We kill them, They kill us, Cycle repeats

The more things change the more they stay the same. True? Not exactly. America is now the occupier.

I'm old enough to remember when the Russians tried to take Afghanistan. They lost. The Stinger missile sticks in my mind as instrumental in turning the tide on the Russians. And who was behind the Stinger missile? There are those who will say the Stinger didn't change anything. You can make up your own mind. For me, I'll keep my eyes open for increasing helicopter and aircraft "accidents" and wonder if these are really accidents or shoot-downs. I don't believe anything coming out of the dying "mainstream media."

Consider the videos below. When I watch that helicopter come down in the first video I think of the threats Americans face in Afpakistan. What justifies a single loss in a conflict where the goalposts move constantly and the real reason for the war is not known by the American public?

Russians killed-Stinger missile?


U.S. supplied Stinger missiles for use vs. Russians


...the empire strikes back


... and the cycle repeats. Only this time substitute Americans for Russians. One other difference - this time around Americans get to foot the bill for both sides of the conflict. Don't believe me? Click here. Here's another for your consideration.

Why? Why when you can't afford medical care or your mortgage payment? Why when you can't afford gasoline to go to work? Where are you, my fellow citizen, getting money for all this war? Perhaps your spendthrift Congressperson can explain why there is no money to fix roads, no money for health care, no help in sight for you - but endless amounts for undeclared endless war.

Go to a gun shop and look at the price of a box of .223 ammunition. It's expensive isn't it? Now think how many boxes of that ammunition are spent in one battle. And all you get in return for your money is death. Now think of the cost of a missile, a bomb, a helicopter, a jet, the fuel for one jet. Practically incalculable waste. Perhaps if more value were placed on human life this war would have already been ended. This is not a war for me or you - it is a black hole into which our finances are drained and soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines lives are frittered away.

Perhaps theAbilene Paradox can explain part of America's failure to stop this madness:

" The Abilene paradox is a paradox in which a group of people collectively decide on a course of action that is counter to the preferences of any of the individuals in the group.[1][2][3] It involves a common breakdown of group communication in which each member mistakenly believes that their own preferences are counter to the group's and, therefore, does not raise objections. A common phrase relating to the Abilene paradox is "rocking the boat"."

So what is the solution? Strong leadership would help. We can forget the executive branch for now. That leaves your congressperson. That's where citizens must focus their efforts when attempting to bring back sanity to American foreign policy. It really is time to put the "DEFENSE" back into the Department of Defense.

Write your representative here. When you get the mass-produced "I understand your concern" form letter in return, you too, will realize just how much they don't understand your concern and why this war grinds on.