Mistakes to Learn From Afghanistan

“There is no avoiding war;

it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.”

Niccolo Machiavelli

https://www.brainyquote.com/search_results?x=33&y=17&q=niccolo+machiavelli

It is easier to see clearly when looking at past events, than it is to forecast the future.  It might be helpful for all of us to remember that the decisions that resulted in the War in Afghanistan were made with the information  available at the time, and without the benefit of hindsight, (although a little regard for History might have helped.)  It is a mistake to judge what has taken place in Afghanistan without considering that decision making usually takes place without complete information.  In decision making, we never have all the information needed, nor do we even have enough useful information to guarantee a successful outcome all of the time.  In some cases, leaders may consider it to be better to act decisively, rather than to vacillate, even if there is a risk of being wrong.

On September 11, 2001, airliners hijacked by 19 terrorists aligned with al-Qaeda were deliberately crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  Another hijacked airliner crashed into a field in Pennsylvania when the passengers heroically struggled with the terrorists to get control of it.  On that terrible day, around 3,000 people died.  First responders and civilians are still dying from exposure to the smoke and debris.  The primary cause of the War in Afghanistan was the 9/11 attacks, and it is a mistake to think otherwise.

We may never know the whole truth about why Usama bin Laden ordered the 9/11 attacks.  We do know that American military actions have been taking place in the Middle East and Afghanistan ever since.  Many militant Islamists have paid with their lives, including Usama bin Laden himself.  Regardless of the ultimate outcome in Afghanistan, it was a mistake for bin Laden to kick over that kind of hornets’ nest.  It drew the United States deeper into the affairs of the Muslim world, rather than moving us out.

It was a mistake for President Bush to allow a businessman like Donald Rumsfeld to direct the military efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq.  War is not a matter of controlling costs by allocating “just enough” resources to achieve “limited and clearly defined objectives.”  The military needs to be able to bring overwhelming force to bear in order to seize and retain the initiative and to find, fix, close with, and destroy the enemy.  If there are insufficient resources to fix the enemy to a position, they will not be completely destroyed, and their escape cannot be blocked.  In Afghanistan, some of the bad guys got away.  We must not try to prosecute war “on the cheap.”

President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and Secretary Rumsfeld  made a mistake when they opened a second front in Iraq  before the job was done in Afghanistan.  The resources needed to close the deal in Afghanistan were diverted to Iraq, and it doomed the effort in Afghanistan to a slow and agonizing death.

In my opinion, it is a mistake to regard the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria as individual wars.  Rather, it is better to view them as theaters of operations in a larger War on Terror.  Immediately following the September 11^th attacks, President George W. Bush spoke eloquently about such a war.  In what some called “the Bush doctrine” the President said that the United States would wage this war wherever terrorists were found.  He warned that the war would last a long time, and that for America to survive we must not lose our resolve.  Somehow along the way those ideas got lost, and we need to find them again.

On her Fox News program, The Ingram Angle, I recently heard Laura Ingram point out that the United States of America has not decisively won a war since World War II.  She suggested that we needed new decision makers with a different approach to waging war. Amen.

It is a mistake for America to go to war unless we are willing to do whatever it takes to win it.  Winning a war means to destroy the enemy until they are unable and unwilling to fight.  It does not mean to achieve limited and clearly defined objectives.  It is a mistake to allow the enemy to have sanctuaries where they can recover, reorganize, and then conduct “asymmetrical warfare.”

War is the worst, most horrible thing humankind does.  I wish that there could be an end to it.  So far as I know, however, there will be war until Jesus Christ returns to Earth to set up His thousand-year kingdom.  We should do everything humanly possible to avoid going to war.  If we cannot avoid it, we must stop trying to fight with one hand tied behind our back.  We must fight to win … fight until the threat to our country is utterly destroyed.  As Albert Einstein is reported to have said, ‘Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.’  It is a mistake to fight limited, no-win wars.

It is a mistake to generalize.  Countries differ in history, culture, religion, social organization, economic resources, and infrastructure, to name a few. What worked in one country may not be possible in another.  We helped Italy, Germany, Japan and others rebuild after WWII.  We helped South Korea become a wonderful success story.  That did not work in Afghanistan.  About a decade ago an informed source who had served for a number of years in Afghanistan told me that country would revert to what it used to be before our involvement, the minute we pulled out.  Was it a  mistake for us to stay so long and try to help the Afghan people learn to have a better life?  Only if we were not prepared to stay there as long as it takes.  Only if we were not willing to pursue and destroy the Taliban, no matter where they took refuge.

To put all the blame on any one President for our failure in Afghanistan is a mistake.  President Biden’s mismanagement of the final withdrawal, however, has done incalculable damage to America and Afghanistan.

To think we can fix the way we wage war without revamping our entire way of waging war is also a mistake.  We cannot use even battalion sized special operations units when the situation calls for overwhelming force from Brigade or Division sized units with tank, artillery, and air support.

It is a mistake to think it is over.  The War on Terror will not end until the terrorists stop waging war on us.

“Wars begin when you will,

but they do not end when you please.”

Niccolo Machiavelli.

https://philosiblog.com/2012/10/06/wars-begin-when-you-will-but-they-do-not-end-when-you-please/

 

Opportunity Cost

In his poem, The Road Not Taken, the great American poet, Robert Frost, penned the famous line:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

https://poets.org/poem/road-not-taken

Economists talk about “opportunity cost.”  Generally applied, it is the benefit we lose when we choose one alternative over another. Let’s say a person may want a new car and a boat, but they do not have the money to buy both. If they buy the car, they get the benefit of dependable transportation, but they lose the recreational opportunities afforded by owning a boat. You get the idea.

Opportunity cost is typically used in relation to consumer choices. I think it may be useful in understanding the consequences of choices made in other scenarios, as well. 

In the 2016 election, American voters gave the Republican Party the Presidency, and control of the House of Representatives and Senate. In the best tradition of their party, however, they managed to rescue defeat from the jaws of victory. 

Donald Trump was a political outsider who wanted to change the way Washington did business. The knee-jerk reaction of “establishment” Republicans in the legislative branch was to oppose him. They willfully refused to consider the benefits the country might enjoy if Mr. Trump’s policies were codified in law. 

Chief among these old school Republicans was the Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan. Speaker Ryan managed to torpedo the bulk of President Trump’s initiatives before they got out of the dock. 

Instead of taking the road less traveled, the “never Trumpers” remained mired in the old, misguided Republican policies that were holding the country back. They wanted the more familiar, “safer” road; because that was the way it had always been done … and it was the path to personal enrichment through “public service.” 

Consequently, President Trump had to content himself with revoking the regulations President Obama had established by executive order, and to implementing those of his policies that he could by executive order. The benefits were almost immediate, but the Republicans in the House and Senate ignored them. 

Like President Obama before him, much of what President Trump tried to do by executive order was immediately revoked when the succeeding (Biden) administration came into power.

The Democrats, however, are not ones to squander an opportunity.  The present squabble over spending aside, they are acting with a great deal of party unity – to the detriment of the United States of America. Like Tennyson’s Light Brigade, they continue the charge, undaunted by ‘failures to the right of them, failures to the left of them and failures in front of them.’  All the while, the RINO Republicans continue to fumble the ball. 

Painful as it may be, try to bring yourself to think about the opportunity cost resulting from the establishment Republicans’ choice to oppose President Trump’s policy initiatives, simply because they didn’t like him. After we finish crying our eyes out, then let’s try our best to throw out the RINO’s along with the Democrats in the 2022 and 2024 elections.

 

Grace and Works

We are saved by Grace, which is to say by God’s mercy, through faith in Jesus Christ.  We are not able to be righteous enough to earn our salvation by doing good in our own strength.  When we are saved, the Holy Spirit dwells within us enabling us to do the things that please God.

For the grace of God has appeared,  bringing salvation to all people,  instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and in a godly manner in the present age,  looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,  who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, eager for good deeds. (Titus 2:11-14 NASB)

 https://biblehub.com/nasb_/titus/2.htm 

For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.  But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,  He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,  whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior,  so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  This statement is trustworthy; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. (Titus 3:3-8 NASB) 

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/titus/3.htm

All we have to do to receive this wonderful salvation is to believe in God the Son, Jesus Christ.  When we do, we become a new creation, able to live for God and do His will.  Please believe in Jesus and be saved today.

Our Mission

Some things are done for more than one reason.  Our primary reason for writing Lamp in a Corner is to tell people the Gospel (good news) about Jesus Christ.  We want to be used by Holy Spirit to help people find eternal life in Jesus, and to learn how to live in a way that pleases God.

We also provide information that will help others to view current events from a different perspective.  It is our desire that in doing so we might influence public opinion in some small way so that the United States of America will return to a path that is more consistent with the traditional values we have historically embraced.

In discussing secular current events, we endeavor to provide information tactfully, so that people do not reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ because they are offended by our opinions.  We want to inform, not to alienate.  At the same time, however, what we say must be honest and authentic.

As always, our foremost guide to faith and action is the Holy Bible.  We often research other sources to be certain that we provide correct information.

Please take a couple of minutes to read the passages of scripture below. They are examples of what guides us.  All Christians are called to follow these teachings. Please accept our thanks for sharing with us in God’s Word. 

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people. 

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;  nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16 NASB) 

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/5.htm 

I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom:  Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. 

For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.  They will reject the truth and chase after myths. 

But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. (2Timothy 4:1-5 NLT) 

https://biblehub.com/nlt/2_timothy/4.htm 

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.  Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28: 18-20 NASB) 

https://biblehub.com/nasb_/matthew/28.htm

 

Is It As Predicted?

Recent Gallup polls show President Biden’s job approval among likely American voters to be slipping; from 55 percent in June to 43 percent six days ago.  About 53 percent think he is not doing a good job.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/354872/biden-approval-rating-hits-new-low-harris.aspx

It is a mistake to put too much stock in opinion polls.  Public opinion is fickle.  Those of us in the ‘loyal opposition’ (as the British say) who disagree with the President’s policies can, however, be modestly encouraged.  There may be hope for the voting public yet.  Perhaps, our fellow Americans will wise up, and Mr. Biden’s slow drift from the penthouse to the outhouse will continue – until there is a conservative in the Whitehouse.

Frankly, it amazes me that President Biden and Vice President Harris are doing as well in the polls as they are.  It is my opinion that their performance in office has been a catastrophe.

Concerns about the way things are going have prompted some people to wonder if we are in the prelude to the End-Time events prophesied in the Holy Bible.  The short answer is maybe … and maybe not.

It seems like there are as many opinions about when Christ will return as there are students of Bible prophesy.  ‘Imminence’ has always been Christian doctrine.  Clearly, the Apostles were looking for Jesus to return almost immediately. (Acts 2:17, Hebrews 1:2, 1Peter 1:20, 2Peter 3:3, and 1John 2:18)

When this did not happen, scoffers began to chide the early Christians, and mock their beliefs.  They are still doing it today. Peter reminds us that God is from eternity to eternity. He does not regard time in the same way we do. If Jesus tarries, it is to give everyone who will come to Him the chance to do so.  (2Peter 3:8-9)

It has always been my belief that it is a mistake to try to predict the exact time when Jesus will return.  We know that He promised he would come back and take the Church out of the world to be with Him – an event Christians call ‘the Rapture.’ (John 14:1-3) He also commanded us to watch expectantly for His return, and to keep ourselves ready for it. (Matthew 25:1-13)  He said repeatedly, however, that He would come unexpectedly, and we would not know the day or the hour of His return. (Matthew 24:36, Matthew 24:44, Matthew 25:13, Mark 13:32)

Are we living in the time immediately before the Rapture?  Perhaps.  Certain signs are given to us in the Holy Bible that will help us to know what to look for before Jesus comes to take us home.  See if any of them sound familiar to you.

Jesus said:

“See that no one leads you astray.  For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.  And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.  And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.  And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.  But the one who endures to the end will be saved.  And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (emphasis added) (Matthew 24:4-14 ESV)

 https://biblehub.com/esv/matthew/24.htm

 Paul said: 

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.  For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,  heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,  treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,  having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.  (2Timothy 3:1-5 ESV)

 https://biblehub.com/esv/2_timothy/3.htm

 Daniel tells us that: “Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

(Daniel 12:4 ESV)

https://biblehub.com/esv/daniel/12.htm

God cannot lie. (Hebrews 6:18) Jesus was God living in a human body. (Colossians 1:15-20)  Jesus said He is coming back for us. I believe it, and that settles it. The Lord will reward those who eagerly watch for His appearing. (2Timothy 4:8)

Are you ready?

 

Territorial

Once upon a time we sort of inherited a Rottweiler.  He was a magnificent animal, with the long body and low center of gravity typical of the breed.  He weighed about 115 pounds and was muscular.  His neck was so big I had trouble finding a collar that fit.

He taught me a lot about dog handling.  You don’t get bossy with a dog like that.  He and I went to obedience school, and I learned to control him using positive reinforcement.  It worked pretty well, except that he developed the idea that he didn’t have to do what he was told unless there was a treat involved.

I have always made it a practice not to expose our dogs to herbicides until at least 24 hours after they are applied.  I use them sparingly in the backyard where the dogs are kept.

One day I decided to spray the weeds that were coming up in the cracks in the backyard sidewalk.  I put the Rottweiler in the house and closed the backdoor.  This was no dumb dog.  Unbeknownst to me, he had found a way to open the door by leaning his weight into it.

As I was spraying the weeds, I got the feeling that there was something following me.  I turned around to find the dog behind me peeing on all the places I had sprayed.  It was so funny.

I can testify that nobody came onto our property uninvited as long as we had that Rottweiler.  There were consequences.

Dogs are not the only ones who are territorial.  People are kind of like that, too.  We mark our borders with signs instead of our scent. We build fences and walls.  We patrol and set up checkpoints.  The message is, “Don’t come in without permission.”  In theory people who enter our country illegally will be subject to firm but fair consequences.  That is the way most nations around the world do business.

Hopefully, people are a little more “evolved” than dogs. We must use good judgement and compassion when dealing with the world’s “huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

We must not lose control of our borders, however, as we have now.  The resultant chaos is more inhumane than closing the border and refusing people entry.  My thanks to the Biden Administration, and especially to Vice President Harris, for proving my point.

I am calling on Congress to create reasonable and enforceable immigration policies for the United States, and for the President to sign them into law.  Then, I am calling on the Executive and Judicial branches to enforce immigration law to the letter.

American citizens are being exposed to disease, the risk of terrorism, and economic hardship. The public safety has been compromised. Too many undocumented immigrants have suffered and died.  What will it take to get the federal government to do its job as provided under the U.S. Constitution?

 

 

To God be the Glory

 Like the wind blowing in a ship’s sails, the Holy Spirit moved the Apostle Paul to tell us about who we are in Christ, and why:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he  predestined us for adoption to sonship  through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,  he  made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,  to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

In him we were also chosen,  having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,  in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.  And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,  who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.  (Ephesians 1:3-14 NIV)

https://biblehub.com/niv/ephesians/1.htm