By Timothy D. Naegele[1]

The photo below is of a young Afghan woman who was disfigured years ago.  Her turmoil was discussed here[2]; and her plight is cited again, because what happened to her may be illustrative of what happens to so many Afghan women and young girls in the days and months to come.  They will be raped, disfigured and become sexual slaves of the Taliban.  It will be as if the gates of Hell have been opened wide to them, and there is no mercy or kindness in this world.

The same thing happened in Syria and in the countries of Africa; and human trafficking is a fact of life in the United States and globally.[3]  Also, the harvesting of human body parts is real and happens every day in Mexico and elsewhere.[4]  Some of us are so repulsed by such thoughts that we say prayers for the victims, but turn our attentions elsewhere.  We need to stay as positive as possible in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic that has claimed so many lives, and hurt others physically, psychologically and economically.[5]

Historically, Mujahideen fighters helped the United States drive the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan, which led to the collapse of the "Evil Empire" ultimately.  Instead of helping them, Congress turned its back, just like it abandoned our allies in Vietnam.  The Mujahideen fighters morphed into today's Taliban, who quite naturally have hated Americans ever since, after being betrayed.[6]

Seared into the memories of some of us are the images of people being airlifted from the roof of our embassy in Saigon, before Vietnam fell, which has been occurring in Kabul as America abandons that doomed capital too.[7]  And then there was the day when we turned on our TVs to watch the twin towers collapsing in New York City on 9/11, as well as the Pentagon—where I had worked—being attacked, and the passenger jet crashing in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.[8]

It has been written that the fall of Afghanistan and the slaughter there, and the raping and enslavement of Afghan women and young girls, will haunt the Democrats for a generation.  Surely, it is the defining moment of the failed Biden-Harris presidency, just as Lyndon Johnson could not run for reelection in the wake of the Vietnam tragedy.[9]  Like the image below, at the very least the fall of Afghanistan may produce scenes that are never forgotten by Americans or others globally.

Lastly, the open question is whether the fall of Afghanistan and America's humiliation will create or trigger a "domino effect," whereby other countries in the region (or globally) fall, which have been our allies?  Obituaries will be written for decades to come, and the victors will write theirs.[10] But right now our prayers are with our friends in Afghanistan who will suffer terribly.  Some will wonder where a loving God is, in the midst of so much madness.

© 2021, Timothy D. Naegele

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[1]  Timothy D. Naegele was counsel to the United States Senate's Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and chief of staff to Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal recipient and former U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke (R-Mass).  See, e.g., Timothy D. Naegele Resume-21-8-6  He has an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as two law degrees from the School of Law (Boalt Hall), University of California, Berkeley, and from Georgetown University.  He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon, where he received the Joint Service Commendation Medal (see, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commendation_Medal#Joint_Service). Mr. Naegele is an Independent politically; and he is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Law, and Who's Who in Finance and Business. He has written extensively over the years (see, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/articles/), and studied photography with Ansel Adams; and he can be contacted directly at tdnaegele.associates@gmail.com

[2]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2009/12/26/obama-in-afghanistan-doomed-from-the-start/ ("Obama In Afghanistan: Doomed From The Start?") and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/09/09/are-afghanistan-iraq-and-pakistan-hopeless-and-is-the-spread-of-radical-islam-inevitable-and-is-barack-obama-finished-as-americas-president/ ("Are Afghanistan, Iraq And Pakistan Hopeless, And Is The Spread Of Radical Islam Inevitable, And Is Barack Obama Finished As America’s President?") (see also the comments beneath these articles)

[3]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2018/10/25/remembering-the-comfort-women-victims-of-human-trafficking-and-slavery/ ("Remembering The Comfort Women, Victims Of Human Trafficking And Slavery") (see also the comments beneath this article)

[4]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/15/who-is-next-the-murder-of-a-young-american-and-the-harvesting-of-his-body-parts-in-mexico/ ("Who Is Next? The Murder Of A Young American And The Harvesting Of His Body Parts In Mexico") (see also the comments beneath this article)

[5] See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/timothy-d.-naegele.pdf (“The Coronavirus and Similar Global Issues: How to Address Them”)

[6]  See, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_mujahideen ("Afghan mujahideen") and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_mujahideen#Relationship_with_the_Taliban

[7]  See, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Saigon ("Fall of Saigon")

[8] See, e.g.,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks ("September 11 attacks"); and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanksville,_Pennsylvania#September_11,_2001

[9] See, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_B._Johnson#1968_presidential_election

[10]  See, e.g., https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9896007/Taliban-commander-gives-press-conference-INSIDE-Kabuls-Presidential-Palace.html ("Taliban leader claims he 'spent eight years in Guantanamo Bay' in triumphant speech from Kabul palace as Islamists seize Afghanistan - while thousands fight to flee country out chaotic scenes at airport")