WE HAVE A LONG MEMORY - THEY DON'T

When I read my local newspaper recently, and a report in the New York Times, I was reminded of an old expression my Irish Mother used to say…”Elephants and Irishmen never forget.” Well I would like to change that statement a little and say…”Elephants and American Patriots never forget.” Tragically, our government has no memory at all.

When I read that NATO members pledged 7,000 more troops to the American contingent fighting in Afghanistan, I immediately became furious. Those arrogant elitists at NATO have quickly forgotten or are ignoring the fact that brave American men and women gave their lives saving their very existence on numerous occasions, such as World War l and World War ll. There are several additional instances where American intervention saved millions of lives and governments, but those very people and their leaders seem to have short memories. When it is time to step forward and support a just intervention that addresses a threat to world order these same European functionaries hide and ignore the realities of the day.

I am further disgusted by President Obama’s fawning and unjust expressions of understanding the NATO commitment, along with the praise being uttered by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that she “was extremely heartened by the commitment” of 7,000 troops. One only needs to go to the numerous military cemeteries dotting several locations in Europe and other spots around the world to see the thousands of graves of Americans who gave the full measure to save European hides time and time again. I wanted to put my finger down my throat when I read that President Nicolas Sarkozy of France had the gall to support his Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner’s statement, “For the time being, no improvement in troops.” Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel is playing a political waiting game, too.

Our government and European leaders are all speaking political double-talk, and not accomplishing the real job of winning the War in Afghanistan. While diplomats drink tea in lavish surroundings, brave American troops are wounded and dying propping up a corrupt government. It is time to win this war or get the hell out of Afghanistan once and for all time. Our government is guilty of ignoring the history of this arm pit of the world, but we insist that they should have a democracy just like ours. Well they do, it is corrupt just like Washington, but our troops are paying the price of our leadership’s ignorance and arrogance. The Afghanistan situation is just plain ghastly and inexcusable.

COMMANDER GRANGER