Hello:
On Saturday, my train pulled into Penn Station just as the Rangers were putting the finishing touches on a 6-3 win over the Devils. So I got to walk up 7th Avenue with a bunch of folks in Rangers gear.
Have to admit, that was pretty cool.
More and more of us are getting vaccinated, which means more events and places can have more people attending them. We really are I believe, getting close to the end of this.
There are places where the numbers are going back up, which means we still have to be diligent. Keep washing our hands, keep wearing a mask in public, social distance as best we can.
But that light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter and brighter. That's a good thing.
So let's see what else is going on....
WAR ON TERROR: Biden's Plan for Afghanistan.
President Biden announced on Wednesday that the US would withdraw all military forces out of Afghanistan by the 20th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, 5 months from now.
In his address given from the White House Treaty Room, the same spot where President Bush 43 announced he had ordered airstrikes in Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, Biden told the nation "I have concluded that it’s time to end America’s longest war. It’s time for American troops to come home."
He noted that our main objective had been met: The capture and killing of Osama Bin-Laden and the destruction of al-Qaeda. He noted that once these objectives had been met, that the mission in Afghanistan had become less clear. He also noted that it was President Trump's administration that had previously negotiated a May 1st, 2021 deadline for troop withdrawal.
Indeed in February 2020, then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed a deal under which the United States pledged to withdraw its forces by that deadline. In exchange the Taliban would sever ties with what remains of al-Qaeda, and agree to begin negotiations with the Afghan government toward a cease-fire and peace agreement.
I have to admit I'm very mixed about all this.
On one hand, as stated, our main objective upon beginning this conflict in Afghanistan was to put Bin-Laden and al-Qaeda out of business. President Bush put the apparatus in place by attacking known al-Qaeda training sites and military bases. In short time, the Taliban was overthrown and a new government was established.
It wouldn't be till May 1st, 2011, almost 10 years after the 9/11 attacks that President Obama ordered the Seal Team 6 raid in Pakistan that tagged and bagged Bin-Laden.
So with Bin Laden dead, al-Qaeda in tatters, it would have seemed to be a good time to end our involvement in Afghanistan right?
Except, while the Taliban was out of power, they were far from out of business. And they were hell bent on getting back control of Afghanistan.
There's a part of me that wonders if it's a good idea to leave the Taliban to their own devices. They are a brutal, barbaric organization. Their treatment of women and children are horrific. Back in 2001, the US, the UN, and most of the civilized world refused to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate leaders of Afghanistan. (Only Pakistan recognized them). Most Middle East experts agree that withdrawing forces from Afghanistan will surely lead to the Taliban once again ruling Afghanistan. Are we just supposed to forget about or disregard them?
But as been pointed out, we have other hotspots in the world we have to concern ourselves with. Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, etc. These places need our attention. And if we haven't figured it out in Afghanistan after 20 years, it begs the question, will we ever?
I guess I'll just have to leave it up to the guys in charge.
One thing is for sure...Whenever we bring these troops home, every single one of those who served should be honored with a parade down the Canyon of Heroes. I hope we can all agree on that.
CRIME: The Million Dollar Question
According to The Smoking Gun, two women from a Knoxville, TN suburb sought to pay for their purchases at a Dollar General store with a $ 1 Million bill. The alert Dollar General cashier instead called the cops.
A Sherriff's deputy came and questioned the dastardly duo, who claimed that the "money" came from their church, and they were using the funds to set up care packages for the homeless. Indeed the ladies shopping cart contained gift cards amongst other items not specified. It also was not mentioned what the church's name or affiliation was.
I have a couple of questions myself: One, whose picture was on this million dollar bill? Considering the bill came from "a church" and the religious right seems to think he's just the bees knees, could it have been our nation's 45th President gracing the face of this bill? I'll betcha a million fake dollars on that.
Also I wonder if the cashier actually knew that the highest denomination that is currently produced by the US Mint is the $100.00 bill (all about the Benjamin Franklins) In the past we had a $500 bill (President William McKinley) $1,000 bill (President Grover Cleveland) a $5,000 that was used during the Civil War (President James Madison) a $10,000 bill (Solomon P. Chase-former Treasury Secretary under Abraham Lincoln and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court) and a $100,000 bill (President Woodrow Wilson). The $500 bill is still considered legal tender.
Now I overheard this story on the radio, and the guy who was reading the story wondered aloud how many things you could actually buy at a Dollar General if you had a million bucks in your pocket. Now I'm the last guy who can make fun of anyone's math skills, since I'm the genius who last week somehow multiplied 25 by 25 and came up with 500. (Thanks for pointing that out to me Ray.) But unless this guy was being facetious, I'm guessing he needs to call his physician to see how often he should take his One-A-Day multivitamin.
BTW: The two would be criminals were not charged with any crimes, but they have been banned from Dollar General.
The Knicks, Rangers and Mets all won on Sunday. It makes the week so much nicer to start when my teams do well.
Next week I’m going to review a book about the Mets I just finished reading. I was hoping to review it this week, but there’s a few parts I need to re-read.
Sorry this ones a bit short this week. I hope everyone is doing well.
Stay Safe. Wear a Mask
and Have a Great Week
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