EDITORIAL by Dhiren Shah
Hello Readers,
The Biden Administration signed a peace agreement with the Taliban on or about February 28, 2021. Around April 15th, Biden announced the intention to pull US troops out by September 11, 2021, the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks that resulted in America going into Afghanistan to capture those behind it. Within a couple of months after the US started pulling out troops, the Taliban totally controlled Afghanistan.
When a ship is sinking, a good captain goes down with the ship. However, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled to Saudi Arabia. According to Reuters: “As for the collapse of the (outgoing) regime, it is most eloquently characterized by the way Ghani fled Afghanistan,”
Nikita Ishchenko, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Kabul, was quoted as saying by RIA, “Four cars were full of money, they tried to stuff another part of the money into a helicopter, but not all of it fit. And some of the money was left lying on the tarmac,” he was quoted as saying.”
Many politicians, as well as the news media, feel that this is the worst foreign policy move made by our President Joseph Biden. Within a couple of months, the Taliban took over Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan unopposed. The US has stopped the Taliban for the past 20 years, and the President stated that we lost $1 trillion and hundreds of lives of our soldiers. He said that it’s not worth it.
Now the question arises, with Taliban having control over the country, will they be more powerful than before? They may openly get support from other countries as a nation, rather than a terrorist group. Only time will tell whether it was a good move to leave.
Pakistan’s President Imran Khan and some of the Pakistani leaders have celebrated the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan. Pakistan has a good relationship with the Taliban, and had a good relationship with Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, who was killed on May 2, 2011, in Pakistan. Even after Bin Laden was killed, Pakistan did not deport his family members immediately, and took a year to do so.
Corruption is at a high point. The administrators and legislators make sure that the forms are very complicated when it comes to bids and contracts. They pre-decide who to give contracts to, but make sure that the paperwork is solid, so when the contract is awarded, no one can blame them for corruption.
America is a very advanced country, but as far as roads are concerned, despite the best technology, they cannot make roads that do not get ruined and make potholes in the winter. But the road contractors support the politicians, and they get the contracts year after year to pave the roads with the same shoddy work and materials. Meanwhile, we the taxpayers suffer year after year on roads with potholes.
Newark Mayor Baraka put out an executive order for all employees to be vaccinated by Sept. 14. As I heard, the employees must get tested every week, even if they are already vaccinated, or face consequences. I think Baraka is overstepping his authority against the wishes of the employees. Those who are vaccinated should not be tested every week, in my opinion
Have a wonderful week.
I’ll talk to you next week.
