This afternoon the AP reports that leaving the war we have already lost in Afghanistan is "not an option" according to the headline.  Really?  Leaving Afghanistan is not an option?  Says who?  Why? 

In real terms then, what does this mean for the average American?

Well, in the end it's pretty simple really.  Here's what it means in a nutshell:

1.  The war was lost some time ago and there's not even a glimmer of a hope of "winning" the war whatever the hell that means.  Nobody in the White House or the Pentagon can explain what winning is, what our objectives and purposes are in Afghanistan or how many eons it would take to achieve the unknown aims if we had some.  Though they confidently assert that leaving is not an option, nobody ever explains why that is.  They just make vague references to everything being worse if we leave.  Ya know what?  I think that's just plain old bullshit.  We can and we should leave and things would be no worse tomorrow than they are today.   They might even be a whole helluva lot bettert, but I digress...

2.  The war in Afghanistan, like it's illegal and ill conceived cousin: the Iraq War, is currently costing an obscene amount of money each and every day.  We have already blown approximately $228 billion on the Afghan misadventure (which could pay for one shitload of healthcare services) and there is no end at all in sight.  I'm estimating from my own calculations that the pointless imperial war we are waging there is costing us about $1,000.00 every two seconds or thereabouts.  You can get an up to the moment cost esimate on how much is being spent on the futile effort in Afghanistan by going here:

http://www.costofwar.com/

You can also see the price of the illegal, imperial and quite fruitless invasion and occupation of Iraq at the same site.

It's important to remember that all the money being wasted on whatever the hell they're attempting to achieve in Afghanistan is borrowed money.  That means we are taking borrowed money and investing it in nothing but the ongoing destruction of life and property on the other side of the world.  There is no way to get one penny of it back or returned: ever.  It's going down the proverbial rathole.  Some would call this a classic and penultimate waste of money.  I don't see how anyone could really disagree witht that assessment.  Why would our leaders be so stupid and imprudent with our nation's treasure, not to mention it's future?

But it isn't just destruction of life and property on the other side of the globe that is being accomplished with all that borrowed money.  In a very real and tangible way, the continuation of the imperialist effort in Afghanistan is also causing the destruction of lives and property right here at home. 

Every penny of this borrowed money which is being diverted from productive use and instead is used for war is the equivalent of denying our citizens healthcare, denying our children the best education we can provide them, denying American workers the employment and training they deserve, denying funds from efforts to protect the environment to start fighting global warming, and denying funds from the almost endless list of infrastructure projects that are needed here at home.  Our nation literally rots from within in the name of wars that cannot be won... ever.  Our economy weakens further with every day the imperialist prescription in Afghanistan is followed.  Our children will suffer immensely in the future because of our current lack of will and resolve to stop the warmongering and futile attempts to dominate and control foreign lands.

The approximate cost of both our imperial wars is almost $920 Billion at present.

3.  The military industrial complex in alliance with the bloodthirsty politicians and think tanks of Washington DC have clearly already won the day and so it isn't a question of whether we will continue, as a nation, to squander resources and lives in Afghanistan but just how enormous and obscene will the amount of squandered money be?  How many of our brave young men and women will die, have limbs blown off, be the lucky recipients of brain injuries, and be brutally, unspeakably traumatized for life in the name of the blood soaked fantasies of a bunch of wealthy and extraordinarily stupid men in Washington DC?  This warmongering and irresponsibility on the part of our military and political leaders is nothing short of sinful.  Itis high time their reckless wars be brought to a halt.

Frankly, I cannot imagine anything more sinful than to advocate the certain bankruptcy and destruction of our nation from within due to the inability to face and accept that American imperialism is not only a failure but is a clear and present danger to the future peace and prosperity of our people.  And make no mistake, the warmongering is a thoroughly bipartisan affair (just like our President likes things to be).  Why there is virtually no end of corporate Democrats who are more than willing to allow this folly to continue forever.  To stand up and try to do anything about this travesty would be too risky for their taste.  They'll just go along to get along and allow our country's future to be dim instead of doing all they can to ensure the future is a bright one.

4.  The President has no intention of challenging the status quo in Afghanistan.  This means that our President whom, millions had prayed would bring this imperialist folly to a speedy conclusion, is firmly in the camp of the imperialists and has no intention of ending the destruction of life and property at home or abroad.  The AP report referenced above can be found at:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091005/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_afghanistan

The article included the following:

"White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that walking away isn't a viable option to deal with a war that is about to enter its ninth year."

So the only question for the bipartisan deciders in DC as stated above is how much money and how many lives must be wasted instead of asking the obvious question which is: Why in the hell are we still in Afghanistan to begin with and why aren't we preparing plans to end our presence there?  But, just as with healthcare, the President has taken the real solution to the problem we face off the table so it isn't going to be discussed unless the people themselves force the politicians to get real and end the war.  Why?  For political reasons of course.  Should the President attempt to actually change the course of the nation that would upset the bipartisan nature of this drive toward national suicide being led by the Washington establishment in a vain effort to preserve the global status quo.

In more ways than one, this foolish and pointless dance of formulating a bipartisn leap over the cliff demonstrates conclusively that Bin Laden has indeed won the fight.  Instead of addressing the real and serious issues facing the nation and the globe, we continue to pursue this stupid plan for national bankruptcy out of a misplaced sense of pride and conquest and a lack of political backbone on the part of the President and the Democratic Congress to lead us back to peace and prosperity.  Have none of the bright bulbs in DC ever read the history of any of the empires of the past?  Are they all so blinded by their bloodlust and dreams of conquest they do not see the similarity between the foolhardy course they are pursuing and that of the fallen empires of the past?

5.  If the people do not act decisively to demand and end to the war it will never end.  Citizens must demonstrate that not only is a majority of the nation opposed to continuing this idiotic war, but we are not going to simply sit on our hands while Washington extends the war into the indefinite future.  The time to act is now.  We have no time to lose friends.  They think they can get away with this because people are not objecting to the wars so speak up!  Contact your members of Congress. Contact the White House and without equivocation let them know that we have no intention of allowing the imperialist fantasies of a few destroy the future of our country, the lives of our young people, and the prospects of our posterity to live a good life in an economically prosperous and stable nation.  War is the enemy of all civilization and humanity.  We must conclude our insane, self destructive imperialist wars or it will be the end of our nation.

The President's fetish for bipartisanship has born some interesting fruit here in the first 10 months of his administration and as far as I can tell it all tastes like crap.