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Gung-Ho Pacifist Blog

Pentagon Papers Redux

12/9/2019

1 Comment

 
It's the Pentagon Papers, all over again.

The Washington Post has published a massively documented investigation of what our generals and presidents have been saying about the forever war in Afghanistan, the unwinnable war that has cost the lives of far too many young Americans, not to mention the civilian population of that country. This report reminds me so much of the Pentagon Papers, which documented all the lying that American officials did about Vietnam. It turns out that the generals and the presidents in charge of the whole sad Afghanistan effort have been doing a lot of lying, too.

The first casualty of war, of course, is truth. And why is that? One big reason is that no general or president wants to be known as the one who lost a war. Just wondering: Wouldn't they protect their reputations better by not getting us into unwinnable wars in the first place? That way, they could avoid the inevitable cycle: lie, lie, lie, and oops. The oops, of course, refers to moments like the Washington Post report, when an investigation reveals all the lying, but too late to avoid all the dying. Will we ever learn?
1 Comment
Bill McBride
12/10/2019 12:56:18 pm

I met you Sunday at Brookville multi-faith campus and listened to your amazing description on the tearful beginning of the historic Daniel Ellsberg drama. You have to get your book published. Maybe Ms. Speigel(sp.?) , the agent for Kathleen Norris , has some connections for you. She owes you one after the magnificent article you wrote about her client.
All the best,
Bill McBride

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    First in my class in Officer Candidate School. Late to the conclusion that our attitude toward the military is idolatrous.

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