Afghanistan Truth or Consequences

 

After reading dozens of accurate reports and variedly opinions (many valid and some not) regarding the causes and consequences now on the ground in Afghanistan -- there are a few fundamental truths that I’ve yet heard mentioned.

First some existing truths.

1.       This is the longest war the US has ever been involved in.

2.       We lost approximately 2,300 US soldiers, 3,800 American contractors, and spent well over a trillion dollars.

3.       Afghanistan lost approximately 66,000 Afghan soldiers and police, and at least 47,000 Afghan civilians.

4.       Afghanistan’s wealth of rare earth metals is estimated at over $3 trillion in current value.

5.       Taliban’s income from illegal narcotics is estimated at few billion each year.

6.       The original US goal of killing OBL morphed into nation building mostly with military power.

7.       Given historical, geographical, political, religious, economic, national, and corruption conditions --a US defeat was inevitable.

The current situation in Afghanistan is the inevitable consequences of failed US foreign and military policy.   A Constitution that did not prevent an unauthorized war to go after a mass murderer who justified his attack as retaliation against a murderous US foreign policy.  We really waged a war against fear (terrorism) that could never really be won without committing genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity against people we suspect of not agreeing with us, but cannot prove in a court of law.  We served ‘justice’ with invasions, occupations, torture, and mass murder. 

In brief –our nation continued putting our own short term ‘interests’ above our nation’s founding principles stated in our Declaration of Independence.  Put bluntly – inalienable human rights continue to be expendable – without a court of law.  And any serious establishment sourced proposal - to systemically change this - is deemed unrealistic.   In truth such systemic transformation is the only way of preventing future catastrophic failures of such magnitude.

Tragically, the world’s most powerful governments continue to reject this self-evident truth - and increasingly function chaotically with predictable catastrophic consequences.  The current global governance system based on the illusion of independence between peoples was hatched over 400 years ago at the Treaty of Westphalia.  Back then the word sovereignty referred to a God given right possessed by each individual.  But the rulers of large groups of waring mutated this fundamental truth into a flawed concept we worship today as ‘national sovereignty’.   Originally this mutation intended to limit the scope and range of murdering innocent individuals beyond certain lines just because of their choice of religion or God appointed leader.   

Today the functional definition of this flawed system is in a world where national borders are irrelevant to the movement of money, pollution, communications, technology, and other WMD precursors.   Governments have created unenforceable rules we call “International Laws” that can only be enforce by war, sanctions (which can be more lethal than war – or spark one), diplomacy (threats), or covert operations (assassinations, cyber-attacks, or mercenaries.

World Mosquito Day! AUGUST 20 for over 100 years.

 

Today, August 20, 2021 is World Mosquito Day.  It has been every year for over 100 years.  Why this August day? Google it.  The bigger question is why is this day so significant- yet so ignored? 

I can only guess why we ignore it…but we are in denial about how important it is - as the Covid delta variant virus now surges killing more foolishly unvaccinated Americans and other blessed souls globally who never had the chance to get vaccinated.

FYI:  Mosquitos are the deadliest animal in the world.  One estimate is that over 50 billion humans have died throughout human history because of mosquito transmitted viruses or bacteria.  And approximately 2.7 million continue to die each year, mostly in Africa.  Mostly from Malaria.

TIL (Today I Learned):  Malaria can actually be eradicated globally.  So far humans have only globally eradicated one disease – Smallpox.  This virus killed more humans in the first 70 years of the last century than all the wars, revolutions, genocides, and homicides combined during the 100 years of the same century.   Its global eradication cost the US only $32 million over 10 years ($3.2million annually).  That campaign’s success now saves US taxpayers about $17 billion every 20 years (about a $1 billion annually).  Polio could be next.  Rotary International is close to that victory.

In the context that infectious diseases remain humanities greatest killer and cost burden – it need not anymore.  Humanity now has a choice.  Our technology is evolving faster than the natural evolution/mutation of our microbial enemies.  Our greatest weapon against pathogens has always been our immune system (requiring adequate nutrition, clean water, safe sanitation, and informed minds).  Now we have increasingly rapid and effective vaccines (to fight viruses) but faltering antibiotics (to fight bacteria) with the potential for new ones we find in nature.

Unfortunately, the habits of the human mind are now the greatest ally of both forms of pathogens.  Science ignorance, illiteracy, and distrust combined with dysfunctional government and escalating political tribalism is damaging nearly every aspect of controlling infectious diseases.  And human rage between groups now has the capacity to create unprecedented bioweaponry.

The good news:  In June, the World Health Organization declared China malaria-free.  Over 3 dozen other nations or territories have achieved this status.  China clearly demonstrated that defeating malaria requires a comprehensive approach.  African countries have taken notice but still suffer too many illnesses and deaths from malaria.   

The key principle here is this.  Infectious disease control lessons go way beyond malaria.  And everyone in communities, businesses, religions, militaries, and governments have a role to play.

Military power and walls will not stop histories march of invisible pathogens. Technology and global human cooperation can.   This also goes for the proliferation of WMD, Nonnative invasive species (plant and animal), forever wars, heat trapping gases, and harmful pollutants (to air, soil, water). 

It’s our choice.  Here’s what the world could be if our minds were used for solving problems instead of defending flawed concepts inherent in different political, religious, or economic circles.  I urge you to watch the 1 hr. and 40-minute 2016 documentary “The Choice is Ours”.  The Venus Project.  I don’t agree with everything stated.  But overall, its vision is profound.

Humanity has everything we need for “the world that works for everyone” as Buck Minster Fuller properly proclaimed over 50 years ago.  Today we have even more!   Unprecedented financial and material resources, sustainable technology, and the human capacity for rapid global communication/transportation/cooperation.   We even have a plan.  The 17 Sustainable Development Goals.   We need two things.  First the political will. 

Why do we continue to defend flawed ideas instead of those fundamental ideals we are all familiar with.   The Golden Rule – the foundation of each major religion, and “the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God” offered in the Declaration of Independence as the self-evident path yielding “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”. 

Imagine the world today if Thomas Jefferson had accepted the editing advice of his close friend and Declaration signer, Dr. Benjamin Rush.   Rush suggested replacing the word “Happiness” with “Health”. 

Minds often define Happiness differently under different conditions.  Few sane minds would argue against the conditions of everyone having a healthy mind, body, spirt, family, other loving relationships, environment, economy, or rule of law.  The choice is ours! 

The second constraint besides sufficient political will is time.  We still rely on a 400-year-old global governance system (national sovereignty) to solve urgent fundamental threats to our individual freedom and security.  Threats that are growing exponentially largely due to the persistent evolution of multi-use technology, war, pathogens as our minds and governments resist change.

Have you ever asked why US politicians and military leaders swear an oath to protect the Constitution instead of public health and safety like many engineers and medical people do?

Please read the preamble to the US Constitution and give a school grade to each of its desired outcomes.  Then consider President Abraham Lincoln’s words that our Declaration of Independence is our “Apple of Gold”.  And our Constitution is its Frame of Silver. 

It’s our choice.

 

My Resume

 

 

Charles (Chuck) P. Woolery

315 Dean Drive, Rockville, MD 20851-1144     chuck@igc.org    Cell: 240-997-2209

 

Professional SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

Grassroots and Coalition Organizer:  Successfully organized local, state, national and international grassroots networks and coalitions to educate the public and influence foreign policy decision makers and international financial institution leaders.  Skilled at simplifying, personalizing and connecting complicated global issues to motivate individual action with federal and global agency leaders.

 

Innovative Advocate:  Created and managed effective campaigns on difficult advocacy challenges.  1) The ‘Hill Corps’ for communicating with all 535 House and Senate offices on timely legislative initiatives.  2) “Letters-to-the Editor” networks covering over 200 US daily newspapers. 3) National media response teams targeting primary national print news media.  4) Local-Global Connection forums documenting the local benefits of solving global problems -- and the local human, environmental and economic costs of ignoring them. 5) “Power of Ten” Congressional District organizing strategy.

 

Media and Public Relations Director:  Developed tailored advocacy materials to assist local volunteers in generating local and national media coverage on global problems and pragmatic solutions.  Coordinated local and national media initiatives hosting news conferences in support of UNICEF’s annual State of the World’s Children reports and global health & child survival programs.  Experienced in giving radio and TV interviews and measurably effective in public venues speaking to youth, religious, service, and professional groups.  Also accomplish at organizing topical panels and issue debates.

 

Established resource:  Possesses a pragmatic understanding of globalization’s impact on US economic, health, social, environmental, and national security interests; and how to locate and use this information to influence US policy makers by geographical or political point of view.   Published in professional journals, written, and presented Congressional testimony, drafted federal legislation, written newsletter legislative updates, action alerts, briefing papers, and boilerplate newspaper opinion pieces for grassroots’ initiatives.  Maintains issue and quote database and library of books and files on ‘local-global’ connections, organizations, associations, national security threats, and topical experts.  Currently writing a book on maximizing freedom and security in an interdependent world - and maintaining a “435 Campaign for Global Justice” to educate Congress regarding the links between global injustices and threats to our personal and national security with a focus on funding the 17 Sustainable Development Goals by the year 2030 – in the context of preventing most threats.

 

WORK HISTORY: 

11-2017 to Present:  Head Wrestling Coach and Strength and Fitness trainer at Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School.

9-2015 to Present:  Volunteer Leader of ‘435 Campaign for Global Justice’.

11-1990 to Present:  Independent contractor and consultant to CIPAC and other non profits.

11-2003 to Present:  Public speaker linking global justice and human rights protection to protecting US national security and our freedoms.

8-04 to 11-04:  MoveOn PAC Field Organizer, New Hampshire

10-02 to 11-03:  Advocacy Director, Global Plan Initiative.

3-02 to 9-02:  Grassroots Director, World Federalist Association (WFA)

7-01 to 3-02:  Issues Advocacy Director, WFA

11-98 to 7-01:  Issues Director, WFA

4-98 to 11-98:  Grassroots Development Officer: Global Health Council (formerly NCIH)

5-97 to 4-98:  Director of Advocacy, National Council for International Health (NCIH)

3-96 to 5-97:  Director of Membership and Advocacy, NCIH

5-95 to 2-96:  Director, Communications for Health Campaign

11-90 to 5-95:  Director, Alliance for Child Survival

1-89 to 11-90: Consultant, Woolery Enterprises

3-88 to 1-89:  Media Director, RESULTS International

8-85 to 3-88:  Biology Program Representative II.  UC Berkeley, Lawrence Hall of Science, CA

5-85 to 9-85:  Bay Area Coordinator, Student Conservation Association.  San Francisco, CA

7-83 to 4-85:  Site Supervisor, East Bay Conservation Corps. Berkeley, CA

10-82 to 5-84:  Information Officer, Research Assistant, and Project Manager - The Hunger Project.

9-77 to 6-82:  Certified High School Biology Teacher/Coach/Class Advisor (CO, WA, NJ, and OR)

 

 

EDUCATION:  9-73 to 12-75:  Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO          B.S. Biology

                            9-71 to 6-73:  North Idaho College, Coeur d’Alene, ID                   A.A.

 

SPECIAL HONORS AND VOLUNTEER RESPONSIBILITIES:

 

Aug 5, 2021     Officially sponsored and  initiated into Rockville Rotary Club.

June 12, 2021   Certified Montgomery County Weed Warrior Supervisor

April 26, 2021 Rockville City’s Environmental Excellence Award for Outstanding Leadership in Environmental Practices for the Twinbrook Park Forest Restoration Project (Anne, Sarah and Chuck).

Dec 27. 2020 to present:    Member of Rockville Environmental Commission

Oct. 2020 to present:   Board of Watts Branch Watershed Alliance

Jan. 2020 to present:   Co-leader, City of Rockville Volunteer Weed Warrior corps, park restoration projects, and native plant rescues.

2017 to present:       Advisory Board, International Campaign to End Genocide

2013 recipient:         City of Rockville “Outstanding Individual Environmental Stewardship Award”      

2012 to present:       Certified Montgomery County Weed Warrior

2012 to present:       Board of Rockville Native Species Network

2012 to 2017:           World Federalist Institute Fellow.

2002 to Present:       Frequent panelist on “Passion for Truth” TV program.

1997 to 2012            Editorial Board - World Hunger Education Service

1989 to 2012            Executive Board Chair, Gethsemane Scholarship Institute, Fond Des Blancs, Haiti.

2007 to 2010            Advisory Board, Democratic World Federalists

2004 to 2006            Ex-Officio Chair, United Nations Association Council of Organizations.

2002 to 2004            Chair, United Nations Association Council of Organizations.

1998 to 2002            Two terms on UNA Council of Organizations Executive Committee

2002                           UNA National Capital Area, UN Day Organizing Committee

2002 to 2006            UNA National Capital Area, Education Committee

2002 to 2004            Chair, WFA Chesapeake Region (DC, DE, MD, VA, WV)

2001 to 2004            Media Chair, WFA Capital Area Chapter

2001 to 2004            Advisory Board, The Angelina Arico Foundation, Genocide Factor Series

2000 to 2001            Action Board, American Public Health Association (APHA)

1997 to 2005            Advocacy Chair, APHA, International Health Section

1996 to 2001            Served two terms on Governing Council, APHA, International Health Section

1993 to 1996            Served one term on Advisory Council, APHA, International Health Section

1999 to 2005            Vice-Chair, Maryland Global Affairs Coalition (MGAC)

1997 to 1999            Chair, MGAC

1993 to 1996            Co-Chair, Maryland Global Connections Foundation.

1996 to 1999            Served two terms as PTSA President of Rockville High School.

1992 to 1994            Served two terms as PTSA President of Meadow Hall Elementary School

1993                           Recipient of UNA-USA, National Capital Area, Human Rights Award.

1993 to 1996            Served second term as elected RESULTS Grassroots Board Representative.

1989                           Recipient of US Committee for United Nations Environmental Program, World Environment Day Award

1989 to 1990            Served first term as elected RESULTS Grassroots Board Representative.

1989 to 1993:           Maryland State Coordinator, RESULTS

1983 to 1988:           Regional Coordinator (CA, HI, NV), RESULTS.  Berkeley, CA

 

Journal & Magazine articles authored in:  Topics in Clinical Nutrition, Pediatric Nursing. World Hunger Year, Share International.

Opinion Pieces:              Philadelphia Inquirer, Baltimore Sun, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner, Oakland Tribune, Marin Independent Journal, Montgomery Journal.

Letters to the Editor:    Business Week, Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, Washington Post, Washington Times, World Monitor, and dozens of smaller daily newspapers.

Congressional Testimony:  Senate Foreign Operations Subcommittee of Appropriations: May 15, 1997.  House Foreign Operations Subcommittee of Appropriations:  April 24, 1997; April 25, 1996;    March 30, 1995;  March 1, 1993.

Legislation Introduced:  103^rd Congress:  HR 1935 International Woman and Child Health Act of 1993

                        102^nd Congress:  HR 5507: International Woman and Child Health Act of 1992

 

 

 

References:

 

Harry C. Blaney III, President

Coalition for American Leadership Abroad (COLEAD)

(202) 944-5519  : colead@afsa.org

 

John B. Anderson, President (Ten term Republican US Congressman & 1980 US Presidential Candidate)

World Federalist Association

418 Seventh St., SE, Washington, DC 20003

(202) 491-1027   info@fairvote.org

 

Lynn McMullen

Former Executive Director, RESULTS

(360) 750-1036   lynnmcmullen@democraticfundamentalism.org

 

Tim Barner, National Director of Area Campaigns

Friends Committee on National Legislation,

245 Second Street, NE, Washington, DC, 20002-5795 USA
(202) 547-6000    tim@fcnl.org

www.fcnl.org

 

Richard A. Hellman, Founder, Christian's Israel Public Action Campaign

1300 Pennsylvania, Suite 703,  Washington, DC 20004

 (202) 425-4009      RAHellman@CIPAConline.org

http://cipaconline.org

 

 

 

Wrestling Accomplishments and Coaches.

 

1971    3^rd place Washington State Collegiate style.  Kennewick HS.

1971    1^st place Washington State AAU Freestyle State Championships

 

Bill Conrad:  Kennewick HS Wrestling Coach.  To the wrestling world in Washington State, Bill Conrad was a legendary coach and mentor, a crafter of championship teams and shaper of championship wrestlers.  A Washington State hall of famer twice over, Conrad’s teams won three state titles at Kennewick High and finished second twice more. Twenty-three different wrestlers won state titles during his 29 years as head coach of the Lions before he retired in 1991.

 

1972    2^nd place, NJCAA National Tournament (Team place: 5^th) for North Idaho College*

1972    Qualified for and participated in U.S. Olympic Trials  (eliminated quickly)

1973    4^th place NJCAA National Tournament  (Team place: 2^nd) for NIC**

1973    Participant in U.S. East vs West dual meet representing the West.

 

*This was the first time NIC placed in the NJCAA tournament.

** This was the second year NIC placed.

 

Les Hogan: Wrestling Coach.  NJCAA Hall of Fame.  Les Hogan assumed the reins of a start-up wrestling program at NIC in 1971 and immediately developed it into one of the most respected wrestling programs in the country. In his first year as head coach, Hogan guided the Cardinals to 5th in the nation at the NJCAA tournament. Two years later Hogan led NIC to its first NJCAA national championship, and he repeated the feat in 1975, earning back to back championships. The NJCAA honored Hogan as the National Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1975. He finished his career with a record of 95 wins and only 4 losses.

 

NIC Tradition of Wrestling champions:

14 NJCAA Team National Titles (NJCAA record)

34 Top Three Finishes as a team (NJCAA record)

54 Individual National Champions NJCAA record)

230 All-Americans (NJCAA record)

 

1975    Colorado State University Wrestling Team Co-Captain.

CSU Wrestling was replaced with Girls Volleyball after passage of Title 10.  

 

 

 

 

Are things getting better?

 

If you haven’t noticed, our government is dysfunctional.  It always has been.  When our Constitution veered off the noble course offered by our Declaration of Independence it was bound to fail.  It crashed first in a civil war that killed more Americans than all the wars our nation has fought in since then.  Abraham Lincoln (our most popular president) once wrote our Declaration is our “Apple of Gold”.  Our Constitution is the “Frame of Silver” around it.   Elected officials and the military must swear to protect the Constitution.  Not us, not each of our fundamental rights, not our security, and not the health of our environment which is the ultimate infrastructure sustaining our own health, wealth, and security.

The Constitution did protect our right to defend ourselves with muskets. And to freely speak or worship whatever we chose.   But those freedoms are useless against viruses, extreme weather conditions, failed states beyond of our borders, high paid lobbyists putting oil and corporate profits ahead of protecting our most basic infrastructure…the environment, cyber hackers anywhere in the world, a legal system lacking any true justice, an economic system rewarding the ultrarich and ignoring the rest, reactionary policies that are burying future generations in debt instead of investments in prevention, and a fourth amendment that makes our Constitution a suicide document instead of an system capable of the only legitimate function of any government (according to Thomas Paine) which is protecting human freedom and security.

If you have not noticed, things are worsening. Even after Trump lost the election.  It was even before our nation’s Trump experiment a survey of US national security experts were asked to rank our nation’s greatest threats.  They put terrorism on top.   And if you understood the future we face from the accelerating proliferation of every form of WMD - and the relative ease and affordable access that any foreign or domestic terrorist has to acquiring it -- without a background check – you would understand this ranking.  They identified our nation’s own ‘government dysfunction’ as our second greatest threat.  Ahead of Russia, China, N. Korea, Iran, and climate change.  A pandemic wasn’t even on their list.  It should have been.  And it was in past decades.   But this threat was then ignored.

I don’t blame politicians for this dysfunction.   We have the government we deserved.  The best that money can buy.  Not the best at engineering sustainable systems and structures to protect public health and safety.  These are things real engineers swear an oath to protect.

Those who first engineered the Constitution ignored fundamental principles offered by the “Laws of Nature and Nature’s God”.  They intentionally engineered it to work slowly.  Not a good idea now given the pace of change enhanced by advances in science and technologies that are globally accessible, increasingly affordable, and catastrophically more powerful.  And also largely anonymous.

Our Constitution was engineer on good ideas at the time.  Like balancing power between three bodies.  But power to do what?  Establish justice?  Insure domestic tranquility? Provide for the common defense?  Promote the general welfare?  Secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity?  These are what the framers intended.  But they gave us a flawed document doing none of these.   It can’t without us making monstrous changes in it.  It did give us -“We the “People” - that power and option.  But we largely ignored it believing the Constitution was sustainable without serious change.   It’s not!

And here’s why.

First:  It’s based on a concept that sounds reasonable.  Independence.  Yet that mental construct exists nowhere in the known universe.  In reality, everything we know of (natural and human made) is made up of systems and structures and everything…repeat “EVERYTHING” is interdependent.  NOTHING is independent.

Before 9-11 our CIA could not work with the FBI.  We tried to remedy that after 9-11 by creating the Department of Homeland Security in consolidating over a dozen federal agencies.  But didn’t link it to the Department of Defense.   WTF???

Consider the continuing chaos sparked by Covid19.  It was like an x ray exposing all the fractures between our primary government departments and even our state laws.

Panels on C-span focused on any aspect of national security repeatedly used several key phrases about what our nation needed:   “A wholistic approach..  A “comprehensive approach” …a “whole of government approach”.  A “whole of society approach”. And immediately after their suggestions for these - they cite the importance of investing in “resilience”.  Why?
Because consciously or unconsciously they know our government will not/cannot do those things as it is.  The separations between agencies, states, political parties and human clans (business or social) are to great.  And our minds cannot accept that fact that united we stand - and divided we fail.

Things change. Now, they are consistently changing for the worse.  Without adapting to change we have virtually no chance of keeping our head above water or our nation above China or catastrophic dysfunction.

If this projection leaves you hopeless…I highly recommend adopted Vaclav Havel’s functional definition of “hope”.   ‘Hope is not the expectation that things will change.  It is knowing what needs to change.  And working on it regardless of how it turns out.’

You need to chose.  Are you going to be a passenger in this cabin on spaceship earth …hoping for seat on the next rocket going to Mars?  Or, are you going to be a crew member on our mother planet – and doing what’s needed to unite humanity and halt this insanity.

 If that is your course.  Look no further than the need to fund and achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. They are likely our last great hope of preserving what little civilization still exists.

Earth Systems Restoration Corps?

 Are you a passenger or crew member of Space ship Earth?

Letters to the Editor Washington Post. Printed 7-8-21

Opinion: Climate actions we can take now

Charlie Warzel’s June 30 Wednesday Opinion commentary, “It’s not the heat. It’s the existential dread.,” rightfully concluded, “Talking about our shared dread won’t bring down the temperature or vanish the smoke, but leaning into the grimness is grounding.” We need more than grounding. We need more passengers on spaceship Earth transforming themselves into crew members.

We need an Earth systems restoration corps. NASA’s vision for an Earth System Observatory in space and President Biden’s ground plan “to tackle the climate crisis at home and abroad” have good intentions. But nowhere in his 2,000-word news release are the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals mentioned. These goals are the only global comprehensive approach with the potential to functionally address most root causes of the existential threats we all face.

Only when the global protection of human rights and the environment are more important than the protection of national sovereignty and corporate profits will our vital earth systems become sustainable and our dysfunctional human systems be fixed. Even if climate change is solved, humanity’s food chain would still be threatened by loss of topsoil, declining biodiversity and dwindling fresh water supplies. A comprehensive plan exists.  We all need to make all of it happen.

Chuck Woolery, Former Chair
United Nations Association, Council of Organizations

SDGs best for measuring progress. Not GDPs.

 Another Letter to the Editor to the Washington Post that will never be printed. 

Dear Editor,

Megan Mcardle did profound service to Americans and humanity (Washington Post.  “The looming disasters we don’t prepare for”.  Feb. 25, 2021) by advocating we invest now in inevitable (but likely rare) disasters.  Few give thought to the multitude of inevitable disasters capable of disrupting earthly life in more damaging ways the Covid19.   Mcardle won’t be the only Cassandra history will note (assuming civilization survives).  Richard Clarke’s 2017 book “Warnings” detailed eight events experts were warning about and yet policy makers ignored.  Clarke offered eight more we should be preparing for (spoiler alert - #2 was “pandemics”).  His middle chapter offered 3 reasons why we don’t listen.  But it’s worse than that.

We don’t even do the things we know we should!  Never have we had more information regarding our need to eat healthy, exercise regularly, don’t smoke, or abuse drugs.  Yet obesity, suicides, and drug overdoses were increasing before the pandemic.  And nearly as many Americans died in 2020 from smoking as from Covid19.

Add to these factors the human mind’s creative capacity to believe ANYTHING.  Then kill or die for defending an erroneous belief.  

To best prepare for increasing global chaos absent any rare threats it would be best investing urgently in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  These SDGs are a comprehensive global approach to preventing most of today’s crisis.  Achieving them would be a wise insurance policy to enable humanity to recover from any disaster as well for preparing every nation for unlikely threats the future will bring. 

As Hazel Henderson keeps warning humanity, the SDGs are infinitely more useful as a score card for measuring human progress - and our species capacity to thrive.  The SDGs need to replace the GDP as our measure of real progress. 

Peace is the wrong goal.

 

WorldBeyondWar.org is one of the largest so called ‘peace’ organizations in the US.

And regardless of the human costs WBW continues its focus on targeting the immediate elements of war instead of any serious effort to transform the profoundly flawed ‘international law’ system that sustains it. 

WBW’s current campaign is urging citizens to ‘sign’ a petition.  They believe (or want others to believe) that this is an ‘action’ capable of creating peace in Afghanistan.  This would be laughable if it were not so simple minded - and if successful - wouldn’t end in such horrific and inevitable consequences.

WBW implies that “demanding” that “all Governments with Troops Occupying Afghanistan” be withdrawn, will lead to an acceptable ‘peace’ there. 

No where in or around their petition is there a mention of the lethal consequences that will follow the inevitable collapse of the corrupt Afghan government.  The corrupt government that currently exists and barely undeserving of any support.  

WBW’s leadership only eyes a victory notch that will aid their seeking additional members and funding for their flawed peace approach.  Peace at any price should never be an option.

For decades WBW actions have ignored the fundamental principle that “peace is not a function of disarmament.  This typical liberal approach has been as foolish as the typical conservative belief of “peace through strength”.  It violates the fundamental principle that ‘peace is also not a function of armaments.’

Peace is a function of justice!  No exceptions…only additions. 

The first addition is grasping the fact that the two most valued universal human desires are freedom and security.  And sustainable justice is a function of ‘liberty and justice for all’ within a governing system engineered on the fundamental principle that protecting both human freedom and security is the highest priority.  And non-negotiable.  

Who believes the protection of inalienable human rights (see Universal Declaration of Human Rights and US Declaration of Independence) and humanities vital life support systems (nature) are NOT as important as the protection of national sovereignty, unregulated capitalism, or global corporations?  Who would claim that holding every individual accountable for any violation of these two fundamental elements of nature - is a bad thing?  These are the most basic elements that are almost always abused by the unrestricted power of nation states, capitalism, and/or corporations that are now prioritized in our global governance system.    

No change. No peace.   Peace should never be the highest priority.  Sustainably maximizing human freedom and security should be.

So what will be the costs of all foreign troops leaving Afghanistan.

#1. Say goodbye to Women’s rights there.

#2. Anticipate the detention, torture, and execution of any individuals (and maybe their families) of people in or attached to the exiting Kabul government.

#3. Expect Pakistan’s government (and likely other bordering nations), that have extensive self-interest in Afghanistan stability - and wealth of vital minerals, to act to protect those interests.  It is impossible to know what those consequences will be but they are unlikely to be peaceful.

#4. How long will it be, before Al Qaeda, ISIS, or the next mutation of these killer memes use Afghanistan’s ungovernable chaos to reorganize and develop plans to disrupt the West.  Or acquire biological weapons from other sources that are hateful due to the injustices of US military invasions/ occupations and their associated atrocities?  Only a fool would fail to grasp the enormous disruption capacity that even a weak biological attack could create.  Bioweapons relative ease of creation, access, distribution, and lack of attribution - increases every day.   IMPORTANT NOTE:  Both the US military and WBW fail to grasp that ‘Deterrence’ is no longer a reliable defense strategy.  And rapidly creating and fielding effective defenses against the rapidly evolving offensive weaponry is extremely difficult (if not impossible) to fund.  

Within this context it seems self-evident, that creating the conditions for a sustainable peace is far more important than demanding the removal of just one aspect of war, as important as that removal is eventually.

Advocating (at the very least) for a United Nations effort to protect the freedoms and security of all Afghans instead of abandoning them to the extremist whims of the Taliban or the other self-interested parties, bordering governments, or their military powers.

At most WBW should be advocating for the transformation of the increasingly obvious catastrophic failings of the current global governance systems.  Addressing the current pandemic, preventing others (including the inevitable use of biological weapons), and quickly addressing global warming and other existential environmental threats must become the highest priority of each progressive movement - and all organizations within each movement (Peace, Environment, Social/Economic Justice).

At the very least, a plan to sufficiently fund the 17 Sustainable Development Goals as a comprehensive solution (which they are) as a movement unifying goal.