It was almost inevitable that a terrorist attack would occur in Kabul during this effort to extricate Americans and allies. The fact is, it is very difficult to stop suicide bombers and they have been around a while.1 Of course, that will not stop the finger pointing and blaming that will likely follow. At the last count I am aware of, 13 US soldiers died and 18 were injured. In addition, a significant number of Afghans were also killed or injured. It is an absolute tragedy. There is no way to sugar coat it, particularly for the families of those involved.
I want to make it very clear that I am not minimizing in any way the tragic loss of life and injuries of those involved. However, I would like to add some context. We would all agree that this significant loss of life is tragic and everything should have been done to prevent it. I do find some irony, however, in the fact that the people who are screaming the loudest and are the quickest to place blame are the same individuals who are directly or indirectly contributing to deaths of Americans by the thousands here at home.
With the Delta variant of COVID-19 raging across the United States, there is now an average of more than 1,000 deaths per day due to this virus.3 Current predictions estimate another 100,000 people will die between now and December 1st unless behavior changes in this country.2 One would think that every politician would want to do everything in their power to mitigate this plague – but we see that is not true. Over 100 people die in the United States every single day due to firearms.4 One would think that every politician and citizen would want to do everything in their power to solve this problem – but we see that is not true. Over 100 people die in the United States every single day due to automobile accidents.5 That hardly even makes a headline any more.
In the United States 350,000 premature deaths are due to the continued use of fossil fuels.6 One would think that all of the politicians and citizens would be willing to do everything possible to solve that problem – but we see that is not true. We see extreme weather events such as droughts, hurricanes, and heat waves that most credible scientists agree are the direct result of climate change. It is widely viewed as the most existential crisis facing the planet today. One would think that every politician and citizen would want to do everything in their power to address this issue – but we see that is not true.
There will no doubt be many headlines, news stories and Congressional investigations into the tragedy in Kabul. Regardless of all of the hype, solving the problem of suicide bombers is extremely difficult and almost impossible to prevent. Whereas, all of the problems that result in far more American deaths as outlined above and for which there are solutions – remain unsolved due to nothing but politics, greed and a seemingly unquenchable thirst for power at any cost.
Right now, on average, one thousand Americans are dying every single day from COVID and yet we have talking heads on TV spewing misinformation about masks and vaccines. We have governors and Republican-controlled legislatures doing everything they can to ensure this pandemic continues and more American lives are lost over and above the more than 640,000 that have already been lost because of politically motivated, anti-science decisions. Parents are filing lawsuits as school districts try to implement mask mandates to protect all of the students under their care. 7
So, in the coming weeks and months as the events in Kabul take on the same look as the infamous Benghazi hearings, particularly if the Republicans retake the House and/or the Senate in 2022, just remember the people who are screaming the loudest trying to fix blame for political gains are the same people who have failed to address issues at home that have killed and will continue to kill orders of magnitude more Americans. The roar of the hypocrisy is deafening.
- The Human Use of Human Beings: A Brief History of Suicide Bombing | Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective (osu.edu)
- Page A4 | E-Edition | bozemandailychronicle.com
- US COVID-19 cases and deaths by state | USAFacts
- Firearm Violence Prevention |Violence Prevention|Injury Center|CDC
- Car Accident Statistics — Lawcore.com
- Fossil fuel air pollution responsible for 1 in 5 deaths worldwide – C-CHANGE | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
- Parents file lawsuit over MCPS mask requirement | ABC Fox Missoula | montanarightnow.com