pronged foreign engagement for a regional conflict that sought to beat back communism whilst also making our policies palatable within a distinct cultural setting.

Military planners have also sought the same in Afghanistan...

[...]

As we wind down in Afghanistan, there will not be a defining ‘win’, rather a lot of spin. This may not be Saigon. But it is Saigon in slow motion for the families receiving back their dead, killed in such manner as meted out in Afghanistan.

Read Tammy Swofford's entire essay HERE. Worth your time.

Consider the following video, which aired on September 23, 2012 (Apologies for the commercial that may appear at the beginning):

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[source]Has American involvement in Islamic countries become the double-edged sword? Stay, we lose? Leave, we lose?

Is war a necessary evil?

Pastorius note: BUMPED TO THE TOP - I think Christine has written a particularly important post here, in that it synthesizes the holistic and Judeo-Christian views of the world.

Since the beginning of time, there have been wars. Many small and a few very large.

I believe that wars play a very necessary part in our human lives. That without wars, we would have not existed this long on earth.

The best analogy is the forest fire. Ever since God planted the first trees, there have been forest fires. Not caused by man, but by nature. Fire plays an intrical part in the growth and development of the forest. Trees, such as the Banksia plant in Australia and the Giant Sequoia Tree only open once they have been through a fire.

Fires thin out the area around a tree and the fertile ash that is left after a fire produce optimal conditions for germination and growth. Fire also destroys competitors as well as pest and any diseased wood.

So in reality, a forest fire can have great benefits, in the long run. Who knows what the trigger is, what amount of "pressure" needs to build up. But all of the elements are there.

Human beings are blessed with the ability to feel, think, love and hate. These feelings when kept in check create a balance. But, on this globe called earth we have billions of these thinking, feeling, hating and loving beings. There will always be bickering and fighting going on. That is human nature, our differences revealed. A low roar, a constant hum.

Over time though, the low roar starts to get louder. Slowly, slowly, it rises. Suddenly, like in the corner of a bar, someone "crosses the line". You have a war. When the tavern explodes in chaos , you have a World War.

The pressure builds up so high, it explodes. This explosion, is the necessary evil. Like the forest fire. All of the necessary elements have come together, the valve needs to be cleared.

As after WWII, the world calms down. There is a lull. An almost "sleepy" faze, where everyone is warn out. The built up pressure is gone.

It has been over 60 years since WWII. We went through the lull, the low hum played out and the roaring has been getting louder and louder.

Right now, you don't need to strain to here the roar. It's like you could actually see an earthquake coming.

Over there, do you see the ripple heading straight for you?

Get ready for the JOLT.