We're the good invaders

I recall from the days of my high school youth, going to a shoestore to buy a pair of shoes. In those days, each store had a salesman whose job it was to convince you to buy a pair. If your interest in a pair flagged, the second salesman arrived and rubbed thumb and forefinger on the instep of the shoe to show you the good fit and to remark about the superior style, quality and workmanship of the shoe. That event reminds me of the salesmen on TV today (the talking heads) who are trying to sell a type of shoe called a combat boot. The salesmen may be called think tank experts, journalists or retired military officers, etc. As I view them their job is to convince the public that new combat boots will fit Uncle Sam perfectly. We need to equip another battalion with camouflage suits, terror helmets and combat boots to go into Afghanistan to have the new army do some real butt kicking. The combat boots we have had in the Middle East have become damaged tracking over the sharp rocks in the hills and have been worn out plowing through the rough heated trails in the deserts and by wading for 7 years in The New Big Muddy. Naturally, we’ll be doing the Afghanis a world of good by bringing more tanks, troops and those drone roboplanes for precision bombing of only military targets to drive some sense into those dummies. Never mind the civilian casualties that could be exterminated because we are defending ourselves from intercontinental invasion. And our troops are not jihadi terrorists; they are just your friendly invaders. The pundit salesmen need to build up the fear of invasion for fear begets hatred and hatred begets anger and anger begets violence arid then there is a readiness to try on the combat boots for a good fit for preventive butt-kicking. Not that there hasn’t been record before like torture treatment, arranged renditions, civilian casualties and general destruction, chaos and massive displaced victims. Mahatma Ghandi traveled the earth in a white cloth and sandals. Sandals are not meant for butt-kicking. Mahatma had to suffer ridicule for being a conscientious objector, but he prevailed with many followers. For a time, Barack Obama sounded like he might be a community organizer like Mahatma. Now he’s bought a pair of combat boots for himself and more for the whole U.S. military. President Obama has become the chief talking head because he can talk out of both sides of his mouth. What a hypocrite! 20,000 more troops to Afghanistan for now. Whose Empire is it in Afghanistan anyhow? Richard Siss Milford