Hmm-mm … …
Well …
Where do I go with this one … ?
Probably to all sorts of places …
I mentioned, this morning, that I’ve an old friend who’s in the Army and being shipped out, tomorrow, to Afghanistan. 
Which, if you’re in the UK, and have seen the news, you’ll realise is worrying for anyone with friends — or, God help us, family — who’re in the Army.
And, gods help me, I’m still none too sure about the whole chain of international events, leading here …
Well …
That’s not entirely accurate.
I can remember the biggie.
Who can’t?
It was one of those events, wasn’t it, like the deaths of Kennedy, Diana, or Gandhi; we can remember exactly where we were when they died.
The Twin Towers getting hit was like that, for me; I can remember where I was.
Boy, can I remember. Which is a whole other story, in and of itself.
And seeing the footage, I can remember what I thought, too, to this day; quite literally, I thought to myself, “Dear God, I hope that’s local …”
Because, seeing the smoke coming out of the World Trade Centre, I know my next thought was “ … ’coz if that’s some bunch of loons in the Middle-East, there’ll be hell to pay.”
Boy, was I right.
And, while I can understand the US and UK government’s sending the troops into Afghanistan — even though there’s a part of me that doesn’t like the idea of war as a political tool — I didn’t approve of the Second Gulf War. However good Tony Blair and company claimed the evidence was.
The first Gulf War, we could point at Saddam Hussein’s actions in invading Kuwait, and at least say we had some sort of moral justification for sending troops in; and yes, before you ask, I heard a lot of speculation in the pub, about George Bush, Sr’s links with oil companies providing a good way of explaining his motivation for that.
But we could at least say something about big bullies invading the little guy, and look smug.
Hmmm.
That could’ve been better phrased, couldn’t it? But you take my point.
We could say a had a morally justifiably reason for the First Gulf War.
But — beyond the very dubious line about Weapons of Mass Destruction — I don’t think we could say the same about the Second Gulf War. I really don’t.
After, I as many other’s, quite quickly worked out that — if Saddam Hussein had some form of WMD’s — he’d’ve used them on the invading troops.
OK, so we toppled an evil régime.
I’ve an old friend who regards China’s Communist government as equally as evil — and, yes, I know China’s record on human Right’s isn’t squeaky clean, even though I don’t necessarily think ‘evil’ is a helpful word to use — but I don’t see us invading the gaff.
Go figure!
But here’s the point I’m trying to make; I think that whatever we’re trying to do in Afghanistan — spread democracy, overthrow the Taliban, guarantee rights and education for Pashtun women, what have you — wasn’t helped by invading Iraq.
Which means that, tomorrow, I’ve a friend going to fight a war that could have been finished along time ago.
And has taken more lives than it should. (Including, according to the BBC News Channel, three 18 year-olds. 18 years old? That’s to young to be a war hero!)
