Hi Everyone:
So I'm sorry I didn't produce a WM Finale as I had promised. Here's what happened.
My little nephew, Brendan T. Hay, was Christened last week. I was on such a high from seeing him get baptized, and actually spending some time with my new little guy, that I honestly couldn't bring myself to start writing, especially about so many awful things going on in the world.
I like to go out on a high note, but I can't not speak about Afghanistan. So we'll start there.
THE DEBACLE IN AFGHANISTAN...
Let us all get one thing perfectly clear here.... Nobody holds the high ground on what is going on in Afghanistan.
Everyone here knows I'm a Joe Biden guy. I voted for him, I'll vote for him again. I have no problem telling anybody that.
But having said that, he screwed up here. Big time.
He was the chair of the Senate Foreign relations committee, it was that experience that led then candidate Barack Obama to tap Biden as his running mate. Biden's seen it all.
How could he miss this?
How could he not think the Taliban weren't prepared to pounce as soon as we pulled up stakes?
I understand our main objective in invading Afghanistan in October 2001, was to capture Osama Bin-Laden, destroy al-Qaeda and take away their safe haven, which at that time was Afghanistan. So if we really weren't interested in nation building, why not leave then? Why stick around another 10 years?
I'm guessing part of the answer to that is, "well we wanted to keep training the Afghan troops so they could hold off the Taliban." Indeed, a report that was posted on the NYT Website on Saturday said that intelligence reports given to the White House said that the Afghan Military could hold off the Taliban for 1 to 2 years. We all see how that worked out.
But guess who doesn't have the right to crow about any of this? Captain Orange and his minions that's who.
Of course when have the Trumpsters ever let the truth get in the way of anything. So they want you to forget that this whole withdrawal plan was put together by Trump's Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. You want to say Biden should have seen the error of this plan? I agree 100%, but had Trump still been in charge, the withdrawal would have been done even sooner and I guarantee you with far worse consequences. Remember, Pompeo was actually negotiating with the Taliban.
All I could think of when I heard that was "Could you imagine the outcry if it was Obama negotiating with the Taliban?"
And Mr. "I Make the Best Deals" got taken to the proverbial cleaners on this one.
You can also put some blame on the man who was in charge when Bin-Laden was killed. As I asked before, why stay all these years if we really weren't interested in building a better Afghanistan? I give Obama all the props in the world for OK'ing the mission to take out Bin Laden, but what was the point of the last 10 years then?
And then there is the original punching bag himself, George W, the man who put the original plan in place to rout the Taliban out of Afghanistan. By taking his eye off the ball in Afghanistan and focusing on Iraq, he prolonged this conflict as well. (Full Disclosure-I supported the Iraq invasion, however with 20-20 hindsight, it's now obvious to me that had we committed the resources to Afghanistan that were used to topple Saddam Hussein, we would have completed the mission there faster)
So there is plenty of blame to go around, as I said when I started this. I'm not a Middle East expert (if you haven't figured that out yet) I don't have any answers, I don't know really if staying in Afghanistan indefinitely was the right thing. I just have to go how I feel, and the idea that the Taliban is going to be in charge on 9/11/2021 the way they were on 9/11/2001 is just something very hard for me to stomach right now.
Not Nearly as Important but also quite aggravating.....
BASEBALL: The Fall of the Mets
It's starting to feel an awful lot like 1991 around here.
That year, the Mets were either in 1st place or very close to it for most of May, June and July. But come August they completely fell apart. By September, it was so quiet at Shea Stadium, you could hear the US Open across the street. That was partially due to Jimmy Connors whipping Louis Armstrong Stadium into a frenzy, but up till that point I had never seen that before.
This year the Mets were in first place from the middle of May all the way to the first week of August. But now they are in 3rd place and falling fast.
Injuries are a big reason. Francisco Lindor, even though he wasn't hitting much, I still believe was a positive influence on the team. Jacob deGrom is hurt worse than the team is letting on. I'll eat crow if he's back pitching when I return in September. My guess is he's done for the season. Now I'm just hoping he's not done period.
The Mets should be getting Lindor and Javy Vasquez back, so at the very least we can get a look at how they work together for the next few weeks. Maybe once they finish playing the Dodgers and the Giants, they'll feast on lesser teams. I doubt it. There's little shame in losing to those teams. It's the losses to the Marlins and the Pirates that hurt them the most.
I think they are done. And it's such a shame. I know when Steve Cohen bought the team, he said he was looking for a championship within 5 years. I respect the fact that he wants to build a franchise that produces homegrown talent and doesn't need to tank every few years to rebuild. I just feel like we had an opportunity this year to do something special, to take advantage (as they say on Wall Street) of a down market. Instead we're going to be on the outside looking in again. While the Dodgers, Braves, Astros and Yankees are playing for a title as usual.
Sad and Humiliating.
And on top of everything else, as I'm writing this, Long Island is bracing for a Hurricane.
HELP WANTED-Game Show Host-
The long search to replace the late Jeopardy host Alex Trebek appeared to come to an end when the show announced that executive producer Mike Richards would host the day to day show, while actress Mayim Bailik would host prime time specials.
However, a podcast that Richards hosted in 2013 and 2014 came to light last week. In the podcast, Richards made derogatory comments about women, little people, the mentally challenged and the poor.
So out the door he goes.
And Lord forgive me, I kind of feel the same way I felt after Carlos Beltran was forced to resign as manager of the Mets. I didn't think he should have been hired in the first place, but I'm not necessarily happy he lost his job under these circumstances.
I'm not condoning what Richards said. I didn't condone Beltran's cheating. I realize they both had to go. I just hate these circumstances. I'd rather they not get hired because there was someone more qualified than because they are dumbasses or cheaters.
In any event, it's back to the drawing board. I'm guessing Bailik doesn't want to the full time gig because she still wants to act full time. There's a big push for LeVar Burton to host, and that would be fine with me. My early vote was for Ken Jennings, but he was a bit dry. I'm not sure what the thinking behind hiring Richards was, unless they are hoping to create a new star as opposed to bringing in an established name.
I'm thinking Burton is the choice here. People know him and like him and if there were any skeletons in his closet, they would be out by now.
Stay tuned.
As I put this season finale to bed tonight, I want to leave you with the following message.
If you're not getting the COVID-19 vaccine because you have questions about it, I understand. So go ask a doctor... hell, ask 10 doctors if you want. There is plenty of literature, plenty of experts who are willing to explain what the vaccine is and what it can or can't do. If you have concerns, fine. But you can have those concerns addressed. And you'll see that you can trust the vaccine.
But if you're not getting the vaccine because Tucker Carlson is telling you not to get it, or you think you're doing Captain Orange a favor (and screwing over Joe Biden in the process) then shame on you. If that's what the holdup is, do what Sarah Huckabee Sanders did.. get the vaccine and call it The Trump Vaccine. I don't give a sh-t what you call it. I'm looking to see if we can invent a syringe based on the Talking Donald Trump pen, make it feel like Captain Orange is peeing the vaccine right into your arm.
Anything to get these numbers down. I'd really like to get completely back to normal soon. We took a big step this year. We can do better.
Stay Safe
and Enjoy the Rest of the Summer.
Weekly Mail Returns in September
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