September 15, 2021
Location: Burger Moe’s, Saint Paul
People who learn from the mistakes of others are called smart; people who learn only from their own mistakes are called dumb; people who do not even learn from their own mistakes are called Americans.
—Russian joke
WAS George Washington a neopopulist? Certainly, he could have gotten elected President in 2016 on a platform of avoiding foreign entanglements. Washington knew the British empire. He had seen the British use royalists, slaves, and natives against American patriots to maintain their colonial government. They failed. Working through NATO and the CIA and its contractors, we spot-welded military and political factions into a costly contraption to fight the Taliban, a drug-dealing Islamic militia backed by Pakistan. We failed.
The Taliban are a problem to be solved by Afghans. Only they can develop a modus vivendi among 14 ethnic groups speaking five languages. What is their unifying thread? Islam. The country is nearly 100% Muslim, 85-90% Sunni and 10-15% Shia. The U.S. cannot impose its will on them, though it may buy influence for a time. The moral course is to let Afghans settle their own problems. Foreign intervention has wrecked the country. Nothing is the best we can do.
On The Other Hand, having fostered the war against the Soviets by arming the Mujahideen starting in the 1970s, and having armed the Northern Alliance to fight the Taliban, and having invited willing Afghans into the new state, it would be immoral to turn our backs on the disaster we have contributed so much to creating. Foreign entanglements may not be ideal, but wrecking the country and ditching does not put America First. We can and must arm an effective opposition.
The Chairman, who desires nothing but to be left alone with a faction of like-minded patriots, has emerged from his bunker to host a debate on the following:
RESOLVED: Let the Afghans be Afghans.
The Debate will be held on Wednesday, September 15, 2021, at Burger Moe’s, 242 West 7th Street, St. Paul, MN 55102.
The Chancellor and Chairman encourage people to arrive prior to 7 o'clock p.m. and to thank our host venue by spending money while partaking of food and drink. The debate will begin at half past seven.
There is no dress code, but gentlemen who wish to speak must wear a tie, and ladies are encouraged to uphold a similar sartorial standard. For gentlemen arriving sans tie yet wishing to discourse on the resolution, the Purveyor of Ties will have on hand several from his remarkable collection. Questions regarding debate caucus procedures or about the John Adams Society itself may be directed to the Chairman at (651) 398-9316 or the Secretary at (612) 703-6021.
http://www.johnadamssociety.org
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