Why Troop Surge In Afghanistan Is Overkill

News Opinion Article

Between the 100,000 international troops in Afghanistan, and the 200,000 Afghan security forces and police, there is about a 12 to 1 ratio of allied forces against the terrorists in the region. However, even with these impressive numbers, there still isn't a victory in the 8 year war that is overshadowing Vietnam and maybe even the Hundred Year War.

The commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, says the extra forces are needed to implement a new strategy that focuses on protecting civilians and depriving the militants of popular support in a country where tribal militias may be Taliban today and farmers tomorrow. What new strategy Mr. McChrystal? Do enlighten us with exactly what you mean by that!

How many more of our innocent men and women shall we sacrifice to win this overwelming and never-ceasing war? It's not the numbers we need, it's the chage in strategy that's key.The old addage, insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results every time is evidenciary in this case.

By the end of this week, it's possible our troops may know where they are spending the holidays- the Middle East or here at home with their families. But one thing is for sure, they will go into battle for their country's freedom not knowing if their efforts will be rewarded with eventual peace and restoration or further adversarial attacks. So too, they will not have the full backing of the very people they defend.

While they are wiping blood from their brow, here at home we will be engrossed by the ever distracting news stories of Lieberman, Limbaugh, Letterman, boy in the well at 6 pm, and Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Jackson's autopsy.

Even if they are being led by dithering Chief NoBama, who has overlooked our education and security crisis here at home, we should support our troops. (A fine example of education and security problems falling through the cracks would be the Richmond gang rape story prevailing the headlines lately.) Hopefully when NoBama does decided what to do with our troops; he also has a new strategy in place.

On the Internet and here at All Voices too many think that Republicans (i.e. Conservatives) just want to attack, attack, attack abroad. (And, we don't want a public option or any health care reform.) Those ignorant souls don't know this Republican! I do want our brave men and women home. But, if they are going to fight, I want it to be a smarter war with a better strategy. And, since we are sort of the subject, I want health care reform more than anyone. I just don't want Big Brother to run my health care and dictate who my doctor will be-a likely result if Big Brother pays the bill!

I don't know exactly what sort of strategy in the war we should adopt. But, I do know that it's painfully obvious that we don't know enough about our enemy! Think about this. Our troops wear uniforms, have an organized game plan, and move in large groups. We might as well put on a "kick me" sign on our artillery because the terrorists can see us from miles away. In contrast, the terrorists move in small groups, sometimes not sharing intelligence between the groups, but nonetheless sharing a common goal: kill the Westerners. They blend in with the crowds of civilians, the very ones we protect. They know the land and move easily in and out of countries. They appeal to a large group of Middle Easterners who don't want us in their country.

If given the choice between feeding little Ahmed by blowing up an American or letting little Ahmed die of starvation because a Westerner just accidentally destroyed their crops, that's another recruit for the terrorists. Ahmed's dad might just be another pissed off Muslim blending in the crowd now, and we didn't even know it. And what did you expect? He probably just saw the news report that one of our troops raped a Muslim girl, and even though that may be an isolated case, he may not know that. That news story probably jacked up his hatred and anger towards us even more!

Historically in guerrilla wars, security forces have usually had at least a 3-1 advantage, not a 12 to 1 ratio such as we have now. Even at the height of the Vietnam War, we had only a 4 to 1 ratio. Having a lot of troops isn't always better. When the enemy doesn't stay in one spot and they move in small, camoflouged groups, sometimes a high number of troops only fuels the problem because we are easier to spot and we also flame the retaliation motive (exacerbate the problem).

I don't care what president started this war and all of the politcal fingerpointing that accompanies it. I just want a change in the direction of this war. I want that change now. We aren't making our troops lives any better or our nation any safer by sitting around blaming people for how we got to this point, or whining about the poor choices we made as a nation. Grow up people! Learn from the multitude of mistakes and move on!