The Fall of Afghanistan and the Fall of Empires

At 7:37 pm, Major General Christopher Donahue, the commanding  general of the 82nd Airborne Division out of Ft. Bragg North Carolina, became the last U.S. serviceman to leave Afghanistan as he boarded a C-17 in Kabul for home.  Within minutes of taking off, all around and in Kabul, guns shots could be heard as the Taliban celebrated their perceived victory over the American and allied armies. The infidels had been defeated. The "Great Satan" and his agents had been vanquished.

It's been said that every great empire which has invaded Afghanistan has not just been defeated, but collapses soon after. Examples which have often been cited include: Alexander the Great's, the Mongols, the British, the Soviets, and now, perhaps the Americans.  Well, maybe. Genghis Khan did it. So did Tamerlane, and the Persians, Turks, and others. So, it's true that empires have fallen after invading Afghanistan, but not necessarily because of Afghanistan. It's not the foregone conclusion that some think.

Nevertheless, for a great many people, there was just something about the last military flight out of Afghanistan in the darkness of Kabul which smacked of sneaking out; as if we were ashamed of what we accomplished or failed to accomplish. A thief in the night.  Our withdrawal was seen by the world as unorganized and chaotic. Not what you would expect from a superpower.

There are already stories of hundreds of Americans being left behind; stuck and surrounding by a Taliban looking for some "after occupation" revenge, and yet the last flights out of Kabul were all Afghan nationals. Of course, we can't forget the vast amount of military hardware left abandoned by the Afghan army; so much so that the Taliban now has a larger air fleet than Australia (albeit much of it in disrepair). Still, it now has tanks, Humvees, heavy trucks, artillery, drones, transports, night vision goggles, and everything else you would want for that despot on your Christmas shopping list.

Flashback to February 15, 1989, and Soviet General Boris V. Gromov, who walked behind a long column of tanks, and trucks carrying everything from soldiers to equipment, crossed the so-called "Friendship Bridge" over the Amu Dayra River, separating Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. The orderly withdrawal of Soviet troops, done in the light of day and with a bit of Russian military pomp, brought to an end a disastrous ten year war and a failed pro-Soviet government. 

Years later, the retired General Gromov confirmed that there were no Russians  remaining in Afghanistan, and added that Soviet Union was "done" with Afghanistan. Soviet troops destroyed or took with them nearly everything they could, leaving little to nothing for the mujahideen, which at the time included a embryonic Taliban and Al Qaeda.  So, what happened to us?

Our withdrawal and evacuation is being called by many as an example of a defeated military. The Chinese are using it to intimidate Taiwan and bully other nations. They claim that it shows that America can't be trusted to defend their friends or keep their word.  They are subtly urging nations to reconsider their allegiance to America and the Western Powers; suggesting that they move closer to the Chinese orbit.

When the Soviet troops began their pullout of Afghanistan in 1988, the American Pentagon and State Department used the occasion to call Afghanistan the USSR's "Vietnam". Now, Russia is reminding us and the world of its irony. The Soviet's attempted and failed to install a puppet government just as we did, and both imploded for pretty much the same reasons---tribalism, incompetence, and good ole corruption.

In 1994, the Taliban seized control of government and began imposing it radical version of Islam (curricular 950 AD). Now, 20 years after we invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the Taliban in our hunt for Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda leadership, they're back with  it's Taliban 2.0 and it promises to be even more retro! Besides, thanks to the Afghan army and an inept government, it now has state of art military hardware.

I guess what's important is that we're finally out (except for the 100 or so Americans left behind) and President Biden got some great photo-ops, except for those where he is looking at his watch as the caskets of dead U.S. servicemen and women go by (at one point, he looked like he was starting to wonder off. I guess it must have been past his nap time). I don't think we want to include any of the audio where family members of the fallen let Biden know what they thought of him and his clusterf*ck of an evacuation which unnecessarily cost even more American lives. 

Afghanistan was not another Vietnam. We didn't "sneak" out. We accomplished our stated objective. We took out Osama bin Laden and the leadership of Al Qaeda. We have a great deal to be proud of when it comes to the men and women who went there and did their job. We asked much of them and they delivered. But, like Vietnam, it became a political war, and by that, I mean it was about multi-million dollar contracts and prolonging a war for the purpose of greater profits.

Wars are rarely ever fought for the sake of freedom any more. They are fought for profit.  They stimulate dragging economies and artificially inflate sagging prices.  Wars help corporations gain access to markets or expand control over resources and assets. They also exist to reduce "excess" populations and artificially lower unemployment numbers which doesn't include those in uniform. 

Terms like "democracy", "equality", "justice", and even "freedom" are used to stir up the population, but it's pure propaganda. They're all lies. It may sound cynical, but wars are now a built-in part of domestic and foreign economic policy. That's why there's always at least one brewing somewhere.

There is, however, one curious connection between Vietnam and Afghanistan I'd like to mention. Flashback if you will to that terrible day in September 2001. Flight 77, leaving out of Washington-Dulles International Airport is hijacked by five Saudi hijackers with connections to Al Qaeda. Shortly after departing, the hijackers took control of the American Airlines Boeing 723 and redirected the doomed airliner to the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia.

Working at the Pentagon that day, in Veteran Affairs, was 69 year Max Bielke. Max, who was the deputy chief of the Retirement Services Division, was called a quiet and introspective guy. He was a big guy of German heritage, who grew up near Alexandria, Minnesota on a small farm. Max really cared about veterans and was instrumental in getting TRICARE passed by Congress, thanks to his hard work, attention to detail, and willingness to testify before nearly endless committees.

At the time of impact at 9:37, Max was hard at work in the west wing of Pentagon, doing what he loved the most, working on a new veterans program, alongside Lieutenant General Timothy Maude and retired Lieutenant Colonel Gary Smith. Max, Tim, and Gary were three of the 125 fatalities on the ground, along with 64 aboard Flight 77 who died that day at the Pentagon. There was something else about Max. Something special. He was, as expected, retired military. To be specific, he was a retired Master Sergeant from the Army, but that's not what made Max all that special.

You see, Max Bielke was the last official soldier to leave Vietnam.  He entered the history books on March 29, 1973, when he boarded a C-130  leaving Saigon for (as they say in the military) "anywhere but the hell here". The truth was, he was finally headed home just like General Donahue was 48 years later. When you're in the military, there's no other place you want to be. It's worth noting that just before he boarded the C-130, a North Vietnamese colonel gave him a rattan table mat with a pagoda weaved into it (a pagoda is a Buddhist symbol for success and luck). 

The Russians call our involvement and subsequent departure in Afghanistan an "irony" reminiscent of a second Vietnam, and perhaps it is. However, what I find to be more of an irony is the fact that the last soldier to leave Vietnam, who spent the rest of his life trying to help fellow veterans, should be a victim of a terrorist hijacking which triggered our involvement in another war; this one in Afghanistan. So, perhaps Vietnam and Afghanistan may have more in common than not.  

 

Photo shows the last US soldier leaving Afghanistan. He is acommander at Ft. Bragg

An Iconic Bridge Sees U.S. Allies Flee Afghanistan As TheSoviets Did

30 Year Anniversary Of Soviet Withdrawal From Afghanistan

Why Is Afghanistan the 'graveyard of Empires'?

Remembering the Pentagon Victims

Remembering The Lost

 

 

 

Afghanistan: The End or the Beginning? Lessons Learned

We've watched hundreds, if not thousands, of Afghanis break through the gates at the Kabul airport trying to cram their way onto a U.S. C-17 Globemaster; each flight capable of leaving out with 800 souls bound for who knows where, or some other aircraft. We've seen dozens trying to find ways to cling onto the sides of the planes as they roll down the runaway, picking up speed while dozens run alongside.

Most of those cling on to whatever they can grab a hold of before falling off harmlessly except for a few bruises and scraps.  There have some videos showing a few hapless individuals managing to hold on until they losing their grip and fall hundreds of feet to the ground below.

A few try to scramble into the landing gear bay, perhaps not aware that the automatic hydraulic door will instantly crush them like a tin can or trapped and left dandling outside of the bay doors, only to be ripped apart by the wind generated by the four huge Pratt and Whitney engines which can reach cruising speeds of over 500 miles per hour. Not a sight anyone wants to see.  

Anyone who manages to crawl inside gets only a brief, momentary reprieve. As the plane gains altitude, the temperature drops to below freezing and oxygen levels drops to precipitous lows causing blackouts. Their odds of surviving are somewhere between slim and none. Perhaps these desperate souls were unaware of what their actions would result in, but then perhaps they were willing to take that chance to leave an Afghanistan now in the hands of the Taliban.

No doubt there will be those who'll vocally criticize the U.S. Air Force, or Army or Marines, or whomever for not properly clearing the runway or providing better security at the gates. However, those people have no grasp of the force a desperate crowd can be. Very little can be done in times of utter fear and panic.

President Trump had assured the Afghan Government of a gradual and orderly pullout to be completed by September 11, 2021, the twentieth anniversary of Al Qaeda's cowardly attack on the United States which  resulted in the deaths of 2,977 innocent people. Say what you want about the American government, but the people have a strong sense of right and wrong. 9/11 clearly was the latter.

Joe Biden's accelerated evacuation appears more and more to the world to be less a withdrawal than a surrender, calling up images and comparisons to the Fall of South Vietnam and Saigon complete with helicopters landing on rooftops evacuating U.S. personnel.  It couldn't have been scripted any better.

We invaded Afghanistan in 2001 for the sole purpose of capturing or killing the "mastermind" of 9/11, Osama bin Laden, and the command structure of Al Qaeda.  The Taliban, a relatively small sect of ultra conservative Muslims, held an ruthless iron grip over Afghanistan, promised to turn over Bin Laden and his cohorts, provided we provided "proof" of guilt (by "proof" they meant releasing sensitive intelligence information and possibly sources). Our response was invasion.

We spent the next twenty years chasing the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and the thousands of fighters from all over the Middle East bent on a "martyr's death".  We chased them from cities to villages; from neighborhood to alleys, and eventually into the mountains and caves. We annihilated the Taliban and Al Qaeda with electronic ease. We picked off their leadership the way a well aimed flyswatter picks off an unaware fly, except those behind the "flyswatters" were hundreds of miles away in air conditioned buildings sipping a Starbucks.  

After ten years of hunting, a $25 million dollar bounty, and coming tenuously close, the most wanted man on the planet---Osama bin Laden---slipped from noose to loose again and again, thanks  it would seem, to our so-called friends, the Pakistani military, the Afghan military, and members of the Afghan tribal leaders.  

Ultimately, it was through the relentless and dedicated work of our various alphabet intelligence agencies, not to mention others in the region with much better intelligence sources than ours that our quarry was found.

 It turns out that bin Laden was living a rather boring existence within a high walled compound  just down the street from the Pakistan's version of "West Point" and close to a police station in Abbottabad. How convenient, especially coming from a "friendly" government who claimed no knowledge of Osama's whereabouts. It's not like the compound didn't stand out or that neither the police or Pakistan military didn't know who their neighbors were.

Aside from a few bodyguards, his wives and children, not to mention porno videos, there wasn't much going on at the bin Laden abode aside from the occasional messenger bringing updates (and probably more porn videos). It seems the bin Laden had worn out his usefulness to the holy cause except for the random propaganda piece.

Finally deep into the night of May 2, 2011, thanks to years of patience, The U.S. Navy's SEAL Team Six introduced bin Laden to a new type of laser tag game called "Where's Allah?". Despite hiding behind one of his wives, he lost, while President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and others watched "live" in shock, disbelief, and awe.  Several members of  the same SEAL team members were killed in an ambush barely three months later in what many called an act of sabotage and betrayal.

It should have ended for us then and there. We had met our stated objective. The Taliban was destroyed. Al Qaeda was in shambles. Most of the surviving "martyrs" wannabes either decided to seek another line of work or moved off to Syria where another war was accepting recruits to fill their ranks...and body bags.  Gotta love a job where there's always an opportunity for advancement.

Nevertheless, we stayed. After ten years of "helping" to build a "Pro-Western" Afghani government (wink wink), not to mention rebuilding the infrastructure, complete with cell phone towers and internet, which we had previously bombed into the Pre-Stone Age (the Soviets had bombed them into the Stone Age a few decades earlier---1979 to 1989), as well as the Afghani military and police force. As an aside, the USSR collapsed just over ten years later, in 1991. Just saying.  

Now, here we are, twenty years from the time we first set foot in Afghanistan, which we euphemistically called "Operation Enduring Freedom",  and ten years beyond our stated objectives, we're leaving. By the way, it was our longest war ever...thus far. We've gone through four presidents---George W Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and now Joe Biden (or whoever is running his administration).

 Over 100,000 Afghanis have been displaced. Just over 71,000 Afghani civilians---men, women, and children---died as a direct cause of the war. In the cities, life mostly returned to normal while out in the countryside, hundreds, if not more, were killed by tribal leaders on both sides who remain uncounted.  

Poverty also returned, but then poverty has always been a part of the history of Afghanistan, thanks to wars, backward religious zealots, and the ever present corruption. However, for the dispossessed---the women of Afghanistan---there was hope. Schools were built and women and girls were encouraged to attend. No more fear of public beatings, acid thrown in their faces, mutilation, or even murder.

Women could get jobs, go out by themselves, live on their own, and even openly date. They could go to beauty parlors and get their hair and nails done without worry of attack. They could shed the black skin of anonymity known as the burka. The invasion of 2001 had catapulted the women and girls of Afghanistan from the 10th Century to the 21st Century.  That's now likely all gone, along with most, if not all the trappings of the West. 

Despite his promises, Biden's ill-conceived and ill-prepared "evacuation" of Afghanistan has turned into a farce.  Biden stated publicly that the American and Allied trained and equipped Afghan military and police could easily hold off and even repel the Taliban, who began emerging from their holes like cockroaches in the dark as soon as they heard of our planned withdrawal from then President Trump, but Biden's actions was like a God-send (or I guess I should say a "Allah-send").

Province after province fell like Poland in 1939, and the capital, Kabul? It had capitulated in nine days. As for the Pro-Western President, Ashraf Ghani, he was last seen almost a week ago (as of this writing) headed for the airport and his private presidential plane followed with a convoy of limos and SUVs with ("allegedly") $169 million in cash and other valuables. 

I'm sure he plans on using all of the money (which mostly came from U.S. taxpayers) to fight the Taliban and return to power. Yeah, right. If history is any guide, I'm sure he's now top on the Christmas card list of several Swiss, Cayman, and Singapore bankers. Typically the loot goes first, closely followed by the despot and his henchmen.  However, Afghans by the hundreds are protesting in the streets despite the crackdowns and the Taliban's old nemesis, the Northern Alliance, is once again on the move.

Meanwhile, the Taliban is now the owner of not just a intact capital, but a largely modernized country (sans any bad Western influences which will be duly destroyed). But wait! There's even more ladies and gentlemen!  There are also the new owners of millions, if not billions of dollars worth of U.S. military equipment and spare parts.

 Everything from drones, surface to air missiles, heavy artillery, and tanks, to Humvees, the impressive "Buffalo", which is multi-wheeled mine protected and ambush resistant vehicle, not to mention thousands of machine guns, assault rifles, small arms, Kevlar vests, communications equipment, and other state of the art toys for big girls and boys who like to play rough (not including infrastructure like bases, roads, housing, or medicine and medical equipment). But the biggest prize of all is the intact air force. Yes, I said "air force".

They had acquired enough aircraft to make them the tenth largest air force on the planet; about 211 or so in all. It includes Blackhawks, general utility helicopters, approximately 33 militarized Cessna A-29 attack planes, possibly four C-130 heavy transports, and they got it all for free thanks to the Afghan military and you--the American taxpayer.  Oh, and they appear to now have several Soviet era Mi-17 attack and general utility helicopters. Now, only if they could find someone who could teach them how to fly these birds. Chow Mein anyone?

So, that's how wars seem to come to end these days. Not with unconditional surrender of a vanquished foe amid cheering crowds, streaming headlines, and sense of national unity and accomplishment. Instead, it's partisan finger pointing and talking heads talking over each other. I doubt today's America could unite enough defeat a Germany or Japan again. Perhaps Taiwan should heed China's warnings.

But you and I will remember our own, all 770,000 men and women who went there. We will  morn our dead, the 2,312 killed, along with the 20,666 men and women who were wounded and the thousands who will forever carry the memory of the war with them, and the thousands who will fight their own private war perhaps for a lifetime too, and those who will surrender to suicide. 

The thing about wars is that they're never clean and neat affairs. The ones who start them are never the ones who pay the cost; certainly not the ultimate cost. Our twenty year war cost you and I about $2.26 trillion dollars. That isn't a typo. The war itself cost around $887 billion dollars, while the rest has gone for medical care, disability payments, and associated costs. 

Meanwhile, companies like McDonald-Douglas made a profit of over $40 billion. Boeing made a tidy $20.8 billion dollars. General Dynamics, maker of various tactical, ordnances, and other cool hardware,  earned an even cooler $19.2 billion.

L3 Communications (the predecessor of Lockheed's Loral Corporation and Harris Corporation), which is involved with high tech communications, surveillance, as well as was command and control systems like those used by drones, and with customers like the CIA, Department of Homeland Security, NASA, and the intelligence community in general, spied themselves a declassified $9 billion. Lastly, everybody's favorite "spy-in-the-sky" and Edward Snowden's former employer, Booz Allen Hamilton, snuck in with just over $4 billion. 

Those are just a few of the some 20 "big dollar" defense contractors and co-owners of Congress (blue and red alike). It also doesn't include all the banksters, financial underwriters, or suppliers of concrete, MREs, boots, and so forth which make war so profitable for everyone except those who have to go fight it. But, then again, I hear there's a new one starting up again in Syria or Lebanon, and there's always Iran. I'm sure there's a outbound seat available on the next flight.

 

The Afghan War, by the numbers

The Taliban has access to U.S. military aircraft. Now whathappens?

Russian Embassy: Afghan leader fled with cars full of cash

 

Brown University/Watson Institute: Costs of War

 

 

  

Enhanced Driver's Licenses and the Bigger Picture

Well, Kentucky has finally decided to get onboard with the new "enhanced" driver's license. Not that it had any real choice. The demand came about in the usual "closing-the- barn-door-after-the-cows-are- out" fashion by the federal government following 9/11 and the subsequent "Patriot Act". Of course, the fact that Kentucky is some 20+ years late is par for the course. As Mark Twain allegedly once said, "When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Kentucky because it's always twenty years behind the times”. Whether he did or not, it seems appropriate doesn't it? After all, look at how the Kentucky legislature continues to drag its feet over the issue of legalizing medical marijuana! Meanwhile, it's a done deal in others states.

Nevertheless, this idea of an "enhanced" driver's license was originally conceived as a national identification card, but was watered down slightly to become a state issued identification card tied to your driver's license or other state issued IDs. I supposed this seemed a little less menacing; less "Empire Strikes Back". However, for some, it still smacks of images of Gestapo or KGB Security agents demanding "Ihre Papiere bitte" or "Ваши документы, пожалуйста" which translates as "your papers please".

The law goes into effect in Kentucky the first of March 2019. The state is already getting out the word and has created an pretty nifty website which helps you select which of types of ID you get to pick from, be it a regular ID, a simple drivers license, or a four or eight year license which also serves as a passport and allows you entrance into certain federally administered sites such as onboard airplanes, cruise ships, and government facilities. You even get to pick if you want your veteran status highlighted. You will need to bring with you original or certified birth certificate, marriage license, and proof of your address (such as phone or MSD bill addressed to you). Another photo ID can be used too. However, you should check the website to see what you specifically need, again depending on which type of license you want.

Please note that they will keep the documentation you submit, which will be processed and returned to you later. Regardless though, the application will start off with a photograph. Why you ask? As most everyone knows, getting your picture taken is typically the last thing you do in getting your license. No more. The reason is because your mug will be run through a facial recognition program to see if there is any outstanding warrant or other restrictions waiting out there in cyberspace. Also, you can change your hair color, add color contacts, grow a beard or whatever. It doesn't matter since it looks at subtle measurements of your face which can't be altered. It will also access other data such as height, built, tattoos, etc. If so, your picture will send up a red flag. Now just how special is that? But it gets better!

As an added bonus, each license includes a vicinity activated Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip which will alert a "secure system" and automatically pull up you bio-metric and biographic data for the appropriate government personnel to read as you approach. In addition, each card comes with its own bar code which, to be blunt, identifies you just the way a scanner at the grocery store price checks a loaf of bread.

Can you imagine what would have happened if the British had something like this in 1772? There would have been no American Revolution because there would have been no revolutionary agitators like Samuel Adams, John Hancock, or Paul Revere; no revolutionary leaders like Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, or James Madison. They would have been quickly identified and arrested! Even resistance fighters or Jews, Gypsies and others attempting to evade the Nazis in Europe during WWII would have found it nearly impossible to beat this system.

On the upside of this, it means it will be harder for terrorists to board airplanes departing US airspace (supposedly, foreign passports are screened while overseas and run through a database operated by Interpol. However, there several airports which are notoriously lax in their security procedures. Hopefully, these passports are again screened upon arrival in the US although that doesn't do much good if the bad guys are able to board overseas and intend on doing harm before landing in the US it also doesn't help if they are able to get a package---aka a bomb---onto the plane while overseas). All the same, it does make things a bit more safe.

Another bonus is that it makes it harder for illegal immigrants since they would typically lack the documentation needed to get their license and especially when their photo is run through the facial recognition program. Even a stolen social security number won't help anyone here! However, I have to wonder if these cards will be cross linked with E-Verify to confirm employment status, a correct SSN, current immigration status (such as a valid Green card or a expired Visa)? It would certainly make for a good tool to do so.

On the other hand, what about states which issue drivers licenses to illegal immigrants or allow them to register and vote in local or state elections? What states typically operate under a broad federally mandated reciprocity agreement whereby certain licenses, including drivers, are accepted from one state to another, how will this apply to the new "enhanced" driver's licenses? Will they be denied outside of their state of their issuance? Would their immigration status make them subject to arrest or being detaining until ICE can be summoned?

Just because one state decides to break federal immigration law and offer "sanctuary" status doesn't mean that all other states have to go along with it does it? Look at the trouble Arizona got into just for trying to uphold existing immigration laws under the Obama Regime! Imagine one state not accepting another state's license because it doesn't comply with the new federal mandate should that individual try to apply for a license or register to vote in a non-sanctuary state. I'm sure this will come up and will ultimately be brought before the Supreme Court in the not to distance future.

Of course, this may be also much to do about nothing. After all, despite President Trump's determination to secure our southern border, Washington has been ignoring the American People on this and other issues for a long time now, going back to at least President Reagan who first granted "amnesty" to illegal immigrates hiding out in the US at the time. There is a determination by both the political and business class to allow illegal immigrants to enter and remain in the US which appears to be unremitting despite the fact that a majority of Americans have consistently opposed illegal immigration for decades.

Some people argue that the culprits are the Democrats. Allegedly, they anticipate that the vast majority of these individuals will register to vote as Democrats and thus stem the rising conservative tide in the country. Of course, the trouble with this argument is that illegal immigrates aren't allowed to register to vote, not that some haven't tried and as I stated earlier, a few states are allowing them to vote in local elections. Another problem is that the majority of these individuals have no interest in trying to become US citizens and thus to vote legally. Even among those who are here either legally or by birth have not taken a strong interest in politics, but that appears to be changing.

In 2018, voter participation among Hispanics increased by a whopping 11% with 27% voting for the first time (compared to 18% among blacks and 12% among whites). 69% of Hispanics voted for Democrats while only 29% voting for Republicans (blacks voted 90% for Democrats while 77% of Asian did as well. This compares to 54% of whites voting Republican). If we break it down by race and gender, we find that 74% of Hispanic women voted Democrat as opposed to 63% of Hispanic men. Meanwhile, 92% of black women and 88% of black men voted Democrat. 60% of white males voted Republican while white females were split at 49%. In several states, such as Nevada, Florida, Texas, and Arizona, Hispanics were the deciding factor in several key races. It's no wonder that the Democratic Party is catering to the Hispanic community or that most "sanctuary" areas are controlled by Democrats (it's also a wonder why the GOP hasn't been more pro-active in attracting Hispanics to its tent as well as Asians and blacks who are historically conservative but vote Democrat).

Of course unions, the cash cow of the Democrats since the 1930's, have found themselves all but replaced by corporate donors. Nevertheless, they are still courted for the relatively little money they do donate and for troops they can muster to knock on doors and make phones. Where do they stand? Well, several of the larger unions actually support illegal immigration. The reason is simple economics. Illegal immigrants tend to fill jobs at the low end of the employment spectrum, which also happen to be highly unionized. Thus, that bolsters their already depleted numbers as most jobs are non-unionized these days, but more importantly, it puts money in their near empty coffers. Money, I might add, which doesn't get refunded in the event of deportation.

While overall, both parties---the Democrats and Republicans---are hemorrhaging voters as the majority of Americans shift to the more solution-oriented Independent column, the increase in Asian and Hispanic voter participation could all but eliminate the GOP from much more than a localized political party. That would leave Independents as the majority voting bloc followed by the Democrats with the GOP and third parties bringing up the rear (as some of you may already know, Indies are already the largest voting bloc in the US and have been for several years now).

So why aren't the Republicans doing anything? Why are there Republicans who seem content in allowing illegal immigration to continue with little or no increase in border protection? A political death wish perhaps? I don't think so. Actually, they have their own economic interests at heart as well. Like the Democrats, the GOP is owned by corporations whose interests are to make money and lots of it. One important way is by overloading the job market.

That increases competition for jobs, which drives down wages and benefits. In addition, with increased globalization and the exporting of jobs, American workers are now competing with workers in India, Singapore, China, Vietnam and elsewhere throughout the world; no less so with illegal immigrates who could be better described as economic migrants; individuals willing to shift to where the jobs are.

Politically speaking, the GOP is now dependent on mostly white males as their base, but also white females; both of whom are both declining in number (white males are officially a minority according to the US Census Department) and aging (the majority of whites are Babyboomers--1946-1964--or older). However, the Republican Party has in recent years been courting older black, Asian, and Hispanics which tend to be more conservative, solidly middle class, family oriented, former military and/or patriotic, and attend religious services; all key GOP values. As an aside, many naturalized or native born Hispanics as well as Asians strongly oppose illegal immigration). In addition, there is a sizable minority of Millennials who lean libertarian who are attracted to the libertarian wing of the Republican Party (they face competition of course from the Libertarian Party). So don't count the GOP down and out just yet. So, how does the new "enhanced" driver's license play into all this?

As seemly separate as the two subjects might seem, they do. The "enhanced" licenses will make it easier to track and monitor not just ordinary Americans, but especially illegal immigrants. If it is eventually tied into E-Verify and the IRS, it will be easy to monitor employment and income (thus making money laundering more difficult for drug dealers) and identification for law enforcement. If we can expect social media sites like Facebook to continue to monitor our social habits and feed the information to various intelligence agencies as they have been doing, it's quite conceivable that the joint government-corporate Deep State or ruling Oligarchy will be able to monitor the whereabouts of not just drug cartels and terrorists, but of all Americans.

So if you're one of those "off-the-grid" types, it looks like the game is over. Even if you simply want to keep a low profile and protect your privacy, you're in for a very rude awakening. Imagine what it would be like credit agencies, banks, and employers were all to link to these cards, or better yet, incorporate them into a implantable chip? There would be nearly nothing about you which couldn't be monitored. I can just see Chairman Mao or "Uncle Joe" Stalin smiling now can't you? Even Himmler would be rubbing his hands together with anticipation. Then imagine a international component added to it which presently includes the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). I shudder to even consider the possible ramifications resulting from that.

Thus, while the idea was born out of noble intentions, the corruption and greed of the permanent political class and their corporate overlords have seemingly forged another link in our collective leach. Yes, some good will certainly come of it. Even Hitler started off with good intentions. Under Emperor Hadrian, the citizens of Rome begged the emperor to do something about the rampant crime and chaos, which included periodic invasions--military and peaceful--from surrounding barbarian tribes. The people were desperate. It was affecting commerce as well as society in general. They wanted security no matter the price.

So, Hadrian complied. In short order it was said that "a virgin could walk naked at night along the length of the Apain Way into Rome without being molested". That was largely true. Security was restored. Crime was reduced. Commerce flourished once again, and the borders were secure, at least for awhile. However, at the price of this security Romans lost much of what was left of their freedoms, which had already been curtailed by previous emperors in slow incremental steps.

There is no question that we must secure our borders or that we must prevent illegal immigrants from entering just as we need to keep terrorists and those who seek to overthrow what's left of our Republic and turn it into either a theocracy or battleground out. However, we must not be so willing to sacrifice our freedoms for security either, especially when that sacrifice is to a state which has long ceased to have our interests at heart. But right now we're being subtly directed into thinking of ourselves not as American citizens but as global consumers with no national loyalty or sense of heritage. Our loyalties are to brands. Instead of individualism, we're increasingly part of the collective and the herd mentality which is directed from corporate boardrooms.

We should focus on stopping demand by going after those who seek to encourage, support, and aid illegal immigrants be they businesses or religious institutions. We should restrict those who enter this country on temporary visas and more closely monitor those who are accepted (perhaps they should be the ones required to have these "enhanced" licenses which are linked to their Green cards and visas). We must also stop trying to justify our national sovereignty, and instead, demand it and enforce it just as every other country does.

America also must cease trying to be the world's policeman. That is not only the polar opposite of what our Founder's wanted, we simply don't have the resources or mandate to fix the world's problems. Just because another country has chosen a government whose political ideology is something that we may disagree with gives us no right to try and overthrown that government, especially if it means imposing a unpopular and unwanted military junta and/or dictatorship on the populace. If they want to trade as equals, then we trade as equals. If not, then so be it. We don't have to trade but we don't have to be enemies either.

So, when you go to get your new "enhanced" drivers license, think about the bigger picture and ramifications this so-called "smart ID" entails...and be sure to smile big. My turn is coming shortly and I can't wait to see what red flags go off when my picture gets snapped! I'm sure I'm on somebody's list somewhere. If not, after all the articles I've written and comments I've posted I should probably be ashamed of myself! Meanwhile, I think I'm going to grab my copy of George Orwell's "1984" and "Animal Farm" from the fiction section in my library and move it into to my political science or current events section. It just seems more fitting these days. What do you think?



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