Every time I think I’ve got it, something else happens that makes everything that I have been told completely irrelevant.
First, a Sunni militant named Osama bin Laden gives us a “heads up” that he will be attacking the US. This, after he was likely involved with numerous attacks against the US, even inside the US. This other Sunni leader, Saddam Hussein were never, shall we say, on the best of terms with each other.
When the warning was ignored by the administration and its’ sheer incompetence (to say the least) allowed the worst terrorist attack ever on American soil to kill around 3,000 Americans, we go after that Sunni militant and everyone associated with him.
We track this Sunni militant and attack some of his supporters, and have him on the run. Until we let him get away. But then, even though they hate each other, we are told that the other Sunni leader who we hate so very much because of all the horrible things he has done (**cough**many with US assistance or knowledge**cough**) was in cahoots and we must get him now.
And even though we were never told they really weren’t in cahoots, and even though we pretty much knew that already, and even though he never attacked the US or threatened to, and even though his country didn’t really house anyone associated with the attacks on our country, and even though no one credible said they could or would attack us, and even though that Sunni militant (and his followers) were most certainly NOT in that country (but were in a number of other countries in that general area), we were told that we had to attack and invade rightfuckingnow before they did something truly horrible – or even worse.
But even though it was a foregone conclusion that we would invade, and that all of the protesting and arguing and logic and evidence and reason in the world wouldn’t do a damn thing about it. And we were off to fight other Sunnis – Sunnis that were associated with Saddam but not bin Laden (he is the one who attacked us in the first place) because, well, Sunnis were Sunnis and we should get ‘em all. Unfortunately, nobody thought of what should be done once we get there.
And then we find out that bin Laden and his people were never in Saddam’s country anyway, but hell, we are now so let’s root for victory and some ass whoopin’. Whatever that is. So as we fight against the “dead ender” Sunnis, more of our troops are being killed and injured, and more civilians are dying. And there are more attacks – but they are also more lethal too. Oh yeah, and the first Sunni militant is probably with his followers in Pakistan, a country who is “with us” but can’t help there.
Since things are going so poorly with the other Sunnis, the Shiite majority in the country we invaded, think that they can rise up and take revenge (and assert some power) on the Sunnis. And the Sunnis fight back. And, just as so many people predicted, a civil war broke out. Instead of recognizing the obvious and staying out, we are told to ignore it and it isn’t really there but if it is, certainly it isn’t as it seems.
Now, as the shit has hit the fan for the umpteenth time, we are told that the Shiites are also bad, because, even though they haven’t attacked us or threatened to attack us, they have a leader who is even worse than Saddam the Sunni and not only does he want to kill us, he wants to help others kill us, and in fact is helping others kill us right next door in the country we should never have been in to begin with. This country is most certainly “against us”, even though they helped us right after we were attacked.
But at this point, those original Sunnis (not the original original one but the other original ones) are still killing us and are also killing Shiites. And because the Sunni country who happened to be the country who has many of the original Sunnis who attacked us as well as the family of the original original Sunni militant doesn’t want the really really evil Shiite country that is killing us as we speak (by the way….) to gain more control, they threaten to fund the Sunnis who are attacking us too. Oh yeah, this Sunni country has prominent citizens who are definitely funding those Sunnis who are attacking us in the country we shouldn’t be in to begin with, but not to worry because they are “with us” as well.
We are told that everything is working out rather nicely despite all of the above and not to worry because we are “fighting them over there so we don’t have to fight them over here”. Except that we ARE fighting them over here. Sort of.
By this point, most everyone else is calling “bullshit” and wants some way to end this invasion that should never have happened in the first place. Things over there are a disaster wherever you look. Things over here aren’t rosy either – although there are no car bombs going off, the economy is in ruins and the people aren’t happy and they don’t feel safe(r).
And while more and more people die as every day passes – many many more than those who died in the original attacks, there is no end in sight. Even though there are numerous options that would have much less horrific results, nothing much is done – in fact, quite the opposite happens. While this happens and nobody in any position to really do something about it is doing all that they can to stop the bleeding (literally and figuratively). So we are told that the only answer is to go after that other really really really bad Shiite guy instead.
But one last thing, just in case we need anything that could make this less believable, we are now arming those Sunnis who were killing us initially against the other Sunnis (the original original Sunni militant’s followers but not that Sunni militant). Those same “other original” Sunnis who weren’t in this country that we had no business invading in the first place before we invaded. And all these Sunnis have to do to get these arms, even though they have been killing and attacking us “over there” for four years, is promise that they won’t use them to kill us. Anymore.
They say the truth is often stranger than fiction. In this instance, not only is it true, it is downright frightening.
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