Normalizing Silence

Dear Mr. President,
Yesterday, General John “steamy e-mails” Allen turned over command of the 100,000 NATO troops (66,000 American) in Afghanistan to General Joseph Dunford. General Allen spoke at length according to this morning’s NYT, noting that 560 sons and daughters have given their lives and 5,500 were wounded during his 19 month tour there. General Dunford, a tight-lipped John Wayne-type Marine, kept his remarks brief, promising “continuity” and a “commitment to accomplish the mission.” I guess Dunford’s mission is to get the hell out of Kabul without it looking like a defeat since propping up one of the world’s most corrupt regimes can hardly be a mission any self-respecting Marine would take on. (Karzai didn’t bother to attend but sent a couple of his ministers.) Allen’s remarks got me thinking, however: 560 of America’s sons and daughters died in Afghanistan in the past 19 month, 5,500 wounded. That’s one a day killed, 10 a day wounded. Not many compared to Vietnam or Korea or World War II, but every one needless, every one a tragedy, and every one your responsibility. I wonder how many Afghans died. Their sons and daughters don’t count? How many civilians? Better not to know. If people knew the true extent of the carnage they might object. But above all, no records, no accountability. In your inaugural address you said, “A decade of war is now ending.” Not true. The end of 2014 is still 2 years away and even that may not be the end; 10,000 “trainers” and Special Forces may remain along with who knows how many CIA assassins. And the drones. America’s foreign policy arm no one wants to talk about, our eyes in the sky which deal death by Hellfire, incinerate their victims and leave no evidence if they were actual “militants” or innocent civilians. Without evidence, no accountability, and without accountability the cycle of terror continues. You refused to investigate Bush & Co.’s war crimes; no one has ever been held accountable. You wanted to “look forward, not back” you said, but really, you wanted insurance that no one in your administration—including you—would ever be held accountable either. We replaced a murderous bunch of lawless Republicans with a murderous bunch of lawless Democrats who have expanded and normalized the Bush policies and crimes. Here’s a line from Norman Solomon’s Op Ed in today’s Nation of Change: “Normalizing silence and complicity is essential fuel for endless war” And endless war is what you’re all about, Mr. President.