Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for August 19, 2021

“We want to be like the US, prosperous and independent.

Hearts and minds. That’s what they were shooting at …

Doomed to repeat… It’s like a frigging Mad-Lib. Just change the proper nouns and the story is every bit as relevant.

Give us your dollars, take our hearts and minds…at least for as long as you keep ’em coming!

What’s to resent? Oh, maybe 100,000 dead. Maybe 200,000 dead. Of course, that’s just the civilians. Why would we resent you for killing our civilians?

I wonder how Vietnam is doing with the COVID stuff. I don’t hear much about them.

Today, BD’s on the left side.

What, now they’re in the center aisle?

“Well… you think we’d tell you?”

We did leave some very confused messages. There were very few communists in Viet Nam when we engaged with a Catholic president of the country. He found it extremely effective to label all his enemies as communists. (Based on lessons from the U.S. 50s) As we helped him attack more conveniently labeled “communist”, we created an epidemic of anti-government and anti-American sympathizers and combatants. North Viet Nam was able to capitalize on this sentiment. I’m guessing, just guessing, mind you, that the situation in Afghanistan was similar.

“Unleash Chiang Kai-Shek”.Did anybody actually BELIEVE that?

A US General named Stilwell had that guy pegged early.

Only problem is, the stock broker would be in Business Class and a BD would be in Coach.

Probably where Cheney got the idea with Iraq and Afghanistan.

Problem is, our wars of choice have been more about liberating markets than people.

That’s not Phred, is it?

This actually made me LOL!