Saigon falls again

Saigon falls again, but it has changed its name to Kabul.

You can bet on one thing. If you ask any one of the scores of millions of chthonic Republicans, of whom there are legion, they will tell you the following.

One, never trust the Taliban and two, it would not take the scraggly cootie-infested beards six months or six weeks or six days, what about six hours?, to overrun Afghanistan. The Rethuglicans who live under the earth will tell you that! Mucker Carlson, his mouth filled with grubs, will tell you that.

And that women and girls will take it in the neck and every other part of the anatomy.

I am a big Joe and Kamala fan, but who is advising them, Secretaries Winkin, Blinken and Nod?

We have, what, 28,000 troops in Korea, some 70 years after the war’s end? Oh, sorry, it was never declared a war, but will forever be dubbed a “conflict”, but we cannot leave 2500 in Afghanistan to give the country a modicum of stability? There have been no casualties there since February 2020 and we have kept the Mangies at bay.

Now, well now, did you note the photo of one of them raising his rifle to strike a woman who dared to stand in line with her family trying to leave the country?What temerity! Back to the cave, Hussy!

Now Americans have been warned to stay away from the airport. The Pentagon insists the airport is secured. Really? What about getting to the airport? Uber, anyone? Do we tip the driver? Will he be blown up by an I.E.D. ? Or beheaded, perhaps.

As we come up on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 — can you believe it? — let us not forget that 15 of the 17 hijackers were Saudis, pals of Master Saw Bones, Crown Prince MSB, and did we go to war with Saudi Arabia? Or did not the twice-lost Schlumpf visit that land as one of his first official acts?

Irony, thy name is DJT, which sounds awfully close to DDT, the now banned herbicide. If we ever get around to convicting the former — I know, fat chance, less fat than the Duffer — perhaps he will be banned as well. Hope springs infernal.

I am reading “On This Earth, We Are Briefly Gorgeous” by Ocean Vuong, who came here as a child with his Vietnamese parents fleeing that first Saigon.

He recalls his mother, hearing her first Fourth of July, being terrified at the “mortars” coming. She is being taken back to Vietnam. A riveting scene.

Out of great suffering sometimes comes great art. This time I would give up whatever great art comes out of the Afghan experience, if I could eliminate the great suffering. Ars longa; Dolor longer.

May there not be a third Saigon. Peace and Blessings on us all.

Lonnie Carter is a writer who lives in Falls Village. Email him at lonniety@comcast.net., or go to his website at www.lonniecarter.com.